1. Three men convicted in killings of Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson and American Carter Rhoad

Location: Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico

Legal status: Convicted. A judge found Jesús Gerardo (“El Kekas”), Irineo Francisco and Ángel Jesús guilty on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, of aggravated homicide and related offences. Sentencing is set for Oct. 16. Their full surnames have been withheld for legal reasons.

The verdict. Judge Raúl Hernández Arellano convicted the three men of murdering brothers Jake and Callum Robinson, from Perth, Western Australia, and their American friend Carter Rhoad, ABC News (Australia) and The West Australian reported. The West Australian and The Guardian reported that the judge ruled the defendants acted with premeditation. It was a judge-alone trial in Ensenada. The Guardian reported it began on Sept. 7. The BBC reported it ran for about a month.

The victims. The BBC reported that all three men were in their early 30s. Outlets give slightly different exact ages, so this card does not list them. Jake was a doctor who was due to start work at a hospital in Geelong, ABC reported. Callum had moved to the United States to play lacrosse. The West Australian reported he was the first Australian to play the sport professionally there. Jake had travelled to California to see Callum before the two went south into Mexico with Rhoad.

Sequence and timeline. The three were on a surfing and camping trip on a remote stretch of Baja California’s Pacific coast. The BBC reported that they were killed barely 36 hours after crossing into Mexico from the US. The Guardian reported the attack happened in April 2024. The West Australian reported the bodies were found on May 3, 2024.

How they died. The BBC reported that the court heard the men were killed in an apparent botched robbery of their truck in a secluded beach area, and that their bodies were found dumped down a well with gunshot wounds to their heads. The Guardian also reported gunshot wounds to the head. In May 2024, Baja California’s chief prosecutor, María Elena Andrade Ramírez, said forensic examiners’ reports showed all three had bullet wounds to the head, CBS News reported. She said the attackers appeared to want the truck’s tyres and other parts and shot the men when they resisted.

Evidence. In that 2024 account, as CBS reported it, the prosecutor said police found bloodstains at the last campsite and marks “as if heavy objects had been dragged.” The tents had apparently been burned. The victims’ pickup was driven miles away and burned, and the attackers’ truck was later found with a gun inside. The bodies were in a well about 4 miles (6 km) away that had been covered with boards. It took two hours to winch them out, and a fourth body that had been there much longer was found beneath them. The West Australian reported that evidence at trial included protected witnesses and forensic experts.

Testimony. A key witness was Jesús Gerardo’s former girlfriend, Ari Gisell (Ary Gisell Silva in The Guardian). The BBC and The Guardian reported she was sentenced in November 2025 to 20 years in prison after admitting involvement in the robbery. ABC reported she testified that Jesús Gerardo described how he killed the men and said the victims handed over their car keys and wallets and “begged not to be killed.” ABC also reported that the trial heard evidence Jesús Gerardo was a hit man with a list of targets.

Defence. The defence argued that there was not enough evidence and questioned how the investigation was done and whether some evidence was reliable, The West Australian reported. ABC reported the judge found that several witnesses gave credible and consistent evidence.

After the verdict. Debra and Martin Robinson attended the trial in person. Rhoad’s mother and his fiancée, Natalie Weirtz, took part by video, The Guardian reported. “No outcome can ever undo this tragedy, but we hope today marks an important step towards justice,” Martin Robinson said. Reports differ on the prison term prosecutors will seek (150 years in some, 210 in others), so this card gives no figure.

Sources

• ABC News (Australia), Aline Corpus, Brad Ryan, 2026-10-10 AEDT
• The West Australian, Matt Zis, Chloe Maher, 2026-10-10 AWST
• BBC News, Will Grant, 2026-10-09
• The Guardian, Graham Readfearn and AFP, 2026-10-09 17:30 EDT
• CBS News (CBS/AP), updated 2024-05-07

2. Two district office inspectors shot dead during routine gun-licence check in Bavarian village; 60-year-old suspect arrested

Location: Berngau, Neumarkt district, Upper Palatinate (Oberpfalz), Bavaria, Germany

Legal status: Arrested, not yet charged. A 60-year-old German man was detained by police special forces early on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, after a siege, and is under guard in hospital with serious injuries. Police say he admitted by phone that he had fired. As of Oct. 10, no arrest warrant or charge had been publicly confirmed; he is to be brought before an investigating judge after treatment. He is presumed innocent.

What happened. Two employees of the Neumarkt district office (Landratsamt), a 54-year-old woman and her 45-year-old colleague, went to Berngau on Thursday afternoon, Oct. 8, to carry out a routine, unannounced check on a licensed gun owner, taz and t-online reported. The district office said such checks are carried out in pairs, without notice, on all holders of firearms ownership cards to make sure weapons are handled and stored lawfully, and that police are brought in only when there is a specific concern. Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann said these checks usually happen about every three years.

The shooting. The first emergency calls came in at about 2 p.m., with callers reporting gunshots, the two outlets reported. According to investigators cited by taz, both inspectors were hit almost immediately after they arrived and died at once. Officials have not released the victims’ names or a detailed sequence. “We do not yet know the exact course of events,” Herrmann told a press conference on Friday morning, according to t-online. “Why it escalated like this, we do not know at this time.”

The siege. About 150 police officers converged on the village of 2,600 people, taz reported, with helicopters, drones and an armoured vehicle. The suspect barricaded himself in his flat in an apartment building. Police said he phoned officers himself, admitted he had fired, and said he would not give up without resistance, t-online reported. Officers kept up contact for hours. In the early hours of Friday, a special operations unit (SEK) stormed the flat. Police said several shots were fired at the man and he was seriously wounded; police had first said he was only slightly hurt. The two outlets give slightly different times for the raid, so this card does not state one. A police spokesperson told t-online that, as far as was known, the man had not fired at officers.

The suspect. Herrmann said the 60-year-old was a sport shooter and hunter who was legally permitted to own 10 firearms, including long guns and handguns. He said the man had no police record and that neither state security police nor the domestic intelligence service had any information on him. Investigators are checking all lines of inquiry, taz reported, including whether he had any prior history with the district office. Herrmann said there were “no findings at all” on motive. Berngau’s mayor told the German Press Agency that the man was “not integrated in the village.” Officials have not named him.

Court status. taz reported that after medical treatment he will be brought before an investigating judge, who will decide whether he goes into pre-trial custody or a secure psychiatric clinic. It was not clear on Friday when he would be fit to be questioned.

Reaction. The district office in Neumarkt stayed closed on Friday and opened books of condolence. Crisis teams were at the village school to talk with children. The services union Verdi called for protection plans for field staff to be reviewed. “No one should have to fear for their life while doing their job,” said Alexander Gröbner of Verdi Oberpfalz, according to taz. Bavarian SPD leader Ronja Endres asked whether it was justifiable to send administrative staff to gun checks without police escort. The Greens asked Herrmann to brief the state parliament’s interior committee next week.

A note on figures. Herrmann first said about 60,000 gun checks take place in Bavaria each year; his ministry later corrected that to about 10,000, t-online reported. The ministry says the vast majority pass without incident, and about 200,000 people in Bavaria hold firearms permits.

Sources

• taz, Dominik Baur, 2026-10-09
• t-online, t-online (lp), 2026-10-10 (updated)

3. Four jailed over 2019 kidnap and killing of Birmingham father Tomasz Samel

Location: Birmingham and Merseyside, England

Legal status: Convicted and sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday, Oct. 9. Neil Jones received life with a minimum of 34 years and Tobiasz Kozlowski received life with a minimum of 33 years, both for murder. Kevin Wooden received 23 years and Kye Arthur 22 years, both for manslaughter. Sandra Kozlowska received three years suspended for assisting an offender.

The motive. According to the CPS, the attack was linked to an organised crime network that illegally imported cigarettes. HM Revenue and Customs seized a large consignment that Tomasz Samel, 45, had been responsible for, and the organisers held him responsible for the loss. The Liverpool Echo reported that the judge, Mr Justice Wall, described the consignment as worth £1 million and illegally imported from Poland, seized on Feb. 22, 2019.

The kidnap. In March 2019, the CPS said, Kozlowski and Jones recruited others to abduct Samel. Posing as Interpol officers acting on a European Arrest Warrant, Wooden, Arthur and a third man took him from his home in the Handsworth area of Birmingham and drove him to Merseyside. The Liverpool Echo reported that the judge said the kidnappers first posed as Amazon delivery drivers and that the third man has not been identified. Samel’s wife, Beata Ostrowska, said in a statement reported by the Birmingham Mail that she and their children witnessed the kidnap.

How he was killed. The Liverpool Echo quoted the judge’s sentencing remarks: after a number of hours of detention, Samel “was stripped naked, and, while seated and defenceless, petrol was thrown over him and he was set alight. He suffered extensive burns to most of his body.” He was then dressed, driven to a remote area and thrown from a vehicle at the roadside. The judge said he could not sentence on the basis of torture because the burns were so extensive that Samel’s body could not be examined for other marks of violence. Samel got to a nearby property for help, the CPS said. The Echo reported he died at Whiston Hospital in Prescot on June 21, 2019, as a result of his injuries.

The investigation. The CPS said the case was built on CCTV, automatic number plate recognition (ANPR), telecoms data and other forensic evidence. It said West Midlands Police, the CPS and Polish investigators worked as a joint investigation team with support from Eurojust. Jones fled the UK and was later found in a prison in Greece, serving a sentence for importing drugs. UK and Greek authorities arranged for him to be temporarily transferred back for trial. Wooden fled to the Dominican Republic and was arrested there under a false name, then extradited.

Verdicts and pleas. In August 2026, a jury convicted Jones and Kozlowski of murder and conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm, the CPS said. Both had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to kidnap and conspiracy to falsely imprison, and Jones had also pleaded guilty to manslaughter. Wooden and Arthur admitted the kidnap and false imprisonment conspiracies and were convicted of manslaughter after trial. Kozlowska, Kozlowski’s wife, was convicted of assisting an offender by moving money for him, trying to hide evidence and giving police false information.

In court. “This was a sustained and merciless attack on a man taken from the safety of his own home,” said Kate Seal of the CPS. The Birmingham Mail reported that Kozlowski’s barrister said Kozlowski had also been attacked and doused in petrol and had no option but to go along with the plan. Wooden’s barrister said Wooden’s role ended once Samel was moved to Liverpool.

Note: ages are from the CPS. Some news outlets give Jones as 49 and Kozlowski as 39.

Sources

• Crown Prosecution Service, CPS, 2026-10-09
• Liverpool Echo, Courtney Eales, 2026-10-09 17:49 BST
• Birmingham Mail, Carl Jackson, 2026-10-09 16:11 BST

4. Taiwan court sentences man to death for rape and murder of teacher at Hualien church dormitory

Location: Xiulin Township, Hualien County, Taiwan (Hualien District Court)

Legal status: Convicted at first instance. On Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026, the Hualien District Court sentenced a 26-year-old man to death and lifelong deprivation of civil rights for intentional homicide committed in the course of rape after unlawful entry into a dwelling. The ruling can be appealed.

Translated from Chinese-language reports by SETN and China Times. Because this case involves sexual violence, this card does not name the victim. Taiwanese media identify her only by surname.

The verdict. A collegial panel of the Hualien District Court sentenced the defendant, a 26-year-old deaf man, to death and stripped him of civil rights for life, SETN and China Times reported. SETN said he was also convicted of theft. The panel found the case met the Constitutional Court’s standard of “the most serious category of crime,” required since its 2024 ruling for a death sentence to be imposed, and found he posed a high risk of further serious violence and had no realistic prospect of returning to society, SETN reported.

Background. The victim, 29, was a junior high school teacher in a rural part of Hualien County, the outlets reported. According to the judgment as summarised by SETN, the defendant began attending activities at a local church in February 2025 and met her there. He became infatuated and sent her frequent messages. She found them distressing, and after the pastor’s wife and members of the congregation mediated, she blocked him. When he later asked her in person to unblock him and she declined, he held a grudge, the court found.

The killing. Learning that she would be staying alone at the church dormitory on the night of May 16, 2025, he slipped into her room, SETN reported. China Times reported that he sexually assaulted her, slammed her head against the floor, punched her and strangled her. He took her iPhone 16, a tablet, a laptop and other items, SETN reported. The next day he used her phone to post news of her death in the church group chat, and then attempted suicide.

Evidence. At trial he admitted killing her and stealing, but claimed he did not understand sexual intercourse and that a sexual act occurred only after her death “out of curiosity,” and that taking her property was unplanned, SETN reported. The court found the forensic autopsy report contradicted his account. It also found he had earlier entered the room to steal a roommate’s phone and had secretly memorised the victim’s phone passcode, which the court treated as evidence of premeditated intent to rob and sexually assault. A hospital psychiatric evaluation found his capacity to understand and control his actions was normal at the time, and that he showed clear planning and awareness of evading detection.

Sentencing reasons. The judges said he had repaid a church that welcomed him with violence, used extremely cruel methods and caused the family irreparable trauma, SETN reported. China Times reported the court found he repeatedly shifted blame and changed his story, showing no remorse, and that without strong public intervention his reintegration would face great difficulty.

The family. Her parents and brother attended the trial, China Times reported. Her mother said that on Teachers’ Day, Sept. 28, she visited her daughter’s niche but broke down before she could say “Happy Teachers’ Day.” Her father asked for the heaviest penalty, saying that if the defendant were ever released, “another family will face what we have faced.” Her brother said he has since been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.

Sources

• SETN, "判死原因曝！26歲瘖啞男性侵殘殺女教師「無賦歸可能」屬情節最嚴重犯罪," 陳弘逸, Oct. 9, 2026
• China Times, "女老師遭瘖啞男性侵殘殺一審死刑 父母塔位前哭崩「說不出教師節快樂」," 蕭宥彤, Oct. 9, 2026

5. Maui jury convicts man of first-degree murder in shooting death of Officer Suzanne O

Location: Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii, USA

Legal status: Convicted Oct. 8, 2026 (HST) of first-degree murder, first-degree reckless endangering, and firearms charges. Formal sentencing pending; first-degree murder carries life without parole.

A Maui jury on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026, convicted Clembert Kaneholani, 39, of first-degree murder in the August 2025 shooting death of Maui Police Department Officer Suzanne O at the old Pāʻia Sugar Mill.

Kaneholani, also known as “Aliʻi,” stood trial on six offenses. Along with first-degree murder, the jury in 2nd Circuit Court found him guilty of first-degree reckless endangering, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and other firearms counts. Deliberations began at 3:20 p.m. Tuesday, and jurors took two days to return a unanimous verdict, Hawaii News Now reported.

According to state officials, this was the first time in Maui County that a defendant charged under the first-degree murder statute covering the killing of police officers, judges and prosecutors had gone to trial. The conviction carries life in prison without the possibility of parole. The Maui News reported that jurors were scheduled to return to court on Friday to hear arguments related to that sentence.

The night of the shooting

At 8:26 p.m. on Aug. 15, 2025, police were called to an “in-progress terroristic threatening” incident at the Pāʻia Sugar Mill off Baldwin Avenue, Maui Now reported. The mill’s caretaker had encountered a man trespassing on the property who fired multiple shots at him.

Officer O and other officers were searching for the suspect in a dark field when she was shot. The Maui News reported that she was hit in the left side of her chest. KITV reported that she was wearing a bulletproof vest but the bullet struck an exposed area under her arm. Despite lifesaving efforts by other officers, she died at the scene.

Officers returned fire and wounded Kaneholani in the lower body. They found him crouched near a concrete pillar, and a pistol and a rifle were recovered from that area. He was taken into custody and treated.

The trial

Prosecutor Andrew Martin told jurors that Kaneholani’s own words were some of the strongest evidence against him, pointing to recorded jail calls to family members. In one, Kaneholani said: “I thought I was going to get me one buck, but I got me one doe,” followed by laughter. In another: “If you’re in blue, I ain’t a friend to you. You’re the enemy.” In a third: “I have my nine extended clip brah … straight up to heaven.”

Defense attorney Zachary Raidmae argued the shooting was accidental and blamed officers for failing to announce themselves. He told jurors the jail calls were bragging meant to gain credibility in jail. Martin responded that the calls were made to family members, not other inmates. A defense firearms expert, Dr. Joshua Harrison, testified that the gun was homemade and prone to malfunction.

After the verdict, Raidmae said he would reserve comment until the proceedings conclude.

Officer Suzanne O

Officer O grew up in a village in American Samoa and attended Farrington High School on Oʻahu, the Maui News reported. She had served with the Maui Police Department for five years, was a member of the Maui Police Honor Guard, and received a certificate of merit for her work during the Aug. 8, 2023, Lahaina wildfire.

Her family told Hawaii News Now they were grateful for the verdict but that it does not bring her back. Acting Police Chief Wade Maeda said the department was encouraged by the decision and by momentum toward passage of the Suzanne O bill, Senate Bill 2575, which would make it a felony for a person under a protective order to possess a firearm and raise the penalty for carrying a firearm while under the influence of a controlled substance.

