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Monday 18 November 2019

Cops in the Dominican Republic name six arrested men in the brutal killing of US teacher Patricia Anton as they hunt another suspect nicknamed 'The Venezuelan'

Dominican Republic authorities have named six people arrested over the murder of a US teacher who was tied up, gagged, tortured and strangled to death. 
The body of Patricia Ann Anton, 63, was found on Tuesday inside her apartment in the town of Cabarete, on the north side of the island. 
Michael Marinez Rosario, Heuri Flores Hernandez, Junior Alexis Suarez, Juan Jose Andujar Mella, Oroniel Canario Montero and Alexis Maquey were all arrested. 
Four of the six men have prior criminal records that date back to 2017 and two of them are Haitian nationals.    
Investigators are still on the hunt for the seventh suspect, nicknamed 'El Venezolano' or, 'The Venezuelan'. 
Patricia Ann Anton
Patricia Ann Anton
Patricia Ann Anton, 63, a US citizen who had been living and working in the Dominican Republic for 15 years, has been found strangled to death
Michael Marinez Rosario, Heuri Flores Hernandez, Junior Alexis Suarez, Juan Jose Andujar Mella, Oroniel Canario Montero and Alexis Maquey were all arrested over the death of the American teacher
Michael Marinez Rosario, Heuri Flores Hernandez, Junior Alexis Suarez, Juan Jose Andujar Mella, Oroniel Canario Montero and Alexis Maquey were all arrested over the death of the American teacher
The arrests come three days after authorities said eight people had been taken into custody but it is unclear whether the six named men are included in that number. 
Anton had moved into her new apartment on Saturday. Her car remained parked outside the building after her body was removed.
Investigators say she died as part of a burglary, because her phone, laptop and 40-inch plasma TV were missing and her clothing drawers and cupboards had been searched.
However, police said they had found no evidence of a break-in, meaning Anton likely knew her killers.
Her remains were found tied up on her bed with a rag stuffed into her mouth, investigators said. 
A neighbor from her previous apartment, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to Hoy, said Anton was recently in a heated argument with a German man over her school's plans to purchase an empty lot for a new building.
Dominican newspaper Hoy reported Wednesday that the police detained eight people as part of its investigation into the murder of Patrica Ann Anton
Dominican newspaper Hoy reported Wednesday that the police detained eight people as part of its investigation into the murder of Patrica Ann Anton 
Anton (left, at the school where she worked) was found bound, gagged, tortured and strangled to death inside her apartment in Cabarete on Tuesday in what police believe was a robbery
Anton (left, at the school where she worked) was found bound, gagged, tortured and strangled to death inside her apartment in Cabarete on Tuesday in what police believe was a robbery
Police say burglars took Anton's laptop, phone, and plasma TV but it appears they knew her because there was no sign of forced entry at her apartment
Police say burglars took Anton's laptop, phone, and plasma TV but it appears they knew her because there was no sign of forced entry at her apartment

