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Tag: Americas

  • Minneapolis man accused impaling victim with golf club in 'grotesque' killing

    MINNEAPOLIS (TCD) — A 44-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder for allegedly beating a store employee and impaling him with a golf club.

    On Friday, Dec. 8, at 12:55 p.m., Minneapolis Police Department officers responded to a stabbing call on the 200 block of Oak Grove Street and found a 66-year-old man at a store “behind the counter with a golf club impaled through his torso.” Medics arrived at the scene and transported him to a nearby hospital, where he died.

    Witnesses provided details about the suspect, and officers quickly located him at an apartment nearby. The suspect reportedly barricaded himself inside the building, which resulted in a SWAT team, bomb squad, and drone unit coming in for assistance. The suspect surrendered after six hours.

    KARE-TV reports the victim has been identified as Robert Skafte and the suspect as Taylor Schulz.

    Hennepin County Jail records show Schulz was booked on a charge of second-degree murder.

    According to KARE, Skafte was found in a pool of blood on the ground of Oak Grove Grocery with wounds on his head and face, as well as a golf shaft in his torso. Schulz reportedly lives in the apartment building across the street from the grocery store, and one of the residents told police Schulz lived on the 16th floor.

    KARE reports surveillance video obtained by detectives allegedly showed Schulz beating Skafte, then choking and punching him. He allegedly hit Skafte in the head multiple times with the golf club, then impaled him when the golf club’s head fell off.

    Minneapolis Police detectives obtained a warrant to search his apartment and reportedly found clothing they believe Schulz wore when the incident occurred. He was believed to have been washing the blood off with soap.

    According to The Associated Press, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the video shows Schulz seems to have gone “behind the counter and then began to assault and bludgeon the individual behind the counter in a very grotesque way.”

    Minnesota Public Radio reports Skafte was a talented and revered dancer who performed with the Westside School of Ballet and Kansas City Ballet.

    In a statement, Oak Grove Grocery said, “Robert was the definition of a good neighbor, a true friend, and the best teammate. He was the light of the neighborhood and our world will forever be a little less bright without him in it.”

    MORE:

    • Man Dies After Stabbing – Minneapolis Police Department
    • Murder charges filed in impaling death of beloved grocery clerk, community member – KARE
    • Hennepin County Jail inmate information
    • Minnesota grocery store clerk dies after customer impales him with a golf club, police say – The Associated Press
    • Man killed in Minneapolis grocery store was acclaimed dancer – Minnesota Public Radio

    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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  • Calif. couple who fostered disabled children indicted again on suspicion of murder, endangerment

    RIVERSIDE COUNTY, Calif. (TCD) — The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office unsealed a 15-count indictment last week, charging a couple again on suspicion of murder and endangerment against multiple disabled dependents in their care.

    Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin announced that a grand jury charged 82-year-old Michelle Morris-Kerin and her husband, 81-year-old Edward Kerin, on multiple counts of involuntary manslaughter and other charges. The owners of Morris Small Family Home were arraigned Thursday, Dec. 7, and both pleaded not guilty.

    Morris-Kerin faces 15 counts, including murder, involuntary manslaughter, child endangerment, dependent adult endangerment likely to cause great bodily injury or death, and lewd acts on dependent adults. Kerin’s charges include involuntary manslaughter, child endangerment, dependent adult endangerment, and lewd acts on dependent adults.

    According to KTLA-TV, the suspects cared for disabled dependents, but their care home has since been closed.

    The Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, the district attorney’s office, and other agencies launched an investigation into the couple’s care facility following the death of 17-year-old Diane “Princess” Ramirez on April 6, 2019. At the time of her death, Ramirez was living at Morris Small Family Home under the suspects’ care.

    According to the district attorney’s office, Morris-Kerin failed to seek help for Ramirez “even though she vomited blood several times, had inconsistent vital signs, and had been in pain for an estimated eight or nine hours.” Prosecutors allege Kerin neglected Ramirez before her death.

    The couple’s facility was reportedly “not properly staffed for 24-hour care, and medical records were not properly maintained.”

    A grand jury previously indicted the couple on 14 counts in August 2021. However, on April 28, 2022, the court dismissed Morris-Kerin’s murder charge. Following the dismissal, the district attorney’s office said investigators obtained additional evidence and presented the case to a grand jury, which led to the indictment.

