True Crime and News of the Weird from around the Globe

Court Rejects ‘Warrior Gene’ Defense in Santa Fe Murder

By HardBoiledNews Staff

SANTA FE, New Mexico — Presumably his “warrior gene” makes him tough enough for prison.

The New Mexico Supreme Court has upheld a murder conviction against a man who claimed his “warrior gene” made him predisposed to impulsive acts of violence.

Anthony Blas Yepez ad put forth the theory in a bid to get out of a 22-year sentence in the murder of his girlfriend’s 75-year-old step-grandfather, George Ortiz, in 2012. 

In a unanimous decision, justices ruled that a lower court was justified in excluding evidence about the theory which lacks any scientific basis, in the original trial in which Yepez was convicted.

Defense attorneys had argued that Yepez was incapable of forming the intent to deliberately kill because of his genetic makeup., but expert testimony on the scientific claim was excluded in the pre-trial hearing phase.

Yepez was convicted in 2015 in the killing of Ortiz during a domestic dispute. Yepez is serving a 22-year sentence for second-degree murder with additional time for auto theft and tampering with evidence.

“We hold that evidence of mere genetic susceptibility to a given mental condition is not relevant on the issue of deliberate intent, at least in the absence of evidence that such susceptibility is so well understood and has such strong predictive value as to be clinically validated as an indicator of the mental condition,” said the opinion from former Justice Judith Nakamura, who heard oral arguments in the case before her recent retirement.

The high court rejected the defendant’s request for a new trial.

An appeals court previously ruled that the lower court abused its discretion in excluding scientific testimony, but that no harm was done because Yepez was acquitted of first-degree murder charges that require the state prove premeditation.

Yepez’s girlfriend, Jeannie Sandoval, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to nine years in prison for her role in the killing.

Long Island Grave Digger Dies After Being Buried Alive in Cemetery Mishap

By HardBoiledNews Staff

MOUNT SINAI, New York — A cemetery worker was killed when a grave he was digging collapsed on him, burying him under several feet of dirt, police said.

Rodwin Allicock, 42, of Coroam, was working at the bottom of a 7-foot-deep grave at Washington Memorial Park in Mount Sinai, N.Y., when the walls collapsed, Suffolk County police said.

Allicock’s co-workers raced to dig him out but were unable to reach him in time and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Officials from the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating.

Explosive to be Used for Gender Reveal Party Kills Dad-to-Be

By HardBoiledNews Staff

LIBERTY, New York — A 28-year-old dad-to-be was killed when an explosive device he and his brother were preparing for a gender reveal party detonated unexpectedly, police said.

Christopher Pekny was working on the device that was to announce that he and his girlfriend were having a boy, when it exploded in his garage in Liberty, N.Y., killing him and wounding his brother, Michael Pekny, 27, New York State police said.

The cause of the explosion was not immediately clear.

Pekny’s death was the latest in a number of mishaps tied to explosives being used for gender reveal parties.

Explosive devices used at gender-reveal events have been linked to at least two deaths since 2019 and two major wildfires. 

A 26-year-old man died in Michigan this month after he was hit with shrapnel from “a small cannon type device” that exploded when it was fired in celebration at a baby shower, the authorities said.

Mom Who Disappeared on Road Trip Found Dead Near Joshua Tree

By HardBoiledNews Staff

WONDER VALLEY, California — A months-long search for a California mom who had vanished  after leaving home for a “pandemic road trip” to Joshua Tree National Park, has ended in tragedy after her body was found.

The family of Erika Lloyd confirmed in a Facebook post on Thursday that human remains found by hikers in a desert field in Wonder Valley were those of the 37-year-old single mother. She was identified by her dental records.

“There is no easy way for me to tell you all this and there’s no easy way for any of us to receive it,” her brother, Colin Lloyd, wrote.

“My wish is that we can all lean in a little closer, hold each other up, and remind each other more often that we’re here for one another with open arms and endless love; it’s what she would have wanted; it’s the spirit of who she was.”

Lloyd was last seen alive on June 13 leaving her Walnut Creek home for a solo road trip. Family members had told KESQ-TV that she’d grown restless during the pandemic after losing her job and planned a trip to Joshua Tree National Park.

Loved ones last heard from her on June 16, the same day California Highway Patrol officers discovered her car near Twentynine Palms.

Her brother thanked law enforcement officers in addition to everyone else who has offered support and assisted in the search efforts.

“Erika adored everyone; she left a bright smile on everyone’s heart; she would remind you of who you truly were and how important and loved you were; she warmed your soul. Let us hold her spirit dearly, and allow it to work through us to serve others (what she would want us to do).”

