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The Crime Ledger: November 1, 2026

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Today’s board starts in Dallas, where three shootings in the Deep Ellum nightlife district killed four people and wounded about 15 on Halloween night, then runs across the United States from Fairfield, Boulder, Bloomington, Birmingham, Boston, Manhattan and Queens to Ames, Eureka, Fort Wayne, Joliet, Oberlin, Pasco, Philadelphia, Rapid City, San Antonio and Texarkana, north to Calgary, south through Ezeiza, Guarabira, Santana do Ipanema, Antofagasta, Colina and Montevideo, across Africa from Kumasi and Abeokuta to Meru, to Tayibe in Israel, through Auderghem, Loubédat, Warstein, Dublin, Cantù, Castro dei Volsci, Plasencia, Tordehumos and Stein, and ends in Dhaka, Delhi, Lucknow and Ipoh.

This Ledger covers 54 cases from 20 countries with new developments reported since the evening of Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, from verdicts, sentences and guilty pleas to trials, charges and arrests. Anyone charged but not convicted is presumed innocent.

Times are Eastern (ET) unless stated. Allegations come from prosecutors, police and court records as reported and are unproven unless a court has ruled.

The Lead Case

Dallas, Texas: Four Killed, About 15 Wounded in Three Deep Ellum Shootings on Halloween Night

Location: Dallas, Dallas County, Texas, United States (Deep Ellum entertainment district: 2600 block of Elm Street, 2600 block of Main Street and 200 block of South Crowdus Street)

Legal status: Some people arrested and being questioned; police have not named anyone, announced charges or tied any arrest to a specific shooting; additional suspects sought; victims not yet identified

The night. Three separate shootings tore through Deep Ellum, the Dallas neighbourhood the AP calls a center of music, restaurants and nightlife, in a little over an hour early Sunday, Nov. 1, as Halloween fell on a Saturday night. Four people were killed and about 15 were wounded, Dallas Police Chief Daniel Comeaux said at a Sunday morning briefing, according to NBC 5, FOX 4 and The Dallas Morning News. “Right now, in total, we have four people that are deceased from three separate scenes, and we have approximately 15 others that have been injured,” Comeaux said. He warned that the injury count could still change because several victims took themselves to hospitals. No officers were hurt.

The sequence. A preliminary police timeline puts the first shooting at about 12:20 a.m. in the 2600 block of Elm Street, the second at about 1:05 a.m. in the 2600 block of Main Street, one block south, and the third at about 1:35 a.m. in the 200 block of South Crowdus Street, about two blocks east of the others. NBC 5 logged the first call at 12:19 a.m. Police also took a separate shooting call at about 3:30 a.m. on South Ervay Street, outside Deep Ellum. Comeaux declined to give exact addresses.

The dead. The Dallas Morning News reported that the four deaths came at two of the three scenes, with at least six people wounded at the third. WFAA, citing police sources, reported that three people were pronounced dead at one location and a fourth at another, the Dallas Observer reported. The same sources told the station that at one scene a man announced he was going to “start shooting” and then opened fire. Police have not said which scene that was, what weapons were used, or what set off any of the three shootings. Names, ages and conditions of the victims had not been released by Sunday afternoon.

Arrests, but no answers. Comeaux said officers had arrested some people and were interviewing them along with witnesses. “We are interviewing some individuals right now that we have arrested, still trying to figure out exactly how it ties into all the shootings out here,” he said, according to the AP account carried by PBS NewsHour. NBC 5 reported that at least one arrest was tied to one of the incidents. Police did not say how many people were held or on what charges, and the Morning News reported that suspects remained at large; FOX 4 said detectives were searching for additional suspects. Comeaux said there was no information yet that the three shootings were connected. “This is a really big scene. It’s spread out,” he said.

The police presence. The department had extra officers in Deep Ellum for a Halloween that fell on a Saturday, after weeks of planning meetings. “We were fully staffed out here,” Comeaux said. “We knew it was Saturday night. We knew it was Halloween, so we were staffed properly.” At one scene officers less than two blocks away heard the gunfire and ran toward it. One officer gave lifesaving care that revived a wounded person, the chief said. “This is completely unacceptable for it to take place in Dallas, and we’re going to do everything that we need to do to get everyone in custody that’s responsible for this,” he said.

The evidence. Evidence technicians spent Sunday collecting shell casings across the scenes, FOX 4 reported, and detectives planned to go business to business for surveillance video. Comeaux asked anyone who was in the district to send in video, photos or social media clips, “even if you don’t think it may show anything.” Mayor Eric Johnson called the shootings heinous and said Deep Ellum must be “a safe gathering place in our city.” Tips go to Sgt. Boz Rojas, #10379, at 214 671 3598.

The pattern. NBC 5 counted at least three earlier multiple-victim shootings in Deep Ellum this year: five people hurt on Commerce Street during Cinco de Mayo, two shot on Canton Street on Aug. 14, and three shot on Elm Street on Aug. 23, a case that led to an arrest. Dallas was the deadliest of a run of Halloween weekend shootings in nightlife districts that also hit Birmingham, Alabama; Newark, Delaware; Fayetteville, Arkansas; and Bloomington, Illinois, the AP reported.

Sources

United States and Canada

Ames, Iowa: Iowa State Professor Richard Stone Charged With Murdering Wife Kristen, Shoots Himself as Officers Move In

Location: Ames, Story County, Iowa, United States (5010 Ontario Street; traffic stop in the 3900 block of Toronto Street)

Legal status: Charged by warrant with first-degree murder Oct. 30; hospitalized in the Des Moines area after a self-inflicted gunshot wound; not yet in court; presumed innocent

The charge. Richard Stone, 47, an associate professor of industrial and manufacturing systems engineering at Iowa State University and a reserve deputy with the Story County Sheriff’s Office, has been charged by warrant with first-degree murder in the death of his wife, Kristen Stone, 47, Ames police said. Officers obtained the warrant on Friday, Oct. 30. That afternoon, as officers moved to arrest him during a traffic stop, he shot himself inside his vehicle, police said. He was flown to a Des Moines area hospital, and police have not given an update on his condition. He is presumed innocent.

The welfare check. Officers and medical personnel were called to 5010 Ontario Street at 7:17 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 29, for a welfare check, according to the Ames Police Department release reported by the Iowa State Daily, KCCI and Western Iowa Today. They found Kristen Stone dead at the home. The investigation that followed identified her husband as a suspect. Police have not said how she died, what prompted the welfare check, or what led investigators to her husband.

The search. After the warrant was issued on Friday, Ames officers began searching for Stone with help from the Iowa State University Police Department and the Story County Sheriff’s Office. At about 3:40 p.m., officers found him in his Toyota SUV and started a traffic stop in the 3900 block of Toronto Street. “Stone stopped for officers and then shot himself inside of his vehicle,” the release said.

The response. Officers and medics from Mary Greeley Medical Center and the Ames Fire Department began lifesaving measures at the scene. Stone was taken by ambulance to a waiting air ambulance and flown to a hospital in the Des Moines area. The Iowa State Daily reported that a radio call went out at about 3:43 p.m., that early radio traffic suggested Stone had died, and that police later confirmed medics had started lifesaving care and transported him. The paper said a medical helicopter was seen over the area at about 4:17 p.m. Police set up a crime scene on Toronto Street between Alabama Lane and Windsor Court. A neighbor, Chris Brown, told the paper he was arriving home as the response unfolded. He said he did not hear gunshots but saw officers approach the stopped vehicle behind a riot shield.

The roles. The Story County Sheriff’s Office said it placed Stone, listed as a reserve deputy, on administrative leave after learning “of the developments of the death of his wife,” KCCI reported. A spokesperson for Iowa State University confirmed to KCCI that he is a faculty member. The Iowa State Daily described him as a former reserve deputy. The Des Moines Register reported on Oct. 31 that he was in critical condition.

What is not known. Police have not released a cause of death, a motive, or details of the weapon. They have not said whether Stone will make a first court appearance once he leaves the hospital. Ames police ask anyone with information to call 515-239-5133 or the anonymous tip line at 515-239-5533. Tips can also go to Crime Stoppers of Central Iowa at 515-223-1400.

Where it stands. A criminal charge is an accusation only. Richard Stone has not entered a plea, and he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

Sources

Birmingham, Alabama: One Killed, Eight Wounded in Mass Shooting Outside Legion Field After Magic City Classic

Legion Field stadium in Birmingham, Alabama, seen from across an empty field on a clear evening
Legion Field, Birmingham, Ala. Photo: Ken Lund / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

Location: Birmingham, Jefferson County, Alabama, United States (400 block of Graymont Avenue West, outside Legion Field)

Legal status: One person detained for questioning; no one charged; victim not yet identified; Birmingham police, FBI and partner agencies investigating

The shooting. One person was killed and eight others were shot just outside Birmingham’s Legion Field on Saturday night, Oct. 31, shortly after the 85th Magic City Classic, the annual game between Alabama A&M and Alabama State that is billed as the largest historically Black college football game in the country, Birmingham police said, according to ABC 33/40, WBRC, al.com, ESPN and Fox News. “Multiple shots rang out in the 400 block of Graymont Avenue West shortly after 7:50 p.m.,” Officer De’Rell Freeman, a police spokesperson, told a news conference. Police said nine people had gunshot wounds. One died. Early Sunday, police said one of the wounded was in critical condition and the other seven were stable.

Where it happened. Police Chief Michael Pickett said most spectators and families had already left the stadium property, but the gunfire broke out nearby, along Graymont Avenue where vendors were set up, ABC 33/40 and ESPN reported. WVTM reported that tailgating was still under way. Al.com reported that Pickett described the nine people as having been shot in “two senseless acts of violence,” and that he declined to elaborate or take questions. Police have not said whether the shots came from one group or two, or what started it. The event usually draws more than 100,000 people to Birmingham, with a parade and large pregame tailgates, Fox News reported.

The investigation. Freeman said one person was detained and taken to police headquarters for processing and questioning. Officers recovered multiple firearms at the scene. As of Sunday morning police had not announced a charge, a motive or a named suspect, and had not identified the person who was killed. Pickett said the department is working with the FBI and will analyze all available video. The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Vestavia Hills police, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency and the U.S. Attorney’s Office also assisted, WBRC reported. No officers or first responders were hurt.

The appeal. Police asked anyone who recorded video around Legion Field to submit it through an online portal, and said those who send footage will remain anonymous. “It may seem like it’s nothing. It may seem insignificant. Please send it in,” Pickett said. Tips can go to the Birmingham police homicide unit at 205 254 1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205 254 7777. Police suspended all remaining Classic tailgating that night, told people to leave the stadium property and urged others not to come.

The officials. Mayor Randall Woodfin said the community is “hurt, shaken and rightfully angry. So am I.” He said, “There is no argument, no beef, no misunderstanding that can justify this level of senseless violence during a night of celebration,” and promised that “justice will be served to those who brought harm.” U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell said the community “deserves to celebrate our traditions in peace and safety, without fear of gun violence.” Pickett praised officers who ran toward the gunfire, triaging people as they passed, and said the shooting would not define the Classic. “The Magic City Classic is a staple event here in our community,” he said.

History. ABC 33/40 noted earlier shootings near Legion Field on Classic weekends, including one person shot in a stadium parking lot near Graymont Avenue and Center Street after the 2014 game, and two separate shootings near the stadium on Oct. 25, 2024, the day before that year’s game, which were not tied to the event.

Sources

Bloomington, Illinois: Woman, 19, Killed and Seven Wounded in Shooting Near Illinois Wesleyan Campus

Location: Bloomington, McLean County, Illinois, United States (100 block of East Division Street, near North East and East Kelsey streets, beside Illinois Wesleyan University)

Legal status: No one in custody; police say they have no suspect information; victim not yet identified pending family notification

The shooting. A 19-year-old woman was killed and seven other people were wounded when gunfire broke out at a Halloween night gathering beside Illinois Wesleyan University early Sunday, Nov. 1, Bloomington police said. Officers were called at about 1:23 a.m., before the clocks went back, to the 100 block of East Division Street for a report of multiple shots fired. They found several people shot, began lifesaving measures and secured the scene with Illinois State Police and the McLean County Sheriff’s Office. Bloomington and Normal fire crews took the wounded to hospitals.

The victims. Police identified eight victims. The 19-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene by the McLean County Coroner’s Office; her name was withheld pending notification of her family, and an autopsy is pending. A second woman, an adult, was taken to a regional trauma center in critical condition. The other six had injuries that were not life-threatening, police said. Two Illinois Wesleyan students were among the wounded, the university told its campus, and Illinois State University police said one ISU student was treated and released. ATF Chicago confirmed on Sunday afternoon that it was assisting, Fox News reported.

The scene. By Sunday morning, WGLT reported, police tape surrounded several large houses along East Street across from IWU’s baseball stadium, between Division and Kelsey streets and just south of the Carle BroMenn hospital campus, with small parking lots between the homes cordoned off. IWU’s first alert, at 1:32 a.m., warned of “an emergency situation in the Third Base housing area.” A neighbour told WGLT that one of the taped-off houses was known locally as the “party house.” Another neighbour’s doorbell camera, described to 25 News, showed a large group walking toward the spot before 1 a.m. and people running away at about 1:23, toward the Kroger area. Police have not said whether the shots were fired inside a house or outdoors, what started it, or how many guns were involved.

No suspect. Police said no one was in custody and they had no suspect information, but described the shooting as isolated. “There is no ongoing threat to public safety,” the department said. The Crime Scene Unit spent Sunday processing evidence. Police asked for home security footage, phone video, dash camera recordings and social media posts from the area bounded by Center Street, Franklin Avenue, Emerson Street and Apple Street. “It could be something small. It could be somebody running by. It could be a vehicle driving erratically,” spokesperson Bryce Janssen said. Tips go to Detective Pedro Diaz at 309 434 2532.

The reaction. Mayor Dan Brady extended the city’s condolences and thanked police, fire and emergency crews “who worked to provide lifesaving care.” U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen wrote that “eight people were senselessly shot” and called for “settling our disagreements without shooting guns at people.” U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood and state Rep. Sharon Chung also issued statements.

Second this year. It is Bloomington-Normal’s second mass shooting near a college campus in seven months, WGLT reported. In March, six people, two of them juveniles, were wounded in the 700 block of Franklin Avenue in Normal, between Illinois State University and the Carle BroMenn complex, less than a mile from Sunday’s scene. No one has been arrested in that case.

Sources

Boston, Massachusetts: Texas Teen Marico Levy Surrenders in South Station Escalator Stabbing That Killed Latavius Owens, 29

Location: Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States (South Station, 675 Atlantic Avenue; stabbing Aug. 12; surrender in Texas Oct. 30)

Legal status: Marico Levy, 18, of Aubrey, Texas, turned himself in at a Texas police station Oct. 30 on a murder warrant; awaiting return to Massachusetts; no arraignment date; presumed innocent

The surrender. Marico Levy, 18, of Aubrey, Texas, turned himself in at a Texas police station on the night of Friday, Oct. 30, nearly three months after a man was stabbed to death in a fight on an escalator at Boston’s South Station, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office announced on Saturday, Oct. 31, according to NBC Boston, WBZ CBS Boston and Boston 25 News. Levy was wanted on a murder charge in the Aug. 12 killing of Latavius Owens, 29, of Memphis, Tennessee. Levy was 17 at the time of the stabbing, WBZ reported. No arraignment date has been set, and it was not immediately clear when he would be brought back to Massachusetts or whether he had a lawyer. The DA’s office did not list the specific charges he will face. Levy is presumed innocent.

The stabbing. At about 5:33 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 12, in the evening rush hour, MBTA Transit Police were called to a report of a person stabbed inside South Station at 675 Atlantic Avenue, the Boston Police Department said. Officers found Owens inside the station with a stab wound. He was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead. Police said Owens and his attacker had fought on the escalator from the Red Line station that leads to an exit. The Boston Globe reported that yellow tape blocked off the escalator that night and that it was smeared with blood, as commuters stopped to look over the railing and station staff steered travellers to a nearby elevator. The attacker got out of the station. On Aug. 18 Transit Police released surveillance images of Levy and asked the public to help find him, NBC Boston reported. Boston Police Superintendent Paul McLaughlin said at the time he did not believe the attack was random.

A fight over $25. Owens’s mother, Shermanda McNeal, told the Globe in August that the fight was between men who knew each other and began over a $25 shared cellphone bill. “He killed my son for $25,” she said. She said her son and his friends had come north from Memphis to raise money for youth basketball and sports programmes at a Memphis community center, sometimes selling candy, a trip they made often, and that the other man was from a different Memphis neighbourhood and in Boston for the same reason. Police have not publicly confirmed the motive or said how they identified Levy.

Who Latavius Owens was. Owens was a father of five, according to a family fundraiser that sought money to bring his body home to Tennessee, Boston.com reported. His mother said he had once performed as a Beale Street flipper, one of the Memphis street acrobats who do back handsprings for tips on the city’s famous strip, and that he had planned to come home the weekend after he was killed. “He would do anything to try to help somebody,” she said. The Globe also reported that court records showed Owens had been arrested in Medford in 2024 and charged with larceny in a candy selling case that prosecutors later dropped, and that police had warned about fake charity solicitations near South Station. McNeal said her son operated above board. His first name appears as both Latavius and Latavious in official and press accounts.

What comes next. Levy must be returned from Texas to face the case in Massachusetts. “There’s obviously, given the time of day, a number of witnesses, so anyone who knows anything about what may have happened … either before, during or after this altercation, we need you to contact the Boston Police Department,” District Attorney Kevin Hayden said in August. The Boston Police Homicide Unit is asking anyone with information to call 617-343-4470.

Sources

Boulder, Colorado: CU Boulder Student, 19, Shot Dead After Group Tries to Force Way Into Halloween Party on University Hill

Location: Boulder, Boulder County, Colorado, United States (700 block of Marine Street, near 7th Street, University Hill)

Legal status: No arrest; police seek two persons of interest, whom officials declined to call suspects; victims not yet identified; Boulder police case 26-10148

The shooting. A 19-year-old University of Colorado Boulder student was killed and another 19-year-old CU student was critically wounded when gunfire broke out inside a house on University Hill late Saturday, Oct. 31, Boulder police said. Calls reporting the shooting came in at about 11:28 p.m. from a home in the 700 block of Marine Street, near 7th Street and about six blocks west of campus. Officers arrived in under two minutes and found both men with gunshot wounds. Police put a tourniquet on one of them, and both were taken to Boulder Community Hospital at about 11:40 p.m., Boulder Reporting Lab reported. One died early Sunday. The other remained in critical condition. The Boulder County Coroner’s Office will release the dead student’s name after notifying his family.

The party. It was police’s second visit to the house that night. The party had been registered in advance through a program run jointly by CU Boulder and Boulder police, which lets organizers get a warning if neighbours complain. A noise complaint came in just before 10 p.m. about a party with a live band and, by Chief Stephen Redfearn’s account, “hundreds” of people. Dispatchers warned the organizers at 9:56 p.m. and officers arrived shortly after 10. They judged it a nuisance, ticketed the residents for a nuisance party and took one highly intoxicated person into protective custody. The crowd broke up. “A core group of people, including the renters, remained at the house,” Redfearn said, according to CBS Colorado. Officials said the organizers complied with the order to shut down.

The break-in attempt. Detectives believe a group later tried to force its way into the house. Redfearn said the group “tried to force its way into the home to join the party.” Shortly after that scuffle, shots were fired inside, hitting the two students. Police have not said what weapon was used, how many shots were fired, or whether the people trying to get in had been at the party earlier. Redfearn called it a “heinous crime.” It is Boulder’s first homicide of 2026, he said.

The persons of interest. Detectives interviewed about 20 witnesses overnight and released photos and video of two men recorded just before the shooting. The first has short dark hair and facial hair and wore a red hooded sweatshirt under a black jacket. The second has short dark hair and wore a black shirt printed with Art the Clown and a silver-coloured chain necklace. Speakers at the news conference declined to call them suspects. Police said early Sunday they believed the suspects had left the city by about 2 a.m., when residents were let back into the cordoned area, CBS Colorado reported.

The prosecutor. District Attorney Michael Dougherty urged the men in the footage to come in voluntarily and said “progress has already been made.” “We are very likely going to solve this crime, and I promise we will hold the shooter or shooters fully accountable,” he said. He asked people to think about those inside the house “who tried to save the life of their friend, and help their other friend who had been shot.”

The campus. CU police set up a perimeter on the west side of campus and helped interview witnesses, many of them students. University officials said they knew of no formal university or fraternity tie to the party. Both departments are adding patrols on the Hill. Tips go to Boulder police dispatch at 303 441 3333, case 26-10148, and video can be uploaded through the department’s evidence portal.

Sources

Chappells, South Carolina: Man Charged With Murder After Missing 87-Year-Old Edwin Geer Is Found Buried Four Feet Down in Waterloo

Location: Chappells, Newberry County, and Waterloo, Laurens County, South Carolina, United States (grave behind a mobile home on Broadway Lane)

Legal status: Richard Lewis Cribb, 46, charged with murder and other counts; held in the Newberry County Detention Center awaiting a bond hearing; presumed innocent

The charge. Richard Lewis Cribb, 46, has been charged with murder in the death of Edwin Geer, an 87-year-old man who disappeared from his home in Chappells, a small Lake Greenwood community of retirees in Newberry County, and was found buried in a grave about four feet deep behind a mobile home in Waterloo, in neighbouring Laurens County, Newberry County Sheriff Lee Foster announced at a news conference on Friday, Oct. 30, according to the Laurens County Advertiser, FOX Carolina, WYFF and GoLaurens. Cribb is being held in the Newberry County Detention Center awaiting a bond hearing. He is presumed innocent until proven guilty. The list of other charges differs between outlets: FOX Carolina and GoLaurens reported first degree burglary, armed robbery and grand larceny; WLTX reported first degree burglary, armed robbery and possession of a weapon during a violent crime; WYFF listed kidnapping among the counts. The Advertiser reported he also faces financial transaction card fraud charges in Horry County.

The disappearance. Geer, who lived alone, was last seen at his Somerset Bay home in Chappells on Oct. 6, Foster said. He was reported missing on Oct. 17, when a neighbour noticed mail piling up, no activity at the house and his pickup truck gone. “At that point, we felt something sinister had happened to him,” the sheriff said, according to FOX Carolina. Investigators from Newberry, Greenwood and Laurens counties joined the search. WLTX reported that Foster said investigators now believe Geer was killed on Oct. 6 or 7, that they know of no earlier relationship between the two men, and that Cribb picked Geer out in what the sheriff called a “cold call.” Geer had a for sale sign in his yard.

