Michael Shaver’s sister and friends became concerned when he started sending suspicious messages. The truth was much darker than any of his loved ones could have imagined.
Tag: Americas
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Man 'obsessed' with Gabby Petito murder kills ex; Millionaire murderer a fugitive | Full episode
In this episode of True Crime News: A jury found Adam Fravel guilty of killing his girlfriend and the mother of his two children, Madeline Kingsbury, and burying her body in rural Minnesota. Then, the Delphi murders case heads to the jury for a verdict. Plus, Peter Chadwick, Q.C. Chadwick, and their three children lived a life of luxury in affluent Newport Beach, California. But Peter Chadwick harbored a secret and lived on the run using a fake name for years.
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Suspect arrested following mass shooting at Tuskegee University homecoming
TUSKEGEE, Ala. (TCN) — Law enforcement arrested a 25-year-old man following a mass shooting at a Tuskegee University homecoming after-party that left one dead and 16 injured.
According to a statement, in the early morning hours of Sunday, Nov. 10, at around 1:40 a.m., the Macon County Sheriff’s Office reached out to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) for assistance in a shooting investigation at Tuskegee University.
ALEA said an 18-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene and 16 others were transported to local hospitals. Twelve of those injured sustained gunshot-related wounds, while the other four did not. The school said the deceased victim, identified by AL.com as La’Tavion Johnson, was not a student.
ALEA said in an update that agents arrested Jaquez Myrick on a federal charge of possession of a machine gun. Officials reportedly found Myrick leaving the party with a handgun that could turn into a machine gun with a conversion device. So far, no one has been charged in connection with Johnson’s death or the other injuries.
La’Tavion Johnson’s father, Larry Johnson, told AL.com that a video circulating on social media of a woman saying a man pushed her out of the way to safety and he ended up getting killed.
“He’s a hero in his own way,” Larry Johnson said.
Larry Johnson described his son as “energetic” and “shy until he got to know you and then he was life of any party.”
Johnson reportedly lived in Troy, Alabama, and was supposed to start a new job with the Alabama Department of Transportation next week.
Tuskegee University, one of the historically Black colleges and universities, was celebrating its 100th Homecoming Week when the shooting occurred. Tuskegee Police Chief Patrik Mardis told AL.com one female student was shot in the stomach and another in the arm.
Mardis said the scene was chaotic and “some idiots started shooting. You couldn’t get the emergency vehicles in there, there were so many people there.”
Tuskegee University canceled classes Monday and Tuesday and issued new safety protocols for students. The school’s statement said, “The university experienced an exceptional Homecoming weekend, and this event has tarnished it. Asking for help is a sign of strength and not weakness. Standing strong together is also the Tuskegee way.”
MORE:
- 1 Deceased, 16 Injured During Tuskegee University Shooting – Alabama Law Enforcement Agency
- Arrest Made in Connection to Tuskegee University Shooting – Alabama Law Enforcement Agency
- Statement Regarding Campus Incident – Tuskegee University
- Tuskegee University homecoming mass shooting kills 1, injures 16: – AL.com
- Tuskegee University homecoming shooting: 1 dead, multiple people injured in chaotic scene – AL.com
- Teen killed in Tuskegee University homecoming shooting died saving girl’s life, family says: ‘He’s a hero’ – AL.com
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Minnesota man allegedly fatally stabbed hitchhiker in Wisconsin more than 50 years ago
DUNN COUNTY, Wis. (TCN) — Investigators recently identified an 84-year-old suspect in the stabbing death of a woman who died while hitchhiking from Minneapolis to Chicago nearly five decades ago.
According to the Dunn County Sheriff’s Office, Mary Schlais was found deceased on Feb. 15, 1974, near an intersection in Spring Brooke, Wisconsin. Per a criminal complaint posted by WEAU-TV, officials observed Schlais’ body in a snow bank with multiple stab wounds on her upper body, as well as defensive wounds.
Investigators reportedly recovered a stocking cap near the victim and determined the hairs on it did not belong to Schlais, but authorities were unable to find a match at the time.
