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Home Invader Gets Life

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The trial and sentencing of a New Hampshire home invasion that goes back to 2009 where a gang of late teens and 20 somethings broke into a home while the mom and daughter were sleeping is over. The dad was away on business. In the course of events, the mom died of a machete wound and the daughter was severely injured.

CBS News reports “Judge Gillian Abramson imposed the mandatory sentence of life without parole, telling Gribble (the lead home invader/murderer), “infinity is not enough jail time.”

Gribble claimed the insanity defense and admitted he did it along with a guy named Spader and that they intended to kill anyone they found in the house.

“Most of Gribble’s knife blows targeted the girl. A lead investigator said that even as she lay on the bedroom floor bloodied and feigning death, she opened one eye and watched as Gribble plunged a knife into the throat of her mother, Kimberly Cates.”

The father said in a victim impact statement:  “I’ve lived the accounts of Kim’s murder one excruciating blow after another. Through these accounts I have heard my wife’s last breath, heard my daughter’s screams, seen my daughter’s perfect body mutilated. I don’t have any illusions this invasion of the sanctity of our home will ever be behind us. Jaime and I won’t live a day without thinking of the horrific things that happened in our home and that Kim will never again be with us.”

Here are 5 tips to help keep you safe and prevent a home invasion:

1. Never talk to strangers via an open or screen door. Always talk to them through a locked door.

2. NEVER let children open the door. Always require and adult to do it.

3. Install a home burglar alarm and keep it on 24/7/365. With a home alarm system on, when someone knocks on the door, a conscious decision has to be made to turn off the alarm. Most people will keep it on.

4. Not all home invaders knock, some break in without warning.  Just another reason to have that alarm on.

5. Install a 24-hour camera surveillance system. Cameras are a great deterrent.  Have them pointed to every door and access point.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to Home Security Source discussing home invasions on the Gordon Elliot Show.

Remote Control Home Alarm Provides Additional Security

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Some painters were recommended to me by referral. By all accounts, they were hard workers and reputable.  Because of my normal home security obsessed nature, I’d generally do some type of background check on the owner and get something of a background check from him on his employees. However, because of the time crunch of the project, and the fact I was away while my interior was being painted, that wasn’t an option here.

Fortunately, I have the ADT Pulse™ home automation system that lets me check in on every aspect of my homes activity remotely.

After the floor sanders left the home, the painters came in right after. I was able to monitor and watch their progress via my internal security cameras and monitor my home security, as well. I have some funny video of painters face up against my cameras like curious creatures happening upon technology in a wilderness PBS documentary. Funny stuff!

Anyway, the remote home control system allows me to set up automatic recording of the cameras every time a motion sensor detects movement. The painters were given specific instruction of where to paint and where not to paint, which also meant where on the house they were allowed to be.

For example, the bedrooms were NOT to be painted, which meant there should be absolutely no triggering of the motion detector or cameras in that wing of the home. And, I can happily say at no point in time my cameras automatically record the standard 30 seconds of video when the motions are tripped in the bedroom wing.  I know this because I was able to access my system from thousands of miles away over the internet and see all movement and recorded incidents.

Further, in the office area, I have all kinds of technology that I wasn’t able to remove from the home and there are office cabinets that nobody should be snooping in. The painters had a job to do in that area and my cameras detected and recorded constant movement. In reviewing the footage, I concluded they in fact did their jobs and at no time snooped or violated my home security. I love that “I know”.

And finally after they left, the concern was they now knew the “lay of the land” and every aspect of my home security. So if anyone of the painters was a part time burglar, he was able to case my home from the inside, and would know how to easily break in. He could also unlock a window to help him out.

However, my home alarm has sensors on each window and upon remotely monitoring my system I determined one of the windows was in fact left propped open.  More than likely this was done by accident. So, I called a friend over to lock it and make sure all the other doors and windows were properly locked.

Once my friend left, I was able to remotely set the alarm via my iPhone to “away status” which meant all the sensors were armed including the motion detectors. Even if I couldn’t get a friend over to shut and lock all the windows, I could still set the alarm and it would “protest” the open window but still activate. And even if the “painter/burglar” came in through the unlocked window, the motion sensor would pick him up and go off. Nice. Thanks ADT Pulse™!

