Paradise News

Category: Metro

  • How 14-year-old house help connives with classmates to kill lecturer in Niger State

    How 14-year-old house help connives with classmates to kill lecturer in Niger State

    The Niger State Police Command has arrested a 14-year-old home help, Joy Afekafe, a prime suspect in the killing of a Federal University of Technology Minna lecturer, Dr Funmilola Sherifat Adefolalu.

    SaharaReporters had reported how Adefolalu, a lecturer in Niger State, was found dead in her home in the Gbaiko area of Minna, the state capital.

    The lecturer of the Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Sciences, was found dead in a pool of blood.

    It was learnt that the deceased lecturer’s body was discovered when her church members traced her home after she was not seen during service.

    Read Also: 13-year-old girl dies, parents and two siblings injured as building collapses in Ekiti

    Some residents stated that the late lecturer’s husband, who was a professor in the same school had earlier passed on.

    The late lecturer reportedly sacked a female home help who was staying with her and was found dead shortly after.

    However, according to the police, an investigation revealed that the 14-year-old domestic help, Afekafe, alongside her classmates identified as Walex and Smart, attacked the lecturer.

    Meanwhile, the two accomplices are said to be on the run.

    Wasiu Abiodu, the spokesperson for the state police command on Tuesday in a statement, disclosed that the deceased had injury marks on her body.

    He said Afekafe was arrested on October 30, 2023, in the Gbeganu area of Minna.

    He said, “Police operatives attached to Bosso Division visited the scene and two bloodstained knives suspected to have been used to stab her by unknown person(s) were recovered from the scene. The body was taken to the IBB Hospital, Minna where she was confirmed dead.

    “During interrogation, the suspect confessed that she served as the deceased’s housemaid for about three weeks, and she was laid off due to her misdeed in the house.

    “After she was laid off, she met her classmates called Walex and Smart, narrated her ordeal to them and conspired to attack the lecturer at her residence.

    “Afekafe said they went to the lecturer’s residence on October 28, 2023, around 1600hrs, with a motorcycle and she surfaced at the gate, while the lecturer opened the gate for her.

    “Walex and Smart later entered, beat and hit the lecturer’s head with a stool and stabbed her with a knife brought by Walex while Smart took another knife from the kitchen, and stabbed her severally.

    “She (Afekafe) said the deceased’s phone and laptop were taken away, while they also removed the battery of the vehicle parked in the compound and fled the scene.

    “The suspect will be transferred to SCID for further investigation and diligent prosecution, while effort is ongoing to arrest the fleeing other suspects.”

    Source: Sahara Reporters

  • Texas woman sentenced for killing man in wheelchair who was found with hands and feet bound

    BAYTOWN, Texas (TCD) — A 40-year-old woman will spend 25 years in prison for robbing and killing an elderly wheelchair-bound man she had agreed to care for.

    Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced Monday, Oct. 30, that Alicia Keator and her boyfriend, Marcus Gilbert, who also went by “Skunk,” pleaded guilty to murder in connection with the death of 65-year-old John Fernandez.

    According to the Baytown Police Department, on Jan. 2, 2018, shortly after 1:30 p.m., officers responded to The Providence at Baytown Apartments to perform a welfare check on Fernandez. A caller told police that no one had seen or heard from Fernandez since Christmas 2017, and his friends were worried about his well-being.

    Inside his apartment, police found Fernandez deceased and suspected foul play. According to the district attorney’s office, Fernandez’s hands and feet were bound, and his mouth was taped shut. Officials determined he had been suffocated.

    People throughout Fernandez’s apartment complex reportedly knew him to be a “gentle, grandfatherly type,” according to the district attorney’s office. He required daily assistance for everyday activities, but he didn’t have any family nearby.

    Keator moved in with Fernandez more than a month before his death with the agreement she would help him in exchange for a place to live. According to the district attorney’s office, “Instead of helping, she allowed her boyfriend to routinely visit, culminating in the planned robbery and killing of Fernandez.”

