True Crime and News of the Weird from around the Globe

Illinois Cops Hunt for Owner of ‘Foul Smelling’ and ‘Belligerent’ Chicken

By HardBoiledNews Staff

SWANSEA, Illinois — That’s one foul bird.

Police in southern Illinois have put out an all points bulletin to find the owner of a gray-feathered fowl that showed up on a resident’s front step and won’t leave.

“Missing chicken. Found 1501 North Illinois. Loud. Belligerent. Non-cooperative. Foul smelling. Won’t leave. If you have lost your chicken, call us,” the Swansea police department posted on its Facebook page.

“Serious police work here folks,” the department was quick to add.

Several commenters noted that the bird was not actually a chicken but a guinea hen, which are known to be noisy and sometimes ill-tempered and territorial.

Chicago Man With History of Impersonating Cops, Arrested Again

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Vincent Richardson

CHICAGO — A man who has been repeatedly arrested for impersonating a Chicago police officer — including once when he was just 14 — has been charged again with posing as a cop,  authorities said.

Vincent Richardson, 26,  is accused of pretending to be a Chicago police sergeant on three occasions in recent weeks and has been charged with felony impersonation of an officer. 

Richardson was first arrested in 2009 at age 14, when he was so convincing as a cop that he was assigned a radio and went on patrol with a real officer.  In that episode,  14 officers, including the captain running the watch during Richardson’s shift and seven sergeants, were brought up on departmental charges, the Chicago Tribune reported.

In 2013, at age 19, Richardson pretended he was an officer and was arrested when he tried to buy police equipment. 

And in 2015, at age 21, Richardson was arrested after police stopped his car while investigating a call of shots fired. He was wearing a protective vest and had a police duty belt, scanner, BB gun and stun gun in his possession. 

He received 18-month sentences for impersonating an officer after each offense.

Fang-Tooth Felon Out on Bail Charged With Killing 12-Year-Old in Drunken Wreck

By HardBoiledNews Staff

CHICAGO — A man who sports teeth sharpened into fangs and is out on bail for three felonies, allegedly killed a 12-year-old girl in a drunken crash in which his blood-alcohol level was five times the legal limit, prosecutors said.

Daniel Regalado, 27, was driving in South Cicero with two passengers when he crossed the median and plowed into an oncoming Cadillac Escalade, cops said. 

The collision killed Cire Robinson, a 12-year-old girl riding with her father, Prosecutors say that five seconds before the crash, Regalado was driving 66 miles per hour in a 30 mile per hour zone.

Regalado’s girlfriend was ejected from his Chevy Impala’s passenger seat and suffered a broken femur, facial fractures, and other injuries. She was hospitalized in critical condition. She allegedly told police that Regalado was the driver and was responsible for the crash, CWB Chicago reported.

A passenger riding in the back of Regalado’s car and Robinson’s father were also hospitalized as was Regalado himself. Prosecutors said Regalado’s blood-alcohol level was .457 when he arrived at Stroger Hospital after the crash.

Judge David Navarro said Regalado’s alleged intoxication level “is, I’ll say, the highest I have seen with an individual who is still alive.”

At the hearing, Regalado tried to explain himself. “I was running away. I was running away because I was being shot at,” he told the judge via video. “This has been on-going…this isn’t fair. This isn’t fair at all.”

Lying in a hospital bed with his head and neck braced, Regalado insisted, “they were chasing us!”

When the judge cautioned Regalado against speaking without an attorney present, he continued talking.

“I don’t need an attorney. People that need an attorney are guilty. I don’t need an attorney. Why would I need an attorney? For what?”

Prosecutors charged Regalado with reckless homicide with a motor vehicle, aggravated DUI causing death, and two counts of DUI.

Navarro set his bail at $500,000. But the judge also ordered Regalado held without bail for violating the terms of bond in three separate pending felony cases.

In one pending matter, Regalado is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and reckless discharge of a firearm stemming from a July 2018 incident that prompted a SWAT stand-off in Oak Park. In January 2019, prosecutors charged him with felony manufacture-delivery of cannabis. 

Seven months later, with both of those cases still pending, Regalado was again arrested and charged with being a felon in possession of another gun, court records show.