The German man reportedly attempted to stop the project, which Anton fully supported.
The neighbor also recalled Anton as a friendly and respectful person who would often share her own money with the less fortunate in her community. 
The body has been sent for forensic analysis and an investigation has been opened, the Prosecutor's Office added.
Anton was an English teacher working at 3 Mariposas Montessori school, which sits just outside of Cabarete, a town in the northern Atlantic coast province of Puerto Plata.
Mike Tangen recalled his first encounter with Anton after the teacher found out that he was into music.
'I met this shining Star briefly near the beach and when she learned that I did music I was immediately enlisted to meet her kid,' Tangen wrote on the school's Facebook page. 
'What a wonderful person. Such a loss to all of humanity! My heart aches for all of Cabarete.'
A neighbor who spoke to Dominican newspaper Hoy said Patricia Ann Anton (pictured) was involved in a heated argument several weeks ago with a German man who opposed her school's plan to buy a new building
A neighbor who spoke to Dominican newspaper Hoy said Patricia Ann Anton (pictured) was involved in a heated argument several weeks ago with a German man who opposed her school's plan to buy a new building
Anton (left) was an American citizen born in Italy who spent her childhood travelling before settling in Michigan, where she had a family
Anton (left) was an American citizen born in Italy who spent her childhood travelling before settling in Michigan, where she had a family
Anton worked for a time as a legislative assistant before swapping careers to become a teacher, then volunteered in Guatemala before ending up in the Dominican Republic
Anton worked for a time as a legislative assistant before swapping careers to become a teacher, then volunteered in Guatemala before ending up in the Dominican Republic
Thomas Anton paid tribute to his sister-in-law, writing: 'Patty Anton was one of the most caring people you could ever meet. She dedicated her life to helping children. Her death is a tragedy. I have resolved to use her memory as an inspiration to be of greater service to those around me. She was kind to everyone, always, without exception'
Thomas Anton paid tribute to his sister-in-law, writing: 'Patty Anton was one of the most caring people you could ever meet. She dedicated her life to helping children. Her death is a tragedy. I have resolved to use her memory as an inspiration to be of greater service to those around me. She was kind to everyone, always, without exception'
The school is part of an initiative to take improvised girls away from a life on the streets and give them skills to stop them being exploited.
Anton was born in Italy and spent time travelling with her family as a girl and young woman before settling in Michigan where she raised a family, according to the school's website.
She has at least adult two children, who now live in Michigan and Illinois. 
Thomas Anton paid tribute to his sister-in-law, writing: 'Patty Anton was one of the most caring people you could ever meet. She dedicated her life to helping children. Her death is a tragedy. 
'I have resolved to use her memory as an inspiration to be of greater service to those around me. She was kind to everyone, always, without exception.'
She gained a degree from Central Michigan University before qualifying as a teacher for age groups 6-12 at the American Montessori Society.
The school promotes a teaching method that is led by the children and run at their own pace, with teachers acting as guides and assessors, according to its website.
Mystery surrounds deaths in the Dominican Republic
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Patricia Ann Anton (top left) spent 15 years teaching in the Dominican Republic
Patricia Ann Anton (top left) spent 15 years teaching in the Dominican Republic
Her body was found in her apartment Tuesday in the town of Cabarete, in the north of the Dominican Republic, on Tuesday. A murder investigation has been launched
Her body was found in her apartment Tuesday in the town of Cabarete, in the north of the Dominican Republic, on Tuesday. A murder investigation has been launched
It is based on the teaching methods used by an Italian teacher, Maria Montessori. 
While in the states, Anton also served as a legislative aide at the Michigan State Capital, before leaving for Guatemala where she worked as a volunteer.
Her volunteer work eventually brought her to the Dominican Republic, where she became a teacher. She had been living in the country for 15 years.  
Investigators are working to identify suspects and no arrests have been reported. 
According to the research from the Observatory of Citizen Security, in the first three months of 2019, 240 homicides were registered in the Dominican Republic. 

Senior Trump advisers considered SABOTAGING him to force him to quit, ignored 'wacky request' to fire federal judges and carry resignation letters with them, anonymous White House insider claims in tell-all book

Senior members of the Trump administration considered sabotaging the president's administration to prompt his resignation, according to an anonymous insider's tell-all tome on the inner workings of the White House.  
CNN obtained a copy of A Warning, written by a 'senior official in the Trump administration' identified as 'Anonymous', ahead of its release on Tuesday. 
Anonymous is said to be the same person who wrote last year's scathing op-ed about the Trump administration in The New York Times. His or her 259-page book is an expansion on that, revealing more behind-the-scenes details of the Trump administration at work. 
CNN wrote in a review on Sunday that the book is 'sparse on revelations' in part because of the author's attempts to conceal their identity - but it still depicts a White House rife with talks of insubordination and distrust of the president.  
The White House swiftly rejected the claims in the book after it was announced late last month, with press secretary Stephanie Grisham charging that it 'presents a portrait that is the exact opposite of what the President actually is'.
Several of the book's revelations are outlined below. 
Senior members of Donald Trump's administration considered sabotaging the president to prompt his resignation, an anonymous 'senior official' claims in a tell-all tome on the inner workings of the White House
Senior members of Donald Trump's administration considered sabotaging the president to prompt his resignation, an anonymous 'senior official' claims in a tell-all tome on the inner workings of the White House
'Senior members' of the Trump administration considered sabotaging his presidency
The anonymous author asserts that top officials on Trump's team brainstormed ways to expedite the president's resignation. 
CNN highlighted a passage where advisers allegedly suggested pressuring aides to encourage Trump to fire special counsel Robert Mueller during the Russia investigation. 
'As one [adviser] said, the President's inclinations are so bad that perhaps we should "give him enough rope" to entangle his own presidency,' one passage reads. 
'The advisor [sic] suggested letting him fire the special counsel and Justice Department leadership. He seemed eager enough to do it. If aides helped him follow his instincts, they speculated, it would lead to his downfall.'
The author called the suggestion 'disturbing on its face' and condemned the idea of officials encouraging bad behavior with the ultimate goal of punishing Trump for it.  