Sources

• Hawaii News Now, "Man found guilty of first-degree murder in Maui police officer's death," HNN Staff, Oct. 8, 2026 (HST)
• Hawaii News Now, "Kaneholani murder trial goes to jury in Maui officer killing," HNN Staff, Oct. 6, 2026
• Maui Now, "Jury convicts Kaneholani of first-degree murder in shooting death of MPD Officer Suzanne O," staff, Oct. 8, 2026
• The Maui News, "Man convicted of first-degree murder in officer's death," Oct. 2026 (author not listed)
• KITV Island News, "Man found guilty in fatal shooting of Maui Police Officer Suzanne O," Oct. 8, 2026

6. Suspect in Jarosław abbey knife attack admits charges of killing a priest and trying to kill four others; Poland seeks Ukraine’s help

Location: Benedictine Sisters’ Abbey, Jarosław, Podkarpackie, Poland

Legal status: Charged (suspect). Ihor M., 31, a Ukrainian citizen, was formally charged on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, with murder and with the attempted murder of four people. Prosecutors say he admitted the charges but declined to give an explanation. He is in pre-trial detention, served in a secure forensic psychiatric ward, for three months. Whether he was legally sane at the time is still to be assessed. He faces up to life imprisonment and is presumed innocent.

The attack. On Sept. 24, 2026, a man attacked five people with a knife inside the grounds of the Benedictine Sisters’ Abbey on Benedyktyńska Street in Jarosław, wPrawo.pl and Wirtualna Polska (WP) reported. The Rev. Stanisław Zbojnowicz was stabbed repeatedly and died. Prosecutors also accuse the suspect of trying to kill four others, two priests among them, who suffered serious and in some cases life-threatening injuries, WP reported. Two of the most badly hurt men remained in hospital in Jarosław, and their condition had improved and stabilised, according to WP and Polish Radio Rzeszów.

Why charges came two weeks later. Until this week, investigators could not question the suspect because of his mental state, prosecutors said. Psychiatric experts’ first opinions found acute psychotic disorders, delusional interpretation of events and no logical contact, wPrawo.pl reported. A second opinion found slight improvement, including the “subsiding of hostility.” On Tuesday, Oct. 6, the prosecutor appointed psychiatrists for a third time. On Wednesday they found he could take part in proceedings, and that afternoon a prosecutor presented the charges and questioned him with a court interpreter and a state-appointed defence lawyer present.

“Ihor M. admitted to the acts he is accused of and exercised his right to refuse to give explanations,” said Małgorzata Taciuch-Kurasiewicz, spokeswoman for the Regional Prosecutor’s Office in Przemyśl, as quoted by WP. Prosecutors stressed that his fitness to take part in proceedings is a separate question from whether he was criminally responsible at the time of the attack, which will be assessed separately.

New details on Oct. 8. At a press briefing on Thursday, Oct. 8, the spokeswoman said prosecutors had sent Ukraine a request for international legal assistance, Polish Radio Rzeszów reported. They want to question the suspect’s mother as a witness and obtain documents about his health, any psychiatric treatment, and information that could help establish his motive. Investigators are still waiting for blood tests to show whether he was under the influence of drugs or psychotropic substances. They have also secured the car he travelled in, and found nothing in it typical of preparations for a long journey. Experts will decide whether a period of court-ordered psychiatric observation is needed. One of the seriously injured victims was due to be questioned that day.

The suspect. Ihor M. has not been publicly identified beyond Poland’s usual first name and initial. Unofficial media reports, not confirmed by prosecutors, said he held Ukrainian and German passports and a Polish personal ID number, and had served in the Ukrainian army, wPrawo.pl reported.

Reaction. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky offered condolences and said the attacker should be held responsible under Polish law, wPrawo.pl reported. Prime Minister Donald Tusk and President Karol Nawrocki also commented. At a Mass after the attack, the Rev. Adrian Mantykiewicz, one of the injured priests, appeared with a bandaged head and asked worshippers to pray for the attacker. “The evil that happened in our abbey must be overcome with love and forgiveness,” he said.

What’s next. The investigation is running for an initial three months and may be extended. Prosecutors gave no date for completing it, saying it depends largely on Ukraine’s response to the legal assistance request.

Sources

• Wirtualna Polska, Paweł Buczkowski, 2026-10-08
• Polskie Radio Rzeszów, Sylwia Miś, 2026-10-08
• wPrawo.pl, (byline not shown), 2026-10 (undated)

7. Great-grandmother sentenced to 20 years for murdering three children at Bainskloof Pass

Location: Worcester / Ceres area, Western Cape, South Africa

Legal status: Convicted and sentenced. This week, the Worcester Regional Court sentenced Susara Johanna de Villiers, 71, to 20 years’ direct imprisonment on each of three counts of premeditated murder, to be served concurrently.

The victims. Caleb, 8, Gradwell, 5, and Joshua, 2, were De Villiers’ great-grandchildren. They died on Nov. 20, 2021, The Citizen and the Cape Argus reported, citing the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).

Background. NPA regional spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said the state’s evidence showed the children had earlier been removed from their parents’ care because of neglect and substance abuse. They lived with De Villiers and her husband for about three months before being placed with a maternal relative. About a week before the deaths, the children’s mother and her partner were arrested on child-neglect charges.

Sequence. On the day of the deaths, De Villiers collected the children while their caregiver was at a wedding, the NPA said. The Cape Argus reported they spent the day swimming and playing at her home. Between 4:30 and 5 p.m. she put them in her car, apparently to take them back to their caregiver. “The children cried and begged to remain with her. She told them to say goodbye to their great-grandfather and assured them that no one would hurt them again,” Ntabazalila said. Regional court prosecutor Cornelius Prinsloo argued that she drove in the opposite direction from the children’s home, about 23 kilometres to Bainskloof Pass, passing several traffic control points on the way. The court heard that at the summit she considered stopping to call her husband or driving on to Ceres. Instead she drove through a gap in the barriers, and the car went down the mountainside and stopped in a riverbed. She was wearing a seatbelt. The children were not.

Cause of death and evidence. All three children died of multiple blunt force injuries, the court heard. The state submitted the children’s post-mortem reports, an accident reconstruction report and a mechanical analysis of the vehicle. Evidence showed she was sober, the vehicle was mechanically sound and visibility was good.

Plea and mental state. De Villiers pleaded guilty but claimed diminished responsibility in her plea explanation. The Cape Argus reported that the prosecutor would not accept that part of the plea, so the court entered a plea of not guilty on her behalf, and the rest of her statement stood as formal admissions. She said her motive was to spare herself and the children further suffering. She survived what The Citizen described as a murder-suicide attempt. In November 2025 she testified that she “did not feel like herself” and that “something switched off.” She was sent to Valkenberg Psychiatric Hospital for 30 days of observation. According to the NPA, the panel found she was mentally fit, could appreciate the wrongfulness of her actions and could act on that appreciation. It found no evidence of psychosis and described her conduct as “goal-directed but impulsive.” She did not contest the findings.

Mitigation and sentence. In mitigation, De Villiers spoke about a difficult upbringing, poverty and three suicide attempts as a teenager. She also described depression after a January 2020 car accident in which her stepdaughter later died of burn injuries, and said she received limited treatment. Prinsloo argued that these factors could not outweigh “the deliberate and premeditated killing of three young children entrusted to her care.” The NPA credited investigating officer Warrant Officer Michael Pretorius and the prosecutor, saying their scrutiny of her plea strengthened the state’s case.

Sources

• The Citizen, Lesego Seokwang, 2026-10-09
• News24, Noxolo Sibiya, 2026-10-09
• Cape Argus (IOL), Staff Reporter, 2026-10-09

8. Florida man sentenced to life without parole for 2020 Frostproof triple murder

Location: Bartow, Polk County, Florida, USA

Legal status: Convicted of three counts of first-degree murder; sentenced Oct. 9, 2026, to life in prison without parole. He can still appeal.

A Polk County judge on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, sentenced Tony Lee “TJ” Wiggins Jr. to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the 2020 killings of three men who were heading out on a night fishing trip near Frostproof.

“There’s only one sentence you can get as far as this court is concerned, and as far as the law… life in prison without the possibility of parole,” Circuit Judge Jalal Harb said, according to WFLA.

The victims were Damion Tillman, 23, Brandon Rollins, 28, and Keven Springfield, 30, FOX 13 reported.

The verdict and the penalty phase

After two weeks of testimony and about three hours of deliberation, a Polk County jury found Wiggins guilty on all three counts of first-degree murder. Wiggins had faced a possible death sentence. In the penalty phase, the jury recommended life in prison on all three counts, and on Monday of this week it returned that recommendation. The judge made the sentence official on Friday.

What prosecutors said happened

According to the state’s case as reported by FOX 13, Wiggins spotted Tillman at a Dollar General and followed him to a remote area on Lake Streety Road, where Tillman was meeting Rollins and Springfield for a night fishing trip. The killings took place in July 2020; a relative of Springfield referred in court to “July 17th.”

The state’s evidence indicated that Wiggins punched Springfield during a dispute over a truck engine, beat at least one of the men with the butt of a gun and fired at least 10 rounds. WFLA reported that the dispute with Springfield was over a truck engine, and Springfield’s brother-in-law, Michael Smith, told the court: “There’s no sense in killing somebody over $200.”

The evidence

Investigators linked DNA found on spent 9 mm shell casings at the scene to shell casings found outside Wiggins’s trailer, FOX 13 reported. Authorities also found blood on a truck seatbelt.

Surveillance video showed Wiggins’s white pickup truck traveling from the crime scene to a Polk County McDonald’s drive-thru about 13 minutes later. Additional video showed the truck being washed the following morning.

Jurors also heard a jailhouse phone call in which Wiggins claimed investigators had no fingerprints linking him to the killings.

Wiggins’s defense attorneys argued that prosecutors had no direct evidence proving he had a gun in his hand or establishing premeditation. Wiggins did not testify.

The families

All three victims’ families spoke at the sentencing, WFLA reported. “You took a piece of my family away that I will never have here on Earth with me. I will see my son again in heaven, but I am hoping you will remember what you have done for the rest of your life,” Tillman’s mother said.

Rollins’s mother, Dottie Payton, said after the guilty verdict that the families had waited more than six years. “It felt like there was a piece of my heart that wasn’t broken, that was put right back together,” she told FOX 13. “I’ll keep posting about Brandon every day, every year, so it’s not forgotten.”

At sentencing, Payton described Wiggins’s demeanor in court: “He just has a smirk on his face like he doesn’t care. No remorse, no nothing.”

Wiggins can still appeal. The families told WFLA they intend to see the case through to the end.

Sources

• WFLA, "Wiggins sentenced to life in prison for Frostproof triple murder," Ashley Suter and Emi Darquea, Oct. 9, 2026
• FOX 13 Tampa Bay, "Polk County jury recommends life in prison for TJ Wiggins in Frostproof murders," Kylie Jones (video report), Oct. 2026

9. DNA on food and cigarettes at scene matches two accused in Rangpur killing of retired teacher’s family of four

Location: Machuapara, Rangpur, Bangladesh

Legal status: Arrested; no charge sheet reported yet. Neighbours Siddhartha Das and Mugdha Das were arrested on suspicion of the murders and gave statements before a magistrate under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, police said. A police official confirmed on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026, that their DNA matched samples recovered from the scene. Neither has been tried, and both are presumed innocent.

Translated from Bengali-language reports by bdnews24.com and Khaborer Kantha.

The victims. On the night of Aug. 22, 2026, police recovered the bodies of retired schoolteacher Ganapati Chakraborty, his wife Pritilata Chakraborty, their daughter Agami Chakraborty Prarthi and their son Ayush Chakraborty Priyam from the family’s home in Machuapara, Rangpur city, bdnews24.com and Khaborer Kantha reported. Mr Chakraborty, 65, had taught at Rangpur Zilla School, The Business Standard reported. It and Prothom Alo gave Pritilata Chakraborty’s age as 50 and Agami’s as 25. They differ on the boy’s age (12 or 13), so it is not given here. Relatives raised the alarm after two days without contact and a foul smell from the house, Khaborer Kantha reported.

Cause of death. Police investigators found that all four had been strangled, Khaborer Kantha reported. The case was later handed to the Detective Branch for further investigation. Mr Chakraborty’s elder brother, Gopinath Chakraborty, filed a murder case against unidentified people at Kotwali police station, bdnews24.com reported.

The arrests and statements. Police arrested the family’s neighbours, Siddhartha Das and Mugdha Das, on suspicion of involvement, bdnews24.com reported. The two are cousins, Prothom Alo reported. Mugdha Das is 23 and Siddhartha Das is 19, according to Prothom Alo and The Business Standard, both citing police. Both later gave statements before a court under Section 164, which police said contained important information about the killings. Investigators then compared those statements with the scene evidence, autopsy reports and other forensic findings. A drug test carried out nine days after the arrests found no evidence of drug use, Khaborer Kantha reported.

The DNA results. Police superintendent Sumit Chowdhury said samples taken from dates, a cucumber and cigarettes seized at the scene matched the DNA of the two accused, bdnews24.com reported. Khaborer Kantha described the items as bitten dates, date seeds, cucumber and cigarette ends, and said the comparison was done at the Criminal Investigation Department’s forensic laboratory in Dhaka. The two men were taken from Rangpur Central Jail to Dhaka in late September so samples could be taken. The outlets give slightly different dates for that transfer and different units for Chowdhury, so this card gives neither precisely.

The wider evidence. Police collected more than 35 items from the house, including cigarette ends, dates, cucumber, a fruit knife, equipment used to take yaba (methamphetamine pills), a stained washbasin, naan bread and writing found in Priyam’s notebook, the outlets reported. They were sent for forensic testing in batches starting about 12 days after the killings.

Police account, not yet tested in court. Early in the investigation, police said the killings may have grown out of a dispute over yaba use on the roof of the Chakraborty home, Khaborer Kantha reported. Police allege the two men stayed in the house for some time after the killings, bathed, ate dates and cucumber from the fridge, ransacked rooms and took cash and gold jewellery. “This DNA match could make the forensic evidence in the case stronger,” Chowdhury said, according to bdnews24.com. Investigators told Khaborer Kantha they do not treat the DNA match alone as final proof, and that a court will also weigh the statements, autopsy reports, other scene evidence and any recovery of the stolen property.

Public response. Political and social groups, teachers and students have called for a swift investigation and justice since the killings, Khaborer Kantha reported.

Sources

• Prothom Alo English, "Four family members killed one after another for stopping yaba use: Police," Rangpur correspondent, Aug. 23, 2026
• The Business Standard, "Rangpur 4-murder case: Siddhartha, Mugdha taken to Dhaka for DNA tests," UNB, Sept. 21, 2026
• bdnews24.com, "রংপুরে গণপতি পরিবার হত্যা: উদ্ধার আলামতে মিলেছে সিদ্ধার্থ-মুগ্ধর ডিএনএ," bdnews24.com News Service, Oct. 9, 2026
• Khaborer Kantha, "খেজুর-শসা-সিগারেটে মিলল দুই আসামির ডিএনএ," staff reporter, Oct. 9, 2026

10. Jury convicts man of 2022 killing of Lajeado do Bugre mayor Roberto Maciel Santos in his office; cousin acquitted of murder

Location: Passo Fundo (trial) and Lajeado do Bugre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Legal status: Convicted. A jury on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, convicted Rafael dos Santos Lyrio of qualified homicide and attempted homicide; he was sentenced to 38 years and acquitted of extortion. His cousin Victor Santos Lyrio was acquitted of the homicide and attempted homicides and convicted of extortion. Both verdicts can be appealed, and the defence says it will appeal Rafael’s conviction.

The verdict. After a two-day trial at the courthouse in Passo Fundo, presided over by Judge Victor Bevilaqua, a jury on Friday night convicted Rafael dos Santos Lyrio in the killing of Roberto Maciel Santos, the mayor of Lajeado do Bugre, GZH, O Sul and Brasil em Folhas reported. He was sentenced to 38 years in prison, to begin in a closed regime, and was also convicted of attempted homicide against others in the office. He was acquitted of extortion.

His cousin, Victor Santos Lyrio, was acquitted of the homicide and attempted homicides but convicted of extortion. O Sul and Brasil em Folhas reported a sentence of 5 years and 6 months in a semi-open regime. GZH reported five years in an open regime. Because the reports differ, this card does not settle the exact term.

The killing. At about 11:20 a.m. on Nov. 24, 2022, a hooded man broke down the door of the mayor’s office at Lajeado do Bugre city hall and fired several times at Maciel Santos, who died at the scene, GZH reported. O Sul reported he was 45 and a member of the Progressistas party (PP). Municipal employee Marcelo de Campos Wolff was also shot and survived after treatment. The then deputy mayor, Ronaldo Machado da Silva, escaped by hiding in a bathroom and was unhurt.

The prosecution’s case. According to the indictment by the state Public Ministry (MP), as reported by the outlets, 10 people were involved. The MP alleged the killing was motivated by money that a criminal organisation demanded from municipal politicians after the elections, as well as political disputes and attempts at intimidation. The two men tried this week were accused of planning and coordinating the crimes, providing moral and material support, and directing the attack and the escape of others involved. The indictment also says the mayor’s wife and daughter were victims of extortion and death threats, with the group demanding R$50,000 from them, GZH reported. The homicide counts were qualified by base motive and by the use of means that made defence difficult.