    According to Hestrin, the couple allegedly continuously abused and neglected dependent children and adults, as well as allegedly sexually abusing three adult dependents under their care.

    The district attorney’s office alleges some of the adult victims didn’t have the “mental capacity to give consent but engaged in sexual activities facilitated and encouraged by both defendants.”

    Morris-Kern’s bail was set at $50,000 and Kerin’s at $35,000. They were released on their own recognizance but must pay those bail amounts by Friday, Dec. 15.

    The couple is scheduled to appear in court again on Jan. 26.

    MORE:

    • Criminal grand jury again indicts owner-operators of care home for murder and endangerment – Riverside County District Attorney’s Office
    • Criminal grand jury indicts owner/operators of care home on charges that include murder and endangerment, 8/9/2021 – Riverside County District Attorney’s Office
    • Riverside County foster mom again faces murder charge – KTLA

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  • Man said 'psycho needs to f—ing die' before allegedly shooting sister's boyfriend

    WOODLAND, Wash. (TCD) — Deputies arrested a 36-year-old man last week on suspicion of killing his sister’s 27-year-old boyfriend, who refused to leave their home.

    On Thursday, Dec. 7, shortly after 6 p.m., the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office responded to a home in the 1100 block of South Pekin Road in reference to a dispute. Corey Raymond reportedly called 911 and said another man, David Pfleger, “was intoxicated,” refused to leave, and was “threatening Raymond.”

    According to the sheriff’s office, several minutes into his call with 911, Raymond told dispatch that he shot the man.

    Deputies and Woodland Police found Pfleger dead inside the residence. Raymond, his sister, and the victim all reportedly lived together in the South Pekin Road home, but at the time of the shooting, only Ramond and Pfleger were there.

    Officials recovered a Ruger .380 pistol and other evidence at the scene. A detective reviewed the 911 call and reportedly learned Pfleger was not armed.

    In his call with dispatch, the sheriff’s office said Raymond is heard saying, “This f—ing psycho needs to f—ing die” and “Let’s f—ing do this” moments before he told officials he shot Pfleger.

    According to the sheriff’s office, Raymond told detectives Pfleger tried to take his phone but didn’t assault him. Raymond allegedly “shoved Pfleger to the ground during the dispute.” As the victim was trying to get off the ground, Raymond allegedly pulled out his Ruger .380 pistol and “shot Pfleger three times in the torso.”

    During an interview, Raymond reportedly told detectives “he did not want Pfleger to know he was armed.”  He also said he “did not like Pfleger and did not want him living in the home.”

    Raymond was arrested and booked into the Cowlitz County Jail on a charge of second-degree murder.

    MORE:

    • Shooting Investigation – Cowlitz County Sheriff’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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  • Woman arrested for allegedly shooting ex-boyfriend in the genitals with pistol

    HAMILTON, Ohio (TCD) — Police arrested a 36-year-old woman last week after she reportedly shot her ex-boyfriend in the testicle with a pistol.

    According to the Butler County Journal-News, on Thursday, Dec. 7, at approximately 8:30 a.m., a man called 911 to report his ex-girlfriend Tonya Nester shot him “between the legs” during an argument. The man reportedly said he grabbed the gun away from Nester, but then she ran into the woods.

    Hamilton Police Department officers responded to the caller’s home on Shuler Avenue and eventually located Nester. She was arrested on charges of felonious assault and having weapons under disability.

    The victim, Charlie Glenn, told WXIX-TV Nester “wanted me to take a walk with her, and I found out she had a pistol with her. She said it was a pellet gun, and I said, ‘Let me see it because I’m not going anywhere with you if you got a gun,’ and she pulled it out and shot me.”

    WXIX obtained the 911 call in which Glenn said he thought the bullet “went through my testicle into my butt cheek and out.”

    Despite the incident, Glenn said he still has feelings for Nester and kept his answer open-ended about whether he would ever get back together with her.

    He reportedly said, “I still to this day love her, and if she ever gets better, well…”

    Butler County Jail records show Netser’s bail was set at $100,000.

    MORE:

    • Woman charged for allegedly shooting man in groin at Hamilton residence – Butler County Journal-News
    • Hamilton man shot in testicle by ex-girlfriend: 911 call – WXIX
    • Butler County Jail inmate information

    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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  • Ohio woman accused of deliberately shooting her infant grandchild in the face

    LIBERTY TOWNSHIP, Ohio (TCD) — A 43-year-old grandmother faces charges after allegedly shooting her infant grandchild in the head at close range over the weekend.

