Christina Laurean Knew Maria Lauterbach Was Dead

Excerpts from WRAL.com and FOXNews.com
Christina Smith Laurean, the wife of the suspected killer of a pregnant Marine, knew Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach was dead a day before she went to police, according to affidavits obtained by local TV news stations in North Carolina. The court document states that Cpl. Cesar Armando Laurean and his wife were driving to meet with an attorney on January 10.

Cesar Laurean had asked Christina "if she was with him on this". She replied, "I do not know. Is there anything you have not told me?" At that time, Cesar Laurean confessed that Lauterbach was dead and he had buried her body in a wooded area adjacent to their home, the affidavits show.

Cesar Laurean told his wife that Lauterbach slit her own throat with a knife during an argument on the evening of December 15. He said Lauterbach, who was eight months pregnant, had come to him earlier that day to tell him she was leaving Jacksonville, N.C., and demanded that he give her money. He took her to a bus station and helped her buy a ticket to El Paso, TX., his wife said in the affidavits.

Cesar Laurean's wife of two years told Onslow County sheriff's detective John Dubois that a disoriented and agitated Lauterbach returned to the home later that night and told Laurean that "her plan had failed, that an argument ensued" and that she produced a knife and killed herself by slitting her throat. "He became scared, took her body to a wooded area adjacent to his residence, and buried her. He obtained legal counsel and explained the facts to them. He was told that he was facing the death penalty," Dubois wrote.

Christina Laurean did not go to authorities with that information until January 11, when her husband left home. She has not seen him since (according to statements she has made to investigators). A search warrant has been issued for a cell phone belonging to Cesar Laurean, his wife, his mother and his sister (Blanca Laurean), according to the affidavits.

WRAL-TV obtained copies of the warrant and attached affidavits documenting conversations between 21-year-old Laurean and his wife. Police said they do not believe Lauterbach took her own life. Christina Laurean discovered Lauterbach was pregnant in July, but her husband said he was not the father of the baby, according to court documents. He also told his wife that he had not raped Lauterbach, as she claimed. Christina Laurean has been cooperating in the investigation, police told FOX News.

Onslow County authorities said this morning they do not believe Christina (whose full name is Christina Sue Smith [Laurean])was at her house when the pregnant Marine Lance Corporal was killed. They believe she was at a Christmas party during that time. Sheriff's officials said yesterday that investigators believe Cesar Laurean killed Lauterbach, 20, on December 14. Authorities described Christina Laurean as a cooperating witness and said they have no plans to charge her.

Significant questions that must be answered:
1) Why didn't Christina Laurean contact authorities immediately after finding out her husband disposed of another woman's body -- especially after knowing the situation between the two AND that the dead woman was eight months pregnant?

2) Why does law enforcement insist Maria Lauterbach was killed on December 14 when we also know that someone matching her description purchased a bus ticket on December 15?

2a) What piece of evidence are they holding back, glossing over or refusing to acknowledge? [Something doesn't match up here!]

3) Did Maria Lauterbach have ANY connection with El Paso, TX?

3a) Does Cesar Laurean or Christina Smith Laurean have any connection with El Paso, TX?
[If not, why would Lauterbach purchase a bus ticket to El Paso? After all, Cesar claimed Lauterbach said she "had a plan" to leave the Jacksonville area.]

4) If Maria Lauterbach went back to the Laurean home later the night she was to leave on the bus, how did she get there? Did she drive her Hyundai Sonata? If so, how was her car moved back to the restaurant near the bus station? Did Cesar Laurean take it there? If so, how did he get home? [The person who helped him needs to be questioned thoroughly!]

5) Who was the "white male" who withdrew funds from Maria Lauterbach's bank, using her ATM card, December 24? [The ATM machine used was near the Laurean home.]

6) How could Christina Laurean NOT be involved in the murder and disposal of Maria Lauterbach and her unborn child? Lauterbach was killed inside the Laurean home. A large amount of blood evidence was found inside the home. A large scale clean-up job was undertaken. Someone painted over at least one wall where some of the blood spatter was found. The body of a grown woman, eight months pregnant, was moved from inside the home to the adjacent woods and buried. It was later dug up and moved to the Laurean's backyard. A large pit was dug in the backyard. The bodies of Lauterbach and her unborn child were then burned and covered over by someone. [Does anyone believe ONE 5'9", 160 pound guy did ALL this by himself AND/OR without another person living in the same household knowing?!? VERY DOUBTFUL!]

