BajaNomad - Tourist in TJ stabbed to death

Tourist in TJ stabbed to death

wilderone - 3-31-2009 at 01:42 PM

SD Union Tribune
Body of N.C. teen found with stab wounds in Baja
7:24 a.m. March 31, 2009
TIJUANA — A 19-year-old North Carolina man who had been working in Orange County has been found dead in Tijuana.
The U.S. Consulate in Tijuana identified him as Shane Pennington. His family has been notified about the death, consular officials said yesterday.
The circumstances surrounding his death are unclear. The Baja California Attorney General's Office released a report March 24 of a man's body found on the beach at Playas de Tijuana; the man had been stabbed numerous times.
Mexican news reports described the victim as a red-haired American, believed to be about 20, dressed in a blue striped shirt, blue jeans and white tennis shoes. The description generally matched that of Pennington.

jodiego - 3-31-2009 at 02:18 PM

Yea, relating to american turista's not being targeted and all the warnings about spending spring break in baja, although there has not been much information to come out yet, this story is quite disturbing.

DENNIS - 3-31-2009 at 02:45 PM

Missing Teen Found Stabbed to Death in Tijuana

More Related Content

picture of Pennington's body shown in 'El Mexicano'
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March 31, 2009

ANAHEIM -- A 19-year-old man who had been living and working in Orange County has been found murdered near a Tijuana beach, officials said.

Officials at the U.S. Consulate in Mexico identified the victim Monday as Shane Pennington of North Carolina.

Pennington's body was found last Tuesday with stab wounds to the head, neck, back and chest. He had no identification on him, and the knife was reportedly still lodged in his chest when authorities discovered his body.

Pennington had worked as a delivery driver for "A Cut Above Beef & Seafood" in Anaheim.

Authorities are trying to find his delivery truck, which he was allowed to take home with him last week.

It was not immediately known whether he drove the truck across the border, or whether he made the trip alone.

A Mexican newspaper recently ran a story on Pennington's death, showing a graphic picture of his lifeless body.

Authorities are trying to determine who killed him.

Those who worked with Pennington say he was a hard-working and responsible person who had been saving his money to go to college. His mother said "he was going to live life to the fullest and no matter where he went, he made a friend."

Police in San Diego are working with Mexican authorities in the investigation.

The U.S. Government sent out a warning earlier this month against spring break and other travel to the Mexican border, specifically Tijuana, because of recent deadly drug violence.

Sharksbaja - 3-31-2009 at 03:29 PM

Sad, I wonder if he was alone.

woody with a view - 3-31-2009 at 03:35 PM

is it really as bad as IT sounds. 1 tourist (R.I.P), 40-50 carjackings and the everyday kind of mordidas. if this were Gaza i'd be worrying. it's not, yet!

edit: 's

[Edited on 3-31-2009 by woody in ob]

Woooosh - 3-31-2009 at 03:52 PM

This kid was working for one of those pushy meat markets on wheels? The guys with the meatlocker on the back of a pick-up truck and always have a deal on a side of beef?

These guys aren't shy or gullible- even at 19. Maybe they wanted the meat from his truck and the cash. He was found pretty far from Anaheim though. Article said he was working to save for college- not a typical spring breaker.

Pescador - 3-31-2009 at 04:19 PM

And probably not there to do a lot of drug trading which was the usual MO of people who get killed across the border.

Udo - 3-31-2009 at 06:24 PM

The channel 7 TV news Orange County reporter stated that the kid asked for the truck on his day off. It was assumed that he was planning to make extra stops on his door-to-door sales route. Next everyone knew he turned up dead in TJ.
There are a lot of blanks in that part of the story.

Bajajack - 3-31-2009 at 06:28 PM

One thing is pretty certain, not to many 19 year guys go walking around on the beach alone. Take it from there. :rolleyes:

Woooosh - 3-31-2009 at 06:40 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bajajack
One thing is pretty certain, not to many 19 year guys go walking around on the beach alone. Take it from there. :rolleyes:

Especially a young guy from North Carolina. A red-headed kid driving a meat truck would be hard to miss in TJ. I would think the mexican border inspectors would have caught that one (importing meats). If he did go through the border by accident and went to the right - he would have wound up where he body was found.

