Illegal Alien Murders Former Beauty Queen ... Allegedly

This has been a big story down here in my neck of the woods and of course now our suspicions have been confirmed.

Valentino Vasquez Miranda, 19, who's described by police as an illegal immigrant, faces a charge of first-degree murder in her death.

Mr. Miranda had an accomplice.

No murder charges have been filed against Rogelio Melchor, 38, the other man arrested on forgery charges at the motel. The federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency put a hold on him and Miranda after their arrest. That means neither man can leave jail, even with bail money.

The story contains many of the same things we hear over and over again. Fake Social Security cards and Miranda and his wife both lived and worked at the motel in which Ms. Hampton was staying. She was from Alabama and was up in Knoxville to train new employees for a restaurant that was opening up. Her life ended with her nude body being found in a lake after she was strangled.

A fisherman found Jennifer Lee Hampton's nude body floating in Melton Hill Lake on Saturday, seven days after friends reported her missing from her West Knoxville motel room.

Just a reminder that with all of our attention on our economic problems and the presidential race and whether or not Governor Palin is suited to be Vice President and Obama's cult-like following sucking the air out of everything, some of the same old problems are still out there and still affecting the lives of everyday Americans.