The other people named in the MP indictment were not part of this trial, and the reports do not give the status of their cases. This card does not name them.

At trial. The trial began on Thursday, Oct. 8, Portal GV reported. Five prosecution witnesses and 11 defence witnesses testified, and both defendants were questioned, before closing arguments, O Sul reported.

The defence. Defence lawyer Jader da Silveira Marques told GZH he would appeal to annul Rafael’s conviction. “The defence understands that Victor’s acquittal on the completed and attempted homicides shows that the jurors understood the absolute lack of evidence in the case for a conviction,” he said. He said the appeal would rely on that acquittal and on what he described as a close four-to-three jury vote. GZH said the MP had not responded to its request for comment by publication time.

The prosecution’s view. Prosecutor Rodrigo Piton told Rádio Uirapuru, as reported by Portal GV, that the MP had sought convictions of both men on all three homicide counts and on extortion, and that it would review the jury’s vote and the grounds of the decision to decide whether to appeal. Portal GV also reported that Victor Santos Lyrio may remain free while any appeal proceeds, having already served time in pretrial detention.

Sources

• "Júri condena réu a 38 anos por morte de prefeito de Lajeado do Bugre e outro por extorsão," Portal GV, Redação GV (with Bruno Reinehr, Rádio Uirapuru), Oct. 9, 2026
• "Tribunal do Júri condena um dos acusados pelo homicídio do ex-prefeito de Lajeado do Bugre," GZH (GaúchaZH), Luiz Otávio Calderan and Bruna Scheifler, Oct. 9, 2026
• "Dois homens são condenados pelo assassinato de prefeito de município gaúcho," Jornal O Sul, staff, Oct. 10, 2026
• "Júri condena dois homens por morte de prefeito no RS," Brasil em Folhas, Carla Fernandes, updated Oct. 10, 2026

11. Louth triple-killing trial opens: jury hears accused told gardaí he meant to kill his father and brother but not his mother

Location: Drumgowna, near Tallanstown, Co Louth, Ireland (trial at the Central Criminal Court, Dublin)

Legal status: On trial. Robert O’Connor, 32, has pleaded not guilty to murder by reason of insanity, or guilty of manslaughter on the basis of diminished responsibility, in the deaths of his mother, father and brother. The prosecution says he accepts he caused the three deaths. On Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, the prosecution told the jury an issue needed clarification; Judge Mícheál P. O’Higgins paused the trial and directed jurors to return Tuesday, Oct. 13, at 11 a.m., the Irish Mirror and Crime World reported. No verdict has been reached and he is presumed innocent of murder. Everything below is what the jury was told in the prosecution’s opening on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026; it is the prosecution’s case and has not yet been tested in evidence.

The trial. Robert O’Connor, of Drumgowna, Louth Village, Dundalk, was re-arraigned before the Central Criminal Court on Thursday afternoon, The Irish Times and TheJournal.ie reported. He is accused of murdering his mother, Louise O’Connor, 56, his father, Mark O’Connor, 54, and his younger brother, Evan O’Connor, 27, at the family home at Drumgowna between Sept. 28 and 29, 2025. Roisin Lacey SC, for the Director of Public Prosecutions, opened the case before Judge Mícheál P. O’Higgins and a jury of six men and six women. The trial is expected to last until Oct. 30.

The victims. Counsel told the jury Evan had very significant special needs, was severely autistic and had learning difficulties, and was supported by a charity that provided learning and living support.

The discovery, as outlined. A carer arrived at Drumgowna at 9:30 a.m. on Sept. 29 to collect Evan, TheJournal.ie reported. Before reversing in, she saw something inside the gate that she thought looked like a Halloween decoration. When Evan did not come out, she walked back to the gate and saw the heavily bloodstained body of Mark O’Connor. Looking across at the house, she saw Evan’s body lying across the step of the patio door. She drove to a neighbour’s house and called 999 at 9:38 a.m. Gardaí and the Armed Support Unit arrived later that morning. Beside Mark O’Connor’s body were a beer bottle, an orange kitchen knife and a butter knife, the jury was told. Inside, gardaí found Louise O’Connor’s body, “equally heavily bloodstained,” on the kitchen floor. A local doctor pronounced all three dead.

Witnesses the jury will hear. Counsel said a neighbour would testify that he recognised the accused’s voice from the house on the night of Sept. 28 saying, “I’ll end you, I’ll f*ing end you,” and that the next morning the accused told him at his gate, “I’m sorry about the noise last night, where do we go now?” Another neighbour would describe a male figure jumping up and down in the back garden at about 8:45 p.m. A woman would say that at about 9:45 a.m. on Sept. 29 the accused came to her door, asked to come in, and when asked what had happened said, “I killed them.” She called 999 at 10:04 a.m.

Arrest. Gardaí stopped O’Connor on foot heading toward Tallanstown, the jury heard. He was highly agitated, refused to show his hands, shouted “Shoot me, shoot me,” and his hands were bloodstained. On arrest he said, “I killed them; I killed my mother, father and my brother,” according to the prosecution opening reported by both outlets.

What he told gardaí, according to the prosecution. Counsel said O’Connor told detectives he had argued with his parents about drugs, “lost my head,” and only meant to kill his father and brother, not his mother. He said he was “not sorry for his father or brother” but was sorry for stabbing his mother. The jury heard he told gardaí he had recently been using cocaine and had bought “Wildcat,” which counsel described as slang for mephedrone, and that his parents had wanted to talk about his drug use. He described stabbing his brother like a “blood bag,” the jury was told. Counsel also said he told gardaí that “the algorithm on Evan’s iPad” was affecting his reality and that he had taken the three outside and “had to throw them out to see who got into heaven.”

Injuries. The jury was told it will hear that Mark O’Connor had 44 stab wounds, nine of them to his head; Louise O’Connor had 20 stab wounds, eight to her trunk; and Evan O’Connor had 75 stab wounds, 25 to his head and neck, a combined 139. A pathologist is expected to say Evan was alive when most of his wounds were inflicted.

What’s next. The prosecution’s opening was due to continue on Friday, Oct. 9. The central question for the jury, given the pleas entered, is the accused’s mental state at the time.

Sources

• The Irish Times, Alison O'Riordan, 2026-10-08
• TheJournal.ie, (byline not shown), 2026-10-08

12. Man jailed nine years for machete attack on NHK Party leader Takashi Tachibana in Tokyo

Location: Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, Japan (Tokyo District Court)

Legal status: Convicted at first instance and sentenced. On Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, a lay-judge panel at the Tokyo District Court found Shion Miyanishi, 32, guilty of attempted murder and other charges and sentenced him to nine years in prison. Prosecutors had sought 12 years. He admitted the charges.

Translated from Japanese-language reports by Jiji Press and the Asahi Shimbun. Names are spelled as printed in Jiji Press’s English service.

The verdict. Presiding Judge Kazunobu Eguchi sentenced Shion Miyanishi to nine years, calling the attack “highly dangerous and an extremely malicious crime,” Jiji Press reported. The verdict was handed down at 3pm, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Miyanishi had told the court at the first hearing on Oct. 2 that he “admits everything” in the indictment.

The attack. According to the judgment as reported by Jiji, on March 14, 2025, on the pavement in front of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in Kasumigaseki, Miyanishi slashed Takashi Tachibana, leader of the political group “NHK Party” (the party to protect the people from NHK), on the head with a machete with intent to kill. Jiji gave the blade length as about 16 centimetres; the Asahi described it as about 15 centimetres. Mr Tachibana, now 59, had come to make a street speech while a large crowd had gathered for a demonstration, with placards reading “Dismantle the Ministry of Finance,” the Asahi reported. He suffered cuts to his head and left ear needing about three weeks to heal, the Asahi reported.

Motive found by the court. Judge Eguchi found that Miyanishi had jumped to the conclusion that Mr Tachibana’s words and actions caused the suicide of a Hyogo prefectural assembly member, and decided to commit the crime, Jiji reported. “He failed twice in attempts at the attack and had chances to stop, yet he refined his plan,” the judge said.

Background presented at trial. The Asahi reported that Miyanishi had at one point supported Mr Tachibana as a politician. As a child he moved between countries because of his mother’s partner, attended a free school from the third grade, and did not go to junior or senior high school. After graduating from a correspondence university and moving to Tokyo alone around 2019, he was fired from a part-time job within months and then lived on his late father’s inheritance, the Asahi reported, describing about six years in which he had almost no conversations with other people.

Mental state. The court accepted that his isolated life and traits of autism spectrum disorder had affected his beliefs, but found they did not extend to his decision to kill, Jiji reported.

The victim in court. Mr Tachibana took part in the trial under Japan’s victim participation system and questioned Miyanishi directly, including on whether he intended to apologise, Jiji reported. Mr Tachibana is himself in custody after being indicted for criminal defamation of a former Hyogo prefectural assembly member, in a case linked to the whistleblower document controversy surrounding the Hyogo governor, Jiji and the Asahi reported. The Asahi reported the charge alleges he spread false claims damaging the reputation of the former assembly member, who died at age 50. Mr Tachibana is presumed innocent of that charge.

Words from the bench. After the sentence, Judge Eguchi addressed Miyanishi: “When you return to society, please interact and talk with a wide range of people. I hope you will never commit a crime again and will be able to live together with those around you,” Jiji reported.

Sources

• Jiji Press English (via Nippon.com), "Attacker of Anti-NHK Group Leader Gets 9 Years," Oct. 9, 2026
• Jiji Press, "Ｎ党立花氏襲撃、男に懲役９年 「危険で悪質」、殺人未遂罪―東京地裁," Social Affairs Desk, Oct. 9, 2026
• Asahi Shimbun, "NHK党の立花氏襲撃、男に懲役9年 孤立し、暴走させた「正義感」," 黒田早織, Oct. 9, 2026
• Sankei Shimbun, "立花孝志元議員切り付け 殺人未遂の罪に問われた男に懲役9年判決 東京地裁," Oct. 9, 2026. (headline and search summary only; accessed Oct. 10, 2026)

13. Ukrainian police send to court the case of a 14-year-old accused of poisoning and strangling a soldier on Russian orders

Location: Rivne, Ukraine

Legal status: Indicted. On Oct. 9, 2026, police in Rivne region said the pre-trial investigation was complete and the indictment had been sent to court. A 14-year-old girl is accused of premeditated murder committed on commission and by prior conspiracy of a group (Article 115, Part 2, points 11 and 12, of Ukraine’s Criminal Code). She is held in a pre-trial detention centre. She is a minor and is not named here. She has not been tried and is presumed innocent. All details below are allegations by police and investigators.

The allegation. National Police of Ukraine said a 14-year-old Rivne girl, acting on the direct instructions of a handler over a live video call, first poisoned a 27-year-old Ukrainian serviceman with a mixture of alcohol and a narcotic substance and then strangled him. The account is set out in a police statement published on Oct. 9 and reported the same day by Hromadske Radio. The serviceman has not been publicly named.

How she was recruited, according to police. Investigators say the girl met a Russian citizen on the Telegram messenger. Acting on the instructions of an officer of Russia’s FSB security service, he ordered her to kill a Ukrainian serviceman by poisoning him with methadone, police said. Because she had feelings for the handler, police say, he promised that once the task was done he would arrange for her to travel to territory controlled by Russia.

The killing, as alleged. On Jan. 30, 2026, the girl went to a rented flat, poured pre-prepared alcohol into glasses and added a narcotic substance she had received from the people who ordered the killing through a delivery company, police said. The 27-year-old serviceman, whom she had met on a messaging app 10 days earlier, then arrived. After drinking the mixture, he lost consciousness. While on a video call with the handler, she began to strangle him, police said. He died of mechanical asphyxia. Hromadske Radio published a police photograph of a forensic examiner working in the flat.

Arrest and custody. Criminal investigation officers detained her quickly, police said. Investigators served her with a notice of suspicion of premeditated murder on commission and by a group acting in prior conspiracy. A court ordered her held in custody. She faces up to 15 years in prison, police said.

The handler and organiser. Investigators in Rivne region have identified the handler and the organiser of the killing, police said. Criminal proceedings against them are being handled by the regional office of the SBU, Ukraine’s security service. Neither has been named or reported to be in custody.

Earlier alleged sabotage. Police also say the same girl, acting on Russian orders, set fire to a military Opel Campo vehicle in Rivne on Nov. 11. She was promised $1,000 for the “job” but never received the money, police said. A separate case investigated by the SBU, on charges of high treason under martial law, obstructing the lawful activities of the Armed Forces, and deliberate destruction of property by arson (Article 111, Part 2; Article 114-1, Part 1; and Article 194, Part 2, of the Criminal Code), has also been sent to court, police said. Police published the account on Friday, Oct. 9, through the Rivne regional police communications department.

Who investigated. The case was documented by investigators and criminal-investigation officers of the Rivne regional police, with operational support from the SBU’s military counterintelligence department and under the procedural supervision of the Rivne regional prosecutor’s office, police said.

What’s next. No date for the start of the trial has been announced. Because the defendant is a minor, this card does not identify her and does not link to any material that does.

Sources

• National Police of Ukraine, Rivne Region Police Communications Department, 2026-10-09
• Hromadske Radio, Volodymyr Pyrih, 2026-10-09

14. Judge orders detention for woman charged in stabbing death of 7-year-old Eddimar Hernandez Chacon

Location: Chatham, South Side of Chicago, Illinois, USA

Legal status: Charged with first-degree murder. A Cook County judge ordered Shavon Gayden, 48, held in jail at a detention hearing on Friday, Oct. 9. Her next court date is Oct. 26. She is presumed innocent.

What’s new. Gayden was charged earlier in the week over the Oct. 3 killing but was in hospital until Friday’s hearing. WTTW reported she had been scheduled to appear in court earlier in the week but remained hospitalized and could not attend a hearing until Friday. Prosecutors and court documents laid out a detailed account at that hearing, WTTW News and FOX 32 Chicago reported.

Sequence, as alleged. According to Cook County court records, Eddimar and her 17-year-old sister took a bus to 86th Street and Cottage Grove Avenue just before noon on Oct. 3 and were walking to a store. Prosecutors say Gayden was in a nearby business trying to pay her cellphone bill. She allegedly got impatient, demanded a refund and threatened to kill a sales associate by stabbing them in the neck. FOX 32 reported that surveillance video recorded the exchange and a witness heard her threaten several times to kill someone. Court records say she changed into gym shoes, put her sandals in a tote bag and left. She walked south to 87th Street, turned and walked back north.

The sisters were walking south, holding hands. Court records allege Gayden jogged toward the 17-year-old with her arm raised, which was recorded by a camera on a CTA bus. A driver stopped in traffic told investigators he saw her take a small object from her bag and lunge at the older girl, who ducked away. Gayden then allegedly grabbed Eddimar by the back of her shirt, pulled her toward the ground and stabbed her. The girl ran to her sister with blood running down her back and collapsed in her arms, court records say.

Wounds and cause of death. Prosecutors said Eddimar was stabbed four times in the back, WTTW reported. Officers tried to save her life. FOX 32 reported she died a short time later in hospital from stab wounds to her back.

After the attack. Prosecutors say Gayden put the knife back in her bag and walked away. When bystanders asked why she had stabbed a child, she allegedly made stabbing motions toward them. One witness struck her and she fell. Police found her unconscious on the sidewalk, and court documents say she became combative with hospital staff.

Weapons and evidence. WTTW reported that, according to prosecutors, investigators recovered a five-inch knife near the scene and two more knives in Gayden’s bag. The evidence described so far includes business surveillance video, CTA bus video and eyewitness accounts.

Background. FOX 32 reported a 2016 domestic battery arrest and a 2019 domestic battery and aggravated assault case, both dismissed when the complaining witness did not appear. In a 2023 case involving an attack on a CTA bus driver, she received probation and was ordered to take anger-management classes. Records show she violated that probation with a November 2024 battery charge, and a warrant issued after she missed a court date in early 2025 was still outstanding at the time of the killing. WTTW reported that she pleaded guilty to assault and battery last year.

What’s next. Gayden remains in custody. Her next court date is Oct. 26.

Sources

• WTTW News, Matt Masterson, 2026-10-09 13:17 CT
• FOX 32 Chicago, Leslie Moreno, Cody King, 2026-10-09 14:33 CT

15. Three men jailed over payback shotgun murder of Newcastle man Anthony Nugent

Location: Hamilton South, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia

Legal status: Convicted and sentenced. A jury found Mohamad Raad, Tyrone Tuli and Mohd Azlan Latham Aznan guilty of murder in May 2026. Justice Peter Hamill sentenced all three in the NSW Supreme Court on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026.

The sentences. Justice Peter Hamill jailed Mohamad Raad, 46, for a maximum of 23 years and three months with a non-parole period of 17 years and six months, the Newcastle Herald and a published summary of the judgment, R v Raad, Tuli and Latham Aznan (No 10) (Sentence) [2026] NSWSC 1249, report. Tyrone Tuli, 30, received a maximum of 20 years and four months with a non-parole period of 14 years and four months. Mohd Azlan Latham Aznan received a maximum of 15 years and three months, a term ABC News said reflected his lesser role. Reports differ slightly on his non-parole period, and the Newcastle Herald said he will be eligible for parole in 2033. The Herald reported Raad will not be eligible for parole until 2041, and that Tuli, who has been serving two other prison terms, will become eligible after Raad.

