Paradise News

Tag: Americas

  • California man who tortured, killed girlfriend and locked ex in closet is sentenced

    THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (TCN) — A 24-year-old man will spend 50 years and eight months to life behind bars after torturing and killing his girlfriend, who was found with “degrading words newly tattooed on the center of her chest.”

    The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office announced Saul Nava’s sentencing guidelines on Dec. 4 after a jury previously convicted him of first-degree murder, aggravated mayhem, torture, kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon, three counts of inflict corporal injury to current/former spouse/cohabitant/fiancé, and possession or control of child pornography.

    According to prosecutors, on Dec. 24, 2021, Nava called law enforcement after he had beaten and tortured his girlfriend, Alisen Takacs-Escobar, for days in their apartment. Ventura County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded and located Takacs-Escobar deceased with injuries throughout her body, including severe bruising, a laceration to the top of her head, and a new tattoo on her chest. Authorities apprehended Nava at the scene.

    Inside their residence, deputies recovered tattoo equipment, baseball bats, a hammer, and a screwdriver, which prosecutors said were all used to harm the victim. According to the district attorney’s office, officials also found videos on Nava’s phone that were taken before Takacs-Escobar’s death, which “show Nava taunting her and displaying no concern for her worsening condition.”

    During the investigation, authorities reportedly learned Nava had abused his ex. Prosecutors said he “met the additional victim when they were teenagers, and their relationship escalated quickly.” According to the district attorney’s office, Nava “confined her to a closet and beat her.” She reportedly tried to escape, but Nava noticed and threatened to harm her with a knife until she went into his car. In the summer of 2021, prosecutors said Nava began a relationship with Takacs-Escobar, and the abuse against the other victim ended.

    MORE:

    • Thousand Oaks Man Sentenced to 50-plus years to life for Murder, Torture – Ventura County District Attorney’s Office
    • Calif. man convicted of torturing, killing girlfriend who had ‘degrading words’ newly tattooed on chest, 10/18/2024 – TCN

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  • Feds Downplay Military Base Breach by Jordanian Migrant on Terror Watchlist as “Amazon Delivery”

    Adding to the mainstream media’s huge credibility problems, a major newspaper has omitted critical facts in a story accusing a Republican governor of inflaming fears over illegal immigration for bringing attention to a serious breach at a U.S. military base earlier this year. It happens to involve a case Judicial Watch investigated and we obtained important government records that contradict the skeptical tone of the lengthy article, which portrays Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin as somewhat of a fear-mongering embellisher who fabricated the seriousness of the matter. “Virginia’s governor has used the arrest of two undocumented men who misunderstood directions to stop at a check-in station to inflame fears over illegal immigration,” according to the piece, published by the Washington Post a few days ago. The article quotes federal prosecutors dismissing the breach as an “Amazon delivery.”

    The incident involves two Jordanian illegal immigrants—32-year-old Hasan Yousef Hamdan and 28-year-old Mohammad Khair Dabous—who tried to infiltrate Marine Corps Base Quantico on May 3. Both were released from federal custody after being charged for trying to breach the compound even though one of the men appears on a terror watch list, according to records obtained by Judicial Watch. The men posted bail in early June and were released by the Washington D.C. Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) division of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the records show. A Department of Justice (DOJ) immigration judge in Annandale, Virginia set Dabous’ bail at $10,000 and Hamdan’s at $15,000 and they were freed after posting bond and agreeing to stay away from military facilities and to appear in court for immigration hearings.

    The Virginia base is about 35 miles south of Washington D.C. and houses the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Academy and Laboratory as well as a Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) facility and Marine Corps commands that include the unit that flies the president’s Marine One helicopter. Initial reports revealed that in the early morning hours of May 3, Hamdan and Dabous drove a truck to the military installation’s main gate and told guards they were making a delivery to Quantico Town’s post office. They ignored guards’ orders to stop when they could not provide credentials required to gain access to the facility. The illegal immigrants were arrested and charged with misdemeanor trespassing on military property. A Serious Incident Report (SIR) filed by Marine Base Quantico to Marine Headquarters confirms that a white box truck driven by Dabous tried to access the installation via a gate on Fuller Road. Guards asked for a license to conduct a visitor check and directed Dabous to move the truck into the inspection area.

