This briefing includes a mosque massacre, the homicide of a child, family violence, and a historical rape-murder. Names below are only those released by police, prosecutors, or court records.
Daily Breaking True Crime Briefing
As of: Monday, August 31, 2026, afternoon ET
Scope: Worldwide sweep of verified homicides, verdicts, charging decisions, and official identifications from August 30–31. Last 24 hours preferred; 48 hours only for major moves. Tabloid-only items dropped. The New Yorker had no matching crime/courts piece in the window. People.com’s in-window crime hits were older Clancy packages, not a fresh Monday original we could freeze. Law&Crime’s Aug. 30 Philadelphia write-up on Justin Smith recapped a Friday sentence outside this window.
Monday’s highest-value story is a 30-year wait ending in a Las Vegas jury room. Duane “Keffe D” Davis is the first person ever convicted in Tupac Shakur’s 1996 drive-by. In Winston-Salem, a grand jury charged 17-year-old Sarah Santiago as an adult in the May massacre at the Islamic Center of San Diego, treating a livestream and a manifesto as murder. A Newton County jury found Katelyn Goble guilty in the 2016 killing of Morgan Bauer; sentencing is Tuesday — nothing beyond the verdict is in. In Los Angeles, singer David Anthony Burke pleaded not guilty after his retained lawyers walked, and a new grand-jury indictment was unsealed against former LAPD officer Clifford Proctor. Cork imposed a mandatory life term on Alex Deady for beating postman Barry Daly to death with a golf club. A Robeson County capital case ended in a life plea. A Bladen County retrial reconvicted Norfolk “Fuzzy” Best in a 1991 double murder that had already sent him to death row. Canada produced a judge-alone second-degree conviction in Newmarket. Tamaulipas prosecutors took a U.S. handover in a twin-sisters feminicide. In Dungannon, police charged a 16-year-old after a household attack that left a 61-year-old man dead and an eight-year-old girl injured. Charlotte’s cold-case unit arrested a man in a 2001 killing. The Clancy jury was back in Plymouth with no verdict by this briefing; deadlock talk is not yet in the record.
Las Vegas Jury Convicts Keffe D in Tupac Killing
A Clark County jury on Monday convicted Duane “Keffe D” Davis, 63, of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon for orchestrating the Sept. 7, 1996 drive-by that killed Tupac Shakur, 25. Deliberations lasted under three hours after closings ended around 2 p.m. local. Judge Carli Kierny ordered him held without bail. Sentencing is Oct. 13; life without parole is on the table. Davis told the judge he plans to appeal. He is the first person ever criminally convicted in the case. The other three men prosecutors say were in the white Cadillac are dead.
Prosecutors did not argue Davis pulled the trigger. Chief Deputy District Attorney Binu Palal told jurors Davis acquired a gun and “went hunting” for Shakur and Death Row co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight after they beat Davis’s nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, at the MGM Grand following a Mike Tyson fight. The state’s case leaned on Davis’s own words — a 2008 federal proffer, later interviews, and his 2019 memoir Compton Street Legend. Defense lawyer Michael Sanft argued the accounts were fiction sold for money and that no independent evidence placed Davis in Las Vegas that night. Prosecutors said Monday they would drop the gang enhancement, citing witness logistics. Clark County District Attorney’s Office; Las Vegas Metropolitan Police.
Thirty years of rumor just became a named conviction. The shooter still isn’t in a dock.
Sources:
- News3LV / KSNV — Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis convicted of first-degree murder in 1996 killing of Tupac Shakur
- ABC7 Los Angeles — Jury convicts Duane Davis of first-degree murder for 1996 killing of Tupac Shakur
- Reuters — Jury finds ex-gang leader guilty of murder in Tupac case
Winston-Salem Teen Indicted in San Diego Mosque Massacre
A Forsyth County grand jury on Monday indicted Sarah Lindsay Santiago, 17, as an adult on three counts of first-degree murder and one count of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in the May 18, 2026 attack on the Islamic Center of San Diego. Her lawyer, Alan Doorasamy, told CNN and ABC his client is innocent of all charges. She is presumed innocent. Next court date reported: Sept. 21.
