True Crime and News of the Weird from around the Globe

YouTube Prank Ends With 20-Year-Old Shot Dead in Nashville

By HardBoiledNews Staff

NASHVILLE, Tennessee — A man was killed in the parking lot of a Tennessee trampoline park after trying to stage a prank robbery for a YouTube channel and the “victim” pulled a gun and shot him dead, police said.

Nashville police say Timothy Wilks, 20, and a friend armed with butcher knives, approached a group of people in the parking lot of Urban Air Trampoline and Adventure Park while participating in a “prank” robbery for a YouTube video. 

David Starnes, 23, then pulled a gun and shot Wilks dead. When officers arrived at the scene around five minutes later, 23-year-old David Starnes Jr. admitted to shooting Wilks.

Starnes, who told officers he was unaware of the prank, said he shot Wilks in defense of himself and others, cops said.

Metro Nashville police said its homicide unit was investigating the claim of self-defense in the shooting and no charges had yet been filed.

Tennessee Man Threatened to Lynch Black Woman in Fight Over Parking Spot: Cops

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Clinton Jeffries

MEMPHIS —  A Tennessee man has been hit with civil rights charges after he shockingly threatened to lynch a Black woman in a dispute over a parking spot, Memphis police said.

Clinton Jeffries, 52, admitted he hurled racist threats and slurs at the woman in a fight Wednesday in the parking lot of a Shelby County Kroger supermarket, cops said.

Jeffries allegedly called the woman the n-word and threatened to “hang her from a tree” after she took a parking space he wanted, cops said.

Jeffries allegedly boxed the woman in with his car before yelling epithets at her through her car window.

The victim “was placed in fear of her life from the anger that was displayed toward her,” police wrote in a statement, according to WREG-TV. She later identified the man to police in a photo lineup.

She told police she left the parking lot once Jeffries moved his car from behind hers but quickly realized he was following her as she drove to work, according to the report.

She said she called police after Jeffries followed her into her workplace and threatened to “cut your neck off” if she took his spot again.

Jeffries was arrested Thursday on charges of assault and civil rights intimidation.

Jail Guard Who Tortured Teen With Stun Gun Sentenced to 5 Years

By HardBoiledNews Staff

NASHVILLE, Tennessee — A former Tennessee jail guard convicted of torturing a teen who had been tied to a chair with a stun gun has been sentenced to five years in prison.

Mark Bryant, 42, had been convicted in federal court in January of repeatedly tasing an 18-year-old Jordan Norris, who was restrained and surrounded by officers inside the Cheatham County jail for nearly a minute back in 2016. 

Bryant returned two hours later and tased Norris again, this time while the detainee was handcuffed, shackled, and compliant, prosecutors said.

 As a result, Norris suffered burns that an officer on the scene described as making his skin look like “raw hamburger meat.”  As the senior officer at the scene, Bryant then directed his colleagues not to submit reports about the abuse.

“The extraordinary abuse of power displayed by Bryant was both disturbing and disappointing to the many fine men and women in law enforcement who strive every day to carry out their duties with honor and professionalism,” said U.S. Attorney Donald Cochran.  

Mark Bryant

Bryant’s first federal trial ended with a hung jury.But in January, a jury convicted Bryant of two counts of deprivation of rights under color of law. The jury acquitted Bryant of two counts of obstruction of justice and one count of lying to the FBI.

Family members said Norris had never been in jail before the night he was abused. They said Norris had frequent nightmares and severe chest pain and that he fell into deep and prolonged depression after the tasings.

Two years after the incident, and after Cheatham County settled a civil lawsuit about the tasing, Norris was found dead in his home. Family members say it was a drug overdose.

Tennessee Man Charged With Dipping Testicles in Cheap Tipper’s Salsa

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Matt Webb and his testicles took double-dipping to a whole new level

MARYVILLE, Tennessee — What a nut!

A Tennessee man has been charged with dipping his testicles into a container of salsa being delivered to a low-tipping restaurant customer.

Howard Matthew Webb, 31, of Tuckaleechee Pike, was arrested after police in Maryville were contacted by the Dinner Delivered service about a video that seemed to show someone tampering with food being delivered to a diner.