A TV reporter said debris from the truck was flying into highway traffic. A lady got the phone number from the debris and called to complain. The answer is with the truck somewhere.

[Edited on 4-1-2009 by Woooosh]

bajabound2005 - 3-31-2009 at 07:11 PM

I have a problem with this thread's Subject...how do we know he was a "Tourist"? Nothing in any of the news articles describes him as a "toursit". There is a lot missing from this story.

Udo - 3-31-2009 at 07:27 PM

Quote:

There is a lot missing from this story.

My point exactly!
What reason would a person have to borrow the boss' meat truck...then end up dead on beach in TJ?

QUIEN SABE!

k-rico - 3-31-2009 at 07:43 PM

Unlike in the US where lethal violence is often due to mentally imbalanced people (high school/college massacres, drive-by-shootings, family murder/suicides, sexually perverted creeps, religious wackos, building bombers, etc.) the TJ violence is usually profit motivated. A refridgerated meat truck is probably a valuable item in TJ. I bet it was robbery, he tried to fight, and lost.

bajabound2005 - 3-31-2009 at 08:53 PM

how did he get through customs? & why would he come here with that truck? To take home some chorizo?

[Edited on 4-1-2009 by bajabound2005]

[Edited on 4-1-2009 by bajabound2005]

bajaguy - 3-31-2009 at 09:06 PM

Was the truck in Mexico/TJ????

Bajahowodd - 3-31-2009 at 11:38 PM

Once again, we have snippets of information. IMHO, he was NOT a tourist. If, for some reason, this kid working in Orange County wanted to spend the weekend in TJ, he had many options. None of which made less sense than taking that truck. Not to mention, how would he ever get it back into the States, unless it was empty? A route salesman in OC would have to be totally insane to think he could sell his product in Mexico. Whether or not the truck crossed the border, he was not a tourist.

fishbuck - 4-1-2009 at 01:15 AM

I have spent some time in Playas. It is a fairly interesting place in the daytime. It's also a very large place.
That beach is at least 5 miles long.
Maybe the kid was taking the truck (empty) on a weekend trip to the beach. Not a great choice for a beach but still a beach, in Baja.
We don't know where he was stabbed and if he was just dumped there. Or where on the beach he was found.
I would not wander around on TJ beach at night.

Oops

Dave - 4-1-2009 at 04:34 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by DENNIS
Those who worked with Pennington say he was a hard-working and responsible person who had been saving his money to go to college. His mother said "he was going to live life to the fullest and no matter where he went, he made a friend."

Uh...I think he fell off the hard-working/responsible wagon. Unless he was kidnapped and forced to travel to playas. :rolleyes:

My guess is that the delivery van is now a taco truck.

k-rico - 4-1-2009 at 05:55 AM

"The truck that is missing is a silver 2004 Ford Ranger pickup truck with an attached freezer in the bed emblazoned with the company logo, "A Cut Above."

The license number is 8E28590.

The truck, which also has an extended cab, was loaded with 102 packages of meat product worth about $2,000."

http://www.kusi.com/news/local/42238222.html

I read a bunch of news articles using Google News searches. Another interesting tidbit is that he called in sick using his cell phone the Monday after he took the truck home for the weekend. I wonder if he called from TJ with a bad cheap tequila hangover.

He recently moved to CA from NC and had never been to TJ. He probably was totally clueless about TJ and the rules that pertain to re-entering the US.

The fact that he was found in playas is also unusual. American kids don't come here to party (I live in playas). There are just a few bars and there's no "action" to speak of, especially on week nights. The malecon is a very creepy place at night. And Mexican murderers don't dump bodies on the beach, they're too easily found, unless they want to make a point and hang the decapitated body from an overpass.

He really peeed off the wrong guy(s). They stabbed him in the head and neck and left the knife in his chest. One article described the murder as especially brutal done by someone who was very angry.

Here's his photo:

[Edited on 4-1-2009 by k-rico]

DENNIS - 4-1-2009 at 08:41 AM

Yeah...This one is full of holes. Like some asked above, how did a commercial vehicle get past Mexican customs, especially if that load of meat was in it at the time.
Murder is part of life in an imperfect world and those who are doing things in places where they don't belong with valuable property are extremely vulnerable to horrific consequences. Sorry this kid got it.

