Tarasha Benjamin's case gains more attraction after mother's Regina Benjamin's untimely death.

 (Selma, Al) (1/28/2024 By Gavin Walker, (CMNR Newswire) 

 After her mother Regina Benjamin died last September, as what was supposed to be her Daughter's Tarasha Benjamin's 31 st birthday, news came in that several national news outlets wanted to Talk to Regina about her daughter's missing person case. 

  But now that can't happen after Regina died last September unexpectedly her family says. 

   Her daughter, Tarasha Benjamin's vanished without of trace on June 26, 2010, heading to the local flea market with a friend.  Investivate journalists had found out there where troubling accounts about the two daughters she alleged died in A house fire back in 1996, one journalist noted. 

  One source from Jacksonville, Florida, who did not one to be identified told her that Regina had not been telling the entire story, A person familiar with the source claims.  In a recent interview with the source, she alleges that Regina Benjamin and her husband Clyde Chandler knew former State trooper Steve Smith Jr very well and that Smith Jr. Had offer money to use her daughters in some custody scandal or insurance scandal that may have gone bad some 26 years ago.

  The Source did not want to come forward on fears that she could be dead next for revealing the motive behind the disappearance of Tarasha Benjamin and the house fire involving her sisters.

  Steven Smith, A former state trooper in Alabama died in 2018 when followed former Selma PD Bart Watkins down to Morengo County, AL and tried to kill the DA, who were with Officers at the time, returned fired...killing the Ex- State trooper. 

 The final report on the Benjamin's case will be release this year and finally the documentary on the Tarasha Benjamin's case released following the report.

A look back at Tarasha Benjamin’s missing person’s case, what was our strengths and weakness in the teen s investigative work

By staff,                                                                               June 18, 2020

  “We did everything we could with the resources we had to Put Tarasha’s case in front of the media until we got put out, the case was headed back to the national press”. Henderson said.



(Atlanta, Ga) for ten years now, Selma teenager Tarasha Benjamin has been missing and there is no sign the case is even been investigated.  But, for investigative journalist Lawyer Henderson who was apart of the case between 2011-2018, it appears that case will never be solved.

   Benjamin went missing on June 26, 2010 headed to the local flea market with her neighborhood friend Telisha Gihvan. The grey Mazda tribute truck she left in was later abandon and found on the Cecil Jackson bypass which leads to the Flea Market and Benjamin was no where to be found.

 The family call the Selma Pd and there where Assistance from the National center for missing exploited children who did several searches for the missing teen which came up empty.  

  Henderson said he got in the case hoping to do a documentary and to assist in the investigation where he met with family members and police.  “I really thought I could help and assist, I really thought that, and when you believe in something, you try your best to succeed, and that’s what I was accomplishing in Tarasha’s case”. Henderson said.

“We did everything we could with the resources we had to put Tarasha’s case in front of the media until we got put out, the case was headed back to the national press”. He added.

 Henderson goes on to say that the recent killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Amaud Arbery cases would have given some light to Tarasha’s case because this is the time everybody see the police corruption that’s going on around the country.

 “Facing the 10 years she been missing (Tarasha), with protest here in Atlanta, I could educate hundreds of thousands of people about her case in a matter of seconds, it was the perfect time. But, when you have family members who throw there two cents in, and feed off negativity, and bring confusion into the mix, and then the whole thing shuts down, the only one who suffers as results of that, is the victim, Tarasha”.

  Henderson said the latest update he got from the case was in 2019, where they took the lead detective off the case and now no one is investigating it now.



 The entire two hour special on “The Lawyer henderson Show” starts at 6pm est. on June 25, 1 day before the tenth anniversary will take a look back at the case.  You can listen live on Facebook and even call into the show at 516-418-5867.

 Go to Blogtalkradio.com/thelawyerhenderson show for further details.

11th circuit supposed to rule in juduical estoppel case In Henderson Versus U.S. Security Associates after Bias decision from District Judge Thomas Thrash

( Atlanta, Ga)  Judicial Estoppel standard stills remain the same although the 11th circuit claims it has abandon it's previous precedent in Slater Vs U.S. Steel Corp. On October 17, of last year, U.S. District court Judge Thomas Thrash has ruled in Favor of U.S. Security Associates in FLSA lawsuit filed by A former Security Guard.

  There has been several discussions on Judicial estoppel " which is supposed to prevent bankruptcy filers from playing fast loose with the courts". But, let's call it what it actually is, It is nothing more than an Affirmative defense for defense attorneys even when the bankruptcy filer files the lawsuit after the bankruptcy petition. In other words, defense counsels can make a claim for judicial estoppel even when the asset doesn't belong to the estate. This is what happen in Henderson Versus U.S. Security Associates ( 1:17-CV-03329).

 " This judge chose not to adopt what the 11th circuit urged it must do when invoking the strong medicine for judicial estoppel and he is also bias against pro-se litigants" says Lawyer Henderson.

  Now on An Appeal, the 11th circuit would look at the case now as Henderson and defense counsel from"Gordon and Rees"will tackle the case at the 11th circuit.

