CHESAPEAKE
The case against accused cop killer Ryan Frederick relies partially on the accounts of burglars who may have been working as confidential police informants.
A 21-year-old Chesapeake man said he and another informant broke into Frederick's garage in the Portlock section of the city in January to look for evidence of a marijuana-growing operation and told the police about what they found there.
In an interview at the Chesapeake Correctional Center, Renaldo Turnbull Jr. told The Virginian-Pilot that he had been working with police for several months before the shooting of Detective Jarrod Shivers. Turnbull said Shivers was among the police officers he had provided information to.
Shivers, a 34-year-old father of three, was shot and killed during a Jan. 17 drug raid at Frederick's home in the 900 block of Redstart Ave. Frederick said he didn't know police were on the other side of his door when he shot through it. He said he thought intruders were breaking into his home.
Prosecutors now say Frederick, 29, knew the police were coming. They say Frederick told one of the burglars in a threatening phone conversation that he knew police might be coming after him and he would be ready.
Police and prosecutors have not identified the people involved in the Frederick burglary, and no one has been charged with that crime. Frederick never reported the break-in to police.
Frederick's attorney, James Broccoletti, said Wednesday he could not answer any questions regarding informants and their allegations. The special prosecutor in the case, Paul Ebert, also said he could not comment on the identities of the informants or allegations made by Turnbull.
Chesapeake Police Chief Kelvin Wright said his department does use confidential informants to make undercover drug buys, but he would not comment on any relationship police may have with street sources.
"We do not discuss people who may or may not be confidential informants," he said.
Police indicated earlier this year that a reliable informant led them to Frederick. At a court hearing on Sept. 8, prosecutors disclosed for the first time the involvement of burglars.
That disclosure prompted The Pilot to report now on its February jailhouse interview with Turnbull, who identified himself as one of the burglars.
According to Turnbull, he started working as a police informant after his release from prison last year. In August 2006, he pleaded guilty to breaking and entering, burglary of a dwelling with the intent to commit larceny, and two counts of grand larceny, according to court records.
Turnbull spoke to The Pilot shortly after his arrest in connection with a Jan. 3 burglary, he was arrested Jan. 28, 11 days after Shivers was killed.
He is now in the Chesapeake jail awaiting sentencing in December for that burglary. Other felony charges, for an alleged December 2007 crime involving grand larceny and entering a house to commit assault and battery, have since been leveled against him.
Shivers was killed as he and more than a dozen other officers tried to enter Frederick's house, looking for evidence of a marijuana-growing operation. Frederick's attorney, James Broccoletti, has argued that police later confiscated only one-third of an ounce of marijuana from the home.
Frederick was charged with capital murder, use of a firearm, and possession with the intent to distribute marijuana. He said he fired his gun twice that night at what he thought were intruders breaking through his front door.
When Frederick was taken into custody, he said he tried to tell authorities about a burglary at his home days before.
"I was telling them someone broke in earlier," he said. "And they said they know about that."
Turnbull said he and an accomplice didn't worry about breaking into Frederick's garage because police assured them they would be protected.
"The dude said he was going to look out for us, so let's go do it," he said.
A Frederick family member identified the second informant as a man in his early 20s named Steven. The Pilot is not fully identifying the man because he declined to be interviewed.
Steven knew Frederick and had worked with police before, according to Turnbull.
"Steven was doing this before I met him," Turnbull said.
Steven was arrested on unrelated charges two days before the Shivers shooting. He was being held in the Virginia Beach jail in February when he agreed to an interview with The Pilot, but he later declined. Steven's family, contacted at their home in Great Bridge, said he wasn't ready to talk.
Steven was scheduled to stand trial earlier this month but didn't show up at court. He is now listed as a fugitive.
Turnbull said he met with Shivers once and talked with him on the phone on other occasions. During a meeting at a 7-Eleven store near the intersection of Battlefield Boulevard and Cedar Road in Chesapeake, Shivers introduced himself.
"He told me what to look for. He said, if you know of any burglaries or anything, let Steven know... He said no evidence, no pay... He said if you know where it is, go get it."
The first attempt to break into Frederick's garage was canceled after they saw his SUV and another car parked in the driveway, said Turnbull, who said he does not know Frederick.
On the second attempt, they decided to call there first. When there was no answer, they went to his house and knocked on the door to make sure no one was home. Frederick's SUV was gone, he said.
Then they went through Frederick's privacy fence to his garage, Turnbull said. "It was locked, but Steven gave it a nice little kick and it opened, and there it was," he said.