AMAZING!

Dave - 4-1-2009 at 09:26 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by DENNIS
how did a commercial vehicle get past Mexican customs, especially if that load of meat was in it at the time.

Usually you can't get anything past those legal eagles. :rolleyes:

I guess with all the searching for guns and money sometimes the small stuff gets through.

Maybe customs thought it was a u-haul?

Eugenio - 4-1-2009 at 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Dave

Quote:

Uh...I think he fell off the hard-working/responsible wagon. Unless he was kidnapped and forced to travel to playas. :rolleyes:

My guess is that the delivery van is now a taco truck.

So...we are in infer that "hardworking/responsible " people do not go to TJ?

Or maybe you have some inside information that you're withholding?

Or maybe you're just an a-hole - who doesn't care if someone else loses his life....

Bajahowodd - 4-1-2009 at 10:05 AM

Whoa. I think you are over-reacting. The circumstances of the scene when he was found tend to indicate that he was mixed up in something unsavory. And any way you cut it, the delivery truck was just not the type of vehicle that someone would use to enter Mexico, whether carrying contraband, or under duress by a kidnapper. Just way too conspicuous.

BajaGringo - 4-1-2009 at 12:24 PM

It is tragic and sad, no matter what the reasons or cause behind it...

Unretouched Photo

The Gull - 4-1-2009 at 01:12 PM

Is that red hair?

Silly me

Dave - 4-1-2009 at 01:27 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Eugenio
So...we are in infer that "hardworking/responsible " people do not go to TJ?

He was probably on his way to an event at the cultural center, got lost and fell on a knife. Happens all the time.

CaboRon - 4-1-2009 at 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Dave

Quote:

Originally posted by Eugenio
So...we are in infer that "hardworking/responsible " people do not go to TJ?

He was probably on his way to an event at the cultural center, got lost and fell on a knife. Happens all the time.

Eugenio - 4-2-2009 at 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Eugenio

Quote:

Originally posted by Dave

Quote:

Uh...I think he fell off the hard-working/responsible wagon. Unless he was kidnapped and forced to travel to playas. :rolleyes:

My guess is that the delivery van is now a taco truck.

At this point my money'd be on option #3. :yes:

I certainly wouldn't bet against you

Dave - 4-2-2009 at 02:46 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Eugenio
At this point my money'd be on option #3.

Woooosh - 4-2-2009 at 02:48 PM

Why no updates on this story from either side of the border?

k-rico - 4-2-2009 at 03:07 PM

I've been doing google news searches about this story because I'm interested in what happened and nothing new has shown up. The Orange County Register ran a news story, no new information, but you should read the reader's comments. 99% believe this is some poor innocent kid who fell prey to murderous Mexicans. Like he was killed just for being in Mexico. Most posters are condemning the whole country of Mexico because of this.

I think there's a good chance this kid was up to no good and mixed it up with the wrong folks in the drug/prostitute zone. But maybe not. Perhaps he drove the meat wagon into TJ and was killed when someone tried to steal it while he was in it. Also, he was found on the dead on the beach. Of all the murders in TJ in the past few years, he's the first one found on the beach.

Bajajack - 4-2-2009 at 03:09 PM

I have it on good authority that this particular case is under wraps on the mex side, they got orders, no press.

bajaguy - 4-2-2009 at 03:29 PM

OK, so what's the story with the truck........which side of the border is it on??????.....or is it being towed by the U-haul????

Yeah?

Dave - 4-2-2009 at 03:33 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bajajack
I have it on good authority

In Mexico?

Fat chance. :rolleyes:

surfer jim - 4-2-2009 at 03:55 PM

I "heard' from someone that they have photo of vehicle entering border but unable to identify driver at this time......

k-rico - 4-2-2009 at 04:01 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by bajaguy
OK, so what's the story with the truck........which side of the border is it on??????.....or is it being towed by the U-haul????

Another mystery, they can't find it. Therefore, I think, it's more likely in Mex than in the US.

