Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

9 murders reflect disturbing family situation v BY BRIAN SKOLOFF TilK ASSOCIATED I’MiSS FRESNO, CALIF. — Six coroners, triple the typical weekend staff, worked in shifts Sunday to iden tify the nine victims of a mass killing, all believed to be family members of a man who lived a bizarre life of polygamy and in cest. Marcus Wesson, who might have fathered two of the victims with his own daughters, was \ charged with nine counts of mur der. Bail was set at $9 million. Identifying the victims and tracking down next of kin to be no tified was a difficult process. “It’s just very complicated,” Deputy Fresno County Coroner Amy Hance said Sunday. “Who do you make notification to if even tually some of the victims are oth er victims’ relatives?” Wesson, 57, covered with blood but described by police as “very calm,” was arrested Friday when he emerged from his home, where authorities found the nine bodies tangled in a pile of clothing in a back room. Investigators said the victims were six females and three males, ranging in age from 1 to 24 and probably all Wesson’s children and grandchildren. A makeshift memorial of stuffed animals, balloons and flowers grew Sunday on the side walk in front of the single-story house, as a steady flow of people came by with more cards and ted dy bears. No motive had been deter mined, Police Chief Jerry Dyer told reporters. Police said Wesson had fa thered children with at least four women, two of them his own daughters. “We are exploring the possibil ity that there were other women he was involved with, either sex ually or in some sort of polygamist relationship,” Dyer said Saturday. He said police believe they know the cause of death but would not release that informa tion. “I can tell you that there were no mutilations,” Dyer said. “The bodies were intact.” Dyer added that police “have not ruled out the involvement of any other suspects.” The grisly tale of polygamy, in cest and murder stunned not only police but also Wesson’s 29-year old son, Dorian. “He was a good father. He wasn’t abusive at all,” Dorian Wesson told the Los Angeles Times. “I don’t want to believe it. I want to give him the benefit of the doubt. But they’re all dead,” said Dorian Wesson, adding that he hadn’t seen his father in about a year. Officers were called to the house Friday for a child custody dispute. After finding the ghastly scene, some officers were placed on administrative leave and were being given counseling. Police also found 10 wooden coffins. Antique store owner Lois Dugovic said Wesson bought the hand-carved, mahogany coffins about five years ago, saying he planned to use the wood to repair a houseboat. Wesson had once lived with five women and appeared to have a romantic relationship with each, said Frank Muna, an ac quaintance. The women seemed to be under Wesson’s control, walking behind him and not speaking when he wa£ present, Muna said. Neighbors said they knew little about Wesson but noticed that his behavior had become more bizarre, Muna said. “A lot of what he was saying wasn’t relevant to what we were discussing,” Muna said. It is the largest mass killing ■ ever in Fresno, a city of 440,000 people about 190 miles southeast of San Francisco. France sends troops to relieve U.S. Marines in troubled Haiti BY PETER PRENGAMAN THE ASSOCIATED PRESS PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI - French troops took over patrols Sunday in a slum where U.S. Marines — under fire — killed at least two people and angered resi dents demanding the return of ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Aristide, meanwhile, was ex pected to return to the region two weeks after he fled a bloody rebel lion under pressure from the United States and France. He planned to leave exile in the Central African Republic later Sunday and reach Jamaica early Monday. His imminent arrival in the neighboring island is raising ten sions in Haiti, where his followers plan more protests to demand he be restored as the legitimate leader. Sunday was calm in Port-au Prince as girls with bows and men in ties filled churches and visited with family. “We pray that a spirit of com merce returns to the country, and we pray that our community can now be based on justice and free dom,” the Rev. Chancy Crierlain told hundreds of parishioners at the Roman Catholic cathedral. French soldiers patrolled La Saline, a gritty seaside slum like many where Aristide still com mands support and where resent ment and anger brewed after Marines shot and killed two men in a firefight on Friday. The Marines said the two were gunmen, though no weapons were recovered. Residents said those killed were not armed or militant. U.S. Marine Maj. Richard Crusan said the French presence was part of a normal rotation. “French and U.S. Marines have both been patrolling throughout Port-au-Prince,” he said. During a brief visit Saturday, top U.S. military commander Gen. Richard Myers warned Haitians to lay down their weapons. “The multinational security forces will not tolerate violence against our forces or against Haitian civilians,” he said. “Those causing violence will be dealt with appropriately.” U.S.-led peacekeepers say they have a’new mission to help Haitian police disarm the gener al population. But one young French trooper, who identified himself only as Sgt. Jean-Michel, said his group had just come from Ivory Coast and had more experience in peace keeping than the Americans. “I’m afraid things could get bad for the Americans. They have sen sitive fingers on the trigger,” he said. “We’re more relaxed under fire.” U.S. troops have been attacked several times and have shot and killed at least six Haitians in the past week, although Marines re ported a peaceful Saturday night. The French, who have yet to come under fire in Haiti, have an easier time communicating with Haitians, who generally under stand only Creole or French. Marines have been shouting English-language commands at Haitians. U.S. troops are also resented by Aristide’s supporters because the Haitian leader has claimed the U.S. government forced him from office — something Washington denies. ^ PHOTO COURTESY OF KRT CAMPUS Haitian rebel leader, Guy Philippe, center, is accompanied by rebel soldiers as they drive around Port-Au-Prlnce, Haiti. The men were greeted by hundreds of supporters. Live With Your Friends! •Free USC Shuttle •Free Ethernet •Free W/D •Private Bedrooms And Bathrooms •Be Happy You Got The Best Value! •Be Proud Of Where You Live! •Enjoy The Benefits Of Luxury Living! Be Healthy! Have Fun! ■ *24 Hour Fitness Center •Basketball & Sand Volleyball Courts •Pool & Hot Tub •Free TUnning Dome •Rent As Low As $390 'Furnished Units 'Spacious Floor Plans 'All The Comforts Of Homel Love Where You Live! v a STERLING UNIVERSITY Oaks 252-2634 21 National Guard Road Columbia, SC 29201