Category: Metro

Newsletter / 2023-10-27

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MARGATE. Fla. (TCD) — A 46-year-old woman and her 43-year-old husband were arrested this week on suspicion of abusing and torturing their teenage niece over the course of a decade.

Arrest records show Latricia Crawley was taken into custody Oct. 25 on charges of aggravated child abuse and child neglect with great bodily harm, while her husband, Benjamin Lockett, was arrested for child abuse without great bodily harm.

According to the criminal complaint, on Oct. 25, the victim contacted her online teacher for help and asked the instructor to send police to her home on Northwest 79th Terrace. Margate Police officers arrived at the residence and the victim reportedly told police Lockett got angry at her because he suspected she ate some candy, so he allegedly punched her and caused her to hit her head on a desk.

The victim sustained a large cut to her forehead and other swelling.

She was taken to Broward Health Coral Springs, where officers and medical personnel “observed evidence of significant long-term trauma” on her body, including scars that looked like ligature marks, scar tissue, insect bite marks, bruising, and malnutrition.

A detective spoke with the victim, who said she has been in Lockett and Crawley’s custody since 2014. Since then, the couple allegedly “willfully and maliciously tortured the victim, unlawfully caged the victim in two different closets, and have willfully abused the victim in manners that have caused permanent disfigurement.”

The affidavit says when the victim was 11, Lockett allegedly kicked her in the chin, which caused a permanent scar. In another instance, Crawley allegedly oiled the victim’s knees when she was 13 years old and “forced the victim to kneel on rice for several hours at a time, for several days in a row.”

Her knees became permanently disfigured.

In 2021, Crawley reportedly struck the girl’s toes with a hammer.

When the victim was 14 years old in 2022, Crawley and Lockett allegedly tied the girl to various objects with a nylon rope. After that, Crawley allegedly threw boiling water at her.

According to the affidavit, Lockett and Crawley reportedly locked the girl in a closet, bound her with zip ties, and left her with a bucket to use as a toilet. Sometimes, Crawley allegedly poured cold water on the victim “just to see her wake up.”

Crawley also allegedly taped the victim’s eyes shut and waterboarded her.

The detective wrote that the victim had clear signs of starvation and malnutrition, which the victim reportedly confirmed by saying Crawley starved her as a form of punishment.

Crawley allegedly asked police if she could release custody of the victim.

The affidavit says the victim has been placed into Child Protective Services custody.

Both Lockett and Crawley have been bonded out of Broward County Jail.

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LOS ANGELES (TCD) — Officials have arrested two suspects in connection with the death of a man whose body was found in a large barrel at a Malibu beach in August. 

According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, on Monday, July 31, shortly after 10 a.m., homicide detectives responded to the 23200 block of the Pacific Coast Highway in reference to a death investigation. A lifeguard noticed and retrieved a 55-gallon plastic barrel drum and found the victim, Javonnta Murphy, inside.

Investigators determined Murphy had not been in the barrel for long before the discovery.

The Sheriff’s Office identified 37-year-old Joshua Lee Simmons and 41-year-old Dennis Vance as the suspects and said they were “known to be acquaintances of the victim.”

The motive is still under investigation.

According to KTLA-TV, Murphy’s brother was one of five people arrested in connection with rapper Pop Smoke’s death in 2020. Murphy’s brother was later cleared of attempted murder charges.

Authorities were reportedly investigating whether Murphy’s killing was a form of retaliation for the killing of Pop Smoke.

Simmons was charged with murder, personal use of a firearm, and criminal threats. He was also charged with attempted robbery, two counts of criminal threats, with a personal use of bear spray in connection with a robbery attempt in El Monte last month.

The El Monte Police Department released Simmons’ photos, stating that on Saturday, Sept. 2,  he attempted a smash-and-grab robbery at Meza Jewelry. He allegedly used bear spray on employees as reported by KTLA. However, the workers were able to stop the suspect’s efforts.

Vance faces one count of accessory after the fact.

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SIOUX CITY, Iowa (TCD) — A mother and daughter were taken into custody on suspicion of murder after they allegedly killed their relative during a dispute at their apartment.

On Thursday, Oct. 26, at 11:54 p.m., Sioux City Police Department officers responded to 607 Virginia St. regarding a deceased female in the parking lot and found the victim with multiple stab wounds. Police began investigating and reportedly discovered evidence of an altercation at one of the apartments in the complex.

Officers subsequently arrested 59-year-old Angela Bino and her daughter, 32-year-old Jessica Bino, for first-degree murder. Sioux City Police did not reveal the victim’s name or age.

Court documents cited by KCAU-TV say the victim lived with Angela Bino and Jessica Bino in the apartment. The victim was Angela’s mother and Jessica’s grandmother.

According to the affidavit, Jessica Bino reportedly got into a fight with the victim at approximately 7 p.m., and Angela Bino joined in. They allegedly started punching the victim, then Angela grabbed a candlestick and hammer and beat her with those objects. KCAU reports Jessica picked up a butcher knife from the kitchen and stabbed her grandmother several times.

A neighbor in the building reportedly saw Jessica Bino and Angela Bino moving the victim’s body to the victim’s car and trying to put her body in the trunk. This prompted the witness to call police.

Woodbury County Jail records show Angela Bino and Jessica Bino are being held on $500,000 bond.

