Marinette County
Cha Vang was Murdered, Sheriff Confirms
Jan 8, 2007 05:18 PM CST
By Elizabeth Ries and WBAY.com
An autopsy confirmed Cha Vang was the victim of a homicide, the Marinette County sheriff said Monday.
Vang, 30, of Green Bay, was reported missing Friday night after he failed to rendezvous with his hunting group in the Peshtigo Harbor Wildlife Area. Searchers found Vang's body "partially concealed" Saturday morning, Sheriff James Kanikula said.
The sheriff was expected to release the results of the autopsy at Monday afternoon's news conference, but he said just moments before the news conference, the state attorney general asked that he withhold the exact cause of Vang's death until a criminal complaint is filed with the court.
Officers are holding James Nichols, 28, who is a person of interest. He went to Bay Area Medical Center with a gunshot wound to the hand Friday night -- less than a half-hour after a 911 call reported Vang's disappearance.
According to Kanikula, investigators believe both Vang and Nichols were hunting and there was an accidental meeting. What happened after that, they won't discuss, except to say authorities are confident they've developed a compelling case and criminal charges should be filed later this week.
Sheriff Kanikula said us the weapon or weapons used to kill cha vang have been recovered. He said they were found using a search warrant, but wouldn't say where.
Meanwhile, the person of interest in this case, 28-year-old james nichols, is still being held on a probation violation but no charges have been filed against him.
Authorities found nicholas after he went to the hospital with a gun shot wound to the hand.
The sheriff says both nicholas and vang were hunting with firearms friday and believes the two met in the woods accidentally.
THE SHERIFF IS STILL CALLING NICHOLS A PERSON OF INTEREST IN THE CASE, NOT A SUSPECT, ALTHOUGH HE SAYS CHARGES AGAINST NICHOLS WILL LIKELY BE FILED LATER THIS WEEK |
