Paradise News

Category: Metro

  • Ohio teen allegedly killed boyfriend’s mom with rock after giving him an 'ultimatum'

    CANTON, Ohio (TCD) — Prosecutors are accusing a 17-year-old girl of beating and strangling her 33-year-old boyfriend’s mother to death because she allegedly believed the mom was preventing the couple from being together.

    On May 5, the Canton Police Department reached out to Sylvania Township police and requested they conduct a welfare check on 53-year-old Nicole Jones. Officers went to her home on Timbers Edge Boulevard and did not find her, but there was evidence she was “the victim of a homicide.”

    Sylvania Police issued an arrest warrant for a juvenile female, later identified as Kaitlyn Coones, on charges of aggravated murder and tampering with evidence.

    The U.S. Marshals joined the search for Coones and her boyfriend, Jonathan Jones. Coones was reported missing in April, while Jones had a warrant out for his arrest out of Wood County for pandering obscene material and child endangerment.

    According to WOIO-TV, Coones ran away from a group home in Stark County and allegedly texted a nurse in the home that she killed two people.

    WJW-TV reports the second person Coones claimed to have killed at a bus stop in Arizona did not actually get hit by gunfire or die.

    U.S. Marshals caught up with the couple in Mexico and arrested them. The couple allegedly had Nicole Jones’ Social Security card, license, and other forms of identification on them, as well as a backpack with “burgundy stains.”

    On Friday, Nov. 17, a Lucas County judge determined Kaitlyn Coones will be tried as an adult for allegedly killing Nicole Jones. Sylvania Police Department Det. Jake Albright noted in a police report that Coones allegedly told Jonathan Jones they “needed to do something about his mother because she was preventing them from being together.”

    Albright reportedly wrote in the report that Coones confessed to killing Nicole Jones after giving Jonathan Jones an “ultimatum.” WJW reports Coones allegedly told Jonathan Jones he “had five hours to decide what they were going to do about his mother.”

    According WOIO, Lucas County Prosecutor Andy Lastra alleged in court Jonathan Jones did not take any action after six hours, so Coones “went outside retrieved a rock and when Nicole Jones was standing in front of the refrigerator in the kitchen, unaware of Kaitlyn’s presence, bludgeoned Nicole Jones a number of times and strangled her.”

    The couple reportedly put Nicole Jones’ body in trash bags and a tarp, then left her body in a dumpster. The trash was taken to a landfill and still has not been found.

    Jonathan Jones was reportedly wearing a GPS ankle monitor because he had been convicted in the past of having a relationship with Coones, who is underage.

    WJW reports Jonathan Jones has been charged with aggravated murder, murder in the commission of a felonious assault, tampering with evidence, and abuse of a corpse.

    MORE:

    • Canton teen gave 33-year-old boyfriend 5 hours to kill his mother, but ended up doing it herself, police say – WOIO
    • Canton girl gives boyfriend 5 hours to kill mom, then does it herself: authorities – WJW
    • Attempted Murder/Tampering with Evidence, 5/13/2023 – Sylvania Township Police Department

    TRUE CRIME DAILY: THE PODCAST covers high-profile and under-the-radar cases every week. Subscribe to our YouTube page and don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. You can also subscribe to our True Crime Daily newsletter.



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  • Woman accused of fatally strangling elderly mother said she was trying to lift her off the floor

    HOUSTON (TCD) — A 59-year-old caregiver is in custody on suspicion of fatally strangling her 79-year-old mother and severing her spinal cord.

    On Friday, Nov. 17, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office responded to the 13300 block of Forest Knoll Street in reference to a medical emergency and found Vivian Kefauver unresponsive with apparent signs of trauma. According to KPRC-TV, deputies observed bruising around the victim’s neck. She was transported to a local hospital and pronounced dead.

    The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences conducted an autopsy and determined that Kefauver died of critical injuries from strangulation. Her neck was reportedly fractured and her spinal cord was severed. According to the sheriff’s office, officials ruled the victim’s death a homicide.

    The Sheriff’s Office spoke with the victim’s caretaker and daughter, Suzette Kefauver, and identified her as the primary suspect. Kefauver had allegedly been caring for her mother and living with her for approximately a year before her death.

    During the interview, Suzette Kefauver reportedly said that she gave the victim a milkshake and walked away. When she came back, her mother was allegedly sitting on the floor. According to KPRC, Kefauver told deputies she attempted to lift her mother and put her back on the couch. After multiple failed attempts, Kefauver allegedly noticed that her mother wasn’t breathing.

