PG&E Offers $10,000 Reward In Walnut Creek Kidnapping And Robbery Case

By PETE BENNETT - Contra Costa Watch EMAIL
Phone: 510-460-5641
Posted: 06/13/2013

Reposted to Protect My Sons
Arson Murder - Magalia / Paradise CA
Related: Arson / Arson
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The Walnut Creek Police Department is well aware of my stalking reports, hit and runs, threats by their officers and when a member of Hillside Covenant Church (Youth Director).  

There is a police report on file that directly connects to the PG&E offices where I worked from several times that connects back to my former roommate and his girlfriend who works for Richard Grossman of Grossman Doyle and Golde Danville.  

What occurred in my apartment leads to events connected to Contra Costa Narcotics Taskforce, persons who have screwed with me for over 10 years who run the Walnut Creek Bomb Squad as Grossman once ran this same bomb squad. 

The incident on June 23rd 2011 required me calling 911 over events connected what Lisa did with my sons while I was at the PG&E meeting at this same location.  During another meeting Concord this PG&E Contractor plugged his external drive and placed PG&E sharepoint server containing the much of the PG&E hydrotesting project.  

The vendor has been endlessly unresponsive, PG&E San Bruno Fire Legal Counsel just as much and I'm the guy who's truck is blown up in 2004, his attorneys offices torched at 1776 Ygnacio Valley Road Walnut Creek in 2001, and I'm the guy whose car was totaled, his truck torched where he could have easily burned to death with a PG&E High Performance Engineer standing in my former offices just week after the San Bruno Fire standing next Lt. David Oberhoffer San Francisco Police (RET) who lives around the corner from the head of the Walnut Creek Bomb and within a few miles of numerous arson fires.  

I think the guy in the picture is one of the cops stalking me at Starbucks and Walnut Creek McDonalds where I told them they've inserted themselves in federal investigation that are connected to my former clients and CNET who I tried to sue ten years ago.  

This is the billing for WE 05/07/11 remains unpaid along with most of May and June.  
PG&E says they have a code of conduct for their vendors and consultants.  I have one comment - pay me as I cannot get the Contra Costa Bar Association to refer one attorney out of 1600 which in many ways would be obstruction of justice, unfair trade but more important by blantantly deflecting a litigants access to representation could be construed as violation of Interference with Commerce as defined in the following USC Code.  

18 USC § 1951 - Interference with commerce by threats or violence

Threats of Violence are as follows: 

June 2006 - Beating of Attorney Sage Sepahi Walden Park Walnut Creek CA
June 15th 2012 - Knowingly deflecting investigation of attempted hit and run on June 15th 2012 that said agency known as the Walnut Creek Police Department deliberately and intentionally failing to investigate attempted hit and run by Hillside Covenant Church member and youth director who was took my sons on July 7th 2011 that occurred for my first arrest for PC 270 (charges dismissed -investigation focused changed) and that was the last time I saw my sons and in fact that was the last time I've seen either son and three weeks later my car is totaled in Lafayette.  Filing police reports is a futile experience but feel free to read the Letters to Lafayette Police that were sent starting in 2011 but trust me the Lafayette City Council is fully informed on events.  

I'm fucking homeless living on the street in Walnut Creek CA and someone tries to run me over at 500 S Broadway Walnut Creek and it's not good enough and he's friends with others that ran me off the road on July 20th 2011 - do you really believe one could make up so much bullshit?  



The term “extortion” means the obtaining of property from another, with his consent, induced by wrongful use of actual or threatened force, violence, or fear, or under color of official right.

PG&E Offers $10,000 Reward In Walnut Creek Kidnapping And Robbery Case

Release Date: November 20, 2012
Contact: PG&E External Communications (415) 973-5930

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. – Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) today announced a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the individuals responsible for kidnapping a PG&E contract employee in a parking lot as she left work on November 7 in the Walnut Creek Shadelands area.