The money trail. From about Oct. 6, Cribb began using Geer’s credit cards, van and pickup truck and pawned some of his belongings in Greenwood County, then moved to Horry County on the coast and kept using the cards and pawning property there, Foster said. Investigators learned several people had been going in and out of Geer’s home, with Cribb as the main suspect. Working with Horry County deputies, local police, SLED and federal agents, they arrested Cribb in Horry County on Oct. 23, initially on a credit card related charge, WYFF and the Advertiser reported.

The excavator. Investigators then learned Cribb had leased a mini excavator and taken it to a property on Broadway Lane in Waterloo. Laurens County deputies found signs of fresh digging and land clearing there, and Geer’s truck turned up several miles away on Whitten Road, the sheriff said. Using underground detection equipment from the Laurens County Commission of Public Works and machinery from the county parks department, crews dug at the site and found a body about four feet down behind the mobile home on Tuesday, Oct. 27, according to WYFF and the Advertiser. “It appeared that the individual had buried him there and had taken great caution to try to conceal it the best he could, but also to cover up the body,” Foster said. Laurens County Coroner Patti Canupp identified the body as Geer’s on Thursday, the Advertiser reported, and new warrants followed. Authorities have not publicly said how Geer was killed. SLED will carry out further testing.

The man. Foster said Geer, whose family lives out of state, led a solitary life, built birdhouses and small wooden lighthouses, sold them at the crossroads store in Chappells and gave them to neighbours. “Cribb worked his way in there and then decided to kill him and rob him. And that makes no sense,” Foster said. The Advertiser reported Cribb pleaded guilty to drug charges in Greenwood County in 2022 and to receiving stolen goods in 2016. Eighth Circuit Solicitor David Stumbo said “all prosecutorial options will be on the table.”

Sources

Commack, New York: Virginia Woman Charged With Murder in 1996 Death of Newborn Found in Movie Theater Toilet

Location: Commack, Suffolk County, New York, United States (former Commack Multiplex, 100 Express Drive North)

Legal status: Michelle Chronick Tyson, 59, of Virginia, indicted on two counts of second-degree murder; pleaded not guilty; held without bail; due back in court Nov. 20; presumed innocent

The charge. A Suffolk County grand jury has indicted Michelle Chronick Tyson, 59, of Virginia, on two counts of second-degree murder in the death of a newborn boy found in a toilet at a Commack movie theater almost 30 years ago, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney announced on Oct. 30. Tyson was arrested in Hampton, Virginia, extradited to Suffolk County and arraigned before Acting Supreme Court Justice Steven Pilewski, who ordered her held without bail, according to the district attorney’s office, Greater Long Island and News 12. She pleaded not guilty. She faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted of the top count and is due back in court on Nov. 20. She was 29 when the baby died.

The discovery. Shortly after 12:30 a.m. on Nov. 18, 1996, employees of the Commack Multiplex, at 100 Express Drive North, found the infant inside a toilet in the women’s restroom and called police, prosecutors said. An autopsy that day found the baby was a full term boy who had been born alive. The Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the cause of death “asphyxia with submersion in water” and classified it as a homicide. The Suffolk County Crime Laboratory kept a sample of the baby’s blood as evidence, and investigators referred to him as Baby Boy Doe. The multiplex closed in 2011.

The DNA. The case went unsolved for decades. In 2024, the Cold Case Task Force, a joint unit of Suffolk County police and the district attorney’s office, sent the blood sample to a private lab, which produced a single nucleotide polymorphism, or SNP, DNA profile, prosecutors said. Investigators then identified Tyson as the likely mother. On Aug. 26, 2026, they executed a search warrant for a cheek swab from her, and testing confirmed she was the boy’s biological mother, the district attorney’s office said.

What prosecutors told the court. Greater Long Island, citing Newsday’s account of the hearing, reported that Assistant District Attorney Dana Castaldo said Tyson was at the theater with her son, his friend and other relatives to see “Space Jam,” and that she had hidden the pregnancy from her family, including her husband, who was not the baby’s father. Newsday also reported that Tyson wrote an eight page bail letter to the judge in which she said she did not know the baby’s sex, and that after the birth she cleaned herself up, put toilet paper over the baby and walked away. Those are allegations and reported statements, and have not been tested in court. Newsday reported that Tyson, who lived in Brentwood in 1996, has prior convictions in Virginia for grand larceny, forgery and obtaining money under false pretenses.

The prosecutor. “As alleged, this defendant made a choice back in 1996 to take her newborn child’s life before he ever had the chance to experience the world beyond his first few breaths,” Tierney said. He said the passage of nearly three decades “does not diminish the gravity of this crime.” His office used the announcement to point to New York’s Safe Haven law, which lets a parent legally and confidentially surrender a baby up to 30 days old at a hospital or a staffed police or fire station.

The defence. On Oct. 31, Tyson’s attorney, Christopher Gioe of Hauppauge, told Greater Long Island that she maintains her innocence and will challenge statements prosecutors attribute to her as a violation of her constitutional right to remain silent. “Prosecutors must demonstrate beyond a reasonable doubt that she intended to and caused the baby’s death,” Gioe said, adding that she “fears public opinion has already turned against her and that the presumption of innocence is missing.” He said the defence will “hold the prosecution to its burden on every element of the charges.” He did not say which statements he will contest.

Sources

Eureka, Montana: Lincoln County Deputy Ryan Terpsma and Merrisa Walker Shot Dead; Kalispell Man Surrenders After Chase

Location: Eureka, Lincoln County, Montana, United States (118 Lone Pine Trail; pursuit south on U.S. 93 toward Kalispell)

Legal status: Matthew David Dye, 50, of Kalispell, held on a deliberate homicide warrant; charges and an initial hearing in Lincoln County Justice Court expected next week; presumed innocent

The call. Lincoln County sheriff’s Deputy Ryan Terpsma, 28, was shot and killed on the night of Friday, Oct. 30, after he answered a disturbance call at 118 Lone Pine Trail near Eureka, in far northwest Montana, Sheriff Darren Short said, according to the Flathead Beacon, NBC Montana and The Western News. The call came in at 8:23 p.m., and a Eureka police officer went with him. Both officers were hit by gunfire when they arrived, authorities said. The Eureka officer, who has not been named, had injuries that were not life threatening. The Flathead Beacon, citing the office of Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, reported that the suspect shot both officers.

The second victim. As the investigation went on, authorities found that Merrisa Walker, 46, had also been shot and killed at the scene of the original call, the sheriff’s office said. A girl was also hurt there, and was treated at the scene and released, according to the three outlets. Authorities have not publicly explained how Walker and the suspect were connected, or what the disturbance was about.

The chase. The suspect, identified as Matthew David Dye, 50, of Kalispell, drove away with a 7-year-old girl in the vehicle, heading south toward Kalispell, authorities said. Flathead County sheriff’s deputies found the vehicle and pursued it on U.S. 93. During the chase, Dye fired at several deputies, disabling two Flathead County patrol vehicles, and deputies returned fire, the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office said. Dye stopped just short of a roadblock set up at Bill Creek Road and Mountain Meadow Road and surrendered, the office said. Deputies recovered the girl unharmed. The Flathead deputies who fired have been placed on administrative leave under office policy.

The case. The Western News reported that Dye is being held in the Flathead County Detention Center on a pending deliberate homicide warrant, and that other charges, including criminal endangerment and aggravated eluding a peace officer, may be filed. Sheriff Short said Dye will be charged and will have an initial hearing in Lincoln County Justice Court next week. He has not yet been formally charged in court and is presumed innocent. No attorney for him was named. At Short’s request, the Montana Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation is leading the investigation.

The deputy. Terpsma worked as a detention officer at the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office from December 2024 until May 2026, when he joined the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office as a deputy, the Flathead office said. The Western News reported he started with Lincoln County on May 28, had family and friends in Whatcom County in western Washington, and was celebrating his 28th birthday, citing Bellingham Metro News and social media posts by relatives. “It has been trying times in Lincoln County during the last year,” Short said. “We are all deeply affected by the loss of Deputy Terpsma but know we can count on our community to support the Sheriff’s Office and each other as we grieve the loss of this fine young man.”

Reaction. “Lincoln County Deputy Ryan Terpsma answered the call and made the ultimate sacrifice in service to his community,” Knudsen said. “He will not be forgotten.” Gov. Greg Gianforte ordered state flags flown at half staff in Terpsma’s honor, NBC Montana reported. The Flathead County Sheriff’s Office said it mourns his death and extended its condolences to his family, colleagues and the Lincoln County community.

Sources

Fairfield, California: Pregnant Woman Killed and Six Wounded in Spirit Halloween Store Shooting

Texas Street in downtown Fairfield, California, at dusk, with the Fairfield arch over the road and parked cars
Downtown Fairfield, Calif., under the Texas Street arch. Photo: Kiddo27 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Location: Fairfield, Solano County, California, USA (Spirit Halloween store, Solano Town Center)

Legal status: No arrest; suspect not identified; police say one suspect, targeted incident

What happened. A gunman opened fire inside a Spirit Halloween costume store at the Solano Town Center mall in Fairfield at about 8:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 30, killing a 31-year-old woman and wounding six other people, the Fairfield Police Department said. Police identified the woman who died as Constance Hages, and her family told investigators she was pregnant, according to KCRA 3, KQED and The Associated Press. As of Saturday, Oct. 31, no one had been arrested or detained and no suspect had been publicly identified.

The wounded. Police released the ages of the six survivors on Saturday. Four were still in hospital: a 16-year-old boy, a 19-year-old man and a 32-year-old man were listed in critical condition, and a 23-year-old man was in critical but stable condition, according to KQED and the AP. KCRA 3 reported that all four were described by police as critical but stable. Two other men, aged 19 and 43, were treated for gunshot wounds and released.

A targeted shooting, police say. In an update posted early Saturday, Fairfield police said the shooting “stemmed from a targeted incident involving one suspect” inside the store. KQED noted that it was not clear whether any of the people hit were the intended target. Detectives said they were “reviewing video footage and other evidence to identify the individual responsible for this heinous act of violence,” and the department said no further details would be released for now.

Inside the store. Witnesses described a chaotic scene in the minutes after the first shots. A man whose wife was inside the store told KCRA 3 reporter Denzen Cortez that she heard “like five, six, seven shots when people were running.” Another shopper, Miena Davis, said she had just walked in when she heard a series of popping sounds, then a second round. “Everything froze and was like, ‘What was that?'” Davis told KCRA 3. “And then another round of the same sound went off and then a bunch of shoppers started running.” She said people forced open a gate leading back into the mall so they could escape, and she left her car in the parking lot overnight. “It was immediate panic,” she said. “You heard a mom crying out for their child. And it just was so surreal.”

Federal help. The FBI’s Sacramento field office said it was sending its Evidence Response Team to assist Fairfield detectives. KCRA 3 reported that Suisun City police and the California Highway Patrol also responded on Friday night.

A city on edge on Halloween. The shooting came the night before Halloween. Solano Town Center, which has about 130 stores and restaurants, stayed open on Saturday but cancelled its planned Mall-O-Ween trick-or-treating event. Spirit Halloween said the store would remain closed until further notice “out of respect for those impacted and to support the ongoing investigation,” and said it was cooperating fully with police. Mayor Rick Vaccaro told KQED that residents should “just stand together,” adding: “I know it’s Halloween. Just be aware of everything around you tonight, and hopefully it’ll be a safe night.” Rep. John Garamendi, who represents the area, called it a “horrific tragedy” and said “what should have been a weekend of celebration has turned into a tragedy.”

Police statement. “We understand that an incident of this nature is frightening and deeply unsettling,” the department said on social media. “We encourage everyone to remain vigilant, look out for one another, and report any suspicious activity.” Fairfield, a city of about 120,000 people, sits roughly halfway between Sacramento and San Francisco.

How to help. Police asked anyone with information to call the Fairfield Police Department at 707-428-7600, saying “any information, no matter how small it may seem, could be valuable to this ongoing investigation.”

Sources

Fort Wayne, Indiana: Reginald Brooks Gets the Maximum 85 Years for Shooting Girlfriend Sajdah Abdur-Rabb, Mother of Nine

Location: Fort Wayne, Allen County, Indiana, USA (Allen Superior Court; killing in the 2200 block of Dunkelberg Road)

Legal status: Sentenced Oct. 30 to 85 years: 65 for murder plus 20 for a firearm enhancement, consecutive

The sentence. Reginald Brooks, 55, of Fort Wayne, was sentenced on Friday, Oct. 30, to 85 years in prison for the January 2025 shooting death of his girlfriend, Sajdah Abdur-Rabb, 50, a mother of nine, The Journal Gazette and 21Alive reported. The court imposed the maximum terms: 65 years for murder and 20 years for the firearm enhancement, to be served back to back. Brooks was ordered to pay $7,150 in restitution to her family, 21Alive reported, and was given credit for 638 days already spent in the Allen County Jail, The Journal Gazette reported.

Which judge. The Journal Gazette reported the sentence was handed down by Judge David Zent of Allen Superior Court. 21Alive reported Allen Superior Court Judge Fran Gull imposed it, and the Allen County Prosecutor’s Office had said in September that Gull would sentence Brooks on Oct. 30 at 11 a.m. The outlets conflict on this point.

The verdict. A jury found Brooks guilty of murder and the firearm enhancement on Sept. 30 after a four-day trial in Allen Superior Court, deliberating for about one hour and 20 minutes, the prosecutor’s office said at the time. The case was tried by Deputy Prosecutors Tasha Lee, Ashley Skibinski and Daylan Schurg, and investigated by the Fort Wayne Police Department Homicide Unit with help from the Indiana State Police Laboratory.

The night of Jan. 30, 2025. Abdur-Rabb was shot in the torso at a home in the 2200 block of Dunkelberg Road, in a mobile home park near Airport Expressway and Bluffton Road on Fort Wayne’s south side, and died at a hospital, 21Alive reported. Brooks was charged the next day. When officers arrived, a teenager came out through the back door and told them Brooks was armed, inside, and had shot his mother, court records cited by The Journal Gazette said. Brooks answered the front door but did not follow police instructions, repeatedly opening it and going back inside. When officers got in, they found Abdur-Rabb in a bathtub.

What the son told police. Her teenage son said Brooks, who was armed, had been arguing with his mother and threatening to kill them both, Detective Aaron Johnson wrote in a probable cause affidavit. Abdur-Rabb slapped the gun away, and the teenager picked it up, rolled it in a bath towel and handed it to her. He then saw Brooks with the Taurus 9mm in his open palm and a round was fired; he was unsure whether the shot was intentional or accidental, the affidavit said. Abdur-Rabb’s daughter told police the boy had called her, scared, saying Brooks had a gun and was threatening them, and that she heard Brooks yell in the background that he would kill the woman if she did not do something, then heard a gunshot.

Brooks’s account. Brooks told police a video had recorded Abdur-Rabb slapping the gun from his holster belt, that she pulled and ripped his shirt and told the teenager to grab the gun, and that the gun had no round in the chamber before the two of them had it. “I barely touched the trigger,” he told police, according to the affidavit. 21Alive reported investigators found that he had made threats to kill Abdur-Rabb and her son beforehand and that the gun went off during a struggle over the weapon. The jury rejected his account of the shooting as an accident and convicted him of murder.

The family. “Our thoughts remain with Sajdah Abdur Rabb’s family and loved ones as they continue to grieve her loss,” the prosecutor’s office said after the verdict.

Sources

Harris County, Texas: 15-Year-Old Charged With Murder in Chokehold Death of Father Samson Hernandez; Family Split Over Self-Defense

Location: West Harris County, Texas, United States (21400 block of Sagrantino Court)

Legal status: Juvenile charged with murder Oct. 29 on approval of the Harris County District Attorney’s Office; held at the Harris County Juvenile Detention Center awaiting first court appearance; not named because he is a juvenile; presumed innocent

The charge. A 15-year-old boy has been charged with murder in the death of his father, Samson Hernandez, 35, who died after his son held him in a chokehold during a family fight at a home in west Harris County, Texas, in May, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office said, KPRC and ABC13 reported. The Harris County District Attorney’s Office approved the charge on Thursday, Oct. 29, about six months after the death. The teenager, who has not been named because he is a juvenile, was booked into the Harris County Juvenile Detention Center and was there as of Friday night awaiting his first court appearance, ABC13 reported. He is presumed innocent.

What happened in May. Deputies were called to the 21400 block of Sagrantino Court around 3:45 a.m. on Tuesday, May 5, after a woman called 911 about a family disturbance, the sheriff’s office said. Hernandez, her estranged husband, no longer lived at the home. He got into a fight with her boyfriend that spilled into the front yard. His son intervened and held his father in a chokehold until law enforcement arrived, according to the sheriff’s office. Deputies found Hernandez unresponsive; he was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead, KPRC reported.

“Self-defense for his mom.” The boy’s great aunt, Kandice Stofel, told ABC13 the family was shocked. “We figured and thought it was a clear cut case of self-defense for his mom,” she said. “I’m still wrapping my head around that it is murder.” She said he only meant to restrain his father. “He was hoping he would just hold him there until the police got there,” she said. “He didn’t, I guess, realize the adrenaline and his own strength.” Stofel said she had expected manslaughter at most, and that he has no juvenile record. “Kid doesn’t do drugs, doesn’t drink,” she said. Stofel was not present during the fight.

“What’s right is right.” Hernandez’s older sister, Chasity Salazar, contacted ABC13 after its first report to say she supports the charge and wants the teenager tried and sentenced as an adult. “We want complete justice for him,” she said. “I am totally on board with him being charged with murder. What’s right is right and what’s wrong is wrong. He took the life of his father.” She said her view was based on conversations with the sheriff’s office. She also did not witness the confrontation. “Our family is grieving terribly,” Salazar said. “Losing him has taken so much out of me, and to be taken by his own blood hurts even worse.”

What is not known. The sheriff’s office said it presented the facts to the district attorney’s office, which brought the murder charge, and declined to give more detail because the defendant is a juvenile, ABC13 reported. Court records were not available for review for the same reason. Stofel said neither office had explained why murder was charged. Whether prosecutors will seek to certify him to stand trial as an adult is unknown; a legal analyst told ABC13 he did not expect that on the information so far.

The investigation. KPRC reported that the investigation is ongoing. ABC13 reported the boy was charged on Thursday after investigators presented their findings to prosecutors.

Sources

Joliet, Illinois: Jon Hansen Found Guilty of Murder in Shooting Tied to Romeo Nance’s 2024 Rampage

Location: Joliet and Joliet Township, Will County, Illinois, USA; Will County Courthouse

Legal status: Convicted by jury of first-degree murder and attempted murder; awaiting sentencing

The verdict. A Will County jury on Friday, Oct. 30, found Jon Hansen, 27, of Shorewood, guilty of first-degree murder and attempted murder over two shootings carried out on the same day in January 2024 that Romeo Nance killed seven members of his own family in Joliet, Shaw Local’s Herald-News and ABC7 Chicago reported. Jurors deliberated for about two hours after closing arguments that morning, according to the Herald-News.

The victims. Toyosi Bakare, 28, died of a gunshot wound to the head at the Pheasant Run Apartments in Joliet Township, and Mario Guerrero, 42, survived being shot in the leg on Davis Street inside the Joliet city limits, according to the reports. Nance and Hansen were in the same vehicle at the time of both shootings, prosecutors said.

The rampage. The two shootings were among nine on Jan. 21, 2024, all involving Nance, 23, of Joliet. About four hours earlier, prosecutors said, Nance shot and killed seven relatives on West Acres Road. He later fled to Texas, where he died by suicide during a confrontation with police. For months it was believed Nance acted alone in every shooting that day; Hansen’s alleged role in two of them was not made public until charges were filed about four months later, the Herald-News reported.

What Hansen admitted. According to the Will County Sheriff’s Office, Hansen admitted being with Nance when Bakare was shot and said Nance gave him the gun used to shoot Guerrero, ABC7 reported. He later told detectives he threw that gun into the DuPage River near his home.

The prosecution: the architect. Assistant State’s Attorney Mark Shlifka told jurors Hansen was the “architect” and “author” of the two shootings, repeatedly soliciting Nance and others to attack members of the rival Vice Lords gang. Prosecutors presented recovered texts in which Hansen was described as “treasurer” of the Milwaukee Kings and Nance as the “enforcer.” Neither Bakare nor Guerrero was a Vice Lords member, but both were wearing red and black, colours associated with that gang, and lived in areas prosecutors called Vice Lords territory. Shlifka said Hansen turned off his phone during the shootings, wiped it, changed his number and tossed a gun in the river. “The defendant wants to point the finger at Romeo but he is there every step of the way,” he said.

The defence: a survivor. Hansen’s lawyers from The Tomczak Law Group argued Nance alone was responsible, and showed jurors material from the West Acres Road killings to illustrate what kind of man he was. Attorney Jeff Tomczak called his client “low-hanging fruit” who was “sucked into a murder charge,” a “survivor” whom Nance used as a “useful idiot.” In a police interview played at trial, Hansen said he would never have met Nance that day had he known he had killed his family. “End it right now. Please, sign a not guilty verdict,” Tomczak urged.

The reply. Assistant State’s Attorney Alexandra Molesky said Nance “snapped” in a family crisis but that did not make Hansen less culpable. Hansen, she said, brought a “monster” with him and was now hiding behind that monster “so he doesn’t have to face the consequences of his own actions.”

Next. A sentencing date was not given in the reports. Hansen may appeal.

Sources

Los Angeles: Boyfriend and a Second Suspect Arrested in the Murder of Christina Downer, Sister of SNL Writer Jimmy Fowlie

Location: Los Angeles, California, USA (arrests in Highland Park and Tarzana; Downer last lived in Koreatown)

Legal status: Two booked on suspicion of murder Oct. 29, bail $2 million each; case going to the Los Angeles County District Attorney for a filing decision; not yet charged

The arrests. Los Angeles police have arrested Christina Downer’s boyfriend, Delorean Bijon Brandon, 41, and Kaylee Nicole Markowski, 34, on suspicion of murdering the 38-year-old woman, who disappeared nearly a year ago, the LAPD announced on Friday, Oct. 30, CBS Los Angeles, ABC7 and NBC Los Angeles reported. Downer was the sister of “Saturday Night Live” writer Jimmy Fowlie. Both were booked at the Metropolitan Detention Center and held on $2 million bail each. No charges have been filed; Robbery-Homicide Division detectives plan to present the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for filing consideration. Brandon and Markowski are presumed innocent.