But this kid didn't really have a US address. One article I read said he sometimes stayed with relatives, sometimes in motels. Maybe it's parked on some street in Anaheim next to the "Do Drop Inn".

[Edited on 4-2-2009 by k-rico]

Woooosh - 4-2-2009 at 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bajajack
I have it on good authority that this particular case is under wraps on the mex side, they got orders, no press.

You mean the TJ morgue just needed another meat wagon to haul all the dead bodies around?

Bajahowodd - 4-2-2009 at 11:42 PM

So, I'm driving home from the market yesterday, make a turn at Euclid and Chapman in Garden Grove. There's a Shell station on that corner. Gassing up there is a Cut Above truck . It is not all that conspicuous looking, very low key. All I'm saying is that after seeing one of their rigs, I can understand how it may have passed through Mexican customs unmolested. Still would not explain why he was there. But does at least show me how he might have gotten the truck in.

Mother ID's son's body two weeks after slaying

BajaNews - 4-7-2009 at 03:08 AM

http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/apr/07/1m7pubsaf...

April 7, 2009

The mother of a 19-year-old North Carolina man found stabbed to death on a beach formally identified her son's body yesterday. “Who, who did this to my son?” Elizabeth Taylor asked. “Why? Why did this happen?”

Shane Pennington was found dead two weeks ago. He had moved from North Carolina and was living in Orange County.

Baja California authorities said yesterday that Pennington had marijuana, cocaine and alcohol in his system when he was killed. A refrigerated meat delivery truck, which Pennington was last seen driving the day before his body was found, remained missing. The 2004 Ford Ranger belonged to Pennington's Orange County employer and contained 109 boxes of meat worth close to $3,000.

Salvador Ortiz, assistant attorney general for Baja California, said investigators ruled out involvement of organized crime.

Taylor said her son told friends that he was heading for work when he drove off about 1:15 p.m. March 23. He was not heard from again. His body was found at 6:10 a.m. March 24.

A U.S. law enforcement source, who requested anonymity because he wasn't an authorized spokesman, said license plate readers at the border had recorded the truck driving into Mexico at San Ysidro about 7:30 p.m. March 23. Three hours earlier, cameras had caught the truck heading north from Tijuana into San Diego, suggesting that an initial crossing into Mexico had not been not recorded.

DENNIS - 4-7-2009 at 07:33 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by BajaNews
suggesting that an initial crossing into Mexico had not been not recorded.

It was a while back but, I recall plate readers at San Ysidro and, at the same time, none at Tecate. Are they in place at Tecate now? Anybody know for sure?

surfer jim - 4-7-2009 at 07:54 AM

He went from "a hard working kid saving for college" to having alcohol, marijuana and cocaine in him when found....must like to party hard also... :no:

BajaDove - 4-7-2009 at 08:41 AM

The kid came over for a little fun. a weekend bender.
He picked up a pretty girl
Her old boy friend runs into them flies into a jealous rage and sticks it to him again and again.
Dumps the body and getting rid of a truck is not that big a deal
That's how stabbings happen. They don't need the sinister attachment.

Bajajack - 4-7-2009 at 09:44 AM

Then again we could just say he brought over a load of meat to either sell or trade for some Snort and the deal went bad, end of story.

Woooosh - 4-7-2009 at 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by surfer jim
He went from "a hard working kid saving for college" to having alcohol, marijuana and cocaine in him when found....must like to party hard also... :no:

I'm sure the family will do their own toxiclolgy tests stateside. Dollars to donuts the TJ police are involved up to their necks. They probably pumped the drugs into the corpse to villify the victim (as always). The truth will come out- but not until what little spring break action is happening is over.

I wouldn't believe the police accounts 100%- especially with a refrigerated meat truck and $3000 in beef still unaccounted for.

[Edited on 4-7-2009 by Woooosh]

CaboRon - 4-7-2009 at 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bajajack
Then again we could just say he brought over a load of meat to either sell or trade for some Snort and the deal went bad, end of story.

End of story for you perhaps,

Speculation does not end the story.

There are many paths the truth might take.

CaboRon

BajaDove - 4-7-2009 at 03:57 PM

That may end it in your book but my CSI experience says Stabbing crime of passion.
Bad deal CHOKE OR SHOOT
but all this bantering is no consolation to the mother I'm sure.

