Tag: Americas

MIAMI (TCN) — Federal officials arrested a 55-year-old man eight years after a woman and their daughter went missing in a suspected kidnapping.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida announced Oct. 28 that Gustavo Alfonso Castano Restrepo was taken into custody on a charge of kidnapping resulting in death in connection with the disappearance of 41-year-old Liliana Moreno and 8-year-old Danielle Moreno. The U.S. attorney’s office alleges Restrespo “did willfully and unlawfully seize, confine, inveigle, decoy, kidnap, abduct, and carry away and hold a person, that is, Liliana Moreno, for reward and otherwise, and did use a means, facility, and instrumentality of interstate commerce, that is, a cellular telephone, the internet, a motor vehicle, and the Homestead Extension of Florida’s Turnpike, in the commission and in furtherance of the offense.”

Officials believe the kidnapping led to Liliana Moreno and Daniella Moreno’s deaths.

The mother and daughter were last seen May 30, 2016, at or near a Home Depot in Hialeah. The FBI put out a $25,000 reward for information leading to their whereabouts.

According to WSVN-TV, police identified Restrepo as a person of interest early on in the investigation. Some of Liliana Moreno’s family members reportedly told investigators that she and Restrepo had an argument and he kicked her and Daniella Moreno out of his car on the Homestead Extension. Police reportedly found Restrepo stabbing himself in a parking lot. He got into an altercation with officers who Tased him, which reportedly caused Restrepo to lose an eye.

Liliana Moreno and her daughter have still not been found.

If convicted, Restrepo could be sentenced to life in prison or face the death penalty.

MORE:

• Miami Resident Charged with Kidnapping Resulting in Death – U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida
• Missing Persons, 5/30/2016 – FBI
• Miami man charged with kidnapping, deaths of missing Doral mother and daughter – WSVN

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GALLATIN COUNTY, Mont. (TCN) — A 41-year-old man is in custody on suspicion of killing a camper whose injuries were initially called in as a bear attack.

The Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office first shared news about 35-year-old Dustin Kjersem’s death after his remains were found on the morning of Oct. 12.

In a press conference, Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer said Kjersem set up a campsite with a woodstove, tent, bed, lamps, and other items so that he and his girlfriend could go camping the weekend of Oct. 12. Kjersem reportedly failed to pick up his girlfriend for their trip, so she went to look for him. When she got to his location, she discovered him deceased from a suspected bear attack.

Several law enforcement agencies arrived at the scene, including the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks (FWP), and an FWP agent determined there was no bear activity. Investigators ruled Kjersem’s death a homicide.

Capt. Nathan Kamerman reportedly said the autopsy determined Kjersem “sustained multiple chop wounds, which led to his death.”

According to Springer, investigators collected DNA from a beer cabin inside Kjersem’s tent. They found a match and identified Daren Abbey as the primary suspect in his death. Springer said the incident “appears to be a chance encounter,” and there is no prior connection between the victim and suspect.

Authorities took Abbey into custody on Oct. 26. During an interview on Oct. 29, Springer said Abbey admitted to killing Kjersem. Abbey was reportedly looking for a place to camp when Kjersem offered him a beer. The suspect then allegedly struck the victim with solid wood, stabbed him with a screwdriver, and hit him with an ax. The sheriff said the motive is still unknown.

Following the victim’s death, Abbey reportedly removed items from Kjersem’s campsite to conceal his crimes. He returned the following night to remove additional items.

Abbey remains held in the Gallatin County Jail on charges of deliberate homicide and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence.

MORE:

• Montana man with ‘multiple chop wounds’ found dead while camping, 10/17/2024 – TCN
• The Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a homicide, 10/25/2024 – Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office
• Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer provides an update on the Dustin Kjersem homicide investigation – Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office
• Gallatin County Jail

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PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. (TCN) — The 61-year-old woman who killed her husband’s then-wife in 1990 while dressed as a clown was released from prison less than two years after she pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.

Florida Department of Corrections records show Sheila Keen-Warren left prison on Saturday, Nov. 2. A judge sentenced her to 12 years behind bars, but The Associated Press reports she got out early due to time served and good behavior. If she went to trial, she could have faced life in prison.

Keen-Warren’s arrest was 27 years in the making. According to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, on May 26, 1990, Marlene Warren, her 22-year-old son Joseph Aherns, and his friends were hanging out at their house on Takeoff Place in Wellington. At approximately 10:45 a.m., a white Chrysler LeBaron stopped in Warren’s driveway, and a person dressed as a clown carrying a flower arrangement and balloons exited the vehicle. Marlene Warren answered the door, and moments later, people inside the home heard a gunshot. The clown reportedly “calmly walked back to the LeBaron and drove away.”

Marlene Warren was shot in the face and died two days later.