Where and when. Police said detectives arrested Brandon in the 6000 block of Garvanza Avenue, near Figueroa Street in Highland Park, and Markowski in the 6000 block of Tampa Avenue in Tarzana, on Thursday, Oct. 29, according to the LAPD release cited by CBS Los Angeles and ABC7. NBC Los Angeles reported that Brandon was arrested Friday and, in its first report, described the two people arrested as two men. The LAPD release gives Thursday as the arrest date for both.

What police allege. Detectives “used various investigative techniques” and identified Brandon and Markowski as responsible for Downer’s murder, the disposal of her body and the concealment of their involvement, ABC7 reported from the release. Police have not said how she died or what evidence led to the arrests, and CBS Los Angeles reported it was unclear whether her body has been found.

The disappearance. Downer was reported missing on Dec. 18, 2025, after her ex-husband asked for a welfare check because he had not heard from her for an extended period, police said. She had last been contacted in late November, NBC Los Angeles reported. “Downer’s boyfriend, Delorean Brandon, claimed that she had moved out several months earlier, leaving behind all her belongings, including her vehicle and dog,” the LAPD release said, according to CBS Los Angeles. NBC Los Angeles reported the couple shared a residence in Koreatown. The Robbery-Homicide Division, which handles the department’s most complex cases, took over after Downer’s cellphone washed ashore on Santa Monica Beach.

Joshua Tree and the restraining orders. Earlier in October, investigators searched an Airbnb property in Joshua Tree with K-9 units and help from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, NBC Los Angeles reported; CBS Los Angeles reported that Los Angeles Fire Department personnel also took part. Police did not say what was found. Court records reviewed by NBC4 Investigates show all three people were linked by restraining order filings: Downer sought one against Markowski about a year before she vanished, and Brandon filed against Markowski more than once in recent years. All were dismissed after the parties did not appear in court.

Her brother’s campaign. Fowlie, a former West Hollywood comedy performer, kept his sister’s case in public view for months. In an April 29 Instagram post he wrote that the family had been told she was no longer alive. “Our prayers for her to be found safely have transformed into prayers for the truth to be revealed and for those responsible to be held accountable,” he wrote. “We have reason to believe that in the weeks before she went missing, her phone and social media were compromised. The individual(s) in possession of her phone used it to hide the fact she was gone, to ask for money, and to create a false narrative that she was going ‘off the grid.'” He called her “a beautiful person who matters in this world, especially to me,” WEHOonline reported.

Tips. Anyone with information is asked to call the Robbery-Homicide Division, West Bureau Section, at 213-382-9470, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Sources

Madison Heights, Michigan: Man, 21, Shot Dead at a Spirit Halloween Store; Suspect Beaten by Victim’s Family Before Arrest

Location: Madison Heights, Oakland County, Michigan, USA (Spirit Halloween, 32000 block of John R Road)

Legal status: Suspect, 21, in police custody in hospital; not yet charged; police expect to seek charges from Oakland County prosecutors

The shooting. A 21-year-old man from Detroit was shot several times and killed on the afternoon of Friday, Oct. 30, at a Spirit Halloween store in the Madison Place shopping complex in Madison Heights, a suburb north of Detroit, and a 21-year-old man from Oak Park is in police custody, CBS Detroit, FOX 2 Detroit, mlive and WWMT reported. The same evening, a separate shooting at a Spirit Halloween store in Fairfield, California, killed a pregnant woman and wounded six people. Police have not linked the two.

What police say happened. The two men knew each other, police said. Shortly after 2 p.m. an altercation broke out between two parties at the store on John R Road, south of 14 Mile Road, and one man drew a gun and shot the other, Police Chief Brent Lemerise told FOX 2. CBS Detroit and WWMT reported that police said the shooting happened inside the store, while mlive reported police described a brief altercation in the retail store’s parking lot. Officers found the wounded man, gave him emergency aid and sent him by ambulance to a hospital, where he died. Police said the shooting was not random and there was no ongoing threat to the public.

The suspect beaten. The man accused of firing was assaulted before he was taken into custody. CBS Detroit, FOX 2 and WWMT reported that police said he was beaten by the victim’s family; mlive reported he was beaten by several bystanders while officers arrested him. He was taken to a separate hospital with injuries police described as minor or not life threatening, and he will remain in custody. Police recovered a 9mm pistol believed to have been used, mlive reported.

Charges expected. Neither man had been named by Oct. 31. Detectives expect to seek criminal charges and will submit their reports to the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office for review, police said. No charge had been filed at last report, and the suspect is presumed innocent.

The gun question. “We’re still determining if this person was legally allowed to carry the gun, whether they had any firearms training,” Lemerise told CBS Detroit. He urged anyone who hears gunfire to move away from it and call 911.

Inside the store. Shoppers described panic in the days before Halloween. Cassandra Lainer told CBS Detroit she was in the middle of the store with her daughter when she heard shots near the checkout. “The shots came from the front. What was running through my mind was how to get up out of there to get home,” she said. Mika Wilson, 21, who was in line with her mother, told FOX 2: “We thought it was a balloon because it’s a party store,” adding that “people started scattering like ants” as more shots followed. Another worker said her boss “kicked down the door and we ran out the back.”

The response. Police from Troy, Ferndale and Hazel Park assisted at the scene, FOX 2 reported. Madison Heights police asked anyone who saw the shooting or has video to call Detective Sgt. Kari Randolph at 248-837-2737.

Sources

Minneapolis, Minnesota: Man Due for Prison Release Charged With Murder in 2020 Killing of Omar Berkley

Location: North Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States (near North 30th Avenue and Penn Avenue, Jordan neighborhood)

Legal status: Melvonte Lee Peterson, 35, of Blaine, charged Oct. 30 with second-degree murder; warrant issued while he serves a firearms sentence; presumed innocent

The charge. Melvonte Lee Peterson, 35, of Blaine, Minnesota, was charged on Friday, Oct. 30, in the Aug. 31, 2020, shooting death of Omar Berkley in north Minneapolis, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office and Minneapolis police said, according to CBS Minnesota, KARE 11, KSTP and MN Crime. KARE 11 and MN Crime reported two counts of second-degree murder: intentional murder without premeditation and murder committed during a drive-by shooting. CBS Minnesota described the counts as one of second-degree murder and one of second-degree drive-by shooting. Peterson was 29 at the time of the shooting. He is presumed innocent, and no attorney for him was named in the reports.

Why now. Peterson is serving a prison sentence for illegal firearm possession and was due to be released in early November, KSTP and CBS Minnesota reported. A warrant has been issued, and CBS Minnesota reported he is expected to be arrested on his release. Police told KARE 11 the investigation ran for several years, and that homicide investigators received additional witness testimony in late 2025 and developed further evidence before sending the case to prosecutors.

The shooting. At about 4:23 p.m. on Aug. 31, 2020, a ShotSpotter sensor picked up gunshots near North 30th Avenue and Penn Avenue, according to the complaint as summarized by MN Crime and KSTP. Officers found Berkley on the ground with gunshot wounds to his head and left thigh. MN Crime reported that a bystander was guarding a 9mm pistol nearby that had not been fired. Berkley was taken to North Memorial Health Hospital, where he died at about 5:06 p.m. Witnesses reported hearing four or five shots and seeing two vehicles, one silver and one black, speed away. KARE 11, citing police, placed the response in the 2900 block of Oliver Avenue North.

The gas station video. Investigators tracked the two vehicles on city cameras back to a gas station about four blocks away, the complaint says. MN Crime named it as the Full Stop Gas and Food Station. Footage showed a silver Buick LaCrosse with a visible licence plate, and investigators found the car had been sold to Peterson on June 29, 2020. The driver was wearing a distinctive yellow hat, white washed denim and blue and yellow shoes, and Peterson posted photos of himself in the same outfit on his public Facebook page that day, the complaint alleges. The video showed the Buick’s driver, alone in the car, leaving three to four minutes before the shooting.

The witness. A man who was in the black SUV told investigators that Peterson asked him to watch his gun while he went into the store, CBS Minnesota reported. The man said he followed Peterson’s car out of the station, and that a few blocks later the Buick braked suddenly as Berkley walked by and Peterson “started shooting,” according to the complaint. An hour before the shooting, an associate posted a photo of himself with Peterson on Facebook with a caption saying the two wanted the same person dead, prosecutors allege. That associate called Peterson about 10 minutes before the killing, the complaint says.

The gun and the phone. On Sept. 19, 2020, Saint Paul police arrested another man carrying a Glock 22 pistol that ballistics tests later matched to the killing, according to the complaint. Phone records placed Peterson’s phone near that man’s home during the period. Police arrested Peterson on Oct. 12, 2020, on another matter and seized his phone. Two days after the shooting, he had texted someone asking, “you want a 22?” the complaint says. An FBI cellular analysis team found his phone used towers consistent with being at the gas station and at the scene.

Record. The complaint lists two felony drug convictions, a third degree assault conviction and two convictions for being a felon in possession of a firearm, CBS Minnesota reported. Second-degree murder carries a maximum of 40 years in Minnesota.

Sources

New York City: Luigi Mangione’s Lawyers Renew Bid to Kill State Murder Case, Saying “There Is and Was No Other Gun”

The columned facade and steps of the New York State Supreme Courthouse at 60 Centre Street on an overcast day
New York State Supreme Court, 60 Centre Street, Manhattan. Photo: Beyond My Ken / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Location: Manhattan, New York, United States

Legal status: Defence filing Oct. 30 to 31; Justice Gregory Carro to hear arguments Dec. 10; federal sentencing Dec. 18; state charges pending and Mangione presumed innocent of them

The filing. Lawyers for Luigi Mangione filed new papers on Friday, Oct. 30, pressing New York Supreme Court Justice Gregory Carro to throw out the state second degree murder and weapons case over the killing of UnitedHealthcare executive Brian Thompson, arguing that Mangione’s August guilty plea to federal stalking charges means a state trial would put him in jeopardy twice for the same act, according to NBC News, The Guardian and ABC7 New York, reporting on Oct. 31. The filing, signed by Karen Friedman Agnifilo, Marc Agnifilo and Jacob Kaplan, is the defence reply to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Oct. 9 opposition. ABC7 reported it is the second time the defence has sought dismissal on these grounds. Carro is set to hear the matter on Dec. 10.

“No other gun.” The lawyers wrote: “Here, Mangione was charged by the federal grand jury with possession of the same firearm at the same time and at the same location as the People are charging here. There is and was no other gun.” They argued the two prosecutions target one harm. “The core misconduct of the federal and state prosecutions is the same: the intent to kill and the killing of Brian Thompson. Yes, stalking can also, in some circumstances, apply to conduct different and less extreme than intending to kill someone. But this has nothing to do with whether it also applies to intentional killing,” they wrote, as quoted by The Guardian. Agnifilo also wrote, according to ABC7: “There are no cases where the identical conduct, the same victim, the same gun, the same actions by the defendant, the same place and the same time, that was prosecuted by federal authorities was then also prosecuted by state authorities.”

The law. The US Constitution’s double jeopardy protection does not stop a state from prosecuting conduct already prosecuted federally, The Guardian noted. New York’s statute is broader: it says a person may not be twice prosecuted for the same offence or separately prosecuted for two offences based on the same act or criminal transaction. Legal experts told NBC News that the state must show the two cases address distinct “evils” to fit the narrow statutory exception. The defence wrote that “There is no basis to find such a difference, much less a sufficiently great difference as to fit within the narrow statutory exception.”

The prosecution’s position. District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office argues that the federal case was about interstate stalking and cyberstalking resulting in death, while the state indictment is a classic murder case. Lead prosecutor Joel Seidemann has pointed to the federal ruling by U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett that the stalking counts were not crimes of violence, a ruling that led to the dismissal of two counts that would have made Mangione eligible for the death penalty. “Statutory double jeopardy applies only when a defendant has been ‘separately prosecuted’ for the same misconduct, and dismissed federal charges do not constitute a separate prosecution,” prosecutors wrote, according to The Guardian.

The killing. In federal court Mangione admitted to using a 3D printed gun to shoot Thompson, a Minnesota father of two, outside the Midtown Hilton early on Dec. 4, 2024, as Thompson walked from his hotel to his company’s investor conference, NBC News reported. The gunman fired several times and fled, setting off an interstate manhunt. Mangione was arrested five days later at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after customers recognised him from police photos. He told the federal court he acted out of a personal grievance with the health insurance industry; investigators have said he was never a UnitedHealthcare policyholder. He pleaded guilty to two federal stalking counts on Aug. 14, 2026, and about an hour later his lawyers filed the first state dismissal motion.

What comes next. Mangione faces a possible life sentence when he returns to federal court on Dec. 18. If the state case survives, he faces a maximum of 25 years to life on the state murder charge. He remains presumed innocent of the state charges.

What the reports differ on. NBC News reported that the state trial had been set for Sept. 18; The Guardian reported Sept. 8. The reports describe the latest defence paper as both a reply letter and a renewed motion.

Sources

Newport, Rhode Island: Police Release Bodycam of Shootout Aboard Stolen Sailboat Pathfinder That Killed Brendan Norris, 27

A white stone lighthouse on Goat Island with moored sailboats in Newport Harbor behind it
Newport Harbor Light on Goat Island, Newport, R.I. Photo: Waz8 / Wikimedia Commons, CC0

Location: Newport, Newport County, Rhode Island, United States (North Anchorage, Newport Harbor; shooting Aug. 26, video released Oct. 30)

Legal status: Bodycam and surveillance video released Oct. 30; Brendan Norris, 27, killed by police gunfire Aug. 26; officer wounded in leg; Newport and Rhode Island State Police investigation under attorney general protocol continues

The release. Newport police on Friday, Oct. 30, released body camera footage and home surveillance video of the Aug. 26 shootout aboard a stolen sailboat in Newport Harbor in which officers shot and killed Brendan Norris, 27, a Newport resident, and one officer was wounded. Police Chief Ryan Duffy presented the footage in a recorded briefing the department called a “critical incident community debriefing”, posted to social media, according to Patch, WJAR NBC 10 and Boston 25 News. The video was the first public look at what happened on the water that morning, two months after the shooting.

The stolen boat. The vessel was the Pathfinder, a sailboat of about 40 feet. Officials in New Jersey said Norris was suspected of stealing it from Liberty Landing Marina in Jersey City four days before the shooting, Patch reported. The Newport harbormaster had been told on Aug. 25 that a sailboat stolen from New Jersey might be headed his way, WCVB reported. Shortly before 9 a.m. on Aug. 26 he spotted a boat anchored in North Anchorage. “The harbormaster had observed the anchored vessel’s name had been scraped from the stern, but the approximately 40-foot sailboat was a distinct model matching the reported stolen vessel,” Duffy said in the briefing, as quoted by WJAR. The harbormaster called police and ferried four Newport officers out to the boat in his own launch.

What the video shows. The footage shows officers speeding toward the Pathfinder with guns drawn. Police say Norris had the engine running and appeared to be weighing anchor, getting ready to leave, as they pulled alongside. Officers can be heard ordering him to stay on deck and show his hands. Instead he rushed below into the cabin. One officer saw him “rummaging inside the cabin and observes a metallic object that he believes resembled a gun barrel,” Duffy said, as quoted by Patch. “A gunshot was heard from inside the cabin, debris struck the officer in the face and he felt an impact to his right leg.” Police say Norris fired first. The video shows one officer scrambling back onto the harbormaster’s boat as the others fire down into the cabin. “Officers then discharged their firearms toward the threat,” Duffy said.

How he died. “Officers subsequently entered cabin and located the occupant unresponsive with a severe head injury and a firearm next to him,” the chief said. “Officers identified the suspect’s injury as significant and not compatible with life.” WJAR reported that officers shot Norris in the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene, Boston 25 News reported. The wounded officer was hit in the leg by shrapnel or debris from the shot fired out of the cabin; WJAR described a bullet grazing his leg, and WCVB reported he had been shot in the leg. He was taken to Newport Hospital and has since been released.

The investigation. Every officer who fired was placed on paid administrative leave under Newport police protocol, WCVB reported. Duffy said the shooting is being investigated jointly by Newport police and the Rhode Island State Police under the state attorney general’s protocol for police shootings. No finding on whether the use of deadly force was justified has been announced. Police have not said publicly what kind of gun was found beside Norris, how many shots officers fired, or how the boat travelled from Jersey City to Newport. Because Norris is dead, the New Jersey theft allegation against him will never be tested in court.

Sources

Nokomis, Florida: Franklin Raybon Jr. Gets Life Without Parole for North Jetty Park Shooting of Octavious Cummings Jr.

Location: Nokomis, Sarasota County, Florida, USA (North Jetty Park); Sarasota County court

Legal status: Convicted by jury; sentenced to life without parole on the murder count; sentencing on other counts pending

The sentence. A Port Charlotte man convicted of shooting a man dead in front of a crowd of beachgoers at North Jetty Park has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Circuit Judge Andrea Decanio imposed the sentence on Franklin Raybon Jr., 25, for first-degree murder with a firearm after a four-day trial that ended on Thursday, Oct. 29, WWSB (ABC7 Sarasota) and the Charlotte Sun reported on Oct. 31, citing the office of the State Attorney for Florida’s 12th Judicial Circuit.

The other verdicts. The 12-member jury also found Raybon guilty of attempted second-degree murder with a firearm, shooting from a vehicle within 1,000 feet of people, and child abuse. The life term covers only the murder count; he will be sentenced on the remaining charges at a later date, according to the State Attorney’s Office.

A fistfight, then gunfire. The shooting happened on May 19, 2024, at North Jetty Park in Nokomis. The man killed was Octavious Cummings Jr., 25, of North Port. Prosecutors said Raybon and Cummings had a “brief physical altercation” at the park. According to the State Attorney’s account, quoted by the Charlotte Sun, Raybon, his girlfriend and their infant daughter then got into their car and began to drive away. “Raybon abruptly stopped his car, fired several shots from inside the car in proximity to his girlfriend and 7 month old daughter, then got out of the driver’s seat and fired 11 more rounds over the car roof in the direction of Cummings, Sierra Speek and a large crowd of beachgoers and picknickers,” the release said.

The wound and the escape. Cummings was hit once in the chest and was pronounced dead at the scene. Raybon fired 13 rounds in all, prosecutors said, then drove off at high speed and stayed at large for two days before Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office deputies found and arrested him. “Ms. Speek came within inches of being killed by the gunfire,” the release said. The park was crowded with men, women and children at the time, many of them “in the direct line” of fire, according to the State Attorney’s Office.

The investigation. The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office investigated, with Detective Matthew Leavitt as the case agent. Assistant State Attorney Karen Fraivillig, the lead prosecutor, credited Leavitt with a “thorough and meticulous investigation,” the Charlotte Sun reported.

The prosecutor’s words. Fraivillig said Raybon showed indifference to life and contempt for the law. “The murder of Octavious Cummings was a cowardly act of retaliation for losing a fistfight that he initiated,” she said in a statement. “Raybon’s violent actions showed a complete disregard for the lives and safety of others, including the well-being of his infant daughter.”

What the child abuse count covers. The child abuse conviction relates to the shots Raybon fired from inside the car while his 7-month-old daughter was in the vehicle, as described by prosecutors and reported by WWSB. Sentencing on that count, the attempted murder count tied to Speek and the vehicle shooting count is still to be scheduled.

What comes next. Raybon has the right to appeal. The State Attorney’s Office directed further inquiries to Fraivillig’s Sarasota County office.

Sources

Oberlin, Ohio: Son Charged With Murder After Professor Pipo Nguyen-Duy and Wife Tran Thi Phong Are Shot Dead at Home

Location: Oberlin, Lorain County, Ohio, USA (off-campus home; car fire in the Oberlin College Conservatory parking lot)

Legal status: Charged with six counts of murder, four of felonious assault and one of tampering with evidence; held on $3 million bond; case heads to a Lorain County grand jury

The killings. Pipo Hieu Nguyen-Duy, 64, a professor of studio art and photography at Oberlin College since 1998 and a Guggenheim Fellowship recipient, and his wife, Tran Thi Phong, 56, were found shot to death in their off-campus home in Oberlin, Ohio, on Wednesday morning, Oct. 28, police said, ABC News and NBC News reported. “The male victim was discovered on the first floor of the residence and the female victim was discovered on the second floor. Both victims suffered from multiple gunshot wounds,” police said.

The accused. The professor’s 31-year-old child, identified by police as Daniel Jones of Ashland, Oregon, has been charged with six counts of murder, four counts of felonious assault and one count of tampering with evidence, NBC News reported. At the arraignment on Thursday, Oct. 29, Jones asked the judge to use gender-neutral pronouns and said they go by the name Asia Nguyen-Duy, NBC News reported. ABC News reported that a prosecutor described the suspect as formerly known as Asia Nguyen-Duy. Tran Thi Phong was the suspect’s stepmother. No plea was entered, and the accused is presumed innocent.

A burning car. The investigation began just before 9 a.m. Wednesday, when officers were called to the Oberlin College Conservatory parking lot for a smouldering vehicle, a silver Toyota hatchback with Oregon plates, a boarded-up window and a pipe sticking out of the roof, according to the incident report cited by NBC News. The car was registered to the suspect, who was found about two blocks away at 10:19 a.m. after a resident called police about a “wet disheveled man” at her front door, ABC News reported. The arrest was made without incident.

What the prosecutor told the court. Prosecutor Zachary Simonoff said the suspect asked the resident to record a video to post online. “He told her that he did not want the police involved,” Simonoff said. “In the video, he identifies himself as Asia Nguyen-Duy, says he’s escaping a cult. He also says, ‘Everything I did was on my own accord and I take full responsibility.'” Reading from a police report, Simonoff said the suspect told officers they had “killed his family” and gave the father’s address. Officers found “two people dead apparently from gunshot wounds with blood throughout the house.” The suspect had cuts to the face and injuries to the hand and arm. Ammunition was found in the car, but the weapon has not been found, the prosecutor said.

