Hard Boiled News

True Crime and News of the Weird from around the Globe

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Satanic Ripper Crew Killer Eyed in 20 Slayings to Be Let Out on Parole

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Ripper Crews killer Thomas Kokaraleis has served about half of a 70-year sentence

ELMHURST, Illinois —  A member of the satanic Ripper Crew, who kidnapped up to 20 women in the early 1980s and tortured, raped and killed them, will be released from prison on parole at the end of the month, authorities said.

Thomas Kokaraleis, 59, will walk out of the Illinois River Correctional Center on March 29 after serving half of a 70-year sentence for the slaying of 21-year-old Lorry Borowski in 1982.

Police believe he and his brothers and two other men were responsible for the murder of up to 20 women in and around Chicago during the 1980s.

His brother, Andrew Kokoraleis, received the death penalty and was executed by lethal injection in 1999 before it was abolished in Illinois. Two other men connected to the murders are still behind bars, with one eligible for parole in 2042.

The men were part of the satanic cult group known as the “Ripper Crew,” which stalked the streets of Chicago and its suburbs, in a red van looking for women to kidnap, beat, rape, torture and kill. The men would often cut off their victims’ breasts as part of a cannibalistic ritual.

Victim Lorry Borowski

Borowski was kidnapped in May 1982 from outside a real estate office where she worked. She was then tortured, raped and killed. Her body was found five months later and the crew was finally arrested in November of that year.

Phony Uber Driver Took Pics of Unconscious Women in His Car: Cops

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Phony Uber driver Tommy Wayne Beard was found with an unconscious college student in his car

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama — A creepy perv posing as an Uber driver was taken into custody after cops found him driving around with an unconscious University of Alabama student in the back seat of his car.

The Tuscaloosa County sheriff’s office said they also found numerous photos of unconscious young women in 61-year-old Tommy Wayne Beard’s phone, the Tuscaloosa News reported.

Cops began investigating Beard when they spotted the woman passed out in the back seat of his car around 2:30 a.m. on Saturday. He told them he was an Uber driver and was taking the woman home.

But the 22-year-old woman told cops she had no recollection of getting into Beard’s car and could only remember leaving a bar in downtown Tuscaloosa earlier in the evening.

Beard then confessed that he was not actually a driver for Uber but had simply purchased a placard identifying him as one and was picking people up and giving them rides, cops said..

When cops found the pictures in Beard’s phone they took him into custody although he was not immediately charged.

Florida Sicko Busted for Sex Assault Caught on Video Game Mic

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Daniel Enrique Fabian got caught sexually assaulting a girl during a video game break, cops say

NEW PORT RICHEY, Florida — A twisted teen who left his headset microphone on following an online game of Grand Theft Auto was busted for sexually assaulting a young girl after his opponent overheard the attack and called police.

Daniel Enrique Fabian, 18, allegedly told the teen he was playing with that he intended to have sex with the 15-year-old girl who later came to his house, the Pasco County sheriff’s office said.

When Fabian stopped playing the game for about 15 minutes, he left his headset microphone on, and the witness told cops he heard the girl say “no.”

The girl told police that Fabian covered her mouth, pushed her down and sexually battered her, the Tampa Bay Times reported. She told cops she told him to stop four times. She underwent a rape examination and the report said a “medical assessment supports the allegation of sexual abuse,” according to the arrest report.

The incident occurred in June, but investigators had to wait for the results of a DNA test to come back to definitively link him to the assault. He was charged on Nov. 21 with lewd and lascivious battery on a person between the ages of 12 and 15.

Earlier in June, Fabian had been arrested on charges of sexually battering another girl and was out on bail when the second alleged assault occurred.

In the earlier incident, the girl told deputies that Fabian — whom she had just met a few days before — assaulted her despite her pleading for him to stop. In that incident, he was also charged with lewd and lascivious battery of a person between the ages of 12 and 15.

He is currently being held without bail.

Nude Thief Busted in a String of In-The-Buff Burglaries in Arizona

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Jeremy Lawrence’s habit of committing burglaries while nude made it easy for cops to identify him from his tattoos

FLORENCE, Arizona — A naked man caught on video stealing from neighbors’ homes has been arrested and charged in at least five burglaries, authorities said.

Jeremy Lawrence, 47, of Florence, Arizona, was busted last week after several victims provided surveillance video from their homes to the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office in connection with the bizarre series of in-the-buff break-ins.

Investigators were first tipped off to Lawrence after getting a call on Nov. 11 from a man who noticed an exotic tree was missing from his property. He said he suspected Lawrence was the thief and that he may have also been responsible for stealing items from another neighbor’s home the night before, deputies said.