The victim allegedly left her home on the morning of Feb. 15, 1974, to go to an art show in Chicago. According to the sheriff’s office, a witness claimed to have seen the suspect and the suspect vehicle connected to Schlais’ death.
The case went cold until recently, when the sheriff’s office began working with Ramapo College in New Jersey in recent years to implement genetic genealogy. According to the criminal complaint, investigators tested the DNA from the stocking cap found at the scene and identified 84-year-old Jon Miller of Owatonna, Minnesota, as the primary suspect.
Authorities met with and interviewed Miller on Nov. 7. He initially denied knowing anything about Schlais’ death. However, after investigators confronted him with the DNA evidence, he allegedly confessed to picking up the victim. Miller reportedly said he wanted to have sex with her, but she rejected his advances. Miller allegedly retrieved a knife from above the passenger seat visor and stabbed her in the back.
According to the complaint, Miller told investigators he drove off the highway and hid Schlais’ body in a snowbank and tried to cover her with snow. Miller then drove away.
The sheriff’s office arrested Miller on a charge of first-degree murder. He will be extradited back to Wisconsin.
MORE:
- Dunn County Sheriff Investigators Solve Cold Case 1974 Murder of Mary Schlais – Dunn County Sheriff’s Office
- Minnesota man charged with murder of woman found in Dunn County more than 50 years ago – WEAU
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Man who fatally stabbed victim in 1991 while chanting 'Satan is with us' is granted probation
MUNCIE, Ind. (TCN) — A convicted killer who fatally stabbed a man dozens of times and dumped his body in a river when he was 17 years old will be released early from prison.
The Delaware County Prosecuting Attorney announced Nov. 7 that a judge granted Matt Stidham probation despite objections from the prosecutor. He was convicted in May 1993 of murder, robbery, criminal confinement, battery, and auto theft in connection with 31-year-old Daniel Barker’s death. The Indiana Supreme Court described the defendant’s crimes as “brutal” and “horrific.”
According to court documents, Stidham was initially sentenced to 141 years in prison, but the sentence was reduced to 88 years because he was under 18 when he killed Barker.
On Feb. 23, 1991, Stidham and several of his friends drove to Barker’s home and consumed whiskey and played guitars. At some point, Stidham and two of his friends “viciously beat” Barker and hit him on the head with glass bottles. The prosecuting attorney’s office said the three attacked him “like a pack of wild animals in a frenzy” and that Stidham used a club to beat Barker.
Stidham and his accomplices then reportedly stole Barker’s music equipment, guitars, and television and placed them in a van. Prosecutors said the defendant and his accomplices “grabbed the victim by both arms in an attempt to force him into his own van.” Barker allegedly broke free, and they ran after him, “beat him with a club, gagged him, and put him in the back of the van.”
The trio continued to beat Barker and drove him to a deserted area of a road, where Stidham fatally stabbed the victim multiple times in the chest while chanting “Satan is with us,” “We kill for Satan,” “Die you bastard,” and “Kill the motherf—er.” Following Barker’s death, prosecutors said Stidham dragged the victim’s body, dumped him into a river, and placed a piece of machinery on top of him in an attempt to conceal his remains.
An autopsy determined Barker sustained at least 47 stab wounds, including 27 to the chest, abdomen, and front of his body, as well as 15 to his back and five to his arms. Barker’s heart had been punctured with a stab wound, and he suffered blunt force injuries all throughout his body. Prosecutors said investigators observed multiple lacerations and bruises to Barker’s head and defensive wounds.
After killing and dumping Barker’s body, Stidham and his friends reportedly drove the victim’s van with his belongings to Bobbie Meadows and Joseph Meadows’ residence. Prosecutors said the defendant “bragged about stabbing Daniel Barker in the heart” and seemed “excited.” Stidham and his accomplices purportedly fled to Illinois and tossed a club into a cornfield while en route. Local police in Palos Heights, Illinois, pulled over Stidham on Feb. 24, 1991, for driving a stolen van. Stidham admitted to an officer that they killed “some queer.”
Court documents say while incarcerated, Stidham earned a GED, an associate’s degree, and a bachelor’s degree. He is reportedly the captain of the prison fire department. According to prosecutors, the defendant’s aunt testified and said the defendant “is completely changed.” His aunt also claimed he suffered abuse as a child.