The sheriff’s office said investigators at the time identified Keen-Warren as a suspect but never arrested her.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Unit reopened the case in 2014 and began retesting DNA. Investigators learned Keen-Warren married Marlene Warren’s husband, Michael Warren, in 2002. The couple had moved to Tennessee and owned a restaurant. Detectives established probable cause to arrest Keen-Warren, and on Aug. 31, 2017, a grand jury returned an indictment for first-degree murder. Officials located Keen-Warren in Virginia and arrested her on Sept. 26, 2017.

Keen-Warren entered the guilty plea on April 25, 2023.

According to The Associated Press, Keen-Warren worked for Marlene Warren’s husband at his used car lot. People believe they were having an affair, but they both denied it. Orange hair-like fibers were found inside the LeBaron, which had been abandoned and reported stolen from Michael Warren’s lot.

Marlene Warren allegedly wanted to divorce her husband but feared repercussions. She allegedly told her mother, “If anything happens to me, Mike did it.”

Keen-Warren’s attorneys there was not enough proof to link her to the crime. Michael Warren has also never been arrested or charged in connection with the case. He told The Associated Press following her release, “We are absolutely thrilled that Ms. Keen-Warren has been released from prison and is returning to her family. As we’ve stated from the beginning, she did not commit this crime.”

Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg wrote in a statement, “Sheila Keen-Warren will always be an admitted convicted murderer and will wear that stain for every day for the rest of her life.”

• Florida Department of Corrections
• Florida’s convicted killer clown released from prison for the murder of her husband’s then-wife – The Associated Press
• Detectives Receive True Bill (First Degree Murder) for 27 yr. old COLD CASE – Clown Murder, 9/26/2017 – Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office
• Woman in Florida’s ‘killer clown’ case pleads guilty to killing her husband’s wife over 30 years ago, 4/26/2023 – TCN

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SHASTA COUNTY, Calif. (TCN) — The parents of a 2-year-old girl face charges more than nine months after the child’s remains were found buried near a recreation area.

According to the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office, on Jan. 7, deputies responded to a home on Sunset Lane to perform a welfare check on a 2-year-old girl. No one answered the door, but authorities made contact with the child’s parents, 28-year-old Riley Royal and 24-year-old Amanda Royal, via telephone. The parents said they were not home, but deputies found them inside the house trying to avoid law enforcement.

During a search of the residence, deputies couldn’t locate the 2-year-old girl and asked Riley Royal and Amanda Royal about her whereabouts. Authorities learned she died in October 2023 and was “unlawfully buried” west of Redding near the Whiskeytown National Recreation area. Further investigation revealed Riley Royal and Amanda Royal allegedly abused her.

On Jan. 8, investigators dug up the child’s remains, and an autopsy ruled her death a homicide.

On Oct. 29, authorities arrested Riley Royal and Amanda Royal on charges of murder and child abuse resulting in death. They each remain held in the Shasta County Jail without bail.

Another child in the home has been placed in protective custody with Shasta County Children’s Services.

MORE:

• Parents Arrested for Homicide – Shasta County Sheriff’s Office

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In this episode of True Crime News: Sabina Rosas and her boyfriend, Thomas Gannon, checked into an upscale spa in the Hamptons. Only one of them walked out. Plus, Thomas and Jackie Hawks were loving grandparents who couldn’t wait to spend more time with their family. They listed their yacht for sale but the transaction turned deadly.

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WILLINGBORO, N.J. (TCN) — A 37-year-old Pennsylvania man faces multiple charges after allegedly breaking into a home in New Jersey and fatally shooting the mother of his son, as well as the child’s grandmother.

According to a news release from the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office, in the early hours of Oct. 30, Willingboro Township Police responded to a home on Harrington Circle in reference to a burglary in process. Inside the residence, officers found 33-year-old Catherine Nunez and her mother, 54-year-old Marisol Nunez, deceased in an upstairs bedroom.

An autopsy determined the victims died of multiple gunshot wounds.

Prosecutors said Junior Edwards and Catherine Nunez shared an 8-year-old son, who was inside the house during the shooting but was not harmed.

Investigators allege Edwards smashed open a first-floor window before killing Catherine Nunez and her mother. Officers recovered a handgun at the scene believed to have been used in the shooting.

The prosecutor’s office charged Edwards with two counts of first-degree murder, first-degree home invasion burglary armed with a firearm, second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child. Authorities took him into custody in Philadelphia on Nov. 1.

MORE:

• Pennsylvania Man Charged with Willingboro Double Homicide – Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office

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OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. (TCN) — A 37-year-old woman is being charged for allegedly making a “suicide pact” with her 10-year-old daughter, who ended up overdosing on pills and requiring hospitalization.

According to WLOX-TV, on the evening of July 6, the Ocean Springs Police Department officers received a call about a young child overdosing at the Motel 6 on Bienville Boulevard. Officers arrived and reportedly found an unresponsive 10-year-old girl, as well as empty pill bottles and other medication around her. Police noted that the pills had been prescribed to the girl’s mother, Brittany Hensley.