    According to a news release from the Butler County Sheriff’s Office, on Saturday, Dec. 9, shortly before 2 a.m., deputies responded to 6835 Dutch View Court in reference to a shooting involving an infant. At the scene, deputies observed a 6-month-old victim with a gunshot wound to the head and transported the baby to a hospital in critical condition.

    A witness identified the victim’s grandmother Mia Harris as the shooter. According to the sheriff’s office, Harris had fled the scene before deputies arrived on scene. Authorities found her shortly after and took her into custody without incident.

    Further investigation revealed Harris allegedly shot at other family members before shooting her grandchild.

    According to court records obtained by WXIX-TV, during an argument with other relatives, Harris “knowingly caused serious physical harm” to the baby “by breaking down a locked bedroom door after firing a handgun through it multiple times.”

    Harris reportedly tried to shoot the victim’s mother in the head but missed. She then allegedly shot the baby in one eye as the victim was lying on the bed. Harris also reportedly punched another person in the face.

    Deputies booked Harris into the Butler County Jail on three counts of felonious assault. The sheriff’s office noted that her “charges are subject to change as the investigation continues.”

    As of Saturday, Dec. 9, the child remains in critical condition and reportedly underwent two surgeries.

    Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones told WXIX it was “one of the most disgusting, vile criminal acts I’ve ever seen, shooting a 6-month-old baby. What makes it even worse is this is the baby’s grandmother.”

    Jones added, “The baby is hanging on to life as we speak.”

    According to WXIX, Harris remains held on $1.5 million bond.

    MORE:

    • Liberty Township felonious assault – Butler County Sheriff’s Office
    • Grandma broke down locked bedroom door, shot grandbaby at close range in head: court docs – WXIX
    • Butler 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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  • Border Patrol Sector Chiefs Say Migrants Know They will be Released in U.S. Fueling Immigration Crisis

    The Biden administration impedes Border Patrol agents from fulfilling their duty of securing the southwest border by prohibiting consequences for most individuals crossing into the United States illegally and instead practicing a mass release policy that encourages more illegal immigration. In fact, the expectation of “prompt release into the interior” has helped craft the nation’s historic border crisis, according to scathing material provided to a congressional panel by Border Patrol sector chiefs. In Arizona’s Yuma Sector alone, about 70% of illegal immigrants apprehended since Biden became president have been released inside the U.S. “There needs to be a consequence to the illegal activity, otherwise it won’t stop,” San Diego Sector Border Patrol Chief Aaron Heitke told members of the House Committee on Homeland Security. “And when you look at a population that’s coming, the only real consequence that we have is to send them back to their home country.”

    But that has not occurred under the Biden administration, the San Diego Sector chief as well as his counterparts along the Mexican border confirm. Lack of meaningful consequences for unlawful entry has created perverse incentives to enter the U.S. illegally, the Homeland Security committee found after extensive interviews with eight Border Patrol sector chiefs. Unprecedented numbers of illegal aliens have been released, including more than 1.6 million under some form of parole despite the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) limiting parole to a “case by case” and “temporary” basis. The Border Patrol has also released over 1.2 million illegal immigrants with a Notice to Appear (NTA) on their own recognizance for hearings that are often years away and Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Office of Field Operations (OFO) has issued over half a million NTAs since February 2021. Also, for a brief period in 2021, at least 104,000 illegal aliens were released in the country with a Notice to Report (NTR) to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office within 60 days.

    Additionally the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), created after 9/11 to prevent another terrorist attack, frees inside the U.S. the overwhelming majority of illegal immigrants who use the CBP One App, including those from “hostile nations.” The congressional panel found that 95.8% (278,431) of all inadmissible aliens who scheduled appointments through the app between Jan. 12 an Sept. 30, 2023 were ultimately issued an NTA and released into the U.S. on parole. This includes individuals from “countries of concern,” including Russia, China, Yemen, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, and Egypt. Nearly all the Russian, Afghan, Chinese and Iranian nationals who made CBP One appointments were released in the U.S., according to the records. Most of the Latin Americans were also freed into the country, including illegal immigrants from Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, and Venezuela. Another recently created program to welcome migrants into the U.S. has granted 269,744 Cubans Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans mass parole at ports of entry nationwide and ICE’s non-detained docket has grown by nearly two million while CBP has recorded 1.7 million known “gotaways” since Biden became commander-in-chief.