In response to the early release, Prosecuting Attorney Eric Hoffman said, “A vicious, callous, and brutal killer has been granted early release and turned back into our community despite the repeated objections of the Prosecutor. Matt Stidham’s crimes were pre-meditated, brutal, and disturbing. The court’s own order in this case states that ‘the victim was likely mentally challenged.’ Not once during the hearing on the Petition for Modification, did the Defendant turn toward the victim’s family and display even a modicum of remorse or sorrow.”
MORE:
- Judge Grants Convicted Killer’s Motion for Early Release – Delaware County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office
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Husband charged with murder amid search for missing Texas wife Suzanne Simpson
SAN ANTONIO (TCN) — Law enforcement officials announced Friday that they charged missing woman Suzanne Simpson’s husband with murder one month after she disappeared following an argument.
Bexar County court records show the murder charge was filed against Brad Simpson on Thursday, Nov. 7. Brad Simpson was arrested on charges of assault with bodily injury, unlawful restraint, tampering with evidence, and owning a prohibited weapon. With the $2 million bail set on Nov. 7, his total bail amount now stands at $5 million.
Suzanne Simpson was last seen on the evening of Oct. 6 when she and Brad Simpson got into an altercation at a local club. Simpson reported his wife missing the next day to the Olmos Park Police Department, and police learned their fight “could have gotten physical.”
According to Simpson’s arrest affidavit, on Oct. 6, one of the Simpsons’ neighbors reportedly saw him “grabbing her upper torso area to gain control of her body.” The neighbor allegedly noticed that Suzanne Simpson was “attempting to get away from Mr. Simpson’s grasp as he tried to pull her downward.” The neighbor heard screams not long after that.
Simpson reportedly received a call on Oct. 7 from his daughter’s school telling him that his wife did not pick up their daughter. Their 5-year-old daughter reportedly told school staff that her “dad had hit her mom in the face and possibly pushed her into a wall.” Investigators tried to speak with Simpson, but he “was uncooperative during the investigation and failed to attend the scheduled follow-up interview.” He reportedly went to another property he owned “and appeared to be separating himself from his family.”
KSAT-TV reports that Simpson reached out to his business associate, James Cotter, on Oct. 8 and asked him to “haul a–” and meet him at Cotter’s house because he did not “have much time.”
Simpson allegedly texted Cotter, “OK, make sure to leave all that s–t in the pump house, especially that gun.”
Two weeks later, the Olmos Park Police Department received information that Simpson told Cotter to hide an AK-47 he left in his house. Investigators executed a search warrant at Cotter’s home and located a matching AK-47 rifle that was fully automatic.
Detectives found similar guns in Simpson’s house as well. The gun is technically classified as a machine gun because it switches from semiautomatic to automatic, according to KSAT. Those firearms must be registered with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
Brad Simpson’s brother, Barton Simpson, told KSAT after the murder charge was filed, “It is heartbreaking, but it brings our family some peace to know that authorities have gathered sufficient evidence to feel confident in moving forward with charges. This also helps us to come to terms with the reality that Suzanne is no longer with us, allowing us to begin a difficult grieving process and focus on rebuilding our lives, especially for the sake of the children and our extended family.”
Suzanne Simpson has not been found.
MORE:
- State of Texas vs. Brad Chandler Simpson
- Brad Simpson charged with murder of wife Suzanne Clark Simpson – KSAT
- Man allegedly asked business partner to hide AK-47 amid search for his missing wife, 10/24/2024 – TCN
- Brad Simpson’s illegal ‘machine gun’ hidden by friend inside wall at Dominion home, police say, 10/22/2024 – KSAT
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School employees allegedly gave special needs student with known digestive disability hot Takis
SMYRNA, Del. (TCN) — Three school employees face charges after allegedly abusing children in a special needs elementary classroom.
According to the Smyrna Police Department, the investigation into abuse allegations within the Smyrna School District began in February 2024. Police allege three employees, 26-year-old Marrisa Johnson, 31-year-old Makayla Lomax, and 21-year-old Morgan Donahue would “throw objects at the students, yell at them, and call them names.”
