Sheriff's wife, deputy among 4 dead in shooting outside sheriff's house in Florida

ap wire ^ | Jan. 31, 2007 | ap

[varina davis]

Sheriff's wife, deputy among 4 dead in shooting outside sheriff's house in Florida

By MELISSA NELSON (Associated Press Writer) From Associated Press January 31, 2007 1:53 AM EST

MARIANNA, Fla. - The wife of a rural sheriff, a deputy and two suspects were killed Tuesday evening in shootings outside the sheriff's home.

The violence began when Mellie McDaniel, wife of the Jackson County Sheriff, arrived home, State Attorney Steve Meadows said.

After pulling into her driveway, the two suspects shot and killed the sheriff's wife, authorities said. A deputy responding to McDaniel's call was shot and killed moments later.

Deputies and other officers - including the sheriff, John McDaniel - arrived and killed the two suspects in an exchange of gunfire, Meadows said. The names of the deputy and the two suspects were not released.

More than 100 law officers searched the area surrounding the McDaniels' home late into the night Tuesday, but Meadows said authorities did not believe there were additional suspects. He said the search was being conducted out of an abundance of caution.

"The community should not be concerned. We believe this was not a random case," Meadows said. He would not discuss a potential motive for the shooting.

This was not the first time the sheriff has experienced personal, violent tragedy. His father was gunned down while working at a gas station in 1980. Serial killer Henry Lee Lucas later confessed to the slaying.

Marianna is in the Florida Panhandle, northwest of Tallahassee.

[archy]

The depths that some people here will go to just to attack cops is sickening. I would expect to find that type of attitude at DU, not here.

Indeed. And the murders of spouses by fed-up cops should be kept secret from the public, who have no real understanding of such sensitive police matters. Why, we won't even need any written laws at all, just the judgement of the *professional* officers on the street.

Of course, then *our* police would have no more legitimate authority than any other armed criminal gang, just nicer uniforms and better equipment...sometimes.

[archy]

What motive would the bad guys have for killing the sheriff's wife? That's weak.

An intended ransom kidnapping gone bad, perhaps?

Even to this day, there are those who figure that the murder of Tennessee Sheriff Buford *Walking Tall* Pusser's wife Pauline in a drive-by ambush on the early morning of 12 August 1967 was a setup by the sheriff.

Of course, many of those helping that speculation along were among those involved in that and other attempts at getting the pesky lawman out of the way. And five years later, the sheriff was indeed out of the way, just after a press conference in which he announced that the rest of the real story- including the names of those behind his wife's murder- would be a part of the script.

The Florida sheriff would look a lot better if he'd been at home when his wife had returned, or if he'd been in the car with her, as Pusser was. And had the scars to prove it.

[Blue Jays]

Courage.

[babygene]

"An intended ransom kidnapping gone bad, perhaps?"

If you were going to kidnap someone for ransom, don't you think you'd pick someone with a little more money than a sheriff?

[archy]

If you were going to kidnap someone for ransom, don't you think you'd pick someone with a little more money than a sheriff?

Depends. And a couple of dopers might have been more interested in the possibility of a swap for confiscated drugs rather than cash. And that could be the case whether the sheriff really is straight-arrow, or is himself in the drug business, using his badge to eliminate pesky competitors- as has happened before. I think it's really too soon to begin to guess which.

Heck, if the two goofs had survived and played their cards right, they might even have gotten a federal prosecutor to give them immunity from prosecution....