The cause and manner of death remain under investigation.

Woman Dead After Trying to Stop Kidnapper Taking Car With Baby Inside

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Brittany Martie Went Down Fighting

PEORIA, Arizona — A Phoenix mom was killed after jumping on top of her minivan in a desperate bid to stop the father of her infant son from kidnapping the boy inside, police said.

Eric Maes, 30, was arrested after a day-long manhunt during which he abandoned the child on the front steps of a stranger’s house, police in Peoria, Arizona said.

He has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of the baby’s mother, Brittany Martie.

The tragic incident unfolded Tuesday, when officers responded to a report of a domestic violence incident in Peoria. 

Police say Martie, 30, had been loading her 10-month-old baby, Abel, into a Chrysler minivan when the boy’s father jumped into the driver’s seat. Maes then sped off with the baby inside, police said.

Maes does not have custody of the baby, police said. 

Eric Maes

Witnesses told cops they saw Martie grab onto the minivan and hold on while Maes was driving, but that she was thrown off of it as Maes drove away. She was taken to a hospital where she died from her injuries, Peoria police said.

The baby was found safe at about 1 a.m. Wednesday, after he’d been left on the doorstep of a stranger’s home in Phoenix, police said. Martie’s minivan was found abandoned less than a mile away. 

On Wednesday afternoon, Phoenix police received a 911 call reporting a possible sighting of Maes. When officers approached, Maes ran but was captured after a search of the area.

MIT Researcher Eyed in Fatal Shooting of Yale Grad Student

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Qinxuan Pan (L) is wanted for questioning in the murder of Kevin Jiang (R)

NEW HAVEN, Connecticut — Cops have launched a nationwide manhunt for a MIT researcher eyed in the cold-blooded shooting of a Yale grad student.

Police in New Haven say they wanted to question Qinxuan Pan, a 29-year-old artificial intelligence researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in the weekend shooting of Kevin Jiang outside his house.

Jiang, 26, studied at the Yale School of the Environment and had just gotten engaged to be married to Zion Perry a week before he was shot multiple times. Perry is also a grad student at Yale and had previously studied at MIT.

Police have believed that Jian had been targeted, instead of being a victim of a random act.

Police believe Pan was “in the area” at the time Jiang was killed. The department considers Pan a person of interest and he is not officially suspected of committing the shooting.

“We are not prepared to identify him as the shooter in this investigation. At this point, the only information we can put out is that he is a person of interest,” said New Haven Police Chief Otoniel Reyes.

Asked about the MIT connection to Jiang’s fiancee, Reyes said “we are exploring every angle related to this investigation and every person involved,” but that the department was not ready to discuss any such connections. They were not ruling out a prior relationship between Perry and Pan, he said.

Jiang had gotten engaged to Zion Perry a week before the shooting

Reyes said Pan should be considered armed and dangerous. He is thought to have fled Connecticut and authorities believe he may be in Georgia.

Police say they had contact with Pan shortly after Jiang’s killing, after receiving a call about a man acting suspiciously near some railway tracks. At the time, the officers were unaware at that time that a killing had taken place and Pan was let go.

It was later determined that Pan had been driving in a car that had been stolen in Massachusetts and he is wanted on a warrant for allegedly possessing a stolen car.

The FBI is also investigating the case.

Texas Trucker Nabbed in Slaying of Model Found on Side of Pennsylvania Highway

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Rebecca Landrith’s body was found with 18 bullet wounds

MILTON, Pennsylvania — A Texas truck driver has been charged with the murder of model whose bullet-riddled body was found near the interstate in Pennsylvania after cops found the man’s name and number in the dead woman’s pocket.

Rebecca Landrith’s body was found in a wooded area near Interstate 80 on Sunday, with 18 gunshot wounds to her face, neck, chest and hands, police said. The 47-year-old was a native of Virginia and had worked as a model in New York. 

Investigators found a note in her coat pocket with 28-year-old Tracy Ray Rollins Jr.’s name, telephone number and email address written on it, PennLive.com reported. He was arrested Wednesday in Connecticut and charged with homicide and abuse of a corpse.

Investigators have not revealed what the possible motive may have or if a weapon was recovered.

Landrith had been a professional model in New York City, a finalist for Miss Manhattan in 2014, an accomplished violinist and a champion for numerous charities. She had appeared in numerous product advertisements, video commercials and in multiple runway shows including Fashion Week.

Tracy Rollins was busted at a truck stop in Connecticut

Police say that using receipts found in Landrith’s pockets and Rollins’ cell phone records, they were able to trace his travels from Wisconsin to Maine with a stop at the interchange late Saturday where Landrith’s body was found. 