Prosecutors say Cain Clark, 17, and Caleb Vazquez, 18, opened fire at the Clairemont mosque and later died by suicide nearby. The dead are security guard Amin Abdullah, a father of eight; mosque caretaker Mansour Kaziha; and neighbor Nadir Awad. About 140 children were at the Islamic school behind the mosque. District Attorney Jim O’Neill said Santiago agreed in advance to livestream the attack, publish the recording, and release a manifesto, and that she bought Vazquez a Sonnenrad patch he wore. The indictment also alleges a planned follow-on at Kehilat Ariel Messianic Synagogue and a predominantly Black high school. O’Neill said she was arrested last week because putting her back in a Winston-Salem school was “too great a risk.” FBI Charlotte and San Diego JTTFs, Winston-Salem Police, San Diego Police, Forsyth County Sheriff.
A hate massacre with 140 kids in the back, charged 2,500 miles from the parking lot, on the theory that the livestream was part of the killing.
Sources:
- CNN — North Carolina teen charged in deadly San Diego mosque shooting
- ABC News — Girl who allegedly recorded livestream of San Diego Islamic Center shooting charged with murder
- NBC 7 San Diego — Teen girl aided San Diego mosque shooters from North Carolina, prosecutors say
Newton Jury Convicts Goble in Bauer Killing
A Newton County jury on Monday found Katelyn Goble, 30, guilty of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, tampering with evidence, and concealing the death of another in the 2016 killing of Morgan Bauer, 19, of Aberdeen, South Dakota. Jurors were polled one by one. Sentencing is 3 p.m. Tuesday. The range includes life without parole; no sentence has been imposed.
Prosecutors said Goble and Jonathan Alexander Warren befriended Bauer after she moved to metro Atlanta on Feb. 12, 2016, lured her to a Porterdale home, strangled her, then dismembered and burned the remains. They argued the pair targeted her because they thought no one would miss her and described an obsession with serial killers. The defense said Warren killed Bauer and that Goble was in the room, terrified, and silent for years. Warren pleaded guilty to malice murder, tampering, concealing a death, and necrophilia, and is already serving life without parole. Arrests came in October 2023 — Warren in Los Angeles, Goble in Peoria — with a Newton County indictment the following month. Newton County District Attorney’s Office; GBI.
Decade-old missing-person case, second defendant now convicted. Punishment is tomorrow’s card, not today’s.
Sources:
- FOX 5 Atlanta — Morgan Bauer case: Katelyn Goble found guilty in 2016 killing
- WSB-TV — Katelyn Goble found guilty in 2016 murder of Morgan Bauer
D4vd Enters Plea After Lawyers Withdraw
Singer David Anthony Burke, 21, known as D4vd, pleaded not guilty Monday in downtown Los Angeles after retained lawyers Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski, and Regina Peter withdrew and public defender Walid Kandeel was appointed. Kandeel asked to postpone the plea so the new team could review the July preliminary-hearing record. Judge Charlaine Olmedo said no. Next status conference is Oct. 19. No trial date. District Attorney Nathan Hochman said his office is still deciding whether to seek death if Burke is convicted. Burke is held without bail. He is presumed innocent.
Celeste Rivas Hernandez, 14, of Lake Elsinore, was reported missing in spring 2025. Authorities have said her remains were found Sept. 8, 2025, in cadaver bags in the front trunk of a Tesla at a Hollywood tow yard, registered to Burke. The medical examiner listed multiple penetrating injuries. Burke is charged with first-degree murder with special-circumstance allegations (lying in wait, financial gain, murder of a witness), continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, and unlawful mutilation of human remains. A judge in July found sufficient evidence to hold him to answer. Prosecutors allege he killed her after she threatened to expose a sexual relationship that would wreck his career. The former lawyers said in a statement that Burke “qualified for appointed counsel.” Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office; LAPD.
