Tameka Claiborne Missing 3yo Found Wandering,Michael Solomon Is Person Of Interest

[Whisper]

Person of interest in missing person case
RICHMOND, VA (WWBT) - Investigators from Richmond Police and Chesterfield County Police are looking for Michael Solomon. He has been identified as a person of interest in the disappearance of Tameka Claiborne. Solomon drives a gold 2006 Chevrolet Malibu with Virginia license plate number XTU-2530.

There is still no sign of a missing Richmond mother, 24 hours after her 3-year-old son was found wandering alone in Chesterfield County.
27-year-old Tameka Claiborne hasn't been seen since Tuesday. Police believe she's in danger from the looks of her apartment on Blandy Avenue.

There was an active crime scene for most of Wednesday night at Claiborne's apartment in south Richmond. NBC12 saw detectives from the Richmond police major crimes unit working alongside a forensics team inside her apartment. They're being tight lipped only to say it's suspicious.
Richmond police roped off Claiborne's apartment as forensics technicians snapped photos and collected evidence. Police wouldn't describe what they uncovered, but the evidence left them worried about her safety.

"We don't know what happened here other than the fact something in her apartment leads us to believe she may be in danger," said Gene Lepley with Richmond Police.
Claiborne indicated tough times on her Facebook page. Her status update on Sunday read in part: "The last few days have been bad for me... All in two days everything went bad, house bills, car broke down... missed work." She asked for prayers.

It's information that may now be on detectives' radars.

"In this internet era we certainly take a look at Facebook and Myspace postings, so I'm sure investigators have taken a look at that," said Lepley.

One neighbor, who didn't want to give her name, said she hadn't seen Claiborne in the last few days.
"She lived with some gentleman - I don't know if it was her boyfriend or not," said the neighbor.
The woman said she last spoke to Claiborne during a party they had together in June.

"It's really sad because, you know, they were nice people. They were nice to us. We would say hi to each other. I just think it's because no child should be left without a parent," said the neighbor.
[...]

http://www.nbc12.com/Global/story.asp?S=12850079

Tameka Claiborne & Malik Ellison

Michael Solomon

Father of abandoned toddler speaks out
CHESTERFIELD, VA (WWBT) – We're learning a lot of new information about Tameka Claiborne's son, who was found abandoned in a parking lot at Swift Creek Apartments in Chesterfield.

We now know the little boy's name is Malik Ellison and he just celebrated his third birthday. The boy's father says Claiborne would never "voluntarily" leave their son alone.
Hasaan Ellison is relived his 3-year-old son, Malik, was found safe and sound. He's worried about the well being of the boy's mother, Tameka Claiborne.

"She loves her son. There's no way she would have abandoned him or left him alone - in no shape fashion or form," said Ellison.
Malik was found by himself -- crying in the parking lot of Swift Creek Apartments around 11:30 Tuesday night. Neither parent lives in the complex.

"We have a lot of friends and family that not only live here in these apartments, but also work in those apartments," said Ellison.
Ellison doesn't know how his son ended up at the development. He says Malik had been in the care of his mother. Officers conducted ground searches and passed out fliers of Malik's missing mom.

"She's like a sister to me. I talk to her regularly and we communicate. I just wish she come home safely," said Christa Ellison, Malik's aunt.
[...]
"Her boyfriend for some reason - they'd had an altercation and she also called me to say somebody was looking for them about money -- or something to that affect. Right now, the only questions I have on my mind is where is her boyfriend, and where is she," said Ellison.
[...]

http://www.nbc12.com/Global/story.asp?S=12850357

[Valasca]

OK, media, get on THIS one. THIS ONE certainly deserves the same attention white women get!

[Bridget217]

I wonder if it'll get the same attention Natalie Holloway got and btw I hope they fry that creep that appears to have done her in. The picture above looks like a pretty loving Mom. I know looks can fool you but the original pic of the lost boy showed a happy looking kid too. The picture of the person of interest looks like a mean guy. Sorry but he looks mean. It's a shame that this sweet little boy will unfortunately likely have to grow up without a mother. Hey, CNN?

