Hard Boiled News

True Crime and News of the Weird from around the Globe

Teenage Killer Who Shot a Mother in Front of Her Baby Gets 35 Years

By HardBoiledNews Staff Leave a Comment

Kevin Williams was just 15 when he killed a mother in front of her 2-year-old daughter

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas — A ruthless killer who at the age of 15 gunned down a mother in front of her 2-year-old daughter during a purse snatch robbery, was sentenced to 35 years in prison.

Kevin Williams Jr.,  who is now 17 and has been called a menace to society by prosecutors, received the sentence in a Little Rock court after pleading guilty to avoid a possible death sentence.

“I hope you use the rest of your life to ponder what you’ve taken and to understand what you’ve taken can never be replaced,”  Pulaski County Circuit Judge Wendell Griffen said after imposing sentence, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported.

Prosecutors said Williams shot and killed 27-year-old Eunice Lopez Garcia in front of her home in January 2016, as she walked out carrying her toddler and her purse.

He was among a group of four teens who tried to steal her purse, causing her to drop her child. Police said Williams then shot her in her stomach and fled with the purse.

Investigators quickly caught up to some of Williams’ accomplices, who immediately fingered him as the gunman. Police say he eventually confessed.

The teens were later charged with an August 2015 holdup in which a couple were ambushed with their 2-year-old son in the driveway of their home. During the robbery, one of the suspectes punched the child and pistol-whipped the father.

Williams was also charged in the robbery of a maintenance worker at a mobile home park, but the charges were dropped as part of the plea deal.

Man Inspired by ‘Breaking Bad’ Busted for Making Deadly Ricin

By HardBoiledNews Staff Leave a Comment

Alexander Jordan thought he was clever in how he produce his own lethal ricin, but was promptly caught

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas — A man who was inspired to produce the deadly toxin ricin by watching episodes of “Breaking Bad,” was busted after he accidentally ingested in the lethal agent and fell ill.

Alexander Joseph Jordan, 21, of Little Rock, called for help on Feb. 22 after developing heart problems, diarrhea and blurred vision, federal prosecutors said. He was rushed to a hospital where he warned authorities he had two mason jars filled with the lethal substance at home.

That amount could have proven fatal to dozens of people, as even the most minute amount of ricin, which is derived from castor beans, can cause excruciating death.

“Any time there is information that a deadly substance like ricin is present in our communities, our law enforcement partners will work together to take immediate and decisive action to eliminate the threat,” said U.S. Attorney Cody Hiland.

Jordan told police that he learned how to make the substance on the internet and got the idea from watching the television show “Breaking Bad.” He insisted that he had only considered committing suicide with the substance and had no plans to harm others.

Cops found a blender smeared with ricin ingredients as well as a receipt from Amazon for castor beans and other key ingredients.

Jordan was indicted on a single count of possessing ricin and faces up to five years in prison. Prosecutors said they believed Jordan suffered from mental health issues so agreed for him to be released to his stepfather.

Woman Raids Ex’s House Unaware He’d Moved and She Was Stealing From a Stranger

By HardBoiledNews Staff 1 Comment

Amanda Korenek thought she would teach her ex a lesson by stealing his stuff, but the joke was on her

TEXARKANA, Texas — Timing is everything.

An angry Arkansas woman was caught by cops pillaging her ex-husband’s house only to discover that he had moved out and she was stealing a stranger’s things.

Police in Texarkana say Amanda Korenek, 43, had called her ex-hubby in advance early on Wednesday morning to tell him she was going to clean out the house where she used to live with him.

The husband then called police who found Korenek struggling to lift a dresser into her car into which she had already loaded numerous random items, cops said.

The officers soon realized that Korenek appeared to be under the influence of drugs and then informed her that her husband had moved out and that she was stealing someone else’s things.

Cops also found a prescription bottle and a $1,000 check that belonged to other people in her car. She was arrested on charges of burglary, possession of a dangerous drug, and fraudulent possession of identifying information. Korenek was held on $45,000 bond.

Later that morning, investigators received a call from the son of 90-year-old man who had awoken in the night to find an unknown woman in his apartment, offering to clean for him.

She then moved dishes and other small items around the apartment before he told her to leave. When he got up later that day, he realized his cell phone, a frying pan, and a cutting board were missing.

Police say those items were found in Korenek’s car and man’s name was the same as the name on the prescription bottle she was carrying. They expect to file further charges against in that case.

