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Dad shot dead after placing Craigslist ad
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12 May 2010, 22:08
minor_catastrophe
Post Count: 123
I saw this on MSN and can swear I've seen this very ad on CL. People make me sick :-/


It was just a simple sales transaction set up via Craigslist, the Internet classified ads site. The item being offered was valuable — a 1.07-carat diamond ring, with an asking price of $1,050 — but James Sanders, a trusting man, felt there was nothing to fear.

“He’s sold different things on Craigslist,” Charlene Sanders told TODAY’s Meredith Vieira Tuesday from Puyallup, Wash.

Tragically, Charlene Sanders is a widow today and her husband, James, is dead. He died defending his family from four people who came to the house in response to his ad. They didn’t come to buy the ring; they came to steal it, along with anything else of value the family had.

“Our whole life has been ripped apart,” Charlene said. “We’re just trying to put it back together as best we can. It’s hard.”

Transaction turns to terror
Charlene was speaking on national television for the first time since the April 28 robbery and murder. At her side was Derek Sanders, her husband’s younger brother.

She described a terrifying scene that began with a young couple at the door and a friendly transaction, and ended in gunshots and death.

It was around 9 p.m. on a Wednesday night, and James and Charlene were upstairs in their Edgewood, Wash., home with their two sons, Jimmy, 14, and Chandler, 10, watching a movie on television.

James was expecting a couple to come about buying the diamond ring he had advertised on Craigslist. He went downstairs when they arrived to show them the ring.

The woman who came to look at the ring said she wanted it as a possible Mother’s Day present. She was accompanied by a young man. Two other male accomplices remained hidden.

James showed the couple the ring. Charlene became involved when her husband called her downstairs to answer some questions about it.

“Do you want the ring?” the young man asked the young woman.

“Yes,” she said.

Charlene told Vieira the man pulled out a wad of cash and said to James Sanders, “How’s this?”

“That’s fine,” James Sanders replied.

“Well, how about this?” the man asked as he pulled out a gun.

“That’s how it all started,” Charlene said.

Panic and violence
It was a nightmare, a blur of terror.

“I could feel rushing around. My husband and I were looking at each other, panicking, saying, ‘Just take it, take it, take anything you she wanted it as a possible Mother’s Day present. She was accompanied by a young man. Two other male accomplices remained hidden.

James showed the couple the ring. Charlene became involved when her husband called her downstairs to answer some questions about it.

“Do you want the ring?” the young man asked the young woman.

“Yes,” she said.

Charlene told Vieira the man pulled out a wad of cash and said to James Sanders, “How’s this?”

“That’s fine,” James Sanders replied.

“Well, how about this?” the man asked as he pulled out a gun.

“That’s how it all started,” Charlene said.

Panic and violence
It was a nightmare, a blur of terror.

“I could feel rushing around. My husband and I were looking at each other, panicking, saying, ‘Just take it, take it, take anything you want,’ ” she told Vieira. “We just kept chanting it: ‘Take it.’ Then all of a sudden we’re getting zip-tied and put down on the floor in the kitchen. I could tell that people had been rushing in.”

Two more males joined the couple who initiated the robbery. Charlene said they went upstairs to bring down the two boys.

Meanwhile, robbers were screaming at James and Charlene, who were on the kitchen floor.

“I had a man come over to me with a gun to the back of my head,” Charlene said. The home invader started to count down, as if he were going to kill her, demanding to know, “Where’s the stuff? Where’s the stuff?”

“What stuff?” she said.

“Where’s the safe?” the man said.

“At one point he kicked me in the head,” Charlene told Vieira.

“I was screaming. The kids were standing there and I went, ‘Oh, please God, don’t let them kill me. Don’t let them kill my kids. Don’t let them kill me in front of my kids,’ ” Charlene said.

