Kamaludeen to serve life without parole

Friday, October 24, 2008

Jurors handed Mohamed Kamaludeen a life sentence without the possibility of parole Thursday after hearing testimony from Judy Calder’s family and a Canadian inspector investigating a 1993 stabbing that Kamaludeen was allegedly involved in.

Kamaludeen was convicted Wednesday of murdering professor Judy Calder on Aug. 18, 2007 and soliciting for her murder in 2006.

Kamaludeen is also wanted in Canda for the stabbing death of a garage owner in Canada for a ring, necklace and cash. The Canadian Inspector said Kamaludeen coerced a 17-year-old boy into murdering the man and that he told the box to cut the ring off his hand.

Judge Patrick Flanagan set the sentencing for Kamaludeen’s solicitation of murder charge and the two enhancements on his murder charge for Dec. 10.

Kim Calder, Judy Calder’s daughter, said the sentencing “in a sense makes us better able to go on.”

She told the jury during sentencing Kamaludeen took advantage of her mother’s trust. Sniffles reverberated through the audience and jury as Kim Calder continued to speak, her voice trembling when recalling her mother.

“She believed in people,” she said. “He used this very kindness to take advantage of her.”

“It’s nice not to have something hanging over our heads, like the trial,” Carolyn Conger, Calder’s sister, said.

Congertold jurors she had to receive a pacemaker shortly after the loss of Judy.

“This time has been so devastating, the stress so great, my heart has actually stopped working,” she said.

Kamaludeen said he forced the British embassy, which handles citizens of Kamaludeen’s native Guyana to extradite him to the U.S. for the trial. He maintained that he did not kill Calder. While addressing the jury, he kept his eyes locked on an empty witness box.

Detective David Fogarty said Kamaludeen lied to the jury. Kamaludeen planned to travel to Brazil and then walk to his home country of Guyana, he said. Kamaludeen tried to flee when he realized authorities wanted to capture him for extradition, he said.

nevadasagebrush.com/blog/2008/10/24/kamaludeen-to-serve-life-without-parole

Kamaludeen guilty in murder of UNR professor

Mohamed Kamaludeen was found guilty today of murdering professor Judy Calder and of solicitation to commit murder.

Kamaludeen will be sentenced Thursday, with several members of the Calder family expected to testify.

The jury deliberated for less than five hours before returning the verdict on the Aug. 18, 2007 stabbing death of Calder, a professor in the human development and family studies department of the college of health and human sciences.

Members of the Calder family cried with the verdict.

“He deserved what he deserved,” Calder’s husband, James, said.

In closing statements, Deputy District Attorney Bruce Hahn attacked claims Kamaludeen made after being extradited from Mexico.

Kamaludeen told police that his worker, Carlos Filomeno, stabbed Judy Calder to death and disposed of her body. Kamaludeen also said James Calder wanted him to kill his wife due to a dispute over her will. Kamaludeen said James Calder paid Filomeno $50,000 to dispose of the body.

“These statements are designed to deceive,” Hahn said.

He called Kamaludeen’s claims that James Calder planned to dispose of the body in Incline, “where people are hiking,” ludicrous.

“It’s nonsense,” he said. “He’s far too intelligent.”

The defense implored the jury to look at the big picture.

“What really is the motivation of these four men?” Jay Slocum, the public defender, asked the jury.

Slocum pointed out that James Calder never went to Judy Calder’s hotel room at the Nugget, instead calling and leaving a message saying he would wait at the Starbucks. Slocum said James Calder paid $15,000 of Kamaludeen’s gambling debt and rented him a car, which Kamaludeen used to flee to Mexico.

Hahn questioned Slocum’s reasoning behind James Calder’s payoff of Kamaludeen’s debt.

“Why would he waste $15,000” if he knew Kamaludeen was fleeing to Mexico?, Hahn asked.

nevadasagebrush.com/blog/2008/10/22/kamaludeen-guilty-in-murder-of-unr-president

Prosecution set to finish in Calder trial

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Mohamed Kamaludeen, the man accused of killing University of Nevada, Reno professor Judy Calder, attempted to have her killed at least once before, a former employee of Kamaludeen testified Monday.