    Kefauver reportedly asked her neighbor for help. The neighbor went into the home and urged Kefauver to call 911, but she refused and asked her to assist in lifting her mother.

    The neighbor reportedly told deputies that Kefauver repeatedly said that she “did not hurt her momma and the marks on her neck were not from abuse.”

    According to KPRC, the neighbor told deputies that they tried to lift the victim with a gait belt, but it didn’t work, and the neighbor eventually convinced Kefauver to call 911.

    On Tuesday, Nov. 21, deputies arrested Kefauver on suspicion of her mother’s murder. She remains held in the Harris CountyJail on $1 million bond.

    MORE:

    • Homicide News Release, 13335 Forest Knoll – Harris County Sheriff’s Office
    • Woman charged with murder claims she was trying to lift her 79-year-old mother from ground by the neck – KPRC
    • Harris County Jail Records

    TRUE CRIME DAILY: THE PODCAST covers high-profile and under-the-radar cases every week. Subscribe to our YouTube page and don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. You can also subscribe to our True Crime Daily newsletter.



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  • Happy Thanksgiving!

    Happy Thanksgiving!

     

    Happy Thanksgiving!

    There is much to concern us this year but also much to be thankful for, including the brave men and women who volunteer to guard our shares and police our streets.

    At this Thanksgiving we should recall what life was like for the Pilgrims who arrived on these shores in December of 1620. As the Plimoth Plantation describes it:

    Many of the colonists fell ill. They were probably suffering from scurvy and pneumonia caused by a lack of shelter in the cold, wet weather. Although the Pilgrims were not starving, their sea-diet was very high in salt, which weakened their bodies on the long journey and during that first winter. As many as two or three people died each day during their first two months on land. Only 52 people survived the first year in Plymouth. When Mayflower left Plymouth on April 5, 1621, she was sailed back to England by only half of her crew.

    Nevertheless, a year after their arrival they sat down for a feast of thanksgiving. They had befriended and made a treaty of mutual protection with the Pokanoket Wampanoag leader, Ousamequin, also known as Massasoit to the Pilgrims.

    In the fall of 1621, the colonists marked their first harvest with a three-day celebration. Massasoit and 90 of his men joined the English for feasting and entertainment. In the 1800s this famous celebration became the basis for the story of the First Thanksgiving.It would be easy to focus on the passing difficulties of our time, especially for those of us who fight daily to preserve the God-given liberties that have blessed this land since the time of the Pilgrims. But, as they did, we must pause to reflect on all that is good and on the Source of this goodness.

    I am particularly fond of a hymn popularly associated with Thanksgiving Day and often sung at family meals and religious services on this day, having been brought to America by Dutch settlers in New Amsterdam, now New York City. It was written by Adrianus Valerius and is entitled “Wilt Heden Nu Treden” (“We Gather Together.”)

    We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing;
    He chastens and hastens His will to make known.
    The wicked oppressing now cease from distressing.
    Sing praises to His Name; He forgets not His own.

    Beside us to guide us, our God with us joining,
    Ordaining, maintaining His kingdom divine;
    So from the beginning the fight we were winning;
    Thou, Lord, were at our side, all glory be Thine!

    We all do extol Thee, Thou Leader triumphant,
    And pray that Thou still our Defender will be.
    Let Thy congregation escape tribulation;
    Thy Name be ever praised! O Lord, make us free!

    All of us at Judicial Watch wish you and yours a most blessed Thanksgiving! I would be remiss if I also did not thank you, Dear Supporter, for you any and all support you’ve given Judicial Watch throughout the year. Of course, your special support now for Judicial Watch’s essential work would be most welcome. You can support us directly here!

    Until next week,

     

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  • Judicial Watch: DC Government Spends $270,000 To Repaint “Black Lives Matter” on Street Near White House

    (Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch announced today it received 25 pages of records in a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request from the Washington, DC Department of Transportation which show the cost to taxpayers to repaint the Black Lives Matter slogan on a street in the nation’s capital was over $270,000. (The repainting seems to have taken place shortly before Black Lives Matter groups began defending Hamas terrorist murders of Jews in Israel.) 

    On June 5, 2020, after days of protests and riots in DC led by the Black Lives Matter movement, a team of artists, residents, District employees, and demonstrators painted “Black Lives Matter” in 50-foot-tall yellow capital letters and the District’s crest, which resembles three stars above an “equals” sign, on 16th Street NW near the White House. The following day, demonstrators painted “Defund the Police,” a key demand of the Black Lives Matter movement, alongside the “Black Lives Matter” message. 

    The total price tag of $271,231 includes $53,551 for paint and supplies, and $217,680 for labor.  

