Man charged with felony murder in strangulation
Last Modified: Wednesday, October 1, 2008 at 10:12 a.m.
A man described by police as an illegal immigrant has been charged with first-degree murder in the strangulation of a former Waterloo homecoming queen, authorities said today.
Valentino Vasquez Miranda, 19, was served with the arrest warrant this morning in a Knoxville, Tenn., jail.
First-degree murder, which is also known as felony murder in Tennessee, carries a possible death sentence.
He is accused of breaking into Jennifer Lee Hampton’s room at Days Inn in west Knoxville during the early morning hours of Sept. 20. Police say he killed Hampton and placed her body in Melton Hill Lake.
A fisherman found Hampton’s body Saturday near the lake’s shore.
A preliminary autopsy report revealed that Hampton, 21, was strangled to death.
Her body was returned to the Shoals this morning, with the hearse being escorted much of the way by Lauderdale County sheriff’s deputies and other police and emergency agencies.
A memorial service is scheduled for Thursday night at Morrison Funeral Home in Central Heights.
An affidavit filed today by Knoxville police investigator William Still provided detail about the case and why Miranda was charged.
Miranda worked and lived at the motel and has been in police custody since Sept. 20, the day Hampton was reported missing. He was taken into custody at that time on a forgery charge after providing police with a bogus Social Security card. The federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency has required Miranda to remain in jail during the investigation process.
Based on the affidavit, Hampton’s room was “found to be in disarray and evidence in the room indicated foul play.”
Still lists two things as being critical to Miranda becoming the suspect:
- Miranda’s wife, Rosa Rodriquez Hernandez, who is also an employee at Days Inn, turned over bloody clothing to police that belonged to her husband. She told police that her husband was wearing the clothes during the early morning hours of Sept. 20.
Forensic tests revealed that it was Hampton’s blood on the clothing, police say.
- A check of Miranda’s motel key card determined that it had been used “in the early morning hours of Sept. 20 to unlock the victim’s room,” according to Still’s affidavit.
Miranda is being held on a $1 million bond. Police officials say they are still trying to determine where Miranda lived before arriving in Knoxville.
Hampton and three co-workers at Mama Blue’s restaurant in Florence were in Knoxville to train the staff that is preparing to open another franchise there.
All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.
Next Article in
Events Calendar More Events Submit Event
- Bus service to begin
- 'High gravity' beers pouring into Shoals
- Resident hopes homemade sign slows traffic
- Adams lends a helping hand with a switch to DB
- Colbert Legion post memorializes fallen heroes
- Green sector jobs see slow growth
- Park campgrounds packed this Fourth
- European vacation
- Central slips past Rogersville
- Lauderdale 1 to close for bridge culvert work
- Obama Heads for African Visit
- Raw Video: Popping the Question in Lady Liberty
- North Korea Fires 7 Missiles Off Coast
- Biden Talks to the Troops in Iraq
- Liberty's Crown Reopens to the Public
- AP Top Stories
- Queen Latifah Remembers MJ at Essence Festival
- Obama Talks Up Domestic Priorities on 4th
- Central slips past Rogersville
- Colbert Legion post memorializes fallen heroes
Comments
Post a comment | View all comments on this topic.
October 1, 2008 1:48:49 pm
RE: Link
It is terribly awful to lose a loved one under any circumstances. My prayers and thoughts go her family and friends. In this instance, someone chose to take her life. This would be bad whether the person was white, black, red or purple. But in this case....the person didn't even have a legal right to be in our country. I am not Anti- Mexican or any other race as long as they are here legally and paying the same taxes and following the same guidelines to qualify for aid that the rest of the Americans do. I feel the hotel owner should be held as responsible for this death as the person that committed the crime. I am not saying that the man they are holding is guilty. That is not my call. However, if he is guilty, then the hotel owner is just as guilty. Employers have an obligation to verify the proper ID before hiring. Landlords have an obligation to verify proper ID before renting. Store clerks and bank clerks also share that obligation. Store clerks are expected to card (check for proper ID) when selling alcohol or cigarettes to someone "appearing" to be a minor. They have the right to request the ID based on appearance only. Here we have a man that is now known to be an illegal immigrant who was living and working in Knoxville, TN. He also, has a wife living at the same hotel. Is she also an illegal immigrant? Did anyone check: Does anyone care? Based on appearance only, no disrespect to anyone here legally of the Mexican race or any other race, THESE DOCUMENTS SHOULD HAVE BEEN VERIFIED! Again, I say the hotel owner is just as responsible if not more responsible for this death than the person who committed the crime.
WAKE UP AMERICA!!! We are selling our own country and freedom. The answer isn't to suddenly declare everyone that is here already to be "Legal". I applaud the efforts of the border patrol and I welcome the immigrants who have entered our country the right way.
October 1, 2008 2:59:36 pm
I was very distraught when I heard of what had happened to this young girl and can only imagine what her family must be going thru and now to find out that the person responsible for taking her young life is not even legal in this country...and he is also working.....
I definitely agree that the hotel should also be held responsible. An American Citizen could have done this just as easily but the point is had that hotel not hired this illegal immigrant this tragedy would have never happened.
As for the illegal immigrant â?¦if convicted there should be â?¦no life imprisonment where by the way he would have it better than if deported back to his home country (the American tax payers do not need another mouth to feed)â?¦no setting on death row for longer than this poor girl livedâ?¦as soon as guilty is spoken by the juryâ?¦he should be taken out and the problem solved right thenâ?¦I still believe in an â??eye for an eyeâ?ť whether you are an American, Mexican, Arabian, etc..
October 1, 2008 3:46:21 pm
Yep! Sue the hotels pants off!~Employers will listen if you get into their pocketbook!!!!!You think they checked the green cards or just skipped that part??????
October 1, 2008 4:02:28 pm
thats it america .let all those ba--t--ards in this county to kill -rob take him out and hang him.
October 1, 2008 4:14:37 pm
I Agree. If we had more hangings like they use to and have a chair for someone to sit in (ELECTRIC CHAIR) it would put a stop to alot of this.
October 1, 2008 4:31:33 pm
I think what they need to do is send the guy to Waterloo.....I'm sure they'll take real good "care" of him.....
October 1, 2008 5:36:15 pm
I think the motel is responsible for what happened, they hired him to work for them. Maybe if they would have done their jobs better and would have checked him out better Jennifer Hampton would be alive today.
October 1, 2008 6:31:26 pm
Sue them 'til a fly won't light on them. Apparently they gave this POS access to guest rooms without doing even a rudimentary security check on him.
October 1, 2008 6:46:06 pm
VERY WELL SAID!!!!!!
October 1, 2008 6:52:07 pm
VERY, VERY WELL SAID~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Post a comment | View all comments