“[Kamaludeen] stared referring to Judy as white trash,” Raymond Patterson, the former employee, said.

Patterson and Kamaludeen had just returned from a delivery trip in California when Kamaludeen told him Calder fought against the civil rights movement in the 1960s, Patterson said.

Patterson testified in Washoe District Court that Kamaludeen asked him if he had ever killed anyone.

“I told him no,” Patterson said. “I couldn’t hurt anyone like that.”

Kamaludeen then asked Patterson if he would kill Calder for him, he said.

Calder was reported missing on Aug. 19, 2007 by her husband James Calder. Hunters found her body in eastern Nevada on Aug. 28, 2007. Her body was identified by dental records.

Mohamed Kamaludeen faces charges of murder with a deadly weapon of a person aged 60 or older and solicitation to commit murder in the Aug. 18, 2007 stabbing.

Prosecutor Bruce Hahn said he hopes to finish his case today.

Kamaludeen’s Debt

In September 2004, Kamaludeen signed a contract with Calder. According to the contract, Calder would give Kamaludeen $150,000, which he would then pay back during a 24-month period with $2,200 interest every month.

As of August 2007, Kamaludeen had also lost more than $350,000 to the El Dorado, said Linda Doria, the credit collections manager. Other area casinos said he owed a collective $63,000.

Darrol Taylor, who had worked with Kamaludeen, testified that Kamaludeen told him that he put up a $25,000 reward for any information surrounding Calder’s disappearance.

In a recorded interview with police, Kamaludeen told a detective during a taped interview he held Calder in high esteem.

“She’s the best woman I know,” he said, seeming to choke up.

“I would do anything for her,” he said. “Judy’s like a mother figure to me.”

Later in the tape, he said Calder’s husband James told him about troubles Calder had at the university.

“She’s a very hateful person,” he said. “Most female hates her.”

The detective asked Kamaludeen what he thought happened to Calder, listed as missing at the time.

“I think somebody killed her,” he said. “I think a lot of people hates her.”

Earlier in the week

In testimony on Thursday, Carlos Filomeno detailed his role in Calder’s murder and accused Kamaludeen of stabbing her in the chest four or five times.

Filomeno said Kamaludeen gave him money and drove him to Wal-Mart to buy jogging suits and a knife. When Filomeno returned with too small of a knife, he said Kamaludeen sent him back inside.

The next day, at Kamaludeen’s business, Filomeno said he heard a soft voice cry “help.” He said that when he turned around and walked toward the voice, he saw Calder hit the ground. Blood poured from her chest and nose, he said.

Filomeno said Kamaludeen then took him to dump the body in eastern Nevada. They went to Arizona the next day, Filomeno said.

Michael Duda, who was manager at Big O Tires in Chandler, Arizona, said Kamaludeen bought four brand new tires for his work van. The replaced tires had only 10,000 miles of wear, out of a lifespan of 70,000 miles, he said. Kamaludeen kept the old tires.

Filomeno said he pushed the old tires out of the van one by one when Kamaludeen asked him to.

nevadasagebrush.com/blog/2008/10/21/prosecution-set-to-finish-in-calder-trial/

Alleged accomplice says he feared man charged with professor’s murder

Friday, October 18, 2008

The alleged accomplice in the murder of professor Judy Calder testified Friday that he feared Mohamed Kamaludeen, the man charged with her murder.
Kamaludeen faces one count of murder with a deadly weapon of a person aged 60 or older and one count of solicitation to commit murder in the Aug. 19, 2007 murder of Calder, a professor of Human Development and Family Studies. Hunters found her body near the Nevada-Idaho border on Aug. 28.
Police arrested Carlos Filomeno, the alleged accomplice and two-time felon, on Aug. 30 on unrelated charges. He said he wanted protection from Kamaludeen.
“He might end up killing me too,” he said.
The pair then traveled to Arizona to drop of equipment for Kamaludeen’s company.
Filomeno said he called Kamaludeen once or twice after dumping Calder’s body.
He said Kamaludeen called Calder’s phone multiple times after he dumped the body, each time hanging up.
Michael Duda, former manager of Big O tires in Chandler, Ariz., testified that Kamaludeen bought four brand new tires for his cargo van, despite the old tires only having 10,000 miles on them.
Duda said Kamaludeen kept the four old tires. Filomeno testified Thursday that he pushed the tires out of the van incrementally during the return trip to Reno.