He died defending them
Someone pulled her wedding ring off her finger as the robbers took her husband to open the family’s safe, which was located in the garage. Charlene has said she’s not sure of the sequence of events, but she knows that Jimmy, her 14-year-old, at some point jumped on one of the robbers and got pistol-whipped. Her husband managed to break the zip ties that had bound his hands and went to Jimmy’s defense.

Charlene heard three shots from the living room. When the robbers finally left, she found James dying.

One of the boys called 911, telling the dispatcher, “My dad has been shot. Please hurry! Hurry, please! We don’t know if they’re going to come back!”

Charlene cradled her 43-year-old husband in her arms.

“I just kept saying, ‘Honey, stay with me. Stay with us. Stay with us. Don’t go. Don’t go.’ And he was just barely gasping for air, and he was all white. He was starting to get white. I saw that half his ear was shot off and I thought maybe he’s just in shock. That’s why he’s white,” Charlene said.

But he wasn’t in shock.

“He died,” Charlene said.

A father’s example
Craigslist released a statement saying violent acts related to ads on the popular site are rare. But Detective Ed Troyer, who is investigating the case for the Pierce County Sheriff’s office, warned: “If you have something nice, somebody’s going to figure out a way to take it from you. Craigslist is a tool to do that.”

Four people have been arrested in connection with the case and charged with a number of crimes, including first-degree murder. The suspects have been identified as Clabon Terrel Berniard, 23, Amanda Knight, 21, Kiyoshi Higashi, 22, and Joshua Reese, 20. Berniard turned himself in to authorities last Thursday. The other three were arrested at a traffic stop in California.

Meanwhile, the surviving Sanderses are trying to put their lives back together and make James’ death mean something.

“He’s an example of a real man, a family man, a husband and a father. He’s the type of guy a lot of people should aspire to be like,” Derek Sanders said of his older brother.

Jimmy, the boy who was pistol-whipped, has told local reporters in Washington that he will follow his father’s example.

“I will become the man my dad wanted me to be,” Jimmy said. “In time I will forgive these evil people that robbed my dad from me.”

Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/37082569/ns/today/?gt1=43001