On November 7, 2012 at approximately 7:30 p.m., a 57 year old female was abducted as she was leaving work and walking to her vehicle in an isolated parking lot. As the victim unlocked her vehicle two suspects ran up to her, forced her into her vehicle, tied her up and blindfolded her. The victim was driven to various locations in an attempt to get money from her ATM accounts.

The victim was driven to an isolated area in the Oakland Hills where she was released. A vehicle with a loud muffler was heard leaving the area. The victim was able to free herself and called 911. Oakland PD responded and sought medical attention for the victim and obtained the initial information. The Walnut Creek Police Department was called to handle the primary investigation since the incident originated in Walnut Creek.

Suspect #1: Described as a white male adult, early to mid 20s, 5’11”, 185/190 lbs, broad shoulders, short dark hair, unknown facial hair. Last seen wearing light colored T shirt under a black zip up colored shirt, jeans, blue or black.

Suspect #2: Described as a white male adult, early to mid 20s, 5’9”, 150 lbs with a slight build. Last seen wearing a mask (form type to below the nose), black hooded sweatshirt with the hood up, dark jeans.

Suspect Vehicle: Vehicle with a loud muffler.

The Walnut Creek Police Department is actively investigating this crime. Anyone with information related to this crime is asked to contact the Walnut Creek Police Department Investigations Unit at(925) 943-5868 or (925) 943-5844.

The photos below are of one of the kidnapping/robbery/carjacking suspects in this case. The photos are from a drive up bank ATM. The suspect in the photo went by the name "Aubrey" (see suspect #2 description below). The second suspect went by the name "David". It is important to stress we do not know if these are the suspect's actual names.

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PEOPLE VS BENNETT, PETER CARVER Count 1, 2 and 3 DISMISSED

Update March 2018
All I wanted was to run my business, have fun with my family and sons.  Instead I kept getting beaten, burned, poisoned, arrested, jailed and run off the road.  

My sons are gone, my cars taken, my license taken, my computers, systems, domains and health then they killed my relatives.  Why I still do not know but I am sure it has something to with 9/11, AT&T, FBI Agent Frank Doyle Jr. 

CMS Case Display 

Online Case Register of Actions

Online Case Register of Actions

Notice

The Superior Court of California, County of Butte declares that information provided by and obtained from this site (www.buttecourt.ca.gov), intended for use on a case by case basis and typically by parties of record and participants, does not constitute the official record of the court. Any user of the information is hereby advised that it is being provided as is and that it may be subject to error or omission. The user acknowledges and agrees that the Superior Court of California, County of Butte is not liable in any way whatsoever for the accuracy or validity of the information provided.

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Case Information

Case Number:	SCR81833
Case Title:	PEOPLE VS BENNETT, PETER CARVER
Case Type:	DISOBEY COURT ORDER
Filing Date:	02/04/11

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Parties

Name

Type

Attorney

BENNETT, PETER CARVER

DEFENDANT

COBERY, KRISTIN

   Charges

	Count	Filing Document	Degree	Charge
	1	COM	Misdemeanor (A)	270    PC	FAILURE TO PROVIDE
		Plea:	NG
		Plea Date:	08/29/11
		Disposition:	06/17/13
			DISMISSED
		Sentence:
	2	COM	Misdemeanor (A)	166(a)(4)    PC	DISOBEY LAWFUL COURT ORDER
		Plea:	NG
		Plea Date:	08/29/11
		Disposition:	06/17/13
			DISMISSED
		Sentence:
	3	COM	Misdemeanor (A)	1320(a)    PC	FAILURE TO APPEAR -RELEASED O/R 2/11/13
		Plea:	NG
		Plea Date:	04/08/13
		Disposition:	06/17/13
			DISMISSED
		Sentence:

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Actions

Date	Action Description
04/05/13	O/R AGREEMENT SIGNED BY DEFT
04/03/13	WARRANT RETURNED & FILED
04/03/13	STATEMENT OF RIGHTS SIGNED BY DEFT
03/18/13	BAIL BOND EXONERATED   ALADDIN BB#SV5-40009064
03/06/13	BAIL BOND EXONDERATION RETURNED   WRONG ADDRESS--UNABLE TO FORWARD
02/27/13	WARRANT ISSUED TO BCSO
02/26/13	NOTICE OF ASSESSMENT $220.00 COURT COSTS   ALADDIN BAIL BONDS SV5-4009064
02/26/13	COMPLAINT FILED 1320(a) PC   FTA 2/11/13
02/01/13	STATEMENT OF RIGHTS SIGNED BY DEFT
02/01/13	FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY STMT FILED   PD APPROVED
01/16/13	MEMO OF POINTS AND AUTHORITIES IN SUPPORT OF   MTN TO EXONERATE BAIL BOND PURS TO PC 1305c3
01/16/13	MTN/NTC OF MTN: TO VACATE BAIL FORFEITURE AND   EXONERATE BAIL BOND PURS TO PC 1305(c)(3)
01/15/13	BAIL BOND EXONERATED   ALVAREZ BAIL BOND A7-2249760
01/14/13	WARRANT RETURNED & FILED
01/14/13	O/R AGREEMENT SIGNED BY DEFT
11/06/12	SUMMARY JUDGMENT ENTERED   ALVEREZ BAIL BOND A7-2249760
09/12/12	NOTICE TO SURETY/BONDSMAN RE FORFEITURE   ALADDIN BAIL BOND SV5-4009064
09/12/12	WARRANT ISSUED TO BCSO
06/11/12	SECOND NTC OF ASSESSMENT $220   BB A7-2249760 ALVAREZ/AMERICAN CONTRACTORS
05/01/12	NTC OF ASSESSMENT $220   BB A7-2249760 ALVAREZ BB
04/12/12	NTC: NTC OF RESCHEDULING   COURT TRIAL RE-SETTING
03/23/12	STATEMENT OF RIGHTS SIGNED BY DEFT
03/07/12	BAIL BOND: SEAVIEW INSUR CO; ALADDIN BAIL BONDS   BOND # SV5-4009064 & $5000
03/06/12	WARRANT RETURNED & FILED
11/28/11	WARRANT ISSUED TO BCSO
11/18/11	NOTICE TO SURETY/BONDSMAN RE FORFEITURE   BB A7-2249760 ALVAREZ BB
08/01/11	STATEMENT OF RIGHTS SIGNED BY DEFT
08/01/11	STIPULATION FOR COMMISSIONER TO SIT AS   JUDGE PRO TEM
08/01/11	FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY STMT FILED
08/01/11	STIPULATION FOR COMMISSIONER D. GUNN TO SIT AS   JUDGE PRO TEM
08/01/11	STATEMENT OF RIGHTS SIGNED BY DEFT
07/14/11	BAIL BOND: AMERICAN CONTRACTORS; ALVAREZ BB   BOND #A7-2249760 & $2500
07/12/11	WARRANT RETURNED & FILED   WITH WARRANT ABSTRACT
04/22/11	1ST AMENDED COMPLAINT FILED BY DDA JACK SCHAFER   DA CASE NO. 0139009394-01 * DOB CORRECTED *
03/18/11	WARRANT ISSUED TO BCSO
02/22/11	CRIMINAL RETURNED MAIL: *see previous NTC TO   APPEAR RETURNED UNDELIVERABLE
02/07/11	NTC: ARRAIGNMENT   270 166(a)(4) PC
02/04/11	COMPLAINT FILED BY DDA SCHAFER   DA 0139009394-01
02/04/11	DECL FOR ARREST WARRANT