CaboRon - 4-7-2009 at 04:19 PM

Wow Bajadove, were you on television :lol:

nancyinpdx - 4-7-2009 at 06:57 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Woooosh

Quote:

Originally posted by surfer jim
He went from "a hard working kid saving for college" to having alcohol, marijuana and cocaine in him when found....must like to party hard also... :no:

I agree with you Woosh.

k-rico - 4-7-2009 at 07:21 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Woooosh

Quote:

Originally posted by surfer jim
He went from "a hard working kid saving for college" to having alcohol, marijuana and cocaine in him when found....must like to party hard also... :no:

Woooooshy, let me get this straight. You think the TJ cops found this dead kid with a knife sticking out of his chest and THEN somehow got pot, booze, and coke into his blood to make him look like a bad guy?

That's more believeable to you than he got wasted in TJ and told the wrong guy to get phuked?

flyfishinPam - 4-8-2009 at 07:25 AM

I can imagine the cocaine and alcohol tests were done as they are quick and relatively cheap to do but marijuana?? that's a more comparitively difficult and expensive test to perform so this is hard to believe...
when you consider the costs and the technology available to the TJPD, and the fact that when we report a crime here (in Mexico) more often than not we are asked for the frigging money to put gas in their tanks in order to carry out an investigation... this stinks! THC is fat soluble compound not water soluble like cocaine and alcohol which is why it is more difficult and expensive to detect. This is also why the methods used to detect it are different and more costly and even less accurate.

http://www.leftseat.com/AME/health4pilots/default.htm

from above link referring to testing methods for marijuana that could be performed on a dead person

"Blood testing is most commonly done for clinical, diagnostic, and drug overdose purposes. It is routine in hospital emergency rooms. Blood testing can be done even with a severely intoxicated, injured, or dead person, and is therefore favored for post-accident investigation. Almost all drugs can be tested in blood, although THC (marijuana) is particularly difficult to measure."

http://www.ohsinc.com/DRUG_TESTING_COST_DRUG_TEST_COST2.htm

from the link above referring to the costs of marijuana testing...

" - I know that there are different types of tests (blood, urine, hair), which is most effective and what is the cost difference amongst them

For the most part, forget blood. Blood is tested for illicit drugs only in extreme or unique cases (e.g., the tested individual is unconscious, due to an accident) and in some Court-ordered cases. During 2003, an estimated 55 million drug tests were performed n the United States on job applicants, existing employees who were randomly tested, employees who had or caused a workplace accident or injury, certain federal and state prisoners, certain parolees, recovering addicts, moms or dads who were drug tested by court-order as a result of child custody cases, et al. More than 90% of those 55 million drug tests were performed using urine specimens, not blood.

As mentioned above, urine test cost probably averages $44. Hair specimen testing is about $115-$150 per test nationally. Hair can indicate drug-use (can be "effective") as far back as 90 days. Most drugs are detectable in urine for only 1-4 days; exceptions are marijuana and less-so, PCP. "Greater accuracy" is not an issue with either hair or urine specimen analysis, though a few detractors will disagree. Hair advocates claim that "more" positives are discovered through hair testing. I would agree in largest part because hair results can go back further than the 1-4 days available through urine testing. In any case, the most effective testing "program" is random (the immediate testing of an individual with zero advance notice given) testing throughout the entire year."

"Hair testing is usually used for investigations when other tests are not available, such as in criminal cases or deaths. Hair can be tested for most drugs.

The advantage of testing hair is the long period of detection: the life span of a typical hair ranges from about four months for hairs from the eyelashes or arm pit, to four years for hair from the scalp. Hair grows at a rate of about one quarter to one half inch per month. Drugs enter the hair while it is growing and therefore present a record of drug use during the entire period of growth.

Hair testing is not as accurate as other methods, however, because of contamination from shampoo residues, hair treatments, smoke, air pollution, and other environmental effects. Another disadvantage is that people have different types of hair, which may affect the readings in the analysis. Dark-haired people such as Hispanics, Asians, and African Americans have a higher concentration of melanin, which incorporates and retains drugs at a higher rate. The result is that a dark-haired person can be 10 to 50 times more likely to test positive than a lighter-haired person who used the same amount of drugs.