In each case, he was released on a few hundred dollars bail

In December 2015, Regalado was indicted on five counts of attempted murder, unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, and possessing a defaced firearm, but Cook County prosecutors dropped the case two years later

15-Year-Old Charged in Carjack Murder of Retired Chicago Firefighter

By HardBoiledNews Staff

These carjackers fatally shot retired firefighter Dwain Williams

CHICAGO — A 15-year-old boy has been charged with murder in the carjacking slaying of a retired Chicago firefighter earlier this month outside a Chicago popcorn shop.

Prosecutors say the teen, who is not being identified because he is charged as a juvenile, was part of a carjacking crew that had been working the area. On Dec. 3, the gang set their sites on 65-year-old Dwain Williams, following him in a stolen car to Let’s Get Poppin’.

“The time it took to follow and lay in wait for the victim shows a calculated plan,” said Assistant State’s Attorney Sophia David.

Surveillance camera video showed Williams walking toward his Jeep with a bag of popcorn in his hand, when is approached by two people with guns, authorities said.

Williams then retreats behind his car as one suspect rushes toward him with a gun. Williams pulls out his own gun and fires. The suspect falls to the ground, fires off a shot and jumps back in the car and flees.

In the altercation, Williams was shot in the stomach. He later died at a local hospital.

Authorities say the teen was unarmed at the time of the shooting and doesn’t appear to be the gunman who killed Williams. Police, however, have recovered a weapon and are testing it to see if it was used in the shooting.

The judge ordered him held in custody.

The gang’s stolen vehicle was found abandoned two days later. Prosecutors said DNA and fingerprints recovered from the car, as well as witnesses who identified him in still photos taken from surveillance footage, eventually led to the teen’s arrest.

He faces multiple counts of first-degree murder, as well as a count of armed robbery, officials said. No charges against any other suspects have been announced.

Cops say detectives are interviewing an adult, allegedly involved in the murder, and were still searching for two other adults.

Williams was a Chicago Fire Department lieutenant and retired about two years ago, officials said. He was about to return to work as a civilian employee at the Office of Emergency Management and Communications.

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.

Florida Man Accused of Chopping Off Rival’s Penis Held on $1M Bond

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Justin Foster is accused of flying halfway across the country to chop off the man’s penis

DES PLAINES, Illinois — A Florida man was held on $1 million bond for allegedly chopping off the penis of his ex-girlfriend’s new beau after brutally beating him with a tire iron.

Prosecutors say Justin Foster, 28, of Tallahassee, travelled halfway across the country to a Chicago suburb to confront his ex’s new paramour and beat him so badly he was left with permanent brain damage.

“We’re talking about a very heinous crime here,” Assistant State’s Attorney Luis Muniz said, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Authorities say Foster flew from Atlanta to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport in March and then rented a car and drove to Des Plaines, where he approached the 26-year-old  man on the street, hit him in the head with a tire iron, carved initials into his leg and then cut off his penis.

Investigators say Foster then threw the man’s member over a fence and then hid his bleeding body behind a parked car before returning to the airport and catching a flight back to Atlanta.

Somehow, the victim survived, but suffered permanent brain damaged. Authorities didn’t say whether doctor’s were able to reattach his penis.

Foster was arrested in Tallahassee on Aug. 27 and was brought to Illinois on Sept. 20 to face charges.

Foster’s lawyer argued that the case against his client is circumstantial, with no physical evidence tying him to the crime. He also said that the victim might not be able to identify Foster as the men who attacked him.

 

Man Uses Change of Address Form to Get UPS Mail Sent to His House

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Dashaun Spruce managed to get thousands of letters meant for UPS sent to his house instead

CHICAGO — It’s so stupid, it’s brilliant.

A clever con man used a postal service change of address form to redirect mail meant for UPS corporate headquarters in Atlanta to be sent instead to his tiny apartment in Chicago.

Federal prosecutors say Dushaun Spruce managed to deposit $60,000 worth of checks that were meant to go to UPS, during the month the company’s voluminous quantity of mail was arriving at his house late last year.

It was only after the checks went astray that UPS even noticed something was wrong and contacted the postal police.

When authorities raided Spruce’s home, they found 3,000 pieces of mail that was intended to go to UPS. Postal carriers said so much mail had started showing up at Spruce’s house, that it couldn’t fit in his letter box  and they had to leave it in postal tubs outside his door.