Bond. The suspect was carried into court by bailiffs in handcuffs and ankle shackles. Simonoff asked Oberlin Municipal Court Judge Farah L. Emeka for $1.5 million bail, which the defence agreed to, but Emeka set $3 million “given the egregious nature of the charges,” ABC News reported. The case will go to a grand jury in Lorain County Common Pleas Court. Simonoff said police had spoken with the suspect’s mother in Oregon, who said her child is psychotic and needs medication. A motive is under investigation.

The professor. Nguyen-Duy was born in Hue, Vietnam, and came to the United States in 1975 as a political refugee, becoming an internationally exhibited artist. “Pipo was beloved. During his years at Oberlin, he touched all of us through his passion for photography,” Oberlin College President Carmen Twillie Ambar said, calling him “a cherished colleague and a vibrant presence in the classroom and throughout campus.” The college sheltered in place at police request on Wednesday.

Sources

Pasco, Washington: One Dead, Several Hurt by Gunfire and Stabbings at Halloween Party Near Don Rubio’s

Location: Pasco, Franklin County, Washington, USA (1500 block of North Fourth Avenue, near West Court Street)

Legal status: Homicide investigation; victim not identified; no arrest or suspect announced as of Nov. 1

What happened. One person was killed and several others were injured early Saturday, Oct. 31, when gunfire broke out at a Halloween party at a business in the 1500 block of North Fourth Avenue in Pasco, near the restaurant Don Rubio’s, police said, Elkhorn Media Group, NBC Right Now and Apple Valley News Now reported. Calls began coming in around 1:20 a.m. reporting shots fired and people down. When officers arrived, they found several people hurt, some with gunshot wounds, Apple Valley News Now reported. One person was pronounced dead at the scene and several were taken to a local hospital.

Shot and stabbed. The Richland Police Department, which helped Pasco officers at the scene, said the incident involved multiple victims with both stab and gunshot wounds, NBC Right Now reported in an update at 9:40 a.m. Saturday. Early reports from Pasco police described it only as a shooting. The exact number of injured and their conditions had not been released.

A second call. Around the same time early Saturday, Pasco police also responded to a report of a stabbing near Interstate 82 and Fourth Avenue, the Tri-City Herald reported, according to Tri-Cities Today. Police had not said by Saturday afternoon whether that stabbing was connected to the party shooting or was a separate incident.

The victim. The Franklin County Coroner’s Office had not released the name of the person killed or the official cause and manner of death, Tri-Cities Today reported on Nov. 1. Franklin County Prosecutor Shawn Sant went to the scene Saturday morning and was briefed by Pasco Police Detective Sergeant Nathan Carlisle, the Tri-City Herald reported.

No suspect named. Pasco police called the shooting “isolated” and said there was no ongoing threat to the community. No suspect information or arrests had been announced. Sheriff’s offices from Franklin and Benton counties and police from Kennewick, Richland, West Richland and Prosser helped at the scene, Elkhorn Media Group reported. North Fourth Avenue between West Court Street and West Ruby Street was closed for several hours while detectives processed the scene.

The video appeal. “Investigators are particularly interested in surveillance footage from nearby businesses, security camera recordings, and cell phone videos taken by individuals attending the Halloween party. Any footage captured before, during, or immediately after the incident may provide valuable information to investigators,” the department wrote in a Facebook post quoted by NBC Right Now.

A rough three weeks. It was the third major gunfire incident in Pasco in about three weeks, Tri-Cities Today reported. On Oct. 10, a gang-related shootout left a 15-year-old boy dead and two others hurt, and two juveniles were later charged with murder. On Oct. 21, a Richland police detective fatally shot a man during a multi-agency warrant operation in Pasco. Police have not said whether Saturday’s shooting is linked to the gang violence behind the Oct. 10 case. Tri-Cities police departments had already stepped up patrols for Halloween weekend.

Tips. Anyone with information or video is asked to call Pasco police at 509-628-0333, referencing case 26-056485, or to upload footage through the department’s online portal.

Sources

Philadelphia: Boy, 15, Shot Dead at a Port Richmond Gas Station on Halloween Night; Man, 40, in Custody

Location: Port Richmond, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA (Sunoco station, Richmond Street and Castor Avenue)

Legal status: Man, 40, in custody; not yet named or charged at last report; a second Halloween night killing in West Philadelphia has a known but uncaught suspect

The shooting. A 15-year-old boy was shot and killed at a Sunoco gas station at Richmond Street and Castor Avenue in Philadelphia’s Port Richmond neighbourhood just before 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31, as Halloween night got under way, and a 40-year-old man was taken into custody at a home nearby, Philadelphia police told 6abc, CBS Philadelphia, NBC10 and FOX 29. Neither the boy nor the man had been named by Sunday morning.

What police say happened. The boy was with a group of other teenagers when he got into an argument with the man, Police Inspector D.F. Pace told NBC10. The man pulled out a gun and fired, hitting the boy in the back, NBC10 reported. 6abc reported detectives said a single shot struck him near his back or side; FOX 29, citing an early police account, reported he had been shot multiple times. The boy ran about a block down Richmond Street and collapsed on the sidewalk in the 3600 block.

Strangers tried to save him. Two medical professionals who were driving along Richmond Street saw the commotion, stopped and began life-saving measures, alongside the boy’s friends. “They then also sprang into action and performed life-saving measures. Unfortunately, they were not enough to save him, but they were enough to allow officers to arrive, take him to the hospital and try to get him the best care possible,” Pace told 6abc. He was taken to St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, where he was pronounced dead, CBS Philadelphia reported. NBC10 gave the time of death as 7:06 p.m.; FOX 29 gave 7:18 p.m.

The arrest. Officers quickly gathered information about what happened and who was responsible, then went to a house about a block away, which 6abc reported was the man’s parents’ home, and found him there. “Officers very quickly were able to again gather information on what exactly happened, and who might have been responsible, and based on that information they went to a home just about a block away and located the offender,” Pace said. NBC10 reported a weapon was recovered; FOX 29, in an earlier report on Saturday night, said no weapons had been found at the scenes and no arrests had yet been made. No charge had been announced at last report, and the man is presumed innocent.

No motive yet. “It’s certainly a very tragic incident. We have a 15-year-old male whose life has been cut short, and we don’t know the reason for that,” Pace said. “It’s unclear what exactly might have precipitated it.” Surveillance video captured the shooting, and investigators consider it a key piece of evidence, 6abc reported.

Minutes earlier in West Philadelphia. At 6:49 p.m., one minute before the Port Richmond call, a 40-year-old man was found shot multiple times at close range on the front porch of a home in the 1200 block of North Redfield Street; he died shortly after 7:15 p.m., FOX 29 reported. Pace told CBS Philadelphia the motive appeared to be relationship-related: the man was allegedly shot by the ex of the woman he was dating. Police know who the shooter is, but he was not in custody.

Two more shootings. In Kingsessing, a 37-year-old man was shot multiple times and left in very critical condition after a driver in a grey Pontiac reversed into the Jeep he was riding in and the two argued, CBS Philadelphia reported; a man known to police was arrested. In Fairhill, a 32-year-old man was shot in the hip on East Cambria Street at about 7:15 p.m. and was stable, with no arrest. Anyone with information can call 215-686-TIPS.

Sources

Queens, New York: Angel Apodaca Charged With Murder of Estranged Wife Tania Morales Garcia, Stabbed About 40 Times With Son, 2, at Home

Location: Kew Gardens Hills, Queens, New York City, United States (Park Drive East)

Legal status: Arraigned on a criminal complaint charging second-degree murder, fourth-degree weapon possession and endangering the welfare of a child; remanded without bail; return date Nov. 1; faces up to 25 years to life if convicted; presumed innocent

The charge. Angel Apodaca, 22, of Richmond Hill, Queens, has been charged with second-degree murder in the stabbing death of his estranged wife, Tania Morales Garcia, 24, in her Kew Gardens Hills apartment while their 2-year-old son was at home, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced, QNS and the Queens Chronicle reported. He is also charged with fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon and endangering the welfare of a child. Queens Supreme Criminal Court Judge Thomas Wright-Fernandez remanded him without bail and ordered him back in court on Nov. 1. He faces up to 25 years to life in prison if convicted. He is presumed innocent.

The district attorney. “As alleged, Angel Apodaca ruthlessly stabbed his estranged wife approximately 40 times,” Katz said. “This senseless brutality was carried out while the couple’s 2-year-old son was in the home. Our thoughts are with Tania Morales Garcia’s loved ones as we seek justice on her behalf.”

What prosecutors allege. According to the charges, between about 7 p.m. and 8:40 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 26, Apodaca went to the Park Drive East apartment where Morales Garcia lived with their son and stabbed her repeatedly. Police received multiple 911 calls. Officers from the 107th Precinct in Fresh Meadows found her lying unresponsive in a pool of blood in the bedroom with multiple stab wounds to her head and body and slash wounds on her arms, the district attorney’s office said. Apodaca was in the apartment with cuts on his hands and blood on his clothing. The boy was also there, his clothes stained with blood.

Her injuries. Emergency medical crews rushed Morales Garcia to New York Presbyterian Queens Hospital, where she was pronounced dead from about 40 stab wounds, most of them to her back, QNS reported. The child was examined at a hospital and found to have no physical injuries. Crime scene investigators recovered a bloodied knife from a dresser in the bedroom.

The arrest. Apodaca was taken to a hospital to be treated for the cuts on his hands, then held as a person of interest. After he made statements and admissions during questioning, he was arrested and booked at the 107th Precinct on Tuesday night, Oct. 27, QNS reported. The investigation was conducted by Detective Abigail Soto of the 107th Precinct Detective Squad and Detective Anthony Faranda of the Queens South Homicide Squad. Assistant District Attorney Samantha Delao of the Homicide Bureau is prosecuting.

When he was arraigned. The district attorney’s release, dated Oct. 29, says he was arraigned “today,” and QNS reported the arraignment was on Thursday, Oct. 29. The Queens Chronicle reported it took place on Friday morning. The Chronicle and the district attorney describe the court as Queens Supreme Criminal Court; QNS says Queens Criminal Court.

Presumption. “Criminal complaints and indictments are accusations. A defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty,” the district attorney’s office noted in its announcement. QNS reported that Apodaca lived on 102nd Street in Richmond Hill and that the apartment was at 69-43 Park Drive East.

Sources

Rapid City, South Dakota: Antwon Long Visitor, 19, Charged With First-Degree Murder of Jason Brave; Bail Set at $15 Million

Location: Rapid City, Pennington County, South Dakota, United States (1500 block of Kellogg Place, Star Village neighborhood)

Legal status: Charged with first-degree murder, a Class A felony, and misdemeanor obstruction; bail set at $15 million cash only at an initial appearance on Oct. 29; next court date Nov. 13 at 9:45 a.m.; presumed innocent

The charge. Antwon Long Visitor, 19, of Rapid City, is charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of Jason Brave, 19, who was killed in the early hours of Tuesday, Oct. 27, in the Star Village neighborhood, the Rapid City Journal and KOTA reported. He is also charged with misdemeanor obstruction. At his initial appearance before Magistrate Judge Janki Sharma at the Pennington County Courthouse on Thursday, Oct. 29, bail was set at $15 million cash only. His next court date is Nov. 13 at 9:45 a.m. He is presumed innocent.

The stakes. In South Dakota, first-degree murder is a Class A felony with a mandatory minimum of life in prison, the Journal reported, and the maximum includes the possibility of the death penalty and a $50,000 fine. The obstruction count is a Class 1 misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $2,000 fine. Prosecutors told the court they believe the shooting was premeditated and that Long Visitor “cannot under any circumstances be released,” KOTA reported. He did not make a bail argument. Judge Sharma agreed he is an “extreme danger to the community” and granted the state’s request.

What prosecutors allege. The state alleged at the hearing that Long Visitor shot Brave twice in the chest and then led law enforcement on a high speed chase at more than 100 mph. Police said a blue Chevrolet pickup was seen leaving the scene shortly after the shooting. At about 1:40 a.m., the same truck was seen speeding along Elk Vale Road, and the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office tried to stop it, but the driver kept going. The chase ended near East Highway 44 and Lonetree Road. Prosecutors said Long Visitor and Harley High Wolf, 21, of Rapid City, then hid in a bog, and officers needed thermal imaging to find them. KOTA reported that drones were also used. Several firearms were recovered from the pickup and the two men.

The second man. High Wolf was taken into custody on a federal warrant. He has not been charged with anything related to the shooting or the chase, KOTA reported. The Pennington County State’s Attorney’s Office said High Wolf was assaulted by three other inmates while in custody on Wednesday night. What led to that attack is not known. Long Visitor was first held on suspicion of obstruction before being charged with homicide. Police said on Wednesday, Oct. 28, that further witness interviews and physical evidence pointed to him as the shooter. KOTA spells the second man’s surname Highwolf; the Journal uses High Wolf.

The family. Brave’s mother, Glenabah Tulley, spoke at the initial appearance and described her son as a “warrior.” “Jason was my only son,” she said. “He was a kind boy who helped his community.” Officers were called to a home in the 1500 block of Kellogg Place at about 12:50 a.m. and found Brave with a gunshot wound, KOTA reported. He was taken to a hospital, where he died. The Journal placed the shooting on Kellogg Drive, and police and radio outlets spell the accused’s name Longvisitor. Police have not said what led to the shooting or whether the two young men knew each other. Anyone with information can call Detective James Halterman at 605-394-4134.

Sources

San Antonio, Texas: Arrest in 2019 Cold Case of Megan Gonzalez, 20, Whose Burned Body Was Found on Wisdom Road

Location: San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas, USA (body found in the 12000 block of Wisdom Road, southwest Bexar County)

Legal status: Joey Emiliano Tovar-Vargas, 24, arrested Oct. 29 and charged with tampering with evidence; not charged with murder; investigation open

The arrest. The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office arrested Joey Emiliano Tovar-Vargas, 24, on the evening of Thursday, Oct. 29, in connection with the 2019 death of Megan Gonzalez, 20, whose burned body was found in a field in southwest Bexar County, Sheriff Javier Salazar announced, KSAT and La Opinión en Texas reported on Nov. 1. Tovar-Vargas was booked on a charge of tampering with evidence, linked to the disposal of her body, and on an unrelated human smuggling warrant from another county. He has not been charged with her killing, and he is presumed innocent. KENS 5 spelled her name Meagan Gonzales in its headline; KSAT and La Opinión use Megan Gonzalez.

The last sighting. Gonzalez was last seen alive around Nov. 11, 2019, with Tovar-Vargas in her vehicle, according to the sheriff’s office. She was reported missing to San Antonio police on Nov. 15, 2019. On Dec. 2, 2019, her truck was found in the 5300 block of Northwest Loop 410, and investigators found blood in the truck bed that DNA testing later linked to her.

The body. The next day, Dec. 3, 2019, her remains were found in the 12000 block of Wisdom Road. The body was burned and badly decomposed and was wrapped in a blanket with a distinctive pattern, officials said. That blanket, La Opinión en Texas noted, would later become a key piece in reconstructing what happened.

Why the case went cold. Tovar-Vargas was a suspect from early on, Salazar said, but investigators had little evidence tying him to the case, and the investigation went cold after leads were exhausted. This year the sheriff’s office cold case team applied technology that was not available in 2019 to evidence already in hand, chiefly his cellphone, which officials described as a “treasure trove” of information, KSAT reported.

What investigators say they found. Phone records place him near where Gonzalez’s belongings were dumped in a neighbourhood and near the apartment complex where her truck was found, investigators said. The phone also held searches about how long fingerprints last and how to delete social media accounts. Witnesses saw him dumping items in the days after she disappeared and before her body was found, and investigators believe he asked a witness for help moving a body. Photos on his phone showed the distinctively patterned blanket inside his home before her death, officials said.

Other cases. The sheriff’s office said Tovar-Vargas has a lengthy criminal history and is a suspect in domestic violence cases involving three other women, all of whom are alive. Investigators believe he and Gonzalez were dating but have no reports of violence between them, KSAT and La Opinión en Texas reported. KENS 5 reported Salazar said Tovar-Vargas has been charged with domestic violence involving three separate victims, not including Gonzalez, and that he did not know whether there was a history of violence between the two.

“What we can prove.” Salazar stressed that the suspect is not being charged with homicide at this time. “There’s a difference between what we believed happened and what we can prove,” he said, according to KENS 5. KENS 5 reported the arrest, carried out with SWAT, came on Saturday night, while KSAT and La Opinión en Texas give Thursday evening, Oct. 29. KENS 5 said the cold case team found the new evidence in 2025. Her father, Eddie Gonzales, told KENS 5 he was happy there was some movement in the case. “She was supposed to go to work and I found out she didn’t go to work, and that what started triggering me,” he said during the search in 2019.

What comes next. The question of who caused her death remains open, La Opinión en Texas reported, and the sheriff’s office said the case is still under investigation. Salazar presented the arrest at a news conference broadcast by KSAT. Anyone with information is asked to call the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office at 210-335-6000.

Sources

Statesboro, Georgia: Lucas Lopez Fields Gets Life Plus 15 Years for Gang Robbery and Shooting That Killed Jabari Walker, 17

Location: Statesboro, Bulloch County, Georgia, USA; Bulloch County Superior Court (Ogeechee Judicial Circuit)

Legal status: Convicted by jury of malice murder and other counts; sentenced to life plus 15 years

The verdict. A Bulloch County jury on Friday, Oct. 30, convicted Lucas Lopez Fields of malice murder in the August 2023 shooting death of 17-year-old Jabari Nasir Walker in Statesboro, and Superior Court Judge Ronnie Thompson sentenced him to life in prison plus 15 years immediately after the verdict, WTOC, WSAV and Grice Connect reported, citing Ogeechee Judicial Circuit District Attorney Catherine A. Sumner.

The full list of counts. Jurors also found Fields guilty of felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault, robbery by force, theft by receiving stolen property and three counts of violating Georgia’s Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act. The district attorney’s office described the case as a gang-related robbery and shooting. Assistant District Attorney JB Edwards prosecuted, according to Grice Connect.

A robbery, then a killing within the hour. According to evidence presented at trial, as summarised by the district attorney’s office, Statesboro police were called on Aug. 20, 2023, to the Eagle Court Apartments on Lanier Drive, where an adult man reported that several male suspects had robbed him of his belongings and fled in a vehicle. “Less than one hour later, SPD officers and detectives responded to a residence on Ladd Circle following a report of a shooting,” the office said in its release, quoted by WSAV. “Upon arrival, officers located Walker, who had died from multiple gunshot wounds.”

The stolen car that linked the cases. Investigators quickly connected the robbery and the shooting to a vehicle that had earlier been reported stolen to the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office. Statesboro officers, working with sheriff’s investigators, recovered the vehicle after it was abandoned and processed it for evidence, prosecutors said.

Two months of warrants. Over the next two months, the two agencies executed search warrants for electronic data and physical locations and carried out extensive witness interviews, according to the release. On Nov. 9, 2023, four people, including Fields, were arrested and charged with offences related to the homicide and with active participation in the criminal street gangs Sex Money Murder and RMO, the district attorney’s office said. Fields has been in custody continuously since that arrest. The court outcome for the other three people arrested was not described in the reports.

Forensics and federal help. The case drew on the GBI Crime Lab and the FBI’s Cellular Analysis Tracking Team as well as a gang intervention expert, according to the office’s statement. “We extend our sincere gratitude to the investigators, law enforcement partners, and forensic experts whose tireless efforts in this multi-agency investigation brought this defendant to justice and secured closure for Mr. Walker’s family,” the district attorney’s office said. It named Statesboro detectives Katie Reese, Keith Holloway and Dustin Cross, Interim Chief Jared Akins, Bulloch County investigators Don White and Will Sims, four GBI Crime Lab scientists including Dr. Sandra Reynolds, gang expert Jose Ramirez, and Jerome De Sheers of the FBI CAST unit.

The victim. Jabari Nasir Walker was 17 when he was killed at the Ladd Circle home. The reports did not describe what role, if any, he had in the earlier robbery or why he was shot.

What comes next. Fields can appeal the conviction and sentence.

Sources

Stow, Ohio: Boyfriend Pierre Wade Charged With Felony Murder in Shooting Death of Larretta Allison, 36

Location: Stow, Summit County, Ohio, United States (4100 block of Vira Road)

Legal status: Charged with first-degree felony murder, authorized by the Summit County Prosecutor’s Office Oct. 31; held in Summit County Jail; video arraignment set for Nov. 2 at 10 a.m. in Stow Municipal Court; presumed innocent

The charge. Pierre N. Wade, 38, has been charged with first-degree felony murder in the shooting death of his girlfriend, Larretta Ann Allison, 36, who was found dead inside her home on Vira Road in Stow, Ohio, on Wednesday, Oct. 28, Stow police said, WKYC and Cleveland 19 reported. The Summit County Prosecutor’s Office authorized the charge on Saturday, Oct. 31. Wade is held in the Summit County Jail and is due to be arraigned by video in Stow Municipal Court on Monday, Nov. 2, at 10 a.m. He is presumed innocent.

The arrest. Stow police named Wade as a suspect on Saturday, Cleveland 19 reported. A day earlier, on Friday, the department had sent a be on the lookout notice to area law enforcement for the car he was driving. Cuyahoga County sheriff’s deputies found him in Cleveland and arrested him on an unrelated failure to appear warrant issued by Stow police. A handgun was found in the car during the arrest, police said. Wade was booked at the Stow City Jail and then transferred to the county jail. WKYC described the police release as issued on Sunday morning, while also reporting the charge was authorized Saturday; Cleveland 19 dated the identification to Saturday.

The discovery. Officers went to the house in the 4100 block of Vira Road around 5:20 p.m. on Wednesday to help a landlord with a tenant issue, Stow Police Captain Bryan Snavely said, according to Cleveland 19. While police were at the scene, members of Allison’s family arrived and told officers they were worried because they had not been able to reach her. “A family member did enter the home, and police were there as well,” Police Chief Heather Prusha said. Allison was found inside with multiple gunshot wounds. The Summit County Medical Examiner identified her.

Days, not hours. “She has been deceased for a couple of days, that’s a broad estimate,” Prusha told Cleveland 19. In a Thursday interview with WKYC, the chief said: “There’s a little bit of discrepancy as to who was the last person to contact her, and we haven’t had that timeline nailed down yet. But it seems like it’s been a couple of days since anyone had contact with her.” A neighbour told Cleveland 19 he heard screams from his backyard. “I heard this woman screaming and I couldn’t understand a word she said. That was her sister I guess that discovered she was killed,” he said.