The victim. Anthony Nugent was shot dead at the front door of his unit in Fowler Street, Hamilton South, on the night of Sept. 6, 2022, ABC News and the Newcastle Herald reported. Both outlets describe him as a small-time heroin dealer. His wife was inside the unit when the men came to the door and saw the aftermath, the Herald reported.

How it started. About 24 hours before the shooting, two groups met in the car park of the Charlestown pool and $22,000 in cash changed hands for what was supposed to be a gun, the Herald reported. It turned out to be a fake, which the Herald described as a gel blaster. Friends of the buyer spent the next day trying to find Mr Nugent and another man involved in the sale. That other man, who cannot be identified, ended up in police custody, and the group’s attention turned to Mr Nugent. “There was an attempt to get the money back that was lost in the dodgy gun transaction the night before,” Justice Hamill said, according to ABC News.

Sequence and weapon. According to the Herald’s account of the evidence, Tuli sourced a shotgun from a house at Raymond Terrace. The group met at a unit in Jesmond and then at another unit in Hamilton South, near Mr Nugent’s home, where Raad loaded the shotgun in front of everyone before they walked to Fowler Street. When talks at the door to recover the money broke down, Raad pulled a shortened double-barrelled shotgun from his tracksuit pants and fired it at point-blank range through the screen door into Mr Nugent’s chest. “The firearm was discharged from a very close range to Mr Nugent’s chest,” Justice Hamill said, ABC reported. A fourth man at the door, the buyer who had been ripped off, was not charged over the shooting after giving an induced statement, the Herald reported.

The defence case and the judge’s findings. Raad told the jury the gun went off accidentally. He said he pushed it through a hole in the screen door to show Mr Nugent he was “armed as well” and that it “jerked.” The jury, after about 15 hours of deliberation, rejected that account, the Herald reported. Justice Hamill found Raad intended to kill. “I am satisfied beyond reasonable doubt at the time Mr Raad discharged the shotgun into Mr Nugent’s chest, he intended to kill him,” he said, as quoted by ABC. “The trigger was pulled deliberately.” He added that he could not exclude the possibility that Raad’s actions at the scene were relatively spontaneous.

The judgment summary says Tuli and Latham Aznan were sentenced on the basis of extended joint criminal enterprise: they took part in a plan to intimidate Mr Nugent with a loaded gun, knowing Raad might fire it with murderous intent. All three also pleaded guilty to taking part in supplying a pistol, according to the summary. Justice Hamill noted that Mr Nugent was unarmed and relaxing at home, the Herald reported.

Impact on the family. In her victim impact statement, Mr Nugent’s wife said she could not afford a private rental and still lives in the public housing unit where he was killed. “She is constantly reminded of the murder and does not feel safe in Hamilton South,” Justice Hamill said, ABC reported. He offered his condolences to the family at the end of the hearing.

Sources

• ABC News, "Trio of killers jailed over fake gun deal payback murder in Newcastle," Giselle Wakatama, Oct. 9, 2026
• Newcastle Herald, "Trio jailed for payback murder as judge finds gunman intended to kill Anthony Nugent," Sam Rigney, Oct. 9, 2026
• Case Law Wire, summary of R v Raad, Tuli and Latham Aznan (No 10) (Sentence) [2026] NSWSC 1249, Oct. 9, 2026

16. Maine jury convicts Bangor man in 1984 killing of Calais teen Linda Maxwell

Location: Washington County, Maine, USA (killing in the Calais and Robbinston area)

Legal status: Convicted of murder Oct. 8, 2026; held without bail pending sentencing. Defense says it will appeal.

A Maine jury on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026, found Raymond Brown, 67, of Bangor guilty of murder in the 1984 death of 18-year-old Linda Maxwell, a case that went unsolved for four decades. Jurors deliberated for about an hour, according to WMTW and the Bangor Daily News, which cited CBS affiliate WABI. Brown will be sentenced at a later date and is being held without bail.

The 1984 death

Police said Maxwell was last seen in the Calais area on Aug. 23, 1984, after spending the evening with friends. Two days later, her naked body was recovered along the shoreline of the St. Croix River in Robbinston, near a boat landing. Her death was originally classified as a drowning.

Prosecutors said Brown was among a group drinking with Maxwell that night. Brown, who was married at the time and lived in Pembroke, had been seen flirting with her and had told others he wanted to have sex with her, according to prosecutors as reported by the Bangor Daily News. He offered to give her a ride home and later claimed he had dropped her off at a variety store.

How the case was reopened

Maine State Police Sgt. Chad Lindsey testified that investigators began revisiting the case in 2021, paused while the agency handled nine homicides in Washington County, and resumed in March 2024. The team consulted agencies from the original investigation, conducted 35 interviews and exhumed Maxwell’s embalmed body in May 2024 for a second, limited autopsy. Brown was indicted by a Washington County grand jury and arrested in May 2025 during a traffic stop in Bangor.

The evidence at trial

Jurors heard a recording of Lindsey’s July 2024 interview with Brown, in which Brown recalled drinking and driving with Maxwell and friends but said he could not remember many details. He denied sexual contact, disputed accounts about wet boots and the time he returned, and accused a former detective of targeting his family.

A cousin testified that Brown said his pants were wet after Maxwell’s body was found, that he burned clothing, and that he was frustrated with the investigation. A jailhouse witness testified that Brown described trying to have sex with Maxwell, holding her underwater after an argument, leaving her body at a boat landing and later burning clothing. Prosecutors said this week that Brown told a cellmate he suffocated Maxwell in a bog after she threatened to accuse him of rape. The defense challenged the jailhouse witness’s credibility, citing a recorded call in which he said he might lie if his bail request was denied.

A Maine game warden testified that, given the river conditions, it would have been essentially impossible for a body to travel 14 miles down the St. Croix. The defense questioned why police never searched a burn barrel on Brown’s property and challenged the original investigation, and witnesses gave conflicting accounts about Maxwell’s high school class ring.

Reaction

“Testing the statements against the evidence and once you looked at the physical geography of the scene, once you looked at what he was saying and where he was saying it, it was incredible,” Assistant Attorney General Leanne Robbin told WABI. She said it was sad that Maxwell’s parents did not live to see the verdict.

Defense attorney Steven Smith said the evidence was insufficient. “After 42 years, we don’t think Ray deserved this. We absolutely intend to appeal. There was absolutely no physical evidence,” he said.

Sources

• WMTW, "Maine man found guilty in 1984 murder of Linda Maxwell," Oct. 8, 2026
• Bangor Daily News, "Raymond Brown found guilty of murdering Linda Maxwell," Oct. 9, 2026

17. Korean singer and YouTuber jailed 25 years for murdering her 18-year-old daughter

Location: Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea (Changwon District Court, Jinju Branch)

Legal status: Convicted at first instance and sentenced. On Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026, the court found a woman in her 40s guilty of murder and other charges and sentenced her to 25 years in prison. Prosecutors had sought the death penalty. She denied the charges at trial. An appeal is possible; none has been reported.

Translated from Korean-language reports by Yonhap News Agency, Dong-A Ilbo and Gyeongnam Ilbo.

The verdict. The First Criminal Division of the Changwon District Court’s Jinju Branch sentenced the woman to 25 years, Yonhap and Gyeongnam Ilbo reported. Korean outlets identify her as a singer who also ran a YouTube channel. Dong-A Ilbo said she worked locally as a singer and announcer. Gyeongnam Ilbo said she ran a broadcasting equipment rental business. Her daughter, the victim, has not been named, and this card does not name her.

What the court found. In September 2025, while the daughter, a university student on leave, was helping with the equipment rental work, her mother beat her with a blunt object and poured hot water on her, causing scalp lacerations and burns, Gyeongnam Ilbo reported. The court said the burns covered 27 percent of her body. The mother then left her daughter, who was complaining of pain, in a vehicle without proper care, and the daughter died. Dong-A Ilbo, citing prosecutors, reported she was left in the car for more than two days and said she was 18. Dong-A gives Sept. 22, 2025, as the date of the abuse. The judgment report in Gyeongnam Ilbo does not state where the abuse took place, and other outlets disagree, so this card gives only the court’s location in Jinju.

The court’s reasoning. “The injuries could easily be seen just by looking,” the court said, as reported by Gyeongnam Ilbo. It noted that the mother had searched online for concussion and burn treatments, and that the daughter told her from the car that her condition was getting worse. “The defendant had a duty to protect life, yet hid her acts and did not take the victim to a nearby hospital,” the court said. It found the daughter appeared to be under such physical and verbal control that she could not reasonably ask anyone else for help, and “even in this situation the victim was waiting desperately for the defendant alone.”

On motive, the court found the mother blamed her daughter for the end of her relationship with her de facto partner and had subjected her to abuse and assaults. She acted, the court said, because she felt humiliated when her daughter failed to carry out work in the partner’s place. “As a reason for such cruelty toward one’s own daughter, this is far too trivial,” the court said, according to Yonhap. Old injuries on the daughter’s body suggested she had been assaulted before, the court said.

Sentencing factors. The court said the mother had not properly acknowledged her crimes and was avoiding responsibility, Yonhap reported. Dong-A reported she had previously been fined for a similar offence. The court took into account that the crime did not appear to have been carefully planned in advance. Prosecutors had told the court that “the daughter, betrayed by the mother she should have been able to trust and rely on most, died in extreme pain,” Dong-A reported.

Other charges. The case was joined with charges that the woman assaulted her de facto partner with a blunt object and damaged his property, Gyeongnam Ilbo reported. The court found her guilty on all counts.

Sources

• Yonhap News Agency, "'친딸 폭행·방치 살해' 가수 겸 유튜버 40대 징역 25년," 박정헌, Oct. 8, 2026
• Dong-A Ilbo, "뜨거운 물 붓고 폭행해 친딸 살해한 女가수, 징역 25년 선고," 조혜선, Oct. 8, 2026
• Gyeongnam Ilbo, "'친딸 살해' 혐의 40대 유튜버 징역 25년 선고," 정웅교, Oct. 8, 2026

18. French court convicts husband of 2010 murder of Véronique Duchesne; defence to appeal

Location: Saint-Quay-Portrieux / Saint-Brieuc, Côtes-d’Armor, France

Legal status: Convicted at first instance. On Friday, Oct. 9, the Côtes-d’Armor cour d’assises found Thierry Meunier, 63, guilty of murdering his wife and sentenced him to 25 years’ criminal imprisonment, plus 10 years of socio-judicial supervision. His lawyers said he will appeal. Under French law, an appeal means a new trial, which is likely within about a year before the Rennes appeal court. He maintains his innocence.

The disappearance. Véronique Duchesne, 47, disappeared on Oct. 6, 2010, near the Île de la Comtesse at Saint-Quay-Portrieux, France 3 Bretagne and Le Télégramme reported. Three days later, on Oct. 9, 2010, fishermen found her body washed up at the foot of the Pointe de Minard in Plouézec, France 3 reported. The verdict came 16 years later to the day.

Cause of death. Meunier’s consistent defence was that his wife had wanted to take her own life that day. But France 3 reported that the autopsy found she had not drowned and had been strangled. Questioned by the presiding judge on Oct. 7, he suggested she had “probably had an unfortunate encounter,” France 3 reported. His defence, which described him as “a poor guy, a huge fantasist and a swindler,” argued that he did not have “the profile to beat and strangle someone,” France 3 reported.

The evidence. The family’s lawyer, Jean-Guillaume Le Mintier, described it before the trial as a case with “no weapons, no direct witnesses, but enough serious or corroborating evidence” for a conviction, France 3 reported. During the three-week trial, contradictions emerged in Meunier’s statements. During the investigation he had said he was on the Île de la Comtesse, but at trial he swore he never went there. He also described his wife’s mood when she disappeared in different ways, sometimes “sad,” sometimes “smiling” and sometimes “tired.” The prosecution presented him as manipulative and a liar.

The trial. The trial opened on Sept. 21 at the courthouse in Saint-Brieuc, Ouest-France reported. On Oct. 8, the prosecutor asked for 30 years. Meunier’s lawyers, Gautier Robert-Aupetit and Alba Horvat, asked for an acquittal. Before the jurors withdrew, Meunier spoke last: “I want to tell you one last time what I have been saying for sixteen years. I am innocent, I did not kill my wife Véronique,” Ouest-France reported. The jury deliberated for about five hours, Le Télégramme reported. Ouest-France reported he had already spent four years in pre-trial detention, one year in Senegal and three in the Saint-Brieuc jail.

After the verdict. The victim’s sister, Patricia Duchesne, said the verdict was “recognition of everything we have been through,” Le Télégramme reported. She described it as a signal for women who are victims of domestic violence. On the morning of the verdict she had said she hoped for “a liberation, a liberation from this nightmare,” France 3 reported. After it was read, she said: “Convicted, finally found guilty! An explosion of happiness, of joy.” France 3 reported that Meunier stood with his head bowed and did not react. The court also barred Meunier from contacting the civil parties, France 3 reported. “We are obviously not satisfied with the decision,” his lawyers said, confirming the appeal and saying “there will be a second trial in any case,” France 3 reported. Le Télégramme reported that Meunier put his hand over his mouth and steadied himself when the verdict was read, and said nothing. The victim’s daughters, sisters and brother, who were civil parties, wept and embraced. Le Mintier called it “a perfectly justified outcome” and said the daughters had fought for this for sixteen years.

Translated from French by the Ledger.

Sources

• Ouest-France, Cédric Roger-Vasselin, 2026-10-09 15:09 CEST
• Le Télégramme, Valentin Bechu, 2026-10-09 15:19 CEST
• France 3 Bretagne, Karine Hannedouche, 2026-10-09 15:14 CEST

19. Bail ruling delayed in Dr. Victoria Mutiso murder case as defence challenges her widower’s affidavit

Location: Nairobi, Kenya (Milimani High Court)

Legal status: Charged. Seven people, including Rose Mbithe Mulwa and her children Chris and Angela Mulwa, are charged with the murder of Dr. Victoria Mutiso. Rose Mbithe Mulwa, Chris and Angela Mulwa have pleaded not guilty. On Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, Justice Alexander Muteti postponed his bail ruling and will decide on Oct. 19 whether to summon Prof. David Ndetei for cross-examination. All accused remain in custody and are presumed innocent.

What’s new. The bail hearing in the murder case of clinical psychologist and mental health researcher Dr. Victoria Nthunya Mutiso took a new turn on Friday when the defence asked the court to summon her widower, Prof. David Ndetei, to be cross-examined over an affidavit he swore opposing bail, the Daily Nation and KeNews reported. Justice Muteti said the application reopened a matter that had already closed and postponed his ruling on bail. He will rule on Oct. 19 at 10 a.m. on whether to summon Ndetei, before deciding on bail.

The charges. Rose Mbithe Mulwa, also known as Rose Mbithe Ndetei, and her children Chris and Angela are charged alongside police constables Collins Bett and Elijah Kimoi, Kimutai Maritim and Pius Muiru with murdering Dr. Mutiso on July 29, 2026, on Mawensi Road in Kilimani, Nairobi, the Daily Nation reported. KeNews gave the officers’ fuller names as Police Constable Elijah Kibelion Kimoi and Police Constable Collins Bett Kiplangat, with Maritim Kimutai known as “Kim” and Pius Muiru Mbugua as “Headboy.” A Nation photo caption says the Mulwas pleaded not guilty on Sept. 29. A separate Nation caption says the two vehicles and a motorcycle allegedly used in the killing were displayed at DCI headquarters on Aug. 7. Public reports reviewed for this card do not give a cause of death, so none is stated here.

The defence application. Through lawyer Joel Mbaluka, Mulwa told the court that Ndetei “is not capable of swearing an affidavit due to a mental health challenge” and that the affidavit “was sworn by someone else.” Mbaluka said his instructions were that Ndetei was in a high-dependency unit at a city hospital. The defence also asked the court to direct the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) to investigate their claims that they were tortured by officers investigating the case, and asked that the three be escorted to IPOA offices.

The prosecution’s response. Prosecuting counsel Jalson Makori and Gikui Gichuhi opposed the request. “This application comes too late in the day, and there is no window to introduce new matters,” Makori said, according to the Nation. He said the issues could be addressed in a pre-bail report and that the accused should not dictate how IPOA does its work. KeNews reported the prosecution noted IPOA is not a party to the case.

The affidavit. In the affidavit, handed to the court on Oct. 6, Ndetei says he divorced Mulwa in 2001 and later married Dr. Mutiso, and that he and his wife “were continually threatened by the accused… and those threats eventually culminated in the death of my wife.” He says he fears the accused could contact, intimidate or bribe witnesses if released and fears for his safety and his family’s. He also alleges they evicted him from a property in Mlolongo. These are claims in a sworn statement and have not been tested in court. The Mulwas have pleaded not guilty.

Related case. Mulwa, Chris and Angela Mulwa are also charged, with two police officers, in the separate murder of lawyer Mathew Kyalo Mbobu. Plea-taking in that case is set for Oct. 27, The Standard reported via TNX Africa.

Custody. Justice Muteti directed that Rose, Angela and Chris be escorted to the prison clinic for treatment, with possible referral to another government facility.