Child-homicide case, counsel change, capital decision still open.
Sources:
- NBC Los Angeles — D4vd pleads not guilty in Celeste murder, appointed new attorney
- CBS News — D4vd pleads not guilty in Celeste Rivas Hernandez murder case as defense team withdraws
- BBC — US singer D4vd’s celebrity lawyers withdraw from murder case
Proctor Re-Indicted in Venice Boardwalk Killing
A Los Angeles County grand jury indictment was unsealed Monday charging former LAPD officer Clifford Proctor (dob May 19, 1965) with second-degree murder and a firearm allegation in the May 5, 2015 on-duty shooting of Brendon Glenn, 29, near the Venice Beach boardwalk. The indictment was returned Aug. 18. Proctor pleaded not guilty Monday. He is free on bond. Next date: Sept. 4, Department 104, Foltz Criminal Justice Center. He is presumed innocent.
Glenn has been described as unarmed. Prosecutors say Proctor and his partner responded after Glenn was kicked out of a bar; as they tried to arrest him, Proctor shot him. The DA’s Monday release cites no evidence of aggression by Glenn, a pre-shooting threat by Proctor toward Glenn’s dog, a partner who didn’t believe Glenn presented a deadly threat, and an alleged request that a witness back a false narrative. Then-DA Jackie Lacey declined to charge in 2018. A 2024 indictment under former DA George Gascón was dismissed in June 2026 by Judge Ronald S. Coen, who said special prosecutor Lawrence Middleton hadn’t presented required evidence of malice and had omitted exculpatory material. DA Nathan Hochman assigned special prosecutor Michael Gennaco to the refiling. Case 26CJCF05170.
Eleven-year-old on-duty killing back in criminal court after the first indictment collapsed.
Sources:
- Los Angeles County DA — Former LAPD Officer Charged in 2015 Fatal Shooting of Unarmed Man in Venice
- NBC Los Angeles — Ex-LAPD officer indicted in 2015 on-duty killing outside Venice bar
Cork Court Gives Deady Life for Daly Murder
Judge Siobhán Lankford on Monday imposed the mandatory life sentence on Alex Deady, 21, of Glenview, Convent Road, Doneraile, for the murder of Barry Daly, 44, a postman and father of five, at Rockview Terrace, Doneraile, on Oct. 12, 2025. Deady had offered manslaughter. A Central Criminal Court jury sitting in Cork convicted him of murder after about 12 hours. He still disputes intention. Two juveniles — a 17-year-old convicted of murder and a 16-year-old who admitted manslaughter — were remanded for sentencing on Sept. 11.
The killing followed a closing-time row as Doneraile celebrated a hurling title. Daly had struck Deady’s girlfriend, Rachel O’Kelly, in the mouth, accidentally or not. Deady and the two juveniles followed him home with golf clubs. Daly’s partner, Katie O’Reilly, heard “I’m going to kill you,” then a blow, and found him on the ground with his jaw fragmented. Assistant state pathologist Dr Margot Bolster said he inhaled blood and could not get air. Deady’s DNA was on a golf club that also bore Daly’s. He told gardaí it was “a tip, it wasn’t a big swing.” Det Insp John O’Connell’s team ran the investigation against a clock: one juvenile was about to turn 18. An Garda Síochána; Central Criminal Court.
A village postman beaten to death on his own terrace. The adult who swung the club is now in for life; two children still await sentence.
