Category: Metro

CONCORD, N.H. (TCD) — A jury convicted a 27-year-old man this week of fatally shooting a couple who was out walking on a trail path near their home last year.

The New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office announced Monday, Oct. 23, that Logan Clegg was found guilty of four counts of second-degree murder, one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, and four counts of falsifying physical evidence in connection with the killings of Stephen and Djeswende “Wendy” Reid. Clegg’s trial lasted about three weeks.

The four murder counts stem from two counts of knowingly causing Stephen and Wendy’s deaths and two counts of recklessly causing their deaths.

On April 18, 2022, at approximately 2:20 p.m., the Reids left their residence at the Alton Woods apartments and made their way to the Broken Ground Trails. The New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office said the couple was not heard from after that. Their bodies were discovered three days later on April 21, 2022, in a wooded area near the Marsh Loop Trail.

An autopsy determined 67-year-old Stephen and 66-year-old Wendy both died from multiple gunshot wounds.

Six months after the Reids’ killings, the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office and Concord Police Department announced an arrest warrant had been signed charging Clegg with murder. Clegg was taken into custody in Vermont on an unrelated charge, then extradited back to New Hampshire.

WMUR-TV reports prosecutor Josh Speicher said his team was “very happy” with the verdict.

Clegg’s defense attorney, Caroline Smith, said, “We said what we had to say in court and feel very sad.”

Stephen and Wendy Reid’s son, Brian Reid, also spoke after the verdict and said in a statement, “A liar, a thief, a murderer has been brought to justice today. The legacy of my parents’ humanitarian work, their kindness and their love for life will endure. Let today be a reminder of the value of human life and the strength of community. For myself, our families and everyone who carried and shared our pain, may the justice that has been served aid in the work of our healing.”

Both Stephen and Wendy worked in the humanitarian sector. According to a statement shared by WMUR, Stephen spent four years in the Peace Corps in West Africa, then met Wendy, who was from West Africa, in Washington, D.C. Wendy received a sports scholarship to attend college in D.C. The two “bonded over their mutual love of adventures and fitness.”

The couple moved back to Concord, New Hampshire, three years before they were killed so they could “enjoy a well-deserved retirement.” He spent over 30 years working in international development, while Wendy helped new refugees get adjusted to the United States.

Source

PORTLAND, Ore. (TCD) — A 44-year-old off-duty pilot was arrested on over 160 charges after he allegedly attempted to cut power to the plane’s engines midflight and was deemed a legitimate security risk.

According to a statement, the incident occurred Sunday, Oct. 22, on a Horizon Airlines flight operated by Alaska Airlines from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco. Officials “reported a credible security threat” about an off-duty pilot who was on the flight sitting in a flight deck jump seat.

The off-duty pilot, who KOIN-TV reports was identified as Joseph Emerson, allegedly “unsuccessfully attempted to disrupt the operation of the engines.” The flight’s captain and first officer thwarted Emerson’s plan, and Alaska Airlines said the plane never lost engine power and that “crew secured the aircraft without incident.”

Air traffic control rerouted the flight to make an emergency landing at the Portland International Airport, where Emerson was taken into custody. Multnomah County Jail records show Emerson was booked on 83 counts of attempted murder, 83 counts of reckless endangerment, and one count of endangering aircraft.

Alaska Airlines noted all passengers were able to travel on a later flight.

Source

DETROIT (TCD) — Police are investigating a homicide after a 40-year-old local synagogue president was found fatally stabbed outside her home over the weekend.

Detroit Police Chief James E. White and other law enforcement officials spoke at a press conference Monday, Oct. 23, and shared details regarding Samantha Woll’s killing. On Saturday, Oct. 21, at approximately 6:30 a.m., someone called 911 to report finding an unresponsive woman on the 1300 block of Joliet Place. Police and EMS arrived at the scene and declared the victim, who they identified as Woll, deceased at the scene.

According to White, investigators at the scene discovered a “trail of blood leading to the victim’s residence,” leading them to believe Woll was stabbed inside her home.

Woll attended an event Friday night and returned home at approximately 12:30 a.m. Saturday. There were no signs of forced entry.