nevadasagebrush.com/blog/2008/10/18/alleged-accomplice-says-he-feared-man-charged-with-professors-murder/

Alleged accomplice details role in professor’s murder

Thursday, October 17, 2008

In Thursday’s testimony, alleged accomplice Carlos Filomeno said Mohamed Kamaludeen stabbed Judy Calder in the chest five or more times, stashed the body in his van, let her husband look inside the van with the hidden body and dumped her corpse a few miles outside of Jackpot, Nev.
Kamaludeen, the defendant in the murder trial, stared at his table, his hands cross-hatched across his forehead, while Filomeno spoke.
Filomeno, an illegal immigrant and convicted felon, was arrested Aug. 30 on parole violation. His arrest led to his testimony about the murder of Calder, a University of Nevada, Reno human development and family studies professor.
Calder’s husband reported her missing Aug. 19. Hunter’s found her body eight days later along old Highway 93.
Kamaludeen faces two charges: murder with a deadly weapon of a person aged 60 or older and solicitation to commit murder. Filomeno faces no charges related to Calder’s murder.
Bruce Hahn, the chief deputy district attorney prosecuting the case, said Filomeno has no deals, promises or guarantees from himself or the state.
Filomeno said in testimony that he watched Mohamed Kamaludeen stab Calder four, five or more times in the chest. Filomeno said he was in the bathroom when he heard a soft cry for help
He walked towards the open door separating the building’s office and warehouse when he saw Kamaludeen stab Calder in the chest.
Katherine Raven, a forensic pathologist, testified that two stab wounds penetrated the heart. One wound cut through Calder’s bone.
Filomeno said Kamaludeen told him not to touch the body and he stood still for a few minutes.
“I scared,” he said. “I don’t know what to do.”
Kamaludeen put the knife in a black garbage bag.
“Carlos, please, can you help me clean the blood?” Kamaludeen asked, according to Filomeno.
Filomeno wiped up the blood with paper towels and a wet rag, he said. A three-foot puddle of blood pooled around the body, he said. Blood streamed from Calder’s chest and nose, he said.
Filomeno said Kamaludeen gave him $40 to give to his roommate to borrow the steam cleaner to clean up the carpet in the building’s office. He drove the van alone, leaving Kamaludeen at Imaging Technologies.
Defense attorney Jay Slocum questioned Filomeno’s actions, asking why he did not go to the police when he drove away from Kamaludeen in safety.
Filomeno said he worried about going to the police because Kamaludeen knew where his mother lived.
“I don’t know what’s going on in his mind,” he said.
Filomeno drove back to Imaging Technologies and cleaned the carpet in the office, to clean up bloody foot prints, he said.
Kamaludeen and Filomeno put Calder’s body into a large cardboard box lined with plastic and a blanket. Kamaludeen shrink-wrapped the top of the box. They moved it into Kamaludeen’s work van, he said.
Kamaludeen opened Calder’s Lexus and turned the car on, Filomeno said.
“Carlos, drive this for me,” Kamaludeen said, according to Filomeno.
Filomeno said he followed Kamaludeen and parked the Lexus on Evans Street. Kamaludeen dropped him off where he was staying, told him to take a shower and be ready.
Filomeno said Kamaludeen and James Calder talked about Kamaludeen’s trip to Arizona. Kamaludeen opened the back of the van to show James Calder the items to be taken to Arizona. Calder left and Kamaludeen took Filomeno with him to Kamaludeen’s house, he said.
They drove the van on Interstate 80 east for four to five hours in silence, Filomeno said.
“I was scared every time he moved,” Filomeno said, like he was talking about buying a pack of cigarettes.
Kamaludeen and Filomeno dumped the body 20 feet from the road and put the box back in the van, he said.

nevadasagebrush.com/blog/2008/10/17/alleged-accomplice-details-role-in-professors-murder/

Murder Trial Begins

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Jury selection ended Monday in the murder trial of the man accused of killing University of Nevada, Reno Professor Judy Calder.

