‘Suga’ Shane Valentine, suspect in 2016 Las Vegas unsolved double homicide denied parole

LAS VEGAS — Shane Valentine, the on-again, off-again, on-again suspect in the 2016 Las Vegas unsolved Land/Kauffman murders was denied parole by the Nevada Board of Parole Commissioners.

His next parole hearing will not be until July 2020.

As the Baltimore Post-Examiner previously reported, Valentine appeared before the parole board on October 3 to plead his case why he should be granted parole this month.  He is currently incarcerated in the Warm Springs Correctional Facility in Northern Nevada.  Valentine has been in prison since March 2017, after having been convicted of burglary and discharging a firearm into a structure.

Valentine was a convicted felon prior to being convicted of those charges, having served time in prison for assault with a deadly weapon and home invasion, and has a criminal history dating back to 2010.  Valentine has also been a long-time Vegas pimp, but has never been charged for sex-trafficking.

Valentine obviously didn’t learn anything from being in prison, except maybe how to become a better criminal, because he added to his violent criminal history after being back on the street by committing more crimes.

On October 8, 2016, Valentine shot into the residence of Alethea Kauffman, the mother of Nehemiah “Neo” Kauffman whose body along with his girlfriend Sydney Land were later found murdered in their Southwest Las Vegas apartment on October 27, 2016, both shot in the head.

In our August 5 story, ‘EXCLUSIVE: Las Vegas Grand Jury evidence hints convicted felon ‘Suga’ Shane Valentine is a snitch,’  during an exchange of text messages between Valentine and Kauffman on the morning of October 8, 2016, while Valentine was threatening to kill Kauffman, Sydney Land and Kauffman’s family members, Kauffman accused Valentine of being a snitch.

During those text message exchanges obtained by the Baltimore Post-Examiner, Valentine texted Kauffman:

“Bitch call me.”

“I need that strap [gun]. Period.”  “And Ima clip your bitch.” “Fade pussy.”

“Ima make your bitches watch.” “Fade.”

“Fade now or get popped later.”

“I’m goin to your momma house.”

“I’ll let Khari woop u since u young.”

“I’m comin to syd job [Sydney Land].”

“I’m at your moms.”

“U disrespect me I’ll kill u.”

“And you let that bitch talk bout your own nigga like that, Ima fuck u up for that too.”

“My niggas woop bitches who talk bad.”

“I’ll put my gun down and mangle u myself.”

“Ima kill your mom, and brother and bitch, if u don’t run the fade.”

“I came to your mom.”

“Open the garage.”

“Fade nigga.”

“Open it, unlock it, u can shoot wen I walk in, open up.”

“I’m outside, you wanna shoot.”

“I’m not alone, Joe here, DayDay here.”

“Check your garage pussy.”

“I ran right thru your garage, Go look.”

“Ima run into the house next.”

“Answer hoe, Front door”.

On-again, off-again, on-again suspect

On April 24, 2017, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) Homicide Detective Mitchell Dosch told Connie Land, the mother of Sydney Land, that “Shane is still a suspect until I say he’s not.”

Apparently, Valentine was cleared as a suspect in the Land/Kauffman murders because after that statement by Dosch, on November 15, 2017, then LVMPD Homicide Lt. Dan McGrath, told the media that Shane Valentine, “At this time we can say he is not our suspect.”

However, that changed once again when on October 25, 2018, Metro Homicide Lt. Ray Spencer at a press briefing on the unsolved murders said, “We have not ruled out Shane Valentine as a suspect, we are still looking at him as a person of interest in this case.”

The LVMPD has been silent since then, which is probably a smart move on their part.  “Loose lips sink ships” was the slogan during WWII and in this case loose lips by the police sinks cases.

Botched Land/Kauffman homicide investigation

As we reported in our October 13 story, ‘EXCLUSIVE: Las Vegas Metro Police text message confirms Vice Detectives outed Judge Melanie Andress-Tobiasson,” on April 27, 2018, Dosch texted Connie Land, “So many things happened since the murder happened that I’ve never seen before and I had zero control over. I won’t get into them, but they are well chronicled. Det. Grimmett and I are left to pick up the pieces and work toward a successful outcome despite all the “things” that have happened along to way. We are not going away.”