A targeted shooting. On Thursday, before any arrest, Prusha said investigators were looking into Allison’s relationships. “We do believe that it was a targeted shooting,” she told WKYC. “Like any homicide, there’s a one third, one in three, chance that it was domestic related, and so that’s where we’re starting.” The type of gun used has been identified but will not be released until later, police said.

The investigators. Stow detectives and agents from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation are handling the case. Outlets spell her surname both Allison and Allisson; the medical examiner’s identification as reported by WKYC and Cleveland 19 gives Larretta Ann Allison. The Akron Beacon Journal also reported the felony murder charge.

Sources

Texarkana, Texas: Two Charged With Murder of Fran’Davion Smith, 19, Shot in His Front Yard in What Police Call a Random Attack

Location: Texarkana, Bowie County, Texas, United States (400 block of Blanton Street, Beverly neighborhood)

Legal status: Willie Terrell Fobbs and Ravyn Betts charged with murder and booked into the Bi-State Jail after arrests on Oct. 29 and Oct. 30; Betts’s bail set at $2 million; presumed innocent

The charges. Texarkana, Texas, police have charged two people with murder in the shooting death of Fran’Davion Smith, 19, who was killed in the front yard of a home on Blanton Street on Monday night, Oct. 26. Willie Terrell Fobbs, 32, is accused of firing the shots. Ravyn Betts, 28, is accused of driving him around the Beverly neighborhood that night while he looked for someone to confront, police said Friday, Oct. 30, Texarkana Today, KSLA and the Texarkana Gazette reported. Both are held in the Bi-State Jail. The Gazette reported that Betts’s bail is $2 million. Both are presumed innocent.

A random target. “At this point, investigators have found no known connection between either suspect and Smith,” the Texarkana, Texas, Police Department said. “The evidence indicates this was a completely random act of violence.” According to police, Fobbs was upset about something unrelated when he came across Smith walking down Blanton Street. He is alleged to have fired several shots at Smith as the young man ran into his front yard, hitting him multiple times. Smith died at the scene before officers arrived.

The night of the shooting. Officers were sent to the area of Blanton and Wheeler streets at about 9:55 p.m. after callers reported hearing about eight shots fired in rapid succession, Texarkana Today reported. They found Smith lying in a yard in the 400 block of Blanton Street. KSLA’s account put the call at around 10 a.m., which conflicts with the other outlets and the police timeline of a Monday night shooting.

How police found him. Detectives identified Fobbs using surveillance video from the area and leads developed by patrol officers, police said. Earlier in the week they recovered the car and the gun used in the shooting. Police allege Betts knew Fobbs was armed, stayed with him at an area hotel for more than a day after the shooting, and never contacted police. She was arrested Thursday, Oct. 29, as she walked near an apartment complex on College Drive, and was booked on a first-degree felony murder charge, jail records reviewed by Texarkana Today show. Detectives then watched several places where Fobbs was known to spend time. At about 9 a.m. Friday, they saw him leave an apartment complex on North State Line Avenue, pulled him over and arrested him without incident.

An earlier booking. Texarkana Today reported that Fobbs also had a misdemeanor warrant out of Illinois, according to police radio traffic, and that Nash police had arrested him on Aug. 12 on an Illinois probation violation warrant and booked him into the Bi-State Jail as a hold for another agency. Jail records available online do not show when he was released, the outlet reported.

The chief. “This was a very difficult case to solve that initially had almost no leads,” Police Chief Kevin Schutte said. “However, our officers and detectives have worked day and night for the last four days and never gave up. They left no stone unturned.” He added that while the arrests cannot heal the pain of Fran’Davion’s family and friends, he hoped they would bring “some measure of peace.” In Texas, murder is a first-degree felony punishable by five to 99 years or life in prison.

Sources

Toledo, Ohio: Charges Dropped Against Eljay Crisp-Carr, 20, Jailed Five Months Over Old West End Festival Shooting That Wounded 12

Location: Toledo, Lucas County, Ohio, United States (Lucas County Court of Common Pleas; shooting at the Old West End Festival, June 6)

Legal status: All charges against Eljay Crisp-Carr dismissed without prejudice Oct. 30 and he was released; Ka’Nye Taylor still charged and presumed innocent; investigation active

The dismissal. Prosecutors in Lucas County, Ohio, on Friday, Oct. 30, dropped every charge against Eljay Crisp-Carr, 20, who had been held for about five months as one of the suspected gunmen in the June 6 shooting at Toledo’s Old West End Festival, in which 12 people were shot, according to The Guardian and WTVG 13abc. Crisp-Carr had faced more than 50 felony counts, including 25 counts of attempted murder. At a hearing before Judge Lori Olender of the Lucas County Court of Common Pleas, prosecutors asked for the case to be dismissed without prejudice, which means it could be refiled, and the judge agreed. He was released from jail the same day, and 13 Action News filmed him embracing his mother.

The alibi. Filings by his lawyers had argued he was never at the festival. The defence said he was several blocks away, on a different stretch of Glenwood Avenue on the far side of Interstate 75, and that video and cellphone records proved it, WTVG reported. The prosecutor’s office acknowledged it had turned over material that helped him. “Due to new and developing evidence, the State of Ohio asked the court to dismiss the charges against Eljay Crisp-Carr without prejudice, and the court granted the request,” Lucas County Prosecuting Attorney Julia R. Bates said. “In September 2026, the Lucas County Prosecutor’s Office informed Mr. Crisp-Carr’s attorney of discovery that may support his defense.” Bates added: “As we said after the shooting in June, we will try this case in a courtroom, not in a court of public opinion.”

What he says. “God is good. God is great. Thank the man above for another day to get my life back. I’ve been reborn,” Crisp-Carr told the 13 Action News I-Team. Asked whether he had been misidentified from photographs, he said: “Yes, sir. Just picking with me.” He said he tried to tell investigators he was not the man in the photo. “They told me I was a monster. They just incriminated me.” His mother, April Carr, told WKYC she was “ecstatic”, and told 13abc: “All you people that was on Facebook talking about nooses and all that, put that around your tongue for maybe once and awhile.” Defence attorney Alex Bodiford told WKYC the real shooter “might be still out here still shooting.”

The shooting and the other cases. The festival shooting broke out in the historic Old West End district, with hundreds of people at the annual event, when a fight between rival groups escalated and two people fired at each other, though neither shooter was among the wounded, The Guardian reported. Police have said three of the 12 people shot were involved with the gangs and nine were bystanders. Organisers cancelled the festival’s second day. Ka’Nye Taylor still faces dozens of charges in the case, and a juvenile, whose name has not been made public, is charged with bringing a gun to the scene but is not accused of firing. Both are due back in court in November. Taylor and the juvenile are presumed innocent. “Our focus remains on seeking justice for those injured in the Old West End Festival shooting,” Toledo Police Sgt. Mohamad Nasser said. “The investigation remains active.”

Sources

Troy, Alabama: Two Troy University Students Charged With Murder in Shooting Death of Classmate Carlique Miller, 21

Location: Troy, Pike County, Alabama, United States (The Edge @ Troy apartments, 600 block of Elm Street)

Legal status: Dejuane Lamar Washington and Keifer Jayden Walker charged with murder and held without bond pending Aniah’s Law hearings; a third student charged with drug offenses; all three in the Pike County Jail; presumed innocent

The charges. Two Troy University students have been charged with murder in the shooting death of Carlique Miller, 21, a Troy University student from Dothan who was shot outside an off-campus apartment complex on Thursday night, Oct. 29, Troy police said. Dejuane Lamar Washington, 20, of Gadsden, and Keifer Jayden Walker, 18, of Montgomery, are held in the Pike County Jail without bond pending a hearing under Aniah’s Law, the Alabama constitutional amendment that lets judges deny pretrial bail to people charged with certain violent crimes, WSFA and TrojanVision reported. They are presumed innocent.

The third arrest. Parker Hughes Thompson, 18, of Wetumpka, also a Troy student, is charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance, with a $1,500 bond, and conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, with a $5,000 bond, police said. He is not charged in the killing. Troy Police Chief Danny Barron announced all three arrests on Saturday, Oct. 31, the Troy Messenger reported. Troy University said the three have been suspended and barred from campus, according to TrojanVision.

The shooting. Officers were called to a report that someone might have been shot in the 600 block of Elm Street at 10:41 p.m. on Thursday, police said. They found Miller unresponsive with a gunshot wound and attempted CPR, but he died. The address is The Edge @ Troy, an apartment complex just outside campus. TrojanVision’s first report on Oct. 30 gave the time of the call as 11:41 p.m. and said two people were already in custody; later police releases put the call at 10:41 p.m. The Tropolitan, the student newspaper, identified Miller as a freshman business entrepreneurship major.

The witnesses. Residents told TrojanVision the gunfire came at about 10:40 p.m. outside building 400. “We heard a big bang outside and then some yelling,” said Sydney Parker, a sophomore dance major from Hayden. “We went outside and we saw a silver car kind of backing up and then pulling into a parking spot,” she said. “Then we saw two males get out and run towards our right from our balcony. They were screaming, ‘my homeboy just got shot.'” Another resident, Kairi Walker, said she heard “a loud pop” and did not realize at first that it was gunfire. Parker said officers ran in with guns drawn, asking where someone had gone, and spoke with residents. Apartment staff were seen checking on residents. The complex told TrojanVision it could not comment.

The university. “The University community is deeply saddened by the loss of one of our students,” Matt Clower, Troy University’s senior director of communications, said in a statement. “We extend our heartfelt condolences to the student’s family and friends as they grieve.” He said there was no active threat to campus, and the Student Counseling Center is offering support.

The investigation. The Pike County District Attorney’s Office, the Alabama Department of Forensic Science, the Troy University Police Department, the Pike County Sheriff’s Office and the Pike County Coroner’s Office are assisting. Police have not released a motive or said what role each man is alleged to have played. Anyone with information is asked to call Troy police at 334-566-0500, Crime Stoppers at 215-7867, or email police@troyal.gov.

Sources

Calgary, Alberta: Body Parts Found in Two Bins in Hoarded Skyview Ranch Condo; Michael Lee Sent for Psychiatric Assessment, Helen Lee Stays in Custody

Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada (condo in the 200 block of Skyview Ranch Road N.E.; Calgary Court of Justice)

Legal status: Michael Lee, 49, and Helen Lee, 50, each charged with indignity to a dead body; remanded in custody; presumed innocent; no homicide charge laid; remains not yet identified

The court hearing. A Calgary couple charged after human remains were found in their home appeared in the Calgary Court of Justice on Friday, Oct. 30, where a forensic psychiatrist told the judge police found body parts in two bins inside a hoarded condo, and that the couple had been living with the woman whose remains they were, according to CBC News and the Calgary Herald. Michael Lee, 49, and his wife Helen Lee, 50, are each charged with indignity to a dead body. Court documents accuse them of “improperly or indecently interfering” with “human remains through storage in containers” between Oct. 23 and Oct. 27, 2026, CBC reported. Both are presumed innocent, and neither has been charged with causing the death.

How the remains were found. Calgary Police Service officers were called at about 8:15 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 27, to a residence in the 200 block of Skyview Ranch Road N.E. for a welfare check and, during a search, found what police described as evidence consistent with human remains, the service said in a news release on Oct. 28. Police are treating the case as a suspicious death. Officers stayed at the property on Oct. 28 for further searches of the home and surrounding area. An autopsy was set for Thursday, Oct. 29, and police said the victim would be named once identified by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. The results had not been released by Nov. 1.

What the psychiatrist said. Dr. Ken Hashman, who interviewed both accused, told the court officers had described “a hoarding situation” with “only a very narrow aisle where people could walk through,” CBC reported. He said he had “significant concerns” that Michael Lee may suffer “some form of psychotic mental disorder that would have serious impact on his potential fitness to stand trial,” with possible delusions and hallucinations. “He told me God told him it’s almost over,” Hashman said, according to the Herald. “He talked to me about Armageddon.” Asked what that meant, Lee told him: “Everyone will be tortured to death and sent to hell.” Hashman said Lee was unhappy police had entered his apartment and called himself “God’s steward.”

What the accused said. Michael Lee, appearing in Calgary Remand Centre blue overalls with long black hair, spoke for himself after conferring with duty counsel Joe Nahman and opposed being sent for testing. He confirmed he had told the doctor there was a nuclear war five years ago and “the sky is different now.” “The skies were once clear, but now it’s not … Somehow the world is now covered in a cloud,” he said. Asked by the judge whether he spoke to God, he said: “He talks to me all the time.” CBC reported he also told the court he is the “king of Canada.”

The orders. Justice Sharon Van de Veen granted Crown prosecutor Thom Forsyth’s application and sent Michael Lee to the Southern Alberta Forensic Psychiatry Centre for a 30 day assessment of whether he is fit to stand trial. He returns to court on Nov. 27. Duty counsel Margaret Rondot told the judge Hashman had no concerns about Helen Lee’s fitness, and her case was put over a week so she can retain a lawyer. She remains in custody. Police ask anyone with information to call 403-266-1234 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Sources

Latin America, Africa and the Middle East

Ezeiza, Argentina: Man Accused in Model Agostina Jalabert’s Death in Mexico Deported and Detained

Location: Ezeiza International Airport, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina (crime alleged in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico)

Legal status: Detained Oct. 31 on an Interpol red notice after deportation from the United States; wanted by Quintana Roo prosecutors on a femicide accusation; extradition to Mexico pending; presumed innocent

The arrival. Juan Manuel Reverter, 38, the only person accused in the 2023 death of Argentine model Agostina Jalabert in Mexico, was detained at Ezeiza International Airport outside Buenos Aires on Saturday, Oct. 31, after United States authorities deported him from Miami, La Nación, TN, Clarín, Infobae and A24 reported. He landed at about 10 a.m. on Aerolíneas Argentinas flight AR1303, escorted by officers of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Clarín reported. Officers of the Argentine Federal Police’s Interpol department and the Airport Security Police arrested him as soon as he arrived, because an Interpol red notice against him was still in force. He is presumed innocent.

Why Argentina. Mexico, not Argentina, is the country that wants to try him. Infobae quoted a senior source on the case as saying that Argentine courts were not seeking him, but that because he is an Argentine citizen the United States deported him home rather than extraditing him to Mexico. His case is now before the federal court in Lomas de Zamora, which has jurisdiction over the airport, and Mexico is expected to file a formal extradition request so he can be sent to Quintana Roo, TN and A24 reported. In January 2026, federal judge Ezequiel Humberto Andreani of Viedma signed an order for his capture “for the purpose of processing his extradition to the United Mexican States,” Infobae and A24 reported.

The death. Jalabert, 31, was from Carmen de Patagones in Buenos Aires Province. She was found dead on Feb. 18, 2023, in the bathroom of the apartment in Playa del Carmen she shared with her sister Candela, hanging from a towel rail by a belt, TN reported. Her father, Edgardo Jalabert, told LN+ at the time that Candela arrived at the building at about 6 a.m., could not get in with the door code, and was told by the guard that there had been disturbances overnight and police had been called twice. When Reverter opened the door, he asked her where Agostina was. The family’s dog led Candela to the bathroom door.

The accusation. Mexican authorities first treated the death as a suicide. The family never accepted that, and the autopsy and forensic reviews led prosecutors to reclassify the case as femicide, TN and Clarín reported. According to the Interpol notice quoted by La Nación, prosecutors allege that Reverter beat Jalabert in the face and body and pressed on her neck until she died, then tied a belt around her neck to make it look as if she had taken her own life. Clarín quoted the Mexican justice system as saying she “was beaten, asphyxiated and then placed in a staged scene to simulate her death.” The Quintana Roo penal code sets a maximum of 40 years in prison for the offence, Clarín reported. Reverter has said he was asleep at the time, TN reported. None of these allegations has been tested at trial.

The relationship. According to accounts reconstructed by Clarín, the couple met during the pandemic in Viedma, Río Negro, and split up after an incident that reportedly involved violence. At the end of 2022 he travelled to Playa del Carmen to spend the holidays with her and decided to stay. The family described the relationship as “toxic.” After her death, he left the city, reportedly went to Argentina and then to the United States.

Three years on the run. Reverter entered the United States legally in August 2024 with permission to stay up to six months, then overstayed, La Nación reported, citing ICE. He was arrested at about 7:30 a.m. on July 23, 2026, in Deschutes County, Oregon, in an operation involving the U.S. Marshals Service, Interpol Washington, Homeland Security Investigations and the Border Patrol, Clarín reported. His passport had long expired. “We knew it was going to happen at some point and we were waiting for it,” Edgardo Jalabert told Clarín after that arrest.

What comes next. The Lomas de Zamora court must now decide on his custody while Mexico pursues extradition. A24 noted that a red notice allows provisional detention but does not replace the court process each country requires before a person can be extradited. No hearing date had been reported.

Sources

Guarabira, Brazil: Man, 43, Arrested After Death of 77-Year-Old Accountant First Ruled Natural; Police Investigate Robbery Killing

Location: Guarabira, Agreste region, Paraíba, Brazil

Legal status: Daniel Barbosa Guedes, 43, arrested Oct. 31 on a preventive detention warrant; investigated for latrocínio (robbery resulting in death) and theft from the victim’s bank account; awaiting a custody hearing; not formally charged; presumed innocent

The arrest. Daniel Barbosa Guedes, 43, was arrested at about 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31, in Guarabira, in the Agreste region of Paraíba, in the death of accountant Maria Esmerentina de Sousa Carvalho, 77, who was found dead at home on Oct. 9, G1 and Portal Ponto PB reported. Civil Police said they are investigating the case as latrocínio, a robbery that results in death, and suspect she was strangled. A court had issued a preventive detention warrant. Guedes was taken to the Central de Polícia in Guarabira to await a custody hearing. He has not been formally charged and is presumed innocent.

A death first called natural. Carvalho, known in the city as Maria José, lived alone and was well known in Guarabira. Portal Correio, on R7, reported on Oct. 29 that she had been chatting with neighbours when one of her sons arrived and went inside with her. Hours later he left before bedtime. When he returned, he found his mother on the floor with no vital signs. SAMU paramedics confirmed her death, and it was first treated as natural because she had heart problems.

The money trail. After the burial, her son went to a bank branch and found that her phone had been used for Pix transfers in the early hours of the night she died, Portal Correio reported. Back at the house, he found it ransacked and her phone missing. Relatives later found transfers totalling about 6,000 reais, along with missing bank cards. The family asked for her body to be exhumed. G1 reported that the case was reopened and an examination was carried out, but the result had not been released.

How police found him. Investigators traced the phone, and TV Correio reporter Ewerton Douglas said on Oct. 29 that the woman holding it would be questioned about how she came to have it. On Thursday police seized it from that woman in Guarabira, who told police she had received it from Guedes, Portal Ponto PB reported. She said he seemed nervous when he handed it over and said he had done “something stupid.” Police said Guedes had been hiding in João Pessoa since the death and was found when he returned to Guarabira on Saturday morning to collect belongings. The arrest was made by the homicide unit of the 8th Sectional Police Station, led by delegado Wagner Dorta. The Civil Police released a photograph of him after the arrest, G1 reported. Portal Correio placed Guarabira in the Brejo region of Paraíba, while G1 described it as the Agreste.

What police say. Dorta said Guedes and Carvalho had a short relationship and that investigators placed him at her home between Oct. 8 and Oct. 9. “After committing the violence, he took the victim’s phone and bank cards and made numerous Pix transactions, with the victim already dead,” Dorta said. Portal Correio said the case had taken on the shape of a property crime and a possible femicide. Police are still investigating how she died and the transfers made after her death, and Ponto PB noted that his criminal responsibility depends on the outcome of the investigation and the courts.

Sources

Santana do Ipanema, Brazil: Enatan Duarte Silva, 26, Held in Custody Over the Stabbing Death of Joseane Santos de Araújo, 42

Location: Santana do Ipanema, Sertão of Alagoas, Brazil

Legal status: Arrested Oct. 31 and booked for femicide; a judge converted the arrest to preventive detention at a custody hearing the same day

The killing. Joseane Santos de Araújo, 42, was stabbed to death on the night of Friday, Oct. 30, at the snack bar where she worked in Santana do Ipanema, a town in the semi-arid Sertão of the northeastern state of Alagoas, G1 Alagoas, Alagoas 24 Horas and TNH1 reported. G1 described her as a waitress and reported the attack happened in front of the business; Alagoas 24 Horas and TNH1 described her as a cook, and Alagoas 24 Horas reported it happened inside the snack bar. Customers witnessed the attack, G1 reported.

The accused. Enatan Duarte Silva, 26, was arrested on the morning of Saturday, Oct. 31, about 10 hours after he was named as the suspect, TNH1 reported, citing the state Public Security Secretariat. Teams from the 7th Military Police Battalion found him in the Serra do Camonga, a rural hill area of the municipality, after searches involving the Military Police intelligence directorate, several patrol units and the Civil Police. He was taken to the Integrated Public Security Center in the town and booked in flagrante for femicide, TNH1 reported. He is presumed innocent.

Preventive detention. At a custody hearing the same Saturday, a judge converted the arrest into preventive detention under articles 310, 312 and 313 of Brazil’s Code of Criminal Procedure, citing the need to protect public order given the seriousness of the facts, Alagoas 24 Horas reported. The decision ordered the warrant entered in the national prison monitoring database, ordered the prison to give him a health assessment and to keep up any treatment and controlled medication in contact with the town’s psychosocial care centre (CAPS), and told police to add the autopsy report, the crime scene report, the seized knife and the video footage to the file.

What the video shows. Security camera footage and video recorded by people at the scene show the man approach Joseane, grip her arms hard and begin arguing, G1 reported. During the confrontation she asked a customer to call the police, and two women asked him to let her go. In the video the man can be heard saying he was being threatened and that she owed him money. Alagoas 24 Horas reported the footage shows her trying to pull free and calling for help before she was stabbed repeatedly.

The autopsy. The Alagoas Scientific Police found more than 20 wounds from a bladed weapon, including injuries consistent with an attempt to defend herself, G1 reported. Her body was released for burial.