    Because the migrant population knows the U.S. will more than likely release illegal border crossers in the country, big groups are giving themselves up to federal agents, Border Patrol officials say.
    “They’re giving up because they believe they’re going to stay in the United States,” said Chief Border Patrol Agent John Modlin of Arizona’s Tucson Sector. “If not, they would be, like everyone else in Tucson, dressed head to toe in camouflage, running as fast as they could, staying up in the mountains or in the valleys to avoid detection by our system.” The Yuma, Arizona deputy chief, Dustin Caudle, confirmed that “the belief that they are going to be released with no consequence is certainly something that many migrants tell our agents.” The chief of California’s El Centro Sector, Gegory Bovino, told lawmakers that providing a consequence to someone that illegally enters the country “has a great effect on migration routes and those who seek to come across the border.” The chief of the Rio Grande Valley Sector in Texas, Gloria Chavez, said “when there’s not a consequence, we continue to see some of these surges that we—that we’re experiencing here recently.”

    The Biden policies have proven to be devastating. Fiscal year 2023, which ended in September, was a record-breaker for illegal immigration with a ghastly 2.48 million migrants, surpassing what was previously a historical high of 2.38 million in 2022. The last month of the fiscal year (September), federal agents encountered a whopping 269,735 illegal aliens constituting an all-time high for a single month and a substantial increase over August when CBP encountered 232,963 migrants. The Tucson Sector saw an unprecedented 109% spike in illegal immigrants during the last month of the fiscal year compared to August and a total 48% increase for 2023, from 251,984 last year to 373,625. The El Paso crossing in Texas had a 39% boost in illegal immigration compared to last year with 427,471 crossings compared to 307,844 in 2022. Texas sectors located south of El Paso also saw large numbers of illegal immigrants, with Del Rio recording 393,226 and Rio Grande Valley 338,337. California got bombarded as well with a 31% hike in illegal aliens in San Diego and a 30% rise in El Centro. If there are no repercussions for violators the numbers will just keep growing.

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  • ‘Dirty voter rolls’ slammed, 131% of eligible DC voters registered

    From Washington Examiner:

    Several states and the District of Columbia have been hit by an election watchdog for failing to clean up their voter rolls of the dead and ineligible.

    Judicial Watch said it just finished investigating registrations and sent letters to the district, California, and Illinois warning that they are violating the National Voter Registration Act by not cleaning up the rolls.

    Read more here…

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  • Illinois 'calloused child murderer' pleads guilty in death of 8-year-old son

    PEORIA, Ill. (TCD) — A 37-year-old mother pleaded guilty this week in connection with the 2022 death of her 8-year-old child, who suffered severe neglect, abuse, and lack of proper nutrition.

    According to the Peoria County State’s Attorney’s Office, on Thursday, Dec. 7, Stephanie Jones pleaded guilty to the first-degree murder of her son, Navin Jones.

    On Tuesday, March 29, 2022, at around 2:43 p.m., the Peoria Police Department responded to the 1700 block of North Gale Avenue in reference to an unresponsive 8-year-old child. Officers found the boy at the scene, and he was transported to a hospital in critical condition, where he was pronounced dead.

    Police said the boy’s parents, Jones and 40-year-old Brandon Walker, were arrested and initially charged with endangering the life or health of a child.

    On March 30, 2022, the Peoria County Coroner completed an autopsy and determined Navin Jones died of physical abuse and neglect.

    According to WMBD-TV, the child’s parents reportedly “withheld medical care and nutrition from Navin Jones,” knowing that doing so could cause severe injuries or death. When police found the boy, he weighed 30 pounds.

    Outside the child’s room, there was reportedly a note that read, “Don’t give Navin any food or drink. Do not let him out of the room. He has what he needs until I wake up.”

    His room was in terrible condition, with urine and feces throughout, WMBD reports.

    The child reportedly sustained beatings all over his body and showed signs of physical abuse.

    Police recovered text messages between Jones and Walker that revealed in October 2021, Walker allegedly wanted to punish the victim and place him in the basement because he had urinated on the wall. Other text messages reportedly showed Walker was aware the boy was losing weight and would most likely need medical care.

    State’s Attorney Jodi Hoos said in a statement, “Some cases are just too indescribable for words, and this is one of them.”

