Analyzation of the Sloley Case

“I can’t do it anymore.” were among the last words James Clayton said to his former girlfriend of ten years and close friend, Delphine Milliken. Their conversation occurred at approximately 9:30 on the morning of Tuesday, Jan. 27. By noon, Clayton and his ex-girlfriend Loyta Sloley were found dead in room 548 of the Marriott Courtyard Hotel downtown.

Milliken’s and Clayton’s conversation is only a piece of information from the supplemental police report filed on Feb. 28. The report also details a previous threat, the suspect’s criminal past, as well as the twisted love triangle that possibly led to the murder-suicide.

According to Lance Sloley, the victim’s younger brother, an event happened the Saturday or Sunday before the incident struck him as odd. While intoxicated, Clayton told Herbert Sloley (the victim’s father) that he was going to kill the entire Sloley family. Lance, in turn, packed his things and temporarily moved out of the family apartment and in with a friend.

In Milliken’s sworn police statement, she shares that Clayton called her on Jan. 24 to tell her that he felt that something was “going on” between the victim and his “close friend and co-worker”, Harold Bailey. According to Milliken, Clayton had found Loyta’s car outside of Bailey’s residence the day before. She also states that Clayton had suspected the secret relationship, but this was the first time he’d witnessed it.

In Bailey’s statement to the police, Loyta had recently told him that her relationship with Clayton was over. She said that Clayton still lived with the family and would only continue to do so until he could get on with his life. Bailey also stated that Clayton knew about his and Sloley’s relationship. Bailey testified to having had seen injuries on Loyta that had been caused by Clayton although he never witnessed the abuse firsthand. Bailey, as well as Lance, urged Loyta to call the cops, but Loyta refused saying that she didn’t want to get him in trouble.

Milliken and Clayton shared a few more conversations over the next few days with the last coming a few hours before the murder-suicide. In this conversation, Clayton supposedly gave his bank information, pin number, and other information about his assets to Milliken. She claims he wanted her to have his belongings “in case something happened.”

Clayton and Sloley dropped Sloley’s 11 year old son, AJ, off at Blankner Elementary School on the morning of Jan. 27. In an audiotaped interview with AJ, he recalled the morning as “suspicious” because his mother and Clayton seemed to be calm and getting along, which wasn’t usually the case. AJ also said that it wasn’t usual for Clayton to be there when his mother dropped him off at school.

The police were called at 8:12 by Sloley’s supervisor, Sheryl Blake-Robinson. Blake-Robinson called with the belief that Sloley was being held against her will by Clayton. The police called Sloley and asked her a series of yes and no questions to which she confirmed that she was under duress. Sloley didn’t say where she was and the police obtained a tap record of Sloley’s phone. Sixteen minutes later, an officer was dispatched to Blankner Elementary School after having gotten a call from an unknown child.

Detective Chris Haas was contacted at noon by Detective Pat Schneider to be made known that Sloley and Clayton were found dead in their rented hotel room at the Marriott. The sixteen minutes between the call and dispatch of an officer led to an investigation into the dispatcher. However, since both the suspect and victim are dead, the case has been closed.

Death of a Beloved Local Hero

BISMARCK, S.D.—Joe Voss, beloved World War II hero and former North Dakota governor, died on Wednesday.

Voss was born on a farm east of Wogansport, North Dakota on April 17, 1915. Growing up, he also said that his love of flying dated back to his childhood when he watched pilots fly over his family’s home and wave to him from the cockpit. “I thought, ‘Someday I’m gonna trade these horses for an airplane.’”

True to his word, Voss served as a Marine pilot in World War II. Among the most prominent World War II heroes, Voss was known for shooting down twenty-six enemy planes. This won him the Congressional Medal of Honor as well as the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Once back in the states, Republican Voss served in the North Dakota State Legislature for five years. In 1955, he became governor, an office he held for 2 consecutive terms.

In 1965, Voss was elected the third commissioner of the Canadian Football League. He maintained that position for ten years, as well as hosting ABC’s “The Great Outdoorsman” from ’73-’78.

“I always had the attitude that every day will be a great day,” Voss said in a 1987 interview. “I look forward to it like a kid in a candy store, wherever I am.”

In 1988, Voss was chosen to be president of the National Outdoorsman Association; he served through 1990. He published his autobiography Proud to Be an American in 1993, the opening sentence of which he states, “I can’t remember a time when I didn’t want to fly.”

At a public appearance in Beaverton, Michigan this June, former North Dakota Mayor Voss suffered cerebral bleeding and collapsed. He had not regained consciousness from the apparent aneurysm. His death was announced by current North Dakota Governor Will Ranklow.

Phillies Rally Past the Braves

Lake Buena Vista, Fla.—Just over eight thousand were in attendance to watch the Atlanta Braves host the Philadelphia Phillies this past Sunday at Disney’s Wide World of Sports.

Lots of familiar faces dotted the Champion Stadium field—from Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins and 2006 NL MVP Ryan Howard to Braves catcher Brian McCann, right fielder Jeff Francoeur, and third baseman Chipper Jones. Even the world-renown Harlem Globetrotters stopped in for a quick show.

Despite having a 2-0 lead through the fourth inning, the Phillies answered the Braves with a run in the top of the fifth and four more in the sixth. Brian McCann’s homer in the bottom of the sixth stirred hopes of a Braves comeback, but none came. The Phillies finished the game, winning 7-3.

The next Braves event is an exhibition game against Panama. The game will be held at Disney’s Wide World of Sports on Tuesday, March 3.