Family: manslaughter not 'good enough'

"Manslaughter isn't good enough. It will never be good enough," the grieving stepmother of homicide victim Timothy C. Rolland said Thursday.

"It was premeditated murder," said Connie Rolland of Flint, Mich., "and I will pursue this with the district attorney."

Watertown police have charged Krista Marie Goley, 25, with second-degree manslaughter in connection with the stabbing of Mr. Rolland, 21, at 1:40 a.m. Wednesday in the upstairs apartment they shared at 111 E. Lynde St. She is jailed under $50,000 bail awaiting grand jury action.

Mr. Rolland suffered a stab wound to the left chest, police said.

"The police explained to us they charged manslaughter because death resulted from the intent to cause bodily harm," Mrs. Rolland said. "But her neighbor said she heard that woman tell Tim she was going to stab him."

She was referring to downstairs resident Mary V. Bellinger, who told the Times on Wednesday of her visit with the couple on her front doorsteps late Tuesday.

"I'm going to stab you if you don't behave yourself," Mrs. Bellinger alleged Ms. Goley told Mr. Rolland.

This was after Mr. Rolland had said a few times that he wanted to go to the store, Mrs. Bellinger said.

Watertown Police Chief Joseph J. Goss said the manslaughter charge was filed after his detectives took statements from witnesses who were in the apartment at the time of the stabbing and after the findings were discussed with District Attorney Cindy F. Intschert.

The chief declined to identify the witnesses, but Mrs. Bellinger said another couple shared the apartment with the two and Ms. Goley's 5-year-old son.

An attempt by police to interview Mrs. Bellinger was made Wednesday, he said, but she declined to give a statement. Officers revisited her again Thursday morning, when statements were taken from her and her son, the chief said.

Declining to discuss the contents of a witness statement, Chief Goss said there is nothing to prevent the grand jury from upgrading the charge to murder.

That was welcome news to Mrs. Rolland.

"We had warned Tim to get out of that relationship," Mrs. Rolland said. "He told us she is bipolar, and she was a Wiccan. He was staring at the devil in the face."

On Ms. Goley's MySpace page, she lists her religion as "Wiccan," and for an occupation, she lists, "US ARMY 88M/ Wiccan."

The background of the MySpace page is covered with images of pentacles, a five-pointed star often used as a symbol of Wicca, which is a neopagan religion that utilizes witchcraft.

The late Mr. Rolland had been on the phone Tuesday evening with his father, also Timothy Rolland, and other family members, and expressed no concerns at that time, Mrs. Rolland said.

She said her stepson had come home to them after his July 7 release from a jail sentence stemming from a May 9 domestic fight with Ms. Goley.

Ms. Goley, according to her MySpace page, attended high schools in Herrin, Chester and Pinckneyville, all in Illinois.

"Then one day, he got on the phone with her, and he decided to go back to her," Mrs. Rolland said. "We tried to stop him. We told him she was setting him up. She had a restraining order against him, so she knew she could try to make it look like he hit her."

The family never met Ms. Goley, she said.

The victim apparently tried to call a friend of his in Michigan after he was stabbed, perhaps a cry for help, Mrs. Rolland said. The friend's cell phone showed a 1:51 a.m. call Wednesday from Tim's phone, Mrs. Rolland said, although there was no message.

Her stepson met Ms. Goley shortly after he was transferred to Fort Drum in January. He entered the Army in September 2008, and was discharged in February or March, she said.

Until May, Mr. Rolland was never in trouble with the law, his stepmother said.

"He graduated with honors from high school. He was book-smart, had a lot of friends, was always the center of attention, and loved to hunt, fish, play video games, and to listen to music," Mrs. Rolland said.

He had girlfriends, and never were there claims of abuse, she said.

"What happened in May was totally out of character," Mrs. Rolland said.

Chief Goss was asked Thursday why police did not disclose until Wednesday afternoon that Mr. Rolland had died shortly after the assault. He said the witnesses were being interviewed, and police did not want them to know of the death before their sworn statements were taken.