Category: Metro

BRISTOL, Conn. (TCD) — Officials arrested a 51-year-old former state employee accused of opening fire in the lobby of a police station last week.

According to a news release from the Connecticut Inspector General’s Office, on Thursday, Oct. 5, at approximately 11:30 p.m., Suzanne Laprise went into the Bristol Police Department lobby at 131 North Main St. She reportedly banged on the lobby desk office windows with a handgun, but no one was behind them at the time.

Laprise then allegedly opened fire into the windows, but the rounds did not puncture the bulletproof glass.

The Inspector General’s Office said police tried negotiating with Laprise, but she fired additional rounds at officers. In response, an officer returned fire, but the bulletproof glass stopped the rounds. No one was injured during the exchange.

After Laprise placed the handgun down, officers entered the lobby, activated an electronic defense weapon, and arrested her.

According to the Inspector General’s Office, Laprise underwent evaluation at Bristol Hospital, after which she was released and transported back to the Bristol Police Department.

Police said Lapris was charged with criminal attempt/murder with special circumstance, illegal discharge of firearm, illegal carry of firearms under the influence of drug/alcohol, criminal use of weapon, violation of pistol permit requirements, illegal possession of large capacity magazine, first-degree criminal mischief, first-degree reckless endangerment, and second-degree breach of peace.

According to Connecticut Public Radio, her bond was initially set at $3 million but was lowered to $1 million. She will remain in custody until she is scheduled to appear in court Oct. 17.

Laprise reportedly worked for a state agency that assists developmentally disabled people and is a mother of three adults, including one son with Down syndrome.

On Oct. 6, police said the lobby was closed for walk-in complaints due to repairs and maintenance.

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AUSTIN, Texas (TCD) — A homicide investigation is underway after officials found the body of a woman who they believe was burned alive.

According to a news release from the Austin Police Department, on Friday, Sept. 29, at around 5:08 a.m., the Austin Fire Department responded to the 6300 block of Mesa Drive in reference to a fire, where they found 33-year-old Melissa Davis deceased with apparent signs of body trauma.

A search warrant obtained by KXAN-TV alleges the fire spanned a 10-foot area, and firefighters discovered Davis’ body consumed by flames. Officers reportedly detected an odor of accelerant near the body, which was in a small grassy area adjacent to a fence.

KXAN reports that a detective uncovered a new lighter on the ground, and a K-9 detected the scent of gasoline or diesel. The K-9 also found a butcher knife near the site of the accelerant odor.

According to the warrant as cited by KXAN, officials suspect that “the knife was placed with the decedent in an attempt to destroy the evidence with the fire.”

During an autopsy, medical examiners uncovered evidence indicating that Davis was possibly burned alive.

According to one of Davis’ family members who spoke with police, Davis allegedly planned to have her phone repaired at the Apple Store, and they last saw her the day before the fire.

Detectives noted that Davis’ phone was not found at the fire scene, but they believe she had it with her before her death, KXAN reports. Police believe Davis’ cellphone data will assist in identifying a suspect.

On Oct. 6, police posted a news release stating that detectives are searching for a blue 2016 Toyota 4Runner in connection with the case, but officials didn’t release any further details. The investigation is ongoing.

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GALVESTON, Texas (TCD) — A judge sentenced a man to 55 years behind bars for killing his roommate and romantic partner, then fleeing the state.

Galveston County court records show Christian Hickman-Staudt, 26, was handed the sentence Oct. 5 after a jury convicted him of first-degree murder for the death of 55-year-old Donald Eugene Heard. His attorneys have already filed an appeal.

According to League City Police, on July 30, 2020, officers responded to the 100 block of Briarwood Court after a woman called 911 to report she discovered her son dead in the residence. Police went inside and determined the victim “had been deceased for several days.”

Heard sustained a fatal knife wound to his neck.

During their investigation, detectives learned Heard and Hickman-Staudt were in a relationship and Hickman-Staudt was at the home a few days before Heard’s mother found him dead. Three days after the discovery, Hickman-Staudt contacted his mother, Frances Hickman, and asked her pick him up because he and Heard had gotten into a fight.

League City Police said Hickman-Staudt fled to Minnesota following the killing, which led to police issuing a warrant for his arrest. Hickman-Staudt’s mother was arrested in October 2020 for tampering with evidence because she allegedly “destroyed evidence related to the crime.”

Court documents show Hickman concealed a backpack with evidence inside.

Hickman-Staudt was eventually apprehended Oct. 27, 2021, in Hennepin County, Minnesota, and extradited back to Texas.

KRIV-TV reports Hickman-Staudt told investigators he didn’t kill Heard. Rather, he claimed some people broke in and committed the crime. Police, however, discovered Hickman-Staudt’s DNA on a knife inside.

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ESCAMBIA COUNTY, Fla. (TCD) — A 26-year-old man accused of holding a woman and child hostage allegedly killed his cousin in a separate case.