Inside the garage was "a tent," with a zipper, "like a greenhouse," Turnbull said. Inside the small portable greenhouse were about 15 marijuana plants, each about 2 feet high, in two rows, in some sort of hydroponic setup, he said.
Turnbull said he took about five or six plants and left to turn the evidence over to police. Steven, he said, was the person who actually handed the plants to police.
Days later, police executed a search warrant for Frederick's home. In a search warrant affidavit, police said a confidential informant had been inside Frederick's residence and saw marijuana plants in the detached garage.
The informant, police said in their affidavit, described the growth stages of the plants, which were inside "a portable closet type casing."
Frederick has said that on the night of the shooting, he was sleeping when he heard a commotion and retrieved his Bersa .380-caliber Firestorm gun.
"My dogs woke me up," he said in an earlier interview. "They were barking like crazy. They're barking like really crazy, so I grabbed my gun. As I'm walking through the hall, something comes busting through my door."
According to Turnbull, Frederick suspected that the informant Steven was behind the burglary. After the break-in, an angry Frederick had repeatedly called Turnbull's cell phone and had threatened Steven's parents in Great Bridge.
Turnbull speculates that Frederick obtained his cell number from caller ID after he and Steven called to see whether Frederick was home before the burglary.
Frederick "kept calling," Turnbull said.
He tried to assure Frederick that he was not involved in the break-in, but Frederick seemed to know that the burglars were Steven and a dark -skinned black male, possibly from a security camera, said Turnbull, who is black.
"When I talked to him on my phone, (Frederick) said, 'I know Steven's locked up and I know police are coming to my home, but I got something for them,' " Turnbull said.
"He said: 'Anybody come to my door, I'm going to blast them' - straight like that."
That is simil ar to the account prosecutors provided at the Sept. 8 court hearing.
Police in February obtained a search warrant to seize Verizon telephone records for all incoming and outgoing calls on Jan. 16 and 17 at Frederick's home.
In more recent months, Turnbull has declined to discuss the case further. Once, during a bond hearing, he yelled out to a General District Court judge as he was being escorted to jail, "They didn't tell you about that officer who was shot!"
John Hopkins, (757) 222-5221, john.hopkins@pilotonline.com
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Amendment IV
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
The judge that issued this warrant should be removed from his position and dis-barred.
Frederick Investigation
It appears that Chesapeake allowed this interview to take place so that the defense wouldn't have that "Perry Mason" moment at the trial. This story could have been on "The Shield" and I have been disturbed at how Mackey and his clowns managed to keep their jobs, yet not be arrested for their antics. Apparently there must be some truth to how real special units operate, and the TV show. We are seeing it in Chesapeake. No wonder the prosecutor has been back pedaling on the charges and where and when to prosecute this case. I hope the Pilot does not leave this story at this and investigates whether these revelations are true and how wide spread they are, not only in Chesapeake, but possibly region wide. If these revelations are true, it should frighten every citizen of our region, and call into question the use of "CI's" all over.
HIS SIDE OF THE STORY
I don't believe him ....do you really?
Hey JamieJ
maybe the didn't like the service they got. Tips are not mandatory. You tip based on the SERVICE you received.
They don't tip....
I recently worked in a restaurant where Chesapeake cops would come in and sit and have a nice lunch. No matter how nice I was to them they hardly left a tip. Two bucks for serving four cops. They obviously don't get paid enough which is probably why they have criminals do the dirty work for them.
Re: vatech777
How could you say that their are bigger issues and problems today in this socity to worry about. Mr. Fredrick, Detive Shivers and the CPD. The Police are sending the wrong message. Why would you get someone who has a record to go and do wrong for you? You(CPD)are sending mixed messages. You Should of done your job instead of sent a criminal into a citizens home on pure speculation that there might of been pot growing.
The CPD
trubullitt states "The Chesapeake POLICE dont get paid enough to put up with this crap! I would recommend the POlice take a break and let the fine ciizens handle these criminals because they all have masters degree's in criminal Law and there living on fantasy island..Cheers!"
That would be fine. The local citizens would do a better job and justice would probably be better served.
No, Gertz
At TidewaterLiberty.com we have been following this case since only days after the raid, and it has been quite disturbing from the beginning.
Just you
"I haven't been following this case all that closely, but what I have rad is disturbing. Am I the only one or are there others that feel this case is full of holes?'
No just you.
I'm always pro-cop, but this case...