Mohamed Kamaludeen, also known as Rickey Barge, allegedly stabbed Calder in the chest in August 2007, according to court documents.

The trial will start at 9 a.m. Wednesday with opening statements.

Calder’s husband James Calder of Incline Village reported her missing on Aug. 19, 2007 to the Sparks Police Department. He became worried after calling her several times without answer.

The next day he visited her hotel room and found her laptop, clothes and diabetes medication. He then called her office and local hospitals and jails before notifying police.

Her body was found one week later off of Highway 93 between Wells and Jackpot. Calder’s body was identified by dental records.

Kamaludeen, a former business associate of Calder, allegedly stabbed her in the chest as she walked into a Reno warehouse. Kamaludeen owed Calder money.

Mohamed Kamaludeen

He was listed as an owner of the warehouse, Imaging Technologies.

Police arrested Carlos Filemino Aug. 30, 2007 for violating his probation. Filemino, who worked for Kamaludeen, told police he bought a set of knives and three sweat suits with money Kamaludeen gave him.

Filemino told police he helped Kamaludeen clean up the area where Calder was murdered and helped dump Calder’s body.

Carolyn Conger, Calder’s sister, flew in from Santa Monica, Calif. to be at the trial.

“[The family is] eager for this to be resolved,” she said.

nevadasagebrush.com/blog/2008/10/14/murder-trial-begins/

Abizaid outlines foreign policy issues

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Gen. John Abizaid outlined the four strategic issues that the next president will face.

He spoke Wednesday night to a crowd of 400 students, faculty and members of the public in the Joe Crowley Student Union ballroom, part of the Nevada Speaker series. Abizaid, former commander of the United States Central Command, commanded troops in Afghanistan and Iraq and has an intimate knowledge of the Middle East and its challenges.

al Qaeda and the rise of Sunni extremism

“Al Qaeda knows how to attack the U.S. and Europe on their own soil,” Abizaid said, citing various bombings throughout Europe and the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

The Al Qaeda movement is held together by extremist ideology and connected by the Internet, Abizaid said.

“They’re not a bunch of crazy people in caves,” he said.

The Al Qaeda is made up of a large number of parts, and the suicide bombers and training camps are only one element, he said. Attacking one part of the organization merely pushes the terrorists to another part of the organization. To effectively handle Al Qaeda, the United States must attack it from all sides.

The fight against Al Qaeda will be a long one, Abizaid said.

“They don’t think in five second sound bites,” he said. “They think in 500 years.”

Al Qaeda is committed to not letting go of the United States, he said. Even though they aim to push the United States out of the Middle East, the terrorists will not walk away from the United States, he said.

Iran and the rise of Shia extremism

“Iran wants to be the state with the most influence in the Middle East,” Abizaid said. “[They’re] determined to extend their power.”

He said Iran must be contained, not conquered. Even though Iran must be restricted, the people of Iran are not the ones to be worried about.

“It’s a crazy government, not crazy people,” he said.

Arab-Israeli Conflict

“The Arab-Israeli conflict requires involvement early in an administrations term,” Abizaid said.

The next U.S. president must bring the Israelis and Palestinians to the peace-talks table, he said. The only way to broker peace is for the next president to start talking as soon as possible.

America’s continued dependence on Middle Eastern oil

“Oil exportation from the Middle East fuels the global economy,” Abizaid said. “The United States is the protector of the oil exportation.”

The next president must deal with America’s dependence on oil in a broad sense, he said. The tendency during this campaign has been how to deal with oil dependence in a small sense.

America needs to develop other ways of providing energy to stop its dependence on oil from the Middle East, he said. The money that America sends to the Middle East for its oil often finds its way to terrorist organizations, he said.

nevadasagebrush.com/blog/2008/10/06/abizaid-outlines-foreign-policy-issues/