Armed Beauty Queen Fatally Shoots Intruder in Florida Home Invasion

[JohnSmith2007 353]

Armed Beauty Queen Fatally Shoots Intruder in Florida Home Invasion

By Cristina Corbin

Published March 22, 2011

When a burly ex-convict forced his way into a posh Florida home last week, he had no idea what awaited him -- a 25-year-old beauty queen with a pink .38-caliber handgun.

Meghan Brown, a former Florida pageant queen, shot and killed 42-year-old Albert Franklin Hill during a home invasion March 12 at the 2,732-square-foot house she shares with her fiance in Tierra Verde, Fla.

Hill barged into the home at around 3 a.m. after Brown responded to a knock at the front door, according to a police report. He allegedly grabbed the 110-pound Brown around her nose and mouth and dragged her to an upstairs bedroom.

The woman’s fiance, Robert Planthaber, said in an interview that he was quickly awakened by the altercation and ran to Brown’s side.

"I attacked him and took a severe beating to the head," Planthaber told FoxNews.com. "But I got him off of her long enough for her to scramble to the room where she keeps her pink .38 special.”

Brown, who reigned as the 2009 Miss Tierra Verde, snatched her gun from a nearby bedroom and shot the suspect several times – hitting him in the chest, groin, thigh and back, her fiance said. Hill was pronounced dead at the scene.

Panthaber, a 42-year-old arborist, said he believes he and his fiancee were targeted because of their wealth. He claimed a pizza delivery man and possible accomplice staked out the home for three months before Hill attempted to burglarize it.

“We live in a very prominent area and my fiancee wears a $60,000 engagement ring,” he said. “The pizza man knew we had money because sometimes we needed change for a $100 bill when he came to deliver pizza.”

Hill had a criminal record stretching back nearly three decades -- including arrests for burglary, battery, drug possession and grand theft. He reportedly served a 13-year prison term in 1987 and was released in September after serving a fourth term behind bars.

Detectives with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Robbery/Homicide Unit are still investigating the crime but believe the motive was robbery, according to local press reports. They say they haven’t yet determined the relationship, if any, Hill had with the couple. A police report said the ex-convict demanded money before the altercation between Hill and Panthaber ensued.

Panthaber, meanwhile, said he and his fiancee are lucky to be alive. He said he purchased the pink handgun for Brown last Christmas and that the two had gone to target practice together.

“She was not a good shot at the range,” he quipped.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/03/22/armed-beauty-queen-fatally-shoots-intruder-florida-home-invasion/

[Staashi 371]

Normally, I'm all for gun control, but this dude was asking for it. The idea that he drug her upstairs makes me concerned for what his intentions were.

[SMR 368]

Armed Beauty Queen Fatally Shoots Intruder in Florida Home Invasion

By Cristina Corbin

Published March 22, 2011

When a burly ex-convict forced his way into a posh Florida home last week, he had no idea what awaited him -- a 25-year-old beauty queen with a pink .38-caliber handgun.

Meghan Brown, a former Florida pageant queen, shot and killed 42-year-old Albert Franklin Hill during a home invasion March 12 at the 2,732-square-foot house she shares with her fiance in Tierra Verde, Fla.

Hill barged into the home at around 3 a.m. after Brown responded to a knock at the front door, according to a police report. He allegedly grabbed the 110-pound Brown around her nose and mouth and dragged her to an upstairs bedroom.

The woman’s fiance, Robert Planthaber, said in an interview that he was quickly awakened by the altercation and ran to Brown’s side.

"I attacked him and took a severe beating to the head," Planthaber told FoxNews.com. "But I got him off of her long enough for her to scramble to the room where she keeps her pink .38 special.”

Brown, who reigned as the 2009 Miss Tierra Verde, snatched her gun from a nearby bedroom and shot the suspect several times – hitting him in the chest, groin, thigh and back, her fiance said. Hill was pronounced dead at the scene.

Panthaber, a 42-year-old arborist, said he believes he and his fiancee were targeted because of their wealth. He claimed a pizza delivery man and possible accomplice staked out the home for three months before Hill attempted to burglarize it.

“We live in a very prominent area and my fiancee wears a $60,000 engagement ring,” he said. “The pizza man knew we had money because sometimes we needed change for a $100 bill when he came to deliver pizza.”

Hill had a criminal record stretching back nearly three decades -- including arrests for burglary, battery, drug possession and grand theft. He reportedly served a 13-year prison term in 1987 and was released in September after serving a fourth term behind bars.

Detectives with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Robbery/Homicide Unit are still investigating the crime but believe the motive was robbery, according to local press reports. They say they haven’t yet determined the relationship, if any, Hill had with the couple. A police report said the ex-convict demanded money before the altercation between Hill and Panthaber ensued.

