Tag: Americas

In this episode of True Crime Daily The Sidebar Podcast: Matt Murphy joins host Joshua Ritter to break down the biggest cases making headlines across the nation. They discuss the renewed investigation into a mother’s disappearance after her body is discovered, the parents of a school shooter charged criminally for negligence, and new evidence revealed by prosecutors in the shooting death of Tupac Shakur.

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

YouTube: Parents of school shooter face trial; New evidence alleges motive in Tupac’s shooting — 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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DELTONA, Fla. (TCD) — Deputies have apprehended a 31-year-old man who allegedly killed his brother’s friend during an argument about marijuana over the weekend.

According to a news release from the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, on Sunday, Oct. 8, at approximately 11 a.m., deputies responded to a home at 2997 Glenridge Terrace to a report of a shooting. A witness reportedly found the 21-year-old victim bleeding from the abdomen, stopped to help, and called 911.

When officials asked the victim who caused his injuries, he “pointed back at the house but was unable to provide more details.”

The victim was transported to the hospital, where he succumbed to stab injuries, rather than the initially reported gunshot wounds.

A witness who was present during the stabbing said Joseph McDonald was allegedly responsible for the victim’s death. The Sheriff’s Office subsequently launched a search for McDonald, who had fled the scene. Deputies also released McDonald’s photo, and citizens began reporting sightings.

The Sheriff’s Office deployed helicopter crews and K-9 units to find McDonald, and at approximately 1:15 p.m., he was located coming out of brush near the 2000 block of Newmark Drive.

McDonald’s left hand was reportedly wrapped and bleeding. He was transported to a hospital in Sanford, where medical staff said his hand injuries “appeared to be lacerations from a sharp object.”

A witness told deputies that he and the victim went to the Glenridge Terrace house to smoke marijuana, but their friend wasn’t there, and their friend’s brother — McDonald — let them in. McDonald reportedly got angry when he “was not given a chance to smoke,” and he threatened to kill the victim.

As the argument escalated, the victim allegedly went to the garage. Soon after, the Sheriff’s Office said the victim came outside bleeding and asking someone to call 911.

McDonald faces a charge of first-degree murder and will be held without bond.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, investigators learned McDonald allegedly suffered from mental illness and had lived in the home for approximately two months.

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FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. (TCD) — A jury found a man guilty last week of fatally stabbing and lighting a woman on fire because he mistook her for his ex-girlfriend.

On Oct. 5, Fairfax County Commonwealth Attorney Steve Descano announced Richard Montano was convicted of first-degree murder for killing Silvia “Kelly” Vaca Abacay last year.

According to the statement, Abacay had been staying with Montano’s ex-girlfriend, who was a close friend of hers. On Aug. 10, 2022, 48-year-old Montano went into the apartment “likely intending to kill” his ex because she had broken up with him a few weeks prior. The woman and Montano had been together for eight years.

A neighbor’s Ring camera reportedly showed Montano previously made his way into his ex-girlfriend’s apartment several times “without her knowledge,” including 10 days before the killing.

On the day of the attack, a neighbor called Fairfax County Police four times after they heard “screaming and banging” coming from the apartment across the hall. Montano stabbed Abacay, 40, then set her body on fire. The medical examiner concluded Abacay suffered from blunt- and sharp-force injuries.

The statement said prosecutors “believed that she was likely mistaken” for Montano’s ex when he killed her.

Descano said, “As Commonwealth’s Attorney, I’ve seen considerable crime scenes and photos, but the photos from the case stood out in terms of the severity of the victim’s injuries.”

Montano will be sentenced in January and faces up to life in prison.

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DALE COUNTY, Ala. (TCD) — A 27-year-old woman and her 53-year-old boyfriend are accused of burning and torturing her young children with a blowtorch and allegedly subjecting them to other abuse.

Dale County Jail records show Ashleigh Ableman and Howard Anderson were both taken into custody Oct. 5 on a charge of torture/willful abuse of a child.

Dale County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Caroline Jackson told WDHN-TV that investigators and officials from the Department of Human Services were informed that the three children made allegations against Ableman and Anderson regarding the suspected abuse. Jackson said there were “obvious marks of abuse on the children.”

WDHN reports the victims are all younger than 12 years old. The two adults allegedly injured the children using a blowtorch, causing serious burns.

Jackson said, “This is a case of obvious torture to these children. We knew immediately that we had to intervene.”

The Dale County Sheriff’s Office reportedly has been dealing with an increase in suspected child abuse cases since the school year started.