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BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (TCD) — A 23-year-old man will spend a minimum of 25 years behind bars for killing his girlfriend with an ice ax in a garage, then touching her body sexually after she died.

KGET-TV reports a judge sentenced Daniel Gunnarsson to 25 years to life with an additional two years and four months for the death of Kathryn Pham. A jury Gunnarsson found guilty Aug. 30 of first-degree murder with the use of a deadly weapon and abuse of a corpse.

On May 18, 2021, Kern County Sheriff’s Office deputies were called to the 900 block of Skylark Avenue in Ridgecrest and found Pham with trauma to her body. Officials pronounced her deceased at the scene and consequently arrested Gunnarsson in connection with her death.

According to the Kern County District Attorney’s Office, Pham and Gunnarsson were in a relationship for about a month prior to the killing. On May 17, 2021, Gunnarsson reportedly “displayed animosity towards Pham and expressed what his friends believed to be suicidal behavior.” He reportedly went to his stepfather’s house May 18, 2021, and spoke about his “failing relationship with Pham.”

He called her and apologized, then picked her up at her apartment and drove her back to his stepfather’s home. When they got to the house, Pham and Gunnarsson went into an RV garage. Painters working at the stepfather’s house heard Pham screaming and what sounded like “shuffling of items.” The painters went into the garage about an hour later and discovered Gunnarsson with blood all over his body and Pham deceased on a mattress topper.

The statement said Pham was partially naked, with her chest and midsection exposed. The painters went to the stepfather for help and called 911. Investigators determined Gunnarsson put on gloves, then attacked Pham with a 24-inch ice ax 10 times, hitting her in the head, neck, and face. After she died, Gunnarsson “repositioned Pham and proceeded to touch her remains in a sexual manner.”

According to KGET, the day before the murder, Gunnarsson reportedly reversed his car into a wall outside Pham’s apartment building multiple times. He was purportedly angry she did not “reciprocate his feelings.”

Gunnarsson underwent two competency exams prior to his trial, and in June, he was deemed competent to stand trial.

KGET reports Gunnarsson’s defense attorney argued someone else could have gone into the RV garage and killed Pham.

At the sentencing hearing, Pham’s father called Gunnarsson a “monster.”

Pham’s grandmother shared, “She was a treasure and we loved doing anything with her.”

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ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (TCD) — The infamous “Florida man” meme is reaching great heights with a new competition series called the Florida Man Games, which are set to kick off in February 2024.

While “Florida man” stories range from the tragic to the bizarre, the Florida Man Games website says the events will be “as unexpected as the headlines that inspired them.” The games are described as the place where “the bizarre meets brawn and sanity is optional!”

Some of the competitions include “Weaponized Pool Noodle Mud Duel,” “Evading Arrest Obstacle Course,” “Category 5 Cash Grab,” “Beer Belly Florida Sumo,” and more. There will also be a mullet contest because “Florida is well known for being the home of the most outrageous mullet cuts on the planet,” as well as Chicken Coop Bingo.

Additional activities include selfies with alligators and a barbecue competition. The site jokes about the alligator selfies, “The insurance company doesn’t love this, but we don’t care!”

Two former American Gladiators will judge the games.

Pete Melfi, the competition’s creator, told the Orlando Sentinel, “It’s going to be a wild day of mud games and Florida-style obstacle courses. It’s going to really be an opportunity to live that Florida Man life for a day.”

Melfi said he wants different regions of Florida involved in the games, which is why hopefuls must submit a video audition.

He told the Sentinel, “We’re picking whoever has the wildest, craziest Florida Man videos. We got a guy who sent us a video of him pulling an alligator out of a lake. You don’t have to go that far; please don’t put your life at risk.”

The Florida Man Games are scheduled for Feb. 24, 2024, in St. Augustine.

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This Week on True Crime Daily The Podcast: An au pair is charged with a man’s shooting death after he allegedly stabbed her boss in the family’s home. Plus, a daughter accused of conspiring with her mother to poison her mom’s husband.

Emily D. Baker joins host Ana Garcia.

YouTube: Au pair charged after double homicide; Daughter accused of helping mom poison husband

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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TOLEDO, Ohio (TCD) — A grand jury indicted a 39-year-old man on multiple charges for allegedly killing his father in 2017, although his body has never been found.

Lucas County court records show Timothy Darrow was indicted Oct. 24 on two counts of open murder in connection with Alvin Darrow Jr.’s death.

According to Toledo Police, Alvin Darrow, 63, was last seen July 27, 2017, following work on a boating project when he went home to get some tools. He was reported missing the next day. Toledo Police said at the time Alvin Darrow left several personal belongings at home and he did not have anyone to look after his dog, which was “highly unlike him.”

Toledo Police Lt. Dan Gerken told WTOL-TV Alvin Darrow and Timothy Darrow argued the day he disappeared, and “no one’s heard from Alvin since then.”

A friend of Timothy Darrow’s, Michael Johnson, is being charged with obstruction of justice. Gerken said Johnson “lied to us” and “obstructed some of our investigation.”

Johnson told WTOL in an interview he helped Timothy Darrow move a barrel and “a lot of things that night.”

He said, “I helped him scrap a car. I helped him burn some things. I helped him dig up some things.”

WTOL reports Timothy Darrow was already in custody at the time of the indictment. Records show he was charged with felonious assault Oct. 19 in an unrelated incident.

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