The 14-second video, apparently shot from the driver’s seat of a vehicle, shows a man in the passenger seat take a white cup and hold it to his groin area while moving his pants.

In the background a voice that sounds like a woman is laughing and saying, “This is what you get when you give an 89-cents tip for an almost 30-minute drive.”

The man says, “Ah, this feels good on my nuts.”

Webb is charged with “adulteration of food, liquids, or pharmaceuticals,” the Daily Times in Maryville reported.

Aliyah Wilson, a general manager for Dinner Delivered, told the paper that the driver, who was an independent contractor, no long works for the company. “She will never drive for Dinner Delivered again,” Wilson said.

 

Gambling Feud Shootout Leaves 2 Dead, 4 Wounded in Memphis

By HardBoiledNews Staff

The card table gun fight over a gambling feud left two men dead

MEMPHIS  — The Old West lives on in some places.

Two men were killed and four others wounded in a card table shootout that stemmed from a gambling feud.

Tennessee police say the shooting occurred at at a home Saturday night in Memphis, when a gun battle erupted over a game of cards.

“It’s believed that this incident occurred as a result of a feud while gambling,” the Shelby County Sheriff’s office said in a statement. “Investigators believe that this was an isolated incident and that the victims knew the suspects.”

One of the victims was declared dead at the scene and another died later at a nearby hospital.

Police identified the two dead men as Marcus Conway,18, and Marquese Taylor, 22, both of Memphis. The survivors were taken to area hospitals in conditions ranging from serious to critical.

Cops say one of the victims was 13-years-old, but is expected to live.

No arrests have yet been made.

Doc Diagnoses Patient With Dementia to Avoid Paying Back $300K Loan

By HardBoiledNews Staff

The doc took $300,000 from a patient to save her practice, then declared that the lender had lost her marbles

COLUMBIA, Tennessee — A crooked doctor borrowed $300,000 from an elderly patient and then declared that she had dementia when she tried to recoup the cash, authorities said.

Suellen Lee, 79, has given up her medical license after officials discovered that she took the sizable loan from a longtime patient and then diagnosed her with the dementia when she asked for the money back, state health records show.

Lee, an internal medicine specialist, insisted she had been “set up” by her patient and only retired because she thought she couldn’t win her case.

“It was all lies and I was told that if I fought it would be extremely costly to me,” Lee told the Tennessean newspaper. “And there would still be no benefit. There was no chance of reversal.”

Officials said Lee borrowed the money after her medical clinic fell into financial straits.

The patient had been treated by Lee for 25 years and had once been a personal friend and a co-worker. State records say Lee sent a letter about the woman’s diagnosis to her daughter, who in turn forwarded the letter to the patient’s bank, which then blocked her access to her accounts..

When questioned by investigators, Lee admitted that she had made the diagnosis based off of “observation” alone, and did not use any testing method or seek a second opinion from a mental health professional.

A psychologist who later assessed the patient, found “no indication of dementia,” the records say.

Lee  said the case wasn’t as it appeared, and that she had borrowed the money 20 years ago and had regularly paid it back in installments. She also stood by her diagnosis, which occurred about two years ago, saying the patient’s behavior had grown erratic behavior and she showed signs of memory loss. Lee insisted her former patient later misled the psychologist.

“She wanted to hurt me because she was so angry with me, because I had said that she was demented,” Lee said.

Tennessee Dad Loses Leg in Family Feud After Attacking Son With Chainsaw

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Douglas Ferguson lost his leg after his son ran him over with a lawn mower during the chainsaw attack

BRISTOL, Tennessee — That’s one hell of a family feud.

A Tennessee man who tried to attack his son with a chainsaw lost his leg when his son ran over the old man with a lawnmower while trying to defend himself.

Police say the bloody encounter was the result of a long-standing family fight, and now 76-year-old Douglas Ferguson faces attempted murder charges for attacking his son.

The Sullivan County Sheriff’s office said the episode unfolded on June 28 in  the town of Bristol, when Ferguson tried to attack his son with a chainsaw as he was mowing his lawn, the Bristol Herald Courier reported.

But the son, whose name was not publicly released, fought back by running his father over with the riding lawn mower. When cops arrived, they say they found Ferguson bleeding from his leg and head.