The motive under investigation. One line of inquiry is a debt, G1 reported, with police also treating the case as a possible femicide. A man identified only as Hélio, the suspect’s father, told reporters his son and Joseane had worked together but were not in a relationship, and that she had borrowed R$2,500 from his son to buy a stove, a gas cylinder and household items and had not repaid it. Alagoas 24 Horas reported the father said he had tried to arrange for the debt to be paid in instalments. After his arrest, the suspect told police he had been threatened by Joseane and a man he described as her boyfriend for about a year and had gone to the local police station to report the threats, G1 reported.

The family. Júlia Nunes, a lawyer and federal deputy elect who represents Joseane’s family, welcomed the detention. “The judge understood that a person like this cannot be on the street. It was a very brutal crime, taking a woman’s life this way. The victim was working and was threatened until she was brutally killed,” she told Alagoas 24 Horas, adding that no debt justifies violence.

Sources

Antofagasta, Chile: Man, 31, Charged With Non-Intimate Femicide of Colombian Mother of Two Karen González Sánchez

Location: Antofagasta Region, Chile (body found beside Ruta 5 Norte at kilometre 1,368, Portezuelo sector)

Legal status: Formally charged (formalizado) Oct. 31 with non-intimate femicide; held in pretrial detention; 120-day investigation period; accused not named; presumed innocent

The hearing. A 31-year-old Chilean man was formally charged on Saturday, Oct. 31, with the non-intimate femicide of Karen González Sánchez, a 23-year-old Colombian woman whose body was found on Oct. 5 beside the Ruta 5 Norte highway in the Portezuelo sector of the Antofagasta Region, the Antofagasta regional prosecutor’s office said, La Tercera and Cooperativa reported. At the prosecution’s request, the Antofagasta Guarantee Court ordered him held in pretrial detention as a danger to society and set an initial investigation period of 120 days. His name has not been released. He is presumed innocent.

What prosecutors allege. According to the prosecutor’s office, the man drove the young woman in a van to kilometre 1,368 of Ruta 5, in the Portezuelo sector, where he allegedly killed her and hid her body, which was later found by third parties. Non-intimate femicide is the offence under Chilean law of a man killing a woman because of her gender without any prior marital, cohabiting, romantic or sexual relationship, the prosecutor’s office explained.

How she was found. A lorry driver travelling on Ruta 5 Norte saw her body and alerted Carabineros at the Baquedano station, BioBioChile and Portal Antofagasta reported. The Medical Legal Service found that she died of complicated traumatic brain injury and detected signs of physical and sexual violence, as well as evidence that third parties were involved.

The arrest. Carabineros’ OS9 investigations unit and its crime laboratory, Labocar, working with the Medical Legal Service and the prosecutor’s Organised Crime and Homicide team (ECOH), located the van allegedly used to move her and identified the suspect. He was arrested on Tuesday, Oct. 27, La Tercera reported. At the first hearing the court extended his detention by 72 hours, BioBioChile reported. “Carabineros of OS9 managed to establish the alleged participation of a 31-year-old man,” said General Cristian Montre Soto, head of the Antofagasta Carabineros zone, according to Cooperativa.

Three weeks. Regional prosecutor Juan Castro Bekios said the investigation “was able to overcome the tremendous difficulties this case presents, relying, as is customary, on science, method, investigative intelligence and, not least, discretion, to reach concrete results in just three weeks.” He sent condolences to her family and friends.

Who she was. Karen González was a mother of two, Portal Antofagasta reported. Her cousin, the only close relative she had in Antofagasta, met Deputy Sebastián Videla and said she hopes for a life sentence if the accused is found responsible. Chile’s National Service for Women and Gender Equity (SernamEG) has filed a criminal complaint as a party to the case. BioBioChile reported it is the first completed femicide the service has classified in the region this year and the 32nd in the country.

A region marked by femicide. Weeks earlier, an Antofagasta court sentenced Andrés Sutar Araya to qualified life imprisonment for the intimate femicide of Javiera Jiménez Galleguillos, 23, who vanished in August 2022 and whose body was found 17 months later, buried and burned in the desert, Portal Antofagasta reported. Videla said he had introduced a bill to let police act faster when women are reported missing.

Sources

Colina, Chile: Kidnapped Teen Martín Pérez Was Dead While His Captors Kept Demanding Ransom, Prosecutor Says

Location: Estación Central and Colina, Santiago Metropolitan Region, Chile; Centro de Justicia de Santiago (7th Guarantee Court)

Legal status: Five detained; one formally charged and held in pretrial detention; two more to be formally charged Monday, Nov. 2; presumed innocent

The case. Chilean prosecutors say the family of 19-year-old Martín Pérez Burgos was still negotiating a ransom for his release when he had already been killed. The teenager was kidnapped on Monday, Oct. 26, in the Santiago district of Estación Central, and his body was found on the afternoon of Friday, Oct. 30, inside a restaurant in the northern district of Colina, Cooperativa, La Tercera and CNN Chile reported.

The court hearing. On Saturday, Oct. 31, the 7th Guarantee Court of Santiago extended until Monday the detention of Carlos Isaac Álvarez Franco, 22, and Oswald Aniel Moreno Prieto, 18, who are under investigation for alleged participation in the kidnapping with homicide, according to Cooperativa. The two are due to be formally charged together with a third detainee at 1 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 2, at the Centro de Justicia, La Tercera reported. A first suspect has already been formally charged and ordered held in pretrial detention.

Five detained. In all, five people of Venezuelan nationality have been detained, according to the prosecution team. Prosecutors said four are directly linked to the kidnapping. A woman found at one of the searched sites was released, with prosecutors saying she was being investigated for small-scale drug dealing and had not been linked to the kidnapping and killing, La Tercera reported. “One of the people detained today is probably the one who killed the kidnapping victim,” acting ECOH Metropolitan chief prosecutor Pablo Sabaj said on Friday, according to La Tercera.

A lure and a car. According to investigators, Pérez went voluntarily to a meeting point in Estación Central and was tricked into getting into the vehicle in which he was held, CNN Chile reported. One line of inquiry is that the meeting may have been linked to a possible drug purchase, which CNN Chile stressed has not been established. He was then moved between houses used to hold captives in the Metropolitan Region.

The ransom. The captors contacted his family to demand about 50 million pesos and sent videos in which the young man was threatened with a firearm. The family paid part of the money, according to La Tercera, and Cooperativa reported that relatives said they paid close to the full amount. “All the negotiations that were carried out about the payment, what was demanded in the extortion, were carried out with the victim already dead,” Sabaj said, according to CNN Chile. Early forensic findings indicate Pérez died within the first hours of his captivity, probably while being moved between two houses.

Orders from prison. Sabaj said the crime was “strongly linked to people who are in prisons.” He told reporters such groups use mobile phones to “plan crimes, give the instructions, order and move people to commit the crimes, to collect the money from the extortions,” and described the detainees as “very young people, of 18, 19, 20 years old, approximately,” La Tercera reported.

The family’s anger. Outside court, an aunt of the victim criticised the police response. “We are destroyed as a family, because we paid what they asked of us,” she told reporters, according to Cooperativa. She said she reported the kidnapping to the PDI police within half an hour, with videos, and was told an officer could not help “because I have a lot of cases on top of me.”

Next. The ECOH team and Carabineros’ OS9 department are leading the inquiry. All detainees are presumed innocent.

Sources

Kumasi, Ghana: Two Arrested After Fabulous Ladies Footballer Agartha Takyiwa Is Stabbed in the Neck, Stomach and Thigh and Her Tricycle Stolen

Location: Afrancho, Atwima Kwanwoma District, Ashanti Region, Ghana (suspects arrested at Hansua, near Techiman, Bono East Region)

Legal status: Peter Nchor Asadigina, 21, and Mudasel Dramani, 19, arrested Oct. 30; in police custody assisting investigations; not yet charged in court; presumed innocent

The arrests. Ghana Police arrested Peter Nchor Asadigina, 21, and Mudasel Dramani, 19, at Hansua in the Techiman area of the Bono East Region on Friday, Oct. 30, after a tip off, in connection with the killing of Agartha Takyiwa, a footballer with the women’s club Kumasi Fabulous Ladies who also worked as a commercial tricycle rider, according to a police statement issued on Oct. 31 and reported by Graphic Online, Adom Online and My News Source. The two are in police custody assisting with investigations. No court charge had been reported by Nov. 1, and both are presumed innocent. MyJoyOnline reported that the suspects were tracked through the location of the victim’s phone.

What police say happened. According to the police statement, the two men hired the victim at the Ampabame Lorry Station in Kumasi on Thursday, Oct. 29, to carry them to Afrancho, near Konkoli, where they allegedly attacked and killed her and drove off in her green Bajaj tricycle, known locally as a pragya. My News Source reported she was killed on the Afrancho to Ahodwo road at about 11 p.m. Police said the pair were arrested while travelling towards Techiman, apparently intending to resettle and run the stolen tricycle as a commercial vehicle. A search recovered a number plate, registration M-26-AE 2047, eight mobile phones including an iPhone 12 Pro believed to be the victim’s, three SIM cards, an MTN MiFi internet device, a bunch of keys, two lighters and a jackknife cover. Her body was taken to a mortuary for preservation and autopsy. Police have not disclosed a motive beyond the theft.

What her coach says. Fabulous Ladies head coach Nana Atuahene told Kumasi radio station Luv FM, as reported by Citi Sports Online and MyJoyOnline, that Takyiwa, known as “One Cedi”, had trained with the team on Thursday and then went back to work on her tricycle. He said she picked up a female passenger at about 10:30 p.m. and was taking her to Afrancho New Site when two men confronted her, and that she fought them over the tricycle. She was stabbed several times, in the thigh, the stomach and the neck, and died that night. The attackers took the tricycle and her phone, MyJoyOnline reported. “Yes, I can confirm to you that she was stabbed. She is a player, and she’s registered for the 2026/27 season,” Atuahene said. “We trained together on Thursday, and she died that same day around 10:30 pm.” He said two people had been arrested in Techiman.

Who she was. Takyiwa was preparing for the 2026/27 Women’s Division One League. Atuahene said the club had not yet formally informed the Ghana Football Association. “Women’s football is still young in Ghana,” he said. “Our players are registered as amateurs not professionals so we support them with only transportation cost.” Citi Sports Online reported she combined football with tricycle work to support herself, and her death has shaken the club and Ghana’s wider women’s football community.

Differences in the accounts. The police statement says the two suspects themselves hired her at the lorry station; the coach’s account describes a female passenger and two men who confronted the rider on the way. Her age is given as 23 by My News Source and 22 by MyJoyOnline, and police name her as Afia Agartha. Outlets also place Afrancho in different districts: Graphic Online gives the Trede District of Ashanti, Citi Sports and MyJoyOnline the Atwima Kwanwoma District, and Adom Online wrongly places Trede in Bono East, where the arrests took place.

Sources

Tayibe, Israel: Three Men Charged With Planned Murder of Businessman Raad Haj Yahya, Shot About 14 Times Outside His Home

Location: Tayibe, Central District, Israel

Legal status: Indicted Nov. 1 in the Central District Court in Lod on charges of murder with intent under aggravated circumstances and carrying and transporting weapons and ammunition; prosecutors asked that all three be held until the end of proceedings; presumed innocent

The charges. Prosecutors in Israel’s Central District have filed an indictment in the Central District Court in Lod against three residents of Tayibe over the killing of Raad Haj Yahya, 50, a businessman who owned a staffing company and was shot dead near his home in the city on Thursday, Sept. 10. Adham Ghabali, 30, Ahmad Masarwa, 28, and Muhammad Ghabali, 28, are charged with murder with intent under aggravated circumstances and with carrying and transporting weapons and ammunition, Ynet and Kikar HaShabbat reported on Sunday, Nov. 1. Adham Ghabali is also charged with driving while disqualified and without insurance, Channel 14 reported. All three are presumed innocent.

What the indictment alleges. According to the indictment as reported by Channel 14, the three planned the killing in advance and divided the roles between them. They are alleged to have equipped themselves with a car carrying forged licence plates from the West Bank and a loaded handgun. Adham Ghabali is alleged to have watched the victim’s home while Muhammad Ghabali and Ahmad Masarwa waited in the car on a nearby street. When Haj Yahya left his home in his own car, the indictment says, the two blocked his lane. Ahmad Masarwa is alleged to have stepped out and fired about 14 bullets at him from close range, then returned and shot him again to make sure he was dead. The three are alleged to have fled. Later that night, the car was set on fire in Tayibe, Channel 14 reported. Prosecutors asked the court to detain all three until the end of proceedings, noting that the shooting was carried out in the heart of the city in front of eyewitnesses.

The night of the killing. Ynet reported on Sept. 10 that the killers had called Haj Yahya and asked him to come out and meet them, a lure known in Israel as the “Little Red Riding Hood” method, and that his car was left riddled with bullets. Early reports put the number of shots at 13. Magen David Adom senior medic Moamen Qasem and paramedic Adi Fayumi said they found a man unconscious in the car, without a pulse and not breathing. They began advanced resuscitation and took him to hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police at the Tayibe station opened a murder investigation and described the shooting as criminal.

The family. Jihad Balaam, a relative, told Ynet that Haj Yahya was a quiet man, married, the father of three sons and the family’s breadwinner. “He was not a man who murdered and did not deal in drugs,” he said, adding that the family believed the motive was financial after a period of money trouble, “but nothing justifies murder.” A person close to him told Walla that the killing grew out of a financial dispute and that he was shot while his family, including small children, was inside the house.

The toll. Haj Yahya was one of about 170 people killed in Arab communities in Israel this year at the time of his death, Ynet and Walla reported. The count has kept rising since. The case now moves to the Lod court, where the three have not yet entered pleas.

Sources

Meru, Kenya: Brother and Sister-in-Law Arrested in Panga Killing of CDF Committee Member Evelyne Mukiri Mbaabu

Location: Imenti East, Meru County, Kenya

Legal status: Godwin Kimathi and Beth Muthomi arrested and arraigned; plea set for Nov. 4; Solomon Kathurima Kairemia arrested in September; all presumed innocent

The new arrests. Detectives with Kenya’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations have arrested two more people in the Aug. 7 killing of Evelyne Mukiri Mbaabu, 65, a member of the North Imenti Constituency Development Fund committee, and say the attack was ordered by members of her own family over land, according to the Daily Nation, Citizen Digital, Capital FM and Radio47, all reporting on Saturday, Oct. 31. The two are Godwin Kimathi, Mbaabu’s brother, and Beth Muthomi, who is Mbaabu’s sister-in-law and the sister of the first suspect, Solomon Kathurima Kairemia. Investigators allege the pair conspired to kill Mbaabu over a long-running land dispute and hired Kairemia to carry out the attack. All three are presumed innocent.

The killing. Mbaabu was killed inside her home at about 7:20 p.m. on Aug. 7 while she prepared supper with her 13-year-old grandson, the DCI said. According to the DCI account reported by Radio47, a man the family did not know walked into the compound, went to the kitchen and asked for drinking water. Moments later the boy heard his grandmother screaming for help. He ran to the kitchen and found her lying in a pool of blood. The attacker then turned on the boy, struck him on the hand with a panga and ran. Mbaabu was taken to Grace Park Hospital and was pronounced dead on arrival. The Daily Nation reported that she was hacked to death.

The first arrest. Kairemia was arrested in September after what police described as weeks of forensic analysis, witness statements and call data analysis that placed him at the scene. Radio47 reported that when detectives found him he had abandoned his house and was spending nights hiding in thickets a few metres from his home. Police recovered a blood-stained panga they believe was used in the attack and secured it for forensic testing. Kairemia was later identified in a police identification parade, and detectives obtained a 14-day custodial order from the Meru Law Courts to continue the investigation. The Daily Nation reported that police describe Kairemia as a serial offender who had previously been charged with murder.

The alleged motive. Meru County Criminal Investigations Officer Abednego Kavoo told the Daily Nation that the dispute traces back to the will of Mbaabu’s late father, Gilbert Mwamba, who divided his land among his three sons and three daughters. Kavoo said the brothers opposed their sisters receiving a share. “Mukiri pushed for the succession process to be concluded so that they could get title deeds for their land. However, her share of the land was sold by the brother, prompting her to go to court. She won the court case and this is when her brother and sister-in-law hatched a plot to eliminate her,” Kavoo said. According to her eulogy, Kimathi was her only surviving brother; her two other brothers had died. Kavoo said police believe Muthomi played a big role in hiring her own brother, Kairemia.

The evidence cited. A police report quoted by the Daily Nation states: “It has been established that the two conspired to murder Evelyne Mukiri owing to a long-standing land dispute and procured the services of the first accused person, Solomon Kathurima Kairemia, to execute the offence. They were found to have been in constant communication before and after the commission of the offence.” Capital FM and Citizen Digital reported the DCI’s statement that the communication pointed to prior planning and coordination.

In court. Kimathi and Muthomi were arraigned before the Meru Law Courts on Thursday, Oct. 29, and were remanded at Meru GK Prison pending mental assessments, the Daily Nation reported. They are due to take plea on Nov. 4. The DCI said investigations are continuing and that detectives are pursuing more leads to identify anyone else involved. Mbaabu was the second born in a family of six children.

What the reports differ on. The outlets do not agree on two details. Citizen Digital and Capital FM gave Kairemia’s arrest date as Sept. 22, while Radio47 and the Daily Nation gave Sept. 21. Citizen Digital, Capital FM and Radio47 placed the home in Kithoka Village, while the Daily Nation placed it in Chabuene village, Imenti East. No charge sheet has been published.

Sources

Abeokuta, Nigeria: Transporter Held Over Retiree’s Machete Killing Was Among the Mourners at Her Home, Police Say

Location: Bode Olude (Agbakin Emere), Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria

Legal status: Suspect arrested Oct. 19; police say he will be charged to court when the investigation ends; presumed innocent

The suspect. Police in Ogun State say the man they arrested over the February killing of a retired civil servant in Abeokuta had been one of the most visible mourners at her home after her death. Saburi Lateef, 49, a well-known transporter in the city known as Alhaji Oki Osan, is in custody over the murder of Mrs Adedotun Oluwaseun at her house in the Bode Olude area, according to detailed accounts published on Oct. 31 by The Sun, Daily Trust and Nigerian Tribune. The Punch, reporting the police statement of Oct. 23, gave his full name as Alhaji Saburi Lateef Ayinde, alias Oki-Ocean, and said he was arrested on Oct. 19.

The victim. Mrs Oluwaseun was a retired confidential secretary with the Ogun State Universal Basic Education Board, according to The Sun and the Tribune; The Punch described her as a retired teacher. The Tribune gave her age as 62 and The Punch as 61. Neighbours knew her as Big Mummy. Her body was found in the toilet of her home on Feb. 28, 2026, according to the police statement quoted by The Punch.

The police account. A source in the Homicide Section of the command at Eleweran said investigators at first had no link to anyone, until Commissioner of Police Olubode Ojajuni ordered them to do everything possible to solve the killing, The Sun and the Tribune reported, adding that the push followed a directive from the Inspector-General of Police. Investigators suspected the motive was a belief that she had recently collected her gratuity, the source said. According to the source, Lateef got in through a window while she was at a friend’s retirement party in the Rounder area of Abeokuta, was ransacking the flat when she came home, strangled her, cut her repeatedly with a machete and moved her body to the toilet. He allegedly spent more than an hour inside without neighbours noticing.

The suspect’s claim. Police said Lateef confessed and linked the killing to money. According to accounts reported by The Sun and Daily Trust, he said he had known her for about 10 years, sold his broken-down truck as scrap for 3.5 million naira, and gave her 3.45 million naira for safekeeping in expectation of a loan to buy another truck. The police statement said the understanding was a 1.5 million naira loan. “Though I was drunk that day, it was not the first time I had taken alcohol. I was just frustrated that I needed my money,” Daily Trust quoted him as saying. He said he removed the burglary bars from a window. The Tribune reported he admitted nobody else knew of the alleged arrangement. Police said detectives were working to corroborate his account.

The family rejects his story. Her eldest daughter, Mrs Taiwo Atanda, said her mother spent hours with her and her children on Feb. 27 after the party and went home at dusk, and that the family grew worried when her phone stayed off. A neighbour and another resident found her body. “We don’t know this man,” Atanda said, according to The Sun. “The first time I saw him was the day after my mother was killed. He was one of the mourners who came to her house.” The family urged police and the state government to ensure justice.

Next. Police spokesman DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi credited the officers’ persistence. Lateef has not yet been charged in court and is presumed innocent.

Sources

Montevideo, Uruguay: Agustín Cuello, 20, Sent to Prison After Escape From Youth Detention Centre

Location: Montevideo, Uruguay (Chacarita de los Padres, where he was recaptured; Punta Gorda, where Sgt. Joel Rodríguez was killed in July 2025)

Legal status: Charge widened (formalización ampliada) and 180 days of preventive prison ordered in the investigation into the July 2025 killing of Guardia Republicana Sgt. Joel Rodríguez; presumed innocent

The ruling. A court in Montevideo widened the criminal charge against Agustín Cuello, 20, and ordered him held in preventive prison for 180 days while prosecutors continue investigating the July 2025 killing of police Sgt. Joel Rodríguez, Montevideo Portal, Subrayado and Teledoce reported on Saturday, Oct. 31. Uruguay’s Interior Ministry announced the same outcome on Oct. 31 in a roundup of work by its Homicide Department. Cuello is presumed innocent of any offence that has not been proven in court. Until now he had been held in centres run by the Instituto Nacional de Inclusión Social Adolescente, known as Inisa, the national agency for young offenders. The prison order moves him into the adult system.

The killing of Sgt. Rodríguez. Rodríguez was a sergeant in the Guardia Republicana, a national police unit. On July 11, 2025, a group of robbers stopped him near the Molino de Pérez in the Punta Gorda area of Montevideo to steal his motorcycle, Subrayado reported. One of the group shot him in the head, and he died hours later, Montevideo Portal reported. Police say Cuello was part of the group, though not the one who fired. After the killing, the Homicide Department carried out a large operation with 20 searches in the Cruz de Carrasco area, detained Cuello and sent him back to Inisa, Subrayado reported.

