Rick Valentini -- a.k.a. Bryan Stewart was in a Maricopa County Superior Court this afternoon, where he was found guilty of 29 counts of forgery, four counts of identity theft, four counts of misconduct involving a weapon, two counts of money laundering, and one count of posession of a forged device -- and he still has a murder trial to look forward to.
Forgery and identity theft aside, Valentini/Stewart is also charged with second-degree murder in the apparent death of ex-girlfriend Jamie Jean
Laiaddee, 32.
We say "apparent" because police never found the body.
Laiaddee was last seen by Valentini on March 18, 2010, outside of her Chandler home.
Laiaddee's estranged father, who lives in California, called police
after speaking to Valentini, who told him he hadn't seen her in about 10
weeks.
Valentini was questioned by police and told them the two
broke up the day before she was last seen -- right after she said she
was moving to Denver to find a new job.
Valentini, however, was
an obvious person of interest in her disappearance -- and when he was
caught driving her car after she was reported missing, it certainly
didn't help change his status.
Shortly after Laiaddee was
reported missing, he was stopped by Scottsdale police for an unrelated
traffic warrant. The car he was driving belonged to his missing
ex-girlfriend, and credit cards he was using were determined to belong
to her, too.
According to the police report, while in police custody, Stewart told
fellow inmates that he shot Laiaddee with a sawed-off shotgun. He told
the men he got rid of her body in a way police would never find her.
At first, Stewart said her body had been "fed to the pigs." He then changed his story, saying she'd been cut up and put into bags.
Stewart's sentencing is scheduled for September 7.
Jerry Cobb, spokesman for the Maricopa County Attorney's Office tells New Times Stewart's murder trial is scheduled to start on October 11.