    While the guard transmitted the drivers’ license information for vetting, the truck moved forward from the holding area and final denial barriers were deployed, according to the SIR report obtained by Judicial Watch. The passenger, Hamdan, could only provide a Jordanian passport for identification and both men were taken into custody. “Hamdan illegally entered the United States 20 days ago from Mexico into California where Hamdan was arrested and sent to an immigration camp with a deportation court date in 2026,” the SIR report states. An ICE officer, whose name is redacted in the document, “telephonically confirmed” to the Marine Criminal Investigations Division (CID) that “Hamdan was on a terror watch list,” the report says, further revealing that ICE personnel assumed custody of Hamadan and Dabous for further processing. Despite the Marine SIR documenting that Hamdan appears on a terror watch list, the government—specifically ICE—has consistently denied it. A spokesperson for ICE ERO in Washington D.C. told Judicial Watch that neither man posed a threat to national security or the public without offering any further information that one appears on the terror watch list.

    The Washington Post story completely omits this pertinent information, instead downplaying the incident by describing it as “confusion” during an “Amazon delivery.” The article cites a federal prosecutor’s court filing noting that “neither man had any known terrorist links” even though it is clearly stated in the government records obtained by Judicial Watch. The Biden DOJ dropped the charges on October 3, the article reveals, before taking another jab at Governor Youngkin: “Though court filings have since shown that the men have been cleared of wrongdoing beyond their illegal presence in the country, Youngkin seems unlikely to give up the talking point, relaying it as a cautionary tale about illegal immigration and potential terrorism.”

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  • Judicial Watch: Fani Willis Hides Records of Communications with January 6 Committee, Denies Existence of Any Jack Smith Records

    Willis’ ‘Open Records Department’ Cites Exemptions to Hide Records

    (Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch announced today that District Attorney Fani Willis refused to release any non-public documents in response to a court order finding her in default for failing to respond to a Judicial Watch lawsuit seeking records of communications Willis had with Special Counsel Jack Smith and the House January 6 Committee. Late yesterday evening, Willis’ Open Records Department denied any records about Jack Smith existed and cited a series of legal exemptions to justify the withholding of communications with January 6 Committee. The Willis office did release one, already public, letter to January 6 Committee Chairman Benny Thompson.  

    The March 2024 lawsuit was filed in the Superior Court of Fulton County, GA, after Willis and the county denied having any records responsive to an August 2023 Georgia Open Records Act request for communications with the Special Counsel’s office and/or the January 6 Committee (Judicial Watch Inc. v. Fani Willis et al. (No. 24-CV-002805)).

    In its lawsuit Judicial Watch stated that Willis’ “representation about not having records responsive to the request is likely false.” Judicial Watch referred to a December 5, 2023, letter from House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan to Willis that cites a December 2021 letter from Willis to then-House January 6 Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-MS). In that letter Willis requested assistance from the committee and offered to travel to DC.

    In May 2024, Judicial Watch asked the court to declare a default judgment, noting that Willis was served with the lawsuit in March 2024 and had “not filed an answer,” which “was due 30 days after service.”

    The court’s default judgment states: “The Court finds Defendant [Willis, in her official capacity] is in default and has been since 11 April 2024.” Further, Willis “never moved to open default on any basis (not even during the period when she could have opened default as a matter of right), she never paid costs, and she never offered up a meritorious defense.”

     The court ordered Willis “to conduct a diligent search of her records for responsive materials within five business days of the entry of this Order. Within that same five day period, Defendant is ORDERED to provide Plaintiff with copies of all responsive records that are not legally exempted or excepted from disclosure.” [Emphasis in original] Willis’ office responded with zero non-public documents:

    Members of the District Attorney’s staff having conducted a search as directed by the Court, the Office provides the following response to Plaintiffs requests:

    Regarding “[a]ll documents and communication sent to, received from, or relating to Special Counsel Jack Smith or any employees in his office,” a diligent search indicates that no such documents or communications exist.

    Regarding “[a]ll documents and communication sent to or received from the United States House January 6th Committee or any of its employees,” a diligent search indicates that any such documents and communications are “legally exempted or excepted from disclosure” under O.C.G.A. §§ 50-18-72(a)(4), 50-18-72(a)(41) and 50-18-72(a)(42). Per the direction of the Superior Court’s Order, the Office informs the Plaintiff that the records are exempted/excepted from disclosure because they arose from the investigation, subsequent indictment, and prosecution in case number 23SC188947; are subject to attorney-client privilege; and are confidential work product. As a result, they are records in a pending, ongoing criminal investigation and prosecution.