According to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, on Oct. 6, a female victim informed deputies that Jerry Foster, an armed suspect, held her and a child hostage at a home in the 900 block of Bremen Avenue, threatening to kill them.

The next day, she managed to escape and reported the incident to the Sheriff’s Office, revealing that the child remained at the residence with Foster.

The SWAT team, Hostage Negotiations Unit, and Drone Unit responded to the home, and Foster eventually exited with the child. Following a brief standoff, authorities apprehended Foster.

The child was unharmed.

According to an arrest report obtained by WEAR-TV, Foster now stands accused of fatally shooting his 38-year-old cousin, Jarvis Johnson, in early September.

On Sept. 9, officials found Johnson dead with multiple gunshot wounds to his head and arm in a front yard on Emerald Avenue in the Oakcrest neighborhood.

Johnson’s family members reportedly identified Foster as a person of interest, and he was seen in the area approximately 30 to 45 minutes following the shooting.

According to the report as cited by WEAR, “Family advised that there was a history of violence between the two stemming from a family dispute.”

Foster allegedly shot Johnson in the hand in May and threatened to kill him.

During a search of Johnson’s cellphone, WEAR reports that he knew “Foster was trying to kill him, but he did not fear death.”

Earlier this month, a witness reportedly told officials that Foster confessed to killing Johnson and said he shot him in the chest before going back and shooting him in the head.

Foster allegedly buried the gun following the shooting and then unearthed it several weeks later.

According to WEAR, when deputies apprehended Foster in connection with the hostage case, he was in possession of the gun they believed he had used in Johnson’s fatal shooting.

Foster remains held in the Escambia County Jail on charges of homicide, kidnap — false imprisonment, aggravated assault, larceny, and obstructing justice.

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TULSA, Okla. (TCD) — An Oklahoma man accused of killing his estranged wife in 2017 was taken into custody in Mexico following a years-long search.

According to the Tulsa Police Department, on June 22, 2017, Jose Gomez-Baca allegedly fatally shot 26-year-old Elizabeth Rodriguez while sitting in a car outside their home. Police quickly identified Gomez-Baca as the primary suspect and charged him with first-degree murder.

Tulsa World reports that Gomez-Baca allegedly ambushed Rodriguez and caught her by surprise as she arrived in the car with family.

Gomez-Baca had reported Rodriguez as missing before the alleged attack.

Rodriguez’s brother told Tulsa World that she was looking into separating from Gomez-Baca at the time.

Following his estranged wife’s death, Gomez-Baca fled to Mexico, and officials arrested him on June 27 in Tecomán, Colima.

He was extradited back to the United States and booked into the Tulsa County Jail on Oct. 10. He remains held without bond.

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MAYWOOD, Ill. (TCD) — A former professional football player who was initially believed to be missing was arrested at the U.S.-Mexico border this week on suspicion of killing his mother in a Chicago suburb.

On Sept. 16, relatives reported Sergio Brown and Myrtle Brown missing to the Maywood Police Department after not hearing from them. Maywood Police said officers searched the home where both Sergio and Myrtle Brown lived and then found her body near a creek close by. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office determined Myrtle Brown died from “multiple injuries assault.”

The Associated Press reports Brown allegedly shared videos on Instagram in the days following his mother’s death, though he allegedly said her killing was “fake news” and that he was on vacation in Mexico.

He reportedly said, “Fake news, fake news, fake news. It has to be the FBI.”

In another video, Brown reportedly alluded to “Finding Nemo” and recited, “Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming.”

The Associated Press says police did not immediately confirm whether the Instagram videos were authentic.

The Maywood Police Department announced Brown was arrested at the border Oct. 10 while reentering the United States through San Diego. Officials from the San Diego Police Department Threat Management Unit and other law enforcement agencies took him into custody on a charge of first-degree murder.

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RENO, Nev. (TCD) — A 28-year-old man will be required to spend at least two decades in prison for killing his newborn son, who died from abuse-related injuries.

The Washoe County District Attorney’s Office announced Monday, Oct. 9, that Craig Melzo was sentenced to 50 years in prison with the possibility of parole after 20 years following a first-degree murder conviction.

On April 3, 2020, the Reno Police Department received a call about a 2-week-old boy who was having trouble breathing. Medics transported the newborn, Zayden, to a hospital and testing revealed he was suffering from multiple brain bleeds and retinal hemorrhaging, which revealed he had “significant trauma.”

Zayden died from his injuries four days later on April 7.

Medical officials “determined that the abusive head trauma that Zayden suffered was the result of child abuse,” leading police to believe Melzo “was responsible for his son’s death.”

According to the district attorney’s office, prosecutors called on medical experts to testify, who said the “internal damage done to Zayden was some of the worst they had ever seen in their careers.”

Deputy District Attorney Nicole Hicks argued at the trial Zayden suffered “extreme and catastrophic trauma,” which she said should have sent Melzo to life in prison without parole. The judge, however, sided with Melzo’s attorneys who said the jury should decide the sentencing requirements.

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