Johnny S. Clarke & Lisa Straub- young Ohio couple murdered

[Butterfly Girl]

Updated 13 news has straubs remarks

http://www.13abc.com/story/28099105/lisa...oting-plot

[an0n]

Dang. Butterfly girl updated before I could

[imsuchawildflower]

I can't help but feel heartbroken for the straubs all over again. I hope they reopen this case from the beginning and involve the attorney generals office and possibly an independent investigator. These poor parents deserve real answers and true justice.

[Duchess]

Updated 13 news has straubs remarks

http://www.13abc.com/story/28099105/lisa...oting-plot

Thanks!

This cop is a thug, no better than those he has arrested and probably worse than many he has. POS.

A high profile Springfield Township double murder is back in the headlines four years after Lisa Straub and her boyfriend Johnny Clarke were found dead with plastic bags duct-taped over their heads.

A high ranking Toledo police officer was arrested on Wednesday for plotting to shoot a witness who testified in those murder trials.

Lieutenant Frank Ramirez is charged with obstructing justice, felonious assault, and tampering with evidence.

According to the Lucas County Jail, Ramirez posted bond on Thursday.

For the Straub family, this reopens a painful chapter that had been closed.

Lisa Straub's uncle says they now question if there was any tampering or possible cover-up in the original murder investigation.

TPD Lieutenant Frank Ramirez is charged along with the parents of murder victim Johnny Clarke in a shooting plot executed the day after Christmas.

Ramirez is accused of coordinating and covering up his role in the attack on Tiffany Williams.

On December 26^th a bullet barely missed Williams' head in an alley near the 1300 block of Colburn.

Sources tell 13abc a possible motive: the Clarkes believe Williams set their son up.

Court papers state Lt. Ramirez told someone to “remove and delete evidence related to the crime and his involvement.”

Williams was a witness in the separate murder trials of Cameo Pettaway and Sam Williams in the summer of 2012.

Pettaway was acquitted of murdering the young couple Lisa Straub and Johnny Clarke at Straub's family home in Springfield Township. The judge dismissed the charges saying the state didn't have enough evidence.

However, a jury found Sam Williams guilty and a judge sentenced him to two life sentences.

Tiffany Williams had testified she was on the phone with victim Johnny Clarke when someone came in the house.

Now two and a half years later, the alleged shooting plot targeting the witness and a TPD officer's accused role in it has murder victim Lisa Straub's family on edge.

Lisa's uncle Jim Verbosky tells 13abc, “We find this extremely disturbing considering the other kid {Pettaway} walked. The TPD Detective Bureau handled part of the murder investigation for the Lucas County Sheriff's Office in 2011. TPD handled the phone records. Their detectives tracked the cell phone calls to the cell phone towers. The Straubs question if that was compromised, as well, and think that maybe the Ohio Attorney General's Office needs to investigate.”

Toledo Police Chief George Kral has scheduled a news conference Friday at 2 pm to address the arrest of Lt. Ramirez who has hired a lawyer. His lawyer says they intend to work with police.

[Duchess]

I can't get over this cop helping Maytee & John. The paper called it "planning a felonious assault". I don't know why the paper didn't call a spade a spade and refer to it as what it actually is. It's my opinion they planned to kill Tiffany. When you are shooting at someone's head more than once, you are trying to kill that person.

I'm so glad Tiffany came forward. When people spend years telling you what is going to happen to you, as Maytee did to Tiffany and the others, one needs to believe them.

[Butterfly Girl]

Update: News conference info and more history on case

http://www.toledoblade.com/Courts/2015/0...-plot.html

In addition to the charges filed against the lieutenant, Mrs. Vazquez-Clarke also was charged Wednesday in Toledo Municipal Court with felonious assault for her alleged role.

Jerome Phillips, who represents Mrs. Vasquez-Clarke, confirmed that his client was arrested on the new charge Wednesday and said she was then taken to the hospital for a medical condition. He declined to comment on the case.

[Duchess]

Here's a comment from someone on FB. Given he referred to Maytee as whacko I can only assume it's someone who knows her. He has the same questions that so many others have -

So basically this Lt probably used roll in the hay with whacko Maytee, told her some stories and she used the stories to blackmail him, into helping her. I'd like to believe that IF he were a dirty cop of almost 32 years tenure, he could've leaned on someone and had the problem taken care of, while he was on vacation. There's a whole lot more to this story, than is being reported/released for obvious reasons. I am quite curious, how does one afford Jerome, when they live in a $12k house? Interesting, to say the least.

[d505]

So what is the Lts motive?

[Duchess]

Just a guess of course but I never thought friends needed motivation to help another friend. As for the cover up, I'd say his only motive would be to cover his ass.

I see people justifying Maytee & John's actions. Stupid fuckers. They are sanctioning murder or an attempted murder. The charge boggles my mind. How does attempted murder get a charge of felony assault? They shot at her! Maytee has made no secret of the fact she wanted Tiffany dead. Day after day the same old threats and comments about "hunting" for them.