White said blood spatter experts are being called in to investigate. Detectives believe Woll was stabbed inside her home, then “stumbled outside and collapsed in the yard.” She was most likely there for “quite a while.”

He said he did not want to share some specific details due to the ongoing investigation and because there are “facts only known to our suspect and our detectives.” White confirmed detectives are speaking with multiple people.

Woll served as board president at Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue in Detroit.

The Detroit Police Department released a statement Sunday saying, “The investigation into the death of Ms. Woll remains ongoing. At this time, however, no evidence has surfaced suggesting that this crime was motivated by antisemitism.”

White reiterated that in the press conference and said there weren’t any other groups at risk and that the suspect acted alone.

Woll’s killing occurred about two weeks after Israel and Hamas went to war. On Oct. 14, one week after the war broke out, a 71-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of fatally stabbing a 6-year-old Muslim boy “due to [him] being Muslim and the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict involving Hamas and the Israelis.” Federal officials are investigating that as a hate crime.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel told the Detroit Free Press in a statement, “I am shocked, saddened, and horrified to learn of Sam’s brutal murder. Sam was as kind a person as I’ve ever known. She was driven by her sincere love of her community, state, and country. Sam truly used her faith and activism to create a better place for everyone.”

Source

ROSWELL, N.M. (TCD) — Police are searching for a 19-year-old man who allegedly beat his 44-year-old father to death during a dispute in August.

According to a news release from the Roswell Police Department, on Aug. 27 at approximately 3:40 a.m., officers were called to a home in the 1200 block of West 13th Street, where they found the victim, Mario Gonzalez. He was transported to a hospital, where he later died.

Upon further investigation, police learned the victim and his son, Ivan Gonzalez, were drinking in a pickup truck outside the home and began arguing about “various things.” Ivan Gonzalez became angry and allegedly punched his father, who then started walking back toward the residence. Ivan Gonzalez followed his father and reportedly choked him. Inside the house, he allegedly punched his father again and kicked him.

Ivan Gonzalez was initially arrested on a charge of battery against a household member and was released on his own recognizance the next day.

According to police, on Oct. 3, the medical examiner ruled Mario Gonzalez’s death a homicide due to blunt force injuries. They also noted that his existing medical conditions contributed to his death, and he sustained multiple internal injuries.

Police said Ivan Gonzalez was not immediately charged with murder because investigators were waiting for the full autopsy results.

On Friday, Oct. 13, Gonzalez was charged with second-degree murder, and officials obtained a warrant for his arrest. Police are continuing to search for Gonzalez to take him into custody.

Source

BEAUFORT, S.C. (TCD) — A 27-year-old man was arrested on several charges after he reportedly shot and killed his young daughter during a custody exchange.

On Sunday, Oct. 1, at 12:41 p.m., Beaufort Police Department officers responded to the Cross Creek Apartments regarding a shooting and found a 26-year-old woman suffering from serious gunshot wounds. Medics reportedly rendered aid to the woman at the scene, then transported her to a hospital once she was stabilized.

Police soon learned about a 25-year-old male gunshot victim with non-life-threatening injuries and a 3-year-old who was seriously wounded, both of whom were already at the hospital. The 3-year-old later died from her injuries.

According to Beaufort Police, investigators learned a domestic situation broke out during the exchange, which led to gunfire. Officers said they were searching for Jonathan Tyleke Fair in order to bring him in for questioning.

On Oct. 16, Beaufort Police announced they located Fair and took him into custody. He was booked into the Beaufort County Jail for murder, two counts of attempted murder, and possession of a weapon during a violent crime.

Beaufort County Jail records show Fair is also charged with three counts of unlawful neglect of a child, aggravated breach of peace, probation and parole violation, and discharging a firearm by a prohibited person.

WCSC-TV reports the 3-year-old girl was Fair’s daughter, Ariana.

Source

TEXARKANA, Ark. (TCD) – Police have named a suspect in a 42-year-old cold case involving the grisly death of two siblings, as well as the sexual assault of one of the victims.

On Oct. 12, Texarkana Arkansas Police Chief Michael Kramm announced in a press conference that investigators identified Weldon Alexander as the killer in the 1981 fatal stabbings of 14-year-old Karen Alexander and her 13-year-old brother, Gordon Alexander.