    “Judicial Watch and a state court forced Fani Willis to confirm additional documents exist about her collusion with the partisan Pelosi January 6 Committee to ‘get Trump,’” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said. “But Willis, citing legal exemptions for a prosecution that’s essentially dead in the water, now wants hide these records from the America public. Judicial Watch plans to push back in court against this disingenuous secrecy.”

    Judicial Watch is assisted in the case by John Monroe of John Monroe Law in Georgia.

    Judicial Watch has several Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuits related to the prosecutorial abuse targeting Trump:

    In February 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice asked a federal court to allow the agency to keep secret the names of top staffers working in Special Counsel Jack Smith’s office that is targeting former President Donald Trump and other Americans.

    (Before his appointment to investigate and prosecute Trump, Special Counsel Jack Smith previously was at the center of several controversial issues, the IRS scandal among them. In 2014, a Judicial Watch investigation revealed that top IRS officials had been in communication with Jack Smith’s then-Public Integrity Section about a plan to launch criminal investigations into conservative tax-exempt groups. Read more here.)

    In January 2024, Judicial Watch filed lawsuit against Fulton County, Georgia, for records regarding the hiring of Nathan Wade as a special prosecutor by District Attorney Fani Willis. Wade was hired to pursue unprecedented criminal investigations and prosecutions against former President Trump and others over the 2020 election disputes.

    In October 2023, Judicial Watch sued the DOJ for records and communications between the Office of U.S. Special Counsel Jack Smith and the Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney’s office regarding requests/receipt of federal funding/assistance in the investigation of former President Trump and his 18 codefendants in the Fulton County indictment of August 14, 2023. To date, the DOJ is refusing to confirm or deny the existence of records, claiming that to do so would interfere with enforcement proceedings. Judicial Watch’s litigation challenging this is continuing.

    Through the New York Freedom of Information Law, in July 2023, Judicial Watch received the engagement letter showing New York County District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg paid $900 per hour for partners and $500 per hour for associates to the Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher law firm for the purpose of suing Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) in an effort to shut down the House Judiciary Committee’s oversight investigation into Bragg’s unprecedented indictment of former President Donald Trump. 

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  • Toddler found dead with temperature of almost 110 degrees after being left alone in closet with heater

    BERNE, Ind. (TCN) — A 21-year-old woman and 23-year-old man were taken into custody after a 2-year-old girl was found dead from hyperthermia due to being left alone in a closet with a space heater.

    Court records show Sintia Perez and Jace Hirschy are both being charged with one count of neglect of a dependent resulting in death and two counts of neglect of a dependent.

    According to court records cited by WPTA-TV, on Nov. 27 at approximately 3:30 p.m., Berne Police Department officers responded to an apartment where Perez and Hirschy lived with three young children all under the age of 5. Assistant Police Chief James Newbold reportedly went to the bedroom where the 2-year-old girl was found dead and noted it was “disarrayed” with trash, feces, and a “very soiled mattress.” The home was described as “extremely unhealthy.”

    Newbold reportedly “felt an immediate heat difference from the main bedroom to the interior of the closet,” where the child slept. The temperature in the apartment ranged from 84 degrees to 108.3 degrees. Officials took the victim’s temperature and noted her chest was 109.4 degrees and her forehead measured at 108.8 degrees. Newbold said the child’s head was “darkly discolored.”

    WANE-TV reports Perez told investigators the little girl went to bed at around 7 p.m. on Nov. 26. Perez allegedly turned up the space heater and closed the closet door almost entirely shut. Perez woke up at 12:30 p.m. on Nov. 27, but neither she nor Hirschy checked on the victim until about 3 p.m.

    Officials from the Department of Child Services took the other two children into custody. They reportedly both had lice.

    MORE:

    • State of Indiana v. Sintia Perez
    • State of Indiana v. Jace M Hirschy
    • Berne parents facing neglect charges in connection to 2-year-old girl’s November overheating death – WPTA
    • COURT DOCS: 2-year-old found dead in 109 degree room; Parents charged – WANE

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  • Kansas man gets life for killing girlfriend with an ax because she accused him of slashing her tires

    TOPEKA, Kan. (TCN) — A judge sentenced a 61-year-old man to life in prison for beating and killing his girlfriend with an ax outside her home, then giving part of her body to dogs to eat.