    Concerned neighbors notified management after they hadn’t heard from Fernandez, and maintenance workers discovered his remains inside a locked bedroom.

    Baytown Police arrested Keator and Gilbert on suspicion of suffocating Fernandez and stealing his cellphone, TV, and ATM card. They were initially charged with capital murder.

    Gilbert previously entered a guilty plea in exchange for 60 years in prison.

    Keator pleaded guilty but without a plea agreement, so she was sentenced by a judge following a punishment hearing. The judge later learned that Keator had “provided critical evidence against her co-defendant and had agreed to testify against him, even without promise of leniency.”

    At the sentencing, Harris County District Judge Frank Aguilar said Keator would have received a much longer prison sentence if she had not cooperated with prosecutors.

    Gilbert and Keator will have to serve at least half of their sentences and then they will be eligible for parole.

    Ogg said in a statement, “The elderly and disabled people in our community are extremely vulnerable to becoming victims of violence. This couple took advantage of this man’s kindness and deserves to spend decades in prison.”

    Source

  • Inside the trial of Parkland deputy charged for failing to confront school shooter – TCD Sidebar

    In this episode of True Crime Daily The Sidebar Podcast: Mark Eiglarsh, who served as Scot Peterson’s defense attorney, joins host Joshua Ritter to discuss the trial that led to the officer’s acquittal on all counts.

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

    YouTube: Inside the trial of Parkland deputy charged for failing to confront school shooter – TCD Sidebar

    TRUE CRIME DAILY: THE PODCAST covers high-profile and under-the-radar cases every week. Subscribe to our YouTube page for podcasts, exclusive videos, and more, and don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.



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  • Axiom Ince: Law Society expresses concern over possible one-off levy to plug £64 million black hole 

    Calls for consultation before any decision is made


    The Law Society has expressed its concern over the possibility that solicitors may be hit with a one-off levy in order to plug the multi-pound black hole likely to be left in the regulator’s finances following the collapse of Axiom Ince.

    Earlier this month the SRA admitted it may require solicitors to make an additional payment as means of addressing the millions of pounds in potential claims from Axiom Ince clients. The firm was shut down earlier this month, not longer after it emerged £64 million had gone missing from its client account.

    The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) controls a special compensation fund that aims to support people who are owed money by a regulated law firm. Solicitors contribute to the fund through a levy added to the practising certificate fee.

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    Law Society chief exec Ian Jeffery said:

    “As the representative body for the solicitor profession, we are of course greatly concerned that our members could be asked to plug a gap of many millions of pounds in the Compensation Fund arising from the collapse of just three law firms, which were set up under atypical business models and with their own clear and inherent risks.”

    He added: “We would expect the solicitor profession to be consulted before any decision is made by the SRA on its approach to these exceptional compensation questions, given that our members would be required to pay for it and it is their collective reputation at stake.”

    The Law Society Gazette previously reported that there is around £18 million currently available in the fund, which typically pays out, on average, £13 million a year.

    The post Axiom Ince: Law Society expresses concern over possible one-off levy to plug £64 million black hole  appeared first on Legal Cheek.

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  • Florida woman and her 2 sons accused of killing her husband while on vacation

    SUWANNEE, Fla. (TCD) — A wife and her two sons stand accused of killing the woman’s husband, who was found stabbed to death in a canal in 2021.

    According to a news release from the Dixie County Sheriff’s Office, on Sunday, July 25, 2021, Cindy Rainey reported her husband, David Rainey, missing. Cindy Rainey told deputies she and her husband got into a dispute while on vacation. He reportedly walked out of their rental house and left his glasses, wallet, and cellphone behind.

    Later that evening, the Sheriff’s Office said investigators found David Rainey submerged in a canal behind the family’s vacation rental house with multiple stab wounds to his chest. His death was ruled a homicide.

    More than three years later, on Wednesday, Oct. 25, deputies arrested Cindy Rainey and her two sons, Bailey Rainey and Jack Rainey. Cindy and Bailey Rainey are currently in custody at the Flagler County Jail, while Jack Rainey is behind bars in Orange County. All three are being held on out of county warrants.