Man Fatally Stabs Wife After She Changed Channels Away from the Football Game

By HardBoiledNews Staff 1 Comment

Tony Thomas blew his top when his wife tuned away from the game

CARLISLE, Arkansas — He took being a diehard football a bit too far.

An Arkansas man has been charged with capital murder for fatally stabbing his wife after she changed the channel away from a football game when he stepped outside for a smoke, prosecutors said.

Tony Thomas, 58,  told cops he asked his wife what the score of the game was when he came back into their Arkansas house on Nov. 19, sparking an argument that led to bloodshed, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported.

He told cops his wife, Elke Thomas, began yelling at him, so he grabbed a knife from the wall and started stabbing her.

“He claimed he’d blacked out and when he ‘came to,’ he was over her with a knife in his hands,” according to the criminal affidavit.

Immediately afterwards, Tony Thomas called police and asked them to send a “meat wagon,” and some officers as he had just killed his wife.

A witness who ran into the room after hearing glass breaking, told cops he saw Tony Thomas stabbing his wife repeatedly.

Cops found Elke Thomas’ body outside in the backyard, partly covered by a blanket, and recovered a knife nearby.

Tony Thomas had a long rap sheet with several felony convictions and was held without bail.

Counterfeit Ring Busted When One Tries to Use Bogus Bills to Bail Out Pal

By HardBoiledNews Staff Leave a Comment

Stults, Nichols and King are charged with passing off bogus bills

FAYETTEVILLE, Arkansas — Criminal masterminds, they weren’t.

A trio of cash counterfeiters were busted in Arkansas after one of them tried to use the bogus bills to pay an accomplice’s bail, police said.

Fayetteville Police say they picked up April Stults, 26, and Mary King, 47, over the weekend after discovering several counterfeit $10 and $20 bills in Stults’ apartment while investigating a rash of phony notes that had been turning up in town lately.

But the plot completely unravelled the next day when Garrett Nichols, 30, was spotted leaving Stults’ apartment with two printers which cops found in his car when they pulled him over a short time later.

Nichols told police that he knew Stults had been printing off the bogus cash and that he removed the printers following her arrest to avoid her getting in even more trouble, the Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette reported.

Nichols had also carried out a garbage bag full of phony bills which he admitted to have been using to buy methamphetamine and fast food meals, police said. He said he intended to use some of the bills to bail Stults out.

King told cops she had used the bunk bills to pay off debts.

All three have been charged with forgery, while Nichols was hit with charges of criminal possession of a forgery device, drug possession and tampering with physical evidence.

Day Care Operator Charged With Trying to Kidnap Infant to Put Up for Adoption

By HardBoiledNews Staff Leave a Comment

JOPLIN, Missouri — It’s every parent’s worst nightmare.

A woman running a Missouri day care center has been charged with plotting to kidnap a 5-month-old baby in her care and give her to another family in Arkansas in an illegal adoption, authorities said.

Lasonya Poindexter, 30, ran the daycare out of her home with her younger sister and began taking care of Ashley and Christian Still’s daughter a few days a week in April, federal prosecutors said.

In June, Poindexter allegedly contacted a couple in Lincoln, Arkansas and began making arrangements for them to adopt the little girl she was caring for even though her parents had no intention of giving her up, prosecutors said.

Over the coming months, authorities say Poindexter made at least four 100-mile trips to Arkansas to bring the baby to meet the prospective new parents, who were unaware that she had no authority to do so. The duped couple went so far as to build a nursery in their home.

Lasonya Poindexter

Investigators say Poindexter told the couple that the baby had been the product of a rape and that the mother had left the child with Poindexter asking her to find it a home. She told them that the mother wanted a “closed adoption” and didn’t want to meet them.

But the couple eventually grew suspicious as Poindexter’s story about who would pay for the adoption changed and she repeatedly declined the couple’s offer to drive to Missouri to see the child.

The plot unraveled in July when the prospective mother spotted a photo of Ashley Stills with the baby through Poindexter’s daughter’s Facebook page. Further review of other photos revealed that Stills appeared to be the baby’s mother. When the woman messaged Stills, she discovered the baby had not been put up for adoption and the Stills contacted authorities.

When confronted by the prospective mother, Poindexter later told authorities that she considered offering them another child in her care.

She has been charged with attempted kidnapping.

