Murder? What murder?

Yes, there was one: Some may wonder why we didn't jump all over the murder at the Canal Street Hotel earlier this week.

If we consider NOcrimeline's mission as alerting residents of the 8th District to crime so they can take precautions against becoming victims, we figured the Canal Street Hotel as a place where our subscribers wouldn't be caught dead. Unless, of course, you went there to score drugs or pick up a hooker--and in our demographic view, that eliminates most of you.

You could almost see this tragedy coming. When I started to compile a list of police reports of crimes from the 1630 Canal St. address of the hotel, it became so voluminous I abandoned the project. Every time I read a report about a crime in "the 1600 block of Canal," I said "I'll bet it was the no-tell hotel"--and was universally right. The place is tantamount to the Iberville Housing Project--with neon.

When comments on TripAdvisor list it as "terrible" 65 out of 78 times, you get the idea. Expedia advertised it at "$38 a night"--those are flophouse rates. Many visitors talked about bums sleeping in the hallways, drug dealers roaming at will, hookers hanging around outside the entrance on Canal Street.

Forget the talk about the hotel being in violation of city codes. Management of this place allowed the illegal behavior to take place right under their noses. Supposedly the hotel had been ordered not to rent any rooms above the bottom 2 floors because of fire safety concerns. But the guy who was arrested for the homicide was staying in a room on the 4th floor where the murder occurred--and wasn't a registered guest.

Considering the dude who allegedly shot the 20-year-old black Algiers girl after reportedly shouting at her repeatedly "Where are the other girls?," it's easy to speculate he was pimping prostitutes out of the place, putting the "ho" in hotel.

A relentless investigation by the NOPD after Kenyra Johnson was shot in the abdomen during an argument at the hotel Tuesday night (6.30.09) and died at the hospital, led to the arrest Friday (7.3.09) of Troy Gloston-Phelps, 21. Gloston, who could have been nailed by the police any time before the shooting on a slew of outstanding warrants, was booked with 2nd-degree murder. He's being held in OPP on $500,000 bond.

Another bar robbery: After the robberies of Donna's on N. Rampart Street on 6.25.09 and Pal's in Mid-City on 6.27.09 where a patron was shot, a brazen robber knocked over The John bar at Burgundy and Frenchmen streets on Monday (6.29.09).

A black dude entered the bar at 1:20 p.m. and ordered a drink. Then he pulled a gun and demanded the money from the video poker machines before locking the 62-year-old female bartender in a supply closet and cleaning out the cash from the register.

He was described as in his mid 20's, 5'8" tall, weighing 180 pounds, clean shaven, wearing a black T-shirt and blue jeans.

Bad neighborhoods: Any one with a lick of sense would know that these are not nice places to be in the early morning hours, but they ventured forth and were robbed there. If they are locals, they should know better; if they were tourists, somebody needs to tell them the French Quarter is not all fun and games:

• Wednesday (7.1.09): A 27-year-old white woman walking in the 1000 block of Iberville Street (between Burgundy and N. Rampart streets) at 12:45 a.m. was robbed by gun-toting black dude who took her money and then fled in a dark red 4-door sedan which sped off on Burgundy toward Esplanade Avenue.

He was described as 20 to 24 years old, 5'9" tall, weighing 160 pounds, with shoulder-length dreadlocks, wearing a long white T-shirt and blue jean shorts.

• Friday (7.3.09): A white guy standing near N. Rampart and St. Louis streets at 1:15 a.m. was approached by 4 black thugs. One asked his for a cigarette and when the victim reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes and some cash, he grabbed the money and fled with his rat pack.

8th District officers later nabbed 2 of them: Charles Roy (right), 20, and Nicholas Duplessis (left), 23. They were each charged with simple robbery and placed under a $15,000 bond to get out of OPP.

• Friday (7.3.09): A white woman who was near Bourbon and St. Louis streets at 3:45 a.m. was approached by a black guy who said he had a gun and demanded her money.

She refused and flagged down a cop who pursued the thug up Bourbon toward Canal Street and arrested Rakeem Holmes, 20.

On top of attempted armed robbery, he was also charged with possession of marijuana and crack cocaine. He is being held on $80,500 bond in OPP.

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As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome at NOcrimeline@gmail.com

Thom Kahler

In the heat of the night

Gunfire flares: A 22-year-old man standing outside Harrah's Casino was the victim of a drive-by shooting around 3:15 a.m. Saturday (6.27.09) morning in front of a crowd of witnesses.

Though several gun shots were fired, the victim was struck by only one bullet, in his thigh. He underwent surgery in a local hospital and was in critical condition at last report.