Marine Lauterbach / Laurean Mystery Continues

As the hunt for Cesar Laurean drags on, a few mysteries are being solved in the murder of Maria Lauterbach and her unborn child. Police have admitted to obtaining a "piece of evidence" they believe to be the murder weapon in the case. This piece of evidence is thought to be a crowbar handed over, along with the now public note, by Laurean's wife, Christina.

In my opinion, the crowbar is the piece of "tangible evidence" Sheriff Ed Brown spoke over when we first found that Cesar Laurean was the primary suspect late last week. The note is helpful, but not what law enforcement would consider a piece of definitive tangible evidence, from what I know about LE investigations.

Christina Laurean is apparently cooperating with police, but they are still very vague as to her status (witness or co-suspect) and location (when questioned, they always say they don't know exactly where she is at the moment). One more thing we know is that Christina Smith Laurean has told authorities she believes her husband is either in or headed to Mexico. She handed over two letters she received from Cesar Armando Laurean (Ramirez) -- one of which had a Houston, TX. postmark.

Friends and fellow Marines have also said Laurean made statements leading them to believe he would flee to Mexico "if it appeared he would be found guilty of rape" -- a two-count charge Lauterbach made against him in 2007. An Article 32 hearing was scheduled just days after Lance Cpl. Lauterbach disappeared on December 14, 2007.

Police believe she was killed around December 15th. We believe her body was stored somewhere (possibly in the Laurean home) from the time of her death until December 24, when Cesar Laurean lit a large fire in a pit in his backyard. There is also reason to speculate that the body was dismembered before being burned in the pit. OTOH, the baby's body was not disposed of separately, which would make sense in this type of case.

Even though Lauterbach accused Laurean of two counts of rape (one incident in March and one in April), medical examiners say the time of conception was around May 14th. According to military records, the first positive pregnancy test was in June, 2007. Two mysteries surrounding the child are still unsolved questions of whether Laurean is the father AND whether or not the baby was born prior to Maria Lauterbach's death.

Photo from FOXNews.com

Murdered Marine: You call this an investigation?

Randi Kaye of Anderson Cooper 360 makes some EXCELLENT points in her blog post from earlier this morning...
Today, Onslow County Sheriff Ed Brown announced he won't be talking to the media anymore, until Corporal Cesar Laurean is caught. Laurean is the U.S. Marine charged in the brutal murder of fellow Marine Lance Corporal Maria Lauterbach and her unborn child. He's been on the run since last Friday. Police believe they recovered Lauterbach's charred remains in a fire pit behind Laurean's home over the weekend along with those of her baby.

Sheriff Brown has been holding press conferences daily and doing one-on-one interviews with local and national media. Now he says it's time to get back to work and we shouldn't expect a word from him until Laurean is behind bars. I've never heard of holding a press conference to announce you're NOT going to hold press conferences anymore. But nothing in this case has been business as usual.

The Marines knew Maria Lauterbach had accused Cesar Laurean of rape and didn't give the Sheriff his name until January 7th, TWENTY days after she disappeared.

The Marines knew Laurean was forbidden to go near Lauterbach. A military protective order was issued in June 2007. It had expired in September 2007, but the Marines never even told Sheriff Brown about it. He told me he wasn't aware of it until last weekend when his deputies found the paperwork in Lauterbach's car.

Can you imagine?

Turns out there is no protocol in place for the Marines when it comes to sharing information with civil law enforcement. Read on...

EDITORIAL: It seems to me that the Lauterbach family has grounds for a precedent-setting lawsuit against the Marine Corps. There is ZERO EXCUSE for the military police not sharing information with the sheriff's department once Maria Lauterbach went missing. It is INTOLERABLE that they did NOTHING to assist -- and even thwarted law enforcement efforts -- in the missing persons case.

As for the civilian authorities, Sheriff Brown and his deputies need to charge Christina Laurean as an accessory to murder (minimally) or a co-conspirator (more likely) in the deaths of Lauterbach and her unborn child. I can't fathom how Cesar Laurean's wife could not have known a violent murder took place in their home. Come on! He washed and painted the walls without any previous decision on both their parts. What husband does that?!? [Some records indicate Christina Laurean said she assisted Cesar with painting the walls.]