The escapes. Outlets describe Cuello as having a long record of escapes. Subrayado reported that in December 2023, while still a minor, he was detained over the killing of a 15-year-old who was shot in his home in front of his mother in Cruz de Carrasco, and that he was placed in Inisa for that case. The victim in that case has not been named in the coverage. On Feb. 17, 2025, he escaped from the Centro Sarandí in Suárez, Canelones, along with another 19-year-old inmate during an authorised outing to a swimming pool, Subrayado reported. The Interior Ministry described it as a trip to a sports centre. The other young man, identified by Subrayado only as Antuan and also held over a homicide, was found dead in Maroñas. Subrayado put that at about 30 minutes after the escape; the ministry said it was hours later. Police investigated whether Cuello was linked to that killing, and the ministry said that possibility was not ruled out. It was while he was on the run from that escape that the attack on Rodríguez took place, Teledoce reported.

The October escape. In the early hours of Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, Cuello escaped again, this time from the Inisa centre on Avenida José Belloni at Bulevar Aparicio Saravia, Subrayado reported at the time. The Interior Ministry said he caused damage to the building to get out. Teledoce noted that although he had turned 18, he was still held in Inisa because of his legal situation. Subrayado reported that he had 15 previous investigations against him, covering personal injury, vandalism, theft, domestic violence, armed robbery, weapons offences and homicide.

The recapture. The Homicide Department, part of the Dirección General de Hechos Complejos, carried out five searches on Oct. 23 under an operation it called Operación Horizonte, the ministry said. Cuello was arrested near Senda 4 and Senda 2 in the Chacarita de los Padres neighbourhood, after almost 20 days on the run, Montevideo Portal reported. The ministry said 30 officers took part, backed by the special operations directorate, the Guardia Republicana, the unified command centre and the police air unit. Officers seized two pistols, two revolvers, magazines, about 30 rounds of .38 and 9 mm ammunition, cash and substances believed to be drugs, and detained three other men.

The other detainees. In the same court process, a 29-year-old man was convicted and sentenced to two years and six months in prison on offences linked to trafficking in weapons and drugs, the ministry and Subrayado reported. Another detainee was sent to prison on robbery, firearm possession and drug dealing offences. Neither man was named.

What comes next. The 180-day preventive prison term is meant to cover the remaining investigation into the Rodríguez killing. Outlets did not report the date of the hearing or the exact wording of the widened charge, and Cuello’s lawyer was not quoted. No trial date has been reported.

Sources

Europe

Auderghem, Belgium: Ex-Partner Gheorghe O. Kept in Custody Over Killing of Lawyer Elvira Saitova; Threatening Messages Alleged

Location: Avenue Gabriel Émile Lebon, Auderghem (Oudergem), Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium

Legal status: Brussels council chamber confirmed pretrial detention for one more month on Oct. 30; charged (inculpé) with murder as a provisional charge; presumed innocent

The ruling. The French-speaking council chamber in Brussels on Friday, Oct. 30, extended for one month the pretrial detention of Gheorghe O., the only suspect in the killing of Elvira Saitova, a 35-year-old lawyer found stabbed to death in her Auderghem flat on Oct. 25, La DH, La Libre (Belga) and The Intelligent reported. The man, born in 1995, was placed under an arrest warrant the previous Monday and charged with murder, a classification the Brussels prosecutor’s office described as provisional. His lawyer, Mohamed Chaaban, declined to comment after the hearing, La DH reported. He is presumed innocent. The Ledger reported the arrest on Oct. 29; Saitova’s surname and the suspect’s name had not then been published.

Who he is. Gheorghe O. is originally from Moldova and is believed to work in construction in Belgium, La DH reported. He is Saitova’s former partner, according to La DH, La Libre and The Intelligent. Neighbours said he had not been seen around the building for several months. He has exercised his right to silence since his arrest on Sunday, Oct. 25, La DH reported.

Threats by message. According to La DH’s sources, Gheorghe O. harassed his former partner by text message before the killing and threatened her, in substance, that he would come and kill her and then end his own life. The Brussels prosecutor’s office has not commented on those reports.

The night of Oct. 24 to 25. Neighbours heard a scream around midnight and tried without success to reach the woman in the ground floor flat, then called emergency services. Paramedics could not save her. La DH reported she had been stabbed 14 times; The Intelligent reported about ten stab wounds; earlier reports cited by La Libre and L’Avenir said about 15. Early findings indicated that the bathroom window had been forced, and the hammer believed to have been used to break it was found at the scene, La DH reported, though the weapon used to stab her has not been found. The flat and the window were sealed. DNA and fingerprint analyses are under way.

The prosecutor’s account. “On Oct. 25, 2026, a deceased woman was found in her home in Auderghem. Her death was suspicious,” the Brussels prosecutor’s office said through spokeswoman Veerle Byloos, according to The Intelligent. An investigating judge was appointed, and a forensic doctor and the federal police laboratory examined the scene.

Who Elvira Saitova was. Saitova came from Kyrgyzstan and had become a naturalised Belgian. Trained as a lawyer, she studied in London among other places, was admitted to the Brussels bar, then worked with UCLouvain before specialising in international business law. She had bought the flat early this year, La DH reported. Friends described her online as “gentille, brillante et solaire” (kind, brilliant and sunny). “You loved travelling so much, enjoying life, and it was torn away from you so brutally,” one message read.

A femicide count. La Libre (Belga) said the case could be classed as an intimate femicide under Belgium’s 2023 femicide law, which requires the state to collect such statistics. The Stop Féminicide blog, the only public tally of suspected femicides in Belgium, lists eight for 2026 and has warned since early October that it may close for lack of funding.

The funeral. Visits are possible at the Bemelmans-DELA funeral centre in Ans on Nov. 4 and 5, and a farewell ceremony and cremation will be held in Liège on Friday, Nov. 6, according to La DH and The Intelligent.

Sources

Loubédat, France: Man Who Called Gendarmes to Confess Is Charged With Murder of Pierre Daniel, 58

Location: Loubédat, near Nogaro, Gers, Occitanie, France

Legal status: Charged (mis en examen) on Oct. 31 in Agen with voluntary homicide aggravated by intoxication and held in pretrial detention; suspect, born in 1982, not named by authorities; faces up to life in prison; presumed innocent

The charge. A man born in 1982 was charged on Saturday, Oct. 31, with voluntary homicide aggravated by drunkenness in the stabbing death of Pierre Daniel, 58, at Daniel’s isolated farmhouse in Loubédat, a village of 117 people near Nogaro in the Gers department of southwestern France, La Dépêche du Midi reported. The Auch prosecutor’s office handed the case that morning to prosecutors in Agen, who handle serious criminal cases for the area. The suspect was moved to Agen, brought before an investigating judge who opened a judicial investigation, charged, and placed in pretrial detention. Authorities have not released his name. He is presumed innocent.

The call. On Thursday, Oct. 29, the gendarmerie’s emergency operations centre received what La Dépêche called an unusual call. A man said he had killed the friend who had been putting him up for several months and gave an address. Le Nouveau Détective reported that the caller told gendarmes where the body could be found. Investigators from the research brigade, the Condom gendarmerie company and the motorized brigade went to the property. “When we arrived on the scene, the suspect was still present,” the Gers gendarmerie said. Inside, they found the body of the 58 year old owner. The suspect was heavily drunk and was taken into custody. According to La Dépêche, he said during the call that he had only realised the next morning that his friend was dead.

What prosecutors say. The deputy prosecutor in Auch said a fight broke out between the two men on Wednesday evening, Oct. 28, and that the blows were struck with a kitchen knife, a version she said still had to be confirmed. “We were able to see that the victim had received several knife wounds,” she said. Alcohol was named as the aggravating factor because the suspect was “heavily intoxicated” when gendarmes arrived. An autopsy in Toulouse confirmed several stab wounds but did not specify how many, La Dépêche reported. Prosecutors said the suspect has a record for “very old” offences that have “no connection to violent acts.” The deputy prosecutor said he faces life in prison.

The victim. Daniel moved to Loubédat about four years ago, to a restored former farmhouse at the end of a long gravel track lined with fir trees and fields of grazing sheep. He had run the Les Hauts de Montrouge wine cooperative in Nogaro after a career in the food industry and had led several other large companies, the mayor, Bernard Sempé, told La Dépêche. “He was a humble and jovial man, with values. Always empathetic and generous,” Sempé said. “I lost a friend.” Daniel had wanted to take part in village life and there had been talk of him joining the municipal council.

The guest. Sempé said he knew Daniel was housing someone. “I don’t know this man at all, but I understood that he helped him after a breakup. That doesn’t surprise me about Pierre, because he was like that,” he said. “What happened is catastrophic. I regret not having been more present for him in recent weeks.” The judicial investigation will try to establish exactly how the evening unfolded.

Sources

Warstein, Germany: Son, 53, Committed to Psychiatric Care After His Mother, 87, Is Stabbed to Death in Belecke

Location: Belecke, Warstein, Soest district, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany (Lodenweg)

Legal status: Suspect held in temporary psychiatric placement by order of a custody judge; prosecutors say the act appears to have been committed in a state of psychosis

The killing. An 87-year-old woman was stabbed to death in her terraced house on Lodenweg in Belecke, a village in the town of Warstein in the Sauerland, on the morning of Friday, Oct. 30, and her 53-year-old son was arrested in a forest less than two hours later, the Soester Anzeiger, WDR and Der Patriot reported. Neither has been named.

The call. Police learned of the attack at about 9 a.m., when an emergency call reached the neighbouring rescue control centre with the information that a woman had been stabbed, the Soester Anzeiger reported. Within minutes paramedics and officers were at the house, where witnesses were already trying to revive the badly bleeding woman. The resuscitation failed, and the emergency doctor could only confirm her death.

The search. Witness information quickly pointed police to the woman’s son, WDR reported, citing the Soest district police. “There is a suspect, and we are currently looking for him,” police spokesman Marco Baffa-Scinelli said shortly after the killing. Relatives knew of his mental state, and there was concern he might harm other family members, the Soester Anzeiger reported. Police searched with patrol cars, unmarked vehicles and a dog handler; a planned helicopter search was grounded by ground fog at the Dortmund and Düsseldorf airports. At about 10:50 a.m. Baffa-Scinelli announced the arrest in a wooded area between Belecke and Mülheim near Erley. “There we came across a person who matched the description. The man was arrested,” he said. Police said there had been no earlier police call to the house shortly before the killing, WDR reported.

The investigation. The Dortmund police headquarters took over the case, and forensic teams worked at the house into the afternoon, with a police helicopter later circling between Belecke and Mülheim. “We are not looking for anyone,” a Dortmund police spokesman said, the Soester Anzeiger reported.

Psychiatric placement. On Sunday, Nov. 1, Arnsberg prosecutor Annika Berg told the Soester Anzeiger the suspect had been held since Saturday in temporary psychiatric placement on the order of the custody judge. “He has had paranoid schizophrenia for years,” she said, and he had been treated by doctors in the past. “After assessment by a psychiatric expert, it must be assumed that the act was psychotically motivated and committed in a state of lack of criminal responsibility,” Berg said. Under German law, a person found not criminally responsible cannot be punished but can be ordered into a secure psychiatric hospital. She said she could not give further details. No charge has been reported, and he is presumed innocent.

The neighbours. The police operation unsettled the village. Daniel Pahlke and his partner Nicole Hense, who live near the house, set out on their bicycles to look for their 12-year-old son, who was walking in the woods with a friend along the route police were checking, until they read online that the suspect had been caught. “That something like this happens in a village like Belecke. You only see people’s faces and don’t know what goes on behind closed doors,” Pahlke told the Soester Anzeiger. “There is nothing that would justify something like this.”

Sources

Dublin, Ireland: Man, 65, Charged With Attempted Murder of Homeless Services Doctor Stabbed at HSE Clinic

Location: Dublin 8, Ireland (HSE Daycare Medical Clinic, 9 Ushers Island); Dublin District Court

Legal status: Charged with attempted murder; no plea indicated; remanded in custody; presumed innocent

The charge. A 65-year-old man has been charged with the attempted murder of a doctor who was seriously injured in a stabbing at a Health Service Executive clinic in Dublin on the morning of Friday, Oct. 30. Fionnbarra Ó Tuama, of George’s Hill Apartments on Halston Street, Dublin 7, is charged with attempting to murder Dr Kevin Kilbride on Oct. 30 at the HSE Daycare Medical Clinic at 9 Ushers Island, Dublin 8, RTÉ, The Irish Times, the Irish Examiner and TheJournal.ie reported. He was arrested at the scene.

The clinic and the doctor. The incident happened at about 9 a.m. at a Dublin 8 facility that opens daily and mainly provides care for people in the homeless sector who have mental health issues, according to the Irish Examiner and The Irish Times. Dr Kilbride, who is in his 50s and works within Dublin’s homeless services, was given immediate first aid by gardaí at the scene before being taken by ambulance to St James’s Hospital, where he was being treated for serious injuries. The HSE said it was supporting Dr Kilbride and other staff at the clinic, RTÉ reported.

The response. Clinic staff called emergency services, and gardaí from Kevin Street station responded along with members of the Garda Armed Support Unit, according to the reports.

In court on Saturday. Ó Tuama appeared before Judge Michéle Finan at a sitting of Dublin District Court on the morning of Saturday, Oct. 31. Detective Garda Mark Dennehy gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution, telling the court that the accused “made no reply” when the charge was put to him shortly before 9 p.m. on Friday. Because of the nature of the charge, the District Court had no power to consider bail, which in an attempted murder case must be sought in the High Court, so he was remanded in custody to Cloverhill Prison. He has not yet indicated a plea.

The defence. Defence counsel Andrea Callan, instructed by solicitor Patrick Carty, told Judge Finan that she had explained the position to her client and that a bail application would be made in another forum. She applied for legal aid, telling the court that Ó Tuama had lived in supported accommodation and received social welfare. The judge agreed he met the threshold and granted legal aid. She also granted a defence request directing that Ó Tuama receive psychiatric and medical attention in custody.

A two-minute hearing. Dressed in a blue jumper, white trousers and black shoes, Ó Tuama sat silently through the brief hearing, according to the Irish Examiner and TheJournal.ie. He spoke only to his barrister to confirm his next court date before he was led out of the courtroom.

What comes next. Ó Tuama is due to appear again at Cloverhill District Court on Wednesday, Nov. 4, by video link, RTÉ reported. Any bail application will be heard in the High Court. He is presumed innocent, and none of the allegations has been tested in court.

Why it matters. The stabbing took place inside a frontline clinic serving some of Dublin’s most vulnerable patients, and the case has drawn attention to the safety of health workers in homeless and mental health services. Dr Kilbride remained in St James’s Hospital at last report.

Sources

Cantù, Italy: Youth Football Coach Aldo Marra Stabbed to Death Outside a Bar; Man, 33, Held for Murder

Location: Vighizzolo, Cantù, Province of Como, Lombardy, Italy (Bar Bivio, Via Montello)

Legal status: Cristian Maffia, 33, detained (fermo) on suspicion of murder and taken to prison; not yet validated by a judge in the reports; presumed innocent

The killing. A 55-year-old carpenter who coached a parish youth football team died on Saturday, Oct. 31, after being stabbed outside a bar in Vighizzolo, a district of Cantù in the province of Como. Carabinieri detained Cristian Maffia, 33, on suspicion of murder and took him to prison, according to Corriere della Sera, La Stampa, Sky TG24, LaPresse and RaiNews. The victim was Aldo Marra.

A row that moved outside. Marra and Maffia were both at the Bar Bivio on Via Montello shortly after lunchtime, Corriere della Sera reported. Marra was sitting at a table with friends when an argument broke out with the younger man, apparently over a trivial remark. Other customers urged the two to drop it, but the row carried on outside. There, Maffia allegedly took a knife from his jacket and struck Marra in the shoulder and in the torso. La Stampa and Sky TG24 described two blows, one to the shoulder and a fatal one to the abdomen; Corriere wrote of several. Marra collapsed and was in cardiac arrest when the 118 emergency service reached him.

Conflicting hospital accounts. Sky TG24 and La Stampa reported that Marra was taken to Sant’Anna hospital in Como, while Corriere della Sera and LaPresse said he was taken to the hospital in Cantù. All agree he died shortly after arriving.

The arrest. Officers from the Cantù carabinieri operations and mobile unit tracked down Maffia quickly after he walked away from the scene, Corriere della Sera reported, adding that he had tried to flee. He was taken to the barracks and held on a murder allegation. Corriere said he had previous charges for drug dealing, weapons and offences against the person; Sky TG24 and La Stampa said he was known to police for drug offences.

What he allegedly told carabinieri. According to several outlets, Maffia told investigators that he had left home already carrying the knife because he feared meeting a man to whom he owed money; Corriere, RaiNews and LaPresse put the debt at 200 euros, and La Stampa at a few hundred. He allegedly claimed Marra had mocked his Calabrian accent. “Mi sfotteva per l’accento calabrese” (“He was making fun of my Calabrian accent”), La Stampa quoted. According to LaPresse and RaiNews, he said he had been frightened by Marra’s size. La Stampa stressed that the accent detail had yet to be verified.

Other witness accounts. Carabinieri were gathering differing testimony. According to La Stampa and Sky TG24, Maffia had been bothering customers and the bar manager, and Marra asked him to leave and followed him out to make sure he went. Corriere reported other accounts that Marra had stood up for the barmaid, who was being harassed by Maffia.

Who he was. Marra was married with two children and worked at a Cantù furniture and woodworking company. He was well known in the town as a coach and volunteer for the San Michele parish oratory football team.

Official reaction. Interior undersecretary Nicola Molteni called it “a brutal and inhuman crime” that “will not go unpunished” and said he was in contact with the Como prefect, Sky TG24 reported. Maffia is presumed innocent.

Sources

Castro dei Volsci, Italy: Rail Catering Worker Claudio Mantua Stabbed to Death at Station; Mechanic Antonio Perfili Arrested

A narrow stone lane in the old town of Castro dei Volsci leading to an arched gate under a clock tower
Castro dei Volsci, Province of Frosinone, Italy. Photo: Pere Garcia / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Location: Castro dei Volsci, Province of Frosinone, Lazio, Italy (outside the bar at the railway station)

Legal status: Arrested Oct. 31 on suspicion of voluntary homicide (omicidio volontario); held in Frosinone’s Pagliei prison; validation hearing to be set by a preliminary investigations judge; presumed innocent

The killing. Claudio Mantua, 48, was stabbed to death shortly after 9 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31, outside the bar at the railway station in Castro dei Volsci, a hill town in the province of Frosinone south east of Rome, at the climax of an argument with a 38-year-old local man, La Stampa, Sky TG24, Lazio TV and ANSA reported. Mantua, who lived nearby, was on his way to catch the train to start a night shift, according to La Stampa and ANSA; Sky TG24 had first described that detail on Saturday night as information not yet confirmed. Paramedics from Frosinone’s 118 emergency service called a helicopter to fly him to Rome, but he died before he could be saved.

The arrest. Carabinieri from the Frosinone company and the local station stopped Antonio Perfili, 38, of Castro dei Volsci, who had been seen with Mantua shortly before the stabbing. After checks, he was arrested for homicide later that evening, and the duty prosecutor ordered him taken to the Pagliei prison on Via Cerreto in Frosinone, La Stampa and Lazio TV reported. Perfili’s lawyer was due to meet him on the morning of Nov. 1. The prosecutor’s office considers that there is serious and consistent evidence against him, La Stampa and Lazio TV reported. He is presumed innocent.

A tyre change. ANSA reported on Nov. 1 that the argument was apparently over a tyre change that Perfili, a tyre fitter, had not yet carried out on Mantua’s car. In his first statements to the carabinieri who stopped him, Perfili said he had only defended himself and had been attacked by Mantua, who accused him of not having changed the tyres yet, ANSA reported. That account has not been tested in court.

Wounds. An initial examination of the body found at least five stab wounds, ANSA reported, and the Frosinone prosecutor’s office has ordered a post mortem to establish how many were fatal. Lazio TV reported he was struck in the abdomen. Earlier reports said several blows.

Where he worked. Early reports by Sky TG24 and Lazio TV said Mantua worked for Trenitalia in on-board catering. ANSA and La Stampa later corrected that: he was employed by Dussmann, a multiservice company that runs catering on board trains, not by Trenitalia.

The legal steps. Deputy prosecutor Rossella Ricca has framed the case as voluntary homicide and was to send the file on Nov. 2 to preliminary investigations judge Ida Logoluso, who will set a hearing to validate the arrest, ANSA reported. Lazio TV noted on Oct. 31 that it was not yet known whether prosecutors would pursue voluntary homicide, manslaughter or another form of the offence. Perfili has appointed lawyer Giuseppe Lo Vecchio; Mantua’s family has turned to the office of lawyer Giampiero Vellucci.

A drug link unproven. Investigators were checking whether there was any link between the quarrel and the drug dealing that reportedly takes place at weekends near the station, but no such link had been established, La Stampa reported. Carabinieri were collecting surveillance camera footage from the area to see whether it captured the argument and the stabbing.

Sources

Plasencia, Spain: 19-Year-Old Jailed Over Fatal Street Stabbing of 22-Year-Old Moroccan-Born Man

Location: Plasencia, Cáceres, Extremadura, Spain (junction of Calle Talavera and Calle Encarnación)

Legal status: Accused of homicide and ordered held in provisional prison by the Plasencia court on Nov. 1; a second man, 26, released with charges of drug trafficking and under investigation for possibly helping him hide; neither named; presumed innocent

The ruling. A 19-year-old man from Plasencia was sent to prison on Sunday, Nov. 1, as the suspected killer of a 22-year-old man of Moroccan origin who was stabbed in the city centre early on Friday, Oct. 30, Europa Press and Cadena SER reported. The civil and investigating section of the Plasencia court, Plaza 4, ordered him held in provisional prison on a homicide count. A second man, 26, arrested with him was released with charges, Europa Press reported. Neither has been named. Both are presumed innocent. El Periódico Extremadura identified the victim only by the initials I. A.

The attack. Police received a call at about 2 a.m. Friday reporting a man wounded with a knife where Calle Talavera meets Calle Encarnación, near a nightclub. National and local police officers gave first aid until paramedics arrived. EFE reported that the victim had two stab wounds, to the chest and to the left side, and that an emergency team resuscitated him at the scene. He was taken in critical condition to the Hospital Virgen del Puerto, where he died at about 6 a.m. Police said the fight did not start as the young men left the club but while they were walking along the street. A video recorded in the area shows blood on both streets, El Periódico Extremadura reported.

