The lowest priced copy Vanbracelets Do not pass up from zroessgs viesoess's blog
Detectives worked for three years to piece together their case in the shooting death of insurance entrepreneur Dirk Houston
It is a case that has unraveled like a steamy soap opera with elements of murder, forbidden love, greed, suicide and family betrayal.
In December, 1991, Dirk St. Claire Houston, known by some as the "King of Insurance," was shot to death in his Laguna Hills office.
Initially, police questioned Houston's wife, Lynn, and her 22 year old lover, Arturo Montes, the family's tree trimmer. But about three months after the shooting, they were found dead of apparent drug overdoses in a Banning motel room. Their suicides came at about the same time Montes was scheduled to take a polygraph test in connection with the murder.
Police continued searching for clues in the case, and after nearly three years, they pieced together evidence allegedly linking Dirk Houston's stepson, Greg Nottage, and Ramon Padilla, a friend of Montes, to the crime.
"St. Claire Associates was growing 20% a year, and the company was writing $50 million in insurance premiums," said Bob Blackburn, a homicide investigator with the Sheriff's Department who has worked on the case since the killing. "It was a very successful business that recruited insurance agents for some of the larger insurance companies, and then got a cut from that."
Padilla and Nottage, who goes by the name Greg Houston, were arrested in September and are awaiting trial on May 15. They have pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder, and are being held at Orange County Jail in lieu of $250,000 bail each.
"There's no way Greg could have done this because he loved Dirk," said Claude Houston, Nottage's wife. "Dirk was his mentor. This whole case seems like a very bad joke a joke that has gone too far."
No one knows who actually pulled the trigger that night in 1991 three days before Christmas. But at the time of the murder, police said that Lynn Houston, 44, was having an affair with Montes, who was also married.
During an interview from jail, Padilla, who had been friends with Montes since junior high school, said his longtime friend fell for Houston while he worked as a tree trimmer at their home.
"They were in love," Padilla said. "But he was in deep pressure because he was trying to decide whether he should get back with his wife. Art was a very decent man, though. He worked hard and he cared about people."
Aside from the affair, police believe the couple wanted Dirk Houston dead because Lynn Houston would receive $900,000 in life insurance upon his death.
"Lynn and Dirk were inseparable," Beard said in a telephone interview from Mississippi. "They were the best of friends. My daughter loved her husband."
However, police said relations between Dirk Houston and his wife were tense as they were between Houston and his 26 year old stepson.
At last month's preliminary hearing in Santa Ana, Blackburn testified that Houston planned to fire his stepson from St. Claire Associates because he was unhappy with his work.
A week or two before the murder, Nottage also called a friend on the East Coast and asked him for a "throwaway gun,rolex oyster perpetual datejust womens replica," Blackburn said. The friend,oyster perpetual datejust replica, however, never sent a gun and told Nottage he should get a gun in California.
During interviews with police, Nottage said his mother had asked him to destroy Houston's pocket computer and a serial number on his $20,000 Rolex watch. Both items were reported stolen during the murder.
After being questioned by police, Nottage agreed to be wired by police during a meeting with his mother. During that meeting, Lynn Houston told her son, "I am trying to protect you, I'm trying to protect everybody and hold everything together."
Despite the circumstantial evidence, Nottage's attorney, Joseph Heneghan, said there is little evidence to implicate his client in a conspiracy to commit murder.
"It's a real skinny case," Heneghan said. "The case sat for three years, and as far as I can tell, there's no new substantive evidence that's come to light."
Padilla, meanwhile, became embroiled in the plot when Montes asked to get him a gun, police said. Although Padilla never got the gun,replica rolex oyster datejust, police said he accepted $500 from Montes and then went to Houston's office the night of the murder. When Houston called out to them, Padilla told police, they ran away and went home.
Padilla denied having any knowledge of the gun which has not been recovered that killed Houston and denied being present at the time he was killed. But during various interviews with police, he made contradictory statements sometimes saying he was working with Montes to kill Houston and other times, saying he wasn't involved, police said.
"I think I'm innocent because I never conspired to commit murder," Padilla said. "But during the interviews, I was under a lot of pressure. The police were asking all kinds of questions,rolex oyster datejust perpetual replica, and I got confused. I was stressed out."
Meanwhile, as the case awaits trial, relatives of the Houston family say their lives have been tortured by the twists and turns of the case.
"The trauma of losing her husband and then being questioned by police was just too much for my daughter," Beard said. "But now, they're saying my grandson is involved. I don't think I can deal with that. I just want closure to this horrible nightmare."