Also, why would Christina S. Laurean not question a fire pit freshly dug in the backyard; a large fire burned Christmas Eve (odd time for a fire) -- and then another fire (neighbors says Christina called it a "bonfire with friends") Christmas night?!? I may be wrongly accusing her of being involved, but I just don't see how the facts could prove otherwise.

Laurean Spotted in Louisiana; Headed Towards Texas

Well, it looks like we were right on target Friday afternoon. Laurean has been seen in Alabama -- headed towards Texas.

The NY Daily News reports: Marine Cpl. Cesar Armando Laurean, lead suspect in the slaying of a 20-year-old pregnant marine, is on the run in Louisiana, say authorities. The nationwide manhunt for a Marine wanted in the brutal slaying of a 20-year-old pregnant colleague who had accused him of rape focused Sunday on Louisiana and Texas, after he was spotted at a bus station.

Marine Cpl. Cesar Armando Laurean was seen at a Shreveport, La., station Saturday night, Onslow County Sheriff Ed Brown said. The bus Laurean was riding was headed to Texas, but police don’t know if he continued on that route, he said. "It will be a short trip — a short vacation — for Mr. Laurean," Brown said. "His vacation may be short, his travel may be long, but I hope we’ll be there to help him return."

On Saturday, authorities said they recovered what they believe to be the burned remains of Marine Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach and her unborn child from a fire pit in Laurean’s backyard, where they suspect he burned and buried her body. Those remains have been sent to the state medical examiner’s office in Chapel Hill for a formal identification. That same day, state authorities issued an arrest warrant on murder charges for Laurean, 21, of the Las Vegas area. They believe he fled Jacksonville before dawn Friday after leaving behind a note in which he admitted burying her body but claimed Lauterbach cut her own throat in a suicide.

Brown has challenged Laurean’s assertion that Lauterbach killed herself, citing what he described as evidence of a violent confrontation inside Laurean’s home — blood spatters on the ceiling and a massive amount of blood on the wall. Brown said Sunday that evidence in the case "leads us to believe that he would be a dangerous and violent person if put in a corner."

"What I’ve seen and what we’ve discovered indicates he does have a real heinous behavior about him," he said. Brown has said Lauterbach purchased a bus ticket to El Paso, Texas, around the time of her disappearance, but said Sunday authorities are not in possession of the ticket. Shreveport is roughly 950 miles southwest of Jacksonville, and is about two dozen miles from the Texas state line and more than 800 miles east of El Paso.

Read more...

Burnt Human Remains Found in Laurean's Backyard

Onslow County Sheriff Ed Brown just finished a news conference with reporters. He stated that the charred remains of what is believed to be the body of Maria Lauterbach (and her unborn baby) were found in the backyard of Cesar Armando and Christina Smith Laurean.
Sheriff Brown also stated that there are positive luminol results in at least two areas of the Laurean home. IMO, that points to the murder taking place in the house. Apparently, Cesar Laurean burned and buried the bodies of Maria Mauterbach and her baby. By several statements the sheriff made, it can probably also be safely assumed that Lauterbach's body was dismembered. For what other reason would investigators want to comb through the dirt in the "cavity" where the burned remains were located?

One more thing -- police need to press Christina Laurean VERY hard for information. She may be 100% innocent of wrong doing. Then again, she may be part of the murder and subsequent disposal of Lauterbach and child. If Christina is innocent of involvement, she may know more than she is aware of -- like places Cesar may be headed. Where are any friends who may be willing to help him? Where is his family? Does he know anyone who could help him get out of the country? What did he take with him (that he doesn't normally travel with)? What didn't he take that he normally has with him when he travels? There could be a lot of information garnered from police pressing Christina Laurean.

One last thought -- It's pretty safe to say that Christina Laurean gave Sheriff Brown the "tangible evidence" proving Maria is dead. Could she have made a plea bargain deal with law enforcement to give them info in exchange for not being prosecuted? Where is she now? Where is there baby daughter?

Maria Lauterbach Dead - Cpl. Cesar Laurean is Prime Suspect

A nine-month pregnant Marine missing for nearly a month is dead, and investigators were seeking another Marine whom she had accused of sexually assaulting her, Onslow County Sheriff Ed Brown said Friday midday.
[To make sure everyone gets the story straight, Lauterbach originally stated that a senior officer has raped her. Later, it was determined that a fellow enlisted Marine was the perpetrator.]

