GPS Used To Pin Charges In Girl's Death

(CBS/AP)  Data from a global positioning system installed in a man's car by a suspicious wife has led police to file murder charges in the death of the couple's 12-year-old baby sitter.

George Ford Jr., 42, of Piscataway, N.J., told police he was taking Shyanne Somers home the night of July 8 but took a detour to show her some horses, then accidentally ran her over as he turned his truck around on a rural road in central New York.

Ford, who has a seasonal home in South Otselic, was held without bail and is to be arraigned Monday in Chenango County Court.

Chenango County Sheriff Thomas Loughren said Thursday that Ford's routes of travel, times and speed were all recorded on a GPS system that Ford's wife had installed a few days earlier because she suspected he was having an affair.

"Wherever he drove, the locations, the roads, the times, the speed — it's all in there," Loughren told CBS affiliate WBNG.

He was charged Thursday with second-degree murder. He was originally charged with a felony count of reckless endangerment.

Ford's lawyer, Randel Scharf, disputed the importance of the GPS data and said the case against his client was weak.

"Mr. Ford didn't kill the little girl intentionally," Scharf said. The GPS shows the location of Ford's truck but "doesn't show the time she was run over."

WBNG correspondent Jessica Light notes that the time of death is key. The sheriff said the GPS data proves that Ford was alone with the girl for three hours before he killed her. Ford's defense attorney, however, says the data proves the opposite — that after accidentally running over Somers around midnight, Ford was in shock and stayed on the road for three hours afterwards.

Investigators said the GPS data show the truck was not at the location where she was killed until 3:20 a.m. They said Ford didn't take the girl to see horses, but instead drove around other roads and spent more than three hours with her behind an abandoned house.

Police said Ford told them he didn't take Shyanne to a hospital for nearly six hours because he was in shock, then he got lost. The GPS showed Ford drove around with the girl's body for a while, passing the hospital and traveling around the city for a few minutes before taking her there.

"This evidence is really unusual in a homicide case," Loughren said. "But in this particular case, it's crucial. It's like a gift from God for Shyanne, that's how we're looking at it."

Deputies say Ford had a cell phone with him but didn't attempt to use it to call for help.

Scharf said police failed to do an aggressive investigation early on so "they jimmy the GPS data and try to fashion an intentional murder out of it, which is horrendous. It's really a stretch."

[missmillie2]

This story has sounded absurd from the start and the details that are being revealed continue to become stranger and stranger. I am not saying that I don''t think George Ford is guilty of murdering the girl, but I''m also wondering how a GPS can determine when a person was killed. It gives details about where the vehicle was, how long it was there and the speed it was moving at a particular time. However, it doesn''t reveal any information about when an activity outside of the vehicle could have taken place. For those who accuse the wife of being responsible at all in this case - why? There may be details that haven''t been revealed that you don''t know. Maybe she didn''t even want the babysitter to begin with. Also, just because she had a GPS installed on the vehicle because she suspected he was having an affair doesn''t mean that she was suspicious of him driving around with little girls and running them over as cyberDJs4 implies. I especially enjoyed reading the comments where people made statements that have never been discussed in any newspaper. i.e., the comment from toldyouso21 "Probably with strangulation marks around her neck.....hmmmmm.," There were no signs of molestation or physical contact at all and never has that been an issue. Again, I''m not saying that he is not guilty, I''m just saying that there is really no reason in commenting unless you make valid points.

[hugbee]

I picture him making a move on the little girl and her running away. Then he chases her and runs her over.

[ecuadoriana]

"Maybe, I read a different article then you people but I don''''t see where he molested this girl. Nothing of the sort has even been mentioned." Posted by Hill_Dawg at 02:42 PM : Aug 19, 2007

Well, you do have a point there, Dawg. You''re right, we are all assuming that he molested her based on the questionable actions involving him "accidentally" running her over in the middle of the night after taking her to look at "horses" when he was supposed to be driving her home after babysitting.

See, I gotta wonder if he didn''t run her over "accidentally" as an attempt to hide evidence of any molestation. He must have ran her over pretty hard to kill her. He claimed he was attempting to "turn the truck around". So why wasn''t she in the truck with him? I place my money on the bet that he was hoping to completely destroy any evidence. Add that to the driving around for hours trying to come up with a story "because he was in shock". Oh please!

[hill_dawg]

Maybe, I read a different article then you people but I don''t see where he molested this girl. Nothing of the sort has even been mentioned.

[erasmus6]

strunke

"Most men have morales and know what is right and wrong."

Yeah, but the problem is which ones?

Let''s face it, most men "THINK" with the little head between their legs.

Now I don''t know if you can say that MOST have morales but certainly a lot do know what is right from wrong. How do you know though which ones do and which don''t?