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Events

Date	Time	Event Description	Dept Code	Department/Judge
06/17/13	08:30	PRETRIAL CONFERENCE Disposition Date: 06/17/13 DISMISSED	B10	HON. DAVID E GUNN, COMMISSIONER
05/20/13	14:00	COURT TRIAL Disposition Date: 05/20/13 VACATED	B10	HON. DAVID E GUNN, COMMISSIONER
05/20/13	11:00	COURT TRIAL Disposition Date: 05/20/13 VACATED	B10	HON. DAVID E GUNN, COMMISSIONER
04/08/13	08:35	SETTING FOR COURT TRIAL CT 1-2 Disposition Date: 04/08/13 TRIAL DATE SET	B10	HON. DAVID E GUNN, COMMISSIONER
04/08/13	08:35	FUR ARRAIGNMT -ENTRY OF PLEA CT 3 Disposition Date: 04/08/13 PLED NOT GUILTY; SET FOR TRIAL	B10	HON. DAVID E GUNN, COMMISSIONER
04/03/13	15:00	SETTING FOR COURT TRIAL   *RETURN ON WARRANT Disposition Date: 04/03/13 CONTINUED TO 4/8/13	BTA	TO BE ANNOUNCED
04/03/13	15:00	ARRAIGNMENT ON FTA (NON VOP) - COUNT 3   *RETURN ON WARRANT Disposition Date: 04/03/13 ARRAIGNED; PD RE-APPTD	BTA	TO BE ANNOUNCED
02/11/13	08:30	MTN: TO VACATE BAIL FORFEITURE AND   EXONERATE BAIL BOND PURS TO PC 1305(c)(3 Disposition Date: 02/11/13 GRANTED; EXONERATED UPON PAYMENT OF COST	B10	HON. DAVID E GUNN, COMMISSIONER
02/11/13	08:30	SETTING FOR COURT TRIAL   *MTN TO ADDRESS BAIL FORF SET SAME DATE   /TIME Disposition Date: 02/11/13 FTA; 1320(a); O/R RVKD; B/W ORD; $20000	B10	HON. DAVID E GUNN, COMMISSIONER
02/01/13	08:30	STNG FOR COURT TRIAL - BAIL FORF 9/10/12   *RTN ON WARRANT* Disposition Date: 02/04/13 CONTINUED TO 2/11/13	BTA	TO BE ANNOUNCED
09/10/12	08:30	SETTING FOR COURT TRIAL   B/W HELD Disposition Date: 09/10/12 FTA; BAIL FORF;B/W ORD; BAIL SET $10000	B10	HON. DAVID E GUNN, COMMISSIONER
08/20/12	11:00	COURT TRIAL Disposition Date: 08/20/12 TRIAL VACATED; FTA B/W HELD	B10	HON. DAVID E GUNN, COMMISSIONER
07/23/12	11:00	COURT TRIAL Disposition Date: 07/23/12 CONTINUED TO 8/20/12	B10	HON. DAVID E GUNN, COMMISSIONER
06/18/12	11:00	COURT TRIAL Disposition Date: 06/18/12 TRIAL DATE VACATED AND RESET	B10	HON. DAVID E GUNN, COMMISSIONER
06/18/12	11:00	[D] MTN: CONTINUE Disposition Date: 06/18/12 GRANTED	B10	HON. DAVID E GUNN, COMMISSIONER
06/18/12	08:37	MARSDEN HEARING Disposition Date: 06/18/12 DENIED	B10	HON. DAVID E GUNN, COMMISSIONER
04/30/12	08:30	RESETTING OF COURT TRIAL   ADDRESS BB#A7-2249760 FORF 11/14/11 Disposition Date: 04/30/12 TRIAL DATE RESET	B10	HON. DAVID E GUNN, COMMISSIONER
04/23/12	08:30	RESETTING OF COURT TRIAL Disposition Date: 04/12/12 VACATED;B10 NOT AVAILABLE;NTA SENT	B10	HON. DAVID E GUNN, COMMISSIONER
03/23/12	08:30	RESETTING OF COURT TRIAL   *RETURN ON WARRANT* Disposition Date: 03/23/12 CONTINUED TO 4/23/12	BTA	TO BE ANNOUNCED
11/14/11	14:00	COURT TRIAL Disposition Date: 11/14/11 FTA;$5000 B/W ORDRD;NOCITE;BAIL FORFEITD	B10	HON. DAVID E GUNN, COMMISSIONER
11/07/11	08:30	TRIAL READINESS CONFERENCE Disposition Date: 11/07/11 TRIAL DATE CONFIRMED	B10	HON. DAVID E GUNN, COMMISSIONER
10/03/11	08:30	PRETRIAL CONFERENCE Disposition Date: 10/03/11 WAIVED JURY TRIAL; COURT TRIAL SET	B10	HON. DAVID E GUNN, COMMISSIONER
08/29/11	08:30	FUR ARRAIGNMT -ENTRY OF PLEA, APP OF CSL Disposition Date: 08/29/11 PLED NOT GLTY; WVD TIME; SET FOR PTC	B10	HON. DAVID E GUNN, COMMISSIONER
08/01/11	08:30	ARRAIGNMENT   *RETURN ON WARRANT* Disposition Date: 08/01/11 ARRAIGNED; PD APPTD	B10	HON. DAVID E GUNN, COMMISSIONER
03/14/11	08:30	ARRAIGNMENT   270 166(a)(4) PC Disposition Date: 03/14/11 FTA; A/W ORD; BAIL SET $2500	B10	HON. DAVID E GUNN, COMMISSIONER