Postal officials say they process 37 million change of address forms each year, but only about 1,000 end up being investigated for fraud.

Spruce told the Chicago Tribune that he had started receiving UPS’ mail due to a mix up and that he wasn’t responsible.

Boneheaded Rapper Jailed for 15 Years for Waving Around Illegal Gun in Music Video

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Ricardo Burgos thought he’d add some street cred by waving guns around in his video

CHICAGO — Boneheaded bravado isn’t one of the seven sins, but it should be.

A rapper trying to make it big will instead spend the next 15 years behind bars after shooting a video featuring him waving around guns that as a convicted felon are illegal for him to carry.

Ricardo Burgos, who goes by the stage name “Nation,” shot the video in January 2016 in a hotel room just north of Chicago in which he is seen holding two guns — including a .45 caliber pistol — while rapping about selling drugs, committing acts of violence, and dissing cops.

Burgos, 31, who allegedly is a member of the Conservative Vice Lords street gang, had previously been convicted of multiple felonies and so isn’t legally allowed to possess a firearm, prosecutors said.

He was busted a short time later when he brought the gun into Chicago. Investigators determined that the .45-caliber pistol had been stolen from a store in Indiana and had been used in a shooting in Chicago two days before the music video was filmed.

Burgos was additionally hit with a drug charge for multiple illegal narcotic sales he made to undercover officers in 2015.

He pleaded guilty to one count of illegal possession of a firearm by a felon, and one count of distribution of a controlled substance.

 

Serial Stowaway Sneaks Onto Flight Without Ticket for 10th Time

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Marilyn Hartman has snuck onto planes so many times she has been dubbed the “serial stowaway”

CHICAGO — A woman dubbed the “serial stowaway” has been busted for the 10th time for sneaking through security and onto an airplane without a ticket, this time making it all the way from Chicago to London before being caught.

Marilyn Hartman, 66, of Grayslake, Illinois, is a notorious figure in aviation circles for her ability to find ways of getting onto planes unnoticed despite the intense security at airports.

She was busted at least eight times in 2014 for pulling such stunts. The next year, she got nabbed twice in two months at Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway airports. She’s also been arrested in California and Arizona.

Hartman has spent a year in jail for the repeated episodes and was released on probation to a nursing home in December 2015.

But Chicago police say Hartman showed up at O’Hare on Jan. 14, where she managed to sneak past airport security without a boarding pass or passport, and then got on a British Airways flight to London.

She allegedly hid in the airplane bathroom during takeoff and then sat down in an empty seat for the rest of the flight, although airline staff realized she didn’t belong there and notified authorities in the United Kingdom that they had a stowaway onboard.

Hartman was detained at Heathrow Airport and sent back to Chicago where she was place under arrest.

In a statement, the Transportation Security Administration said Hartman had been checked through security even though she had no ticket and that it was investigating what went wrong.

 

Teen Paperboy Raising Cash for Christmas Presents Slain on Route in Chicago

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Paperboy Brian Jasso was trying to save cash to buy his mother (R) headphones for Christmas

CHICAGO — A 15-year-old newspaper delivery boy saving money to buy a Christmas present for his mom, was shot and killed in what police think may have been a case of mistaken identity.

Paperboy Brian Jasso was helping his mother’s boyfriend deliver copies of the Chicago Tribune on the south side of the city Sunday morning when their car was rear-ended at a traffic light, police said.

The occupants of the car behind them then began shooting, firing numerous shots through the rear window of the delivery vehicle, striking Jasso in the back of the head and killing him, cops said.

Investigators said neither the boy nor the mother’s boyfriend had gang ties and it is believed the gunmen may have confused them for someone else.  Another theory is that it was a carjacking gone bad.

“I hope the person who did this sees this so they could know whose life they took,” the boy’s mother Carmen Manzano, told the Tribune. “He was a person who had dreams, he was a person who wasn’t doing wrong like they are doing bad things on the street.”

The family said the teen had been helping out to raise some extra money to buy his mother a present for Christmas and to be able to afford to take his girlfriend out on a date.