    In a statement shared by Law and Crime, the Shawnee County District Attorney’s Office announced Jon Ewing’s sentencing Friday, Dec. 6, saying he will serve life in prison, plus 344 months after he was convicted last year of reckless second-degree murder, first-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated burglary of a dwelling, criminal threat of violence, and interference with law enforcement for the death of Deborah Stephens.

    On April 27, 2021, at 5:30 p.m., Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a home on the 800 block of Southwest 57th Street for a death investigation and found Stephens deceased inside. Deputies initially arrested Ewing for voluntary manslaughter, then upgraded the charges as the investigation progressed.

    According to the affidavit cited by WIBW-TV, Ewing approached Stephens from behind as she sat in her car with the door open. After she screamed, he pushed her to the ground and hit her with a flashlight several times. He reportedly dragged her toward her trailer and told her he would kill her. They reportedly struggled on the stairs up to her home, and when they got inside, he grabbed an ax “and strikes her about the head area several times.” The district attorney’s office said Stephens sustained “trauma wounds to her face, abdomen, and arms.”

    Later, Ewing reportedly looked “very calm” as he wandered in and out of her trailer.

    After his arrest, Ewing reportedly told investigators he attacked Stephens because she accused him of slashing her tires.

    The Topeka Capital-Journal, which also cites the arrest affidavit, reports Ewing said he left Stephen’s house on April 27, 2021, at around 10 a.m., drove to Osage County, bought whiskey, dropped off his dog, and returned to her trailer. He contacted an off-duty Osage County official, who then reached out to someone from Shawnee County. When investigators arrived, they reportedly found Ewing smoking a cigarette next to Stephens’ body.

    According to KSNT-TV, Stephens was missing some flesh from her face, and investigators found dogs on the property eating it.

    MORE:

    • Press Release – Shawnee County District Attorney’s Office
    • Man sentenced after 2021 axe killing of ex-girlfriend in Shawnee County – KSNT
    • Affidavit describes Coachlight altercation resulting in woman’s death, 5/19/2021 – WIBW
    • Suspicious Death Investigation, 4/29/2021 – Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office
    • Deborah Ann Stephens’ security video showed Jon Ewing hitting her with an axe, court document says, 5/19/2021 – Topeka Capital-Journal
    • Kansas man convicted of killing girlfriend with ax during fight, 2/21/2023 – TCN

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  • Florida man who claimed his dad was 'riding his a–' to get a job allegedly shot his parents

    BARTOW, Fla. (TCN) — Authorities recently arrested a man who allegedly killed his father and shot and critically injured his mother.

    According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, on the night of Dec. 7, 58-year-old Susan Voigt reported that her son, Joseph Voigt, had shot her and her husband, 63-year-old Marvin Voigt. Bartow Police responded and discovered Marvin Voigt deceased in the driveway with apparent gunshot wounds.

    Susan Voigt sustained a severe gunshot wound and told officers that following the shooting, her son fled. Fire and emergency medical services personnel performed lifesaving measures on Susan Voigt and transported her to a hospital. She is in critical but stable condition.

    According to deputies, authorities issued a Be On the Look Out (BOLO) for Joseph Voigt’s vehicle. In the early hours of the following day, the car was found in Orlando. Local police performed a traffic stop and took Joseph Voigt into custody. He was booked into the Orange County Jail and will transported to the Polk County Jail.

    Voigt reportedly admitted to authorities he shot his parents. According to the sheriff’s office, Voigt “said his father was upset with him about spending the majority of his time playing video games.” Voigt allegedly claimed his dad was “‘riding his a–‘ about making something of himself and getting a job.”

    Voigt had previously been arrested for allegedly firing a weapon in a residential area, as well as battery.

    MORE:

    • Son arrested for murder of father and attempted murder of mother – Polk County Sheriff’s Office

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  • She was found hanging from a mailbox. Was it self-inflicted or something else?

    In this episode of True Crime News: Jessica Johnson, a mother of two, was found dead and tied to a mailbox with a shoelace. How did Jessica Johnson die? Plus, four women bravely spoke out on “True Crime News” about their experiences with Dr. David Farley, an OB/GYN they allege sexually abused them during appointments. A grand jury declined to indict Farley on criminal charges, so the survivors filed a $1 billion civil suit against him. Now, after sharing their stories, there’s a major update in the case.