Sources

• "Dr Mutiso murder case: Mulwa claims ex-husband's affidavit was sworn by someone else," Daily Nation, Richard Munguti, Oct. 9, 2026
• "Mental-stability questions delay bail ruling in Mutiso murder case," KeNews, KeNews Team (citing The Standard), Oct. 9, 2026
• "Court orders mental tests for police officers accused of killing lawyer Kyalo Mbobu," TNX Africa (The Standard), Nancy Gitonga, Oct. 8, 2026

20. Baltimore man gets 40 federal years for murder-for-hire plot that killed the wrong woman

Location: Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Legal status: Sentenced Oct. 8, 2026, in U.S. District Court to 40 years in federal prison plus five years of supervised release, concurrent with a sentence he is already serving.

A federal judge in Baltimore on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026, sentenced Matthew Hightower, 44, to 40 years in federal prison for plotting the murder of a federal witness, a plot that instead killed her next-door neighbor, Latrina Ashburne, in May 2016.

U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher imposed the sentence, CBS News Baltimore reported. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland announced that the term will be followed by five years of supervised release. The judge ordered it to begin Thursday and to run concurrently with the federal sentence of 380 months, more than 31 years, that Hightower is already serving for the extortion-related murder of David Wutoh.

The intended target

According to court documents cited by CBS News Baltimore, Hightower had learned that a woman had given investigators information about his role in a health care fraud scheme and about the murder of Wutoh. At the time, he was facing federal charges in both matters. Prosecutors said he conspired to have the woman killed in retaliation for helping law enforcement and to stop her from testifying against him.

While he was jailed awaiting trial, Hightower used jail calls and letters to communicate with others about the plot, according to court documents.

The killing of Latrina Ashburne

Ashburne, 41, lived next door to the intended target and was similar to her in age and appearance. In May 2016, she was shot and killed outside her home on Rosalind Avenue in Northwest Baltimore as she was getting into her car, WBAL reported. Prosecutors said a man walked up to her and opened fire.

Davon Carter, 46, of Baltimore, was identified as the shooter, and Clifton Mosley, 49, of Baltimore, as an accomplice. WBAL reported that both were convicted in January 2020 on federal murder conspiracy and witness retaliation murder charges. CBS News Baltimore reported that both are serving federal life sentences.

Court proceedings

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the 40-year sentence is for using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence; WBAL reported that Hightower pleaded guilty last year. His earlier federal case went to trial: on Sept. 22, 2016, after a seven-day trial, a federal jury convicted him, and he received 380 months for collection of a debt by extortionate means and use of interstate facilities for extortion resulting in death, in connection with Wutoh’s murder.

U.S. Attorney Hayes credited HHS-OIG, the FBI, ATF, Baltimore Police and Baltimore County Police for the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kim Y. Hagan and Paul E. Budlow prosecuted the case.

In court, Hightower said he was sorry for ruining two families, the victim’s and his own, WBAL reported. A friend, Kamal Goodwin, told the station the sentence did not represent who Hightower is now. A member of Ashburne’s family declined to comment.

“Latrina Ashburne was an innocent woman who tragically lost her life because she was mistaken for someone else,” Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley said. “This case is a reminder of the devastating consequences of violence and the importance of law enforcement working together to hold those responsible accountable.”

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, which investigates health care fraud, also published the U.S. Attorney’s announcement, describing the case as “a case of mistaken identity where the intended target was a federal witness.”

Sources

• CBS News Baltimore, Adam Thompson, "Baltimore man sentenced to 40 years for murder plot that killed wrong woman," Oct. 8, 2026
• WBAL NewsRadio, "Matthew Hightower gets 40 years in Northwest Baltimore murder-for-hire plot," Oct. 8, 2026
• U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Maryland, full text via EZ News syndication, Oct. 8, 2026
• FOX45 Baltimore (WBFF), "Baltimore man gets 40 years in prison for plotting murder of woman," Oct. 8, 2026
• HHS Office of Inspector General (republishing U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Maryland), "Baltimore Man Sentenced to 40 Years in Connection With Murder-for-Hire Plot," Oct. 2026

21. Turkish court gives singer Güllü’s daughter aggravated life sentence over her fatal fall from a sixth-floor window

Location: Çınarcık, Yalova province, Turkey (trial at Yalova 1st High Criminal Court)

Legal status: Convicted at first instance. On Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, the Yalova 1st High Criminal Court sentenced Tuğyan Ülkem Gülter, 28, to aggravated life imprisonment for intentionally killing her mother, the singer Gül Tut, known as Güllü. She denies the charge, and her lawyers say they will appeal to the regional appeals court and the Court of Cassation. The verdict is not final.

The victim. Gül Tut, 52, a well-known singer who performed as Güllü, died on Sept. 26, 2025, after falling from the window of her sixth-floor home in Çınarcık, Yalova province, Hürriyet (via the DHA news agency) and Reform Haber (via the İHA agency) reported.

The verdict. At the end of the second hearing on Friday, the court followed the prosecutor’s request and sentenced her daughter, who has been held in custody, to aggravated life imprisonment, the most severe penalty in Turkish law. Hürriyet reported the conviction was for intentionally killing a woman and intentionally killing a direct ascendant (a parent). Reform Haber described the offence as premeditated intentional killing of a parent. The two agency reports describe the charge slightly differently, so this card does not go further than the sentence.

The prosecution case. The prosecutor repeated his earlier submission and asked for aggravated life imprisonment for premeditated killing of a parent. A lawyer for the family, Hasan Kocabey, told the court that a report on audio recorded on the night showed that the words “Hadi görüşürüz” (“See you, then”), heard just before the fall, were said by the defendant, Reform Haber reported. He also pointed to messages and witness statements that he said showed a wish to kill her mother. Lawyers for the singer’s sibling, Kader Tut, submitted an analysis of the home’s camera recordings and argued that a friend of the defendant who was present, and who testified as a witness, should herself be tried, Hürriyet reported. That request had earlier been rejected by prosecutors, according to a family lawyer. That friend has not been charged.

The defence. Defence lawyer Bayram Yılmaz argued Güllü had been drinking and fell by accident, that the floor by the sliding window was slippery, and that the “see you” voice was the singer’s own, citing her arranger. He questioned why none of his client’s DNA was found on her mother’s body or under her fingernails, and noted that two expert reports differed on which way she was facing when she fell. Defence lawyer Merve Uçanok said the key witness had given five different statements under pressure and challenged her account of where she was looking. She played a video of Güllü saying “see you” in her own voice.

The defendant’s statement. Crying as she spoke, Tuğyan Ülkem Gülter denied the charge. “I never saw the moment my mother fell,” she said, according to Hürriyet. “I have been labelled a ‘mother killer.’ I could not grieve for my mother.” Reform Haber reported she told the court her back was turned when her mother fell and that “if I had seen it, I would have caught her.”

After the verdict. Rahmi Çelik, lawyer for the singer’s son, Tuğberk Yağız Gülter, said the court had imposed “the highest level of sentence” and that the ruling should be respected, while noting it was a first-instance decision subject to appeal. He said they would continue to pursue legal action concerning the friend. Uçanok said her client had suffered “a very heavy slander,” that evidence had not been properly discussed, and that she expected higher courts to overturn the verdict.

Sources

• Hürriyet (DHA), Zehra Baykal Yıldız, Mehmet İnan, Barış Yılmaz, 2026-10-09
• Reform Haber (İHA), İHA, 2026-10-09

22. Utah prosecutors will seek death penalty against Springville man charged with killing his mother and a second man

Location: Provo / Springville, Utah County, Utah, USA

Legal status: Charged with two counts of aggravated murder and related felonies. On Oct. 9, 2026, the Utah County Attorney’s Office filed notice that it will seek the death penalty. He has not been tried and is presumed innocent.

The notice. Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray filed a notice on Friday, Oct. 9, that prosecutors intend to seek the death penalty against Matthew Jacob Leonard, 28, of Springville, on each of two counts of aggravated murder, KSL.com and KUTV reported. “The decision to seek the death penalty is supported by substantial evidence, is made in the interest of justice, and has come after consultation with the victims’ families,” the notice says.

The charges. Leonard is charged with two counts of aggravated murder, a capital offense; two counts of obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony; two counts of abuse or desecration of a dead body; and five counts of felony discharge of a firearm, third-degree felonies, KSL reported. He was arrested in April.

The victims. Prosecutors accuse Leonard of killing his mother, Sarah Johnson, of Springville, and John Waldron Handricks, 50, of Salt Lake City. Their bodies have not been found, both outlets reported. KUTV reported the two were reported missing on March 26 by relatives who had not seen or heard from them for a week.

The night of the shots. According to charging documents described by KSL, on the night before March 20, Johnson and Leonard picked Handricks up and brought him to their Springville home. Two witnesses told police they called Leonard for a ride and, when he did not answer, walked to his front door. As they approached, one heard five gunshots and the other heard “loud bangs” before Leonard came out and spoke with them briefly. They said they were afraid and left “as quickly as possible.” KUTV’s account of the probable cause statement says a witness who had been spending time with the three heard five gunshots and left on foot. The two outlets describe the witnesses’ positions slightly differently.

Phones and a remote trip. Investigators said the victims’ phones were turned off within minutes of each other on March 20 and that Leonard’s phone was off for about 12 hours that day, KUTV reported. A few days later, his phone data placed him for 16 hours in a remote area of Duchesne County, near Fruitland, according to KSL and KUTV. On April 6, a relative of Johnson told Springville police that another family member had claimed she had been shot, KSL reported.

Forensic evidence. Officers serving a search warrant at the Springville home on April 11 found blood spatter, a bullet lodged in drywall, five empty .22-caliber shell casings and blood residue, KSL reported. Charging documents describe “two separate pools of blood” as evidence that two people were substantially injured. KUTV reported forensic teams found “a significant dried pool” of blood under the baseboards and shell casings in a bag.

A bonfire and a sublet. Witnesses told police Leonard burned items in a bonfire on March 28, including a cut-up mattress, furniture and a bag of “miscellaneous items,” and said he told them he “could not look at the items” while burning them, KUTV reported. Leonard had also sublet his mother’s room. The new tenant told officers there was women’s clothing in the closet, and charges say Leonard told him it belonged to his mother and that she had “probably overdosed and was probably dead somewhere,” according to KSL.

What comes next. The notice does not mean a death sentence will be imposed. Leonard is presumed innocent, and the allegations above come from charging documents and police statements that have not been tested at trial. It was not clear whether any further evidence, including the bodies, has been located, KUTV reported.

Sources

• KSL.com, Emily Ashcraft, Oct 9, 2026, accessed Oct 10, 2026
• KUTV, Aubree B. Jennings, Oct 9, 2026, accessed Oct 10, 2026

23. Second suspect jailed, accused of driving teenage gunman in killing of former Yopal mayor John Jairo Torres

Location: Yopal, Casanare, Colombia (arrest in Tunja, Boyacá)

Legal status: Charged (imputado) with aggravated homicide. Eduard Daniel Martínez Pinzón did not accept the charge, and a judge ordered him held in prison on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026. He is presumed innocent.

What’s new. Colombia’s Attorney General’s Office (Fiscalía General de la Nación), through its Casanare branch, charged Eduard Daniel Martínez Pinzón, known as “Eduard,” with homicide with aggravating circumstances in the killing of John Jairo Torres Torres, a former mayor of Yopal widely known as “Jhon Calzones,” Pulzo and Boyacá Digital reported. At the hearing, he did not accept the charge. A judge of guarantees ordered him held in a prison while the case proceeds, the Fiscalía reported on Friday, Oct. 9.

He is the second person detained in the case. Investigators from the Fiscalía’s CTI and the National Police arrested him on Oct. 7 at a property in Tunja, Boyacá, under a court order, Pulzo reported.

The killing. Torres was shot on Sept. 29, 2026, at his farm in a rural area of Yopal. Boyacá Digital identified the farm as La Selvita. Security cameras recorded two attackers arriving on a motorcycle, Pulzo reported. Torres was taken to the Hospital Regional de la Orinoquía with serious injuries and underwent surgery. Pulzo reported the shots damaged internal organs and doctors could not stabilise him. His death was confirmed in a medical report released by Casanare Governor César Ortiz Zorro. El Espectador reported that, despite surgery and resuscitation efforts, he was pronounced dead at 12:23 p.m. “I have received the sad news of the death of former Yopal mayor Jhon Jairo Torres, after the surgery performed by specialists at the Hospital Regional de la Orinoquía,” the governor wrote on social media, as quoted by El Espectador.

The allegations. According to the Fiscalía, Martínez Pinzón travelled from Tunja to Yopal to locate Torres and pick the place for the attack. Prosecutors allege he drove a teenager to the farm on a motorcycle. The teenager got off and fired at the former mayor. These are allegations and have not been proven in court.

What the Fiscalía says the evidence shows. El Universal reported that the trip from Tunja to Yopal is one of the elements prosecutors presented to link Martínez Pinzón to the killing. The Fiscalía’s official account, issued on the afternoon of Oct. 9 and quoted by El Universal, says “the minor got off the motorcycle and attacked the former mayor with a firearm; he was taken to a medical centre, where he died from the severity of his wounds.” El Universal described the charge as aggravated homicide; the other outlets use the Fiscalía’s formal wording, homicide with aggravating circumstances.

The first arrest. The alleged gunman is a minor, 17 according to Caracol Radio, and has not been named by authorities. This card does not name him. After the shooting, the motorcycle crashed during the escape. Boyacá Digital, Caracol Radio and El Universal reported the Fiscalía’s account that Martínez Pinzón sped up abruptly and caused the crash, then escaped, and that the teenager was held by local residents and handed over to authorities. Pulzo reported that the teenager accepted responsibility and is being held preventively in a specialised centre for minors.

Who the victim was. Torres was a well-known public figure in Casanare, and his killing drew wide attention in the region, Pulzo reported. None of the outlets reviewed reported a motive, and the Fiscalía has not publicly stated one, so this card does not suggest one.

Next steps. The investigation remains with the Fiscalía’s Casanare branch. No date for the next hearing was reported.

Sources

• "A la cárcel el segundo capturado por el asesinato de 'Jhon Calzones' en Yopal," El Espectador, Redacción Judicial, Oct. 9, 2026
• "Asegurado por el crimen del exalcalde de Yopal: la Fiscalía lo vincula con la huida del menor," El Universal (Cartagena), Redacción Sucesos, Oct. 9, 2026
• "A la cárcel segundo capturado por el homicidio de 'John Calzones'," Caracol Radio, Jenny Rocío Angarita, Oct. 9, 2026
• "Imputado Eduard Daniel Martínez por homicidio del exalcalde Jhon Calzones en Yopal, Casanare," Pulzo, staff, Oct. 9, 2026
• "Alias Eduard, capturado en Tunja por asesinato de exalcalde de Yopal, fue enviado a la cárcel," Boyacá Digital, Redacción, Oct. 9, 2026

24. Brazilian jury convicts two in “Sítio Canto” ritual killing of Francisco de Assis Rodrigues Lima

Location: Iguatu, Ceará, Brazil

Legal status: Convicted and sentenced. On Friday, Oct. 9, the Iguatu jury court convicted Roberto Alves da Silva and Desiree Dantas Barros of qualified homicide (base motive and use of means that made defence difficult), concealment of a corpse, desecration of a corpse and corruption of minors. Silva received 25 years, 11 months and 15 days. Barros received 17 years and 11 months. A third defendant, Antônio Petronio Alves de Souza, was acquitted at the prosecutors’ own request. The sentences were confirmed by the Ceará Public Prosecutor’s Office (MPCE), O Povo and g1.

The case. The MPCE says the killing is part of a series known as the “Crimes do Sítio Canto,” which took place in rural Iguatu between 2017 and 2018. g1 reported that the series left four people dead. O Povo reported that the killings came to light in 2018, when human remains were found buried in woodland.

The victim and timeline. According to the prosecutors’ indictment, cited by the MPCE and g1, Francisco de Assis, known as “Vilmar,” went out for a walk on the night of Dec. 1, 2017, and was shot dead. His body was hidden in woodland. O Povo reported he was 46 and that his remains were found on May 30, 2018.

How the killings were uncovered. g1 reported that police found the killings while investigating the death of a 24-year-old university student in May 2018. The student skipped class and told friends he was going to meet Desiree, who led a religious practice. A security camera recorded him walking through Iguatu with Desiree, who denied meeting him when questioned by police, g1 reported. Searching the rural property where Desiree held religious practices, police found the student’s body in a shallow grave, shot in the back of the head, and then the bodies of three other people reported missing in the town. g1 reported that, according to investigators, the victims had fallen out with Desiree and were lured to the property and killed with Silva’s help.

How Francisco de Assis was killed, according to the court record. O Povo quoted the pre-trial ruling. It says Silva and a teenager went to Barros seeking to make “a pact with the devil” through rituals meant to bring them money and luck. When the rituals failed, prosecutors say, the group began planning killings. The ruling says Francisco de Assis attended Barros’s temple and was chosen as a victim after he took the temple’s electricity bill in November 2017 and did not pay it, so the power was cut off. He was lured to Silva’s house on the pretext of a ritual for luck in the “jogo do bicho,” an illegal lottery. From there, the defendants, the teenager and the victim went into woodland. A cloth was put over his head and a prayer began, and the teenager shot him in the back of the head.