[Whisper]

UPDATE: Missing woman, Hopewell man had been set to marry, friend says
A friend of a man sought in connection with a missing woman whose toddler was found alone in Chesterfield County says Michael Solomon and Tameka Claiborne planned to be married but decided to postpone.

And a sister of Solomon said that her brother, who is being sought as a person of interest in the case, and Claiborne were worried about money and recently quarreled over finances.

David Anthony Blake, who lives next door to Solomon's mother in Hopewell, said he has known Solomon for 15 years and described him as a "caring person" with a "caring heart."
Blake said he doesn't believe anything bad has happened to Claiborne.

"I hope nothing happened to her," he said.

Cynthia Solomon said her brother and Claiborne had argued last weekend because they were worried about how they would pay their rent and were concerned that they could be evicted from their South Richmond apartment. She said both had called her Saturday while they were arguing.

Solomon said the last time she saw her brother was when she talked to him at her house in Prince George County on Sunday.
"I was trying to ask him what was going on. It was like he was stresed out," she said.
"But he wouldn't tell me what was going on."

Solomon said her mother last saw him on Tuesday when he went to Hopewell to cut her lawn.

"She said he was in a good mood. He was OK."
Police said yesterday they searched Claiborne's apartment and feared that she could be in danger.
[...]
Her son, 2-year-old Malik, was found 11:30 p.m. Tuesday standing on a truck bumper in a parking lot the Addison at Swift Creek apartments in Chesterfield. He was unharmed and reported to be doing well yesteray under the care of Child Protective Services.

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/2...rie-ar-346995/

[Tundratot]

Solomon is a scary looking dude. Malik is an adorable little boy. How terrifying to be left in a parking lot at that age and at night. I wonder what he knows?

[Whisper]

Missing Richmond woman had been fatally stabbed
Tameka Claiborne, whose body was found yesterday in the James River in Charles City County, died from multiple stab wounds, a source said today.
Also this afternoon, authorities found the car driven by Michael Solomon, her boyfriend and the person of interest in the Claiborne case, in a driveway in the 1600 block of Autumn Drive in Hopewell.
Earlier, Richmond police announced in a news release that their officers, working with the state medical examiner's office, had identified the body as that of Claiborne.
In another news release this afternoon, Richmond police thanked the Hopewell police and that city's residents, the Surry County Sheriff"s Office and the Waverly Police Department for their assistance in locating the vehicle.

There were no immediate additional details on the location of the vehicle, or the connection to the other localities.
Richmond police asked that anyone with additional information to call Crime Stoppers at 780-1000 or Detective Mark Williams at (804) 513-0955.

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/2...d24-ar-348682/

Richmond police this afternoon say officials have positively identified the body discovered in Charles City County yesterday as that of Tameka Claiborne.
Police, working with the state medical examiner’s office, announced the identification in a news release.
Claiborne, 27, has been missing since Tuesday, and her death is being investigated as a murder, police said.
She lived in a South Richmond apartment with her boyfriend, Michael Solomon, who turned himself in to police yesterday. He was being held without bond.
Claiborne’s 2-year-old son, Malik, was found alone, unharmed, in a Chesterfield County apartment complex late Tuesday.
Richmond police are continuing are continuing to look for a car Solomon had been driving, a gold 2006 Chevrolet Malibu with Virginia license plate number XTU-2530.
Police asked that anyone with additional information to call Crime Stoppers at 780-1000 or Richmond Police Detective Mark Williams at (804) 513-0955.

The boyfriend of a missing Richmond mother surrendered to city police yesterday about 90 minutes before a woman's body was discovered partially submerged in the James River in Charles City County.

Michael D. Solomon, 28, who was considered a person of interest in the case, was accompanied by his lawyer when he turned himself in about 9:30 a.m., police said.

At about 10:45, a chimney sweep working on a river cottage in the 6600 block of Westover Road -- not far from Westover Plantation and Gardens -- found the body wrapped in some material about 200 yards upstream from the cottage, police said.

The state medical examiner's office has not made positive identification, but investigators believe the remains are those of Tameka L. Claiborne, 27, who disappeared Tuesday.

A law-enforcement source said police were investigating information Solomon gave them on the whereabouts of Claiborne.