Lomax allegedly hit a student in the face and sprayed them with a water bottle as punishment.
Further investigation revealed that in fall 2022, Johnson and Donahue allegedly gave a special needs student with a known digestive disability hot sauce and hot Takis, the spicy tortilla chips.
Johnson faces 10 counts of endangering the welfare of a child, and her bond was set at $10,000.
Lomax has been charged with third-degree child abuse and nine counts of endangering the welfare of a child, offensive touching. Lomax’s bond was set at $12,500.
Clayton faces one count of endangering the welfare of a child, and her bond was set at $500.
In a statement, the Smyrna School District said, “The relevant employees have not been in the presence of our students since the district was made aware of the alleged wrongdoing. Most individuals alleged to be involved no longer work for the District. With regard to the remaining employees, the District will honor employee privacy rights with regard to separation of employment, and we will make our reports to the Department of Education’s Division of Licensure and Certification.”
MORE:
- Smyrna Police make arrests in Smyrna Elementary School Case – Smyrna Police Department
- Statement – Smyrna School District
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Woman allegedly set herself, infant, and toddler on fire amid 'humiliation' of paternity test
ORLANDO (TCN) — A 27-year-old woman is facing murder and attempted murder charges for allegedly lighting herself and her two young children on fire, killing one of them.
According to an arrest warrant, on Aug. 26 at 6:26 p.m., Orange County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a call on Hiawassee Oaks Driveabout a fire involving an adult woman and two children. When deputies arrived, they found the Esther Thelus with burns to 50% to 60% of her body, her 8-month-old son with burns on 80% to 90% of his body, and a 2-year-old with minor burns. Medics transported all three victims to a nearby hospital. Officials wanted to transfer the infant., Davinci Joseph, to another hospital in Gainesville, but he “was not stable enough to transport.”
Joseph died from his injuries on Oct. 25. The warrant says the 2-year-old is expected to make a full recovery.
A detective spoke with Thelus’ roommate, Brunel Hosty, who said on the morning of the incident, Thelus left to drop her 2-year-old son at his father’s house. She apparently wanted to relinquish custody of the boy to his father, Jefferson Mignon, because she had plans to move to Fort Lauderdale with her infant. When Thelus got to Mignon’s house, he and his mother “questioned the legitimacy of the child and suggested Esther Thelus complete a DNA test to prove Jefferson Mignon was the father of the child before he assumed responsibility.”
Thelus reportedly left the child with Mignon, but the boy’s grandmother dropped him off shortly thereafter because she said she “would not care for the child until it was certain” that Mignon was the child’s father. Not long after that, Thelus went to a 7-Eleven about a mile away, and when she came back, Hosty’s daughter yelled, “She’s killing the kids! They are all on fire!”
The roommate reportedly saw someone carrying a “badly burned” Joseph as other passersby helped Thelus. Hosty asked Thelus about her motivation, and she allegedly responded, “It’s too much humiliation.”
Detectives executed a search warrant at Thelus’ home and reportedly located a gas can, lighter, cellphone, and towel in the driveway and on the street.
According to the warrant, Thelus “killed her youngest child, Davinci Joseph, by soaking him in an accelerant (suspected gasoline) and igniting him on fire.”
The store clerk who sold Thelus the gasoline told WESH-TV, “I kind of have PTSD because I feel bad, and it happened in my store. Everything was provided from my store.”
Thelus is facing charges of first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder. She is reportedly still in the hospital.
MORE:
- Affidavit for Arrest Warrant
- Mother charged with murder in gas fire that killed her child, injured another in Orlando – WESH
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HISTORIC ELECTION: President Trump Needs to Clean House
HISTORIC ELECTION: President Trump Needs to Clean House
Judicial Watch Sues Garland Justice Department Over Election Robocall Controversy
Obama Judge Says Military Must Cover Gender Transition Surgery
Happy Veterans Day!HISTORIC ELECTION: President Trump Needs to Clean House
Judicial Watch congratulates President Trump on his remarkable election as 47th president of the United States. The voters broadly and directly repudiated the lawfare targeting Trump, as well as the dangerous government abuses and contempt for the rule of law endemic here in Washington, DC.