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Hillside Covenant Church Homeless Outreach Lunch - Stop the Lunch

Please read my letter to Walnut Creek City Council about issues connected to this church.  I am concerned that someone within or near this church has been targeting homeless and the unfortunate.  

Below is a list of homeless persons in the area that have been harmed in a rash of hit and runs, sudden deaths and in my case deliberate attacks. 

I've filed a claim against Hillside Covenant Church about their involvement in my car accidents and my sons who their Youth Director managed to coerce my son into giving up my laptop passwords which caused me a $200,000 loss on this project.  

Everyone casually tells me to let this go but my losses are staggering forcing me to the street.  

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You took my sons and the results are in

Son: W Bennett
Age: 17
Grades Near Perfect

Son: C Bennett
Age: 14
Grades: From A's to F'

On July 7th 2011 I was arrested for child support PC270 out of Butte County.  Now I handled this wrong always thinking I could get caught up.  I've gone too DCSS in Martinez only to be endlessly jacked around by staff.  I lost my van over their failures which a an $8,000 loss when the internal resources just decided not to process my job offer letter.  Lost the van and lost the job.

So in 2007 the San Ramon Unified School District got involved and concealed that my sons were leaving the area but had a going away party.  Judge Golub's brother even helped with the party knowing that I'd lose custody but that's also interference with court orders and if anyone should know it would be an attorney as they are not supposed to do that.

The lawsuit against Gary Vinson Collins would have the CNET operation, that certain members of the Danville have known for years about Collins.  If they were lied to then they need to contact the correct agency.

That court order on child support is now an impossible losing battle as I've lost everything, getting hired impossible, I've sought help from Martinez DCSS as they won't help. The misery marches on and you can read see one son has cratered.  I suppose the San Ramon Unified District who interfered at many levels doesn't have much to say but they were quick to file restraining orders even though they conceal my children it was kidnapping, interference with court order but who cares but that also occurred during the Andrew Mantas event.  My personal opinion is he was given psychedelic which is my same suspicion with Chris Lacey as all programmers just freak out.

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PG&E Offers $10,000 Reward In Walnut Creek Kidnapping And Robbery Case

PG&E Offers $10,000 Reward In Walnut Creek Kidnapping And Robbery Case

Release Date: November 20, 2012
Contact: PG&E External Communications (415) 973-5930

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. – Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) today announced a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the individuals responsible for kidnapping a PG&E contract employee in a parking lot as she left work on November 7 in the Walnut Creek Shadelands area.