It is a case that has unraveled like a steamy soap opera with elements of murder, forbidden love, greed, suicide and family betrayal.
In December, 1991, Dirk St. Claire Houston, known by some as the "King of Insurance," was shot to death in his Laguna Hills office.
Initially, police questioned Houston's wife, Lynn, and her 22 year old lover, Arturo Montes, the family's tree trimmer. But about three months after the shooting, they were found dead of apparent drug overdoses in a Banning motel room. Their suicides came at about the same time Montes was scheduled to take a polygraph test in connection with the murder.
Police continued searching for clues in the case, and after nearly three years, they pieced together evidence allegedly linking Dirk Houston's stepson, Greg Nottage, and Ramon Padilla, a friend of Montes, to the crime.
"St. Claire Associates was growing 20% a year, and the company was writing $50 million in insurance premiums," said Bob Blackburn, a homicide investigator with the Sheriff's Department who has worked on the case since the killing. "It was a very successful business that recruited insurance agents for some of the larger insurance companies, and then got a cut from that."
Padilla and Nottage, who goes by the name Greg Houston, were arrested in September and are awaiting trial on May 15. They have pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder, and are being held at Orange County Jail in lieu of $250,000 bail each.
"There's no way Greg could have done this because he loved Dirk," said Claude Houston, Nottage's wife. "Dirk was his mentor. This whole case seems like a very bad joke a joke that has gone too far."
No one knows who actually pulled the trigger that night in 1991 three days before Christmas. But at the time of the murder, police said that Lynn Houston, 44, was having an affair with Montes, who was also married.
During an interview from jail, Padilla, who had been friends with Montes since junior high school, said his longtime friend fell for Houston while he worked as a tree trimmer at their home.
"They were in love," Padilla said. "But he was in deep pressure because he was trying to decide whether he should get back with his wife. Art was a very decent man, though. He worked hard and he cared about people."
Aside from the affair, police believe the couple wanted Dirk Houston dead because Lynn Houston would receive $900,000 in life insurance upon his death.
"Lynn and Dirk were inseparable," Beard said in a telephone interview from Mississippi. "They were the best of friends. My daughter loved her husband."
However, police said relations between Dirk Houston and his wife were tense as they were between Houston and his 26 year old stepson.
At last month's preliminary hearing in Santa Ana, Blackburn testified that Houston planned to fire his stepson from St. Claire Associates because he was unhappy with his work.
A week or two before the murder, Nottage also called a friend on the East Coast and asked him for a "throwaway gun,rolex oyster perpetual datejust womens replica," Blackburn said. The friend,oyster perpetual datejust replica, however, never sent a gun and told Nottage he should get a gun in California.
During interviews with police, Nottage said his mother had asked him to destroy Houston's pocket computer and a serial number on his $20,000 Rolex watch. Both items were reported stolen during the murder.
After being questioned by police, Nottage agreed to be wired by police during a meeting with his mother. During that meeting, Lynn Houston told her son, "I am trying to protect you, I'm trying to protect everybody and hold everything together."
Despite the circumstantial evidence, Nottage's attorney, Joseph Heneghan, said there is little evidence to implicate his client in a conspiracy to commit murder.
"It's a real skinny case," Heneghan said. "The case sat for three years, and as far as I can tell, there's no new substantive evidence that's come to light."
Padilla, meanwhile, became embroiled in the plot when Montes asked to get him a gun, police said. Although Padilla never got the gun,replica rolex oyster datejust, police said he accepted $500 from Montes and then went to Houston's office the night of the murder. When Houston called out to them, Padilla told police, they ran away and went home.
Padilla denied having any knowledge of the gun which has not been recovered that killed Houston and denied being present at the time he was killed. But during various interviews with police, he made contradictory statements sometimes saying he was working with Montes to kill Houston and other times, saying he wasn't involved, police said.
"I think I'm innocent because I never conspired to commit murder," Padilla said. "But during the interviews, I was under a lot of pressure. The police were asking all kinds of questions,rolex oyster datejust perpetual replica, and I got confused. I was stressed out."
Meanwhile, as the case awaits trial, relatives of the Houston family say their lives have been tortured by the twists and turns of the case.
"The trauma of losing her husband and then being questioned by police was just too much for my daughter," Beard said. "But now, they're saying my grandson is involved. I don't think I can deal with that. I just want closure to this horrible nightmare."
The Wall