According to an affidavit, a search of Rollins’ truck ound flesh and brain-like matter on the bottom bunk mattress behind the passenger seat and flesh-like matter beneath the exterior top stair gate. There was evidence that a cleaning agent had been used on the front seat to cover up signs of blood. And investigators found six 9mm shell casings on the floorboards and signs of bullet strikes on the rear wall behind the passenger seat and above the bottom bunk.

Rollins was tracked down in Mildale, Connecticut, where state police stopped his rig after it left a truck stop.

Rollins told investigators he did not know Landrith or recognize her from a picture but that he had traveled with a woman named Leslie he had met at a truck stop near Milford, Conn.

Police in Milford have determined that Landrith made hotel reservations there in December under the name Leslie Myers.

According to Rollins, “Leslie” accompanied him to Maine, back to Connecticut, then Brooklyn and on to Wisconsin where he picked up a load to be delivered in Maine.

One telling exchange, according to the affidavit, was when Rollins replied to questions about his travels by saying: “I hate to start lying to you cause this is a murder investigation.” Police say that at that point Rollins had not been told it was a murder investigation.

13-Year-Old Kansas Girl Dragged to Death As Ex-Con Steals Family Car

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Cops say Brianna Ibarra got caught in her seatbelt as she tried to escape

WICHITA, Kansas — A 13-year-old girl died after being horrifically dragged for miles by an ex-con who stole her family’s car as she waited for her parents to pick up food, police said.

Wichita Police say Kevin Palmer, 34, had hopped behind the wheel of the Ford Escape as it idled outside a restaurant with the girl in the back seat. 

As Palmer sped off, the girl tried to jump out of the moving car, but got caught in her seatbelt and ended up being dragged alongside the vehicle. Cops say Palmer continued driving for miles as the girl was dragged.

“This is one of the saddest cases I have been associated with in my over 28 years of law enforcement,” Wichita Police Chief Gordon Ramsay said. 

KWCH-TV identified the girl as Brianna Ibarra.

As Palmer kept driving, another motorist spotted what was going on and called 911. When cops closed in, Palmer finally stopped and fled on foot and was quickly arrested.

Kevin Palmer

Palmer, who has had numerous prior felony arrests, has been charged with felony murder.

Vegas Nail Salon Killer Sentenced to Up to 25 Years for Killing Beautician

By HardBoiledNews Staff

LAS VEGAS — A woman who fatally ran over a Las Vegas nail salon manager after trying to skip out on a $35 manicure bill has been sentenced to up to 25 years in prison.

Krystal Whipple, 23, had pleaded guilty to second-degree murder after admitting she killed Nhu Nguyen outside Crystal Nails and Spa in Las Vegas in December 2018.

The judge sentenced Whipple to 10 to 25 years in prison for the murder.

Investigators said Whipple tried to pay her bill with a fake credit card and when it was rejected, she told Nguyen she had to go to her car to get some cash, police said.

Instead, Whipple hopped in her black Chevrolet Camaro and began speeding away. Nguyen, who had followed Whipple outside with another store employee, gave chase and jumped in front of the car. Whipple accelerated, striking the beautician, running her over and dragging her across the parking lot, police said.

Cops later said the black Chevrolet Camaro had been stolen from a rental company.

Whipple fled Nevada and headed to California and was eventually arrested a month later in Phoenix, Arizona.

Three Denver Teens Charged in Arson Fire that Killed Family of Five African Immigrants

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Denver police had only released these chilling images of the suspects in the Aug. 5 fire

DENVER — After a nearly six-month investigation, Denver police have arrested three teenagers for a devastating arson fire that left five members of a family of African immigrants dead.

Police said the teens, two of whom are 16 and the other 15, face first-degree murder charges in the Aug. 5 blaze that killed Djibril Diol, his wife Adja and their 2-year-old daughter Khadija Diol, as well as his sister, Hassan Diol, and her infant daughter, Hawa Beye.

The tragic blaze had unnerved the community and perplexed investigators who had been working with clueslike  photos of a car leaving the scene and chilling, black-and-white images of three suspects wearing hoods and full masks over their faces.

“This was as complex of an investigation as I’m aware of in my entire career,” said Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen.

Many details of the crime remain shrouded in secrecy, with police limited in what information they could release — including the suspects’ names — because they are juveniles. 

Pazen said that the three teens know each other, but are not related. He said there was no evidence to suggest the attack was a hate crime. 

“We are very confident to say we don’t believe this is a bias-motived crime,” Pazen said. “If facts change as the investigation and prosecution continues, we can add that.”