Several officials are armed with resignation letters
The author alleges that several members of Trump's administration are prepared to leave their posts at any moment. 
'We all have draft resignation letters in our desks or on our laptops,' the author writes. 
The official asserts that 'more than a handful of people' have set personal 'redlines' -  'boundaries they would refuse to cross or behavior they wouldn't tolerate from the commander in chief'.
They say that many officials have vowed to quit if Trump forces them to breach their redlines, but many end up rationalizing their staying after that happens. 
At several points in the book, the author explains why they and other officials feel that staying in the administration is better than leaving in protest, because 'we thought we could keep it together'.   
Trump is highly suspicious of disloyalty among his inner circle
The author describes the White House atmosphere as 'paranoid and secretive', claiming that the president is particularly suspicious of advisers he did not personally appoint.   
The official says Trump holds 'political only' meetings to exclude those whom he did not appoint. Some of those meetings are conducted in the Situation Room, even if they do not pertain to classified information.  
The author further claims that Trump is 'wary when he sees faces he doesn't recognize' and writes that 'if ever experts from within the administration's bureaucracy are brought into sensitive White House discussions, they must be the "trusted" ones'.     
The anonymous author of 'A Warning' alleges that several members of Trump's administration have already drafted resignation letters so they can leave their posts at any moment
The anonymous author of 'A Warning' alleges that several members of Trump's administration have already drafted resignation letters so they can leave their posts at any moment
Trump wanted to remove federal judges who blocked his executive orders
The author asserts that Trump repeatedly took aim at members of the judicial system who failed to go along with his policies. 
After the court ruled against his 2017 travel ban, Trump allegedly told his aides: 'Can we just get rid of the judges? Let's get rid of the [f***ing] judges. There shouldn't be any at all, really.' 
The author claimed that Trump proceeded to ask his legal team to draft a bill for Congress that would reduce the number of federal judges.  
'Staff ignored the outburst and the wacky request,' the author writes.
Advisers worried that Trump was 'in Putin's pocket' 
The anonymous author detailed several instances in which they and other officials were disturbed by Trump's reactions to Russian meddling in the 2016 election.  
They described a debate preparation session during which an adviser allegedly recommended that Trump acknowledge that Moscow had tried to interfere with the 2016 election and denounce those actions.  
'Yeah, I don't buy it,' Trump said in reply, according to the author.  
'The bizarre reaction stoked fears, including within Trump's circle, that he was somehow in [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's pocket,' the author writes. 
The author also expresses alarm over how Trump chose to believe Putin over the US intelligence after top agencies came to the conclusion that Russia did meddle in the election. 
They quoted an unnamed former top FBI official as saying that Trump dismissed reports from US intelligence agencies about another country's missile capability because Putin had given him contradicting information.  
'I don't care. I believe Putin,' Trump allegedly told the FBI official.
The anonymous author detailed several instances in which they and other officials were disturbed by Trump's reactions to Russian meddling in the 2016 election. They described fears that Trump may be in [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's pocket. Trump and Putin are pictured together ahead of a meeting in Helsinki in July 2018
The anonymous author detailed several instances in which they and other officials were disturbed by Trump's reactions to Russian meddling in the 2016 election. They described fears that Trump may be in [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's pocket. Trump and Putin are pictured together ahead of a meeting in Helsinki in July 2018 
Trump said it would be 'f**king stupid' not to stand by Saudi Arabia after Jamal Khashoggi's murder because of its oil influence
In another alarming account of Trump's dealings with controversial international leaders, the author describes the president's response to the October 2018 murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. 
The official claims that Trump seemed to accept Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman's denial of involvement in the murder - despite describing it as 'the worst cover-up of all time' - because of the oil industry. 
'I am not going to talk about this anymore!' Trump allegedly told his aides. 
'Oil is at fifty dollars a barrel. Do you know how stupid it would be to pick this fight? Oil would go up to one hundred fifty dollars a barrel. Jesus. How f****ing stupid would I be?' 
Trump 'stumbles, slurs, gets confused and is easily irritated'
The anonymous author repeatedly raises questions about the president's mental fitness to hold office. 
'I am not qualified to diagnose the president's mental acuity,' Anonymous writes, according to a copy of the book obtained by The Washington Post earlier this month. 
'All I can tell you is that normal people who spend any time with Donald Trump are uncomfortable by what they witness. 
'He stumbles, slurs, gets confused, is easily irritated, and has trouble synthesizing information, not occasionally but with regularity. Those who would claim otherwise are lying to themselves or to the country.'  
The author writes the president is 'like a twelve-year-old in an air traffic control tower, pushing the buttons of government indiscriminately, indifferent to the planes skidding across the runway and the flights frantically diverting away from the airport.' 
Trump tells reporters in May 'I'm an extremely stable genius'
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The anonymous author repeatedly raises questions about the president's mental fitness to hold office, charging that Trump 'stumbles, slurs, gets confused, is easily irritated'
The anonymous author repeatedly raises questions about the president's mental fitness to hold office, charging that Trump 'stumbles, slurs, gets confused, is easily irritated'
Senior officials' 'panic' over Trump's unexpected tweets 
In some scenes, the author describes senior officials waking up 'in a full-blown panic' over pronouncements Trump has made via Twitter.
The president often uses the social media platform to make policy pronouncements, attack his political rivals and fire his staff.  
'It's like showing up at the nursing home at daybreak to find your elderly uncle running pantsless across the courtyard and cursing loudly about the cafeteria food, as worried attendants tried to catch him,' Anonymous writes. 
'You're stunned, amused, and embarrassed all at the same time. Only your uncle probably wouldn't do it every single day, his words aren't broadcast to the public, and he doesn't have to lead the US government once he puts his pants on.'
Trump's offensive comments about women's appearances 
The author alleges that Trump frequently makes inappropriate remarks about women, claiming in an excerpt from The Post: 'I've sat and listened in uncomfortable silence as he talks about a woman's appearance or performance.' 
They continued: 'He comments on makeup. He makes jokes about weight. He critiques clothing. He questions the toughness of women in and around his orbit. He uses words like "sweetie" and "honey" to address accomplished professionals. 
'This is precisely the way a boss shouldn't act in the work environment.' 
 