His leg was later amputated.

Cops were unable to charged Ferguson for months due to the severity of his injuries. He was also charged with violating probation and is being held on $25,000 bond.

Shrink Suspended For Whipping Patients With Riding Crop, Calling them Mules

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Valerie Augustus’s riding crop method was a bit more hands on than most therapists

MEMPHIS — A sicko Tennessee shrink has been suspended for allegedly beating patients with a riding crop and calling them mules as part of her therapy sessions.

Valeria Augustus has been ordered by state authorities to close her office for two months and could lose her medical license for good following a review, officials said.

Augustus has run Christian Psychiatrist Services for 17 years, and was found to have spanked at least 10 patients with the crop. In 2015, officials say she whipped the buttocks of a patient with a history of physical abuse, and who suffered from depression and suicidal thoughts.

An investigation by state authorities also found that Augustus had “made contact with other mental health patients with a riding crop, whip or other object.” The probe also revealed that Augustus kept a riding crop and a whip “displayed in her office” and “compared her patients to mules,” according to the Nashville Tennessean.

The Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners suspended Augustus’ license after determining there was “no evidence” in psychiatrist literature that using whips or riding crops is an effective part of treatment.

Her license was suspended for 60 days as the agency continues its probe. If cleared, Augustus can petition to have her license reinstated.

Augustus was also fined $10,000 – $1,000 for each patient she struck.

 

 

 

EX-NBA Announcer Jailed for Upskirt Videos Filmed at Memphis Church

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Rick Trotter was canned by the Grizzlies after his upskirt video arrest

MEMPHIS — An ex-NBA announcer who called games for the Memphis Grizzlies for a decade, was sentenced to 60 days behind bars for illicitly filming up women’s skirts at his church.

Rick Trotter, 41, was caught in 2016 kneeling behind behind a woman at the Memphis church where he worked and angling his church-issued cell phone to take an upskirt video, prosecutors said.

A police search of his phone and church-issued laptop revealed similar videos of four women also shot within the church. The women ranged in age from 29 to 63.

Trotter, who joined the Grizzlies announcing staff in 2006, was dumped by the team immediately after his arrest.

Church officials also cut ties with Trotter after his arrest, saying his termination was the result of “deception and moral failures of sexual nature.”

“This revelation has been deeply devastating to all of us,” the statement continued. “We, as elders, have come around his wife and children offering spiritual, emotional and financial support.”

Trotter will serve his 60-day sentence at the Shelby County Penal Farm followed by four years on probation. He also must register as a non-violent sex offender.

Woman Busted for Trying to Hire Ex to Kill Future Husband

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Crystal Gadlin allegedly turned to her ex to do away with her future husband

MEMPHIS — Here’s a woman who can’t figure out what she wants.

Police in Tennessee busted a Memphis woman who they say tried to hire her ex to kill her future husband.

Crystal Gadlin, 32, allegedly planned to pay her ex $40,000 from her soon-to-be husband’s life insurance policy in exchange for killing him, the Memphis Commercial Appeal reported.

But instead of helping her out, Gadlin’s ex recorded the conversation and then went to police to report a “murder for hire plot,” cops said.

According to court records, Gadlin had picked her ex up so he could visit their kids, but then told him she intended to marry a man for his money and then offered him cash to kill her new paramour.

When Gadlin was taken into custody, she was unable to give a statement to authorities,  “due to her self-admission that she was high and intoxicated on cocaine,” cops said.

 

Tennessee Drug Lord Who Shot His Own Son Convicted in Trafficking Case

By HardBoiledNews Staff

James “Boogie” Simonton’s drug empire was brought down after he shot his own son

GREENEVILLE, Tennessee — A cocaine kingpin was convicted of running a drug trafficking empire that only came to light when he shot his own son for knocking over his motorcycles.

James “Boogie” Simonton, 50, of Kingsport, Tennessee, faces a minimum of 15 years for his conviction in federal court on drug conspiracy and weapons charges.

Police initially caught wind of Simonton when his 23-year-old son, James Jr., and a 14-year-old pal, showed up at a local hospital with multiple gunshot wounds and in a car riddled with bullet holes.