Lawrence also was spotted on a surveillance camera on Nov. 10 while wearing a camouflage hunting suit. Deputies said he stole 25 air conditioner evaporator coils and a radiator belonging to a vintage truck.

After noticing similarities in the cases, deputies linked Lawrence to an incident from August when a suspect — who was nude, except for shoes and gloves — stole plants from a home in Florence. Deputies say the thief sported a distinguishing tattoo on his right shoulder, which later helped investigators connect Lawrence to two more burglaries in 2016.

Deputies said the suspect in those incidents was caught on surveillance cameras without a shirt, allowing investigators to recognize the identifiable tattoo, deputies said.

A search of Lawrence’s home on Friday resulted in the recovery of most of the stolen property from two of the burglaries. Cops say they also found a marijuana grow operation with more than 26 plants on Lawrence’s property.

Lawrence is facing multiple counts of burglary, as well as possession of marijuana, possession for sale and other charges. Deputies said they expect more charges to be filed against Lawrence as they continue to investigate.

11-Year-Old Thwarts Abduction by Demanding Kidnapper Provide Code Word

By HardBoiledNews Staff

A creep trying to lure girls into his car was outsmarted by a well-prepared 11-year-old who asked for the code word

SAN TAN VALLEY, Arizona — A well-prepared pre-teen thwarted a kidnapping when she demanded a creep trying to get her into his car provide a code word.

The man was unable to answer and sped off, police say.

Police in Pinal County, Arizona say the 11-year-old girl was walking with a friend near a park last Wednesday, when a man in white SUV drove up and said their brothers had been in a serious accident and they needed to go with him.

But the girl’s parents had taught her to ask for a code word if ever in such a situation, and — thankfully — her training kicked in. When the man was unable to come up with the answer, he drove off, cops said.

“We came up with a code word, and this one time, it saved my daughter’s life,” the girl’s mother, Brenda James, told KSAZ-TV. “I never thought it would be used, but I’m proud of her for remembering that and knowing to use that.”

Police say that other children in the neighborhood had seen the man lurking around, circling the park in his SUV several times. Investigators say the man covered most of his face with his hand while talking to the girl to conceal any identifying features.

He is described as a white male, possibly in his 40s, with a short beard and the SUV was described as possibly being a Ford Explorer.

Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb said the girl’s training definitely save the day and that all parents should consider preparing their kids for such a situation.

“Kudos to the parents of this child for having a code word and talking about to their children about stranger danger,” he said. “We hope by putting this out, it will encourage parents to have that conversation and create a plan with their children, so they know what to do if they are in that situation.”

 

Georgia Teens Guilty of Disfiguring and Raping Inmate’s Ex For Cash

By HardBoiledNews Staff

The gang attacked the ex of a prisoner, Jose Santos Carranza-Castro (bottom right) for cash

LAWRENCEVILLE, Georgia — A pair of vicious teens agreed to “disfigure,” and rape the ex-girlfriend of a man in prison in exchange for money paid by a man in prison.

One of the attackers, Josue Ramirez-Aguilar, now 20, pleaded guilty last week, along with two women who served as a driver and a lookout. A second man, Francisco Joshua Palencia, was convicted by a jury on Thursday.

The jailbird behind the attack, Jose Carranza-Castro, 38, also pleaded guilty last week.

Carranza-Castro first tasked Ramirez-Aguilar with the attack in April 2017, offering him cash to “permanently disfigure the victim with acid or boiling water” and assault her, according to prosecutors.

Ramirez-Aguilar agreed to do it and recruited Palencia to help. They both got their girlfriends, Ana Lopez-Huinil, 17, and Angela Garcia, 19, to help.

After three weeks of planning, in which they discussed cutting the victim’s face, “beating her and disfiguring her with boiling water,” the pack struck.

At first, they tried to barge in on the woman in ay 2017, but failed, pounding on her door while she was home with her boyfriend, but fleeing when she called the cops.

But days later,  when she arrived home at 3 a.m.. with her two sons, a toddler and an infant, she found two masked men in her kitchen with two pots of water boiling on the stove.

As she tried to run, one of the intruders threw boiling water on her, causing second-degree burns on her neck, shoulder, back and side.

They then shocked the woman with stun guns, dragged her into her bedroom, where they made her perform oral sex and raped her, as her 3-year-old son sat on the bed crying,  the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. The infant remained in a portable car seat in another room as the assault occurred.

The men then fled with a TV, jewelry, shoes, a purse and a stun gun stolen from the apartment. Prosecutors said the men got in by cutting a screened-in porch, which allowed a 2-month-old German Shepherd puppy to escape. The dog was never found.