At this time, only one company, Psychemedics, performs hair drug analyses. Their procedures are proprietary and not available for public review, and therefore cannot be evaluated for accuracy. Because of these concerns, most federal programs do not engage in hair testing. "

[Edited on 4-8-2009 by flyfishinPam]

BajaDove - 4-8-2009 at 07:35 AM

Not on TV but I went with Grissom on every case.

Woooosh - 4-8-2009 at 09:35 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by k-rico

Quote:

Originally posted by Woooosh

Quote:

Originally posted by surfer jim
He went from "a hard working kid saving for college" to having alcohol, marijuana and cocaine in him when found....must like to party hard also... :no:

The kid was killed with his own knife- how convenient. Sure there are other ways to kill a robbery victim- but using his own knife was a lot easier. Maybe he pulled it out in self defense.

Even if he was just "lost" and crossed the border in error- his driving route to playas was a logical one- it's the first right turn and there is no way to get off the via rapida once you are on it.

My speculation is that he made it across the border, but was noticed by police or military at the check point at TJ Playas. $3000 in beef with a meat logo on the truck is just too huge a temptation for either the police or military. The military would have stopped the truck to look for weapons- see the meat and the kid driving alone. It's just too hard to imagine hew wasn't an innocent victim made to look like a punk.

The other scenario is much less likely IMHO. The kid took the loaded meat truck to TJ intentionally. He went to party (a party zone is Playas?-nope) or to sell/trade the meat for cash/drugs that he immediately ingested. What was he going to do to explain where the meat went to his boss? Meat is much cheaper now in Mexico- unless you can steal it for free of course.

Most telling is that photos were taken of the truck entering Mexico but no one is saying how many people were in it, what time it crossed- etc. I'm sticking with the police/military being involved until Mexico wants to give up some facts they aren't sharing about this crime yet.

[Edited on 4-8-2009 by Woooosh]

Where's the beef?

Dave - 4-8-2009 at 09:48 AM

Wonder where the steaks wound up? It's difficult to get a good steak down here.

DENNIS - 4-8-2009 at 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Woooosh

The kid was killed with his own knife- how convenient.

That's it. You got it, Whooosh. [oooops..I left out an "o".]
It was suicide. It reminds me of Newport in a long lost era when one of the Irvines, James maybe, commited suicide by shooting himself in the back.
Well, I guess you had to be there.

BajaNomad - 4-8-2009 at 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Woooosh
Even if he was just "lost" and crossed the border in error- his driving route to playas was a logical one- it's the first right turn and there is no way to get off the via rapida once you are on it.

You've got to be VERY "lost" to go into Mexico, come back out of Mexico, then turn around and go right back in again a few hours later.

And with that truck, as well as likely looking loaded down (?), he made it through Mexican customs not just once, but TWICE it appears.

(but as noted by another in this thread, there's no issue getting U-Hauls through these days, so...)

The kid left the friend's place (in Orange County !!!) at 1:15pm, made it into Mexico and then back out by 4:30pm (which would've been a very quick in and out) - only to turn around and go back into Mexico again at 7:30pm - all in the same day, the night before he was found on the beach.

Here's the news report again:

Quote:

Taylor said her son told friends that he was heading for work when he drove off about 1:15 p.m. March 23. He was not heard from again. His body was found at 6:10 a.m. March 24.

A U.S. law enforcement source, who requested anonymity because he wasn't an authorized spokesman, said license plate readers at the border had recorded the truck driving into Mexico at San Ysidro about 7:30 p.m. March 23. Three hours earlier, cameras had caught the truck heading north from Tijuana into San Diego, suggesting that an initial crossing into Mexico had not been not recorded.

Very, very unfortunate situation. My thoughts are with the family and their loss.

BajaNews - 4-8-2009 at 12:42 PM

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/pennington-taylor-tijuana...