    The Dixie County Sheriff’s Office says Cindy, Jack, and Bailey Rainey are being charged with tampering with evidence.

    Source

  • 13-year-old shot, parents killed at house party in San Antonio

    SAN ANTONIO (TCD) — A 20-year-old was arrested Monday morning after he allegedly shot five people, including two fatally, at a party over the weekend.

    According to KENS-TV, on Saturday, Oct. 28, at 9:40 p.m., San Antonio Police Department officers were called to the 300 block of Roslyn Avenue after receiving calls about a shooting. When officers arrived, they located five victims. Two adults were pronounced dead at the scene. A 13-year-old girl was among the victims.

    San Antonio Police spokesperson Nick Soliz said there was a party at a residence and one of the attendees got into an argument with another partygoer. The woman went home to get other family members, and the “situation escalated from an argument to someone pulling out a firearm.”

    KSAT-TV reports a 40-year-old man and 35-year-old woman were killed, but their names were not released. They were the 13-year-old girl’s parents. During the incident, the 40-year-old victim fired back at 20-year-old Raul Trevino and the relative, striking both. They reportedly sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

    Trevino, 20, is being charged with capital murder.

    According to WOAI-TV, Soliz said, “Once that person pulled a firearm, another person from the party had a firearm as well and they began to exchange gunfire in which innocent lives were taken and a lot of people were caught in the crossfire.”

    On the same block on Thursday, Oct. 26, a 10-year-old girl and 15-year-old girl were shot. WOAI reports police believe the two incidents are connected.

    Source

  • London go-to destination for commercial disputes, report finds

    Outperforms New York, Singapore and Hong Kong

    London is the preferred destination for clients dealing with commercial disputes, a new report published by the Law Society has found.

    Chancery Lane says the capital is the “most attractive centre” for commercial litigation and international arbitration, outperforming global rivals such as New York, Singapore and Hong Kong.

    The report found that the London Commercial Court remains the go-to choice thanks to international companies preferring English law when it comes to doing business.

    The report also cited data from the Office of National Statistics that showed UK legal services exports increased by nearly half a billion pounds to £6.6 billion in 2021, further demonstrating the sector’s strength.

    The European Union is the UK’s most valuable trading bloc for legal services, accounting for £2.15 billion in exports from the UK in 2021, the report noted.

    UK-headquartered firm DLA Piper brought in the most revenue between 2021-2022 with £2.64 billion, followed by Magic Circle player Clifford Chance with £1.96 billion.

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    Law Society of England and Wales president Nick Emmerson said:

    “The UK is currently the second largest market for legal services globally. It is recognised and respected the world over because of the stability and quality of our courts, our laws and legal professionals. Our report shows that in an increasingly competitive global market, London’s commercial courts continue to thrive. English law is the governing law of choice in international transactions and a vital asset to the UK’s economy.”

    The Law Society stressed the report is an “objective, neutral, evidence-based assessment of the global position of English law” and is intended to be used as a practical tool for firms who wish to attract business or inform their clients about the widespread use of English law.

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  • Calif. father pleads guilty to killing 11-year-old son who was found in basement storage bin

    PLACERVILLE, Calif. (TCD) — A father already serving prison time for the sexual exploitation of a child faces 15 years to life for killing his 11-year-old son in 2020.

    According to an Oct. 27 news release from the El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office, Jordan Piper pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder of Roman Lopez.

    On Jan. 11, 2020, Lopez’s stepmother, Lindsay Piper, reported Lopez missing from their home on 2892 Coloma St., where the district attorney’s office said he and his family had lived for approximately two months. Lopez reportedly lived with his father, Jordan Piper, and his stepmother, Lindsay Piper, along with seven other children, ages 1 to 17 years old.

    Investigators conducted an initial search for the boy but were unsuccessful. According to the district attorney’s office, officials performed a “second, more extensive search of the home,” and Placerville Police found Lopez’s remains inside a storage bin in the basement.

    An autopsy report showed Lopez had “no obvious trauma,” but he was “severely malnourished and dehydrated at the time of his death.”

