Caroline's Crime Scene

Twenty-two years ago today, Don Shelby announced the birth of our daughter during a broadcast on MPR. We named her Shelby Elizabeth and, even though it was in the middle of a November ratings period, my husband and I didn't choose the name for WCCO's long-time anchorman. (But Don likes to think we did!)

Over the years, she has often visited our newsroom to give tours to her friends or stop by when I was working long hours on a crime story. She has also worked at the WCCO booth at the Minnesota State Fair and filled in as a receptionist at our station.



All this immersion in the world of news has definitely rubbed off on our youngest "child." Today our daughter, Shelby, is a member of the WCCO newsroom "family." When she's not attending journalism classes at the University of Minnesota, Shelby also works part-time on our assignment desk.

Part of her job means calling local law enforcement agencies for information on crimes and updates on their investigations. It's funny how many people call her back, thinking the "Shelby from 'CCO" who left a message is Don Shelby, not the most junior member of the newsroom! (Don tells her to tell people she is 'Lil Shelb so they know which Shelby is calling from 'CCO.)

I love having her working in the same newsroom where I started more than thirty two years ago. But,as a mom, I have to step back sometimes and let her figure things out on her own. That's not always easy to do. But I know it will help as she navigates a journalism world that has changed dramatically since I began as the newsroom clerk back in March 1977.



It has been an interesting four months since our assignment manager, George Norman, hired Shelby. Sometimes she chides me about treating her more like my daughter than like a newsroom colleague. Other times, Shelby can't wait to tell me about a news story she helped on that day. Sometimes she struggles with whether to call me "Mom" or "Caroline" when talking about me at work. (Most days it is not an issue since our schedules don't overlap too much.)

Shelby is on track to graduate from college in May. It is hard to predict where she will be heading after that. Despite all the grim forecasts about the future of journalism, she seems determined to pursue a career in that field. In the meantime, I am grateful she has had the opportunity to work in the familiar surroundings of the 'CCO newsroom.

Just got word that Oprah Winfrey is retiring in 2011. Hard to imagine the talk show scene without her. I was a guest on her show back in 1995 for a segment on undercover reporting. I was invited to talk about an I-Team investigation we did on downtown Minneapolis police officers sleeping on the job, hanging out in a strip joint and playing pinball on-duty. The report rocked city hall and led to a lot of change and improvements in the downtown patrol unit. It also attracted the attention of an Oprah producer who invited me to be a guest on the show.

Photojournalist Nancy Soo Hoo and I got the royal treatment as Oprah guests. We were put up in a ritzy hotel and transported around Chicago in a limousine. We were also allowed to bring our camera inside her Harpo Studios for a behind-the-scenes feature we shared with viewers.

There aren't many glamorous experiences on the crime beat. This was one of the most enjoyable assignments I have ever had. It’s also one that I still hear about from viewers more than 14 years later.

Watch The Video Of Caroline's Oprah Experience

Does posting the six minute video online of the guys in St. Paul and Minneapolis laughing as they randomly attack victims glorify their behavior? That’s the comment raised by a viewer who wrote to me Thursday and it has popped up on some of the Web sites.

My short answer: no. Sure, these guys wanted to draw attention to themselves by posting their weekend rampage on YouTube. I doubt, however, any of them wanted the kind of attention they ended up getting. As I write this, all eight guys in the video have been identified by police. So far, five of them have been arrested and police expect more soon.

Several victims did not even report the crimes until the video appeared and they or their loved ones recalled the incidents. One doctor I interviewed in St.Paul showed me his split lip that he received from a mugging on Grand Avenue. He didn’t think to call the police when it happened on Saturday since he didn’t think his injuries were that serious and he doubted the cops could catch his muggers because he never saw them. After his son saw the attack on the news, he convinced his dad to call police.