Desecration. The MPCE says the victim’s skull was later used in rituals. O Povo reported it was found on a kind of altar in Silva’s home. The jury convicted both defendants of desecrating a corpse.

The teenager. g1 reported that a teenager who was also suspected in the killings took his own life days after police found the bodies. He is not named here.

Earlier convictions. O Povo reported that Silva and Barros had already been convicted in two of the other Sítio Canto killings, and that the trial over the fourth death is scheduled for Nov. 3.

Why the third defendant was acquitted. The MPCE said it argued at trial that Antônio Petronio Alves de Souza had not been shown to be one of the perpetrators, and the jurors agreed.

Translated from Portuguese by the Ledger.

Sources

• Ministério Público do Ceará, MPCE, 2026-10-09
• O Povo, Lucas Barbosa, 2026-10-09 23:17 BRT
• g1 (Globo), Redação g1 CE, 2026-10-10 07:18 BRT

25. Five DeKalb County jail inmates charged with murder in cell killing of David Addo-Wright

Location: DeKalb County, Georgia, USA

Legal status: Five men charged Oct. 8, 2026, with malice murder, felony murder and related counts. Not indicted; all are presumed innocent. GBI investigation ongoing.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026, charged five DeKalb County Jail inmates with murder in the death of David Addo-Wright, 24, of Covington, who was found mortally wounded in a jail cell on Sept. 23.

According to the GBI, Jayden King, 22, of Stockbridge; Treonte Brintley, 24, of Lithonia; Amir Andrews, 19, of Milledgeville; Dajuhn Bryant, 20, of Riverdale; and Messiah Hinson, 28, of Stone Mountain, are each charged with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, tampering with evidence, and possession of items prohibited for inmates. The GBI said agents determined the five attacked Addo-Wright inside a jail cell, resulting in his death. All five were already being held on unrelated charges. All are presumed innocent.

The death

On Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026, DeKalb County deputies found Addo-Wright unresponsive in a cell with several wounds, the GBI said. He was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead. The DeKalb County Medical Examiner listed the cause of death as sharp force injury to the chest and ruled the manner of death a homicide, the Dunwoody-Brookhaven Ledger reported.

The sheriff’s office asked the GBI to investigate on Sept. 24. Once the investigation is complete, the GBI said, the case file will go to the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office for review. No arraignment date has been announced.

Who he was

Addo-Wright had been in the jail for less than 48 hours, his family said. He had been arrested after a fight with a cousin at a Walmart; according to the family, it was his first arrest. His father, Dr. Darrin Wright, a social work professor at Clark Atlanta University, said his son called him on Sept. 22 to say he had been arrested. The family told reporters he had posted bail the day of the attack and was expected to be released shortly, CBS News Atlanta reported. GBI agents came to Dr. Wright’s home on the morning of Sept. 24 to tell him his son was dead.

The family’s allegations

Mawuli Davis, an attorney for the family, said the firm’s own investigation found that six men entered Addo-Wright’s cell, though only five have been charged. Authorities have not explained the difference. Davis alleged that roughly 75 to 80 percent of the jail’s locks were broken, that staff did not do routine checks, and that it took 45 minutes to close to an hour for anyone to respond. At an Oct. 2 news conference, he linked the violence to gang activity in the jail and described a gang-controlled “blood phone” that other inmates must pay to use. In a separate attack at the same jail on Sept. 4, about 15 inmates attacked a 33-year-old inmate over a dispute about a gang-controlled phone, leaving him with stab wounds to the head, back and eye, FOX 5 Atlanta reported, according to the Ledger; 11 inmates were charged. The family’s claims about the jail are allegations; the sheriff’s office has not publicly responded to them.

“We appreciate the GBI for its work on this case,” Sheriff Melody M. Maddox said. “Our thoughts and condolences are with Mr. Addo-Wright’s family. We will continue to cooperate fully with the GBI as the investigation and prosecution move forward.”

Anyone with information can call the GBI Atlanta Regional Investigative Office at 770-388-5019.

Sources

• Georgia Bureau of Investigation, "GBI Investigates Inmate Death in DeKalb County," Sept. 24, 2026, updated Oct. 8, 2026
• CBS News Atlanta, "5 DeKalb County Jail inmates charged with murdering 24-year-old man in cell, sheriff says," Oct. 8, 2026
• Dunwoody-Brookhaven Ledger, "GBI charges five inmates in DeKalb County jail killing," Cameron (surname not captured), Oct. 2026

26. Alleged gunman in Amritsar killing of influencer Mad Sandhu remanded after QR-code trap

Location: Amritsar, Punjab, India (arrest in Ahmedabad, Gujarat)

Legal status: Arrested and remanded. Parminder Singh, alias Kaka, was arrested in Ahmedabad on Oct. 7, 2026, brought to Amritsar and remanded by a magistrate to seven days’ police custody, The Tribune reported on Oct. 10. Five other men have been arrested and remanded in police custody until Oct. 12. A second alleged shooter has been identified and is still at large. None has been convicted, and all are presumed innocent.

Drawn from English-language reports by The Tribune and ThePrint and a Hindi-language report by Aaj Tak, translated.

The victim. Madhusudan, a Punjabi social media influencer and makeup artist known as Mad Sandhu, was shot dead at about 6pm on Oct. 3, 2026, on Loharka Road in Amritsar, police and news reports say. The Tribune gives his full name as Madhusudan Singh and ThePrint as Madhusudan Sandhu. ThePrint described him as an outspoken member of the LGBTQ community who had been criticised and threatened by some conservative groups. Aaj Tak reported he had acted in the Punjabi film “Oye Bhole Oye.”

How he was killed. He had gone to a garage to collect his SUV, which was being washed, and was waiting there when two attackers on a motorcycle fired at him from close range, Aaj Tak and ThePrint reported. He died of gunshot wounds. The attackers fled. No post-mortem details have been published in the reports reviewed.

The claim of responsibility. Within hours, a social media post attributed to foreign-based gangster Goldy Dhillon claimed responsibility and blamed Mad Sandhu for being a bad influence on young people, ThePrint reported. The Tribune reported that Dhillon and Lucky Johal had claimed responsibility. Amritsar Police Commissioner Harmanbir Singh Gill said the arrested men were linked to Dhillon but that the extent of the network would become clear only after all arrests. He did not give an exact motive, saying it appeared to be “a case of earning notoriety” to spread fear and enable extortion, ThePrint reported.

The money trail. After identifying the shooters, police examined bank accounts linked to them and their relatives, Gill told a press conference on Oct. 8, according to ThePrint. That led them to Parminder’s elder brother, Amandeep Singh, whose account had received Rs 16,000 from people allegedly linked to the foreign-based network. Police allege Amandeep sent Rs 11,000 to Parminder and Rs 5,000 to Paramvir Singh, whom police accuse of arranging weapons. The Tribune reported the same figures.

The QR code. After the killing Parminder fled to Gujarat, police said. With Amandeep already in custody, Parminder contacted his brother asking for more money. Police had Amandeep send him a QR code on the pretext of a payment. When Parminder scanned it, police were able to trace his location and alerted the Ahmedabad Crime Branch, which arrested him on the evening of Oct. 7, ThePrint and The Tribune reported. Aaj Tak reported that police said he had covered about 125 kilometres of movements and contacts to reach the suspects, that he initially denied involvement when questioned by Gujarat police, and that Punjab officers then questioned him by video call, showing him clips of the attack and confronting him over shoes he allegedly wore at the time.

The other accused. Police have also arrested Amandeep Singh, Paramvir Singh, Baljinder Singh, Balraj Singh and Vikas, The Tribune reported. Police allege Balraj and Vikas followed Mad Sandhu’s movements for days beforehand, and that Baljinder helped arrange weapons and the Pulsar motorcycle used, ThePrint reported. Gill said two motorcycles and four weapons were used in the conspiracy. ThePrint reported that Parminder has five other cases registered against him in Punjab. Reports differ on his home district: The Tribune says Lohian Khas in Jalandhar, while Aaj Tak says Kapurthala.

Sources

• The Tribune, "Mad Sandhu murder: Arrested from Gujarat, main shooter remanded in 7-day police custody," PK Jaiswar, Oct. 10, 2026
• ThePrint, "Rs 16k trail, QR code trap: How Punjab Police tracked LGBTQ+ influencer Mad Sandhu's 'killer'," Mayank Kumar, Oct. 8, 2026
• Aaj Tak, "QR कोड की मदद से अहमदाबाद में पकड़ा गया मैड संधू का शूटर, भाई समेत 6 आरोपी भी गिरफ्तार," Oct. 9, 2026

27. Man admits murdering former partner Stacey Hogg in Hawick a day after learning of her new relationship

Location: Hawick, Scottish Borders, Scotland

Legal status: Convicted on his own guilty plea. Lee Inglis, 39, pleaded guilty at the High Court in Edinburgh on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, to murdering Stacey Hogg, 35, on June 25, 2026. The charge was aggravated by involving abuse of a partner or ex-partner. Sentencing is set for Nov. 5 at the High Court in Edinburgh.

The plea. Lee Inglis admitted murdering his former partner, Stacey Hogg, at her home on McLagan Drive in Hawick on June 25, 2026, BBC News and STV News reported. The charge he admitted was aggravated because it involved the abuse of a partner or ex-partner. Judge Lord Ewing deferred sentence to obtain a background report, and Inglis is due back in court on Nov. 5. Members of Stacey’s family were in court on Friday.

The relationship. Prosecutor Leanne Cross KC told the court the two had been together for about 15 to 16 years and had children. After they separated, the children lived with Stacey and Inglis moved in with his parents a few minutes away, STV reported. Family and friends said he struggled to accept that the relationship was over, turned up at her home uninvited and threatened her if she became involved with anyone else, the court heard.

Earlier convictions. The court heard Inglis had prior convictions for abusing Stacey. STV reported that the prosecutor described two convictions from December 2021 and a November 2025 conviction for assault to severe injury and permanent disfigurement, relating to an Oct. 26, 2024 attack in which he assaulted her with a knife and left her face scarred. The BBC reported that he was given 150 hours of unpaid work in 2022 for assaulting her and threatening to kill her with a kitchen knife, and that for the later knife attack he received 200 hours of unpaid work, two years of supervision and a night-time home curfew. Both outlets reported he was still subject to that curfew, a restriction of liberty order, when he killed her.

The days before. In the 10 months before her death, Stacey tried to distance herself from Inglis and began a new relationship, the court heard. The weekend before the killing she went camping with her new partner. When Inglis learned of it, he sent her a series of aggressive and threatening messages, including “you shouldn’t have told me Stacey” and “you know what’s coming,” STV reported. Friends urged her to go to the police. She went to her mother’s home to wait until his 7 p.m. curfew began.

The killing. On the evening of June 24, Stacey watched Scotland play Brazil in the World Cup at home with her 13-year-old son. The BBC reported that Inglis waited until his curfew ended at 7 a.m. on June 25 before making the three-minute journey from his parents’ home. A Ring doorbell camera captured him heading toward her house at 7:01 a.m., and the court heard she came face to face with him about six minutes later. He went in through the back door, the BBC reported. In a bathroom, he struck her repeatedly in the neck area with a kitchen knife. “Numerous defensive injuries suggest that she struggled with the accused, but the injuries to her neck were catastrophic,” the prosecutor said, according to STV. At 7:11 a.m., Stacey made a 999 call in which she can be heard screaming and shouting “my kids” before the call dropped.

Arrest. Inglis returned to his parents’ home and told his mother to phone the police because he had “just killed Stacey.” She did so after noticing blood on his clothing and a bloodied knife on the kitchen counter, the court heard. A single officer who arrived at Stacey’s home found her in the bathroom with no obvious signs of life, found her son in bed upstairs and began CPR. Paramedics arrived at about 7:52 a.m. and Stacey was pronounced dead four minutes later. Officers found Inglis on his knees at his parents’ home. He was arrested at about 7:42 a.m. and said, “It took you long enough,” STV reported.

What he told police and the post-mortem. During a psychiatric assessment after his arrest, Inglis said he had been “triggered” by her disclosure of a new partner and had intended to cut off her head but found it too difficult, the court heard. He said she was his “possession” and that if he could not have her, no one could. A psychiatrist found he had a personality disorder but was responsible for his actions and fit to stand trial. A post-mortem on June 26 found multiple injuries to her neck, hands and fingers.

Family and police. Stacey’s family described her as “a cherished daughter, an amazing sister and a loyal friend who touched the lives of so many.” Her funeral was moved to Hawick town hall to hold the mourners, the BBC reported. Det. Insp. Ross Duthie of Police Scotland called Inglis “a violent and dangerous individual who will now face the consequences of his despicable actions.”

Sources

• BBC News, David Knox, 2026-10-09
• STV News, STV News, 2026-10-09

28. Horbury man jailed for life for murdering wife and hiding her body in a freezer

Location: Horbury, near Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England

Legal status: Convicted (guilty plea) and sentenced. On Friday, Oct. 9, at Leeds Crown Court, David Barraclough, 46, received a life sentence with a minimum term of 22 years and one month, less time spent on remand.

The case. Barraclough murdered his wife, Carolann Barraclough, a mother of three, at their home in Horbury sometime between Feb. 19 and Feb. 21, 2026, according to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and BBC News. He pleaded guilty to murder on the first day of his trial, which was earlier this week, West Yorkshire Police said. He refused to attend court for sentencing, the BBC reported.

How she was killed. The prosecution’s case was that Barraclough killed his wife with a hammer, the CPS said. He then tied up her body and put it in a chest freezer in the utility room of the house they shared.

The cover-up. For about two weeks, Barraclough told Carolann’s children, family, friends and neighbours that she was in hospital recovering from an illness and that only he could visit her, the CPS said. He sent messages from her phone suggesting she would soon be home, kept the children out of the room with the freezer and later reset her phone to factory settings. Prosecutors said CCTV showed him regularly visiting local pubs. They said he downloaded the dating app Tinder two days after the killing and withdrew large sums of cash from the couple’s joint bank account.

The confession. On March 5, 2026, Barraclough went to Normanton Police Station and told a receptionist, “I’ve killed my wife,” the CPS and BBC reported. Officers who went to the home found Carolann Barraclough’s body in the chest freezer on the ground floor.

His account and the evidence. After confessing, Barraclough described himself as “heartbroken,” “in a haze” and “confused.” He also claimed his wife had hit him with a hammer and that he acted in self-defence. Prosecutors said CCTV from around the time of her death showed no visible injuries to his face or body. The CPS said it worked with West Yorkshire Police to review “vast quantities of CCTV, phone evidence, financial records and witness accounts.”

“David Barraclough tried to paint himself as a victim of domestic abuse who had no choice but to kill his wife and was heartbroken by what had happened. The evidence told a very different story,” said Jill May, senior crown prosecutor for CPS Yorkshire and Humberside. She praised Carolann’s eldest daughter for her “incredible bravery” in giving vital evidence.

The family. In a statement read to the court, Carolann’s family called her “the bright light of our family.” “Caz was a vital and irreplaceable part of our family. The world is a much darker place without her,” they said, according to the BBC. A separate statement on behalf of her three children said all three are autistic and relied heavily on routine and on knowing the adults around them would keep them safe. “For two weeks they were told their mum was in hospital, but their mum was in their own home,” it said.

Sentence. Barraclough was given the mandatory life sentence for murder and must serve at least 22 years and one month, less time already spent on remand, before he can be considered for release.

Sources

• Crown Prosecution Service, CPS, 2026-10-09
• BBC News, Andrew Barton, 2026-10-09
• West Yorkshire Police, WYP, 2026-10-09

29. Judge orders Brayan Alexandro N. held and prosecuted for feminicide in strangling death of María Fernanda Orozco Suárez

Location: San Andrés Cholula, Puebla, Mexico

Legal status: Charged (vinculado a proceso) with feminicide on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026. Held in mandatory pretrial detention. He is presumed innocent.

The ruling. A control judge in Puebla ordered Brayan Alexandro N., 26, to stand trial for feminicide in the death of María Fernanda Orozco Suárez, 24, at a hearing on Friday, Oct. 9, at the Casa de Justicia in San Andrés Cholula, Ambas Manos and Urbano reported. The hearing lasted more than five hours, according to Urbano. Under Mexican procedure, the decision to “vincular a proceso” means the judge found enough evidence for the case to move forward. It is not a finding of guilt.

The judge also ordered mandatory pretrial detention (prisión preventiva oficiosa), so he will stay in custody while the case continues. The State Attorney General’s Office (FGE) of Puebla was given four months to complete its supplementary investigation, during which the prosecution and defence can add evidence. Urbano reported that the next hearing is expected in February 2027. The FGE confirmed the ruling in a post on X on Oct. 9, naming him only as Bryan Alexandro N., in line with Mexican practice. Outlets spell his first name both “Bryan” and “Brayan.”