Pazen said he could not provide further information about a possible motive to protect the integrity of the case and ensure a successful prosecution.

Immediately after the fire, Denver police opened a homicide investigation, saying there was evidence it had been intentionally set. Three other residents of the house managed to jump from the second story and survived without life-threatening injuries.

The three teens each were arrested on 10 counts of first-degree murder — five counts apiece under felony murder and extreme-indifference murder statutes — as well as three counts of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of first-degree assault, three counts of first-degree arson, eight counts of fourth-degree arson and one count apiece of first- and second-degree burglary.

Denver District Attorney Beth McCann ultimately will decide how to charge the three suspects, and whether to prosecute them as juveniles or adults.

Two 14-Year-Olds Charged in Murder of Texas Uber Eats Delivery Woman

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Ryan Munsie was a mother of three

HALTOM CITY, Texas — A pair of 14-year-old boys have been arrested in the stabbing death of an Uber Eats delivery woman in Texas in what cops say appears to have been a robbery gone awry.

The body of 31-year-old Ryan Munsie was discovered at a Haltom City apartment complex on Saturday by a resident, who found her lying in a breezeway with “obvious signs of trauma,” police said.

Investigators say Munise died from a fatal stab wound to the neck.

Authorities arrested two 14-year-old boys Wednesday in connection with the killing. Their names are not being released because they are juveniles. 

“Robbery appears to be the motive in the case,” police said.

Munsie leaves behind a husband, Camaron Graham, and three children, ages 5, 10 and 11. 

Graham told WFAA-TV that the couple worked hard for years to make ends meet. They began as “basically homeless” and worked to live in a hotel and then an RV and eventually a decent apartment.

“She’s just the nicest person I’ve ever met in my life. I’d give anything to give her anything she ever wanted and she’s the same way,” Graham told the outlet. “She wanted to make everyone happy, she wanted to work, and she wanted to make sure our kids had a set future.”

Munsie’s main job was as an ambulance driver for those with special needs, but she also made handcrafted tumblers. In total she worked four jobs; she’d started with Uber Eats after a COVID-19-related cut to the family’s income, her sister stated in a Facebook post.

“The most important thing about her was her work ethic and her love for her children,” Graham said, “I don’t wish that pain on anyone. My worst enemy shouldn’t feel this pain.”

Both teens face capital murder charges, police said. 

Missing Michigan Family Found Dead in Remote Woods

By HardBoiledNews Staff

WEST BRANCH, Michigan — A missing Michigan couple and their 8-month-old son were found dead after their truck appeared to have gotten stuck on a boulder, stranding them in a remote wooded area.

Amanda Pomeroy, Douglas Dougherty and their son, Jacob Dougherty, were found by a snowmobiler outside of their vehicle some seven days after they were reported missing, police said.

The couple had last been seen on Jan. 12 when they visited relatives in nearby Rose City, Michigan. They were not reported missing until four days later, police said.

On Saturday, a snowmobiler stumbled upon the family’s pickup truck in the woods. He stopped to investigate and found all three people dead outside the vehicle, cops said. It appeared the truck was stuck on a large rock and Dougherty was trying to get it unstuck, the Ogemaw County Sheriff’s office said.

Details of how the family got stuck and how they died, remained unclear.

“There’s a lot of unanswered questions that we need to know,” Ogemaw County Sheriff Brian Gilbert told MLive. “We’re doing autopsies right now, so we’ll have some final answers soon.”

A GoFundMe page set up on behalf of the family, said the couple had a daughter who survives them. 

A published obituary said Pomeroy, 32, worked as a waitress and in a food store and loved camping. The notice said Dougherty, 35, loved to camp and fish. Their son, who was born in May, was described as a “happy and joyful baby.”

Two Upstate NY Teens Indicted for Murder of Bystander in Halloween Party Shooting

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Cheyenne Farewell

LOCKPORT, New York — A pair of teens from Upstate New York have been indicted on murder charges for firing through a garage door into a Halloween party, killing an innocent bystander and wounding five others, authorities said.

They are accused of firing eight rounds from a handgun through a metal door on the side of a garage at 43 S. Niagara St.

Cheyenne Farewell, 20, of Medina, died on her way to the hospital. Five others, ranging in age from 15 to 21, were wounded, two of them seriously.

Prosecutors say Farewell was not part of the dispute that allegedly led to the Oct. 17 shooting. “She was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Niagara County District Attorney Caroline Wojtaszek said.

The defendants, ages 16 and 17, pleaded not guilty to all charges. 

