There has been a rash of home invasions in a three county area over the past several months, including two which occurred during the Holidays. To date, none of them have been solved. The Board of Supervisor's in each of the counties had had it with these crimes. Each Board had tasked the Chief of each County Police force to form a joint task force to solve these crimes, and to bring the offenders to justice. As the task force met, they noticed there was a lot in common with each of the crimes.
All of the crimes occured in the late afternoon, though there was no specific day of the week in which the crimes occured. All of the Victims were White Males between the ages of 21 and 35 years. All of the victims were home alone. All of the victims were tied up, some heavily tied up, others lightly tied up. All of the victims had their pictures taken, then they were knocked out with chloroform. The crimes all occured in the late afternoon, though there was no specific day of the week when the crimes occurred. All of the victims had good steady jobs, and none of them have ever been in trouble with the law. All of the houses fairly well kept. Each crime scene would reveal that each house would be ransacked, where only money and some jewelry were taken,
They started first by looking at each victim of each case, and interviewing them again, as well as re interviewing neighbors.
This victim was tied up and gagged, before being chloroformed. Only money was taken, and this one had a big haul of about $950.00.
This victim was tied to a chair where he was blindfolded and gagged before being chloroformed. Only money was stolen in the amount of $110.00.
This victim as tied up, but was not gagged or blindfolded. After he was chloroformed, money was stolen in the amount of $200.00
Then they entered the house, they chloroformed the victim. They did not immediately tie him up, but when going through the bedroom closet, the found he had a lot of bondage gear, so they used his leather hood, and secured him in his bondage gear. He started to awake to find himself tied up, only to be chloroformed again. Money and Jewelry were taken, with an estimated value of $1,500
This victim found himself duct taped to a chair and gagged before he was chloroformed. The take was $90.00
This victim was tied tightly to a chair, where he was blindfolded, gagged, then chloroformed. The take on this one was huge as well, about $1,400 in cash.
This victim was ordered on to the floor where he was tightly hogtied. He was then chloroformed. The cash take on this one was about $160.00
This victim was shoved into his bedroom, where he was shoved face down on his bed, gagged, hogtied, then chloroformed. The cash take from this house was $230.00
This victim was seated on the floor, blindfolded and then chloroformed. The take from this one was $320.00 in cash.
This victim was ordered into his bedroom, where leather bondage mitts were found. They used his mitts to secure his hands, then tied his ankles with rope. The take from this one was $180.00
This victim was tied to the chair, placed into a leather hood, then chloroformed. The take on this one was only about $90.00.
This boy was tied to a stool, and gave a look of what was coming next. He would be chloroformed, and the take from this one was about $190.00.
This victim was tied to a chair, but there was a hand over his mouth. Later a gag was shoved in his mouth, and he was chloroformed. The take on this one was about $225.00
This victim was tied to a chair, gagged, then chloroformed. The take from him was $110.00 in cash.
This victim had just come back from a motorcycle ride. As he put his bike in the garage, he felt a gun in his back. He was taken into the house, handcuffed to the chair, and had his ankles tied together before he got chloroformed. The take from this house was $185.00. This happened during the holiday season.
This victim was taken to his basement office where he was tied to the chair, gagged, then chloroformed. The take from this one was large, about $3,000
This victim was a motorcycle rider who returned home, only to find a gun forced in has back, and shoved in the house. Still in his motorcycle helmet, he was tied to the chair, and chloroformed. The take on this one was small, only about $40.00.
This victim had has hands cuffed and he was gagged. They decided to take him to the basement, where in this house they found this guy must have been into bondage, as he had a place space. He was taken out of the handcuff's and tied to a cross. A mask was put on his face, and he got chloroformed. The take here was about $250.00.
When they entered the house, this victim was ordered to the bedroom. They found a leather hood, and he got placed into the hood, and then tied to the bed, where he got chloroformed. The take from this house was $115.00
This victim found himself tied up, blindfolded and gagged before he got chloroformed. The take from this house was $825.00.
This was another one that happened during the Holidays. The victim was hog tied, where a leather hood was found on the coffee table. Once in the hood, the victim was chloroformed. The take from this house was just about $200.00
This victim was tied up in a sitting position, hooded and gagged before he was chloroformed. The take here was about $60.00.
