Paroled Killer Kills Again

[Joe]

Sad..

Suspect in Loews shooting arrested in Monroeville

Charged in death of Wilkinsburg man after 50 Cent film

Wednesday, November 23, 2005

By Jonathan D. Silver, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The suspect in a fatal shooting this month at the Loews Cineplex at The Waterfront in West Homestead was apprehended yesterday morning at a Monroeville motel.

Larue Graves, 30, of Aliquippa was arrested about 11:05 a.m. without incident at the Days Inn on Mosside Boulevard where he was registered under a fake name.

Mr. Graves faces one count of criminal homicide and a gun charge in the Nov. 9 shooting death of Shelton L. Flowers, 30, of Wilkinsburg inside the theater just as a movie let out.

Allegheny County police and the county's fugitive task force caught up to Mr. Graves after receiving a tip that the suspect was in a Monroeville-area motel. A handgun was recovered.

Police announced Monday that they had obtained an arrest warrant for Mr. Graves, who is on parole after serving time in prison for voluntary manslaughter in the 1993 shooting death of a man in Oakland over gang colors.

Police received an anonymous call saying that the suspect in the shooting was Mr. Graves. Homicide detectives then showed a series of photographs to a witness who was in the theater when the shooting occurred and that person picked out Mr. Graves' photo as the person who shot Mr. Flowers.

Investigators said they still do not have a clear motive for Mr. Flowers' death, but said they thought the two men might have known each other.

Police said the theater shooting began when Mr. Flowers and Mr. Graves bumped into each other inside the men's room of the theater. They argued, then Mr. Flowers punched Mr. Graves, causing him to fall against a sink, and the fight spilled out into the main part of the building. Both men apparently drew guns and fired at each other, and Mr. Flowers was mortally wounded.

The shooting occurred just after a showing of the violent and controversial hip-hop movie "Get Rich or Die Tryin' " starring rapper 50 Cent.

Following the incident, West Homestead police ramped up security at the theater and Loews canceled further showings until the police investigation is completed.

It was unclear yesterday what impact, if any, Mr. Graves' arrest would have on whether the theater would bring the movie back. Police have said there is no known link between the shooting and the film.

Loews corporate spokesman John McCauley issued a statement after the arrest. "We are trying to move past this tragedy of a couple of weeks ago, and feel like we have made strides towards that end," McCauley said. "We had wonderful crowds that we had this past weekend for 'Harry Potter' and 'Walk the Line,' and we will continue to do our best to provide a friendly, safe and secure environment for our patrons."

Police Superintendent Charles Moffatt said yesterday that it was too early to tell whether anyone would be eligible for a $1,000 reward offered by Pittsburgh Crime Stoppers and $2,500 put up by Loews.

Mr. Graves was arrested in 1993 for killing an Oakland man. He was sentenced the following year to nine to 19 years in prison, but was paroled in June 2004 to a halfway house run by the state Department of Corrections on the North Side.

He spent a month there and was then released back into the community. He was to remain under the supervision of a parole officer into 2013.

In May 2003, the state Board of Probation and Parole turned down Mr. Graves' first parole request, citing a corrections department recommendation, reported misconduct in prison and a jailhouse conviction for aggravated assault.

By the next year, when Mr. Graves was paroled, the corrections department apparently changed its views because its recommendation was cited -- along with the recommendation of the trial judge and other factors -- in the parole board's April 2004 decision to release him.

[Pumpy Tudors]

I wonder if people are going to blame (partially) the 50 Cent movie for this.

Anyway, I think I go past that Days Inn on Mosside Boulevard at least once a week. Now I know not to hide there after killing someone.

[Joe]

I blame the parole board

[oliegirl]

Originally Posted by George W Bush

I blame the parole board

Why is it the parole board's fault? The guy served 11 years of a 9- 19 year sentence...he was paroled and killed again. The only person who is to blame for this is the guy who did the killing.

[Joe]

yeah, I wasn't being serious. blaming the parole board is as good as blaming the movie.

[oliegirl]

Originally Posted by George W Bush

yeah, I wasn't being serious. blaming the parole board is as good as blaming the movie.

Ah, I didn't catch the sarcasm

[Grammaticus]

If the punishment were correct the first time, there would have never been a second killing.

[Riggins44]

What this guy obviously needed (and didn't receive) was a great big hug.