WLOX reports EMS took Hensley and her daughter to Ocean Springs Hospital, and the daughter was airlifted to USA Children’s and Women’s Hospital. The girl recovered and is now in custody of Mississippi Child Protective Services.

Ocean Springs Police Chief Ryan Lemaire told the Biloxi Sun Herald that Hensley “had this suicide pact with her daughter, and the daughter took the pills, but she didn’t.” Hensley reportedly “started freaking out when her daughter wouldn’t wake up.”

Hensley fled Mississippi upon her release from the hospital. She was located in Huntsville, Alabama, on Oct. 15 and arrested on a warrant for felonious child abuse. She has been extradited back to Mississippi and is in custody at the Jackson County Jail with bond set at $500,000.

MORE:

• Mother arrested months after 10-year-old daughter overdosed in ‘suicide pact,’ Ocean Springs Police say – WLOX
• South MS mom arrested for child abuse after failed suicide pact with daughter, police say – Biloxi Sun Herald
• Arrested, 10/15/2024 – Mississippi Coast Crime Stoppers
• Jackson County Jail inmate information

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In this episode of True Crime News: A jury hears emotional and graphic details about the killings of best friends Liberty German and Abigail Williams in the Delphi murders case. Plus, a teen is beaten to death allegedly by a group known as the “Gilbert Goons” in a wealthy suburb, and a 21-year-old goes missing after revealing that she’s pregnant.

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PINAL COUNTY, Ariz. (TCN) — An 18-year-old suspect is in custody on suspicion of killing his mother and claiming she had been abducted.

According to the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office, on the morning of Oct. 30, a jogger found the body of 38-year-old Mary Collier in a farm field and called law enforcement. Authorities responded and located the deceased victim behind piles of dirt, KSAZ-TV reports.

Pinal County Lt. Ross Teeple told KTVK/KPHO-TV Collier sustained injuries consistent with being cut or stabbed. Investigators believe she died of blunt force trauma from a sharp object and that an argument led to her slaying.

The jogger who made the 911 call reportedly said, “Instantly, when I saw the blood on the blade it was like, no, this is a dead body. This is a crime scene. The handle was broken in two pieces and then, like, the blade was just sitting there, and there was blood all over the blade.”

Shortly after the jogger initially called 911, Collier’s 18-year-old son reportedly called law enforcement and reported the kidnapping of his mother. Deputies identified him as a suspect in her death and found him with self-inflicted wounds. He was transported to a hospital before authorities booked him into the Pinal County Jail on a charge of first-degree murder on Oct. 31.

The victim’s niece reportedly said, “Of all the people in the family, Mary was the one he loved the most; she was the one he respected the most. It’s inexplicable. It is completely incomprehensible, and it comes completely out of nowhere.”

MORE:

• Homicide Investigation – Pinal County Sheriff’s Office
• Sheriff: Son kills mother, reports fake kidnapping to 911 in San Tan Valley – KTVK/KPHO
• Woman killed, allegedly by her son in San Tan Valley. Niece says she thought it was a “sick Halloween joke” – KSAZ

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ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. (TCN) — A 45-year-old man who served time in prison for murdering his mother and brother was arrested for allegedly killing two people, shooting at a third, and setting a house on fire this week.

According to a statement, on Wednesday, Oct. 30, just before 5 a.m., the Elizabethtown Fire Department responded to the 500 block of Hennon Lane for a residential fire. When firefighters entered the home, they reportedly located two deceased individuals. The Elizabethtown Police Department identified the victims as 41-year-old Blake France and 43-year-old Anthony Garrett.

Police said witnesses noticed a gold pickup truck leaving the area after the fire, which investigators concluded had been intentionally set. Officers located the pickup truck at a local motel and obtained surveillance footage of a man, identified as Dustin Caudill, getting out of the vehicle with a gun. Police searched Caudill’s room and discovered personal items belonging to the victims. They detained Caudill and he reportedly confessed to killing Garrett and France, as well as shooting at a third person. Caudill reportedly said he threw out the victims’ wallets in a gas station trash can.

Officials arrested Caudill and booked him into the Hardin County Jail on charges of first-degree arson, two counts of murder, tampering with physical evidence, possession of a handgun by a convicted felon, first-degree robbery, and first-degree wanton endangerment.

WKLY-TV reports Caudill was arrested in 1994 for fatally shooting his 10-year-old brother during an argument, then killing his mother when she got home. He was 15 years old at the time. Caudill served 24 years behind bars and was released on parole in April 2020. He reportedly violated his parole and was sent back to prison in May 2023 until July 2024.

MORE:

• Press Release – Elizabethtown Police Department
• Updated press release – Elizabethtown Police Department
• Man charged with killing two men in Elizabethtown was also charged with killing his mother and brother decades ago – WAVE

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