On November 7, 2012 at approximately 7:30 p.m., a 57 year old female was abducted as she was leaving work and walking to her vehicle in an isolated parking lot. As the victim unlocked her vehicle two suspects ran up to her, forced her into her vehicle, tied her up and blindfolded her. The victim was driven to various locations in an attempt to get money from her ATM accounts.

The victim was driven to an isolated area in the Oakland Hills where she was released. A vehicle with a loud muffler was heard leaving the area. The victim was able to free herself and called 911. Oakland PD responded and sought medical attention for the victim and obtained the initial information. The Walnut Creek Police Department was called to handle the primary investigation since the incident originated in Walnut Creek.

Suspect #1: Described as a white male adult, early to mid 20s, 5’11”, 185/190 lbs, broad shoulders, short dark hair, unknown facial hair. Last seen wearing light colored T shirt under a black zip up colored shirt, jeans, blue or black.

Suspect #2: Described as a white male adult, early to mid 20s, 5’9”, 150 lbs with a slight build. Last seen wearing a mask (form type to below the nose), black hooded sweatshirt with the hood up, dark jeans.

Suspect Vehicle: Vehicle with a loud muffler.

The Walnut Creek Police Department is actively investigating this crime. Anyone with information related to this crime is asked to contact the Walnut Creek Police Department Investigations Unit at(925) 943-5868 or (925) 943-5844.

The photos below are of one of the kidnapping/robbery/carjacking suspects in this case. The photos are from a drive up bank ATM. The suspect in the photo went by the name "Aubrey" (see suspect #2 description below). The second suspect went by the name "David". It is important to stress we do not know if these are the suspect's actual names.

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Murder►Cynthia Kempf - Pittsburg CA

Norrell Tragedy Unites Pittsburg Community

Within hours of Lisa's disappearance, community members came together to support each other. 

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By Beverly Oden and Tina Barni

Late on a November night last year, several days after she first reported to police that her 15-year-old daughter was missing, Minnie Norrell awoke from a fitful sleep and went to look outside her bedroom window.

There in her front yard, amid the many candles that well wishers carefully had placed and lit in her front walk, she saw a stranger.

She watched quietly as the man moved some of the shining candles aside to make room on the brick walls that line her front path for the one he had brought. He then lit the candle on the walk, which had become a symbol of hope for Norrell and her community, and disappeared into the darkness as silently as he had arrived.

“Pittsburg people are special,” said Norrell, nearly a year later, recalling those agonizing nights and the outpouring of public sympathy and support she felt. “I can’t tell you how many thousands of people were in this house. And I’m talking thousands.”

The tragedy of Lisa Diane Norrell’s disappearance and the news of her murder eight days later brought the community of Pittsburg together in fear and mourning like few other events in recent times, and has helped spark an effort by city officials and religious leaders to address problems of violence and youth alienation.

Lisa’s murder “heightened awareness of people and their surroundings,” said Mayor Federal Glover, 43, a lifetime resident of Pittsburg. “Emotionally it draws the community together. We all learned from the tragedy."

“She was a good person, who happened to find herself in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Glover went on. “Emotionally it makes you want to do more outreach.”

To that end, the city has held conferences on youth issues and set aside funding for a new teen center and skating park over the past year since Lisa’s killing, which remains unsolved. The city also holds open forums during city council meetings to promote dialogue between the teenagers and adults.

But one of the biggest changes since Lisa’s murder has been in the way Pittsburg officials discuss the problems of the city. According to Pittsburg’s Assistant City Manager, Glenn J. Valenzuela, 50, the city’s leaders were never so involved with young people as they are now.

“Involvement with the youth before Lisa’s death was a priority, but it was not at the front burner,” said Valenzuela. “Now, wherever you go in this city and hear elected officials speak, one of the first words that come out of their mouths is in support of young people. That is real rare in any city.”

Taking Comfort in Family

Pittsburg, a close-knit industrial town of 54,117, is located 40 miles east of San Francisco across the San Francisco Bay. Its hard-working residents are a diverse mix -- 47.2 percent Caucasian, 23.7 percent Hispanic, 17.1 percent African-American, and 11.2 percent Asian, according to the 1990 census. Many of its residents have lived all their lives in a town where Dow Chemical is one of the major employers along with a steel company called USS-POSCO.