The missing truck's license plate number is 8E28590

cut-above-truck.jpg - 20kB

Bajahowodd - 4-8-2009 at 01:00 PM

As I was running through this thread, I was eager to post my point until I hit Doug's post. He beat me to what I consider important. The fact that he went down, came back and went down again. So, it appears that he was not stopped either time he entered Mexico, despite driving a conspicuous vehicle. But what about coming back North? Would our Customs people, a) allow the packaged meat, if he had it? b) would they not have searched the truck under any circumstances?

BajaNomad - 4-8-2009 at 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BajaNomad
The kid left the friend's place (in Orange County !!!) at 1:15pm, made it into Mexico and then back out by 4:30pm (which would've been a very quick in and out) - only to turn around and go back into Mexico again at 7:30pm - all in the same day...

Actually, I'm reading reports that he was in San Bernardino County, possibly even Bishop, CA. This looks to be according to his mother though as to the last phone conversation they had with one-another on March 23. Only thing is, there's no way you could leave Bishop at 1:15pm, get to Tijuana and back to San Diego by 4:30pm.

Anyway, just mentioning it...

http://www.10news.com/news/19109553/detail.html

http://www.10news.com/news/19055072/detail.html

DENNIS - 4-8-2009 at 01:03 PM

This whole story hasn't come together since day one. So much of it makes no sense.

A test

Dave - 4-8-2009 at 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DENNIS
So much of it makes no sense.

What country is it?

BajaNews - 4-8-2009 at 01:13 PM

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/taylor-truck-tijuana-2351...

"Denny Boan, a manager at A Cut Above Beef and Seafood... said Pennington lived with a friend in Redlands or at a local motel."

"Taylor [the mother of the victim] said she talked to her son March 23 and he mentioned that some of his friends had asked him to go to Tijuana the weekend before, but he had to work...."

"Taylor believes her son was with somebody else because she said he never went anywhere by himself... 'I can say that strongly because I know that's how he was,' Taylor said."

BajaNews - 4-8-2009 at 01:15 PM

Elizabeth Taylor holds a portrait of her son, Shane Pennington.

taylor-mom.jpg - 11kB

DENNIS - 4-8-2009 at 01:18 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BajaNews
"Taylor believes her son was with somebody else because she said he never went anywhere by himself... 'I can say that strongly because I know that's how he was,' Taylor said."

A mothers intuition. How sad that she has to endure this...regardless of circumstances.

Tijuana, where the weird turn pro

Dave - 4-8-2009 at 01:22 PM

Quote:

"Pennington had been trying to get into the Army, but that wasn't working out."

motoged - 4-8-2009 at 01:25 PM

Hmmmmm....sounds here like a bunch of folks here with too much time on their hands....writing poor screenplays for a fourth-rate tv movie with Nancy Grace as the heroine...

Speculative at best...

Next..... :lol:

Bajahowodd - 4-8-2009 at 01:37 PM

It has at least as much clarity as the story about the guys arrested in Algondones for taking photos!

Woooosh - 4-8-2009 at 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DENNIS

Quote:

Originally posted by Woooosh

The kid was killed with his own knife- how convenient.

He "was stabbed eight times, in the head, neck, chest and back". That means he tried really really hard to make it look like a Mexican did it- instead of being a suicide?

Why didn't the ICE have exact records of him crossing back into the USA the first time? Why would fixed cameras be more reliable than a customs agent? (Not that I believe you can cross over and back on a sunday afternoon at San Ysidro in that short a time period).

CaboRon - 4-8-2009 at 03:50 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Dave
Wonder where the steaks wound up? It's difficult to get a good steak down here.

Eaten' at the Rosarito Beach Hotel lately ??? :lol:

DENNIS - 4-8-2009 at 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Woooosh

Quote:

Originally posted by DENNIS

Quote:

Originally posted by Woooosh

The kid was killed with his own knife- how convenient.

He "was stabbed eight times, in the head, neck, chest and back". That means he tried really really hard to make it look like a Mexican did it- instead of being a suicide?

It's OK, Whoooooosh. I was just having fun with events of my past. Don't take it as serious input. In the future, we'll have at each other but, not here. Not at the expense of this tragedy.
SALUD

Woooosh - 4-8-2009 at 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DENNIS

Quote:

Originally posted by Woooosh

Quote:

Originally posted by DENNIS

Quote:

Originally posted by Woooosh

The kid was killed with his own knife- how convenient.