Psychic Pleads Guilty to Tax Fraud in Bilking Elderly Woman Out of $3.5 Million

By HardBoiledNews Staff

BOSTON —  Surely she should have seen the tax man coming.

A predatory psychic who bilked an elderly Martha’s Vineyard woman out of $3.5 million in order to rid her of demons, has pleaded guilty to tax evasion.

Sally Ann Johnson, 41, swooped into the victim’s life in 2007 and convinced to pay top dollar for repeated spiritual cleansing ceremonies, exorcisms and healing services over the next seven years. At times, Johnson even lived with the victim.

Federal prosecutors say Johnson, who also went by the names Angela Johnson, Angelia Johnson, and Sally Reed operated various psychic businesses in Florida, Illinois, New York and Massachusetts.

The businesses, Flatiron Psychic, Psychic Match, Inc., and Psychic Spiritual Salon, Inc., all offered “psychic readings,” “spiritual cleansing & strengthening,” and “meditation & healing.”

But what ultimately landed Johnson in the dock was the lengths she went to in order to obscure the payments the victim made to her so that the IRS wouldn’t pick up on it.

Prosecutors say Johnson used an alias and directed that payments be sent to at least three different bank accounts connected to her, including an account in another person’s name. Johnson would then withdrew large amounts in cash.

She also ran up huge credit card bills on accounts in the victim’s name and had her pay the bill in lieu of paying directly for her services.

Prosecutors say the whole subterfuge was designed to conceal Johnson’s income from the IRS and that, in fact, she never paid a dime in tax on the $3.5 million.

Johnson pleaded guilty to interfering with the administration of the Internal Revenue laws and had agreed to pay $3,567,3000 back to the victim as well as pay back taxes. Sentencing was scheduled for Jan. 17, 2018.

 

Slow-Speed Runaway Bulldozer Escape Crushes Police Car Like Tin Can

By HardBoiledNews Staff

KANKAKEE, Illinois — He was set on making his getaway no matter how long it took.

An Illinois man led cops on a wild, slow-speed chase after stealing a 20-ton bulldozer, smashing a patrol car beneath its treads and narrowly avoiding crushing an officer.

Austin White, 18, was arrested on August 24 in the bizarre incident but dashcam video of the episode just surfaced this week, following a Freedom of Information Act request by WLS-TV.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3Pq72bO2Zo

Police say White stole the giant vehicle from a construction site in the middle of the night and was goofing around when cops began arriving at the scene. He then bolts, going 12 blocks through city streets, traveling just 5 miles per hour.

In the video, White can be seen driving the multi-ton truck over an approaching patrol car whose driver hopped out just in time.

Officers can be seen throughout the episode giving chase on foot.Eventually they managed to pull White from the vehicle and toss him to the ground. They were forced to use a Taser to subdue before hauling him in.

Austin White after cops had enough to do with him

He is being held on six felony counts of attempted murder and driving under the influence of drugs. Police say White has never had a driver’s license.

YouTube Star Austin Jones Hit With Child Porn Charges

By HardBoiledNews Staff

CHICAGO — Austin Jones, a musician and YouTube star has been hit with child pornography charges for allegedly talking underage fans into sending him sexually explicit videos.

The 24-year-old pop singer, who resides in Bloomingdale, Illinois, has hundreds of thousands of followers on social media, most of whom are young girls, and his YouTube videos are routinely watched millions of times.

Federal prosecutors say he is charged with talking two 14-year-old girls he met on Facebook into sending him video of them exposing their private parts while twerking for the camera and talking about how young they are.

“Get super close and say these lines: hey Austin, it’s (name) and this butt is (age) years old and then make it clap for 30 seconds. Got it?” he was quoted in the indictment as telling one of the victims.

To the second victim, Jones was quoted as saying: “Think about how amazing that would be for you!! To have your favorite singer spanking your ass!” He then said, “If you’re lucky, maybe I’d let you suck my d**k.”

Prosecutors said Jones would goad the victims into making more explicit videos by telling them they had to prove they were his biggest fans. If they demurred, he would threaten to break off communication. He admitted to the FBI that he would masturbate to the videos.

After being contacted by the FBI, Facebook deactivated Jones’ account, prosecutors said.

Jones was arrested on Monday at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago and was set to go before a judge on Wednesday to face two counts of producing child pornography. He faces between 15 and 30 years on each count.