I agree there is always a risk when we put this kind of video on the news. But in this case it served a public purpose of putting a face on the violence and increasing the chances these guys who committed the crimes last weekend will be held accountable. I believe it will also send a message to other YouTube wannabes who think it is funny to target vulnerable people for the sport of it.

Watch The Video
Read Caroline's Report

I interviewed a young Minneapolis mom and dad today who were robbed at gunpoint Monday on their way home from a laundromat on the north side. I could feel their fear as I sat with them and their 3-year-old daughter in their living room this afternoon. They talked about how it felt to have a gun pointed at the dad's head as he was forced to give up his wallet, hoping the robber wouldn't shoot his wife.

Two days ago, I covered a story on a 17-year-old fatally stabbed when he and a friend allegedly tried to rob a guy walking home on the midtown Greenway last weekend. The robbery victim fought back, stabbing the teen once in the stomach. The Hennepin County Attorney's Office is now reviewing the case to determine if it is a case of self-defense or warrants charges.

These are just two examples of a rash of violent robberies on Minneapolis streets in just the past week. When I interviewed the supervisor of the MPD's Robbery unit this afternoon, the number was close to 60. Most of them won't make the news and few of them are likely to result in arrests or charges.

As I was covering this latest spike in street violence, I thought of the recent Forbes magazine article listing Minneapolis at the top of their list of safe cities. Low crime rates are a key factor in making that list. It was hard to reconcile what I heard from the couple I met today and the rest of the victims I read about in a pile of MPD robbery reports with that article.

It things are that "good" living here, I hate to think what it must be in many of the cities in this country with crime rates too high to make the Forbes list.

It was 20 years ago today that 11-year-old Jacob Wetterling was abducted by a masked gunman as he and his brother and best friend biked home from a convenience store in rural St. Joseph, Minn. He hasn't been seen since.

Last Saturday night, I drove up to St. Joseph to attend a children's concert in Jacob's honor. I didn't go to cover the event but to be there to personally try to find a place to put this tough anniversary. I have watched many of our stories and read news articles over and over again, looking for a clue that might give some answers to what might have happened to Jacob.


An age-progression picture showing what Jacob Wetterling would look like at age 29.

My own children were 5 and 2 when Jacob was abducted. Like so many parents of young children back then, it affected how I viewed the world and raised my kids. As a crime reporter, I know stranger abductions are extremely rare and that most of these crimes involve someone known to the victim. But seeing a young boy snatched by a stranger in rural St. Joseph penetrated the sense of safety for all our kids.

Over the years, I have posted many stories about Jacob's unsolved kidnapping on our Cold Case page. I would love to be able to write a final chapter on what happened to Jacob before another anniversary comes around. I wish it for his family and for all of us who raised our kids wondering who snatched a child on a Sunday night so close to his home.

As the Twins play their final games in the Metrodome, a lot of us in the WCCO newsroom have so many memories of highlights from covering the two World Series won by the Minnesota Twins.

One of my favorite "scoops" happened outside the Dome on Game 6 of the 1991 World Series. I had lobbied hard with our managers for photojournalist Nancy Soo Hoo and me not to be assigned to a specific story that night and be allowed to "roam" until we found something big.

We soon struck gold. We were the only news crew waiting, with our camera rolling, at a VIP entrance to the Dome when actress Jane Fonda and her then-husband, Atlanta Braves owner Ted Turner, showed up.

At the time, there had been criticism and even protests by Native Americans about the Braves fans doing a "tomahawk chop" to show their support for the team.

In the middle of the controversy, Jane Fonda said she would stop doing the "chop" but was then seen doing what some people thought was "the chop" in support of the Braves. As she and Turner entered the Dome, I asked Fonda about the "chop." She agreed to demonstrate for me, on camera, her hand motion supporting the team, insisting it was not a chop.

Fonda described it as more of a "patty cake" motion. I also asked her if she planned to ask her husband to consider changing the name of the team since many Native American protesters were also offended by it. She basically said it was up to Ted what he called his team. (Eighteen years later, Fonda and Turner have moved on with their lives and the Atlanta team is still called the Braves.)