Authorities had not recovered the body of 20-year-old Lance Cpl. Maria Frances Lauterbach, but believe she was buried in a shallow grave off Gum Branch Road (near North Bryan and Meadow Trail in Jacksonville, NC), Sheriff Brown said. Police are also likely checking a nearby creek.

Brown and an NCIS officer both stated that a witness (identified only as a female) came forward early this morning with tangible evidence that led them to believe Lance Cpl. Lauterbach and her unborn child are dead. Law enforcement spokesmen said the mother & child were killed on or shortly after December 20, 2007.

Maria Lauterbach had originally claimed a superior officer sexually assaulted her, and she was worried that the investigation was going nowhere, according to court documents. She vanished last month before she was to testify during an Article 32 proceeding. Brown said the Marine, now identified as Corporal Cesar Armando Laurean had declined to meet with investigators, who no longer knew his whereabouts. "They don't know where he is," Brown said of the suspect. "He's gone." According to Brown, Cesar Laurean left Jacksonville this morning in a black Dodge pickup truck (NC tag has 1522 in it).

Brown said Lauterbach may have been due to give birth January 8. The police reports, however, said she was due on February 14 and did not show up for a prenatal medical appointment December 28.

Lauterbach's cell phone was found on a roadside near Camp Lejeune on December 20. Her car (a 2006 Hyundai Sonata) was found Monday in the parking lot of a fast-food restaurant (near the bus station), Brown said, and apparently had been there since December 15.

The court papers said the anticipated birth of the baby "might provide evidentiary credence to charges she lodged with military authorities that she was sexually assaulted by a military person."

Sources: Facebook.com, AP.org, CNN.com and WRAL.com

Videotape the Key in Deputy's Trial

By GILLIAN FLACCUS, AP Writer / FOXNews.com
Photos from CBSNews.com

The grainy videotape shows a disturbing scene: A sheriff's deputy shoots an Iraq war veteran who appears to be obeying an order to get up off the ground. A judge overseeing the trial of the deputy got a hint of how powerful the footage is when he asked prospective jurors if anyone had seen it and nearly 400 raised their hands.
Opening statements are scheduled for Monday. The video was taken by a bystander and aired repeatedly on national TV after the Jan. 29, 2006, shooting in Chino, about 50 miles east of Los Angeles. Former San Bernardino County sheriff's Deputy Ivory Webb Jr., 46, has pleaded not guilty to felony charges of attempted voluntary manslaughter and assault with a firearm. If convicted, he could face more than 18 years in prison.
A jury of eight men and four women was sworn in May 16 after undergoing two rounds of questioning and filling out a detailed, 26-page questionnaire that asked about their exposure to the tape, views on law enforcement and whether they owned guns.
The man who was shot, Air Force Senior Airman Elio Carrion, now 23, was a passenger in a car that crashed while being chased by Webb. Carrion testified at a preliminary hearing that he had been drinking at a barbecue to celebrate his recent return from Iraq. On the 40-second video clip, he can be heard swearing at Webb before the deputy tells him to "get up! get up!" [Webb is also heard swearing at Carrion.] Carrion was then shot three times in the chest, left leg and left shoulder. Webb's lawyer, Michael Schwartz, has previously suggested that his client might actually have shouted "don't get up!" [Which is a LIE!] He has also argued that Webb may have believed Carrion was reaching for a weapon in his jacket pocket as he stood up. [Which is another LIE!] Carrion was found to be unarmed.
During a preliminary hearing, Schwartz played an FBI-enhanced copy of the videotape frame by frame to show Carrion's hand going toward his jacket, a movement that is almost imperceptible when the footage is seen at real speed. Carrion is expected to testify at the trial. He has recovered and is working light duty at Barksdale Air Force Base in Shreveport, La. He has also filed a civil claim against San Bernardino County.

EDITORIAL: I personally hope that Ivory Webb, Jr. spends EVERY DAY of the possible 18+ years in prison. He was out of control -- and he attempted to murder Elio Carrion in cold blood. That is 100% evident in the video -- and there's little rational room for dispute of what is seen and heard on that tape. Webb lost his temper due to the car chase and then took it out on the passenger in the car -- Elio Carrion. Ivory Webb should be charged with attempted murder, not attempted manslaughter, dereliction of duty, assault with a firearm, and wreckless endangerment (to bystanders).