The allegations. According to the prosecution’s account as reported by both outlets, María Fernanda went to the home she shared with Brayan Alexandro in San Andrés Cholula. The two had lived together there for about a month, Urbano reported. The couple argued, and the argument turned into a physical attack. Prosecutors allege he hit her, struggled with her, forced her to the floor and held her by the neck until she asphyxiated. These are the prosecution’s allegations and have not been tested at trial. Ambas Manos and Urbano give different dates for the killing (Oct. 3 in one report, Oct. 4 in another), so this card does not fix an exact date beyond the first weekend of October.

How she was found. Ambas Manos reported that relatives went to the home hours later because they had not been able to reach her all day. They found her dead on the floor of a bedroom with injuries to her body. The suspect’s parents, who had travelled from Querétaro, his home state, were also there, the outlet reported.

The arrest. Ambas Manos reported that before the feminicide arrest warrant was carried out, Brayan Alexandro had already been detained for allegedly trying to bribe police officers to let him into the apartment. On Oct. 7, state investigators executed the arrest warrant for feminicide in San Bernardino Tlaxcalancingo.

The victim. María Fernanda was a former student of the Universidad de las Américas Puebla (UDLAP). Her twin sister, Mar, told reporters after the hearing that the accused has shown no remorse. “He has not shown remorse or regret, and that hurts me,” she said, according to Ambas Manos. She said her sister dreamed of going back to finish her architecture degree and loved her job.

The university dispute. The killing set off protests at UDLAP. Ambas Manos reported that the university’s first statement said those involved were not current students or graduates and did not name María Fernanda. Students then shared institutional records and emails showing otherwise and blocked 14 Oriente street. At a news conference with the governor, rector Luis Ernesto Derbez acknowledged that both had studied there but had not been active for two semesters. Two days later, UDLAP issued a new statement naming her and joining calls for justice.

The family’s view. The family’s lawyer praised the FGE’s handling of the case, saying coordination to build the file had been “ideal” and that prosecutors had provided psychological support. Students stood outside the courthouse with the family throughout Friday’s hearing.

Sources

• "Vinculan a proceso a Bryan Alexandro por el feminicidio de María Fernanda; la asfixió," Ambas Manos, Guadalupe Chávez, Oct. 9, 2026
• "Brayan Alexandro es vinculado a proceso por el feminicidio de María Fernanda; se queda en prisión preventiva oficiosa," Urbano, staff (adminurbano), Oct. 9, 2026
• FGE Puebla (@FiscaliaPuebla) post on X, Oct. 9, 2026, as embedded in Ambas Manos (primary statement)

30. Northland couple jailed for life for murder of Mangamuka grandfather Euan Mackey

Location: Mangamuka, Northland, New Zealand (High Court at Whangārei)

Legal status: Convicted and sentenced. A jury found Quinntinn Davis and Denise Michelle Davis guilty of murder in August 2026. Justice Michael Robinson sentenced both to life imprisonment, with minimum non-parole periods of 13 years and six months for Quinntinn Davis and 10 years and six months for Denise Davis. Co-accused Joshua Tana was acquitted of murder and manslaughter and jailed for 18 months on assault charges.

The sentencing. Quinntinn Davis, 52, and Denise Davis, 42, were sentenced to life in prison in the High Court at Whangārei for the murder of Euan Mackey, 59, RNZ reported on Oct. 10, 2026 (New Zealand time), in a story first published by the NZ Herald’s Open Justice team. Their nephew Joshua Tana, 40, who stood trial with them, was found not guilty of murder and manslaughter but guilty of male assaults female and assault with intent to injure, and was jailed for 18 months.

A dispute over a house. The trial heard evidence of a growing grievance held by the Davises over a whānau house in Mangamuka, the NZ Herald reported after the August verdict. Mr Mackey’s daughter Taygan lived at the Iwitaua Road property with her children, and Mr Mackey lived nearby with his wife, Adrianne. The Davises lived around the corner on Abraham Road. The Crown said that in the weeks before the killing, Denise Davis walked into Taygan Mackey’s house unannounced and said it belonged to the Davis whānau. Taygan Mackey testified that Denise Davis said the Mackeys were not welcome in Mangamuka and that her husband wanted to stab and kill Mr Mackey. At sentencing, Crown lawyer Ben Bosomworth called that premeditation, not a “coincidence.”

The night of the killing. On the weekend of March 1, 2024, the Davises held a family event at which Denise Davis, Quinntinn Davis and Tana drank over two days, according to the Crown case as reported by the Herald. On March 3, 2024, Mr Mackey cut a padlock off the gate to the main house with an angle grinder so his daughter could get in. That evening, while the Mackeys were getting Taygan’s children ready for bed, the Davises and Tana arrived “looking for confrontation,” the Crown said. The Davises were both carrying knives and told the Mackeys they had to leave “tonight.” As Mr Mackey tried to resolve the situation, Quinntinn Davis stabbed him five times to the neck and back. Tana assaulted Adrianne and Taygan Mackey as they tried to protect him. Taygan Mackey told the court her father died in her arms. Police were called to the Iwitaua Road property at about 9pm that Sunday, March 3, 2024, and he was pronounced dead at the scene, RNZ reported at the time.

Evidence. A 19-second video of the attack became central to the case, the Herald reported. It showed Quinntinn Davis stabbing Mr Mackey while Denise Davis stood in the background holding another knife. Quinntinn Davis’s lawyer argued at trial that the video did not capture what happened before it began and that Mr Mackey had a chain in his hand; his client claimed self-defence. Denise Davis’s lawyer argued she stood away from the fight. The jury deliberated over three days and returned unanimous murder verdicts against both. It was the second trial, after the first was aborted partway through in March 2025.

The judge’s findings. Justice Robinson said he agreed with the verdicts and found the Davises had a shared understanding they would use the knives if necessary, RNZ reported. He noted that Quinntinn Davis briefly put his vehicle in reverse and looked ready to leave, but when his demand for an apology went unanswered he told his passengers to “send it.” “Your assault was quick but it was brutal,” the judge told him. “He was unarmed and he was being attacked by two people.” The judge was satisfied Denise Davis encouraged the stabbing. He accepted Tana’s letter of remorse as genuine.

The family. The Crown said five children under 10 witnessed their grandfather’s murder. Adrianne Mackey told the court her husband dressed as Santa for local kōhanga reo children and started each day with country music. “My husband died protecting our family,” she said. His brother Thomas Mackey urged the community to reject division: “We cannot undo what happened but we can remember Euan.”

Sources

• RNZ, "Murder charge laid after stabbing in Mangamuka," Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa, March 4, 2024
• RNZ (originally NZ Herald), "Euan Mackey murder: Couple jailed for life as brother urges Mangamuka unity," Shannon Pitman, Oct. 10, 2026
• NZ Herald, "Mangamuka couple Denise and Quinntinn Davis found guilty of murdering Euan Mackey," Shannon Pitman, Aug. 25, 2026

31. Man held in pretrial detention, accused of shotgun killing of police sergeant Jaime Urrea during domestic-violence call

Location: Quilleco, Biobío Region, Chile (court in Los Ángeles)

Legal status: Formally charged (formalizado) with homicide of an on-duty Carabinero, with the aggravating factor of treachery (alevosía). Held in pretrial detention; four-month investigation period set. Mauricio Humberto Cerda Albornoz, 58, is presumed innocent.

The hearing. Judge Claudia Aguilera of the Los Ángeles Guarantee Court ordered Mauricio Humberto Cerda Albornoz held in pretrial detention after prosecutors formally charged him in the death of Carabineros Sergeant Jaime Ariel Urrea Burgos, 40, La Tercera and La Tribuna reported. Prosecutors and the Ministry of Security, which joined the case as a complainant, both asked for detention, arguing that his release would endanger society. The judge agreed and gave prosecutors four months to investigate.

The victim. Urrea had 18 years of service and was assigned to the Retén Canteras post under the First Police Station of Los Ángeles, La Tercera reported. La Tribuna referred to his rank as sergeant and also as senior non-commissioned officer.

Sequence, as alleged. According to prosecutor Carlos Díaz, head of the Los Ángeles prosecutor’s office, police went to a home in Quilleco twice on Sunday, Oct. 4, after calls about domestic violence. La Tercera reported that the first call involved psychological violence and that one of the suspect’s sons later called again. In audio played at the hearing, the son said a sister had left because of the fighting and that his father kept threatening that “his life was over,” adding that he wanted police to take him away.

On the second visit, at about 11:10 p.m., Urrea and two other officers entered the home. Prosecutors say Cerda was shut in a bedroom. Díaz told the court that Cerda “takes his shotgun, suddenly opens the door and, practically at point-blank range, fires at Sergeant Urrea, hitting him at the height of the right collarbone,” La Tribuna reported. The shot caused a penetrating chest wound, and Urrea died shortly afterward despite medical care.

The other officers fired their service weapons but did not hit him, La Tribuna reported. Díaz said Cerda tried to reload the shotgun before he was subdued and handcuffed.

The audio. Prosecutors also presented a recording made by family members that afternoon, after the first police visit. Veredictum, citing Emol, reported that in the recording the suspect’s wife asks why he did not go out to speak to the police, and he insults the officers and says, “If I could kill them, I would.” Díaz said the recording showed Cerda warning that he would kill officers if they came, “which he ultimately did.” These are prosecution allegations.

Other evidence. La Tribuna reported that prosecutors relied on testimony, expert reports, the autopsy, ballistic analysis, information on the weapon and audiovisual recordings.

The judge’s reasoning. Judge Aguilera said she weighed the victim’s status as a police officer and the fact that he was responding to a domestic-violence call. She noted that, according to information presented at the hearing, Cerda had no criminal record and was not under the influence of alcohol. But she called his behaviour after the shot especially serious, saying he tried to reload the shotgun to attack officers again.

Defence. Public defender Manuel Donoso told La Tribuna that the defence does not dispute that a homicide occurred but challenges the legal classification, which affects the possible sentence. He said pretrial detention is not a conviction, that alternatives such as house arrest could have been considered, and that his client is “quite remorseful.” The defence plans a psychological evaluation.

Sources

• "Prisión preventiva para imputado por homicidio de carabinero Jaime Urrea en Quilleco," La Tercera, Javiera Arriaza, Oct. 8, 2026
• "Caso Jaime Urrea: Fiscalía revela audio previo al ataque y defensa cuestiona la calificación del homicidio," La Tribuna (Los Ángeles), Jorge Monares Olivares, Oct. 9, 2026
• "Prisión preventiva para homicida de carabinero en Quilleco," Veredictum, staff (citing Emol), Oct. 9, 2026

32. Restaurant worker held in Vladivostok over killing of owners whose bodies were found during fire at Royal Park

Location: Russkaya Street, Vladivostok, Primorsky Krai, Russia

Legal status: In custody, charged. A 30-year-old man who worked at the restaurant has been charged in a case of murder of two persons (Part 2, Article 105 of Russia’s Criminal Code). At investigators’ request, a court ordered him held for one month and 29 days, Russia’s Investigative Committee (SK) said on Oct. 9, 2026. He has not been officially named and is presumed innocent.

The fire and the bodies. On Wednesday, Oct. 7, a fire broke out in a three-storey entertainment complex on Russkaya Street in Vladivostok, local news site Vladivostok1.ru reported. Only about 15 square metres burned and the blaze was put out quickly, but firefighters found two bodies, a man and a woman, in the premises of the Royal Park restaurant, RIA Novosti and Vladivostok1 reported.

The victims. Police told RIA Novosti the dead were a married couple who owned the restaurant. Vladivostok1 reported the husband was 66 and his wife 41, and that investigators established they died before the fire started. Officials have not released their names. Royal Park opened in 1991 as a casino and later became a European restaurant, Vladivostok1 reported.

How they were killed, according to investigators. The Primorsky Krai police department (UMVD) said the motive was a conflict between the man and his female employer, RIA reported. According to the investigation, as reported by Vladivostok1, the worker and the woman argued, and he grabbed a knife and stabbed her several times. He did not leave. Her husband, the director, then arrived and came into the room, and the suspect struck him repeatedly on the head with a baseball bat. To destroy evidence and stage an accident, investigators say, he doused both bodies with a flammable mixture and set them alight.

Forensics and evidence. A fire-safety expert from the Emergencies Ministry confirmed the seat of the fire was right beside the director’s body, Vladivostok1 reported, citing investigators. Forensic officers seized metal canisters, a knife, a burned baseball bat, gauze with traces of blood, and samples of the flammable substance from the scene.

Arrest and charges. Investigators identified the suspect “in hot pursuit” the same evening, Vladivostok1 reported. He is a 30-year-old Vladivostok resident who had worked at the restaurant for a long time. A criminal case was opened for the murder of two persons. RIA reported, citing the SK’s Primorsky directorate, that he was ordered held for one month and 29 days.

Background and doubts. The restaurant’s chief accountant, identified only as Natalya, told Vladivostok1 that the owners had run the restaurant almost as a hobby since the pandemic and that staff had been paid off on Oct. 7 because it was pausing operations, shortly before the killings. She rejected rumours of a family rift or jealousy. She said colleagues “do not believe” the suspect, who she said had worked there for about nine years, was calm and never raised his voice, could be responsible. “The investigation will show,” she said. She described the couple as “bright, wonderful, kind-hearted people.” Earlier local reports that the restaurant had been shut over gas safety violations were denied by the accountant.

The scene now. The building houses about 50 organisations, including offices, hairdressers and schools, all of which continue to operate, Vladivostok1 reported. Its reporter found the restaurant door unsealed, the parking lot full and the smell of burning gone.

What’s next. The SK says investigative work continues. Vladivostok1 reported that investigators have not shared further details.

Sources

• RIA Novosti, 2026-10-09
• Vladivostok1.ru, 2026-10-09

33. Crown seeks 18 years of parole ineligibility for woman who murdered 3-year-old Quintanni Belotte at Toronto children’s aid office

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Legal status: Convicted. A jury found Shardanae Cousins-Emily, now 24, guilty of second-degree murder in February 2026. A sentencing hearing was held Friday, Oct. 9, before Superior Court Justice Kelly Byrne. The Toronto Sun reported that sentence will be delivered on Oct. 23. Second-degree murder carries an automatic life sentence, and the judge must set parole ineligibility between 10 and 25 years.

The victim. Yverson “Quintanni” Belotte Jr., known as Quinn, was three years old. He would have been six now, his father told the court, Global News reported.

Sequence. Cousins-Emily, then 22, was babysitting Quintanni for the weekend for his mother, Shania John, Global News and the Toronto Sun reported. The two women had been foster sisters since meeting at age 12. On Dec. 2, 2023, she took the boy with her to a supervised visit with her own son at the Children’s Aid Society on Isabella Street. After the visit, she took Quintanni into the main-floor washroom and came out more than an hour later, Global reported. A security guard testified he noticed a bump on the child’s head and offered to get medical help. She declined. The Sun reported she covered his face with his hood and took the subway home. Global reported the Crown’s theory was that she took out her frustration over losing custody on the boy in her care. The Sun reported the same.

Wounds and cause of death. The boy died the next day, and the cause of death was blunt force trauma, Global reported. The Sun reported he had two teeth torn out, bleeding in his brain and dozens of injuries, including defensive wounds, with 40 blows to his head and neck alone. Assistant Crown attorney Carime Boehr told the court that two of his teeth were ripped out and that he had what appeared to be defensive wounds. She said the beating must have gone on for some time given the nature and number of injuries, and that Cousins-Emily tried to clean the scene to conceal it.

The sentencing positions. Boehr acknowledged “her very tough life” but said it did not excuse the killing of a vulnerable child, the Sun reported. She asked for 18 years of parole ineligibility and called the case “an exceptional breach of trust.” Defence lawyers Roger Rowe and Jacob Stilman asked for 15 years. The Sun reported they cited intoxication, mental-health challenges and anti-Black racism. Stilman disputed the Crown’s claim that she showed no remorse, saying she had tried to plead guilty to manslaughter at the start of the trial but the Crown refused the plea. Cousins-Emily told the court, “I just want to say I’m sorry,” Global reported.

The family. “I never got to experience him walking into his first day of school,” his father, Yverson Belotte, told the court, according to the Sun. “I will never hear my son calling me daddy.” He told Cousins-Emily the beating lasted “for over an hour and 15 minutes” in that washroom, the Sun reported. “He was supposed to be there asking me millions of questions and turning my hair grey,” he said, Global reported. Shania John said, “I am hurting. I am broken,” Global reported, adding that strangers had called her a bad mother. “I never imagined the person I trusted so deeply would take my son’s life,” she told the court. Global reported the February verdict came after a three-week trial.

What’s next. Justice Byrne is to sentence Cousins-Emily on Oct. 23.

Sources

• Global News, Catherine McDonald, 2026-10-09 18:00 ET
• Toronto Sun, Michele Mandel, 2026-10-09

34. Court orders detention of man, 52, suspected of binding and killing a couple in their 60s in Naju

Location: Wanggok-myeon, Naju, South Jeolla region, South Korea

Legal status: Suspect detained. The Gwangju District Court issued an arrest warrant on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, for a 52-year-old man identified only as “A” on suspicion of robbery-murder (강도살인), citing a risk he would flee. He has not been indicted and is presumed innocent. Korean police and media have not released his name; police said they were considering convening a committee on whether to disclose his identity.

Translated from Korean-language reports by Newsis, Seoul Shinmun and Yonhap News Agency.