Since that story was published a few days ago I have received messages from retired police officers from across the country, who said that is the worst statement they have ever heard coming from a homicide detective about an active investigation.

Let’s dissect that statement from Dosch:

• So many things happened since the murder
• That I’ve never seen before
• And I had zero control over
• I won’t get into them
• But they are well chronicled
• Detective Grimmett and I are left to pick up the pieces.

To cut to the chase, what this sounds like to me, is that a series of events happened that was out of Dosch’s control that destroyed the entire homicide investigation.

Sheriff Joe Lombardo, do you care to explain to the Land and Kauffman families what happened?

Whoever, if ever, anyone is charged with these murders, it is going to be one hell of an uphill battle once it hits the judicial process.  The discovery motions and depositions alone could be quite informative.

While I am on the subject of a botched homicide investigation, Joe do you care to comment on why you approved the turning over of crime scene photographs on an active double homicide investigation to Crime Watch Daily last year and allowed your detective to make comments about the DNA evidence?

Something else has been bothering me, Joe. How come you didn’t even have the decency to notify Connie and Steve Land that the crime scene photograph of their daughter Sydney’s body would be aired on national television?

Joe, that was a low-down dirty thing to do to the family whose daughter was brutally murdered.

Joe, here is another question.  Why was only Sydney Land’s body shown and not Neo’s?  Just asking. You approved everything before the show aired Joe, it’s all on you and to a lesser extent your deputy chief in charge of the Homicide Bureau who should have fought against it.

Joe, while I am on the subject of botched cases, remember the October 8, 2016 incident when Shane Valentine shot into the Kauffman residence?

I know you remember because I wrote several stories about that and I know you read my stories.

Joe, care to explain why your crime scene analyst failed to retrieve the bullet from the ceiling of the Kauffman residence that night.  That’s still bugging the hell out of me, Joe.  Joe let’s just say for sake of argument that Valentine committed the murders of Sydney Land and Nehemiah Kauffman less than three weeks later.

Joe, just for the record, I do believe Valentine had a motive to kill them based on his actions and statements on October 8, however others maybe have had a motive to commit the murders also, and as you know motive alone is not enough to prove someone did the crime.  That being said I’m not 100% convinced that Valentine did commit the murders at this time.

Let’s just say he did.  Joe wouldn’t that really be a disgrace if your department could have charged Valentine with shooting into the Kauffman residence prior to the murders, instead of closing out the case for lack of evidence (like the bullet that was left in the ceiling), and that would have prevented the murders.

Joe, the only shining light in this entire screwed up case is when Dosch went back to the Kauffman residence AFTER the murders and retrieved the bullet that should have been collected by your crime scene analyst on October 8.

That’s the reason why Valentine is currently incarcerated.  Homicide made the case for Valentine shooting into the Kauffman residence, not any other detective who handled the case on October 8.  As I said in a previous story, that was a damn good job by Dosch.

I also have questions Joe for your buddy, District Attorney Steve Wolfson.

Steve, how come your Chief Deputy District Attorney Pamela Weckerly never asked LVMPD Crime Scene Analyst Gabrielle Guerrero at the Grand Jury why she didn’t retrieve the bullet that night.  Steve, it was the grand juror who had to ask Guerrero if she collected the bullet to which she replied no, and then your prosecutor stopped it there.  Steve that stinks, smells dirty, just like the rest of this case.

So Joe and Steve, give me a call. You got my number. I’m waiting for some answers. Hey, we can do a ‘Cup of Joe.’ How about it? My treat.

Just when you think the homicide investigation couldn’t get any worse 

Joe, please say it ain’t so, but well, it did.

On Tuesday the Baltimore Post-Examiner published, “Land/Kauffman Homicide: Murdered daughter’s father found evidence left behind by Las Vegas Metro Police at crime scene.

Yes, you read it right, that title is exactly correct.  Read the story for yourself, it’s a freaking disgrace and sickening.

Hello, knock, knock, wake up Las Vegas media.

Why aren’t you following these stories up?

Pardon me, I forgot, as our readers continue to point out to us, if you want to know what’s going on in Las Vegas you have to go all the way to Baltimore.

Authors note: Rest in peace Brett Phillips, you put it all on the line for the truth, you did not back down and I am forever grateful.   We will meet again.