The arrests. Witness statements led officers to a home near the scene, where they stopped the two men, 19 and 26, as they tried to flee, the National Police said. Investigators believe the younger man struck the fatal blows and that the older man tried to help him avoid arrest and to hide a large amount of drugs from the flat where the 19-year-old lived, with the aim of leaving Plasencia. Officers found two suitcases holding 16 kilograms of hashish in tablets and 2 kilograms of marijuana. They also seized two replica firearms, 17 knives and other bladed weapons of different types, 5 grams of cocaine and a vehicle. The 26-year-old was arrested on suspicion of drug trafficking and is under investigation for possibly covering for the suspect. By retracing the suspect’s escape route, officers found a machete that police said may have been the weapon. El Periódico Extremadura had reported that he did not have the knife when he was detained.

A possible earlier clash. Hoy reported that one witness described an incident some days earlier in the Plaza Mayor in which racist insults were said to have been directed at several young men of Moroccan origin, among them the victim, and a new encounter near the club on Thursday night that turned into the fatal fight. Hoy stressed that this account does not establish that insults were made during the attack or that the earlier episode triggered it, and police have not confirmed any racist motive.

The community. The Islamic Community of Plasencia condemned the killing, called for calm and asked people not to attribute “motivations that have not yet been proven.” “Pain must not turn into hatred; it must find its answer in justice, dignity and solidarity,” the group said. It said it was considering a peaceful public event in his memory with his family. A neighbour told El Periódico Extremadura: “It scares you, it makes your hair stand on end. They were just kids.”

Sources

Tordehumos, Spain: Seasonal Worker Killed and Two Hurt in Knife Attack at Hostel; Suspect, 37, Found Barefoot After Six Hour Manhunt

Location: Tordehumos, Province of Valladolid, Castile and León, Spain (Albergue Turístico Mirador de Campos, near the Plaza Mayor; arrest near the sports centre in Villabrágima)

Legal status: Man arrested Oct. 31 by the Guardia Civil over a fatal stabbing; investigation open; motive unknown; victims and suspect not named; presumed innocent

The attack. A man of about 30 was killed and two other men were wounded with a knife around lunchtime on Saturday, Oct. 31, in a rural hostel in Tordehumos, a village of a few hundred people in the province of Valladolid, where a group of Indian seasonal workers lived, 20minutos, Diario de Valladolid, El Norte de Castilla and La Razón reported. All three injured men were Indian immigrant workers who shared the lodging, according to the Government Subdelegation in Valladolid. The emergency service 112 received the first alert at 1:02 p.m.

The wounded. Two of the injured reached the health centre in Villafrechós by their own means, Diario de Valladolid reported. The man who died, about 30, arrived there alive and died there or during the transfer, the government subdelegate, Jacinto Canales, said. A seriously wounded man of about 30 was taken by mobile intensive care unit to the Hospital Clínico Universitario in Valladolid, and a man of about 20 was flown by medical helicopter to Hospital Río Hortega. 20minutos reported the younger man was the more seriously hurt.

The kitchen. “By the looks of it, it was an argument in the kitchen of the lodging itself, and they must have stuck a knife in his back,” Tordehumos mayor Agapito Bravo Guerra told Diario de Valladolid. The attack took place inside the hostel, though a trail of blood was visible outside, 20minutos reported. Neighbours spoke of a possible personal conflict involving a woman and a work disagreement; Canales said he did not know the cause and suggested it might be “a reason of cohabitation.”

The manhunt. The suspect fled on foot. The Guardia Civil deployed every unit available, called in off duty officers, and used dog units, a helicopter, patrols and drones, Canales said, and released the man’s image to the public. He was found at 7:02 p.m., about six hours after the first alert, near the sports centre in Villabrágima, about four and a half kilometres away, Diario de Valladolid reported. He was barefoot. He was then taken to the Hospital Clínico in Valladolid.

The suspect. The arrested man is of Indian origin, has the initials P. S. and was born in 1989, making him about 37, according to the Government Subdelegation and the Guardia Civil, Diario de Valladolid reported. He is presumed innocent. Investigators say communication with those involved has been difficult. “There are many complications with the language, they don’t speak English either,” the Guardia Civil said.

Who the workers are. The hostel, rented by a Portuguese company, houses about 40 people, all of Indian origin, who work at a Portuguese cannery near Benavente in Zamora, Canales said, according to 20minutos. Canales said they had lived there for two years without causing “any problem” and described them as “very peaceful people”; a neighbour told Diario de Valladolid some had been there about a year and that more than 20 lived in the house. The mayor said seasonal workers have come to the village every September for 10 to 12 years. The Guardia Civil is analysing biological evidence gathered at the scene.

Sources

Stein, Switzerland: Roommate Arrested After Dismembered Body of Burundian Man, 33, Is Found in the Rhine

Location: Stein, Canton of Aargau, Switzerland (asylum shelter and Rhine riverbank)

Legal status: Suspect, 43, arrested; prosecutors have asked for pretrial detention; presumed innocent

The arrest. Police in the Swiss canton of Aargau have arrested a 43-year-old man from Bangladesh on suspicion of killing a 33-year-old man from Burundi whose dismembered remains were found in and beside the Rhine near an asylum shelter in Stein, the Aargau chief prosecutor’s office said on Friday, Oct. 30, according to Keystone-SDA via swissinfo.ch and the Aargauer Zeitung. The two men shared a room at the shelter. The suspect was arrested on the evening of Tuesday, Oct. 27, and prosecutors applied to the compulsory measures court to have him held in pretrial detention.

Reported missing, then found by friends. Acquaintances reported the Burundian man missing on Oct. 24, according to Keystone-SDA. The following Sunday, Oct. 25, the same group found human remains on the Rhine bank near the shelter. According to the Aargauer Zeitung, three residents of the shelter found a human leg wrapped in a rubbish bag in the river, and the cantonal police then recovered further body parts. The body had been cut up and left in rubbish bags in the Rhine and near the shore, the prosecutor’s office said. The Institute of Forensic Medicine identified the remains as those of the missing resident. Neither man has been named in the reports.

The search. Cantonal police, working with specialists, searched the asylum shelter and the area around the place where the remains were found and secured evidence that, prosecutors said, strengthened the suspicion against the 43-year-old. The prosecutor’s office said in its release that investigators had gathered “first important clues about the extraordinary crime,” the Aargauer Zeitung reported.

No political or religious motive found. The exact sequence of events and the background remain under investigation, and prosecutors said there was currently no indication of a politically or religiously motivated killing. A friend of the dead man had earlier suggested a political motive, the Aargauer Zeitung reported, a theory the arrest has pushed into the background. Neither the suspect nor the victim was previously known to police. During the investigation, the suspect showed signs of psychological abnormality, prosecutors said, and whether that is connected with the killing is being examined.

An expert’s view. Speaking to the regional broadcaster Tele M1, forensic psychiatrist Josef Sachs outlined several possibilities in general terms, including sadistic personality traits, hearing voices that ordered the act, or a strong sense of persecution, in which a person might believe “that to be safe, for self-protection, he had to dismember the body and dispose of it as far as possible,” the Aargauer Zeitung reported. Sachs was not describing a diagnosis of the suspect.

Shelter closed. The scene and exact circumstances of the killing are still unclear. The Stein asylum shelter has been closed until further notice for the investigation, and its residents were moved to other accommodation, the Aargauer Zeitung reported.

What friends told 20 Minuten. The Swiss daily 20 Minuten, which identifies the victim only as J. and the suspect as U. M., in line with Swiss practice, reported that the men lived together in room 3 of the shelter. Days before his arrest, U. M. told the paper he had last seen J. on the Friday evening, when he came home around 5 p.m. and left their room around 10 p.m. to visit friends one floor up. Friends searched the shelter on the Saturday, and three of them went to the riverbank early on Sunday, where they found the first bag under the water. One of them, a fellow Burundian named Faustin, 36, said a week before he vanished J. “felt uneasy” and told him he felt he was being watched. A reporter at the scene was told police tracking dogs had picked up a trail from the building to the Rhine; forensic teams worked inside the shelter until late on Tuesday, and the house was sealed.

Next. The compulsory measures court must rule on the detention request. The suspect is presumed innocent.

Sources

Asia and Oceania

Dhaka, Bangladesh: Friend Remanded in Death of Former Air Force Officer Tahsif Souri Found in Turag River

Location: Dhaka, Bangladesh (body recovered from the Turag River near Rajabari Ghat, Uttarkhan; last seen in Uttara)

Legal status: Jerika Tasnim Disha, 19, arrested Nov. 1 and placed on four-day remand in the murder case filed by the victim’s father; Ahmed Shahriar Reza Dip, 23, already on four-day remand; neither formally charged; presumed innocent

The remand. A Dhaka court on Sunday, Nov. 1, placed Jerika Tasnim Disha, 19, a friend of former Bangladesh Air Force Flight Lieutenant KM Tahsif Souri, on four days of police remand for questioning in the case over his death, The Business Standard, The Daily Star, UNB and Prothom Alo reported. Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Ripon Hossain made the order after hearing both sides. Police had asked for seven days. Disha was taken into custody at her home in the Kafrul area at about 2 a.m. Sunday and then shown arrested in the murder case filed by Tahsif’s family. She has not been formally charged and is presumed innocent. The Daily Star spelled her first name Jarika.

The second suspect. Ahmed Shahriar Reza Dip, 23, described as a junior friend of Tahsif, was placed on four days of remand on Saturday, Oct. 31, The Daily Star and Prothom Alo reported. The Police Bureau of Investigation took him into custody at his home in Mohammadpur on Thursday night, The Daily Star reported. “Preliminary investigation has revealed evidence indicating Dip’s involvement in the murder,” the police forwarding report said, according to The Daily Star. He is presumed innocent. Some outlets spell his name Dwip.

The disappearance. Tahsif left home on Oct. 27 after a call from Dip and did not come back, outlets reported. The Business Standard and Prothom Alo said he left in the evening; The Daily Star reported that investigators said Dip called him at about 6 a.m. that day and took him out. At about 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 28, police received a call through the national emergency number 999 about an unidentified body floating in the Turag River near Rajabari Ghat in Uttarkhan, Dhaka. “While preparing the inquest report, the deceased was identified from an iPhone found in the pocket of his trousers,” a police report said, according to The Daily Star. Officers from the Tongi River Police Outpost recovered the body. An autopsy was carried out at Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital on Thursday, UNB reported. The reports did not give a cause of death.

The CCTV trail. According to the remand petition, cameras in Uttara showed Disha and Tahsif at Nest Bar and Restaurant on the night of Oct. 27, where they spent about an hour and a half with Dip, The Business Standard reported. They also went to CP Five Star Snacks several times that evening and to a motorcycle garage, and Disha travelled with Tahsif on his motorcycle, the investigating officer, Inspector Firoz Uddin of the Tongi River Police Outpost, told the court. His call records showed several phone conversations between them. Police said they needed to question Disha to establish what happened, identify any other suspects, recover evidence, find the exact place of the killing and compare her account with Dip’s, The Business Standard reported. Investigators reportedly found inconsistencies in Dip’s account of their movements.

The defence. Disha’s lawyer, Imam Hossain Javed, opposed the remand and asked for bail, arguing she was not involved and had been arrested only because of the CCTV footage, The Business Standard reported. He told the court that Tahsif dropped Disha home by car at about midnight that night and they had no contact afterward. He said they had gone to the restaurant for a meal because of their relationship, and that she knew nothing beyond that.

The case. Tahsif’s father, KM Enayetul Karim Helal, filed a murder case against unidentified persons at Uttarkhan Police Station on Friday night, Oct. 30, alleging that his son was killed and his body thrown in the river to hide the crime, outlets reported. Additional Public Prosecutor Shamsuddoha Sumon represented the state. Police said they are also checking whether anyone else was involved.

Sources

Delhi, India: Man Arrested After 26 Years on the Run in 1998 Hammer Killing Staged as Road Accident

Location: Shiv Vihar, northeast Delhi, India (killing in the Gokalpuri area, now under Khajoori Khas police station)

Legal status: Arrested Oct. 30 by the Delhi Police Crime Branch in a 2000 murder case (IPC sections 302, 506 and 34); declared a proclaimed offender in 2001; presumed innocent

The arrest. The Delhi Police Crime Branch has arrested a 62-year-old man who had been wanted for more than 26 years in the killing of his 24-year-old neighbour, police said on Sunday, Nov. 1, according to the Press Trust of India report carried by The Times of India, The Tribune, NDTV and Rediff. Acting on a tip-off, officers arrested Vishwanath Singh, also known as Munna, in the Shiv Vihar area of northeast Delhi on Friday, Oct. 30. Amar Ujala reported that he also used the names Vishwanath Chauhan and Fauji, and that the arrest was made by the Crime Branch’s Central Range. He is presumed innocent. PTI’s reports did not say when he would appear in court.

The death. “The case dates back to October 20, 1998, when Jai Prakash, 24, was found grievously injured and unconscious in the Gokalpuri area. He later died during treatment without regaining consciousness,” a senior police officer said. The area is now covered by the Khajoori Khas police station, Amar Ujala reported. Police first treated the death as a road accident. Amar Ujala reported that Gokalpuri police registered first information report 769/1998 under sections 279 and 304A of the Indian Penal Code, which cover rash driving and causing death by negligence.

From accident to murder. Later investigation turned up what Amar Ujala described as significant circumstantial evidence that the death was not an accident but a planned killing. Police allege that Singh, who lived next door to Prakash, struck him on the head with a hammer and then arranged the scene so it would look like a hit-and-run. The officer said the alleged motive was Singh’s suspicion that Prakash was having an affair with his wife. The accident report was cancelled, and in 2000 a new murder case was registered at Khajoori Khas police station. Amar Ujala gave it as FIR 258/2000 under sections 302, 506 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code, which cover murder, criminal intimidation and acts done by several people with a common intention. The reports did not say whether anyone else was ever accused in the case.

Twenty-six years as a fugitive. Singh was declared a proclaimed offender, the Indian legal term for a wanted person who has evaded a court summons, on Dec. 5, 2001. Police said he had been evading arrest since then. While on the run he frequently changed where he lived and worked in the wholesale mawa trade, dealing in the milk solids used for Indian sweets, in Faridabad, Loni, Etawah and Delhi while hiding who he was, police said. NDTV’s headline described the case as 28 years old, counting from the 1998 killing; the agency text puts his time as a fugitive at more than 26 years, counting from the 2000 murder case.

How he was found. A Crime Branch team traced Singh’s home village in Etawah district, Uttar Pradesh, and from there developed leads about relatives living in Delhi, police said. While watching the family, officers noticed a man secretly meeting Singh’s brothers. They then confirmed his identity through what police called discreet verification before arresting him on Oct. 30.

The victim. The reports give few details of Jai Prakash beyond his age and the place he was found. No relatives were quoted, and none of the outlets reported the name of Singh’s wife or her account.

What comes next. The case will return to a Delhi court that must deal with a murder charge registered 26 years ago. The reports did not name Singh’s lawyer or report any statement from him.

Sources

Lucknow, India: Uncle and Sister of Accused Gunman Rishabh Shukla Arrested in Saadatganj Triple Murder of Shivaji, Shivendra and Suyash Tiwari

Location: Brahmani Tola, Naubasta, Saadatganj, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India

Legal status: Rajesh Kumar Shukla, 60, arrested Oct. 31 and Divya Shukla arrested Nov. 1; eight accused now in custody; all presumed innocent

The new arrests. Lucknow police arrested two more people wanted in the Oct. 26 shooting deaths of three members of the Tiwari family in the Saadatganj area, bringing the number of accused in custody to eight, according to The Times of India, the Hindustan Times, Dainik Bhaskar and Dainik Jagran. Saadatganj police arrested Rajesh Kumar Shukla, 60, also known as Tunnu Babu, the uncle of the prime accused, Rishabh Shukla, near the Hansnagar culvert on Para Road at about 1:50 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31, the Hindustan Times reported, citing a police press note. On Sunday, Nov. 1, police arrested Rishabh’s sister Divya on IIM Road near Kooda Chauraha in Dubagga, Bhaskar and Jagran reported. Police had offered a reward of Rs 25,000 for each of them. Jagran reported that Divya is accused of bringing cartridges out of the house to her brother during the attack. All of the accused are presumed innocent.

The killings. On the morning of Monday, Oct. 26, in Brahmani Tola in the Naubasta locality, a long running dispute between the Shukla and Tiwari families over a platform being built around a banyan tree outside the Shukla home, and over parking on an adjoining vacant plot, turned into an attack, police said. Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Jitendra Srivastava said the accused surrounded the three men and beat them with sticks and stones before shooting them. Jagran reported that Rishabh Shukla, 30, fired a country made pistol, reloaded with a second magazine when the first was empty, and that each of the three dead was hit by two bullets. Police recovered the pistol and two magazines from him and will question him about where it came from. The dead were Shivaji Tiwari, 62, a retired Secretariat employee who had served as RSS district sarkaryavah; Shivendra Tiwari, known as Shambhu, 57, who worked at Lucknow University; and Suyash Tiwari, 30, who ran an electrical goods business and was due to marry on Dec. 5, Bhaskar reported.

The accused. Jagran reported the FIR names Rishabh Shukla, Rajesh Shukla, Girish Shukla, Dinesh Shukla, Munna Babu, Divya, Priya and Aditi. Six were arrested on Oct. 26 and 27. The Hindustan Times reported Rajesh Shukla has four cases against him, including this one, with earlier allegations of rioting, assault and criminal intimidation. Bhaskar reported that on March 16 the then police commissioner, Amarendra Kumar Sengar, declared him a goonda and ordered him out of the Lucknow Commissionerate for three months. The victims’ family accuses him of being the mastermind.

The fallout. Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak met the family and carried the biers of all three men, Bhaskar reported. Director General of Police Rajeev Krishna visited on Friday, Oct. 30. Shivaji’s wife, Usha Tiwari, told him Rishabh should be hanged and that his uncle and sister should be killed in an encounter, Bhaskar reported. The Saadatganj station house officer and the outpost in charge were suspended earlier, and the Hindustan Times reported that all four personnel at the Kashmiri Mohalla outpost, including sub inspector Shiv Kumar Yadav, have now been sent to police lines.

Conflicting relationships. Outlets describe the family ties differently. Bhaskar and Jagran say Shivendra was Shivaji’s brother and Suyash his son. The Hindustan Times calls Shivendra Shivaji’s son and Suyash his grandson, and The Times of India also calls Suyash the grandson.

Sources

Ipoh, Malaysia: Prosecutors Appeal Police Officer’s 7.5 Year Term for Ramming Student Zaharif and Weigh Reviving Murder Charge

The white colonial era Ipoh railway station with a central dome, seen across a planted roundabout
Ipoh railway station, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia. Photo: FBilula / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Location: Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia

Legal status: DSP Mohd Nazri Abdul Razak pleaded guilty to causing death under Section 304(b) and was sentenced Oct. 28; AGC appeal filed; Attorney General spoke Nov. 1

The appeal. Malaysia’s Attorney General’s Chambers has filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal against the sentence given to Deputy Superintendent Mohd Nazri Abdul Razak, the senior Perak police officer who pleaded guilty to causing the death of 17-year-old student Muhammad Zaharif Affendi Muhd Zamrie, and is considering asking for the original murder charge to be reinstated, according to Malay Mail, The Sun and the New Straits Times, citing the national news agency Bernama, on Sunday, Nov. 1. Attorney General Tan Sri Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar told reporters in Kota Bharu, Kelantan, that the appeal was filed last week but that the chambers was still examining the case before deciding which arguments to put to the appellate court.

What the Attorney General said. “We want to examine every aspect of this case, including whether we should submit arguments for the original murder charge to be reinstated, or take any other appropriate action based on the circumstances of the case and the court’s decision,” Mohd Dusuki said. He said he had discussed the case with Datuk Masri Mohd Daud, head of the chambers’ prosecution division, and with the head of its trial and appeals division. Asked whether the chambers had found any shortcomings in the High Court’s decision, he said it was too early to say because prosecutors had not yet received the full written grounds of judgment. He spoke after the launch of the chambers’ Madani Adopted School programme at Sekolah Kebangsaan Pasir Hor.

The sentence. On Wednesday, Oct. 28, Judge Datuk Bhupindar Singh Gurcharan Singh Preet of the Ipoh High Court sentenced Mohd Nazri, 47, to seven years and six months in prison, backdated to Dec. 15, 2023, the day of his arrest, The Star reported, citing Bernama. Because of the backdating, nearly three years of the term had already been served on the day it was imposed. The court found a prima facie case under Section 304(b) of the Penal Code, causing death with knowledge that the act was likely to cause death, after which the murder charge was amended and he pleaded guilty. Section 304(b) carries a maximum of 10 years. He was originally charged with murder under Section 302, which carries the death penalty or 30 to 40 years in prison and at least 12 strokes of the cane. He was also ordered to pay RM50,000 in compensation to the boy’s father, Muhd Zamrie Zainal Abidin, 58, or serve an extra year.

How Zaharif died. At the opening of the murder trial in November 2024, Deputy Public Prosecutor Afzainizam Abdul Aziz told the court that Mohd Nazri drove his car to the area near SMK Jati in Ipoh on Dec. 15, 2023, and chased the teenager, who was riding a motorcycle, The Star reported. The prosecutor said the officer followed him from the junction of Jalan Taman Jati 1 and Jalan Pekeliling Meru Indah toward the Al Fateh Muhammad Mosque and a housing area, kept following when both turned back at the end of the road, and at the junction hit the back of the motorcycle at high speed without taking evasive action, in an area with a 30 km/h limit. Zaharif suffered fatal injuries and died at the scene, the autopsy showed, the prosecutor said. The judge, lawyers and accused inspected the car and the motorcycle at the court.

The mitigation. Defence counsel Datuk M. Athimulan told the court on Oct. 28 that his client deeply regretted the loss of a young life, had never intended to cause death, had no previous convictions or disciplinary record, and was his family’s sole breadwinner. “He has lost his career, reputation, public standing and peace of mind,” Athimulan said.

The father. In his victim impact statement, Muhd Zamrie said: “As a father, there is no greater sorrow than losing one’s own child. To this day, my family and I are still struggling to come to terms with the reality that the son we raised with such love is gone forever.” The family’s watching brief lawyer, Mirza Muhaimin Zaidi, said after the sentencing that the family did not intend to appeal at that stage because Mohd Nazri had pleaded guilty.

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