[closrthanuthnk]

OMG! It is a shame that people will post crap and they don't even know what they are talking about. Anyone who KNOWS Johnny Mac, knows he loved Mellie. He would NEVER do anything like is suggested.
It is true that one of the killers thought that he had a right to his dead (murdered) wife's insurance money, and Johnny Mac would not release him as a suspect in Federal Court the week before. Sands was a fruitcake as reported by his neighbors. He was pissed about the Johnny not releasing him as a suspect...as suspects are not allowed to collect insurance money...and it appears his intent was targeting Johnny Mac and whoever went down with him, so be it. Actually it appeared that they had intentions of torturing Miss Mellie, possibly the Sheriff, and things went awry in their plan. I don't think they counted on Miss Mellie being on the phone with her husband the moment she pulled into the drive. I am pretty close to this and it has not been told to me that Miss Mellie was told to stay in the car. More like she was taken by surprise, not suspecting that harm would come to her. I don't think her remarks to her husband were alarming, just a simple remark. People pull up here all the time and ask questions and just talk. It is the South, people are friendly. (Hmm) However, it was reported that he heard her scream...no shots, like she was yanked out of the car by surprise. The SHERIFF'S father was shot by Henry Lee Lucas almost 30 years ago, not the Deputy's father. The Sheriff's son died a couple of years ago, and his mother died in this past year. The details as to the order of whether Miss Mellie or the Deputy (Mike) was shot first is not known. The Sheriff came up on the scene soon after and popped off shots, but another Deputy was strategically placed and was able to get off the fatal shots. He did not get there AFTER the shoot-out, he was part of it. This was not a situation regarding poor education, poor economics, hired hit, etc...this was over greed. If I am correct, there was a double indemnity clause in Sand's wife's insurance and HE WANTED IT, and the sheriff was keeping it from him. It was not a burglary, even though many are taking place here. The sheriff was the target and possibly Miss Mellie too, but he was primary. She did not call 9-1-1, she was having a conversation with her husband on their cells, both were on their way home. When he heard her scream he got right on the radio and said to send the closest deputies to his house, Mellie was screaming. The Sheriff has NEVER been a suspect, as they already had a good idea as to why these two were there. Yes, one of those guys was the husband of a woman whose demise was a little "odd", and yes, the other guy was the husband's alibi for that incident. Yes, they had things like ties of some sort, bleach and disguises. I personally believe that they intended on doing a dirty deed and walking away from it scott free. "Redneck Revenge" about sums it up. As far as I have understood, the suspects did not wait in the house till the deputy got there, they were outside behind a car. I don't believe Sand's necessarily thought charges would be brought against him, as apparently they didn't have enough evidence to finger HIM, or ANYONE in PARTICULAR, but since he stood to gain the most (in the millions if ruled an accident)....
While money is a major reason for murders, so is revenge and anger....don't forget those factors!
There is no evidence that shows that they intended on kidnapping for ransom.
I WISH our police officers had better equipment than the criminals!
Let me just let you know, babygene, that the sheriff does NOT look bad locally in any way. He is very bereaved and placed the loss of the Deputy as close to his heart as losing Miss Mellie, and he LOVED her. **The following is a smarta** comment: It is a pity that the sheriff was actually on his way home FROM HIS JOB!** I cannot understand for the life of me why that makes him look more guilty rather than him being home waiting for her!
I personally am glad the suspects are dead and it has thus saved the taxpayers and families the heartache of a trial that COULD get them life in prison rather than the death penalty. They deserved what they got!

[Historiocality]

As a lifelong resident of Jackson County, I can honestly say there is NO possibility of Mr McDaniel being involved in this heinous crime. But anybody who knows how politics works knows that there are some things you don’t get elected to unless you do powerful people favors of one kind or another. Mr Mac had recently announced that he was not going to seek relection to the office of county sheriff (a position he has held for many years) if I recall correctly. I do not doubt his honesty or integrity but I have a feeling that he quit doing favors for some powerful folks who didn’t quite like that idea and decided to make an example. This is all speculation on my part, and there may be no truth in it, but people have have been dissappeared before.
We have a neighbor who does all sorts of atrocious things (he ain’t a native either) but he gets away with it because he knows people in the system. Unless he was to kill someone in a crowded street in broad daylight (which he’s crazy enough to do) he’ll never be touched.
Thirty odd years ago two fellas attempted to kill my grandpa in broad-daylight, in front of multiple reliable witnesses, because he wouldn’t let them hunt deer on his property. But it never went to court because their daddy had “connections.”
Politics is all about who you know. Here and everywhere else too I expect.