He "was stabbed eight times, in the head, neck, chest and back". That means he tried really really hard to make it look like a Mexican did it- instead of being a suicide?

It's OK, Whoooooosh. I was just having fun with events of my past. Don't take it as serious input. In the future, we'll have at each other but, not here. Not at the expense of this tragedy.
SALUD

No worries. We're both pretty used to facts being reversed down here. Sadly- nothing surprises me anymore. Not even if Mexico were to say this victim committed suicide and was illegally importing and dumping mad cow disease tainted meats to Mexico.

There will be no public answers until spring break season is over. Any news about this event is bad news for Mexico tourism- so there won't be any.

I do hope the mother who came to TJ to claim her son persists and demands answers. With their 150 new cameras in TJ- they should be able to track that truck and the kid all the way to Playas.

Of course if there was any evidence another American was possibly the killer- it would have been fully disclosed and announced by now.

[Edited on 4-9-2009 by Woooosh]

bajabound2005 - 4-9-2009 at 06:23 AM

From today's Union Tribune:

Baja authorities amend man's toxicology report

TIJUANA: Baja California authorities yesterday rectified an earlier report about what drugs were in the system of a 19-year-old North Carolina man who was found stabbed to death last month.
Salvador Ortiz, the state's lead prosecutor in Tijuana, told reporters yesterday that Shane Pennington had marijuana and alcohol in his system, but no cocaine. Ortiz had stated Monday that toxicological reports indicated cocaine as well as marijuana and alcohol.
At the time of his death, Pennington had been working in Anaheim in sales and delivery for A Cut Above Beef & Seafood. He did not show up for work March 23, and his body was found in Playas de Tijuana the next morning.
Baja California authorities said yesterday they are working closely with U.S. law enforcement agencies as they search for Pennington's killer. They said they are still searching for the missing vehicle, a 2004 Ford Ranger with an attached freezer bed with the company logo. It contained 109 boxes of meat worth close to $3,000, according to the victim's employer. The vehicle has California plates, 8E28590.

flyfishinPam - 4-9-2009 at 06:32 AM

>>Baja California authorities said yesterday they are working closely with U.S. law enforcement agencies as they search for Pennington's killer. They said they are still searching for the missing vehicle, a 2004 Ford Ranger with an attached freezer bed with the company logo. It contained 109 boxes of meat worth close to $3,000, according to the victim's employer. The vehicle has California plates, 8E28590.

WOW we need to watch out for this truck and it does look low key. Who do I call if I see it?

(maybe its time for a missing fleet vehicles forum)

[Edited on 4-9-2009 by flyfishinPam]

BajaDove - 4-9-2009 at 07:44 AM

Suppose the steaks were sold in the states. someone wigged out and it was the body not the steaks that crossed in the freezer.

Woooosh - 4-9-2009 at 11:45 AM

I'm surprised they adjusted the toxicology report- based on an earlier post onthis thread it would seem testing for pot takes longer than the time that has passed. Maybe the police want the USA toxicology reports to match theirs- so they are backing off the cocaine.

Mexicans know that if they mention "cocaine" or "heroin" in media reports, half the readers automatically figure the vistim is to blama to some degree. Pot and alcohol would seem pretty normal for that age range during spring break- on either side of the border.

Still no truck or meat or a family explanation of why he was having "trouble" getting into the Army.

I'm thinking

Dave - 4-9-2009 at 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Woooosh
or a family explanation of why he was having "trouble" getting into the Army.

That this is the one bright spot in an otherwise tragic story.

At least from the Army's perspective. :rolleyes:

Terry28 - 4-9-2009 at 01:04 PM

People can make all the assumptions and snide remarks they want...and they don't help...but the bottom line is a Mother has lost a son, a sister and two brothers have lost a brother....and only 19....that is a real tragedy,
not much said above helps or changes that......

Woooosh - 4-9-2009 at 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Terry28
People can make all the assumptions and snide remarks they want...and they don't help...but the bottom line is a Mother has lost a son, a sister and two brothers have lost a brother....and only 19....that is a real tragedy,
not much said above helps or changes that......

only the truth will help.