As the Task Force met, there were a total of twenty two victims. The first thing would be to go out and reinterview all of the victims and the neighbors as well. Each of the victims could not tell much. They were either forced into the house at gunpoint when the returned home or answered the door. They all said each was quickly tied up. While some victims said there were two perpetrators, others said there were three. Being they always wore masks, each of the victims could not see their faces. None of the victims recognized any of the perpetrators voices. The height and weight of each perpetrator seemed to match, so now the Cops knew they are two or three individuals to start looking for, but had no other leads.
When the recanvassed the neighborhoods, one of the neighbors said that something had come to mind. On the day the last victim incident, she saw a van in the neighborhood, with a strange license plate that read "TIE EM UP". This could be a lead. The license plate was run though the computer. While there were no wants or warrants on the car, the car was properly registered, and the owner's name and address was obtained. It was time to interview the owner of the car.
The registered owner of the car was interviewed. He denied knowing anything about the home invasions. When he was asked if the van could be searched, the would not allow the house or the van to be searched without a warrant. A warrant was obtained for the van. In the van, rope, duct tape, towels, and several bottles of chloroform were found, along with $700.00 in cash. Between the cash, and everything else, the owner of the van was placed under arrest, taken to Police Headquarters and interrogated. While the owner of the van was being interrogated, the van was being impounded, taken to the police garage, and dusted for prints. The owner of the van was identified as Denny O'Brien, who already had a record of a conviction of home invasion robberies in another state several years earlier. Finger prints in the van not only revealed O'Briens, but two others by the names of Jessie James, and Colin Keifer. Both James and Kiefer had been convicted of home invasions in another state and were tied to O'Brien. Addresses for James and Kiefer were obtained, but when Investigators when to their homes, they found both were gone. James did not have a car registered in his name, but Kiefer did. Information on both James and Kiefer, as well as Keifer's car was entered into the NCIC Computer. While they could not locate James and Kiefer, O'Brien was being held in the County Jail without bond.
O'Brien was listening to his lawyer, and was not talking. The big break came one day when Kiefer was under observation by a State Trooper for a marked lanes violation on the Ohio Turnpike. When the Trooper entered the information on Keifer's car, there was a warrant out on it. When two more Troopers arrived, a felony motor vehicle stop was initiated. James and Keifer were arrested and held for the authorities from Virginia.
James and Keifer now had charges pending in Virginia for Home Invasion Robbery, Kidnapping, and Use of a Fire Arm during the Commission of a Felony, as well as Interstate Flight to avoid Prosecution. Investigators from Virginia made their way to Ohio, where James and Keifer fought extradition, but lost their flight and were turned over and returned to Virginia.
O'Brien, already facing charges of Home Invasion Robbery, Kidnapping, and Use of a Fire Arm during the Commission of a Felony. In addition to O'Brien, James and Keifer were all held without bond until trial.
The case came to trail about a year later. All were tried concurrently. While none of the victims had seen these three, all of them recognized their voices. Between that, and the cash and other evidence seized, the Prosecutor felt the case may not result in a conviction. In the end, all three accepted a Plea Deal. Unfortunately for O'Brien, James and Keifer, when the case went to court, the judge accepted their plea but rejected the prison time for each imposing the full sentence on each, which would a be a total of between seven to twenty one years in the State Prison. While still in custody, all three would appeal their convictions, and their convictions were upheld throughout the court system. O'Brien, James and Kiefer made a final appeal attempt to the Virginia Supreme Court, who refused to hear the case. At this time, each was sent to a different State Prison to serve out their sentences. O'Brien got into trouble several times in prison as did Keifer, and would wind up serving the full twenty one years. James, on the other hand was a model prisoner, and would wind up being released after eight and one half years.
As for closure for each of the victims, they were awarded their losses by the State Victim's Compensation Fund, therefore, each of the victims wound up getting most, if not all of their money back.
As an added weekend bonus, check out Hot Hog Ties. Guys I have culled of the web through the years in some very nice Hog Ties.