She told WDHN, “During the summer, the children were home with the abusers, so they didn’t have anyone to report the abuse to. Now that school has started back, the school is unfortunately some of the children’s safety zones, so they feel comfortable confiding in counselors and teachers at the school.”

Bond has not been set yet for Ableman and Anderson.

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NEW YORK (TCD) — A 37-year-old man will spend 25 years in prison for intentionally hitting his 41-year-old estranged wife with an SUV and stabbing her in front of their three young sons in December 2022.

Queens County District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Stephen Giraldo was sentenced Friday, Oct. 6, for the attempted murder of Sophia Giraldo, who remains unconscious from the attack. He pleaded guilty last month.

On Dec. 27, 2022, at around 5:20 a.m., Stephen Giraldo was outside Sophia Giraldo’s residence in a white Ford Explorer SUV with their three children, ages 6, 9, and 11. Sophia Giraldo walked in front of the vehicle when Stephen said to the children, “Keep your seat belt on,” then intentionally drove into his wife.

As a result, the vehicle turned over onto its side. Stephen reportedly “climbed over his child seated in the front passenger seat and through a window and stabbed his wife in the chest.”

The incident was captured on security video.

Giraldo punctured his wife’s liver as a result, and she suffered severe neurological damage and broken bones in her leg. She remains under medical care.

The three children were not injured, WNBC-TV reports. 

In a statement, Katz called it one of the “most brutal cases we have prosecuted.”

Katz continued, “To tell your children to ‘buckle up,’ purposefully hit their mother, and then climb over your son to continue your attack with a knife is unconscionable.”

Some of the victim’s friends and family, including her father, were present in court, WCBS-TV reports.

Giraldo reportedly addressed his estranged wife and her family in court, stating, “Please forgive me for this unspeakable, unfathomable, unimaginable hurt I’ve inflicted upon you.”

The Giraldos allegedly have a history of domestic violence. Following his prison sentence, he will undergo five years of post-release supervision, and he is not allowed to contact the victim or their children.

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HARRISBURG, Pa. (TCD) — A man pleaded guilty but mentally ill this week to multiple crimes in connection with the shooting deaths of his sister and another man, and injuring other relatives, including his two young nieces.

The Dauphin County District Attorney’s Office announced Monday, Oct. 9, that Gregory Greene entered the plea for two counts of first-degree murder, three counts of attempted murder, burglary, and possession of a firearm for the deaths of Meredith Greene and Tyler Thames. The charges also relate to shooting his other sister, Brittonie Meredith, in the face and stabbing two children under 8 years old.

A judge handed him two consecutive life sentences for murder, as well as 21 1/2 to 45 years in prison for the other offenses.

On Feb. 9, 2022, at 5:45 a.m., Greene stole a Dodge Charger from one of the victim’s homes in Swatara Township and drove to another house in Harrisburg. One of the sisters reportedly had a protective order against Greene, which prohibited him from entering her home.

The District Attorney’s statement said Greene broke into the residence at approximately 6 a.m. while everyone inside slept. He went to his sister Brittonie Meredith’s room on the second floor and shot her in the face.

Then, he went to Meredith Greene’s bedroom and shot her. Meredith Greene went to her mother’s room and closed the door, which “likely saved her mother’s life.” Gregory Greene ascended to the third floor, where he fatally shot Tyler Thames.

After killing Thames, he went to his nieces’ room and tried to shoot an 8-year-old girl, but he did not have any ammunition left in his gun. He stabbed the girl in the neck and shoulder and “threw her down the stairs.” He subsequently stabbed her 6-year-old sister in the neck.

Brittonie Meredith, who had been shot in the face, ran outside and flagged down police from the narcotics division who were across the street serving a search warrant. The probable cause affidavit says officers called for backup, and paramedics arrived on scene, where they declared Meredith Greene and Thames deceased from gunshot wounds.

Police saw Gregory Greene flee through a side door and drive off in the Charger. Multiple law enforcement agencies engaged in a pursuit, and Greene ultimately crashed into a bus when an officer put down speed sticks. Greene ran into the officer placing the sticks, which caused the officer to sustain a knee injury.

The affidavit says the children told investigators had Greene stabbed them and that they saw him with a gun inside their home. The children and Brittonie Meredith survived.

According to the statement, Greene underwent mental health examinations, which “established that he was mentally ill but not insane at the time of the offenses.”

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CINCINNATI (TCD) — A 64-year-old man stands accused of killing a man who was found dead 20 years ago with stab wounds and an extension cord around his neck.