Panthaber, meanwhile, said he and his fiancee are lucky to be alive. He said he purchased the pink handgun for Brown last Christmas and that the two had gone to target practice together.

“She was not a good shot at the range,” he quipped.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/03/22/armed-beauty-queen-fatally-shoots-intruder-florida-home-invasion/

They should have waited for the police. What were they thinking?

[Dan and Judy 614]

Sounds fishy to me

[Dakine10 5,452]

Panthaber, a 42-year-old arborist, said he believes he and his fiancee were targeted because of their wealth. He claimed a pizza delivery man and possible accomplice staked out the home for three months before Hill attempted to burglarize it.

“We live in a very prominent area and my fiancee wears a $60,000 engagement ring,” he said. “The pizza man knew we had money because sometimes we needed change for a $100 bill when he came to deliver pizza.”

The story sounds a little weird though. Who invades a home by knocking on the door at 3:00 AM? Why would you be wearing a $60000 ring while paying for pizza with $100 bills, and why would you watch a guy stake out your house for 3 months without going to the police. And with all that going on, why would you even open the door at 3:00 AM anyway?

Pretty dumb burglar if a 3 month stakeout culminates with knocking on the door.

The home owner may be an arborist, but I wouldn't be surprised if he's cultivating a little cash crop the side.

[IR5FORMUMSIE 850]

The story sounds a little weird though. Who invades a home by knocking on the door at 3:00 AM? Why would you be wearing a $60000 ring while paying for pizza with $100 bills, and why would you watch a guy stake out your house for 3 months without going to the police. And with all that going on, why would you even open the door at 3:00 AM anyway?

Pretty dumb burglar if a 3 month stakeout culminates with knocking on the door.

The home owner may be an arborist, but I wouldn't be surprised if he's cultivating a little cash crop the side.

As a fellow Canuck, let me remind people to only buy BC Bud, it's Tommy Chong approved. This story sounds like a hoax to me, unless BC Bud was involved. I'm guessing Sativa?

[Dan and Judy 614]

THE GUY WAS SET UP

[Dan and Judy 614]

Wedding skips a beat and perhaps a year

A couple wants to wed on that special day, but which year? It falls to an insurance company to

By JANEL STEPHENS

© St. Petersburg Times

published February 5, 2003

TIERRA VERDE -- They had their first date on Valentine's Day last year.

Two weeks later, Robert Planthaber asked Krissie Sudol to marry him. They planned the event for this Valentine's Day, only nine days away -- a mere heartbeat for Cupid.

He sold his custom Harley, his boat and his yellow Dodge Viper to buy an expensive diamond, flown in from Israel, to make a jewel that would double as engagement and wedding ring. Retail value: $31,000. The money also helped to buy a nice home in Tierra Verde.

He presented the ring to Krissie at their engagement party in April. Life was good.

Then she lost the ring.

The last time the couple saw it was Dec. 11. They had an appointment for premarital counseling at 3 p.m. that day. They left the office after 5 p.m. and went to dinner at the Moon Under Water, 332 Beach Dr. NE, St. Petersburg. After a few drinks, the two had a spat. That was the last time they both saw the ring.

"I guess I had taken it off at some point," said Sudol, who is 28. "I don't remember taking it off. For some reason I think I might have put it in my pocket in my jacket."

Sudol didn't realize the ring was missing until the next morning. She woke up about 10 a.m. and felt for her ring, which she admits she does often. It was gone.

She searched her jacket and the snug jeans she wore that night. The ring wasn't there. She called Planthaber at work -- he's an arborist who has had his own company for 17 years, Planthaber Trees in Tampa. He cuts trees in the Culbreath Isles and Palma Ceia areas in Tampa, which he says provides a six-figure income. Planthaber immediately came home to help her search their house.

"We've turned this place upside down," Planthaber said from his recently purchased home on 863 Third Ave. S, Tierra Verde.

The couple retraced their steps and revisited the gas station they stopped at that night before heading home along with the restaurant. Planthaber searched his 1999 Cadillac Escalade several times. No luck.

"We've done everything," Planthaber said. "It boils down to one thing: The ring is definitely lost. We can't find it."

They filed a police report on Dec. 12. Because the ring was insured, the insurance adjuster met with them the following week to take their report.

This was the second jewelry claim Planthaber made in 2002. Before losing the ring, he misplaced his $18,000 Rolex watch, which was later found by his car detailer. He called the insurance company and canceled that claim.

Following policy, the insurer wanted to document everything before paying up and to talk to anyone who knew anything about the ring.