Cops Hunt Forklift Bandits Caught on Camera Snatching Entire ATM

By HardBoiledNews Staff Leave a Comment

UPDATE: The Conway Police Department located the ATM from this theft. The empty machine was dumped by the thieves at a dirt lot on Dave Ward Drive. The property owner alerted police. It was inspected by the CPD in order to recover any evidence. It was also inspected by bank employees who rendered it useless in the condition it was found in. At this time this case is still under investigation. We do not have any suspects in this case. *******************************************The Conway Police Department needs your help identifying the person/persons responsible for stealing an ATM from First Service Bank around 3:00 Wednesday morning. The suspects cannot be seen but if you recognize the truck or you were in the area when this happened or have some information you want to share on this case, please call Detective Williams at 450-6130. Thanks in advance for your help.

Posted by Conway Police Department on Friday, August 18, 2017

CONWAY, Arkansas — Most people would just use a mask and a threatening note.

Cops in Arkansas are searching for a band of brazen bank thieves who used a giant forklift to rip an ATM from the ground and drive off with it from outside a bank.

Surveillance cameras captured the bold robbery at 3 a.m. on Wednesday with the forklift crashing through the First Service Bank’s drive-thru lane in Conway.

The theft wasn’t discovered until the next morning when an employee discovered the ATM was missing.

Cops not surprisingly say they believe the suspects likely work in the construction industry.

 

Cop Sentenced to 11 Years For Dealing Drugs in Uniform

By HardBoiledNews Staff Leave a Comment

James Edgerson had been a Dumas police officer for 14 years

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas — A former small town cop was sentenced to more than a decade in prison for his role in a multi-state drug operation which saw him at times selling cocaine and methamphetamine while in uniform.

James Edgerson, 39, had been with the Dumas police department in Arkansas for 14 years when he was arrested along with five others in 2015 for dealing drugs, federal  prosecutors said.

Investigators say Edgerson sold drugs while in uniform and carrying his department-issued weapon on numerous occasions and in one instance, dealt drugs while standing next to his police cruiser.

“Police officers take an oath to protect and serve their communities,” said acting U.S. Attorney Patrick Harris. “Edgerson’s significant sentence reflects his absolute violation of this oath, and his abuse of the trust placed in him by members of his community. This sentence also demonstrates that no one is above the law.”

Edgerson pleaded guilty in February. Four of his co-conspirators had previously pleaded and Edgerson’s cousin, Kendrick Lamar Edgerson is scheduled to go to trial in September.

Prosecutors say Edgerson admitted to participating in the conspiracy from May 2015 through through September 2015. He had been charged with buying and selling multi-ounce quantities cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana by the pound.

 

8-Year-Old Arkansas Boy Killed in Tragic Tombstone Collapse

By HardBoiledNews Staff Leave a Comment

An 8-year-old boy died after an old tombstone fell on him

LYNN, Arkansas –An 8-year-old boy died in a freak accident when a tombstone toppled over and crushed him in an Arkansas church graveyard.

The tragic mishap occurred during a birthday party Saturday afternoon at the Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church in Lynn, when the boy wandered into the graveyard out back.

Officials believe the boy had been playing on a large tombstone when it broke and fell on him, KAIT-TV reported.

The boy was rushed to a local hospital where he was declared dead. Authorities have deemed the death an accident.

Members of the church said they were devastated by the accident.

“Just an eight-year-old rambunctious young man, just like many eight-year-old young men and full of life,” the church’s Pastor Jeff Neely told the station.  “There is definitely a lot of prayer being sent up on behalf of their family.”

The boy’s name has not been released.

 

Scientist Cops to Top-Secret Rice Theft

By HardBoiledNews Staff Leave a Comment

The Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center in Stuttgart, Ark. was the scene of the crime

The Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center in Stuttgart, Ark. was the scene of the crime

 

STUTTGART, Arkansas — The theft of a few grains of rice grains has landed one scientist in as much trouble as if he’d pinched a bag of diamonds.

Geneticist Wengui Yan, 61, was aware of a plot to steal the top secret rice from a government plant in Arkansas and deliver it to China — yet did nothing to stop it. The plant researches and produces genetically modified rice. That’s valuable scientific knowledge to a huge and growing population such as China.

Wengui Yan

Wengui Yan

Yan was working as a geneticist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture at the Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center in Stuttgart in 2013, when a delegation from China came seeking to steal samples. He picked up the Chinese delegation from a motel in town, on July 22, 2013, and took them to the center. He traveled with them to a rice farm where he knew they would have an opportunity to steal seeds, the Department of Justice said.

Yan originally faced up to 10 years behind bars, but pleaded guilty to the offence and faces up to 20 months in federal prison.

Co-defendant Weiqiang Zhang, 50, of Manhattan, Kansas, is awaiting trial, according to the Dept. of Justice.