In 2015,  a petition circulated demanding Jones be removed from the Warped Tour for allegedly soliciting underage girls to send him twerking videos. He later apologized to fans, saying in a post on Facebook that he had gone into therapy and that he never “intended to mistreat or humiliate anyone.”

Chicago Gang Leader Faces 70 Years After Instagramming Pics From Gun Range

By HardBoiledNews Staff

CHICAGO — A Chicago gang leader faces up to 70 years in prison for firing a pistol with pals at a gun range and then posting pictures on Instagram that documented the day.

Labar “Bro Man” Spann, 38, is barred from having a gun due to a variety of prior felony convictions including aggravated battery of a police officer, drug offenses, harassment of a witness and armed robbery.

The reputed leader of the Four Corner Hustlers pleaded guilty to going with a gal pal and a friend to Midwest Sporting Goods in Lyons, Illinois in September 2014 and loading a Glock 19 and opening fire at targets at the range.

Prosecutors alleged that Spann later posted a number of photographs and videos on Instagram showing him at the range and the targets at which he’d fired.

“Ya’ll know I had to go first just to show my b***ch how this s**t works lmao I do this s**t,” Spann wrote below one picture he posted showing a target with holes in the head and chest.

Spann also pleaded guilty to pressuring his girlfriend, Ladonah Hampton, to lie to authorities and say that he had never fired a gun while at the range.

He was also pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine with intent to sell after cops found dozens of small bags of the white powder in his home.

Spann faces up to 70 years in prison when he is sentenced on Sept. 5, 2017.

In addition to his various felony offenses, Spann was acquitted of being the mastermind behind the 2003 killing of Rudy Rangel, a notorious high-ranking member of the Latin Kings street gang.

Hero Driver Leaps into Action to Save Motorist Having Seizure

By HardBoiledNews Staff

DIXON, Illinois — A hero driver was caught on tape leaping into action to save a fellow motorist having a seizure behind the wheel from a nasty accident at a busy Illinois intersection.

Police say the terrifying episode unfolded late in the afternoon last Friday when the stricken driver ran a red light and began drifting into oncoming traffic in downtown Dixon.

That’s when Randy Tompkins, who was sitting behind the wheel of his pickup truck with his wife beside him in the opposite lane, sprang into action, with the whole thing being captured on the dashboard camera of a nearby police car.

 

At approximately 4:06 p.m. yesterday afternoon, one of our squad cars was on routine patrol approaching the intersection of 4th Avenue and North Galena Avenue.

Officers observed a blue passenger car traveling north on North Galena Avenue and had disobeyed the red traffic signal at that intersection. The car proceeded through the intersection, almost striking several vehicles. Our squad car activated its emergency lights in an attempt to conduct a traffic stop on the car. The car proceeded north at a low rate of speed and began traveling into the oncoming lanes of travel.

A truck, that was southbound in the 1300 block of North Galena Avenue, had to back up to avoid being struck by the car. The driver of the truck could see the driver of the car and observed that something looked medically wrong. The driver of the truck (later identified as Dixon resident Randy Tompkins) exited his vehicle, ran up to the car and without hesitation jumped into the car through the passenger side window in an attempt to stop it. Tompkins was able to get the car in park just as officers approached the vehicle as well. The driver of the vehicle was found to be having a seizure.

Tompkins and the two officers stood by until Dixon City Fire arrived and transported the driver to KSB Hospital. We want to thank Tompkins for his heroism and for coming to a complete stranger’s aid!
#DixonProud

Posted by Dixon, Illinois Police Department on Saturday, June 3, 2017

First, Tompkins backed his vehicle up and out of the way of the oncoming motorist and then raced out of his car and dove headlong through the passenger window of the sick driver’s car and pulled the parking brake.

“I saw him come out from behind the traffic, and he almost hit me in my lane,” the 39-year-old Tompkins told the Northwest Herald. “I knew something was wrong, but I didn’t realize he was having a seizure until he got to the intersection.”

The quick-thinking Tompkins said it all happened in a blur, but that he “just did what had to be done”.

“He was in danger himself, and he was a danger to others,” Tompkins said. “My adrenaline was pumping, and I just reacted.”