    Lopez weighed around 42 pounds when he died. Investigators reportedly retrieved medical records for Lopez and learned he weighed 61 pounds when he was 9 years old. The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office Coroner determined Lopez had not been to a doctor in the two years since that appointment.

    Lopez had reportedly suffered physical abuse for years and had been “restrained by being tied and zip-tied to his bed at night.”

    Investigators noted that the family often moved, which added to the “complexity of this case.”

    El Dorado County District Attorney Vern Pierson said in a statement, “It is absolutely horrific and incomprehensible the way Roman was tortured, abused, and murdered by his own father.”

    Pierson continued, “Although I recognize that it will never seem like enough prison time for any parent who killed their child, today I believe we secured some measure of justice for Roman Lopez.”

    Jordan Piper and Lindsay Piper were initially charged with multiple criminal counts, including child abuse, poisoning, and torture.

    On July 8, 2022, Lindsay Piper was convicted of the second-degree murder and was sentenced to 15 years to life.

    Jordan Piper’s sentencing is set for Tuesday, Nov. 21. He is currently serving a 15-year federal prison term for the sexual exploitation of a child unrelated to Lopez’s death.

    Source

  • Model found dead in L.A. apartment had been bound, gagged, and left in fridge

    LOS ANGELES (TCD) — New information is coming out about the violent killing of a 31-year-old model found dead in her apartment last month, including that her body was discovered inside a refrigerator.

    On Sept. 12 at just before 4 p.m., Los Angeles Police Department officers were called to the 200 block of South Figueroa Street to conduct a welfare check on Maleesa Mooney. When they went into the apartment, they found her deceased and opened a homicide investigation into her death.

    According to the autopsy report published by KTLA-TV, Mooney was last seen alive Sept. 6 at her apartment building. Her mother called the LAPD on Sept. 12 and asked them to conduct a welfare check on Mooney. Officers used the property manager’s key to gain entry to Mooney’s apartment and discovered her inside the refrigerator with blood underneath the appliance. The report says Mooney’s wrists and ankles had been tied with “miscellaneous electronic cords and clothing items.”

    Clothing also covered Mooney’s face, and there was one piece inside her mouth.

    The autopsy showed Mooney sustained major blunt force trauma to the head, face, back, and upper left arm. Her hands and wrists were tied together either before or during the killing.

    The report says Mooney most likely had a “violent physical altercation prior to her death.”

    Mooney reportedly had cocaine in her system, but the medical examiner wrote the “role that drugs and/or alcohol may have played in Ms. Mooney’s death, if any, is uncertain.”

    The medical examiner determined Mooney’s cause of death was homicidal violence.

    KTLA reports no one has been arrested yet. Mooney was reportedly two months pregnant when she was killed.

    Source

  • N.C. man accused of killing 15-year-old high school student

    RALEIGH, N.C. (TCD) — A 22-year-old man allegedly shot a 15-year-old high school student last week, and the teen died in a hospital six days later.

    On Monday, Oct. 23, at around 2:45 p.m., the Raleigh Police Department responded to a gravel parking lot in the 300 block of South Person Street in reference to a shooting. At the scene, near Moore Square Middle School, officers found Shamar Leverette suffering from a gunshot wound, WRAL-TV reports.

    He was transported to a hospital to treat his critical injuries.

    Police arrested Steven Stanley on initial charges of assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury and possession of a firearm by a felon.

    According to WRAL, Leverette died Sunday, Oct. 29, at WakeMed Hospital.

    Chief Estella Patterson reportedly said, “This juvenile fought valiantly for his life. Our thoughts and prayers remain with the family of this young man during this difficult time. Any loss of life in our community is a tragedy, but when the lives of our youngest members are cut short, it affects us all.”

    Stanley’s charges were upgraded to include a count of murder. He remains held in the Wake County Jail without bond.

    Stanley was reportedly released from prison two months before the shooting.

    Leverette’s father told WTVD that the victim attended Leesville High School, and he did not know the suspect.

    Source