Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Deceased Suspect Connected To Maricopa County Sheriff's Deputy Homicide Identified

Drew Ryan Maras

Photo: Facebook

Deceased murder suspect was a former Marine, UFO-ologist and author.

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 10, 2012

Phoenix - On Monday, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Department (MCSD) released the identity of the homicide suspect as Drew Ryan Maras, 30, of Peoria who allegedly killed Deputy William Coleman, 50, of New River on early Sunday who was responding to a burglary call. Maras was also killed by other deputies during a confrontation around 4:10 a.m. at a Anthem medical plaza located on Anthem Way and Gavilan Peak Parkway, in northern Phoenix.
Maras is also suspected of killing a New Hampshire (N.H.) couple on Friday with the same high-power rifle that killed Coleman. The couple, Carol Raynsford of Nelson, N.H. and James Johnson of Jaffrey N.H. were discovered fatally shot with a .223-caliber rifle inside their vehicle in a remote area near Sedona in Yavapai County. A group of people from a jeep club discovered the bodies and called the Yavapai County Sheriff's Department (YCSD).
Investigators from the YCSD found .223-caliber castings near the vehicle of the couple killed.
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio confirmed, that the investigation in ongoing and investigators are waiting for ballistic results to determine, if Maras actually killed Deputy Coleman and the N.H. couple in Yavapai County with the same rifle. Arpaio says, that deputies approached a mini van near the Angel Pediatrics, when Maras came out of the mini van and fired at the deputies killing Coleman. Two other deputies returned fire and killed Maras at the scene, according to Arpaio.
Maras Facebook (FB) account indicates, he was a former Marine who lived in Kihet, Hawaii and was from Chicago, Illinois. He described himself as a UFO-ologist and also authored a book entitled "Open Your Eyes: To 2012 and Beyond." His last FB posting was on Thursday at 1:58 p.m. and recent postings from FB followers have posted "Cop Killer."
Deputy Coleman is the first deputy to die in the line of duty, since 1995 and had worked for the Maricopa County Sheriff's Department for 20 years. He was assigned to District 4. Coleman is survived by his wife and two children in Arizona and has two older children living out of state, according to MCSD.

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