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  • Racquetball instructor affair turns deadly; Daughters trying to solve mom’s murder


    In this episode of True Crime News: Fabio Sementilli was a beloved hairstylist to Hollywood A-listers, but his life was cut short when someone fatally stabbed him in his home. Investigators are questioning whether his wife’s affair with her racquetball instructor could have played a role in Fabio Sementilli’s death. Plus, Mary Morgan Pewitt’s two daughters came home from a sleepover at their grandmother’s house and found Pewitt stabbed to death on her bed. Her killing remains unsolved, but her daughters are continuing to search for answers and get justice for their mother.

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  • Woman and man kidnapped, robbed, and killed victim who tried selling defendant’s watch on Facebook

    FAYETTE COUNTY, W.Va. (TCN) — A 32-year-old woman faces life in prison with parole eligibility after 15 years for her role in the kidnapping, robbing, and shooting death of a 41-year-old woman over the sale of a watch.

    The Fayette County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office announced that on Dec. 6, Amanda Don Soultz pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in connection with the death of Michelle Smith. She is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 11.

    A jury found the co-defendant, Andres Torres Jr., guilty in October of first-degree murder, kidnapping, robbery, and conspiracy. He will be sentenced on Jan. 30.

    According to prosecutors, in January 2023, Torres and Soutlz went from Indiana to Fayette County, where Soultz had previously resided. Soultz reportedly knew Smith, and Torres pawned a watch to the victim for $50 because he needed the money.

    Torres allegedly “became angry” because Smith put up the watch for sale on Facebook. The prosecuting attorney’s office said Soultz and Torres went to Smith’s residence on Feb. 16 to get the watch, “which led to Smith being kidnapped, robbed, and murdered.”

    Soultz and Torres reportedly told police they had dinner and drinks with Smith on the night of Feb. 16, but evidence from the scene did not corroborate their statements “that this was a friendly gathering.”

    Smith claimed she no longer had the watch. Soultz and Torres allegedly handcuffed the victim, and Torres used his fists and a pistol to beat Smith. The defendants looked through Smith’s home for the watch and reportedly found it, causing Torres to become “even more enraged,” and he “shot Smith in the head with a .45 caliber firearm and left her for dead.”

    According to the prosecuting attorney’s office, Torres told police he shot Smith “because she ‘disrespected’ him.”

    The victim’s adult son went to check on Smith around 12 hours after the shooting because he wasn’t able to reach her during the day, and he found her still alive but with a gunshot wound to her head. Smith eventually died on March 31 and “was never able to speak about what had happened the night she was shot.”

    Prosecutors said Soultz confessed that she helped Torres, but she said he forced her, and she complied “out of fear.”

    After the shooting, Soultz and Torres reportedly collaborated together to leave the area and avoid arrest. Prosecutors said Soultz and Torres “continued their relationship with jail calls” following their arrest, and they planned to get married. Torres allegedly intended to take full responsibility for the killing to “allow Soultz to go free.”

    MORE:

    • Amanda Don Soultz Convicted of First-Degree Murder – Fayette County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office

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  • Person of interest in UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting reportedly has 'ill will toward corporate America'

    NEW YORK (TCN) — Local police in Pennsylvania took a 26-year-old person of interest in to custody at a McDonald’s in connection with the Dec. 4 shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

    According to New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, on Dec. 9, a McDonald’s employee recognized the suspect from photos distributed by the NYPD and called law enforcement. Altoona Police responded to the restaurant and arrested Luigi Mangione on firearm charges.

    Authorities found fake IDs, a mask, and a passport in his possession, as well as a firearm and suppressor consistent with the weapon used in the shooting. Police also reportedly found a fraudulent New Jersey license matching the one he used to check into a New York hostel, where he stayed for several days before Thompson’s killing.

    The suspect fled New York City following the shooting and was last seen entering the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Investigators from the NYPD and FBI have been searching for the man who shot Thompson as he walked to the Hilton in Midtown Manhattan for an investors conference. Police called the shooting a “premeditated, targeted attack.”

    Tisch and New York Police Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said Mangione had a handwritten three-page document. Kenny said it appears the person of interest “has some ill will toward corporate America” and was critical of the health insurance industry.

    Mangione was reportedly born and raised in Maryland and has ties to San Francisco. His most current address is in Honolulu. New York detectives will travel to Pennsylvania to interview Mangione.

    MORE:

    • Press Conference – New York City Mayor Eric Adams
    • UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson killed outside New York hotel in alleged targeted attack, 12/4/2024 – TCN

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