Police say the driver, who was described as a man in his 20s or 30s, had indeed had a seizure and was taken to a local hospital and later released.

“We want to thank Tompkins for his heroism and for coming to a complete stranger’s aid!” the Dixon Police wrote on Facebook.

We’re On a Mission From God: Fire Erupts at Jail Featured in ‘The Blues Brothers’

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Elwood and Jake begin their mission from God

JOLIET, Illinois — The prison featured in the opening scenes of the cult classic film, “The Blues Brothers,” was heavily damaged when a fire erupted in an old industrial building on the grounds of the abandoned jail.

The fire at the old Joilet Correctional Center broke out Monday evening and was brought under control after a few hours. No one was injured in the blaze, officials said.

The cause of the fire was not immediately clear, fire officials said. Two people found leaving the grounds of the prison were taken in for questioning and told authorities that other people had been in the complex before the blaze, the Joliet Herald-News reported.

Opened in 1858, the prison was closed in 2002 and was most famous for its cameo appearance in the 1980 film when Elwood Blues, played by Dan Aykroyd, picks up his brother Jake, portrayed by John Belushi, in order to get the band back together following a stint in prison.

Fire tears through the roof of an industrial building on the grounds of the abandoned Joliet Correctional Center

The jail also appeared in the Fox series “Prison Break” and in the Bob Odenkirk comedy, “Let’s Go To Prison.”

But its role in the opening sequence of “The Blues Brothers” made it a tourist destination of sorts, and visitors to Joliet would often visit the abandoned jail to pose for photos.

In 2013, a fire at the complex destroyed a warehouse building after which officials welded shut the gates leading into the jail to keep vagrants out. In 2009, a prison parking lot was transformed into a public park.

College Student Killed By Hammer in Freak Track & Field Mishap

By HardBoiledNews Staff

 

Ethan Roser was accidentally struck by the hammer at the event

WHEATON, Illinois — A Wheaton College student volunteering to work at a track and field competition was tragically killed when he was hit by a hammer flung during the hammer throw event.

College officials said 19-year-old freshman, Ethan Roser, of Cincinnati, was accidentally struck Saturday afternoon during the competition. A hammer, which is actually a ball attached by a wire to a grip, weighs 16 pounds.

Paramedics and school safety officials had been on the scene and rushed to Roser’s aid and quickly transported him to a local hospital where he died.

“We are deeply grieved, but, because of our faith in Christ, not without hope,” said Wheaton College President Philip Ryken. “We ask people to pray for Ethan’s family, his friends, and our campus community.”

A hammer weighs 16 pounds

Relatives told the Chicago Tribune that Roser, the child of missionaries, had recently transferred to the school and was a member of the soccer team.

Wheaton is a Christian liberal arts college located just outside of Chicago. Notable alumni include the Rev. Billy Graham, film director Wes Craven and former speaker of the house of representatives, Dennis Hastert.

 

Parolee Fatally Shot Hours After Release at Party Celebrating His Freedom

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Nathan Hofkamp had just served two years for theft and assault

MINOOKA, Illinois — A man who had just been released from prison hours earlier was shot and killed during a party celebrating his freedom, police in Illinois said.

Cops say Nathan Hofkamp, 29, had just returned home Friday from a two-year stint for theft and assaulting a peace officer, when “a disturbance broke out” at a party at his family’s home in honor of his release, the Will County Sheriff’s office said.

“Apparently someone inside the residence became upset and fired a shot striking the victim in the chest,” the police said in a statement.

Hofkamp was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was declared dead.

Investigators later identified the suspect in the shooting as 65-year-old James Hess, a live-in acquaintance of Hofkamp’s mother.

Hess has been charged initially with one count of aggravated discharge of a firearm, while other charges are pending a review by prosecutors, cops said. He is being held at the Will County Adult Detention Facility awaiting a court hearing.

Son Killed, Dad Wounded in Gun Fight Over Whose Turn it Was to Walk Dog

By HardBoiledNews Staff

CHICAGO — A father and son opened fire on each other during a knock down fight over who was going to walk the dog, leaving the younger man dead and his dad critically wounded.

Police in Chicago say the gun battle erupted early Sunday morning when the pair pulled their guns and opened fire over the dog.