Amazon is pre-selling 'A Warning' for $30.00. The Kindle e-book version is priced at $15.99.  
The author has been hit with criticism for not revealing his or her identity and has come under fire from the Trump administration.
Earlier this month, the Justice Department warned the author that he or she may be violating 'one or more nondisclosure agreements' by writing the book. 
The author's agents, in return, accused the DoJ of trying to out the author's identity. 
And White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham has accused the author of being a coward. 
'The coward who wrote this book didn't put their name on it because it is nothing but lies,' Grisham said in a statement to the Post. 
'Real authors reach out to their subjects to get things fact checked — but this person is in hiding, making that very basic part of being a real writer impossible. Reporters who choose to write about this farce should have the journalistic integrity to cover the book as what it is — a work of fiction.' 
Anonymous addresses the issue in the book and says he or she may come forward with their name in time. 
'I have decided to publish this anonymously because this debate is not about me,' the author writes. 
'It is about us. It is about how we want the presidency to reflect our country, and that is where the discussion should center. Some will call this "cowardice." My feelings are not hurt by the accusation. Nor am I unprepared to attach my name to criticism of President Trump. I may do so, in due course.'  
The author notes his or her breaking point was Senator John McCain's death last year when the president tried to keep the flag at the White House from being lowered to half-staff.
'President Trump, in unprecedented fashion, was determined to use his office to limit the nation’s recognition of John McCain's legacy,' Anonymous writes.  
Trump attacked the author and called their reliability into question after the op-ed came out last year. 
'Does the so-called "Senior Administration Official" really exist, or is it just the Failing New York Times with another phony source?' he tweeted at hte time. 
'If the GUTLESS anonymous person does indeed exist, the Times must, for National Security purposes, turn him/her over to government at once!'
An hour earlier Trump had tweeted a single word: 'TREASON?'
Trump blasted the unnamed author after the op-ed sent DC into a dizzying guessing game
Trump blasted the unnamed author after the op-ed sent DC into a dizzying guessing game
The president tweeted a single word to sum up his leanings about the essay last year
The president tweeted a single word to sum up his leanings about the essay last year
Trump slammed 'gutless' anonymous op-ed author in 2018
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The Times op-ed described the president as 'impetuous, adversarial, petty and ineffective' in the way he manages the government, and says the author is part of an organized 'resistance' whose goal is 'to preserve our democratic institutions while thwarting Trump's more misguided impulses until he is out of office.'
During a White House event with a group of sheriffs, Trump said the writer was 'probably... failing and probably here for all the wrong reasons.'
Sarah Sanders, then the White House press secretary said in a statement at the time that the essay was 'pathetic, reckless, and selfish' and challenged the Times to 'issue an apology.'
'This is just another example of the liberal media's concerted effort to discredit the President,' she said then. 
The New York Times speculates the author is 'dyed-in-the-wool establishment Republican.' 
'Many reasonable people voted for Trump because they love their country, wanted to shake up the establishment, and felt that the alternative was worse,' Anonymous writes, The Times notes in an excerpt. 'I know you because I've felt the same way.'
In its review of the book, the Times writes Anonymous seems to realize 'somewhat belatedly, that President Trump's peddling of birtherism conspiracy theories and his boasts about grabbing women's genitals might have constituted their own kind of warning — plausible evidence that Mr. Trump might not magically transform into the dignified statesman Anonymous so desperately wanted him to be.'