Sources:
- The Irish Times — Man (21) jailed for murder of father of five in Cork golf-club attack
- Irish Examiner — Man, 21, jailed for life over murder of Cork postman Barry Daly
Lumberton Plea Ends Hammonds Capital Case
Desmond Sampson, 39, pleaded guilty Monday to murder in the November 2022 stabbing death of Kayla Hammonds, 31, outside a Food Lion in Lumberton, North Carolina. Robeson County Superior Court Judge James Gregory Bell sentenced him to life without parole, to be served day for day. Prosecutors had been heading toward a death-penalty trial later this month. The plea ends that track.
Assistant District Attorney Joe Osman said Sampson had harassed, stalked, threatened, and assaulted Hammonds, and had threatened to kill her on Nov. 15, a week before her death. She was stabbed 11 times. Her two young daughters witnessed the attack. She had sought protection in 2021 and again in October 2022. Hammonds’s mother, Sherry Hammonds, told the court she could not have sat through a trial. Sampson apologized; family members said he appeared to smirk as he was led out. Robeson County District Attorney’s Office.
Documented protective-order history, children as witnesses, and a capital case that will never reach a death jury.
Sources:
Bladen Jury Convicts Best Again in 1991 Killings
A Bladen County jury on Monday reconvicted Norfolk Junior “Fuzzy” Best, 72, of two counts of first-degree murder, first-degree rape, first-degree burglary, and robbery with a dangerous weapon in the Nov. 30, 1991 killings of Leslie Baldwin, 82, and Gertrude Baldwin, 79, in their Burkhead Street home in Whiteville. Judge C. Ashley Gore sentenced him to three consecutive life terms without parole plus 12 years under the Fair Sentencing rules in force in 1991. Defense lawyer Harold “Butch” Pope said the verdict and sentence will be appealed.
Whiteville police said Best had been hired as a handyman the day of the murders. Prosecutors cited fingerprints on a weapon beside Leslie Baldwin and DNA from Gertrude Baldwin’s sexual-assault kit. Best was convicted in 1993 and sentenced to death — an early DNA case in the county. He spent 29 years on death row. The North Carolina Supreme Court ordered a new trial after six boxes of previously undisclosed evidence turned up in a Whiteville City Hall attic. DNA retesting in 2015 produced a stronger match, District Attorney Jon David said. The retrial began Aug. 17; prosecutors brought retired witnesses back. Fifteenth Prosecutorial District; Whiteville Police.
Thirty-five years later, the same charges, a new jury, and life instead of a death sentence that the state’s high court had already torn up.
Sources:
- News Reporter (Whiteville) — Jury convicts ‘Fuzzy’ Best again in 1991 Baldwin killings
- WECT — Jury delivers guilty verdict in retrial of 1991 Whiteville double murder
- Columbus County News — Best Sentenced to Life in New Trial
Newmarket Judge Convicts Gill in Bibby Stabbing
Superior Court Justice Vanessa Christie on Monday found Mckenzie Gill guilty of second-degree murder in the July 14, 2024 stabbing death of Blake Bibby, 36, in his Millard Avenue apartment in Newmarket, Ontario. It was a judge-alone trial. Christie rejected self-defence. Gill’s bail was revoked. Sentencing is not yet set.
Gill admitted stabbing Bibby once in the chest with a kitchen knife, then calling 911 under a false name — Amelia Shill, in one account — and leaving when she heard sirens. Bibby was under two court orders not to contact her. Christie accepted that the relationship was violent and that Bibby was the primary abuser, including prior assaults and violence toward other women. She did not accept Gill’s account of that night. “This was a verbal argument. She was not in fear, she was furious.” Christie called Gill’s 911 tone “chilling.” An agreed statement of facts said Gill had acted in self-defence in an October 2022 stabbing of Bibby’s shoulder. York Regional Police; Ontario Superior Court in Newmarket.
A documented abuse history, a rejected self-defence claim, and a second-degree finding on a single chest wound.