Investigators managed to identify Ramirez-Aguilar, through fingerprints her left on the pots used to boil the water. He confessed after being arrested, and identified Palencia, Lopez-Huinil, Garcia and Carranza-Castro as co-conspirators.

The two attackers admitted to beating, shocking and scalding the victim, but blamed each other for the sexual assault.

Palencia was sentenced to life plus 111 years in prison. Ramirez-Aguilar was sentenced to life. Carranza-Castro was sentenced to life in prison. Garcia and Lopez-Huinil were both sentenced to 30 years.

Drama Teacher Accused of Molestation Found Dead Just Before Closing Arguments

By HardBoiledNews Staff

David Michael Bruce is suspected of committing suicide just ahead of closing arguments in his molestation case

ANAHEIM, California — A retired junior high school drama teacher on trial for allegedly molesting his students was found dead in his home of an apparent suicide just before closing arguments in his case were set to begin.

David Michael Bruce, 68, was found dead after failing to appear in court in southern California as his case was winding to a close, authorities said.

Police said they suspected a suicide, but the official cause of death remained pending. Bruce had faced up to life in prison if he had been convicted.

Bruce was accused of molesting students over the course of 15 years at Sycamore Junior High in Anaheim. Prosecutors said Bruce would typically begin with massages before escalating the molestation.

“He would tell them he had Hollywood connections” and could help them get jobs in the film industry, Deputy District Attorney Rick Zimmer said in his opening statement of the trial, according to the Orange County Register.

“The defendant basically has an obsession with male buttocks,” he said, noting that the allegations included “a lot of rubbing, touching and spanking the buttocks of these victims.”

Police also allegedly found erotic photos of young boys in the teacher’s residence.

One of the boys was a special education student who would “hang out” with his teacher at lunch, according to the prosecutor, who said the educator gave the boy gifts such as an iPod and skateboard.

One of the alleged victims confided in his sister, “who actually is the reason this whole investigation got started,” Zimmer said. A custodian at the school reported he “walked in on the defendant massaging a student.”

Bruce’s attorney had argued his client’s accusers had histories of psychiatric issues and dishonesty and were hoping to cash in on lawsuits.

Pervy Pol and Gal Pal Charged With Filming Woman After Spiking Drink

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Larry Weinstein and Kelly Drucker called filming a passed out drunk woman their ‘mission’

NORTHAMPTON TOWNSHIP, Pennsylvania — A former town supervisor and his gal pal have been charged with plotting to use spy glasses and a web camera to film a heavily intoxicated woman they had plied with booze, prosecutors said.

Lawrence Jay Weinstein, 44, and Kelly Drucker, 45, plotted last year to spike the victim’s drink with high-proof hooch so she couldn’t drive home, so they could bring her back to Drucker’s house where a webcam was hidden in the bathroom.

“Don’t let her go to the bathroom until she gets back to your place,” Weinstein wrote in a text message to appears to Drucker.

The couple began planning what they called their “mission,” in late October 2017, which led Drucker to have dinner with the victim at a Mexican restaurant  the following month. During the meal, Drucker encouraged the woman to drink heavily.

Weinstein, a lawyer who resigned as a Northampton Township Supervisor last month, was not at the dinner, but kept in communication with Drucker throughout the night via text message, coaching her to convince the victim to come back to Drucker’s home, the complaint said.

“Keep sober so you can make it happen and aren’t too drunk to win,” Weinstein’s texts said, according to prosecutors.

When Drucker got the woman back to her house, Weinstein bombarded her with messages about keeping her there and asking her sexually-charged questions as Drucker gave her more to drink.

The woman eventually got sick and passed out in a bathroom, prompting Weinstein to urge Drucker to use the spy glasses to take photos of the victim.

“Don’t worry about her. Get glasses on now,” the texts read. “Get her naked and get [sic] door open.”

Weinstein later told cops he was “concerned” for the victim, and was not sure if he should call an ambulance, according to court papers.

A few days later, Weinstein and Drucker discussed by text plans for a future “mission,” which police believe meant finding additional victims.

The victim told cops, she remembered little from the evening, although she did recall going to dinner and noticing  her wine “didn’t taste right,” and that she was “so sick” the following morning. She told detectives she does not recall the rest of the night after commenting on the wine.

During their investigation, detectives recovered photos of the victim taken while she was in the bathroom at Drucker’s home. The investigation began after a man in August discovered illicit messages on a phone that once belonged to Drucker.

Detectives say they found photos on an iPad showing Weinstein sexually assaulting a woman in late 2012 while she was unconscious. That victim told police she was not aware of the incident and did not consent to Weinstein touching her or taking the photos.