Farewell’s family said she was a student at the College of Brockport and was working toward becoming a therapist.

“Her life’s work wanted to be reaching out to people that needed help,” her mother, Rochelle Horner told WIVB-TV.

“The one thing that she really wanted to do when she decided to switch her major to become a therapist was to work with inner city kids,” Horner told the outlet. “It always hurt her that – and she had a lot of friends that were in this boat, of not being able to afford a therapist. They’re expensive.”

Because the alleged gunmen aren’t adults, the court hasn’t released their names. Both defendants face two counts of second-degree murder; four counts of first-degree assault; five counts of second-degree assault; and one count of first-degree reckless endangerment.

The 17-year-old also was charged with two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, while the 16-year-old faces one count of the weapons charge.

Doreen M. Hoffmann, Niagara County first assistant district attorney, said the indictment includes two theories of murder: intentional killing and killing with “depraved indifference to human life.”

Horner said her daughter would have forgiven the suspects.

“I know right now she would not only forgive them. She’d be worried about if they’re doing okay, if they’re hurting, if they went through something as children that made them turn to this kind of life.”

Her mother says she, too, forgives the suspects.

“I’m in a place where I want to forgive them. I do forgive them. I’m at peace with that,” Horner said.

In early January, cops arrested 21-year-old Jonathan Frey, a level 3 sex offender from Lockport, and charged him with hindering prosecution for allegedly driving the shooters to and from the crime scene.

Man Kills Wife With Fireplace Poker After She Admits Cheating on Him

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Daniel and Mary Barrett

PLYMOUTH, Pennsylvania — A  man who accused his wife of having an affair admitted beating her with a fireplace poker and stabbing her to death before hiding her body in the basement for days, police said.

Daniel Barrett, 40,  said he blacked out after his wife, Mary Susan Barrett, admitted spending time with another man, and when he came two he was pummeling her with the fireplace tool, cops said.

After leaving her body in the basement over the weekend, Daniel Barrett went to the Plymouth police on Monday and confessed that he had killed his wife of five years, cops said, according to the Wilkes-Barre Citizen’s Voice. 

A U.S. Air Force veteran, Mary Barrett had worked as a secretary for Plymouth Borough. She had a 14-year-old daughter from a prior relationship. 

According to the complaint, Daniel Barrett, who believed his wife was cheating on him, got into an argument with her near the fireplace of their home on Saturday.

Mary Barrett admitted “spending time” with another man, and Daniel Barrett punched her in the face, knocking her to the ground facedown, according to the complaint.

During questioning, Daniel Barrett claimed he blacked out and that the next thing he knew he was standing over his wife wielding fire tongs over his head, police said. After realizing he was holding the tongs, Daniel Barrett hit her again, the complaint read.

He then grabbed a knife and stabbed his wife repeatedly in the lower back, police said.

Daniel Barrett then dragged his wife’s body down the basement stairs and hid it in a room without a window, according to the complaint. That night, Daniel Barrett slept on a couch upstairs, police said.

On Sunday, Daniel Barrett covered Mary Barrett’s body with a sheet, the complaint says. He also considered going on the run or killing himself, and searched online for attorneys and how to take his own life, police said.

Minutes before turning himself in, Danel Barrett called his wife’s father and confessed what he had done.

Investigators went to the darkened house and found a blood trail from the living room to the basement, where they found Mary Barrett lying on the floor covered in blood, with a hole in her skull and a fireplace poker next to her body.

An autopsy conducted Tuesday determined her cause of death was blunt-force trauma and that the manner of death was homicide.

Detectives charged Daniel Barrett with a single count of criminal homicide, He was denied bail.

Husband Charged in Murder of Pregnant Schoolteacher Wife

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Richard Guichelaar

KENTWOOD, Michigan — A Michigan man has been charged with murder for allegedly strangling his pregnant school teacher wife in their bed, police said.

Richard Guichelaar, 35, was ordered held on $2 million bail for the Nov. 16 slaying of his 32-year-old wife, Amber, in their home in Kentwood, Michigan.

At the time of her death, Guichelaar called the cops to say he found his wife — a teacher at Kentwood Public Schools — dead in their bed. The couple had two kids and Amber was pregnant with their third.

Investigators said they immediately found the scene suspicious and eventually the medical examiner ruled that Amber had been strangled and had injuries consistent with having been assaulted. 

Detectives determined that her husband was the only one in the house at the time capable of strangling his wife and that his explanations of what had happened didn’t add up.

Guichelaar, who works for a landscaping and snow plowing business, argued at his arraignment that he was not a flight risk.