The day before the shooting, police say the younger Simonton had knocked over four of his father’s motorcycles with his car, causing thousands of dollars in damage. The son had apparently accused his father of stealing his cell phone.

As detectives investigated they discovered that the elder Simonton and another of his sons had been involved in smuggling large amounts of crack cocaine from Georgia into Tennessee. They also found the weapon he used to shoot his son — a Hungarian-made AK-63 assault rifle — as well as other guns.

After his arrest, and while in a federal lock-up, investigators say Simonton threatened a cooperating witness against him in an effort to influence the person’s testimony.  Simonton was also convicted of intimidating a witness.

Escape Artist Busts Out of Tennessee Jail for the Sixth Time

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Philip Andrew Marshall has mastered the art of escape from the Bedford County Jail

SHELBYVILLE, Tennessee — They might want to move this guy to a different jail next time.

Police in Bedford County, Tennessee are hunting for an escape artist inmate who has broken out of the county jail for the sixth time.

Philip Andrew Marshall escaped through a ventilation shaft at the Bedford County jail on Monday, after managing to cut through the grate, police said.

He had previously managed to escape from the same jail in January.

“Since the last jail escape, we, the Bedford County Sheriff’s Department, have made some changes in our personnel,” Sheriff Austin Swing told WSMV-TV. “We have implemented new training and more training. We have reinforced the places where they have escaped before and anywhere we think they could escape. Still, he escaped.”

Deputies nearly caught up with him on Monday, getting as close as 200 yards to him as he ran, but he managed to get away.

Marshall was one of three inmates that escaped from the Bedford County Workhouse in September where he had been staying while repairs were being made to the jail.

A month later, he escaped again with two other men from the county jail, by crawling through an air vent and using a bed sheet to climb to the ground.

At the time of his first escape, Marshall was serving a sentence for evading arrest.

 

Unborn Baby Shot in Mother’s Womb In Memphis Road Rage Incident

By HardBoiledNews Staff

The terrifying road rage shooting left a pregnant woman and her unborn infant with gunshot wounds

MEMPHIS — A newborn baby was miraculously delivered alive after being struck by a bullet in the womb during a terrifying road rage incident in which the child’s mother was shot by a passing motorist.

Police say the disturbing episode unfolded late last Friday when the child’s parents were driving on I-40 through Memphis and dark colored Chevy Impala with three men inside began riding on their bumper.

The Impala then pulled alongside the couple’s car on the passenger side and numerous shots were fired, striking the mother — who was 36 weeks pregnant — three times in her right hip, police said.

She was rushed to the hospital where the baby was delivered and doctors discovered that the child had also been hit by a bullet.

Both the mother and the child are expected to survive.

Investigators say they do not know if the shooting was premeditated or if the couple had been specifically targeted in any way.

According to WREG-TV, it was the second time a car had been shot at randomly on I-40 in recent days. A week earlier, a man reported that two cars had pulled up alongside him as he was driving and sprayed his car with bullets. He was not hurt.

It is unclear if the two shootings are connected.

 

Churchgoer Accidentally Shoots Self, Wife During Church Talk About Guns in Church

By HardBoiledNews Staff

First United Methodist Church

TELLICO PLAINS, Tennessee — What would Jesus do? Probably not let this guy bring a gun to church again.

An elderly man accidentally shot himself and his wife at a Tennessee church during a discussion about church shootings, police said.

The congregation at the First United Methodist Church in Tellico Plains had just finished up a luncheon on Thursday in advance of Thanksgiving when the subject of bringing guns to church came up, cops said.

The man, who is in his 80s, then pulled out a .380 caliber Ruger handgun and said, “I carry my handgun everywhere,” said Tellico Plains Police Chief Russ Parks, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel.

The man then removed the magazine and cleared the guns chamber and began handing the weapon around. When he got it back, he replaced the magazine, chambered a round and holstered it, Parks said.

When another man asked to see the weapon, the man took it out, and apparently forgetting there was a bullet in the chamber, pulled the trigger, firing a shot.

The gun was on a table when it went off, slicing through the man’s hand and hitting his wife, who is also in the her 80s, in the abdomen. Both were rushed to a nearby hospital and were expected to recover.

