Improving Society Through Halfway House Intervention:
Esme Kenny, 13.
April 29, 2010
Columbus, Ohio (and all states)
The state pays halfway houses to give newly released inmates a place to reside while working on their respective programs to return to a “normal, socially acceptable” lifestyle and to remain outside the prison system for the duration of their lives. Part of the responsibility of staff – established by governmental guidelines to insure the safety of the public and the community in which the Halfway House is established, is to report missing offenders, those who are late or have a history of returning from assigned tasks late, those who return drunk or are suspected of using narcotics, those who fail to comply with the established guidelines and schedules of their specific programs, loitering and harassment of community businesses, panhandling, solicitation, and other illegalities – and good community public relations.
Kimya Rolison, 14, murdered Dec. 22, 2006. Esme Kenny, 13, murdered Marc 7, 2009. Casonya Crawford, 15, murdered March, 2006. Mary Jo Newton, 45 and a mom, murdered April or May, 2006.
Every community nationwide with a Halfway House, whether for ex-cons or drug addicts, all rebelled in advance. All complained, in advance, over the establishment of these “homes” and the menu of occupants. All were assured guidelines and regulations were in effect and would be strictly adhered to in order to insure the safety of the community and in no case would sexual predators or violent offenders be “early released” to Halfway Houses, thus establishing another safety net for the families and businesses within the community are where the Halfway House existed.
Those assurances were followed by questions of “What if?’ Justified. Perfectly normal. And, as usual, we were given an overdose of governmental crap assuring residents, residents with single women, with single women with children, with seniors, with seniors who live alone, with seniors with disabilities, with churches, with people just like the ones these jerks victimized in the first place to land in prison. Assured that in no case would an inmate be released to a Halfway House in an area even close to the area where he committed his crimes or where witnesses in an inmate’s trial (or previous trials) resided, and, yes, police patrols would be beefed up and the neighborhoods cleared of drugs before the Halfway House opened. And, further more, it would stay that way. If it did not, those responsible would be prosecuted. The Halfway House, if an issue, would be closed and the inmates returned to finish their sentences or moved elsewhere. Well, . . .
Anthony Kirkland first went to prison for murder back in 1987 at the age of 18. After raping and killing his female victim, he then sat her body on fire inside the family home – which, according to criminal psychologists, leads to another form of on – the – spot sexual self gratification. Laughing and smirking upon arrest – not far from his thrill kill, Anthony Kirkland served 16 years.
Anthony Kirkland, serial killer, child rapist, necrophiliac sadist. Repeat felon.
When granted an early release due to prison over-crowding and his exemplary behavior, Anthony Kirkland returned to his original kill to relive old success stories. He was rearrested and sent to prison for the kidnap and rape of a teenage girl. Then, after additional exemplary behavior, he was released to an Ohio Halfway House, where the city and state communities had been assured no sexual predators or violent offenders would be assigned.
These were not Anthony Kirkland’s only crimes. Nor his only violent crimes. He started as a very young juvenile offender. He has a Very Long criminal history, probably in more than one city, and more than one state. Even criminals, upon release, need a vacation.
But, rest assured, the community is safe – – – –
13 year old Esme Kenney was supposed to be safe. She wasn’t. And neither were at least 2 dozen other young women, mostly white, whom police believe are the rape, murder, and fire sacrifice victims of Anthony Kirkland. A sociopath who never should have been released to any halfway house anywhere on earth. When a repeat violent sexual predator is obsessed with and sexually gratified by the dismemberment, disfigurement, the torching of the corpse and the subsequent stench he is among the Worst of the Worst — and he will continue to commit his crimes until apprehended, or dead. The new crime spree will begin immediately upon release.
And so Anthony Kirkland did.
Every time he was released.
Anthony Kirkland is also the leading suspect in a string of cold case homicides in Ohio and neighboring states bearing his MO: rape, murder, and trial by fire.
On March 9, 2009, 13 year old Esme Kenney went for a jog from which she failed to return alive. Her parents still, even after her body was found in the woods near the Halfway House where Anthony Kirkland, age 40, was supposed to be residing but never did, wait for her to run back through the front door like she always did, laughing and smiling, sweaty from her jog, ready to shower and have a good dinner, maybe a movie, maybe lots of things she’ll never have again.
Graduation. College. Eternal love with her Prince Charming. Babies. Grandchildren. A career. Vacations. The flu. More jogs. Practical jokes. Silly secrets with girlfriends. College frat fun. Who knows? Maybe Esme would have been the next most powerful woman leader on the globe. Or the most awesomely powerful DA for abused children. Or the best woman congress person the country has ever seen. She would have been a good mom. She could have been. She was certainly a good cellist. She had lots of friends, who love and miss her deeply.
If she had been safe in her own neighborhood– as promised by those paid and sworn to insure she was — she would be moving on to other good friends. No strangers. People like Esme never know a stranger. Besides, strangers are only friends you haven’t met yet. Anthony Kirkland should not have been released. Ever. Only he was. Several times. And Esme wasn’t safe.
And no one will ever hear her laugh again.
Except God. He was also the last to hear her cries and wipe her tears.
Anthony Kirkland kidnapped Esme Kenney off the streets of Cincinnati, raped and brutally murdered her before he set her body on fire in the woods less than one mile from the safe Halfway House where he had been missing for several days. When arrested Anthony Kirkland was found in possession of Esme’s iPod and other personal items. The excuses readied and used before where that it had never done any good to call authorities or the individual’s parole officer. No one ever answered. They always got a voice mail. And they never could reach anyone on nights and weekends.