To use burglary & home invasion perps to catch a small time pot grower is obscene. Which one do we want loose? Maybe the burglars will next decide there's something in my teenage daughter's room that they need to check out.
So, so sorry about the officer... what a waste of human life.
The case looks like one bad trade off after another. Put me on that jury and I'll cry, but I'll let the defendent go on self-defense.
Trubullitt
If the police took a break it would not take long for the citizenry to realize that in reality they are the only ones responsible for their safety, rather than the false illusion that the police are responsible. The supreme court repeatedly confirms that you are the only one responsible for your safety. Once realized they would do the same thing that Frederick did, go out and buy a gun for self defense, and hopefully get the required training to conceal carry or just open carry. Criminals would think twice about kicking in doors, victimizing people if everyone carried. There would be a lot less criminals because they would be paying for their crimes with immediate justice. Sounds vicious and cruel doesn't it? Guess what, it is how the criminals are preying on the citizenry now. We have to be just as cruel and vicious as they are. No more allowing them to plea to a lesser charge, no credit or pay for being confidential informants. You do the crime, you do all of the time. Long live the great commonwealth of VA, well most of it anyway. Looks like Chesapeake could use some work though!
OVERKILL - The Rise of
OVERKILL - The Rise of Paramilitary Police Raids in America is an interesting read that appears to explain much of what has happened in this case.
http://www.cato.org/pubs/wtpapers/balko_whitepaper_2006.pdf
This objective report provides significant insight regarding the War on Drugs, police raids, informants, and the overall militarization of police in America.
What ever happened to the friendly police officer who escorted an elderly woman across the street, or held the door for the patron of a local grocery store...or was a member of society that children could look up to and trust?
I haven't been following this
case all that closely, but what I have rad is disturbing. Am I the only one or are there others that feel this case is full of holes?
It will never stop amazing me... black and white double standard
We have the picture of two young men.... One Black and One White...
The young black man is an informant and is guilty of breaking into a know drug dealers house. The young white man has shot and killed a police officer - period. However, the undertone of this post is absurd. The overt skepticism of the credibility of the thief vs. the championing of a murder/drug dealer rights. Ask yourself, Would you still make the same comments if the two where in reversed positions? When you look at these two photos side by side, a young black male vs. a young white male...ask yourself to honestly think about your immediate reaction. We live in an America that truly questions a person's honesty and credibility based on the color of their skin. Both are criminals and both are innocent until proven guilty. However, it is ironic that 104 people are debating the issue on who is more believable, more right. BAD decisions, the honesty of an informant, shoting people if they are knocking down doors, and on and on and on..... wake up people.... Ryan Frederick AND Renaldo Turnbull, Jr will get THEIR day in court.... their are bigger issues and problems today in this society to worry about and it
A screw up
Why would you bust down a door over a joint? What is that smell CPD?
Huh?
It's amazing
Submitted by msanders1409 on Fri, 09/19/2008 at 4:32 pm.
102 comments thus far about this. Too bad there is not this amount of passion for abused and neglected children, domestic violence, poverty, homelessness, etc. It is amazing.
----------------------------------
Uh, are you kidding? There certainly IS that much passion (probably more) somewhere for your chosen causes, just not on a comment board about this particular murder case! Go over to HuffingtonPost.com and have at it.
It's amazing
102 comments thus far about this. Too bad there is not this amount of passion for abused and neglected children, domestic violence, poverty, homelessness, etc. It is amazing.
Evidence
So all this happened over an 1/8 of weed. Funny. It has been said that Ryan had a growing operation going. Yet, nobody can find any evidence and the police had to hire criminals to commit a crime for information. What happened to the plants that the informants got and gave to the police?
Sad, but really this nation needs to really look at it's justice system. Pot should not be illegal. Especially if Alochol is legal. Get serious for a minute, weigh all the options out on it. Someone smoking in there house chilling vs someone being intoxicated having no control over themselves. Not to mention that more people we know do it than we realize.
We need to focus on real crimes. CPD is pathetic.
POLICE
The Chesapeake POLICE dont get paid enough to put up with this crap! I would recommend the POlice take a break and let the fine ciizens handle these criminals because they all have masters degree's in criminal Law and there living on fantasy island..Cheers!
Looks like CPD is digging
Looks like CPD is digging their hole deeper and deeper. They just can't admit that they screwed up. Now they were paying informants to break into peoples property to justify probable cause for search warrants. This stinks to high heaven. Next we'll probably find out that police were whispering when they announced themselves that night. Unbelievable. Then again, maybe not.