President Trump had to overcome unprecedented abuse by corrupt and partisan prosecutors, politicians and judges – all of whom tried to rig the election by smearing, raiding, investigating, prosecuting, trying, convicting, and gagging President Trump.
In short, President Trump needs to clean house. The FBI and Justice Department are irredeemably corrupt. And the government abusers who targeted Trump and other innocent Americans should be subjected to criminal investigation. And, as sunlight is the best disinfectant, President Trump should open wide the Deep State files on politicized Deep State lies and corruption – especially its war on the rule of law, constitutional government, our First Amendment and other civil rights.
We are ready, willing and able to help (and sue) for government accountability as we continue our mission to uncover what the government is up to and enforce the rule of law for election integrity, immigration, and against woke discrimination and racism.
In my new book Rights and Freedoms in Peril I detail a long chain of abuses officials and politicians have made against the American people and call readers to battle for “the soul and survival of America.” The book details how the progressive movement threatens America’s most venerable institutions, undermining the core principles that make this country a beacon of hope to the world.
Through open records laws, we frequently request records from the government and sue when it refuses to release them. For example:
- Recently, we uncovered records from the Department of Homeland Security which show, contrary to what it told the media, that least one U.S. Secret Service agent broke in to a hair salon and taped over the salon’s security camera in Pittsfield, MA, during a July 27, 2024, campaign fundraising visit by Vice President Kamala Harris.
- In October, we sued on behalf of Stand Together Against Racism and Radicalism in the Services, Inc. (STARRS) against the U.S. Department of Defense for records regarding the U.S. Air Force Academy’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) plans.
- In August, we received records from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA – a component of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)) revealing that CISA is trolling on social media and reporting on alleged “domestic violent extremism” (DVE).
- In May, we reported on a phone message left by an FBI special agent for someone at the Secret Service in the context of the raid on President Trump’s home in Mar-a-Lago, Florida.
- The U.S. Department of Justice is asking a federal court to allow the agency to keep secret the names of top staffers working in Special Counsel Jack Smith’s office that has been targeting President Donald Trump and other Americans.
Let’s hope we enter a pro-transparency and anti-corruption era under the new Trump administration. You can be sure that Judicial Watch will remain front and center in these battles either way!
Judicial Watch Sues Garland Justice Department Over Election Robocall Controversy
I don’t trust the Justice Department.
Judicial Watch just had to file a FOIA lawsuit against the Department of Justice for records regarding the Justice Department’s involvement in the League of Women Voters’ National Voting Rights Act lawsuit concerning fake Biden robocalls conducted during New Hampshire primary (Judicial Watch, Inc. v. U.S. Department of Justice (No. 1:24-cv-03109)).
We sued after the Department of Justice failed to respond to a September 24, 2024, FOIA request for:
Records of the Office of Legal Counsel, including emails, text messages, voicemail messages, video conferences, briefings, notes, or other form of record regarding the Voting Rights Act (52 U.S.C. § 10307(b)); robocalls; Steve Kramer; Lingo Telecom, LLC; Voice Broadcasting Corporation; or Life Corporation.
In February, during this year’s presidential primary season in New Hampshire, an elections consultant, Steve Kramer, commissioned a fake robocall using artificial intelligence (AI) to impersonate Joe Biden’s voice to urge New Hampshire voters not to participate in the state’s January 23 primary. New Hampshire’s attorney general charged Kramer with 13 felony counts of voter suppression and 13 misdemeanor counts of impersonation of a candidate.
Subsequently, the League of Women Voters filed a lawsuit against Kramer and other firms involved in the fake call.
The Biden Justice Department clearly has something to hide. Was there selective prosecution and collusion with allied leftist groups as a favor to the Biden-Harris campaign? You can expect many more lawsuits and investigations to uncover the full truth about this thoroughly corrupt Justice Department.
Obama Judge Says Military Must Cover Gender Transition Surgery
Can you imagine what General George Washington’s response would be to what is going on in our military today? Our Corruption Chronicles blog looks at the gender madness “encouraged” by an Obama judicial appointee.