They take comfort in their families, do the best they can to get by, and take pride in the city’s multi-ethnic character, which sharply contrasts with other, largely white, suburban towns in otherwise affluent Contra Costa County.

Indeed, at least one Pittsburg official, school board trustee Jim MacDonald, charges that local industries pollute the air and water more freely in Pittsburg than in other Bay Area communities precisely because of the city's working-class and ethnic makeup.

Earlier this month MacDonald proposed that the city demand that the Federal government declare Pittsburg "an environmental justice community." Such status, part of an environmental protection agency program begun five years ago to reduce the effects of pollution and toxic waste in poor and minority areas, would allow the government to oversee the industries and provide funding for education programs.

At first glance, Pittsburg, nestled next to the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers, has a small-town feel, a safe haven from the problems of the major metropolis. But looks can be deceiving, for like many suburban towns across America Pittsburg is not immune from urban dangers: drugs, prostitution, youth gangs and violence among them. Lisa’s murder was one of at least six last year.

For some time, Pittsburg police have been at a loss about how to eliminate prostitution and the drug houses that became common sights on Ninth and Tenth streets. Gang warfare even began to claim lives.

One such death touched Father Ricardo Chavez enough to prompt him to do something about it. When a teenager named Douglas Askern was killed in a drive-by shooting only a few weeks before Lisa’s death, the town, numbed by the constant violence, did nothing.

“What got to me was that there was no reaction,” said Father Chavez, the priest at a local Catholic church who grew up in Pittsburg. “Nobody put a marker out there, nobody put up a flower or a cross. This was now the umpteenth death and I began to sense that everyone was like I was--you just expect it.”

Lisa Norrell’s murder soon followed, along with the deaths of several prostitutes from the area and brought hordes of Bay Area media attention to Pittsburg (See ETHICS). Finally, people were paying attention.

“The town just kind of adopted her, kind of like a strange phenomenon,” said Christine Rohde, one of Lisa’s teachers at Pittsburg High. “It was just this cute little girl who wouldn’t hurt a fly and all of a sudden she’s just gone. And violently and horribly.”

"A Wake-up Call to Residents"

In the aftermath of the killings, Father Chavez launched Families Against Violence, a group dedicated to teaching parents how to talk to their kids about violence. The city formed a task force in hopes of combating the problem and after school programs were instituted along with midnight basketball to help keep kids out of trouble.

Mark C. Leonard, 45, a resident of Pittsburg for six years, President of The Rotary Club and a member of the Board of Directors for the Chamber of Commerce and Boys and Girls Club, said that Pittsburg is no worse than any other city when it comes to crime. Still, he said Lisa’s killing has been a "wake-up call" for residents and police alike to do a more effective job at maintaining security.

“Personally, I don’t want my kids out after dark,” said Kathy C. Meidinger, Executive Assistant at the City Manager’s office and a mother of four. “And I preach to them ‘don’t put yourself in a compromising position,’ which is really what Lisa did. Just don’t walk alone in the dark.”

Lisa disappeared on Nov. 6, 1998 after leaving a rehearsal for a quinceañera party for a Latina girlfriend in an Antioch Hall. She reportedly left in anger and decided to walk home along the largely desolate Antioch-Pittsburg Highway. She never returned home. Her asphyxiated body, her hands knotted in fists, was found face down in the yard of a landscaping firm a week later.

It was a devastating time that council member Frank R. Quesada, 65, among many others in Pittsburg, will never forget. A retired postal worker, and Pittsburg’s mayor at the time of Lisa’s disappearance and murder, Quesada was an old family friend of Lisa and her family. Lisa’s 17-year-old brother Tony Quesada is Frank’s nephew by adoption.