According to an Oct. 2 news release from Hamilton County Prosecutor Melissa Powers, Robert Stewart was indicted on two counts of murder and one count of felonious assault in connection with Herman Brown’s death. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted.

On Feb. 15, 2003, Cincinnati Police performed a welfare check at 2572 Sarvis Court after a 911 caller reported a “strong odor coming from the apartment.”

At the scene, officers found Brown “lying naked on the floor, deceased” and blood in the bathroom sink.

According to the Prosecutor’s Office, investigators gathered six cigarette butts, a DNA swab from the victim’s genitals, and a blood sample from the bathroom sink.

The blood collected from the bathroom sink contained two DNA profiles: one from the victim and another from an unidentified individual. The unidentified DNA also matched the DNA on the victim’s genitals and the cigarette butts found at the scene.

Investigators were unable to identify a suspect based on the unknown DNA profile. After pursuing all leads, the homicide investigation went cold.

The Prosecutor’s Office said investigators recently re-extracted the unidentified DNA profile from the cigarette butts and submitted it to a forensic genetic genealogy search, which identified Robert Stewart as a potential suspect. Further DNA analysis verified that Stewart was the source of the DNA found at the crime scene.

Police apprehended Stewart in Lima, Ohio, on Sept. 15, and extradited him back to Hamilton County. He remains held in the Hamilton County Justice Center on a $500,000 bond.

Powers said, “These dedicated detectives never give up on their cases. They never give up on their victims. They will continue to investigate until the case is solved — no matter how long it takes.”

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CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. (TCD) — A man is in custody on suspicion of severely beating a 77-year-old man inside a bathroom using a shower rod and a towel to allegedly commit the crime. The victim later died.

According to a news release from the Clayton County Police Department, on July 26 at approximately 5:47 p.m., officers responded to the 2000 block of Deann Drive to a report of an injured person and made contact with the victim, 77-year-old Ivan Millman, and another male outside of the home.

Police said that both Millman and the male stated that Millman had been attacked at a different location in Atlanta, but they couldn’t specify the exact place. Officers documented the report and transported Millman to a hospital for medical care.

Between July 26 and Aug. 7, several of Millman’s relatives contacted police in reference to the attack. One person said they found blood inside his home July 30. A Clayton County officer went to the residence and photographed the area, but the home was not processed as a crime scene at the time.

Clayton County Police said there is an investigation into “why more appropriate measures were not taken at that time.”

Then, on Aug. 7, police received another call from a biohazard cleaning crew who “had some concerns that the home may have possibly been a crime scene.” Investigators soon determined the crime occurred in the home and not in Atlanta as they originally said. Millman was in hospice care at the time, and he died the next day.

Police identified Millman’s son, Kevin Flowers, as the suspect and obtained a warrant for him Oct. 6 on charges of felony murder and aggravated assault. He had been taken into custody on unrelated charges two days prior. Clayton County Police said they spoke with Flowers about Millman’s death, and he provided “inconsistent statements.”

Millman’s daughter told WAGA-TV their family first became concerned when they hadn’t heard from Millman, so she asked a neighbor to check on him.

The neighbor reportedly encountered a man at the door who claimed Millman wasn’t there. The victim’s daughter told WAGA the neighbor became suspicious and “heard some moaning and groaning.” The neighbor reportedly went inside the home and found Millman severely beaten and called 911.

The victim’s daughter said Flowers allegedly used a towel and shower rod to attack Millman, adding, “There was blood everywhere.”

WAGA reports Millman was also living with bone cancer.

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EDGECOMB, Maine (TCD) — State Police took a 29-year-old man into custody for allegedly killing his girlfriend’s young daughter on Christmas.

On Friday, Oct. 6, Maine State Police arrested Tyler Witham-Jordan on a murder charge in connection with the death of 3-year-old Makinzlee Handrahan. According to State Police, on Dec. 25, 2022, at approximately 7:37 a.m., Lincoln County officials received a call regarding an unresponsive child. The little girl died, and the medical examiner declared her death a homicide.

Maine State Police said they were withholding the cause of death.

Witham-Jordan was in a relationship with Makinzlee’s mother when she was killed.

WGME-TV reports Makinzlee’s mother got a protective order against Witham-Jordan for her and her sons two days after her daughter’s death. She reportedly called Witham-Jordan “verbally, mentally, and physically abusive,” adding, “Tyler has held me down to not let me up after screaming at me and trying to bite me.”

Then, the sons’ father got a protective order against Makinzlee’s mother.

The mother reportedly ended the protective order in January.

Maine State Police said Witham-Jordan is due in court this week.

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