 "Henderson accused Thrash of tossing in Weakly vs Ego Logistics case, Although the Weakly case is further from his. In Assessing Judicial estoppel, the new standard require district justices to go beyond the scope of cold Manipulations not just ruling against plaintiffs for leaving out an omitted asset, especially, those that are proceeding pro-se, which is one of the shocking argument on appeal. "

  it will be interesting to see how this case turn out, although Georgia courts rarely rules in favor of pro-se plaintiffs even when the law is on their side, it still will be interesting to see how the 11th circuit will rule.

 The 11th circuit Has given the Appellant until Feb 15 to turn in his brief.

Tarasha Benjamin's alledge abductor Edward Van, US Costal Guard officer

(World news) Missing Tarasha Benjamin's case spends into high gear. The latest person to be allege abductor appears to be a white male in the

US Coastal Guard Service.

 32 year old Edward van of Suitland, Maryland was identified by a missing person group to be Benjamin's abductor.

 " We was able to link Mr. Van to the crime following up on leads with the Auburn Police Dept. which led to discovery that he might have been involved in the Tarasha Benjamin's case".  The group's founder Lawyer Henderson said.

 Van, is linked to former Selma PD officer Bart Watkins of the Autauga County Sheriff Dept. in Prattville, Alabama.

 Van took Benjamin for what is to believe an allege police coverup stemming from Watkin's arrest of Benjamin from a local Walmart after she made claims of Police officers that were having sex with young girls.

 The Group will hand over a 32 page report to the local authorities in Auburn and Phenix City, AL, along with the Coastal Guard Service against Van next Friday.

 The story is still developing.

Tarasha Benjamin After 4 years---Should Feds Probe Missing Selma girl’s Disappearance

(National) Something—just doesn’t add up in the disappearance of Selma teenager Tarasha Benjamin’s missing person’s case. Benjamin, who turns 21 this year, was headed to the local Selma Flea market with her friend Telisha Givhan.

Both she and Gihvan got into the Mazda Tribute truck that Gihvan own. However, making just one stop a local barbershop, before the flea market, Gihvan offer Tarasha her truck after she claims that she had to do another young lady’s hair.

Benjamin was asked by Gihvan, according to sources, to drop her off by the local fire department were Gihvan got into another car with her sister n law, leaving Tarasha to drive her SUV along. Two hours later, the Mazda Tribute truck was abandoned on the Cecil Jackson bypass—a highway that leads to the local flea market.  Benjamin was nowhere to be found.

 After time had pass, Tarasha‘s Mother Regina Benjamin had call the Selma Police Department and a search was launch. Family and friends was passing out flyers and going door to door to search for the missing teen.

                                                                                               

“The whole community searched for her after that. We were out on the streets-everywhere.” Benjamin told the Selma Times Journal newspaper.

 The National Center for missing & Exploited Children had sent several rescue team to Selma and the search came up empty.

 The Selma Police Department and its investigation unit headed by Sgt Tory Neely had determine foul play, but since then, had treated the case as a teenage runaway. However, photos of the crime scene, clear finger prints left on the SUV, No Amber Alert, and a host of reasons, had led some to believe Benjamin’s missing persons case was “boxed” from the beginning. 

 Investigators, including lead detective Ronald Jones, did little work in Benjamin’s case. When two eye witnesses came forward and said, “that they seem Tarasha get into the a black dodge charger, which was registered to Christopher Dukes, an associate of hers… and the second eye witness, a store clerk seen a person matching Dukes’ description, ... and seeing the young lady with him, the Selma Police department decided that one of the witness was mental.

 It now seems as though the Selma Police Department are Psychologists, instead of law enforcement. In their own denial, they haven’t done little to anything to determine Benjamin’s case a “cold one.” And doing nothing seems to be their only way of trying to divert away from solving Tarasha’s case and expose the truth.

  And there are reasons for their vigilance and avoidance of new leads, it was long rumored, That Tarasha was having “Dealings” with a Selma Police Officer. And she herself shares rumors about them.

 Those rumors, May had prompted a direct visit from former Selma Police officer Bart Watkins. Watkins, who worked now as a deputy sheriff in Autauga County admits visiting Benjamin, but claim his visitation was official police business.

“I had nothing to do with that girl”. Watkins told investigators.

 Watkins Told internal affairs investigators in Autauga, that he visited Tarasha to ask her about his colleague Christopher Harris, who was already charged by the Alabama Bureau of Investigations for raping a 12 year old girl.

  Watkins was not elected as a Marengo County Sheriff’s Deputy after just one year, when the agency thought that he might have been linked to a police impersonation attack on a woman in that county as well.

Some of the details in that rape case by the news’ reports, matches similar activities that had happen in Benjamin’ case in Selma, where the public saw a state trooper on the bypass behind the SUV Tarasha was driving.

The victim in the Moreno county rape incident told the newspapers that her attacker was a white male and now there is some evidence that Dukes may have taken Tarasha’s to a white male, who was driving the trooper car.

Tarasha case had been featured on America’s most wanted’s website, The Maury Povich Show, Jet Magazine, and her picture profile is  on the website of former CBS news Anchor Katie Couric.

 But this, however, is not enough...The efforts now should be constant news reports and media coverage about her case as well as the FBI involvement.

Since the Alabama State Police had drop the ball on the case by refusing to show interest, the feds is the last hope in finding Tarasha and the truth as to what happen to her as well.