“Just know that I will show up for everything I’m supposed to and I’m not a risk, your honor,” he said, according to MLive.com.

His lawyer argued for some bail as his client had strong ties to the community.

Granddaughter Fatally Stabs Grandfather in Fight Over Lock

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Eric Chamber bled to death after Kimberly Roberts stabbed him in the chest

NEW YORK — A Bronx grandfather was fatally stabbed by his transgender step-granddaughter after they got into a fight over her removing the lock to the family apartment, police said.

Eric Chambers, 53, bled to death after Kimberly Roberts allegedly stabbed him in the chest and left arm in their Bronx apartment as the fight raged on. 

“It’s a nightmare,” Christina Chambers, who is the victim’s wife and the grandmother of the suspect, told the Daily News. “Why should my husband be 53 in his grave? What’s the sense of that?” 

Chambers said she and her husband took the 26-year-old Roberts in after she got kicked out of her home. She said she believes Roberts had been using drugs recently. 

“We usually all get along,” Chambers said. “I don’t know what was wrong with Kim. Kim for the last few months would come here screaming, hollering.”

Late Sunday, Christina Chambers discovered that the top lock to their apartment door had been removed. Roberts only had a key to the bottom lock so when she came home at odd hours she would have to knock to be let in waking the family’s dogs, said Chambers, who still refers to Roberts as he even though she is a transgender woman.

“I told him to bring the lock back so we could put it back on,” she said. “I wasn’t gonna do nothing to him — he is my first grandson.”

Roberts returned to the apartment angry.

“Eric asked him where’s our lock, so we can put it back on,” Chambers said. 

Chambers said Roberts responded, “Yeah, motherf—er, I took it off, what you gonna do?”

“Next thing you know, they were scuffling in the living room,” Chambers said. “I was coming down the hallway, I banged on my son’s door so he could break up the fight. He came out the room, he broke up the fight, and Kim left. My husband came to me, back to my room, and showed me the gashes on his arm and on his chest.”

Paramedics came and tried to stabilize her husband but by the time he got to Lincoln Hospital, he was dead.

“He lost a lot of blood in my room and all over the house,” she said. “I can’t believe my husband is just dead. It happened so quick.”

Roberts ran but came back after police arrived and Chambers called her.

“Kim answered the phone,” Chambers said. “I put him on speaker and I said, ‘You know something? You murdered your grandfather when you stabbed him.’ He started crying. And he said, ‘I’m on my way back to the house.’ And they arrested him.”

Police said they were questioning Roberts.

“I didn’t think he was coming to kill my husband and fight. Why, why would you do that?” Chamber said. “I don’t know what the hell happened.”

“I didn’t know he had a knife,” she added. “I mean really, you gonna do that to your grandfather, after we done raised you?”

Indian Hospital Tragedy Leaves 10 Infants Dead in Fire

By HardBoiledNews Staff

BHANDARA, India — A fire tore through the intensive care unit of a government-run hospital in western India tragically leaving 10 infants dead, authorities said.

Staff rescued seven of the newborn infants at the Bhandara district hospital but were forced back before they could get to the 10 others, police said.

A preliminary investigation suggested the fire was caused by an electrical short-circuit, police said.

The Press Trust of India news agency said the infants were between a few days to three months old.

The fire brigade stopped the blaze from spreading to other parts of the hospital and other patients were moved to safety.

“Heart-wrenching tragedy in Bhandara, Maharashtra, where we have lost precious young lives,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Twitter. Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi called the deaths “extremely tragic”.

Bhandara is about 625 miles south of New Delhi.

Hubby Kills Wife After Being Let Out of Jail on Domestic Violence Rap

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Damon Mathews

IGNACIO, Colorado — A Colorado man has been charged with killing his wife on New Year’s Eve shortly after being released from jail on a domestic violence charge, authorities said.

Damon Mathews, 44, was arrested on Saturday and charged with the murder of his wife, 47-year-old Rachel Matthews..

He had been previously arrested twice for allegedly beating his wife and she had an order of protection against him.

Mathews’ former wife, April Shawl, told the Durango Herald that Mathews was a dangerous person.

“I always knew he’d never be stopped until he murdered a woman. It’s haunted me,” she said.

Rachel Mathews

The Mathews had been celebrating New Year’s Eve together in their Ignacio home when they started to argue. Mathews then strangled his wife, took her car keys and a gun before shooting her in the head, police said.

He then fled the scene, taking his wife’s car and driving to the Denver-metro area, where he was arrested New Year’s Day.

Mathews told investigators that despite a protection order against him, he was living in the back house at his wife’s home. The two were celebrating New Year’s Eve together when they started to fight, he told cops.