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to Home Security Source discussing ADT Pulse™ on Fox News.

Dumb Pizza Burglar Stuck In Vent

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Oh the beauty of stupidity. Not a day goes by that some dolt breaks the law and makes himself look like a total buffoon.

This burglar decided to break into a pizza parlor through an exit: the smoke vent. If you’ve ever walked behind a strip mall where there is a restaurant you know which unit houses the fry-o-lator, it’s the one that has globs of grease dripping down the side of the building via the vent.

Mr. Grease Monkey climbed inside the vent, got stuck, fell halfway through the duct, screamed for help and cops showed up and saw two dangling legs sticking out of the vent!

Police said he was extremely distraught and shouted for assistance. Firefighters took roughly 30 minutes to dislodge him.

The Times Union reports in “his mugshot, his face, white T-shirt and jeans were coated in grease and grime. The dumb criminal was on parole after being released from prison on Jan. 27, 2010. Records show he has served five previous prison stints for burglary or attempted burglary dating back to 1992.”

Sounds like he has a problem.

Officials say he did extensive damage to the duct and the fire suppression system. More than likely the damage done would equate to thousands of dollars in repairs and money lost due to the restaurants inability to serve their customers.

Often burglars do more damage in dollars to the home/business than they are able to steal.

Whether a commercial or residential installation a security system goes far to protect the premises. Home security alarms equipped with home security cameras, glass break sensors and signage is a great investment to protect your investment.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to Home Security Source discussing ADTPulse on Fox News.

Home Invader Claims Insanity Defense

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Certainly when someone hacks another person to death it is safe to say something is very wrong with them.

In criminal trials, Wikipedia defines “the insanity defenses are possible defenses by excuse, an affirmative defense by which defendants argue that they should not be held criminally liable for breaking the law because they were legally insane at the time of the commission of alleged crimes. A defendant attempting such a defense will often be required to undergo a mental examination beforehand. The legal definition of “insane” is, in this context, quite different from psychiatric definitions of “mentally ill”. When the insanity defense is successful, the defendant is usually committed to a psychiatric hospital.”

His defense was that he was insane at the time because of a rough childhood at the hands of an abusive mother. “We taught him the difference between right and wrong,” said Christopher Gribble’s mother. “I believe he knew it was wrong to kill.”

The home invasion goes back to 2009 where a gang of late teens and 20 something’s broke into a home while the mom and daughter were sleeping. The dad was away on business. In the course of events the mom died of a machete wound and the daughter was severely injured.

New Hampshire law makers are reexamining their death penalty law. The House is voting whether to make home invasions like this murder, a capital crime.

I say go for it. However it won’t be a deterrent. Criminals are criminals because the law has no consequence to them. Therefore you must protect yourself. At least lock your doors and invest in a home security system.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to Home Security Source discussing ADTPulse™ on Fox News.

18 Snagged In Home Invasion Ring

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When a municipality has an organized ring of home invaders you know they have problems.

In Fresno Country California a special task force including officers from the sheriff’s department, SWAT teams, and local police agencies had to be created to conquer the growing problem of home invasions in their district. As you know a home invasion occurs when the home owner is at home, there is forcible entry, a weapon is often involved and violence and theft is on the invaders agenda.

In states like New Hampshire the “Live Free or Die” state they have actually passed laws making the crime of home invasion a consideration for the death penalty.

In a concentrated period of time, there were at least 6 home invasions carried out by this gang. They used a common ruse to gain entry by posing as census workers and in some cases as tree trimmers.

When they pose as tree trimmers it often involves the homeowner being taken into the back yard while the invaders go in through the front door and ransack the home.

CrimeVoice.com reports “And in one case they actually took a photograph of the child in the house.  (They) threatened if they did call police; they had a picture of the child, knew what they looked like, and would harm them.  Jewelry has yet to be recovered; the task force did help uncover $25,000 in cash, along with eight weapons ranging from pistols to one automatic shotgun that was also seized during the serving of dozens of search warrants”

Prevent home invasions:

Never talk to strangers via an open or screen door. Home-invaders pose as delivery people, law enforcement or public workers.