One time my daughter was asked to stay over at a friends house. I had never met her parents before and so I phoned to speak to the mother. She said she wouldn''t be there but her husband would. I said that my daughter couldn''t stay then and she got REALLY pissed at me. She couldn''t see my point about it at all. I myself would never have had a friend of my childs come over if I wasn''t going to be home. BECAUSE I wouldn'' want to put my husband in that position. It wouldn''t be the first time someone was accused of something they didn''t do.

Also my eyes were wide open when it came to my own kids. Do I think that my husband would molest them. NO, buy hey, how many women are married to child molesters and rapists and don''t know it, or so they say.

I don''t believe in taking chances, but there are just too many out there that do and that is why there is such a problem.

[cyberdjs4]

BUSTED!!!

Obviously, the wife knew something wasn''t right with her hubby.
Now we know.

[carolrhill]

Anything this man says is a out and out lie. He knew what he was going to do to her there is no doubt in my mind. I was raped by my brother-in-law when I was twelve years old and it went on for nine (9) years.
The question is why did his wife allow him to take that child home alone why didn''t she go with him? She did not trust him at all so why did she trust her husband with such a young child?
The other thing is did the mother of this child know that he was intending to her home? Something does not smell right with this whole picture.
This poor child was left alone with this man that is not someone to be trusted at all. I think his wife is just as guilty of this horrible crime.
I do not want to hear he was in shock he had to figure out a good story then go to the police about what happened. He is sick sick man and he belongs in jail for a very very very long time.
GPS OR NO GPS HE IS GUILTY OF THIS HORRIBLE CRIME.

[klingon69]

As a college Professor of Woman''''s Studies, I have written much about male-female abuse, and deo-dominance. Namely, that is, domination by a bad boy god figure (bbgf) which replaces parental implied guidance and societal mores as well as what most wound consider "the self."
The wife in this case is every bit a victim. All women are victims to variable extents, due to the very nature of our male/ego male/sport male deo- dominance. Please, do not blame the wife. Blaming is not the answer for women, while blaming and punishement serves society and societal goals well for male crimes, to protect women and the children.
Posted by Trueprogress at 12:09 AM : Aug 18, 2007
D@MN, YOU ARE A FVCKING IDIOT!
That being said, I apologize for stooping to name-calling. I have been reading your so-called posts. I don''t doubt that you are a professor of Women''s Studies. I studied them long and hard (pun intended), but am not a professor, yet. However, you do remind me of a college sociology teacher I had. She had the same attitude, all men were wrong, the women were right. I have read, about how all women in prison should be let out, because the male-dominated society drove them to do it...etc, *********! People like you make me sick, always screaming about equal-rights, but then want to blame everything on men. Sweetie, wake the fvck up. Most crimes, regardless of gender or race are committed with full intention and knowledge.

[strunke]

toldyouso21- "Poor little girl. Parents: molestation is a crime of opportunity. There is no way a grown man should ever have been left alone to roam or go anywhere with a 12 year old girl or boy that is not a relative (and possibly even if they ARE a relative) There is too many opportunities for the man to ''''slip up'''' and engage in illicit behavior. The woman should have been taking the sitter home and should also have ensured that her husband at no time, had access to the girl, either at his home or in a car. When, when, when will parents wake up and learn? "

To say that a grown man shouldnt be around a 12 year old girl is ridiculous. Most men have morales and know what is right and wrong. They are not just animals as most would think. The bottom line is that there are good people and bad people in this world. Culture, religion, and most importantly parenting determines what kind of man they become. With the deterioration of strong parenting this is what happens, more people end up screwed up, and more crimes are committed. To say that a man shouldn''t or can''t be an adult and give a 12 year old female babysitter a ride home is ridiculous. This guy is a sicko, and a bad person. Unfortunately this kind of thing happens, making some law against what happens everyday without any incident just because of cases like this is wrong.

[ecuadoriana]

"Exactly who goes "horse seeing" at midnight?" Posted by toldyouso21 at 10:37 AM : Aug 18, 2007

THAT sums his guilt up right there! I thought the same thing the second I read that in the article "...[Ford] took a detour to show her some horses, then accidentally ran her over..."

Give us a break! Like we''re supposed to believe that crock of horse sh=t?!

And I do wonder why the girl''s parents didn''t call to inquire where their daughter was at such a late hour? The wife probably assumed (almost correctly) that he was out having his little fling- hence the GPS she recently had installed. Unfortunately, it didn''t occur to her that not only is her loser husband a cheater, but also a pedophilemurderer as well.

So sad for that child.

Parents: Pay attention to your children- where they are, what they''re doing & with whom! Remember, even the priests, teachers, scout leaders, etc. can''t be trusted with your children!