“Damon said he knew if the police came, he would go to jail again because of the protection order and because he was on bond for the previous domestic violence with Rachel,” the investigating officer wrote.

Mathews said he then started to strangle Ream. He then went into the main house, took Ream’s car keys and money, got a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun and shot Ream one time in the head, Mathews told police.

Mathews said he then drove to Grand Junction and to the Denver area where he got high on methamphetamine. After a car tire blew out, he called 911 and told officers he believed there was a warrant for his arrest for murder.

Mathews had previously been arrested Nov. 24 for third-degree assault in an incident that sent his wife to the hospital with a gash above her left eye, according to court records.

Cops then arrested him and put him in jail for the domestic violence incident in November.

Mathews is being held without bond.

Family Renovating S.C. Home Find Baby’s Remains Hidden in Wall

By HardBoiledNews Staff

The bones were found hidden in the wall of this house

PACOLET, S.C. — A family remodeling a house in South Carolina found bones from a baby inside a wall, the county coroner said.

Authorities gathered the remains on Saturday from the home in Pacolet, an old mill town. and will send them to a forensic anthropologist to study, Spartanburg County Coroner Rusty Clevenger said in a statement.

It wasn’t immediately apparent how long ago the baby died, or how old it was at the time. The coroner described the bones as “fetal human skeletal remains.”

“Based on our limited information, it is believed the remains have been concealed for a long period of time,” Clevenger said.

Coroner’s Office investigators will work with an anthropologist to determine the identity of the baby, how the child might have died and how the remains ended up inside the wall of the home.

It will likely take several months to finish the work, the coroner said.

15-Year-Old Charged in Beating Death of Mom that was Caught on Tape

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Stacy Barney was found dead in the family home in McKinney, Texas

McKINNEY, Texas — A 15-year-old Texas boy has been charged with murder after he allegedly beat his mother to death in the family’s home — a shocking act cops say was recorded by surveillance cameras. 

Stacy Ellen Barney, 50, of McKinney, Texas, was found dead inside her home on Sunday shortly before 1 a.m,, after police were called to the home by the boy’s father.  

Police said that surveillance video showed the boy — who has not been named because he is underage — beating Barney to death.  

The teen had left the home by the time officers arrived, but they soon caught up with him after searching the area.

He was taken into custody and charged with murder. 

Authorities have not yet revealed any details about the attack, and are continuing to investigate. 

‘Our hearts go out to the victim’s family during this extremely difficult time,’ police said in a statement.

Dine and Dash Ends in Fatal Shooting at Colorado Restaurant

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Jacqueline De Paz faces second-degree murder charges

AURORA, Colorado —  A 28-year-old woman shot and killed a man who stepped in to intervene  after she tried to dine and dash at a Colorado restaurant, authorities said.

Jacqueline De Paz has been charged with second-degree murder in the shooting of 18-year-old Rudy Arguello-Rios outside the Mariscos El Rey 2 restaurant in Aurora on Dec. 22, the Sentinel reported.

Police said De Paz and her party had berated a waitress and refused to pay for their meals, claiming an open door at the restaurant left their food too cold to eat.

The group, which included children, left the restaurant without paying. They were followed by the waitress and several other diners who had witnessed the argument, including Arguello-Rios, cops said.

Rudy Arguello-Rios died while trying to break up the fight

A wild brawl then broke out in the parking, during which De Paz allegedly pointed a gun at Arguello-Rios as he bent down to help a person injured in the fray, police said.

“Back the f–k up … I got the strap now,” the unhinged woman yelled.

As Arguello-Rios tried to wrestle the gun away from her, she shot him, according to an arrest affidavit.

The waitress described the young hero as “a peacekeeper who was yelling at the others to stop being rude and to be respectful.”

Officers arrested De Paz two days later during a traffic stop. She was being held at the Arapahoe County jail on $1 million bond.

A GoFundMe page set up by Arguello-Rios’ brother to help pay for his funeral described him as “a young and loved soul.”

“He passed away too young and now he’s looking after all of us.”

Killer 13-Year-Old Girl Charged With Gunning Down 35-Year-Old Man in NJ Street

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Niles Holmes was found bleeding to death in the street

JERSEY CITY, New Jersey — A 13-year-old girl was busted on Christmas Eve with gunning down a man who was found bleeding to death on a New Jersey street weeks earlier, prosecutors said.

Niles Holmes, 35, was shot multiple times in his upper body on Dec. 10 , on a street corner in Jersey City. By the time cops got to him, he was unconscious and bleeding heavily. 