0 likes [|reply]
12 May 2010, 23:58
Music God CJ Plain
Post Count: 550
I sell stuff on craiglist all the time. I DARE someone to try and rob me. I got something for them. LOL
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13 May 2010, 02:07
*Forever Changing*
Post Count: 847
That is how my husband is. We sell and buy things on there all the time, I never do anything without my husband by my side. Let them try to rob him, even if he is killed (God forbid) he will make sure every one of those people who take him out join him in death.
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13 May 2010, 02:12
Music God CJ Plain
Post Count: 550
And I can't fault him a bit for that. I may get killed in the process...but I will DEFINITELY make sure they never do it a second time.
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13 May 2010, 02:32
*Forever Changing*
Post Count: 847
Thats his philosophy as well. They will try it once, but they wont do it again, and they sure as hell wont hurt his family. Thats how he is, and that makes him my hero lol.
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13 May 2010, 01:51
[danielle electra.]
Post Count: 62
It's so sad how horrible people are & how they just don't give a shit about taking an innocent & good person's life. So many sick & twisted people out in the world. I wish they'd all die & leave the good people to live on Earth.
0 likes [|reply]
13 May 2010, 03:37
minor_catastrophe
Post Count: 123
Yea, I completely agree. I was watching dateline a couple weeks ago and this chick, who was married, had this "friend" move in. They, of course, had something going on. She ended up convincing the guy to brutally murder her husband. The boyfriend like bashed the husbands head in and then put him in the driver seat of his SUV. He sat in the middle driving with his left foot and hand to the middle of nowhere, set the SUV on fire, and ran it off a cliff. When he got back to the wife, they ran off together and she somehow made him cut her arm , and then shot him (her new boyfriend!) 3 times and told police she found out he murdered her husband and that the boyfriend kidnapped her and tried to kill her so she shot him in self defense. They both were sentenced to 25 to life. The boyfriend said he loved her so much he don't really regret it and that he would get back with her in a heartbeat. Wow. Sorry if that was a bit confusing haha.
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13 May 2010, 14:24
[danielle electra.]
Post Count: 62
Wow. That's sad. & that type of stuff happens ALL the time. I honestly don't understand how these people think murdering their husband, wife, boyfriend, or girlfriend, so that they can be with their new lover, is better than just breaking up & divorcing them?! I don't get how they think murder is better than just plain up saying "We can't be together. I found someone new." It's so ridiculous. & then they think they could ACTUALLY get away with murder?!? I tell ya, I just wish those type of people would turn the gun on themselves, instead of shooting someone else.
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13 May 2010, 04:13
ObsidianDreamer
Post Count: 50
okay this scares the crap out of me. I go on there looking for apartments and such and i see people looking for roommates and stuff like that. Scary Scary stuff...
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13 May 2010, 06:07
.xoxo
Post Count: 263
Yeah this happened up the road from my house, it's pretty sad. I'm glad they caught all of the people.
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13 May 2010, 19:33
Lovin'MyLittles
Post Count: 322
This is why, if we were selling something, we would not not not give them our address, we would meet at a neutral, public place during day time hours, and I would NOT bring my daughter =\
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14 May 2010, 01:04
Blitch. [+1]
Post Count: 82
This is only about 30 miles from my house - it's crazy to think about!
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12 May 2010, 22:12
& skull.
Post Count: 1701
that's disgusting. those poor people.
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12 May 2010, 22:17
HorrorVixen XO
Post Count: 869
freaky.. i was just on craigs list looking for a job.
0 likes [|reply]
13 May 2010, 01:38
minor_catastrophe
Post Count: 123
Yea I get on there all the time. Just to see what they got on there. I don't have anything to sell, so yea haha
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13 May 2010, 03:47
HorrorVixen XO
Post Count: 869
my mom is a craigs list troll.. lol
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13 May 2010, 05:53
the best deception
Post Count: 19
i've had several roommates from craigslist. we have never had problems with people that have actually moved in but there have been quite a few interesting people that have come to look at the rooms.
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13 May 2010, 20:51
Aspiring Boxer
Post Count: 169
Same here - the best roommates we've ever had came from craigslist (with the exception of one person - we gave him his notice on the second day of living with us). The ones that we had to kick out - were our friends.
We would talk back and forth, get to know each other a little bit to make sure their living needs would work with ours before we let them come and look at the rooms.
0 likes [|reply]
14 May 2010, 01:05
the best deception
Post Count: 19
haha. the only people we have had to kick out are "friends" too! random roommates are nice because they have their own lives and don't expect you to hang out all of the time.
0 likes [|reply]
14 May 2010, 20:31
Aspiring Boxer
Post Count: 169
Exactly!

You know what they say: "Best friends don't always make the best roommates."
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13 May 2010, 20:38
Finally Mrs. Bailey
Post Count: 181
This is so sad. I'm very skeptical with Craigslist after I almost got scammed trying to buy a car. I only get on there to read the personal ads (just for a laugh, I swear!), I tell my best friend Alex I'm looking for his next boyfriend, lol. But I would never really go through with it. Call me old fashioned, but I don't really trust shopping online in general.
0 likes [|reply]
13 May 2010, 23:04
.love.struck.
Post Count: 492
This is why you met up at a public place when you're selling or buying items. I don't trust people and I want witnesses around. Plus, it's never a good idea to let anyone know where you live.
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14 May 2010, 05:04
Ashalicious
Post Count: 90
Creepy, I sell on Craigslist a lot. I know a year or 2 ago a woman got killed by someone who was supposed to pick up a couch from her place I think, don't know the details. But for safety NEVER INVITE ANYONE FROM CRAIGSLIST TO YOUR HOME!! I always meet the person somewhere public with lots of people!
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