    In a purchase order dated September 15, 2023 with the description “Black Lives Matter Plaza Redo”, a vendor charged DC-based Equus Striping a total of $53,551.20 for supplies for “BLMRedo2023”. These supplies included “StreetBond 250 Yellow-BLM (MMA)”, “StreetBond 250 Catalyst”, and “StreetBond Primer”, plus shipping. 

    The labor for the repainting was provided by a subcontractor called Dewberry and totaled $217,680. 

    A memorandum of negotiations for the project dated April 13, 2023 indicates that the project required a foreman, operator, laborer, carpenter, and mason. Equipment included a backhoe/loader, portable air compressor, Bobcat, dump truck, pick-up truck, and service truck.   

    The memorandum also indicates that the hourly rates submitted by the contractor on March 9, 2023 were rejected. After negotiation, the contractor submitted lower hourly rates and were accepted on April 13, 2023. The negotiated pricing was signed off on by DC Department of Transportation officials Dr. Eloka Kingsley Achebe (Deputy Program Manager), Jaswant Matharu (Project Manager-Local Paving), and Gaiyath Naanou (Resident Engineer-Local Paving). 

    Judicial Watch obtained the records in a November 6, 2023 FOIA request for: 

    1. All budget records, invoices, work orders, authorizations, agreements and contracts involved in repainting the Black Lives Matter logo on Black Lives Matter Plaza in November 2023. 
    2. All emails sent to and from the following DC Department of Transportation officials: Interim Director Sharon Kershbaum, General Counsel Frank Seales Jr, Chief of Staff Matthew Marcou, Chief of External Affairs Olivia Dedner, Chief Project Delivery Officer Sandra Marks, Interim Chief Operating Officer Neelima Ghanta, Chief Information Officer Khaled Falah, Chief Performance Officer John Thomas and Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer Nana Bailey-Thomas identified using the following search queries: 

    a. BLM+Hamas 

    b. BLM+terrorism 

    c. BLM+Palestinian 

    d. BLM+Palestinians 

    1. All emails sent between any of the officials identified in Bullet 2 and any representative and/or employee of Black Lives Grassroots organization and/or with an email account ending in the domain @blmgrassroots.org.  

    “DC crime is out of control but local leaders continue to wastes $270,000 in tax money promoting the extremist Black Lives Matter movement in the heart of Washington DC that is racist, anti-police, anti-American, and often violent,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.  

    On July 1, 2020, Judicial Watch filed a civil rights lawsuit against Mayor Bowser and other officials for First Amendment violations over their refusal to allow Judicial Watch to paint the message “Because No One Is Above the Law!” on a DC street.  

    In August 2020, Judicial Watch filed a FOIA lawsuit against Bowser, the District of Columbia Department of Transportation and the District of Columbia Department of Public Works for records about the painting of “Black Lives Matter” and “Defund the Police” on a DC street in front of the White House 

    In September 2020, Judicial Watch filed a FOIA lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Transportation for records of communication between the Federal Highway Administration and the District of Columbia’s Department of Transportation about the painting Black Lives Matter on 16th Street NW near the White House. 

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  • 73-year-old jailed in son-in-law’s murder; Arrest in hockey player’s fatal throat slit – TCD Sidebar

    In this episode of True Crime Daily The Sidebar Podcast: Jonna Spilbor joins host Joshua Ritter to break down the biggest cases making headlines across the nation. They discuss Kaitlin Armstrong’s conviction in the murder of her boyfriend’s pro cycling mistress, the arrest of a 75-year-old grandmother in a family murder-for-hire-plot, and a man arrested after a hockey player’s throat was slit with a skate in an on-ice incident.

    Tweet your questions for future episodes to Joshua Ritter using the hashtag #TCDSidebar.

    YouTube: 73-year-old jailed in son-in-law’s murder; Arrest in hockey player’s fatal throat slit – TCD Sidebar

    TRUE CRIME DAILY: THE PODCAST covers high-profile and under-the-radar cases every week. Subscribe to our YouTube page and don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. You can also subscribe to our True Crime Daily newsletter.



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  • Delaware man accused of beating elderly victim with baseball bat and fleeing

    EDGEMOOR, Del. (TCD) – Police have arrested a 29-year-old man on suspicion of assaulting an elderly victim with a baseball bat this week, causing critical injuries.

    According to a news release from the New Castle County Police Department, on Monday, Nov. 20, at approximately 6:30 a.m., officers responded to the Lighthouse Hill Apartments on the 1200 block of Westlawn Court in reference to a possible assault near a bus stop. Once there, police found a 64-year-old male victim who had sustained multiple upper body injuries.