In the exchange, the 43-year-old father fatally shot his 22-year-old son and was struck multiple times in return. The son was declared dead at a local hospital and the father was hospitalized in critical condition.

Police recovered two guns at the scene and are continuing to investigate.

Chicago Father and Twin Sons Made Pimping the Family Business

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Nathan Nicholson (l) and twin sons Myrelle and Tyrelle Lockett kept their pimp hand in he family

CHICAGO — Like father, like sons, unfortunately.

A cruel Chicago dad groomed his twin sons to become vicious pimps who forced underage girls into prostitution, prosecutors said.

Nathan Nicholson, 45, and his 24-year-old sons, Tyrelle and Myrelle Lockett were all hit with lengthy prison sentences last week for running a family business in which the sons preyed on young girls they met at shopping malls and online.

According to federal prosecutors, Nicholson used the twins to recruit minor girls by promising them money for going on dates with older men in exchange for cash.

Once they lured a victim in, Nicholson would bring them to an abandoned house in Calumet City, where he would photograph them in skimpy outfits or bikinis, and then tell them they needed to “tested” by having sex with the twins.

The photos were then used for online sex ads, and the girls were soon being shopped around to have sex with men in area hotels and private homes for around $100 and hour. Whatever cash came in, went into Nicholson’s pockets and the women were beaten if they acted up or threatened to leave.

Some women were forced to get Myrelle or Tyrelle’s’ names tattooed on their necks, marking them as the twins’ property. Some women told authorities they were required to have sex with up to five strangers a day.

The twins also sought victims further afield, in one case forcing a Minnesota they had found online to come to Chicago to work for them. She managed to escape their clutches and called police, bringing the sordid family business to an end.

Both of the twins have been sentenced to 17 ½ years in prison, while their father got a 16 ½ year sentence.

Illinois’ Baffling Airtight Bridge Murder Solved After Nearly 40 Years

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Diane Small’s dismembered body was found under the Airtight Bridge in 1980

BRADLEY, Illinois — It took nearly four decades, but cops in Illinois have finally got their man.

Police say they have arrested 70-year-old Thomas Small for the 1980 murder of his then-26-year-old wife whose dismembered remains were found in a river under the Airtight Bridge in rural Coles County.

The body’s head, hands and feet had been amputated and were not recovered so it wasn’t identified for another 12 years.

The perplexing case became known locally as the Airtight Bridge murder.

The Daily Journal in Kanakee, Illionois reported that Small had confessed to the 36-year-old slaying. He has been charged with murder and is being held on $2 million bond.

Cops say Diane Marie Riordan Small disappeared in October 1980, but that investigators were unable to connect the waterlogged remains found under the bridge to her until 1992, when her sister came into police headquarters and said her sibling had been missing for 12 years and a DNA test was done.

Thomas Small, 70, has been charged with his wife’s murder after 36 years

At the time Diane Small went missing, cops say Thomas Small called police and filed a report that she had left and not returned. But he said she had a history of leaving for several days at a time and then coming back.

The couple had a 2-year-old daughter, Vanessa, at the time, who is now 38.

“This is great news, especially for her daughter,” retired Bradley Chief Steve Coy, who was a detective in 1992 and worked the case told the Daily Journal. “She has always wanted to know what happened.”

 

5 Inmates Injured in Wild Chicago Jail Rumble

By HardBoiledNews Staff

CHICAGO — A furious rumble broke out in the maximum security section of Chicago’s Cook County Jail on Friday, leaving five inmates injured, some with stab wounds, officials said.

Authorities quickly brought the lunchtime melee under control and recovered several weapons, including shivs made out of what appeared to be asthma inhaler casings, the Cook County Sheriff’s office told the Chicago Tribune.

Five inmates were transported to local hospitals, officials said. No prison staff were injured in the fracas. Authorities were investigating how the weapons got into prisoner hands.

The prison ward houses the most dangerous inmates.

None of the injuries was life-threatening. Prison officials sad four of the wounded inmates are awaiting trial on murder charges. The fifth was in custody on armed robbery charges.

In October, 20 inmates were  hurt — eight with stab wounds — and three prison guards were hospitalized after being struck with food trays in a massive brawl in the same section of the jail. Four of those inmates were awaiting murder trials and fifth was charged with attempted murder.