Not even the Columbus Police Department or the FBI? Cincinnati definitely has an FBI office. We know that city, like Detroit or St. Louis, isn’t so safe that the cops draw the blinds and go home at 5:00 pm everyday. PAROLE OFFICERS HAVE LOTS OF CLIENTS. Why was it only possible to make contact calls at night, on weekends, and holidays? Where was this director of this Halfway House during the daytime hours, during standard business hours?
On May 3, 2006, 14 year old Casonya Crawford, residing with her grandmother pulled a typical teen stunt and sneaked out of the house to be with girlfriends. She never returned. Her grandmother reported her missing after doing exactly what lots of moms and grandmoms do, calling everybody on the planet who knows their kids and threatening them within an inch of their lives if they don’t come up with some information.
I’ve done that when my 15 year old son disappeared nearly 30 year ago to “spend the night with a friend”. Only Mom called that “friend” and guess who was not there? I turned his room upside down and all but ripped down walls until I found phone numbers — something I never did. I called everybody, including God, to find my son. Mine!! Not some damn creep and pervert. Mine! And nobody in Oklahoma City was going to get one minute of sleep until my son was located and home. I found him. And he is now 40 and STILL grounded!!
And, its true, if you sneaked out to be with your friends, how is it your friends did not notice when you strayed off, or were kidnapped, and why didn’t they say something? That would not have been the time to be worried about your own butt.
On May 11, 2006, city workers found the torched body of Casonya Crawford among a pile of old tires, with a tire tied around her neck. The scene was so gruesome that hardened city garbage collectors and police were physically sickened. It wasn’t that they hadn’t found bodies before. Casonya’s brutal murder and the resulting rage of torching her young body was beyond their ability to comprehend. This does not make Kirkland insane. No serial killer is. The average IQ for a serial killer is just slightly below that of Bill Gates.
Police were then assigned the task of identifying the young female and telling her grandmother that Casonya would never be home again to get stupid and sneak out with girlfriends or laugh again or be smart-mouth again. She had been raped, murdered, and torched. No one was ever arrested but there were dozens of suspects, including from area Halfway Houses. But not until others died and a beautiful young girl named Esme was murdered in the same way, in the same area, would police finally tie Anthony Kirkland to the crimes. Largely because the city was very, very, pizzed off!!
On June 29, 2006, the raped, murdered, and torched body of 45 year old mother of two, Mary Jo Newton, was found less than a half mile from where Casonya “Sheree” Crawford’s body was found, and in much the same condition. Mary Jo Newton had been missing for a few weeks, meaning she was in all likelihood kidnapped, raped, and murdered either the same day or within a few days of Casonya. If not a few hours.
Mary had problems, drugs among them, but nothing that warranted either the actions of Anthony Kirkland or the police department in the resolution of her brutal rape and murder. Her children are now growing up without her and all the effort she was putting into getting her life on track in order to regain custody of her children was wasted. By Anthony Kirkland and the judicial systems of Cincinnati, Ohio.
On June 20, 2006, Columbus police requested the assistance of an FBI profiler. Not an investigator nor assistance to find this piece of human feces with legs. Finally. As it stands now, police and FBI agents are doing “all possible” to continue to keep the community “safe” and to tie Anthony Kirkland to the crimes he no doubt committed while not residing in the Halfway House he was assigned to. This should have been among their first stops, with a warrant for records of the “residents”.
On April 29, 2010, News10, Columbus, Ohio, launched its on in -depth investigation into the activities and crimes affiliated with Halfway Houses. The lengthy outcome and subsequent stories have not been released on-line yet. This investigation should have taken place a decade ago. On a national level, in every neighborhood with a Halfway House, in every city. Neighborhoods disintegrate, crime escalates, and the offenders – like all others – return “Home” within a relatively short time.
In all cases, in all cities, all the promises made to citizens insuring their safety and promises not to Early Release sexual predators of any genre nor violent criminals were all broken. The way our society has become, the criminals are more blatant and news reporters more cowardly than ever in the history of the journalism industry.
“He is one of the most heinous criminals I have ever dealt with,” stated Hamilton County Prosecutor, Joe Deters, “Kirkland is not insane. He is not stupid. He is a cold, calculating, serial killer. A sociopath with no feelings, no remorse, and no soul.”
Deters is wrong on one count: Kirkland is not a sociopath.
He is a psychopath. He loves what he does. Killing revs him up and as his psychological euphoria and the accompanying sexual tension builds, he is driven to rape and kill again and again and again. They all do. They always will, until the Death Penalty and its immediate use on said felons becomes the norm.
Anthony Kirkland is merely one of thousands of serial killers running amok in America and they all behave in the same manner, just different —- slightly — MOs.
Judge Kubicki gave Kirkland — Inmate #626893 –two death sentences: one each for the murders of Casonya “Sharee” Crawford, 14, and Esme Kenney, 13. He also imposed two separate sentences of 70 years to life in prison for Kirkland’s convictions for the murders of Rolison, 25, and Mary Jo Newton, 45.
Arlene Lee, paternal grandmother and legal guardian of Casonya Crawford. Taken the day the verdict was read on Anthony Kirkland on four counts of premediatated first degree murder and rape.
Kirkland killed all four, three by strangulation, and burned their bodies. There are numerous other victims of this sadist. Their names and stories will never be told. Their faces never seen. Their lives never not in limbo. Because of law enforcement and the judicial system. Again.
“I believe that Anthony Kirkland should be put to death because he is an evil, remorseless, sadistic murderer. No living person is safe,” Esme’s aunt, Elizabeth Kenney, wrote in a March 29 letter to the judge. First Appeal of Anthony Kirkland, Nov., 2010
Same "Screw you" face he wore the day he was sentenced to death X 3 + 70
A devoted parent
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