    Officials transported the victim to Christiana Medical Center. As of Monday, Nov. 20, the victim’s condition was listed as critical but stable.

    Police learned that the suspect, Rafael Murillo, had fled the scene on foot and was reportedly traveling toward Governor Printz Boulevard. They eventually found Murillo a short distance away and apprehended him without incident. Police also recovered the baseball bat believed to have been used in the assault.

    Murillo faces charges of attempted murder and possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony. He was arraigned and booked into the Howard Young Correctional Institution on $90,000 bail.

    The investigation is ongoing.

    MORE:

    • County Police Investigate Assault – New Castle County Police Department

    TRUE CRIME DAILY: THE PODCAST covers high-profile and under-the-radar cases every week. Subscribe to our YouTube page and don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. You can also subscribe to our True Crime Daily newsletter.



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  • 4 charged after missing Alabama teen is found dead in shallow grave

    HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (TCD) — Four people have been arrested on various charges after a 15-year-old disappeared in late September and was found dead last week.

    A family member reported Ja’Marious Logan missing to the Huntsville Police Department on Sept. 27 and said he was last seen on the evening of Sept. 25 wearing gray sweatpants, a blue sweatshirt with yellow writing, and black and white Nike Jordan sneakers.

    On Nov. 16, officials located human remains they are confident are those of Logan in Sylacauga. The U.S. Marshals Service’s Gulf Coast Regional Task Force pinpointed the main suspect, Latorrie Gaddis, and arrested him in Alexander City on a charge of capital murder. Huntsville Police said he already had a warrant out for his arrest for two counts of second-degree assault.

    Huntsville Police also arrested 37-year-old Latoya Wells and 33-year-old Corie Wilson on kidnapping charges, as well as 34-year-old Deserea Pilar Cunningham for hindering prosecution. Cunningham is Gaddis’ wife.

    In a press conference, Huntsville Police officials said the medical examiner still needs to conduct an autopsy, but officials are certain they found Logan’s body. There is also a strong likelihood of additional arrests. Logan and Gaddis reportedly knew each other.

    WHNT-TV reports Logan’s found was found “badly decomposed” in a shallow grave close to an abandoned home.

    Logan’s loved ones reportedly referred to him as June and he attended Lee High School, where he was a sophomore.

    MORE:

    • Missing Child, 9/29/2023 – Huntsville Police Department
    • Major Crimes Unit arrest – Huntsville Police Department
    • HPD Provides Update on Ja’Marious Logan Case – Huntsville Police via WHNT
    • Huntsville Police says four arrested in kidnapping, death of Ja’Marious Logan – WHNT

    TRUE CRIME DAILY: THE PODCAST covers high-profile and under-the-radar cases every week. Subscribe to our YouTube page and don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. You can also subscribe to our True Crime Daily newsletter.



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  • SRA warns of AI risks – but also recognises benefits

    Confidentiality and accountability among top concerns


    A new report by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has highlighted the benefits, and risks, of artificial intelligence (AI) in the legal world.

    The work, which is the latest in the regulator’s ‘Risk Outlook’ series, cites previous reports which suggest that the use of AI has significantly risen across a spectrum of small, medium, and large firms.

    The growth in AI, the report goes on, offers a range of opportunities. These include increases in efficiency for administrative tasks, cost reduction as a result, and an increase in transparency, AI models offering speedy, cost effective, translations.

    It’s not all good news, however, with the regulator offering a (longer) list of potential pitfalls. AI models have previously been known to invent cases and precedents, and, with their speed and efficiency comes the risk that any unchecked errors may have a greater impact than individual human mistakes.

    This is in addition to concerns over confidentiality and privacy, accountability, and regulatory divergence. The report also notes the criminal potential of AI, with there being at least one case where a party argued that evidence had been falsified through the use of AI.

    The 2024 Legal Cheek Firms Most List

    In response to the report, Paul Philip, SRA chief executive, said:

    “It is difficult to predict how quickly AI will change the legal sector, but increasingly we won’t be able to ignore its impacts. So far it has mainly been larger firms using AI. However, with such technology becoming increasingly accessible, all firms can take advantage of its potential. There are opportunities to work more efficiently and effectively. This could ultimately help the public access legal services in different and more affordable ways.”

    “Yet there are risks,” he continued. “Firms need to make sure they understand and mitigate against them — just as a solicitor should always appropriately supervise a more junior employee, they should be overseeing the use of AI. They must make sure AI is helping them deliver legal services to the high standards their clients expect”.

    The post SRA warns of AI risks – but also recognises benefits appeared first on Legal Cheek.

