Poll: Murder Suspect Snared on Carnival Celebration

"Note to self: A cruise ship is not a very good means of fleeing the country."

That might be what one murder suspect is murmuring to himself today after he was nabbed by police in an apparent attempt to escape the law onboard a Carnival Celebration cruise to the Bahamas. The alleged criminal actually made it out of the ship's Jacksonville, FL home port, but didn't get much farther before authorities boarded the ship and took him into custody. His mode of escape didn't keep him on the lam for very long -- if this was, in fact, an escape attempt and not just a vacation.

What do you think?

Sort of like one last fling before getting married.

Duh.

A good candidate for the "Stupid Criminal of the Year Award"

Good to know that all the money spent on homeland security and tracking crimunals is being spent wisely. Doesn't say much for all the efforts, and they wonder why people keep appling for concealed weapns permits.

What a crock,,,,,:mad: :mad:

He was probably going to debark in the Bahamas and not get back onboard.

This criminal was not very bright. His name goes onto a HomeLand Security manifest and he gets an escort off ship. Cruise ships are not a safe way to exit the country once you have broken the law. They are also not a safe way to hide out from you wife with your girlfriend in tow...last cruise ship security had to pull a wife off a husband when caught in girlfriends cabin!!! It made for some excitement at 1AM!

The guy is obviously an idiot, but this story beautifully illustrates how all of the ridiculous "security" measures enacted in post-9/11 hysteria are just so much window dressing, designed only to make people feel more secure. It's all bread and circuses.

Just goes to show - you never know who you are cruising with.

He was probably going to debark in the Bahamas and not get back onboard.

I believe that the trip on the ship was the just the beginning according to him. Sorry Charlie. :( :(

I'm not American so not sure how your systems work. If you are only "a person of interest" in a crime and not charged would you still be put on the Homeland Security list?

We had recent case here where a "person of interest" was able to leave Australia. He is not expected to return.

The common denominator amongst criminals who get caught:Stupid!

Doc:rolleyes:

Whoa!!! I can't believe someone would believe this is the way to escape... And I worry what could have happened... All the 'what ifs' are rattling around in my mind -- with hostages or threats and standoffs being right there in the forefront... Thank heavens it didn't play out that way!

But this is 2008 and cruising is just part of life... and this is what happens in the day and age in which we live...

Thanks for keeping us informed.

He paid for it and wanted to go on vacation after all an eight x 6 cell for the next 20 years will not be the same thing.:rolleyes: I wonder if he could sue the CL for not allowing him to finish his vacation first after all he promised to return didn't he. And we all know murder suspect are very trustworthy people, RIGHT!!:rolleyes: :D

All joking aside...he went with his girlfriend not on his own, just wondering if they possibly planned this vacation some time before he alledgedly did the crime and it just so happened that they went away right after...he may have just figured that at that point they can't get their money back and he was in trouble and he might as well enjoy it while he can...just a thought...

you have to give an awful lot of information to book and board a ship...unsure why they thought this would work

What is the point of giving whatever agency the ship's manifest which lists all the passengers?? How do they decide to pull a passenger from a cruise?? They don't know what the passenger looks like, only their name. Can they pull soneone by their name?? Do they enter all the names into a computer to see if the passenger has done anything they don't like?? Have they ever done this??

Cruisin Jersey Girl I think you hit the nail on the head. His girlfriend probably

made all the arrangements and paid for it so he had nothing to lose.

ANOTHER THOUGHT- did she stay on for the full cruise and really enjoy herself?

Stan:cool::cool:

He was probably going to debark in the Bahamas and not get back onboard.

Best guess so far

;)

Shocking!

The cruise line did what is was supposed to do with the passenger manifest. My question is why wasn't he arrested prior to boarding the ship? Authorities should have been waiting for him when he checked in to board the ship since they clearly knew he was going to be on the ship.

Doesn't make me feel any more secure!:(

As the saying goes "they don't catch the smart ones". :rolleyes:

Do we know with certainty that the fugitive used his own name? He may very well have had a passport with a bogus name.

IMHO this just goes to show the inadequacy of the whole security system put in place after 9/11. The security people (particularly at airports) are undertrained and given way too much power. (I know - off topic) Why wasn't this guy picked up well before he was allowed to board, otherwise what is the point of the pre-boarding registration. I won't even get into the stupidity of the "remove your shoes" farce at airports. If it is that important, why don't we have to remove our shoes prior to boarding a ship. Fire at sea is just as devastating, if not more so, involves way more people, and is it far easier to do damage on a ship where one can wander at will, than on a plane, where nowadays one is far more restricted as to one's movements.

Presumably it is all to allow the politicians to claim that are actually doing something, whether US, Canada or Britain. A plague on all their houses.:confused:

Here's one for the Atlanta Police Department for making sure this criminal did not make it completely out of the country. They might have been one step behind him but they kept at it until they got their man (no pun intended.) And another one thumbs-up for our Coast Guard for being able to get aboard the ship before it made it into International Waters.

As far as Homeland Security I don't think they could have stopped this guy any sooner unless they were notified to be on the lookup for a person of interest unless they were notified that he was going to try and flee the country. Then and only then would they have been able to have placed a flagged on his passport (computer records) to be on the lookup for him if and when he tried to use it to get out of the country.

Great article CC - thanks for posting this for us.

I'm thinking he booked an inside cabin for the week to get a "feel" for the size of his prison cell he'll be living in for the rest of his life!

1. If I Read The Story Correctly, It Seems The Police Were Always One Step Behind. Obviously, The "STEP" Does Not Define The Time. Thats Probably Why They "missed" Him At The Port.

2. As Far As Homeland Security, U. S. Customs And Border Patrol Agencies Do Not Routinely Verify People Leaving The Country. Their Mission Is To Protect Against People Coming Into The Country. If They Were Not Advised To Look For Somebody Specifically, Who Was Leaving The Country, They Would Not Do So.

No One To Blame. Thats Just The Way The Scenario May Have Unfolded.