Police said they didn’t expect to file any charges.

Family Outraged to Find Man With Legs in Casket at Funeral For Legless Uncle

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Benjamin Brown died on Nov. 8 after a long fight with diabetes

CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee — The legs were a dead giveaway.

A Tennessee family was outraged when they went to pay their last respects to a recently deceased release who was missing both his legs and found a different man with legs in the casket.

Benjamin Brown, 66, died Nov. 8 of complications of diabetes and had lost both his legs due to the disease. So when family member noticed the man in the coffin had legs, they knew something was wrong.

“I said, ‘this ain’t my uncle,’ ” Benjamin’s nephew Willie told WRCB-TV. “So, everybody around was like, ‘that’s your uncle, that’s your uncle, it’s just the makeup’ and I’m just saying I know my uncle and this is not my uncle.”

“Open up the casket, if this guy has legs, that’s not my uncle,” a niece, Dominique told WTVC-TV. “Open the casket, you see legs and nice slacks.”

Officials at the John P. Franklin Funeral Home admit that a mistake had been made and they were investigating exactly what had happened. They apologized to the family, but relatives said the mix up had caused them even more grief.

Benjamin’s body was located elsewhere in the funeral home.

 

Gal Pal Calls Cops on Car Thief Beau for Reward While With Him in Stolen Car

By HardBoiledNews Staff

NASHVILLE, Tennessee — This caper wasn’t fated to have a “Bonnie and Clyde” ending.

A Tennessee woman called cops to turn her car thief boyfriend in for a reward while sitting in the passenger seat of a car he had stolen.

Nashville police say Chance Mongeon, 37, had jumped the counter at the Enterprise rental car desk at the city airport, snatched a set of keys and made off with a 2017 Dodge Challenger.

According to police, Mongeon drove the car the wrong way down a one-way street ad over two set of spike strips but kept going. As officers responded, they were unaware exactly where Mongeon had gone, but then got a call from his gal pal,  Christy Cardwell, who said she was in the car and she’d tell them where he was for a reward.

“She advised [the officer] that, ‘She knew the law very well and didn’t have to give him up’,” the police report read. But she wouldn’t give them specific details without some cash.

Cops eventually caught up with the pair and Mongeon was charged with theft. Cardwell, 38, was hit with charges of harboring a fugitive and accessory after the fact.

A search of a bag belonging to Mungeon turned up drugs and drug paraphernalia.

Sicko Pinned to 2001 Rape Through DNA Found on Dentures Left at Scene

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Thomas Maupin

MEMPHIS — A deranged sicko pleaded guilty to a 2001 rape after investigators were able to link him to it through DNA collected from a set of dentures left behind at the scene.

Thomas Maupin, 67, pleaded guilty to raping the 31-year-old woman 16 years ago in Memphis and was sentenced to eight years in prison.

“The victim, who remains emotionally traumatized by the case, did not want to testify in a trial, and approved the settlement,” said the Shelby County district attorney.

Maupin came to Memphis after serving 12 years in Washington State for the murder of a 6-year-old girl. He had been convicted twice of murder in that case and sentenced to 40 years but had his convictions overturned on appeal. He then pleaded guilty in exchange for 12 year sentence. The dentures he left behind were made for him in prison, prosecutors said.

In August, 2001, police say Maupin hopped out of his car and chased down the victim, forcing her into an alley and stabbing her “with a metal object under her chin with such force that it struck the roof of her mouth,” the district attorney said.

“He also used the object to sexually assault her after forcing her to perform oral sex.and then raping her,” the DA added.

Investigators later turned up a pair of dentures and collected them as part of the sexual assault kit.

But the dentures remained untested until 2016 as part of a huge backlog of evidence waiting to be tested. Not only did investigators obtain a partial match to Maupin’s DNA, they found his name inscribed on the inside of the denture set.

Felon Hit With Gun Charge in Tragic Shooting of 7-Year-Old By Toddler

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Harmony Warfiled was fatally shot by her 2-year-old cousin using Anthony Sanders’ gun

NASHVILLE, Tennessee — A convicted felon has been charged with illegally possessing a gun that a 2-year-old boy got his hands on and used to accidentally shoot and kill his 7-year-old cousin in Tennessee.