Both Weinstein and Drucker are being held on $300,000 bond.

Creepy Intruder Leaves Nude Pics, Disturbing Note in Woman’s Texas Home

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Police say they want to talk to this man who was lurking around the woman’s house where the nude pics were left

ROWLETT, Texas — That’ll send a chill up your spine.

A Texas woman was shocked to find her house ransacked and that the intruder had left nude photos of himself on her camera, a used condom and a chilling note saying he was watching her, police said.

Cops believe the creep scaled a six-foot fence behind the woman’s home on Sept. 26, and got inside through an unlocked window.

The man took some items from the home, but left behind the condom, the note and the photos.

“What the note indicates to me is that the suspect does not know the victim,” Rowlett Police Det. Cruz Hernandez told KDFW-TV. “Because the note makes a notation that is ‘I’ve been watching you.’”           

Cops say they have recovered DNA and fingerprints at the scene and believe the man lives nearby.

“The only thing we can gather is that it’s connected to the house,” Hernandez said. “So we believe it’s possibly someone living or staying within walking distance of her home.”

Police have circulated a video a neighbor captured from a block away two weeks before the crime that shows a man running and wandering around a home late at night. Police want to talk to him, but they say he is a person of interest right now and not a suspect.

Investigators are pursuing all leads to catch the culprit behind the bizarre burglary soon.

“That kind of behavior we find is something that people don’t control or stop,” Hernandez said. “We believe it’s something that they continue and some cases they escalate.”

The woman who found the note has not returned home since the incident, a friend told the channel.

Reality Show Doctor and Gal Pal Charged With Drugging and Raping Women

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Reality show doc, Grant Robicheaux, and girlfriend, Cerissa Riley, are accused of preying on women as a team

SANTA ANA, California — A telegenic reality show doctor and his striking girlfriend have been charged with drugging and sexually assaulting two women, and authorities fear  there could be many more victims.

Investigators have found “thousands and thousands of videos” on orthopedic surgeon Grant Robicheaux’s phone, many of which show him and girlfriend Cerissa Riley engaged in sex acts with other women.

Some videos show women who “appear to be highly intoxicated beyond the ability to consent or resist, and they’re barely responsive to the defendant’s sexual advances. Based on this evidence, we believe that there might be many unidentified victims out there,” Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said.

Robicheaux, 38, had appeared in a short-lived Bravo TV show called “Online Dating Rituals of the American Male,” in 2014.

“We believe the defendants used their good looks and charm to lower the inhibitions of their potential prey,” Rackauckas said, releasing an array of information about many locations and events where Robicheaux and the 31-year-old Riley had traveled.

So far, two women have filed charges after being allegedly assaulted by the couple after meeting them at social events.

“We tend to trust doctors who take an oath to do no harm. The second defendant, being a female, is key. A woman purporting to be his girlfriend clearly played a significant role in disarming the victims, making them feel comfortable and safe,” Rackauckas said.

Cerissa Riley and Grant Robicheaux at an event where they may have hunted for prey

The couple have been released on $100,000 bond and their attorneys say their clients deny the charges.

“All allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Grant Robicheaux and his girlfriend Cerissa Riley,” the lawyers said in a statement. “They have been aware of these accusations for a number of months, and each of them will formally deny the truth of these allegations at their first opportunity in court.”

According to prosecutors, Robicheaux and Riley met a 32-year-old woman at a Newport Beach restaurant on April 10, 2016, invited her to a party and then escorted her to Robicheaux’s apartment when she was intoxicated.

The pair allegedly gave the victim multiple drugs and then sexually assaulted her while she was incapable of resisting. The woman called police the next day, and a forensic exam found multiple controlled substances.

On Oct. 2, 2016, the defendants allegedly drank alcohol with another woman at a Newport Beach bar until she was unconscious, brought her to Robicheaux’s apartment and sexually assaulted her.

The district attorney’s office said the victim awakened and screamed for help until a neighbor called police, who began an investigation.

Prosecutors say that cops also found large amounts of illegal drugs, two illegal, unregistered assault rifles, four other firearms and several large-capacity magazines at Robicheaux’s home.

They noted that the couple may have traveled to  events like the Burning Man festival in Nevada, the Dirtybird Campout festival in Silverado, California, the Splash House festival in Palm Springs, and landmarks near Page, Arizona, and fear that additional victims could have been attacked at these events.

Robicheaux studied at Louisiana State University and did postgraduate work at New York University Hospital for Joint Diseases and hs residency at the University of California Irvine Medical Center in Orange, California.