Sources:
- Global News — Woman convicted of 2024 second-degree murder of ex-boyfriend in Newmarket
- AuroraToday — McKenzie Gill guilty of second degree murder in stabbing death of Newmarket man
Matamoros Arrest in Twin Sisters Feminicide
Tamaulipas prosecutors on Monday executed an arrest warrant against Fernando “N” for probable feminicide in the July 26, 2026 killings of sisters Dinorah García Cruz and Denisse García Cruz, both 21, in the poblado of Control, municipality of Matamoros. U.S. authorities handed him over at Puente Internacional Nuevo Progreso. He was placed at the disposal of a judge. These are allegations.
The Fiscalía General de Justicia de Tamaulipas said the sisters were attacked with a blade during what began as a night out; they were taken to Hospital General de Valle Hermoso and died of their injuries. Dinorah was the mother of a 3-year-old with cerebral palsy; Denisse had a 2-year-old. Both children are with a sister, Valeria, and their grandparents. Local reporting has said other people may still be sought. FGJ Tamaulipas; Policía de Investigación.
A named double feminicide with a same-day U.S.-Mexico handover. Treat the detainee as a suspect, not a convict.
Sources:
Dungannon Teen Charged in Household Attack
The PSNI on Monday charged a 16-year-old boy with murder, two counts of attempted murder, and making threats to kill after a Saturday morning attack at a house on Lisnahull Road in Dungannon, County Tyrone. He is due at Omagh Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday. He cannot be named because of his age. Allegations only.
Officers found a 61-year-old man dead alongside his injured eight-year-old daughter about 11 a.m. Saturday. The man’s 48-year-old wife sustained non-life-threatening injuries and has been released from hospital. Supt Peter Stevenson said officers’ arrival gave the girl a fighting chance; by Monday she was in stable condition. Detectives received a 36-hour extension to question the teenager. Stevenson said there is no ongoing risk to the public and they are not looking for anyone else. As of this briefing the dead man has not been publicly named by police. PSNI Major Investigation Team.
Child suspect, child victim, same household. Name of the dead man is not in the Monday record.
Sources:
- BBC News NI — Boy, 16, charged with murder and attempted murder
Charlotte Arrest in 2001 Gudino Killing
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police arrested Alan Marquis Phifer, 43, on Monday and charged him with first-degree murder and robbery with a dangerous weapon in the March 24, 2001 shooting death of Cesar Gudino Gonzalez, 21, on the 3700 block of North Sharon Amity Road. He is presumed innocent. CMPD said the investigation remains active.
Officers in 2001 found three people shot and two others assaulted. Gonzalez was pronounced dead at the scene. The Cold Case Unit picked the file up on Jan. 29, 2026. Detectives got a lab report in February that, police said, implicated Phifer. Warrants last week; the violent criminal apprehension team made the arrest Monday. CMPD said Gonzalez’s family has been notified.
Twenty-five years unsolved, then a named defendant off a 2026 lab report.
Sources:
Also watching
The Lindsay Clancy jury was back in Plymouth Superior Court Monday for a third day of deliberations after the weekend break. No verdict by this briefing. Deadlock notes are not in Monday’s record; park those for later days.
DeKalb County police say Neico Lane, 38, was arrested in Florida and charged with murder in the Friday shooting of Tanjaka Elder, 51, outside a West Starmount Way home where she was caring for her father, Willie Elder, 85. He is awaiting extradition. Motive still open. FOX 5 Atlanta.
In London, Ontario, Nelson Enrique Cornejo, 40, appeared by video Monday as a second-degree murder charge was read in the death of Lillian Leonard, 73, stabbed during an Aug. 22 break-in at her Raywood Avenue home. Police have said they were not known to each other. CTV News London.
NSW Supreme Court, in a Monday mention, indicated Daniel Billings is unlikely to face a life term for the April 2024 murder of Molly Ticehurst, 28, in Forbes. He has pleaded guilty. Sentence hearing from Thursday in Orange; judgment later in September. A mention, not a sentence. Nine.
Discover more from The Dark Side of Humanity
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
