Details emerge in the killing of 8-year-old Sandra Cantu. more ›

Melissa Huckaby, the 28-year-old Tracy woman accused to kidnapping, raping and killing 8-year-old Sandra Cantu in April 2009, made a surprise decision by pleading guilty to murder. In a crowded Stockton courtroom today, the former Sunday school teacher pleaded guilty to both first-degree murder and kidnapping. She faces life in prison after killing Cantu and stuffing her body inside a suitcase. [via CBS 13] more ›

Melissa Huckaby, the 28-year-old Tracy woman accused of kidnapping, raping and murdering Sandra Cantu back in April, has yet to enter a plea in court. Lots of crying and grimacing? Sure. But after four court appearances, Huckaby has yet to enter a plea. So, in an effort to speed things up, prosecutors have asked the judge in the case to enter a plea of not guilty for Huckaby if she once again refuses. If she doesn't enter a plea today, the judge could very well do it for her. If convicted of the horrific murder of Cantu, whose body was found stuffed inside a suitcase, Melissa could face the final prick. UPDATE: Huckaby pleads not guilty to killing Cantu. more ›

Residents busted for shackling and torturing a teenager, a doctor arrested for allegedly sexually abusing patients, and a substitute teacher fingered for molesting "upward of 15 students" -- these are just a few of the bizarre crimes Tracy played host to before the rape and murder of 8-year-old Sandra Cantu. Why has this one-time safest city in California taken a turn for the macabre? Well, according to Joseph McNamara, a research fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution and San Jose's police chief from 1976 to 1991, says Tracy's rapid growth might be to blame. Tracy, it seems, doubled in size since the mid-1990s. "As the city grows, inevitably, the crime gets more complex, there will be more conflict ... and the police will get caught in the middle of that," said McNamara. Interesting. Central Valley readers, if you can put down the cattle prod and stick the gag back in her mouth for a second, is this true? Is Tracy really this horrific? more ›

Rape, murder, kidnapping, drugging, Ogilvie home perm disasters -- is there any crime Melissa Huckaby won't commit? Well, now we might be able to add 'arson' to her ever-growing list of felonies. The woman charged with killing and raping 8-year-old Sandra Cantu "has been questioned in connection with two arson fires in Orange County," according to CBS 5. While never convicted, Huckaby was a "person of interest" in two fires that broke out eight days from each other at a home where she rented a room in 2007. The damage to the charred house cost around $90,000. Huckaby remains in jail on murder and rape charges. She is scheduled to appear in court on Friday.
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In a murder case that's getting increasingly odd, Melissa Huckaby, who was charged with the rape and murder of Sandra Cantu, reportedly tried to kill herself just days before her arrest by swallowing razor blades. According to CBS 5's Joe Vazquez: more ›

Melissa Huckaby, the woman accused of killing Sandra Cantu, was officially charged with murder and rape today. And good news, crazy death penalty zealots: After adding three special circumstances to the charges, Huckaby is now eligible for the needle. The San Joaquin County district attorney's office, according to SF Chronicle, alleges that "the killing was committed during a kidnapping, involved a lewd or lascivious act on a child, and involved rape with a foreign object." more ›

The family of Tracy's own Melissa Huckaby -- who we mentioned earlier is the prime suspect in the slaying of 8-year-old Sandra Cantu -- can't stop talking about how "churchgoing" and "good" she is. She's the granddaughter of a pastor, teaches Sunday school. "She must have had a double life, because she seemed sweet and the Bible study kids love her," waxes Carlos Martinez, who lives in the Orchard Estates Mobile Home Park near where the alleged murderess lived. While everyone is calling this murder an anomaly, former Christ Lutheran Church Congregation Council President Dennis Rader (AKA the BTK Killer) might beg to differ. In related news, police have identified Clover Road Baptist Church as the spot where Cantu was killed. more ›

29-year-old Anthony Waiters was arrested in Pleasanton on Tuesday for reportedly participating in the torture the 16-year-old Tracy boy, whose case has made national headlines. The four allegedly took part in torturing the boy by beating him, choking him, and keeping him chained to a fireplace or under a table. Waiters joines Michael Schumacher, his wife, Kelly Layne Lau, and the teen's "aunt," Caren Ramirez, who have all been under arrest ever since the teen managed to escape and sought refuge at a local gym. more ›

The whole story of the Tracy child abuse case is starting to emerge. The boy's aunt, Caren Ramirez, who was arrested on Tuesday night, was charged in 2006 with inflicting "cruel and inhuman corporal punishment" on her nephew. IN 2007, Ramirez admitted in court to using "a deadly or dangerous weapon" while abusing the boy. more ›

The final suspect in this week's terrible Tracy child abuse case has been nabbed. Caren Ramirez, 43, was picked up by police at her Berkeley home at around 9:30 p.m. last night. The case has received much media attention ever since a 17-year-old boy escaped from the home of Michael Luther Schumacher, 34, and Kelly Layne Lau, 30, on Monday via "vaulting over an 8-foot wall separating the couple's backyard and the parking lot of the In-Shape Sports Club in Tracy." He was found emaciated, nearly naked, and wearing a chain padlocked to his ankle. Schumacher and his wife, Lau, were arrested on Monday. more ›