[d505]

I just don't get why the clarkes are so determined to have TW dead. They think she set up the robbery. Then I read speculation that the clarkes set up the robbery. If this is true, that the clarkes setup the robbery, then what is their motive behind shooting at TW? I often wonder about Sammy Williams part in the murder. The evidence is a cigarette but and a testimony from a criminal. The testimony given by the criminal had nothing to prove that he knew anything everything he said about the foreign currency the safe could be found online. The cigarette but is what I don't get. Perhaps that was planted evidence. Anyhow,
Why do the Clarkes want TW killed?

[d505]

Wait so John clarke sr. Is not getting charged with attempted murder?

[Duchess]

Why do the Clarkes want TW killed?

I don't know. It's not just Tiffany either. There are several of them, all names that have been mentioned in Mock. They are all young and they are all people who were friends with Johnny. Most, if not all of them used to party at Maytee's house.

[HairOfTheDog]

I just don't get why the clarkes are so determined to have TW dead. They think she set up the robbery. Then I read speculation that the clarkes set up the robbery. If this is true, that the clarkes setup the robbery, then what is their motive behind shooting at TW? I often wonder about Sammy Williams part in the murder. The evidence is a cigarette but and a testimony from a criminal. The testimony given by the criminal had nothing to prove that he knew anything everything he said about the foreign currency the safe could be found online. The cigarette but is what I don't get. Perhaps that was planted evidence. Anyhow,
Why do the Clarkes want TW killed?

I can only think of two reasons that the Clarkes would wanna kill or scare Tiffany Williams, d505.
1. Because they think Tiffany set up the robbery that got Johnny and Lisa killed.
2. Because the Clarkes set up the robbery that got the kids killed and Tiffany knows that (or the Clarkes suspect that she knows).

As for Lt. Ramirez's involvement, maybe he has a (legal or illegal) personal history with Big John, Maytee or Tiffany?

I hope we get some answers and confirmations soon.

[Duchess]

Wait so John clarke sr. Is not getting charged with attempted murder?

As far as I know, no. It appears the charge is felony assault. John's a felon, he's not supposed to be in possession of a weapon. I don't understand the law, not a bit. They have threatened those kids for almost 4 yrs and when they took shots at one of them it should have been classified as attempted murder. There's all kinds of evidence of the threats both John & Maytee made towards those young people.

[d505]

My guess if this is true he is not getting charged with attempted murder is simply because the prosecutor thinks felonious assault has a better chance of a conviction. why not charge him with both? *speculation* I think maytee is behind everything. From what I think cat lady said John is a slow typical joe who is manipulated by maytee. If John had a wife that was more like me. Straub I don't think he ever would have gone after tw. The. Again if he had a wife like ms. Straub Johnny and Lisa would still be alive.

[HairOfTheDog]

Wait so John clarke sr. Is not getting charged with attempted murder?

For now, Big John is charged with felony assault, not attempted murder.

Originally, Maytee was only charged with obstruction of justice for lying to police about John's whereabouts after the shooting.

After investigating the shooting for two months, Toledo PD obtained evidence to bump up Maytee's charges and arrest her for felony assault (and to arrest and charge Lt. Ramirez with obstruction of justice and felonious assault).

[d505]

Thank you for the clarification!

[HairOfTheDog]

Just found this bit -- it answers a couple of our questions.

Police allege that Lieutenant Ramirez, who is known to be a friend of Mrs. Vazquez-Clarke, “did direct another to remove and delete evidence related to the crime and his involvement in the same.”

An affidavit states there was “evidence of communications between the defendant and another,” and the evidence was deleted “in an attempt to shield the defendant’s involvement in a felonious assault plot.”

“Toledo police conducted a thorough investigation and followed the evidence wherever it led them,” Chief Prosecutor Lingo said. “The law applies as equally to police officers as it does to any other citizen. If they violate the law, they will be prosecuted.”

Asked for comment, Ms. DeBacker said only that her client, who worked as afternoon shift commander at Scott Park, “intends to cooperate as part of this investigation.”

Jerome Phillips, who represents Mrs. Vasquez-Clarke, confirmed that his client was arrested on the new charge Wednesday and said she was then taken to the hospital for a medical condition. He declined to comment on the case.

Lieutenant Ramirez was incarcerated in the jail’s medical division, and not with the general population, according to jail staff. He was released Thursday afternoon on a $100,000 bond Thursday, according to court records.

Chief George Kral has scheduled a news conference for 2 p.m. today to discuss this current case.

More: https://www.toledoblade.com/Courts/2015/...-plot.html
-----------------------

2pm EST is 11am PST -- press conference in about 90 minutes.

[Duchess]

I hope it's streamed.

[HairOfTheDog]

I hope it's streamed.

I don't think I'll be able to watch it if it is, but I really hope Chief Kral offers up some details that aren't already covered in the media pieces.

Wondering if the communications between Ramirez and the Clarkes indicate that they wanted to scare Tiffany into coughing up some (perceived) information about the murders, rather than to actually kill her. That would explain no attempted murder charge. But, it's also possible that police think the Clarkes were trying to hit Tiffany and just don't have enough direct evidence to charge them with attempted murder (yet).

Lt. Ramirez is an idiot for participating in either type of plot. He's going down.