If someone is in distress tell him or her you will call the police for them. Don’t open the door for them.

Under no circumstances do you open the door unless you get phone numbers to call their superiors. Even if that means making them wait outside while you call 411.

One reason your house is chosen is someone tipped off the home-invader that you have valuables. You may have done it via social media or your friends or children or baby sitter might have unintentionally bragged. Loose lips sink ships!

Install a home alarm. Be proactive with the help of ADT Pulse™, a new interactive smart home solution that goes beyond traditional home security to provide a new level of control, accessibility and connection with the home.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to Home Security Source discussing ADT Pulse™ on Fox News.

Home Invasion Suspects Don “FBI” Gear

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In Buffalo New York WBEN reports  “Buffalo Police are investigating a home invasion at a Sussex Street home. The male victim told police the suspects accosted him, wearing what appeared to be FBI badges and jackets.”

“The victim reported that he was driving down Welker Street at around 8:45 AM, when four or five black males wearing “FBI” gear stopped him, and forced their way into his van. The then made the man drive them back to his house. Once inside, the victim said the suspects tied up and pistol-whipped his wife. They then ransacked the home, and made off with jewelry and possibly other items. Before they left, the suspects shot the male victim in his hand.”

That’s a tough one. In a recent post “Fake Cops Home Invasion — Respecting Vs. Trusting” It is important to respect the position of the title. Everyone deserves some respect until they don’t. But, to blindly trust the person behind the title/uniform/badge etc, can get you hurt.

We live in a society that has many rules. We need rules because without rule, we’d devolve into chaos. Those rules are often broken by those who believe they are above them or are simply so desperate that they need to break them to get their next fix. Some of these rules are more “guidelines” than they are law.

If the homeowner drove straight to the police department because he was concerned for his personal security, regardless of what kind of jacket the perpetrators were wearing, he could have saved himself lots of trouble.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to Home Security Source discussing home invasions on the Gordon Elliot Show.

Mother’s Book Recalls Serial Killer’s ’07 Massachusetts Home Invasion

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In July of 2007 on a hot summer night a serial killer was arrested after he broke into a 15-year-old girl’s room in Chelmsford Massachusetts in the middle of the night and tried to rape her. The girl’s father heard her scream and held the masked and gloved Lane in a headlock until police arrived, authorities said.

At the victims’ home, the killer found the back door unlocked. The daughter left it that way when she came home that night, because she thought her brother was coming home later.

The Boston Globe reports the Mom, Jeannie, “has written a book about that night and its aftermath. In those adrenaline charged minutes, she says, ignorance kept her from becoming paralyzed: She did not know she was fighting a serial killer who had killed his previous victim the day before.”

Evil takes many forms. One of its forms is as Adam Leroy Lane. Lane was a truck driver from North Carolina whose route traveled up and down the east coast and attacked or murdered women in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts.

Apparently when the urge struck, he’d veer off the highway and stalk neighborhoods and jiggle door knobs until he found one unlocked with a woman inside. In all the cases, the killer picked his victims at random and attacked them at their homes near interstate highways that he traveled.

Lane was carrying knives, a belt with Chinese throwing stars and choke wire during the attack. Police also allegedly found in the cab of his truck a copy of the movie, “Hunting Humans,” which is about a serial killer. “I study them until I’ve got their pattern and it’s easy to do the rest,” says a line from the movie Hunting Humans.

This is exactly the breed of predator I’ve been screaming about my entire life. The always has been, there is, and there always will be Adam Leroy Lane’s jiggling another door knob.

Protect yourself and family.

  • Lock your doors and windows day and night because you are smart.
  • Beef up the lighting outside your home because you are aware.
  • Install home security cameras because you want a layer of protection.
  • Be proactive with the help of ADT Pulse™, a new interactive smart home solution that goes beyond traditional home security to provide a new level of control, accessibility and connection with the home

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to Home Security Source discussing Home Invasions on Maury Povich.

Traveling For Winter Vacations? Think Security

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Contrary to what some might suggest, I’ve never thought it was a good idea to place your name on a “stop mail” list at the post office. Because some crack head postal employee now has a list of opportunities.

