2 charged in Alabama killing; race possible factor
Dec 27, 2011 | 1169 views | 0 0 comments | 1 1 recommendations | email to a friend | print
FOLEY, Ala. (AP) — Two people face capital murder charges and police sought a third person Tuesday in a pair of home invasions in which authorities said the victims were Hispanic and may have been targeted because the suspects thought they wouldn't report a crime.

The suspects were seeking cash and valuables, first targeting one Baldwin County mobile home then another next door where two men were shot, one fatally, authorities said.

Sheriff's Capt. Steve Arthur said the suspects possibly targeted the Hispanic residents at the mobile home park believing they wouldn't contact police for fear of entanglement with immigration officials. Instead, Arthur said, one of the people in the first trailer in Foley called 911 within moments of the violence.

Crystal Rose Shaw, 28, who lives near the trailer park, and Fredrick Ike Odom, 40, of Grand Bay, were being held without bond. Authorities searched for Travis Golden, 25, of Foley. None of the suspects is Hispanic, said Arthur.

"We have had cases where perpetrators targeted Hispanic individuals thinking they wouldn't report (crime) because they're afraid of being deported," he said. "This certainly has that flavor."

Shaw knew some of the victims, Arthur said.

While federal and local authorities have said they fear Hispanics might hesitate to report crimes because of Alabama's new crackdown on illegal immigration, the law includes a section that temporarily exempts crime victims from its provisions even if they are in the country illegally.
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