The investigation began when Weldon Alexander returned home from work on April 8, 1981, at approximately 7:15 a.m., when he claimed he saw his screen and front doors slightly open. He said he walked inside and found Gordon deceased in the kitchen and “thought his daughter might still be alive on her bed near the living room area.”

Weldon reportedly removed a butter knife from Karen’s body and put it on a shelf. A statement from the police department says officers arrived at the scene and declared Gordon deceased, but Karen remained alive. She sustained major sharp-force injuries to her body and was transported to a hospital for care. KTAL/KMSS-TV reports Karen was in a coma for three days before she died.

Karen and Gordon’s mother was reportedly in the same hospital at the time as a patient for mental health issues.

In 1993, serial killer Henry Lee Lucas, also known as the “Confession Killer,” reportedly claimed he killed the Alexander siblings. Police, however, did not arrest or charge him due to a lack of evidence.

Capt. Calvin Seward worked on the case in the Criminal Investigations Division, but the case eventually went cold. He retired from the department in 2004, then again 18 years later from the U.S. Marshals. In February 2022, he reopened the case and submitted new DNA samples from people named in the case to the Combined DNA Indexing System (CODIS) to see if it could yield any results.

Seward, Dr. Todd Steffy, a forensic criminologist, and Kelli Dixon, a DNA scientist at the Arkansas State Crime Lab, took DNA from Karen and Gordon’s fingernails and compared that to other DNA evidence at the scene. Samples taken from the siblings showed traces of copper, zinc, fibers, and other materials that were often used at Weldon’s workplace.

According to Texarkana Police, investigators found Weldon’s semen on Karen’s bed covers. The investigation revealed Karen had been sexually assaulted 48 to 72 hours before her death.

Seward said in the press conference Karen had most likely been assaulted for about six months leading up to her death.

Investigators determined both children had been stabbed the night April 7 at around 11 p.m. before Weldon left for his work shift. The two teens were reportedly still wearing the same clothes they had on as of April 7. Police also said the “weapon used was considered a weapon of opportunity, a butter knife likely from the kitchen of the Alexander home.”

There was no DNA from anyone outside the home.

Seward and Steffy wrote a probable cause affidavit naming Weldon Alexander as the suspect and presented the case to Miller County Prosecuting Attorney Connie Mitchell. She asserts that “Weldon Alexander is the sole, viable suspect in the murders of Gordon and Karen Alexander, and that she believes probable cause exists for the issuance of an arrest warrant for two counts of Capital Murder.”

Weldon, however, died in 2014.

Kramm, the chief of police, said, “It is our hope that the friends and remaining family of Gordon and Karen Alexander may find some peace in knowing that scientific and circumstantial evidence has been revealed sufficient to resolve this 42-year-old case.”

Source

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (TCD) — A 54-year-old man faces a maximum sentence of life in prison for allegedly intentionally hitting a group of people and driving into a Kohl’s department store while under the influence of drugs.

The Orange County District Attorney announced Oct. 20 that Tuan Miller faces six felony counts of attempted murder, one felony count of driving under the influence of a drug causing injury, one felony count of vandalism, and one felony count of evading a police officer.

On the evening of Friday, Oct. 13, at around 8 p.m., Miller allegedly drove onto the sidewalk outside the Kohl’s department store at the Bella Terra shopping center. Several people were standing near the department listening to some singing when Miller struck two women, resulting in minor injuries, the District Attorney’s Office said. A bystander reportedly stepped in to pull one of the women from harm.

According to the District Attorney’s Office, Miller then revved his engine and accelerated toward three other people, hitting one who “became lodged in the front of Miller’s car as it crashed through the store’s glass doors.”

Miller reportedly fled the scene, but officials later apprehended him.

The District Attorney’s Office noted that Miller caused $425,000 worth of damages to the store.

In a statement, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said, “Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol has catastrophic and often deadly consequences. The decision to get behind the wheel while intoxicated by either drugs or alcohol is never the right decision.”

Spitzer added, “Juries have become complacent when it comes to convicting defendants of driving under the influence of marijuana and other drugs and that has to stop. It’s not a matter of if; it’s a matter of when a repeat drugged or drunk driver finally seriously injured or kills someone.”

Miller is due back in court on Nov. 3.

Source