It’s the same thing with stopping delivery of your newspaper. Once you are on that list, it is known you are away.

The best case scenario for both issues is to have a trusted friend, family member or neighbor grab your mail and newspaper for you.

Never list your vacation plans on social media. The last thing you need to be doing on Facebook is telling the world you are 2000 miles away.

Put lights on timers to give your home the “lived in look”. ADT Pulse™ does all this form you.

Do all the fundamentals like invest in a home alarm system that sends an alert to local law enforcement that your house has been broken into. Studies show as many as 25% of all American homes are equipped with a home security system. Monitoring is generally a buck a day.

Set yourself up with home security cameras. Mine can be accessed from my iPhone and online. It’s kind of addicting, and I’m always checking out the scene at the homestead when I travel.

Here are a few tips to help protect the safety of your home while you are gone:

  • If you are traveling by car make sure it’s running properly, check belts and tires and oil. Have a good spare and carry an emergency kit.
  • If you are heading overnight pack your car in your garage or late at night under the cover of darkness.
  • Use timers on indoor and outdoor lights.
  • Let a trusted neighbor and the police know you are traveling.
  • Unplug garage door openers.
  • Have a neighbor park their car in your driveway.
  • If grass is still growing where you live and if you’re gone for a bit have a landscaper mow your lawn.
  • Don’t share your travel plans on social media or on a voicemail outgoing message.
  • Lock everything of significant value in a safe.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to Home Security Source discussing Home Security on NBC Boston

Dumb Criminal Leaves Behind Charging Phone

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Fortunately not all burglars are Tom Cruise like in a scene from Mission Impossible. While some are violent, most of them are bumbling buffoons who need their next fix and just jiggle door knobs and make a quick hit and run to sell your stuff for a $10 vile.

One such dumb criminal took advantage of people’s homes after power outages brought on by a winter storm in Maryland. In the course of the storms about 40 homes had been broken into.

In one burglary, as reported in the Washington Post, “as the burglar was rifling through the rooms in that house, the homeowner’s son arrived and startled him. The burglar jumped out a window and fled. The son called police, who searched the house. They were stunned at what was found: a cell phone, charging in an electric socket, that didn’t belong to the homeowner. The phone led police to the burglar, who is now charged in 10 burglaries.”

Apparently, at the burglar’s home he didn’t have any power and used the homes he had broken into to charge up his mobile.

This burglar when through a window and apparently the home didn’t have an alarm.

Protect yourself:

Install signage. “Beware of Dog” and “This House is Alarmed” neon signs for $1.98. One for the front door and one for the back door.

Go to the pet store. Get 2 big dog bowls, one for the front porch and one for the back. Write “Killer” in permanent marker on it. This gives the impression you have a big dog. You can even buy a barking dog alarm.

Lock your doors and windows. Install a monitored alarm system. Consider ADT Pulse that comes with a battery backup even when the poser goes out.

Give your home that lived in look. Leave the TV on LOUD while you are gone.

Install timers on your lights both indoor and outdoor. Close the shades to prevent peeping inside.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to Home Security Source discussing ADT Pulse™ on Fox News.

What It’s Like To Have Your Home Robbed

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Recently, I worked with a Fox News reporter in Boston on a story about home burglaries and home security systems. The victim in our story states “I see the big smashed in window, glass everywhere,” says David Barstow of Methuen.

While his family was gone for only a couple of hours, a group of teens ransacked and burglarized his home. “It’s that sick feeling in your stomach,” he said. “What if my wife and daughter ever walked in here and they were still here?”

There is a feeling of overwhelm and “what if” that comes from any intrusion such as this. Unfortunately, these feelings sometimes never go away.

David went onto say “Instead of closing your blinds and saying thank God it wasn’t me, it’s going to be you next,” says David “who managed to catch the guys who broke into his house when the crooks returned to his neighborhood to grab some of the loot they left behind. Home security at this house has become a top priority.”

Home security should be a top priority in your home too. I know David’s home security system was installed after his family’s home was burgled. Studies show many people install a system after something bad happens.

It doesn’t have to be that way. Security is about being proactive. Not reactive. Be proactive.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to Home Security Source discussing ADT Pulse™   on Fox News.