He was rushed to the Jersey City Medical Center where he died a few hours later, cops said.

Authorities did not release the name of the suspect in the shooting because she is being charged as a juvenile. They also didn’t release a motive. 

The Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office says a second victim of the shooting survived with graze wounds to the arm.

Man in Covid Ward Bludgeoned 82-Year-Old Patient to Death For Praying: Cops

By HardBoiledNews Staff

LANCASTER, California — A crazed Covid patient in a California hospital allegedly bludgeoned his 82-year-old ward mate to death with an oxygen tank because the man started to pray, police said.

Jesse Martinez, 37, was receiving treatment at the Antelope Valley Hospital in Lancaster on Dec. 17, when he blew his top after the man he shared a room with knelt down to pray, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s office said.

“The suspect became upset when the victim started to pray. He then struck the victim,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.

The victim– who was described by police only as Hispanic — died the next day. Investigators say the men didn’t know each other.

Martinez has been charged with murder as a hate crime and elder abuse and was held on $1 million bond.

Police said they are continuing to investigate.

Serial Killer Charged in Cold Case Murder of 9-Year-old Girl in California

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Michaela Joy Garecht and David Misch

OAKLAND, California — A jailed serial killer has been charged with the kidnapping and murder of a 9-year-old girl who disappeared without a trace from a store parking lot 32 years ago, authorities said.

David Misch, 59, was connected to the unsolved disappearance of Michaela Joy Garecht in Hayward, California on November 19, 1988, through a partial palm print and two eyewitnesses who picked his photo out of a lineup.

The brazen kidnapping occurred in broad daylight outside the Rainbow Market after she and a friend had taken their scooters there to buy snacks. Her body has never been found. 

“The kidnap and murder of a child is horrific. The pain to the family and friends is indescribable, especially when their child is not found. This crime shocked not just the local community, but the entire Bay Area and the nation,” said Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley. 

After Garecht and her friend came out of the shop, they found that one of their scooters had been moved behind a car parked in a nearby space. When Garecht went to retrieve it, the driver of the car grabbed her as she walked past his door. He forced her screaming into the front seat of the car and sped away, authorities said.

All detectives had to work with was a partial palmprint found on the scooter.

Prosecutors say that around the 30th anniversary of the kidnapping, they took another look at the evidence and had a fingerprint examiner review a list of names of persons of interest, one being Misch’s.The print was a match.

Authorities say their ability now to compare prints has been significantly advanced through software and technology.

Misch, who is currently incarcerated for a 1989 murder of a woman. He has also been charged with two other notorious cold case killings — the 1986 slayings of Michelle Xavier, 18, and Jennifer Duey, 20, who were brutally raped and murdered on their way back from a birthday party.

When police tried to interview Misch about Garecht’s disappearance, he refused. He also refused to comply with a warrant for his fingerprints and DNA, even after being told it could exonerate him from the crime, police say.

His attorney, Ernie Castillo, described his client as a “loving father, a caring son and a good brother.”

“He is not someone who would hurt or kill a child. David denies the allegations against him and will fight these charges,” Castillo said in a statement to this the East Bay Times.

Man Steals Salvation Army Kettle, Poses as Worker to Pocket Donations

By HardBoiledNews Staff

MONTGOMERY, Alabama — This Grinch really did steal Christmas.

Cops in Montgomery, Alabama are on the lookout for a man who stole a Salvation Army Christmas donation kettle and has been using it to collect contributions for himself.

Lt. Bryan Farrington of the Salvation Army says the man has been seen in downtown Montgomery posing as an employee trying to collect money from unwitting donors.

When the suspect was confronted, he fled  on foot. Police said the suspect was last seen on Thursday.

Farrington is now asking the community to be sure that when you donate, you are dropping your cash in the right kettle.

“We felt like it was our responsibility to let the community know that if you see somebody out there that doesn’t have on a red apron, that’s not standing in front of one of the stores – the Walmart’s, the Winn-Dixie’s, the Belks, the Hobby Lobby’s, that doesn’t have a stand with a sign on it and the kettle will be chained to it. That’s not us,” Farrington told WFSA-TV.

Every year, the Salvation Army relies on the money they collect from their Red Kettle Campaign to support the community.

“The funds that we raise during this time make up about a third of our operating income, so it’s huge,” Farrington said.

This year, they started collecting donations even earlier because they knew it would be challenging with the pandemic. But with fewer volunteers this year, Farrington said so far they have still fallen short on their usual donation goal of $250,000.

“There’s a real gap this year,” Farrington said.

The Salvation Army says if you see someone on a street corner posing as a Salvation Army volunteer to report it to police immediately.