Anthony Patrick Sanders, 27, was released from prison last year after serving eight years for kidnapping. As a convicted felon he is legally barred from owning a gun.

Federal authorities say Sanders had been carrying a gun when he came to stay in an apartment in the J.C. Napier Houses in Nashville on June 6, where the little girl, Harmony Warfield, was killed.

Sanders faces 10 years

The tragic incident unfolded when Sanders — who regularly carried a gun when he stayed in the public housing development — stepped outside of the apartment, leaving the firearm inside where a toddler picked it up, prosecutors said.

When he heard the gun go off, Sanders allegedly ran back into the apartment, saw Warfield lying bleeding on the kitchen floor, grabbed the gun and took off, saying he did not want to go back to jai.

“Another innocent child has died because the defendant, a convicted felon who is prohibited from possessing a firearm, chose to ignore the law and arm himself with handguns, said Acting U.S. Attorney Jack Smith.

Sanders faces up to 10 years in prison for the gun rap.

 

Bounty Hunters Charged In Fatal Killing of Innocent Man Mistaken for a Fugitive

By HardBoiledNews Staff

CLARKSVILLE, Tennessee — Seven bounty hunters were charged with first degree murder for fatally shooting an innocent, unarmed man in a wild chase in Tennessee after they mistook him for a wanted fugitive.

Police say 24-year-old Jalen Johnson was killed and another man wounded when the bounty hunters descended upon a car they were in with two others in a Walmart parking lot on April 23.

Investigators say none of the men in the car were the person the bounty hunters were looking for and that Johnson, a father of three, was unarmed and had done nothing wrong.

The men took off in their vehicle after the bounty hunters opened fire. They gave chase for seven miles, ramming the vehicle and continuing to fire. The gunfire left Johnson dead and wounded a second passenger, cops said.

Johnson’s uncle, Toni Jenkins, told The Associated Press that his nephew and the others in the car thought they were being attacked by gang members, causing them to flee.

Bail bondsmen have the authority to hire or act as bounty hunters to bring in bail jumpers, but they can only use deadly force unless in self-defense.

The men charged include: William L. Byles, 31; Kenneth Chiasson, 38; Antwon D. Keesee, 32; Jonathan Schnepp, 31; Roger D. West, 31; Prentice L. Williams, 34 and Joshua Young, 27.

They face a charge of first-degree felony murder, three counts of attempted second-degree murder, three counts of especially aggravated kidnapping, attempted especially aggravated kidnapping, four counts of aggravated assault, employing a firearm in commission of a dangerous felony and felony reckless endangerment, police said.

Six Tennessee Inmates Break Out of Prison Through Busted Toilet

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Five of the six men were recaptured quickly, but the sixth man, David Wayne Frazier (top center), the hardest criminal of the bunch, remains at large

 

NEWPORT, Tennessee — Six hardened criminals pulled off a Christmas Day breakout from a Tennessee jail, crawling out through a busted toilet in a scene straight out of the film, “The Shawshank Redemption.”

Investigators say the men managed to escape from the Cocke County Jail in the early morning hours of Christmas morning by tearing a toilet away from a wall.

“The inmates escaped after a water leak occurred behind a wall unit stainless steel toilet,” the Cocke County Sheriff’s office said in a statement. “Apparently the bolts holding the unit rusted out and there was prior damage to the concrete due to plumbing repairs. The inmates vandalized the lavatory removing it from the wall and gained access to a hole which led outside of the facility,”

Most of the men didn’t get very far.

Authorities say Steven Lewis, 37, was quickly nabbed after a foot chase and John Mark Speir, 38, was captured at a nearby home. Two men, Jarred Schoondermarks, 30, and Daniel Speir, 29, were charged with harboring a fugitive.

Two other inmates, Eric Click and Harce Wade Allen, were captured the following day. Police say Allen was taken into custody by undercover narcotics officers. Later that day, a fifth inmate,

John Shehee, turned himself in after his father convinced him to give himself up.

The sixth man, David Wayne Frazier, 54, is considered to be the most dangerous of the group, and was awaiting trial on aggravated robbery and weapons charges.