“It was … heartbreaking,” said Quesada. “I saw her grow up. We would go to family functions and see each other. To me it was pretty personal, I knew her since she was a kid. The whole tragedy made you want to help the community.”

Like many, Quesada can’t make sense of the tragedy. He hopes the $60,000 reward money recently offered by Governor Gray Davis for information leading to arrest and conviction in the case will produce progress in solving a case that has seen little thus far.

“The funny thing, I don’t know what got her to be walking out there,” said Quesada. “It is not a heavily used road, people only used it for east-west traffic for work. Otherwise there is no traffic and no lights, it is very dark. I wouldn’t walk there and I am 65 years old. I know better.”

A statue of a fisherman adorns the Piazza di Isola delle Femmine on the Marina, representing the Pittsburg of the past, a predominantly Italian fishing community where Sicilians had come to make a better life in the early 1900’s. Originally named New York of the Pacific, the town became Black Diamond in 1905 after the discovery of coal in the hills just south of town. In 1911, residents voted to change the name to Pittsburg, after the Pennsylvania city, to reflect its industrial development. The “h” was dropped to simplify the spelling.

When commercial fishing in the bay and rivers was banned by the state legislature in the late 1950’s, the Italian community deteriorated and people began to move out. By then, an influx of people from all over the world had begun to call Pittsburg home and the population grew significantly. The largely Italian community began to give way to a new Latino population along with African-Americans and Filipinos. The change resulted in the exodus of many whites to neighboring Antioch, which consisted mostly of whites, as it does today.

In Pittsburg, the various races learned quickly to live with each other. “As far as I can remember, we got along well,” said Father Chavez. “It was such a small community that there weren’t really a lot of opportunities for doing wrong.”

Pittsburg saved its animosity for Antioch. For as long as residents can remember, there has been a rivalry between the two small towns that culminates in a raucous annual football game between their high schools each Fall.

“Antioch was our mortal enemy,” said Minnie Norrell, a graduate of Pittsburg High. “The Pittsburg-Antioch football game was the last of the year always. They had a lot of security out there because the funnest thing to do on Saturdays was to go to Antioch and start a fight.”

Remembering Lisa

These days, Minnie Norrell continues to mourn her daughter. The mention of Lisa’s name still brings tears to her eyes. But she is also doing what she can to find ways to better Pittsburg after the tragedy. She has been a vocal leader in seeking ways to bring new legislation so that children up to 16 years old will be considered missing instead of being automatically labeled as runaways.

She is also starting a non-profit organization called Lisa’s Closet to provide new clothes to needy children in the area.

And Norrell said she still takes great comfort in the citizens who have helped her cope, all the people who made a point to come to her and tell her how her daughter had touched their lives. She remembers the memorial for Lisa at the school, which drew over 2,000 students, many of whom were looking for ways to express their fear and grief. Norrell sat in the front row as Lisa’s teacher, Christine Rohde, gave a speech.

“It was very hard to speak looking at them because nobody knows what you’re going through until you look and see the pain in their eyes,” said Rohde. “Kids who didn’t even know Lisa just wanted to go up and hug her. She sat there for like two hours and just let kids come up and hug her.”

The children also remembered Lisa by decorating her locker with posters, cards and flowers. They held a candlelight vigil, walking from the high school to Norrell’s house, all the while singing Lisa’s favorite song, “Dreaming of You” by Selena. They crafted yellow ribbons and tissue paper flowers and gathered in Rohde’s room to weep and remember her.

Adults showered Norrell with gifts, flowers, constant visits, phone calls and the rapidly increasing collection of candles on her front walk, where so many strangers took the time to pay their respects.

Today, nearly a year later, a few candles still line Norrell’s front walk and a poster bearing a picture of Lisa remains in the front yard. Students from the high school stop by every once in a while and friends and neighbors still check in on her.

But for Minnie Norrell, who now lives alone in her modest corner house, things will never be the same.

“There is never going to be any closure. When they catch this guy and they kill him, I don’t have any closure,” she said. “My daughter is gone.”

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