8th District cops chased down a black pickup truck that sped down S. Peters Street toward Esplanade Avenue. They arrested Rivers Jacques (right), 24, and Kyron Nelson (left), 20, and charged them with attempted 1st-degree murder during a crime. Magistrate Harry Cantrell slapped a $500,000 bond on each of them and they're sitting in OPP in want of big bucks.

6 robberies, 1 gun: A lone gunman held up 6 patrons of Donna's Bar and Grill, 800 N. Rampart St., around 9:16 p.m. Thursday (6.25.09) night. He collected an untold amount of loot from them before fleeing on foot.

He was described as black, 20 to 30 years old, 5'9" tall, weighing 145 pounds, with a light complexion, wearing a white baseball cap, a tan and white button up shirt, and blue jeans.

Various other "simple" robberies in the past few days were actually more violent:

• Monday (6.29.09): A white guy riding his bicycle near Bourbon Street and Esplanade Avenue around 4:35 a.m. was robbed by 2 black dudes who hopped out of a black pickup truck, pushed the victim to the ground, and took his wallet and his bicycle.

Description of the robbers was scant, one only identified as wearing a dark T-shirt and dark shorts.

• Monday (6.29.09): A couple of hours earlier, around 2 a.m., a white man walking near Frenchmen and Chartres streets was pushed to the ground by a black thug who demanded his money. He complied and the robber fled on foot.

The victim didn't call the police until about an hour later. He described his attacker as 20 to 25 years old, 6' tall, weighing 190 pounds, and wearing a red shirt and black shorts.

• Sunday (6.28.09): A black man standing near N. Rampart and Dumaine streets around 4:45 a.m. was robbed by another black man who jumped out of a white Nissan pickup and grabbed the man's purse from his hand.

The robber was described as 25 to 30 years old, 5'11" tall, weighing 240 pounds, wearing a black T-shirt and black pants.

• Saturday (6.27.09): A white guy standing in the 700 block of Bourbon Street (near Orleans Street) around 2:45 a.m. was robbed by 2 white crooks who grabbed his money from his hand and fled on foot up Bourbon toward Esplanade Avenue.

Both robbers were described as 20 to 25 years old, one 6' tall, weighing 180 pounds, clean shaven with short hair, and the other, 6'4" tall, weighing 175 pounds, with a thin build, wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans.

• Monday (6.22.09): Police arrested Wayne Jones, a 41-year-old black man, and charged him with simple robbery after he struck a white man standing in the 800 block of Conti Street (between Bourbon and Dauphine streets) around 5:15 a.m. and took money from the victim's pocket.
  

Tempers flare too: A couple of arguments this week in the French Quarter fled to violence:

• Saturday (6.27.09): A 23-year-old black man standing near St. Philip and Royal streets around 1:55 a.m. got into a fight with another young dude he knew. His buddy allegedly took out a boxcutter and slashed him on his left forearm.

He was taken to University Hospital for treatment and released. Police arrested Renard Reese, 21, and charged him with aggravated battery.

• Sunday (6.21.09): A white man and his 2 white female companions got into an argument around 4 a.m. with a black dude and his white sidekick. A little while later while the trio was standing on Crack Corner (Dauphine and St. Louis streets), the black and white duo reappeared and attacked them. The black guy struck them with a baseball bat while his white accomplice sprayed them with pepper spray.

The black thug was described as 6'1" tall, weighing 200 pounds, wearing a yellow shirt; the white hoodlum was 5'6" tall, weighing 140 pounds, wearing a white shirt.

Tell it to the judge: In our previous column, in which we detailed the fate of several defendants in recent cases, we posted a link to each judge's email so you could let them know what you thought of the way they administered justice.

At least one reader (who copied us with her messages) wrote each judge--praising some, condemning others.

That's the whole idea--let the judges know you're watching what they do and you're not going to forget it the next time an election rolls around.

A list linking you to the email address of all the Criminal District Court judges and the Magistrate Court judges is in the blue column on the right hand side of NOcrimeline.com.

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As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome at NOcrimeline@gmail.com

Thom Kahler

What the...?!

Accused killer's bond reduced: You'd think with all the commotion in the news the last couple of days about an accused killer Uptown killing again while out on bond that Judge Lynda Van Davis would have applied lessons learned to Nathaniel Payton.

But no. Payton's lawyer managed to sweet talk Judge Van Davis into reducing Payton's bond Tuesday (6.23.09) from $1.5 million to $1 million. No trifling amount, true. If the Uptown thug could round up that much to get out of jail, who's to say Payton can't?

Payton, 27, was charged with 2nd-degree murder in February and indicted in May after a guy he allegedly pumped 7 or 8 slugs into early one morning last August at Bienville and Decatur streets in the French Quarter died in the hospital after 6 months of lingering on life-support in the hospital.