The couple wants the ring or the money for a new one in time for a Valentine's Day wedding. That's not likely.

Otherwise, they are planning to postpone their wedding until Valentine's Day next year. "They've basically ruined everything," said Planthaber, 35. "We don't want to get married after that. We wanted to get married on Valentine's Day because it means something to us."

But the insurance company says it's not delaying anything, just checking things carefully and following its policies, said Kathy Thomas, communications specialist with Allstate Insurance Co.

"We want to work with Mr. Planthaber. We're just following the process according to our policy," Thomas said. "We wouldn't want to stand in the way of his wedding. We're doing everything we can to follow our policy and work with him," Thomas said.

As of now, the wedding is off. The insurance company and the couple will sit down with attorneys for a taped deposition on Feb. 21 to sort out what's what.

http://www.sptimes.com/2003/02/05/SouthPinellas/Wedding_skips_a_beat_.shtml

either they were working on a scam with this guy and it went bad. Or they just wanted to re ignite her career

[IR5FORMUMSIE 850]

THE GUY WAS SET UP

Why do all my dates end this way?

[Fandango 1,439]

Wedding skips a beat and perhaps a year

A couple wants to wed on that special day, but which year? It falls to an insurance company to

By JANEL STEPHENS

© St. Petersburg Times

published February 5, 2003

TIERRA VERDE -- They had their first date on Valentine's Day last year.

Two weeks later, Robert Planthaber asked Krissie Sudol to marry him. They planned the event for this Valentine's Day, only nine days away -- a mere heartbeat for Cupid.

He sold his custom Harley, his boat and his yellow Dodge Viper to buy an expensive diamond, flown in from Israel, to make a jewel that would double as engagement and wedding ring. Retail value: $31,000. The money also helped to buy a nice home in Tierra Verde.

He presented the ring to Krissie at their engagement party in April. Life was good.

Then she lost the ring.

The last time the couple saw it was Dec. 11. They had an appointment for premarital counseling at 3 p.m. that day. They left the office after 5 p.m. and went to dinner at the Moon Under Water, 332 Beach Dr. NE, St. Petersburg. After a few drinks, the two had a spat. That was the last time they both saw the ring.

"I guess I had taken it off at some point," said Sudol, who is 28. "I don't remember taking it off. For some reason I think I might have put it in my pocket in my jacket."

Sudol didn't realize the ring was missing until the next morning. She woke up about 10 a.m. and felt for her ring, which she admits she does often. It was gone.

She searched her jacket and the snug jeans she wore that night. The ring wasn't there. She called Planthaber at work -- he's an arborist who has had his own company for 17 years, Planthaber Trees in Tampa. He cuts trees in the Culbreath Isles and Palma Ceia areas in Tampa, which he says provides a six-figure income. Planthaber immediately came home to help her search their house.

"We've turned this place upside down," Planthaber said from his recently purchased home on 863 Third Ave. S, Tierra Verde.

The couple retraced their steps and revisited the gas station they stopped at that night before heading home along with the restaurant. Planthaber searched his 1999 Cadillac Escalade several times. No luck.

"We've done everything," Planthaber said. "It boils down to one thing: The ring is definitely lost. We can't find it."

They filed a police report on Dec. 12. Because the ring was insured, the insurance adjuster met with them the following week to take their report.

This was the second jewelry claim Planthaber made in 2002. Before losing the ring, he misplaced his $18,000 Rolex watch, which was later found by his car detailer. He called the insurance company and canceled that claim.

Following policy, the insurer wanted to document everything before paying up and to talk to anyone who knew anything about the ring.

The couple wants the ring or the money for a new one in time for a Valentine's Day wedding. That's not likely.

Otherwise, they are planning to postpone their wedding until Valentine's Day next year. "They've basically ruined everything," said Planthaber, 35. "We don't want to get married after that. We wanted to get married on Valentine's Day because it means something to us."

But the insurance company says it's not delaying anything, just checking things carefully and following its policies, said Kathy Thomas, communications specialist with Allstate Insurance Co.

"We want to work with Mr. Planthaber. We're just following the process according to our policy," Thomas said. "We wouldn't want to stand in the way of his wedding. We're doing everything we can to follow our policy and work with him," Thomas said.

As of now, the wedding is off. The insurance company and the couple will sit down with attorneys for a taped deposition on Feb. 21 to sort out what's what.

http://www.sptimes.c...s_a_beat_.shtml

either they were working on a scam with this guy and it went bad. Or they just wanted to re ignite her career

That's not even the same woman. Odd

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Good shooting!

[justashooter 430]

Good shooting!

he must be one ugly dude to have to spend this kind of money on bling to get a young pretty girl to marry him.