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  • Pennsylvania man accused of plotting to kidnap, rape, and kill estranged wife who left him

    KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa. (TCD) — Police have arrested a 52-year-old man after he allegedly assaulted his estranged wife and wrote a note about his plot to kill her.

    According to the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office, on the morning of Sunday, Nov. 19, Upper Merion Township Police responded to the Walmart parking lot on North Gulph Road to a report of a man assaulting a female in a Nissan Rogue. Officers found the victim in the parking lot after she escaped the car. Her “soon-to-be ex-husband,” Geoffrey Kay-Conway Sr., had allegedly attacked her and stabbed her in the leg numerous times.

    Police found Kay-Conway in a nearby parking lot and took him into custody. The district attorney’s office said Kay-Conway had a metal pick and black zip ties shaped like handcuffs in his possession. Additionally, police reportedly recovered a black duffel bag from a truck filled with a pepperball gun, two magazines, and three piercing tools, including one that displayed the victim’s name. The duffel bag also reportedly contained a blindfold, duct tape, zip ties, knives, wire cutters, pliers, K-Y Jelly, a protection from abuse court order, and a note from Kay-Conway to his brother.

    According to the district attorney’s office, the court order was regarding Kay-Conway’s stalking arrest on Oct. 31. Kay-Conway reportedly wrote on the bottom of the court order, “I Have 1.5 months to Kill that B–h. Could have Killed her 17 times if i wanted. What a week [sic] system.”

    The district attorney’s office said the note read, “Well by now Michelle and I are both dead. So there really is nothing to worry about. Listen tell everyone, there is nothing anybody could have done. Depending where she parks, some days are more ideal than others. If I cant do it on an ideal day, it will happen the weekend before Thanksgiving somewhere around town.”

    The note continued, “I just have to follow her Sat or Sun morning and grab her when she goes to her car going store 2 store, informing her if she screams, yells or tries to run that I will shoot her in the face. Not a day has gone by since she left that I didn’t think about killing that b–ch.”

    Further investigation revealed that Kay-Conway placed a tracking device in his estranged wife’s car. On the day of the assault, he allegedly followed the victim into the Walmart parking lot, where he later attacked and tried to kidnap her.

    Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele announced Monday, Nov. 20, that his office charged Kay-Conway with attempted murder, attempted kidnapping, attempted rape, aggravated assault, stalking, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment, possessing an instrument of crime, and other charges related to the assault.

    Kay-Conway was arraigned Monday, Nov. 20, and denied bail. He remains held in the Montgomery County Correctional Facility and is set to appear in court again on Dec. 11.

    MORE:

    • KOP Man Arrested After Foiled Plot to Kidnap, Rape and Murder Estranged Wife – Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office 

    TRUE CRIME DAILY: THE PODCAST covers high-profile and under-the-radar cases every week. Subscribe to our YouTube page and don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. You can also subscribe to our True Crime Daily newsletter.



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  • Freshfields becomes third Magic Circle player to embrace solicitor apprenticeships in London

    From 2025


    Magic Circle law firm Freshfields will take on in its first solicitor apprentices in September 2025, as the list of City outfits embracing the training contract alternative continues to grow.

    Freshfields says it will recruit up to six apprentices who split their time between the office and the classroom, gaining a law degree and the SQE before qualifying as a solicitor. They will be based in the firm’s London office.

    The move sees the firm join fellow MC rivals Linklaters and Allen & Overy, with the former taking on its first apprentices in September of this year, and the latter launching a similar scheme back in Autumn 2022.

    The 2024 Legal Cheek Firms Most List

    Freshfields currently runs an apprenticeship programme within its Manchester support hub, although this leads to qualification as a paralegal rather than a solicitor.

    Earlier this summer the firm lent its support for CityCentury, an alliance of over 50 top firms that have joined forces with the aim of recruiting at least 100 solicitor apprentices into London within the next year or so.

    Speaking at the time, Freshfields’ London managing partner Mark Sansom, and early careers partner Craig Montgomery, said: “We are delighted to be working with CityCentury and to continue our efforts to diversify access routes into the profession. Alongside other participating law firms, we will continue to modernise and develop our routes to qualification and to help preserve the City of London as a world leading hub for diverse legal talent.”

    The Legal Cheek First Most List 2024 shows Freshfields is one of the largest graduate recruiters in the City with an annual trainee intake of around 100.

    Other firms to announce apprenticeship plans in recent months include HFW, Weil and Hogan Lovells.

    The post Freshfields becomes third Magic Circle player to embrace solicitor apprenticeships in London appeared first on Legal Cheek.

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