'Pillar of community' suspect in killing plot

Caren T. Brown — the executive director of Children Without a Voice, a Richmond nonprofit that advocates for the rights of parents involved in custody battles — was arrested by state police Friday in James City County after she was accused of giving an undercover state police officer a $2,000 down payment to kill her ex-boyfriend and his wife.
(Courtesy of James City County police / August 4, 2008)

Friends say losing custody of her son consumed Caren Brown, accused of trying to have her ex-boyfriend killed.

JAMES CITY

Until a few years ago, Caren Taylor Pressley Brown was a pillar of the community in Warrenton, a town an hour's drive from Washington, D.C.

She owned a successful insurance agency, served on the Fauquier County Chamber of Commerce's Board of Directors and volunteered her time for a dozen local causes.

Then in 2005, acquaintances said, she lost a bitter custody battle over her son, setting into motion a downward spiral that culminated Friday in James City County when, police say, Brown tried to hire an undercover police officer to kill her son's father and the father's wife.

Brown, who founded Children Without a Voice, a Richmond nonprofit that advocates on behalf of women who have lost their children to abusive spouses, is charged with two counts each of attempted capital murder and solicitation of murder.

"Ultimately, I think she'd exhausted all her legal options, so she decided to take matters into her own hands," said Elizabeth Haring, who purchased Taylor Pressley Insurance from Brown in 2007 and has known Brown for several years. "It's unbelievable, but at the same time, I almost saw it coming."

State police arrested Brown, 47, on Friday after she allegedly gave an undercover agent a $2,000 down payment to kill her ex-boyfriend and his current wife, according to a criminal complaint on file at the Williamsburg-James City County General District Court. Police said she provided the would-be hit man with pictures of the intended victims and directions to their home in Warrenton.

Brown allegedly told the undercover officer that she wanted the hit done by Sunday. State police spokeswoman Michelle Cotten said the pair appeared to have chosen James City County because it was halfway between their respective locations. Cotten declined to say where they met up, citing the pending investigation.

Cotten said Brown was arrested shortly after her meeting with the undercover officer and taken to Virginia Peninsula Regional jail. At an arraignment hearing Monday, Brown asked to be given time to hire an attorney before being denied bond, according to Williamsburg-James City County Commonwealth's Attorney Nate Green.

She's due in court again Friday, according to court papers.

Haring, who said she had a falling out with Brown earlier this year, said Brown's fight for custody of her son eventually consumed her life. She formed Children Without a Voice, which the group's Web site says provides education and outreach to family law attorneys and parents who feel they've been victimized by the family court system, and advocated publicly on behalf of parents who had suffered similar fates.

Karen Henderson, president and chief executive of the Fauquier County Chamber of Commerce, said Brown had become a different person by last year, when the chamber's executive board relieved her of her position with the organization.

"She was very well-thought-of in this community for a few years," she said, choosing her words carefully. "I think it's fair to say the case, as it would affect any mother, affected her deeply, adversely."

Related ...

Police Make Arrest In "Murder-For-Hire" Plot

The Executive Director of a Richmond nonprofit that advocates for the rights of parents involved in custody battles is being held without bail for allegedly hiring an undercover cop to kill her ex-boyfriend and his wife.

Caren T. Brown, the Executive Director of Children Without a Voice, was arrested by state police Friday in James City County. She allegedly gave an undercover state police officer a $2,000 down payment to kill the couple, according to a criminal complaint on file with the Williamsburg-James City County General District Court.

She is charged with two counts each of attempted capital murder and solicitation of capital murder. Brown, 47, of Richmond, allegedly gave the officer photographs of the would-be victims, their home address and directions to their home in Warrenton. She allegedly told undercover agent she was upset over the "custody situation" with her 11-year-old son, according to the complaint.

Brown was arrested shortly after her meeting with the undercover police officer and taken to Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail, where she is being held without bond. The arrest was made in James City because that was the meeting place, said a state police official. Children Without a Voice offers education and outreach to family-law attorneys and parents who feel they've been victimized by the family court system, according to the group's Web site.

Original Article- WTKR NewsChannel 3: News, Weather and Traffic in Hampton Roads and North Carolina Police Make Arrest In "Murder-For-Hire" Plot

My two cents..

Once again for those in the back seats that didn't hear me last week...

I DO NOT CONDONE VIOLENCE ...

Not from the woman in the story above nor in any of the past articles where idiots have managed to get themselves on the front pages of their local news papers for being stupid and doing things like the woman in the story above or that dude last week who kindapped his kid..

Ok now with that out of the way.. (Cuz I know a few people that stalk this blog would love to take what I say and twist it into something I didn't say.. good luck..)

Anywho... Isn't anyone in charge of the courts or the laws paying atten?

Do they give a *&% that people are losing thier minds..becoming suicidal--homicidal-- or just plain ole kidnappers?

I am sick of reading or posting stories like this ...

When the *&%& are they gonna make some serious changes--- when--
I really need to know..

???????????????????????WHEN??????????????????????