Mail Tribune News - You�ve got nailed: E-mail leads to arrest

Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback)

2001-06-29

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You�ve got nailed: E-mail leads to arrest White City beating suspects allegedly set up lovelorn Phoenix man By JILL BRISKEY WHITE CITY � A Phoenix man looking for love on the Internet was beaten and robbed on what he thought would be a first date. Jackson County sheriff�s deputies believe it was a set-up from the start and suspect a White City mother, her teenage son and his friend were behind the crime. The three were arrested this weekend. The victim, 28, told investigators he first met a woman named "Kris" on March 2 at Target for what he thought would be a date. According to Detective Eric Fox, the couple drove to the White City Ponds at the Jackson County Sports Park in the woman�s vehicle. The victim told deputies two teenage males drove up and robbed him, displaying a heavy solid bar and an aluminum baseball bat. The victim was struck several times, and suffered bruises to his hand and upper arm, according to Fox. The two teen-agers took $83 and the victim�s wallet. Fox said investigators quickly began looking at e-mails sent between "Kris" and the victim. "She had only given him her e-mail name," Fox said. From there, catching the trio was only a matter of time, he added. On Friday deputies arrested White City resident Brandon Paul Sherrill, 17, and lodged him at the Juvenile Detention Home (JDH). Sherrill�s mother, Kristi Jean Sherrill, 38, was arrested Saturday and lodged in the Jackson County Jail. Jonathan Lee Fitzsimmons, 16, also of White City, was arrested Saturday and lodged at JDH. All three suspects face charges of first-degree robbery, second-degree assault and conspiracy to commit murder. "They set him up over the Internet. It took a lot of forethought and planning," Fox said. Investigators also found evidence the crime was planned several days in advance, he added. Fox said Kristi Sherrill�s e-mails pieced together a puzzle that led deputies right to her front door. "She had indicated that she lived 20 steps from Burns Park," Fox said, adding that the only housing near Burns Park was an apartment complex on Division Road in White City, where the Sherrills live. Fox said Sherrill told the victim the correct ages and sexes of her children. "She gave other information like that (the victim) could relay to us," Fox said. After the victim described the car driven by the two teens, Fox said investigators determined Brandon Sherrill had been ticketed while driving the same car a few months earlier. Investigators are urging any other possible victims to contact the sheriff�s department, Fox said. Fox is unsure if similar crimes occurred in the past or if victims were too embarrassed to come forward. "It�s possible. We don�t have any reports," he added. In an unrelated event in 1998, Medford police arrested Sherrill on charges of felony fourth-degree assault and endangerment. Reach reporter Jill Briskey at 776-4485, or e-mail [email protected]   Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.