    Hoos continued, “There’s value in the day that a mother shamefully admits to the world the truth about herself and what she did; and Navin Jones so deserves this day from his mother. This defendant is pleading guilty today to being the calloused child murderer that she is.”

    Jones faces between 20 and 100 years in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 7.

    Walker’s trial is set to begin on Monday, Dec. 11.

    MORE:

    • Mom Pleads to Son’s Murder – Peoria County State’s Attorney’s Office
    • Peoria mother pleads guilty to neglecting her son, causing his death – WMBD
    • Death Investigation, 3/30/2022 – Peoria Police Department

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  • N.Y. couple accused of killing man’s grandfather, hiding body in crawl space near sleeping children

    NEW CITY, N.Y. (TCD) — A couple faces charges after allegedly killing the man’s grandfather and hiding his body in the crawl space of his own home.

    According to the Rockland County District Attorney’s Office, on Thursday, Dec. 7, 31-year-old Constantinos Doonan and 26-year-old Jo-Ann Haughey were arraigned on a charge of second-degree murder in connection with the January death of Doonan’s grandfather, Constantinos Mastakouris.

    Prosecutors allege Doonan and Haughey killed Mastakouris at the victim’s home on Ruth Drive sometime between Jan. 29 and Jan. 30. Doonan, Haughey, their two children, and other family members reportedly lived with Mastakouris.

    Following the victim’s death, the couple reportedly hid the body “in a crawl space located in the residence, in close proximity of where they slept with their children.”

    According to the district attorney’s office, between late January and mid-March, Doonan and Haughey “stole and possessed property belonging to Mr. Mastakouris, which they did not have permission or authority to use.”

    Doonan and Haughey were charged with second-degree murder, second-degree burglary, third-degree grand larceny, three counts of fourth-degree grand larceny, third-degree criminal possession of stolen property, three counts of fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property, fifth-degree criminal possession of stolen property, concealment of a human corpse, and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.

    District Attorney Tom Walsh said in a statement, “The alleged actions of the defendants show a clear disregard for human life. What makes this case very troubling is the grandfather and grandson relationship between the defendant and victim.”

    Doonan and Haughey remain held in the Rockland County Jail without bail. If convicted, they face a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in state prison.

    MORE:

    • New City Couple Arraigned on Murder Charges – Defendant’s Charged with Murder in the Second Degree – Rockland County District Attorney’s Office

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  • Ohio woman who threw burrito bowl at Chipotle employee is told to work at fast-food restaurant

    PARMA, Ohio (TCD) — A judge sentenced a 39-year-old woman to 90 days in jail for throwing her burrito bowl at a Chipotle employee because she was unhappy with her order — but the judge also threw in a caveat.

    According to Cleveland.com, on Sept. 5, Parma Police Department officers responded to a local Chipotle after receiving reports about a dispute between a customer and an employee. The customer, Rosemary Hayne, ordered a burrito bowl and was upset with the quality. Parma Police Lt. Daniel Ciryak said Hayne made the employee, who also happened to be the manager, redo her order.

    Hayne, however, remained unhappy. She reportedly left, then walked back in and told the manager to redo her burrito bowl a third time.

    The manager refused, and Ciryak said Hayne “then threw her full-size bowl of food” at the victim’s face.

    WJW-TV identified the victim as Emily Russell.

    Parma Municipal Court records show Hayne pleaded guilty to one count of assault on Nov. 28. Prosecutors dropped the disorderly conduct charge.

    WJW reports Judge Timothy Gilligan sentenced Hayne to 180 days in jail with 90 days suspended. He also offered her an extra 60 days of credit if she agreed to take a job in a fast-food restaurant for 20 hours a week for two months.

    Hayne reportedly said at the hearing, “If I showed you how my food looked and how my food looked a week later from that same restaurant, it’s disgusting looking.”

    Gilligan reprimanded Hayne and responded, “I bet you won’t be happy with the food you are going to get in the jail.”

    He also told her, “You didn’t get your burrito bowl the way you like it and this is how you respond? This is not ‘Real Housewives of Parma.’ This behavior is not acceptable.”

    MORE:

    • Flying burrito bowl! Enraged customer throws food at Parma Chipotle employee, 9/13/2023 – Cleveland.com
    • Woman who threw Chipotle order at worker can work off jail time at fast food restaurant – WJW

    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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