The U.S. military’s health insurance plan is discriminatory and violates Equal Protection rights under the Fifth Amendment of the United States Constitution by failing to cover costly gender transition surgeries, an Obama-appointed federal judge ruled days ago. Two transgender women sued the Department of Defense (DOD), the U.S. Defense Health Agency, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and the agency’s Tricare Health Plan over a provision that bans surgical coverage of procedures that improve physical appearance without a significant restoration of functions, including “sex gender changes.” The biological males, who want to be female, claim in their lawsuit that denying coverage of medically necessary gender transition surgeries violates their Constitutional Equal Protection rights, a guarantee that requires the government “to treat alike all persons similarly situated.”
In court documents the plaintiffs are identified as Jane Doe and Susan Roe and they receive health insurance through Tricare as dependents of former service members. The health plan covers more than 9.6 million active-duty servicemembers, retirees, and their families providing services at military hospitals and clinics around the world as well as a civilian network of providers. Tricare offers transgender patients services that include hormone therapy and psychological counseling for gender dysphoria, which is identified as “psychological distress that results from an incongruence between one’s sex assigned at birth and one’s gender identity.” However, it does not cover surgery for the treatment of gender dysphoria, the insurance plan’s website states, adding that active-duty service members may request a waiver for “medically necessary gender affirming surgery.”
The transgender plaintiffs in this case have both received at least one surgery to treat gender dysphoria and say they will need more surgeries in the future. One has been enrolled in Tricare since 2002 and the other since 2023 and both “were assigned male at birth and have female gender identities,” according to the recently issued ruling. Neither procedure was paid for by Tricare, but the men took legal action to get the military insurance to cover future surgeries by claiming its policy discriminates based on sex and transgender status. An Obama-appointed federal judge in Maine, Nancy Torresen, agreed, writing in her decision that the exclusion violates the Constitution’s Equal Protection clause because it “expressly excludes sex gender changes from Tricare coverage.” Furthermore, Judge Torresen writes that gender transition surgery is not “cosmetic,” but rather “medically necessary” because the goal is to effectively treat a serious medical condition not enhance beauty or appearance. “In other words, surgery treats gender dysphoria by addressing the incongruence between a transgender person’s anatomy and their immutable brain-based gender identity,” according to the judge.
The 28-page ruling provides detailed information about gender identity and dysphoria and cites standards of care issued by an international nonprofit, World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), considered to be an authority on the issue. The misalignment between gender identity and birth sex, known as “gender incongruence,” means a transgender person feels “wrongly embodied” due to their anatomy, the ruling explains, adding that it may be medically necessary for the health and wellbeing of some transgender people to take steps to live consistently with their gender identity. “If untreated, gender incongruence may lead to gender dysphoria, which can be a serious medical condition,” Torresen’s ruling states. The judge also writes that WPATH considers medically necessary treatment for people with gender dysphoria to range from hormone therapies to surgical procedures that include chest reconstruction, facial feminization, and genital reconstruction. Torresen points out that the same procedures also treat conditions other than gender dysphoria. “For example, mastectomies, hysterectomies, salpingo-oophorectomies, and orchiectomies can treat cancer, and genital reconstruction may be performed after removing a patient’s genitalia due to cancer, injury, or infection,” she writes.
Happy Veterans Day!
We would not have the great nation we have without the men and women who sacrificed to defend it, and so it is fitting that every year on November 11 we honor them.
That date was set in November 1919, when President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day with the following words:
“To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…”
We join all Americans in saluting our veterans – especially our many veterans on staff here at Judicial Watch! God bless them and God bless America!
Until next week,
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Pastor raided by FBI after wife’s death; Father allegedly poisons daughter in cover-up – TCN Sidebar
In this episode of True Crime News The Sidebar Podcast: Philip Dubé joins host Joshua Ritter to break down the biggest cases making headlines across the nation. They discuss Young Thug’s plea deal in Georgia’s longest-running criminal trial, a pastor raided by the FBI months after he was cleared as a suspect in his wife’s death, and a father who allegedly poisoned his own daughter in a cover-up to conceal the fatal poisoning of the girl’s mother.