Yesterday's developments came three days after authorities found Claiborne's 2-year-old son, Malik, wandering alone outside an apartment complex in Chesterfield County. He was unharmed.

Claiborne and Solomon recently had been arguing over money, family members said. On Thursday, Richmond police said they feared Claiborne was in danger.

Solomon was being held on charges of falsifying statements on a consent form to buy a firearm and failure to pay child support, according to Richmond City Jail records. The charges are not "directly related" to Claiborne's disappearance, police said.

Officially, Richmond police would say only that they are investigating a possible connection between the body found yesterday and Claiborne's disappearance.

As Richmond investigators continued their investigation yesterday afternoon, family members, including Tameka Claiborne's father, James E. Booker Sr., and stepmother, Frances Booker, gathered under the shade of a tree at a home in the 1400 block of Drewry Street in South Richmond.

The family members said they were under the impression the body had been identified as Claiborne's, and some cited television news reports that said Claiborne's father had identified the body. However, Booker said he had not identified his daughter's remains, and he said police told him no family members could have identified the body.

The family gathered in front of a television set and watched a Richmond police news conference in which Assistant Chief David M. McCoy said the body had not been positively identified as Tameka's.

Frances Booker cried quietly during the news conference.

Police apparently still are searching for Solomon's car, a 2006 Chevrolet Malibu with Virginia license plate XTU-2530. The vehicle last was seen around noon Wednesday in Hopewell, where Solomon used to live and where his mother lives.

The search for Claiborne began after her son was found alone about 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, standing on a truck bumper in a parking lot in the 4900 block of Valley Crest Drive in the Addison at Swift Creek apartments. Chesterfield police said yesterday that a Claiborne family member worked at those apartments.

Claiborne and Solomon had planned to get married, although they were putting it off because of financial difficulties, according to members of the two families.

Claiborne confronted Michael Solomon last Saturday after she found a notice on the front door of their apartment in the 700 block of Blandy Avenue in South Richmond, threatening eviction for unpaid rent, said Claiborne's uncle, Larry Gillison. About $1,300 in rent was owed, Gillison said.

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/2...d24-ar-348682/

[Valasca]

Fuck.
I was REALLY hoping for better.

[Valasca]

Did you see this comment?

Posted by msmanager on July 24, 2010 - 5:54 p.m.
Eventhough I only knew her in passing I feel like I have lost a sister. Our prayers and deepest sympathy go out to the family and her son.

Are you fucking kidding me? She knew her in passing. That means they knew each other's names only, right? But she feels as if she lost a sister? WHATEVER!
Glad I'm not part of HER family/

[Whisper]

Second Person Tied to Tameka Claiborne Murder Case
Richmond Police announced this morning that Alphonzo Richardson, 32, has now been charged with helping to dispose of Claiborne's body.
RICHMOND, VA - Monday, Richmond police arrested and charged Alphonzo Richardson, 32, of Petersburg, with unlawful disposal of a body in connection to the murder of Tameka Claiborne.

Claiborne's body was found Friday on the banks of the James River in Charles City County. Claiborne had been missing since Tuesday night. Police were alerted to her disappearance after they found her son, Malik Ellison, wandering alone in a Chesterfield County apartment complex.

Claiborne's boyfriend, 28-year-old Michael Solomon is the primary suspect in Tameka Claiborne's murder. Investigators say Solomon abandoned Claiborne's son in that parking lot and he has been charged with child abduction. More charges in relation to Claiborne's murder are expected.

In addition to being charged with helping dispose of the body, Richardson is also facing a misdemeanor charge of accessory after the fact to murder. He was arrested over the weekend and is currently at the Richmond City Jail.

[...]

http://www.wtvr.com/news/wtvr-alphon...,7039359.story

[Dakota Valkyrie]

Trial started. Expected to last 3 days.

A turbulent relationship led Michael D. Solomon to murder his girlfriend, abandon her 3-year-old son and dump the woman's body in the James River "like a piece of trash," one Richmond prosecutor said Monday.

But Solomon's attorney argued in Richmond Circuit Court that Tameka Claiborne was fatally wounded in the couple's apartment in South Richmond only after she attacked Solomon with a knife, prompting a struggle over the weapon.
[...]