Fonda's hand demonstration and interview got picked up nationally. It was fun looking at the video today (which I hadn't viewed in about 18 years!). I was kind of surprised to see me sort of push Turner out of the way to get to his wife! You can check it out here.

My good friend Kevyn Burger and I were having coffee outside Java Jack's on Sunday when she spotted movie director Joel Coen and his wife, actress Frances McDormand, coming in for coffee with their son. It's not every day you see a couple of Academy Award winners at your South Minneapolis neighborhood coffee shop!

At Kevyn's request I grabbed my camera from my purse and took a couple of photos. Never even left our table! Kevyn is a big fan and now she's telling everyone we had coffee with Joel Coen and Frances McDormand!

In just the past week, I have covered two separate stories regarding murder-suicides involving women taking steps to end their relationships.  In both cases, the men had previously threatened suicide and police had removed guns from their homes.

The most recent case, in Chisago County, was witnessed by an 8-year-old girl who called 911 for help.  These tragedies are devastating for the families involved, especially when young children lose both their parents.

With the economy still in the tank, a lot of families are living with tension these days. Counselors hope people will pay attention to possible warning signs. 

If you or someone you know is in a violent relationship, please pass on these numbers and links.

They can provide resources and information on the red flags to watch out for before another family is torn apart by deadly domestic violence.

Domestic Abuse Project
Video: Warning Signs For Domestic Abuse
Video:  Community Shocked By Apparent Murder-Suicide
Domestic Abuse Hot Line: 1-866-223-1111

It's hard to believe it's been a year since former 'CCO producer Julie Kramer's first crime novel, "Stalking Susan", was released. Her sequel, "Missing Mark", was launched last night at the Once Upon A Crime book store to a packed audience.

If you are looking for another great summer thriller, set here in Minneapolis and featuring a downtown newsroom, check out Julie's latest novel. If you missed the award-winning first one, you can now pick up "Stalking Susan" in paperback. The first book was inspired by two unsolved murders Julie and I reported on several years ago involving victims both named Susan who were killed on the same date two years apart.

Julie will be all over the Twin Cities media this week, and signing her book at local stores. For details, go to Julie's Web site at juliekramerbooks.com or read Amy Carlson Gustafson's great piece on Julie's book in Monday's Pioneer Press.

If you like Julie's first two novels, more good news: Julie's publisher has given the green-light for two more sequels featuring Twin Cities TV reporter Riley Spartz! I am so proud of Julie and will keep you posted on her writing.

Link: Cold Case: The 2 Susans In Highland Park

It has been a tough week on the crime beat. I have spent a lot time talking with parents and children who live in the block where Patricia Becht allegedly plotted a suicide pact with her two young children, 10-year-old "Mikey" and 11-year-old Erica.

As I talked with moms and dads trying to make sense of such an incomprehensible act, kids stopped by a memorial to Mikey, dropping off teddy bears, notes and even a basketball so Mikey could play with it in heaven. None of the neighbors I talked with saw any warning signs. The couple closest to Patricia Becht spent the Fourth of July in Becht's backyard, shooting off fireworks with their kids.

It is hard to reconcile this image with the disturbing details in the criminal complaint filed today that includes a "to-do" list allegedly written by Becht the next day as she carried out her plans to use pills to kill herself and two young children. It also says she discussed going to a place similar to Michael Jackson's Neverland ranch, comparing it to heaven, as part of her plan.

We have heard a lot in recent months about similar crimes elsewhere, some speculating that depression over the economy is a factor. Whatever the reasons, there are resources in our community for families in stress.

If you know parents who seems overwhelmed, please refer them to Crisis Connection at 612-379-6363 or toll-free at 866-379-6363.

See the criminal complaint by clicking here.

Previous Stories:
Mom Charged With Murdering Son Claims Suicide Pact

Mother Arrested In Son's Murder, Charges Coming