Until last Wednesday (6.17.09)--when he was arraigned in Judge Van Davis' court and was jailed in OPP under the $1.5 million bond that had been set earlier by Judge Camille Buras--Payton has been roaming the city. He had no trouble making the $220,000 bond put on him in February when his victim died, nor the $75,000 bond when he was only charged with attempted murder.

Even in these economically distressed times, the drug trade must be good. But let's hope it's not been that good and that he'll remain behind bars--despite Judge Van Davis' aid.

We've got to start remembering judges like this when they come up for re-election and make sure they have an opponent.

Guilty, guilty, guilty: A good number of suspects rounded up by 8th District cops have pled guilty to numerous charges:

• Walter Black: Black, 41, may have gotten off easy last week despite his outlandish behavior after being arrested last October for attacking a man with his gold-lame boot outside the Double Play bar, 439 Dauphine St.

To avoid a lengthy sentence as a repeat offender, he pled guilty to assault, resisting arrest, and escape; charges of soliciting prostitution, lewd conduct, and loitering fell by the wayside. Judge Karen Herman sentenced him to 5 years in jail.

Not much of a sentence, considering when he was arrested in October, Black lifted his red dress despite being handcuffed to pee in the direction of arresting officer Brandon Ludwig. Then hauled in he peed again all over the floor of the 8th District station.

Black first achieved infamy in 2002 when he was convicted of extorting a priest with whom he was having a sexual affair.

• Kermit Ramagos: You don't hear much about canings these days, but Ramagos, 45, pled guilty last week to aggravated battery for using his during an argument one evening last March in Jackson Square when he struck the other fellow in the head. The blow was severe enough to send the victim to the hospital for treatment.

Judge Frank Marullo Jr. sentenced Ramagos to the time he's served since being jailed 4.1.09.

• Joshua Roden: Talk about dodging the bullet. Roden, 21, was originally charged with attempted murder after he got into a fight last February with a co-worker at Fiorella's Cafe, 1136 Decatur St., and cut him on the neck.

But he was allowed to plead guilty to a charge of aggravated battery last week. He was sentenced to prison for 5 years by Judge Lynda Van Davis.

• Ryan Toombs: If the wages of sin are death, what's the penalty for shooting at a police officer? Not much, if you go before Judge Julian Parker.

Toombs, 18, was arrested on Halloween last year after he fired at officers pursuing him. Lt. Otha Sandifer of the NOPD's 8th District came upon a fight at S. Peters St. and Julia Street around 3 a.m. As he went to intervene, he saw a muzzle flash and notified the dispatcher of shots fired and an officer's life in danger.

An untold number of other cops responded, and a foot chase ensued as the combatants fled with the officers in pursuit of the armed man who turned and fired at them, but missed the officers.

Toombs was apprehended and charged with 2 counts of aggravated assault on a police officer, and single counts of resisting an officer, illegal use of a firearm, and being a felon with a firearm. (The last charge was later dropped.) He managed to post a bond of $35,000 a few days later and walked free until his court date last Thursday.

That's when Toombs pled guilty to resisting an officer and Judge Parker sentenced him to 7 days in OPP, but gave him credit for the time he had already served. Then Toombs pled guilty to the more serious charges of illegal use of a weapon and 2 counts of aggravated assault on a police officer with a firearm. For those 3 charges, Judge Parker gave Toombs 2 years in prison--then suspended the sentence, putting him on 2 years probation instead.

Total disregard for the cops who put their lives on the line every day! Another judge to remember in the next election.

• Kentrell Finister: This defendant didn't fare as well in front of Judge Karen Herman last week when he pled guilty to 5 charges of attempted armed robbery. She sentenced him to 7 years in prison "without benefit of probation, parole or suspension."

Finister, 18, and an accomplice tried to rob a man walking in the 100 block of Chartres Street but were scared off by another person walking by. They took off running and found another victim a few minutes later at Burgundy and Ursulines streets and took his money.

Police caught up with the duo and the victim positively identified them. The DA, for some reason, decided not to prosecute Finisher's alleged accomplice, Daryl Galle, 21, for the crimes.

• Terry Gibson: Gibson, 32, knew a good deal when he saw one. The DA agreed to not charge him as a career criminal despite amassing over 40 charges in the past 13 years, so he agreed to plead guilty to attempted simple robbery and attempted pursesnatching last week.

Judge Camille Buras gave him 7 years in prison on the first charge and 3 years and 6 months on the second charge, to run concurrently. Kind of like getting a free ride--if you commit one crime, you might as well commit another because it's not going to cost you any more time in the slammer.

Gibson was arrested in January for attempting to snatch the purse of woman walking near Conti and Burgundy streets in the middle of the afternoon. Failing at that, he went down a block on Burgundy and tried to rob a black man there.

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As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome at NOcrimeline@gmail.com

Thom Kahler