In the days before Claiborne's death, she and Solomon were arguing over rent money they owed and were being threatened with eviction, authorities said.

Relatives of Claiborne's testified and prosecutors argued that the couple's relationship had soured to the point of humiliating personal attacks and physical assaults. Relatives saw scratches on Claiborne's face and bruises on her arm and neck, according to testimony.

"Tameka Claiborne had a sharp tongue. She didn't mince words," said Richmond prosecutor Thomas L. Johnson Jr. "She would question his manhood, that their sex life had deteriorated."

Johnson said that Solomon stabbed Claiborne three times, puncturing a major artery.

Solomon's attorney, Mary K. Martin, said Solomon was ignoring Claiborne and that she took a knife from a drawer and "swiped at him" as Solomon twice tried to disarm her. "He said, 'What, are you going to kill me?' " Martin said.

They heard Malik cry out and then Solomon grabbed the knife, prompting a struggle that ended with Claiborne dead, Martin said.

After Claiborne was killed, Solomon went to his friend Alphonzo Richardson's home and told him he had killed someone, Johnson said. Solomon started pacing around and said, "That kid has got to go," Johnson said.

Martin said that Richardson told Solomon, "You're too good a man to go down like that" and suggested getting rid of the body.

"No body, no case," Martin quoted Richardson as saying.

Richardson's attorney has maintained that Richardson only became involved to make sure the child would not be harmed.

Richardson accompanied Solomon to the Blandy Avenue apartment, where Malik was sleeping on a couch beside his dead mother, Johnson said.

Richardson helped put the body in Solomon's car, and they dropped Malik off at the Addison at Swift Creek apartments in Chesterfield before Richardson went home, Johnson said.

Late that night, resident Ronald Scott heard a child crying outside and saw Malik standing on the bumper of a pickup truck and then falling off as he tried to get down. Scott's wife, Alicia, scooped Malik into her arms as he moved toward a pool, she testified.

The boy, who was wearing a soiled diaper, ate ravenously when the Scotts fed him and tearfully clung to Alicia Scott's shirt when social services employees took him, she said.
[...]

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/2...eat-ar-766115/

[Dakota Valkyrie]

Guess he thought the jury wasn't going to believe his sorry ass explanation.

Michael D. Solomon’s trial for the murder of his girlfriend, Tameka Claiborne, ended this morning when he agreed to a plea bargain that resulted in an active prison sentence of 40 years.

Solomon’s plea came on the third day of his jury trial in Richmond Circuit Court on charges of first-degree murder, felony child neglect and a felony count of concealing or transporting a dead body.
[...]

Solomon's plea came one day after he took the stand in his own defense and said Claiborne was stabbed as he was trying to disarm her when she attacked him with a knife in their South Richmond apartment. He also told the jury that he and another man abandoned her 3-year-old son in a parking lot at an apartment complex and got rid of Claiborne's body.

Solomon, 29, said his relationship with Claiborne, 27, had deteriorated into physical fighting and that they argued over money. She would use a slur to refer to him as gay, and yet she also accused him of cheating on her with another woman, Solomon testified.

He said she would physically attack him and had wielded a knife before when the pair had argued and that she also kept a knife under her side of their bed at their apartment on Blandy Avenue.

On July 20, the day she was killed, Claiborne accused him of cheating and then "tried to fight me," Solomon said. He said he grabbed her to keep her from hitting him.
[...]

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/n...yea-ar-769903/

Solomon testified she backed him into the living room wielding that knife and when her three year old son called out "mommy, mommy", she glanced up at him and that's when Solomon says he made a move for her knife.

He says during the scuffle Claiborne was cut and she continued to fight him despite her severe injuries. After he realized what happened, he says he panicked, grabbed the knife and eventually left the apartment.

http://www.wtvr.com/news/wtvr-michae...,2252399.story

[Tundratot]

It's bad enough they had a fight of this nature with the child in the house, but to have him actually show up, reminding them he was there and to carry on with the fight to the conclusion it reached is past reprehensible. And to conclude the evening with trying to cover it up by dumping the little one in a parking lot?!! FFS!!!