The detention ruling. Naju Police Station said on Oct. 9 that it had formally detained the man after the Gwangju District Court issued a warrant on the ground that he might flee, Newsis reported. He attended a pre-detention hearing at the court that afternoon in Courtroom 101. Wearing a hat and mask, he did not answer reporters who asked whether he admitted the charges, whether he had targeted money, why he killed the wife and whether the crime was planned, Yonhap and Newsis reported.

What police allege. Police allege that between 9.28pm and 11.57pm on Monday, Oct. 5, the man entered a house in Wanggok-myeon, Naju, and bound and killed a married couple in their 60s whom he knew, Newsis and Yonhap reported. The victims have not been publicly named. According to Seoul Shinmun and Yonhap, he is suspected of killing them by stabbing them with a weapon or strangling them. After neighbours reported they could not reach the couple, police found them dead, one in the living room and one in the main bedroom. Their hands and feet had been bound with duct tape and clothing, Seoul Shinmun reported. No autopsy findings have been published.

The bank card withdrawals. After the killings, police allege, the man took the couple’s cash card and withdrew 6 million won (about US$4,400) from their account. Police first arrested him on suspicion of murder, then changed the suspected offence to robbery-murder on the basis of the withdrawals and other signs of intent, and applied for the warrant on Oct. 8, Newsis and Yonhap reported.

Movements before and after. Investigators say the man rode a bicycle into the couple’s village just before the crime with his face covered by a hat and mask, Newsis reported. Afterwards, he allegedly loaded the bicycle into the husband’s one-tonne truck, drove off, abandoned the truck and rode away again on the bicycle. Seoul Shinmun reported he switched between the bicycle, the victims’ truck and his own car before he was arrested on Oct. 7 at his apartment in Muan County. The man met the husband at an arcade, according to Seoul Shinmun.

Evidence of planning. Seoul Shinmun reported that security CCTV captured the man walking around the area near the couple’s home several times before the killings, apparently scouting it. Police regard those repeated visits as the main basis for treating the case as premeditated, and that finding drove the change from murder to robbery-murder.

The weapon. Whether the weapon was brought in advance is central to the investigation, Newsis reported. The man has claimed he used a knife that was already in the house, but no weapon was found at the scene or in the victims’ truck. He has told police he threw it into the Yeongsan River, and officers are searching near the Naju Bridge, Seoul Shinmun reported.

His account. In questioning, the man said he had gone “to collect money he had lent” to the couple, Newsis reported. Police are checking whether any such debt existed and are weighing the possibility that he planned the crime to take money. Those claims, and the police theory, have not been tested in court.

Sources

• Newsis, "'나주 부부 살해범' 강도살인 혐의 구속…법원 '도주 우려'(종합)," 박기웅, Oct. 9, 2026
• Seoul Shinmun, "'나주 부부' 살해한 50대 구속…CCTV에 '현장 답사' 찍혔다," 김민지, Oct. 9, 2026
• Yonhap News Agency, "'나주 부부' 결박·살해한 50대, 구속 전 피의자 심문 출석," 정다움, Oct. 9, 2026
• YTN, "[속보] 나주 60대 부부 살해…50대 남성 구속영장 발부," 홍성욱, Oct. 9, 2026

35. Father charged with linked femicide in stabbing death of 3-year-old daughter Aythanna Bakari Eluney in Villa La Angostura

Location: Villa La Angostura, Neuquén, Argentina

Legal status: Charged (cargos formulados) on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, with doubly aggravated homicide (by family bond and committed to cause suffering to a former partner, known as linked femicide) and with aggravated minor injuries. Held in pretrial detention for two months. Carlos Arias, 36, is presumed innocent.

The hearing. Prosecutors in Neuquén formally charged Carlos Arias, 36, on Friday with killing his 3-year-old daughter, Aythanna Bakari Eluney, at a house he rented on Avenida Siete Lagos in Villa La Angostura, El Cordillerano, ANBariloche and Diario Neuquino reported. Guarantee Judge Lisandro Borgonovo accepted the charges, set four months for the preparatory investigation, ordered two months of pretrial detention and barred him from contacting the girl’s mother by any means for four months. Prosecutors had asked for four months of detention, citing flight risk, the risk of interfering with the investigation and the need to protect the mother and her family. The charge carries a possible life sentence on conviction. ANBariloche noted the charge is not a finding of guilt.

Arias reached court after being discharged from the Dr. Ramón Carrillo Hospital in San Martín de los Andes, where he had been held under police guard, El Cordillerano reported. Nuevo Día reported he was discharged on Thursday, Oct. 8, and taken to Police Station 23 in San Martín de los Andes, where he was held until the hearing the next day. Diario Neuquino identified him only by his initials.

When it happened. El Cordillerano, ANBariloche and Nuevo Día place the attack on the afternoon of Saturday, Oct. 3. Diario Neuquino reported it as Thursday, Oct. 8, which appears to be the date of his hospital discharge. This card follows the three outlets that agree.

The prosecution’s account. Prosecutor Adrián De Lillo and chief prosecutor Gastón Ávila, who joined by video from San Martín de los Andes, laid out the case. The girl and her mother had travelled from Pomona, Río Negro, arriving on Sept. 30 so Arias could see his daughter. Nuevo Día reported Arias was living in the town temporarily for work. When the mother began packing to catch a bus home, prosecutors allege, Arias pulled the bags apart by force and began an argument, demanding that the girl stay with him.

At about 6:30 p.m., prosecutors say, he hit the mother, who picked up her daughter to protect her. He allegedly kept attacking them, then took a knife and cut the girl’s neck, severing the jugular vein. She died at the scene. Prosecutors say he then cut his own neck. The mother escaped through a window and asked neighbours for help. These are allegations and will be examined in the investigation.

Why it is charged as linked femicide. The Fiscalía’s theory is that Arias attacked the child to cause extreme psychological suffering to his former partner, which is the basis for the aggravating factor of gender violence, sometimes called “transversal” or linked femicide. The minor-injuries charge relates to the alleged assault on the mother.

The complainant. Lawyer Lorena Miani, of Neuquén’s corps of lawyers for victims of gender violence, represents the family as private complainant and joined the prosecution’s case. She told El Cordillerano she will travel to Pomona to gather testimony about possible earlier gender violence that, she said, never reached the courts.

The family. Nuevo Día reported that the girl’s family asked for respect for the privacy of the child and her mother, especially as photographs circulated on social media. This card carries no image of either.

In Argentina, help for gender violence is available 24 hours a day on Line 144.

Sources

• "El crimen de Bakari, niña de 3 años en la Patagonia: una visita familiar, discusión y su padre homicida," Diario Nuevo Día, Redacción, Oct. 9, 2026
• "Imputaron al acusado de asesinar a su hija de 3 años en Villa La Angostura y seguirá detenido," El Cordillerano, staff, Oct. 9, 2026
• "Imputaron a Carlos Arias por el homicidio de su hija y quedó detenido con prisión preventiva," ANBariloche, staff (ANB), Oct. 9, 2026
• "Crimen de una niña de 3 años en Villa La Angostura: imputaron al padre por femicidio vinculado y quedó detenido," Diario Neuquino, staff, Oct. 9, 2026

36. Reading man charged with murder in shooting death of his mother

Location: Reading, Massachusetts, USA (arrest in Warren, Vermont)

Legal status: Charged. Ryan Hanafin, 22, is charged with murder and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, plus 15 counts of improperly storing a large-capacity firearm near a minor and one count of possessing an untraceable firearm, according to court records reported by Boston.com and NBC Boston. He is held without bail in Vermont as a fugitive from justice and has waived formal extradition. He has not been arraigned in Massachusetts and is presumed innocent.

What happened. Andria Hanafin, 49, was found dead in the kitchen of the family home in Reading early on Thursday, Oct. 8. Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said her husband called 911 at about 12:38 a.m. after coming home and finding her. The couple’s 13-year-old son was home and unhurt. Their older son, Ryan, who also lived there, was missing. Authorities had said he lived at home with his parents and 13-year-old brother, and that he also has a sister who is in college, Boston.com reported.

Cause of death. Officials said the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner was carrying out an autopsy and that the cause of death was believed to be a gunshot wound, NBC Boston reported. Boston.com reported she was found fatally shot. No final autopsy findings have been released.

Weapons and evidence. A police account in court paperwork, reported by NBC Boston, says officers found a gun safe in a bedroom with Ryan Hanafin’s name painted on the door, with one gun missing. Authorities said 19 guns were found in his bedroom. The paperwork says he was licensed to carry and owned 10 guns. The DA said firearms were registered in his name and his license to carry was suspended Thursday morning. The weapons charges are for improper storage of large-capacity firearms near a minor and for allegedly acquiring an untraceable “ghost gun.” Officials have not said which weapon was used.

Background. According to the police account, the father told investigators that his wife and son had argued recently about the cats Andria Hanafin fostered, and that the last time he saw his son he yelled at him to get a job. The paperwork says Ryan Hanafin was unemployed and had worked at a gun shop. The DA said investigators were looking at a possible “alleged dispute” in the home and believe it was a domestic violence case, though the exact circumstances are under investigation. She said police had no significant history with the home or the family. Friends described Andria Hanafin as a veterinary technician who fostered cats.

Manhunt and arrest. Police said Hanafin was last seen Wednesday evening on Interstate 93 heading toward Tewksbury. Vermont State Police said Massachusetts officials told them shortly after noon Thursday that he was believed to be in Vermont. Troopers searched Warren, an area he was thought to frequent. At about 2:30 p.m. they found him driving on Route 100 south of the Sugarbush Access Road and arrested him without incident, more than 170 miles from Reading. Until Friday afternoon, Massachusetts officials had called him only a “person of interest.”

Court status. On Friday, Oct. 9, Hanafin appeared virtually before a Vermont Superior Court judge and agreed to go back to Massachusetts. He was ordered held without bail until Massachusetts authorities collect him. A status hearing is set for Thursday in case he has not been extradited by then. Later Friday, the Middlesex DA’s office said he had been charged with murder. No Massachusetts arraignment date has been set, and it was unclear whether he had a lawyer who could comment.

National Domestic Violence Hotline (US): 1-800-799-7233.

Sources

• Boston.com, Abby Patkin, 2026-10-09 11:59 ET
• NBC Boston, Asher Klein, Jeff Saperstone, Kaitlin McKinley Becker, Kimberly Bookman, 2026-10-09, upd 20:41 ET

37. Okinawa police refer ex-boyfriend to prosecutors in stabbing death of Rin Zamami, 23, despite stalking order

Location: Ginowan, Okinawa, Japan

Legal status: Arrested and referred to prosecutors. Okinawa Prefectural Police arrested Hibiki Nakamura, 25, on Oct. 7, 2026, on suspicion of murder and sent his case to the Naha District Public Prosecutors Office on Friday, Oct. 9. He has not been indicted and is presumed innocent. Police said he has admitted the allegation.

Translated from Japanese-language reports by Kyodo News (via Iwate Nippo), Jiji Press, the Okinawa Times and the Asahi Shimbun. Names are spelled as printed by The Japan Times and Tokyo Reporter.

The referral. On Oct. 9, police sent Hibiki Nakamura, an unemployed man from Ginowan, to prosecutors on suspicion of killing his former girlfriend, Rin Zamami, 23, a part-time worker from the same city, Kyodo and Jiji reported. Kyodo reported he left Urasoe Police Station with what looked like white cloth bandages around his neck and wrists and kept his head down throughout.

What police allege. Police allege that at about 8.30am on Sept. 30, at an apartment complex in Kakazu 2-chome, Ginowan, Nakamura repeatedly slashed Ms Zamami on the neck and other areas with a sharp object, killing her, the Asahi Shimbun reported. The Okinawa Times reported that, according to police, he has said he attacked her on the building’s outside staircase.

Cause of death and injuries. A forensic autopsy found Ms Zamami died from blood loss, Kyodo and the Asahi reported. The Asahi said she also had injuries on her arms of the kind caused when defending oneself.

How he was found. About an hour after the attack, at about 9.45am, Nakamura was found in Naha, about 5 kilometres southwest of the scene, bleeding from his neck and other areas, and was taken to hospital, Kyodo and the Asahi reported. Police seized a bloodstained knife and a rental car and examined them. He was arrested on Oct. 7. Police said he admitted the allegation.

Stated motive. Nakamura has told police, in substance, that “I did it out of frustration that my feelings were not getting through,” Jiji and the Okinawa Times reported, citing the prefectural police’s First Investigation Division.

Earlier warnings to police. Ms Zamami went to Ginowan Police Station on Dec. 31, 2025, asking police to stop phone calls and LINE messages from her former boyfriend, the Okinawa Times reported. Police warned him not to contact her. On Feb. 24, 2026, police issued him a prohibition order under Japan’s anti-stalking law. On Sept. 20, ten days before her death, she reported to the same station that an anti-loss tracking tag, a device that can reveal location, had been attached to her car. Police believe it is likely Nakamura attached it, the Asahi reported.

The tracking tag. Nakamura has also told police that he “knew the tag was at the police station,” the Okinawa Times reported. The First Investigation Division said it saw that as “one possible trigger for the crime.” The prefectural police’s personal safety division said the seized tag had been “managed as ordinary evidence.” It also corrected its earlier statement that Ginowan police had removed the tag, saying instead that Ms Zamami removed it herself and brought it in by car. The division said it would clarify through the investigation how events led to the killing.

Open questions. Police have not publicly explained what steps were taken after the Sept. 20 report or whether further action against Nakamura was being considered before the attack. None of the allegations has been tested in court.

Sources

• The Japan Times (Jiji), "23-year-old woman stabbed to death in Okinawa in possible stalking incident," Oct. 2, 2026
• Tokyo Reporter, "Okinawa man arrested over fatal stabbing of ex-girlfriend despite restraining order," Tokyo Reporter Staff, Oct. 8, 2026
• Kyodo News via Iwate Nippo, "殺人容疑で元交際相手送検、沖縄 ストーカー被害訴え," Oct. 9, 2026
• Jiji Press via d-menu News, "女性殺害「気持ち伝わらず不満」＝逮捕の元交際相手、動機供述―沖縄," Oct. 9, 2026
• Okinawa Times, "紛失防止タグ「警察署にあると知っていた」 宜野湾市ストーカー殺人事件、容疑者が供述," Oct. 9, 2026
• Asahi Shimbun, "女性を殺害した疑い、元交際相手を逮捕 過去にストーカーで禁止命令," 滝口信之, Oct. 7, 2026

38. Philadelphia woman sentenced to up to 67 years for fatally shooting SEPTA bus driver Bernard Gribbin

Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Legal status: Pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and related offenses; sentenced Oct. 9, 2026, to a maximum of 67 years in prison (reported minimum: 32½ years per KYW, 33½ years per The Philadelphia Inquirer). Defense plans to appeal.

The sentence. Common Pleas Court Judge Anthony Kyriakakis on Friday, Oct. 9, sentenced Zhontay Capers, 24, to at least three decades and up to 67 years in prison for the shooting death of SEPTA bus driver Bernard N. Gribbin, The Philadelphia Inquirer and KYW Newsradio reported. The two outlets report the minimum term differently, 33½ years in the Inquirer and 32½ years on KYW. The judge called Capers “an enormous danger to the public” and said she had done “unspeakable harm,” KYW reported.

The plea. Capers pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and related offenses, KYW reported. Her court-appointed lawyer, Gina A. Amoriello, told the Inquirer the district attorney’s original general murder charge had been negotiated down to third-degree murder, with the length of the sentence left to the judge. Amoriello said she respected the judge but disagreed with the sentence and planned to appeal. A spokesperson for the district attorney’s office could not be reached by the Inquirer.

The shooting. Gribbin, 48, of Abington, was driving his regular Route 23 bus on Germantown Avenue on Oct. 26, 2023. Shortly before 10:30 a.m., at Germantown and Abbottsford Avenues, Capers shot him six times as he sat in the driver’s seat, the Inquirer reported. KYW reported the shots struck him in the chest. He was pronounced dead minutes later at Jefferson Einstein Philadelphia Hospital. He had worked for SEPTA for 12 years and was an Army veteran.

The video. In court Friday, prosecutors played video showing the bus rolling to a stop and someone running off in fear, KYW reported. Capers was seen walking quickly away and stuffing her shirt to make it look as if she were pregnant, to conceal her identity, according to the station.

Mental health. Amoriello said her client has a mental illness and that the shooting appeared to be unprovoked, the Inquirer reported. KYW reported that Capers, who suffers from a significant mental illness, apologized to Gribbin’s family in court and said she realizes how many people she hurt.

The courtroom. SEPTA co-workers and union staff filled the courtroom to support Gribbin’s family. He was described as the “heart” of his family, KYW reported. “Bernard will never be forgotten,” said Will Vera, president of Transport Workers Union Local 234. Vera told the Inquirer he was unsure how he felt about the reduced charge but understood it led to the guilty plea, and he was thankful the judge imposed what he called the “max” for third-degree murder.

SEPTA’s response. In a statement, SEPTA board chair Kenneth E. Lawrence Jr. and general manager Scott A. Sauer said the killing had a lasting impact on the agency and that their grief “does not compare to that of his wife Kristine, sons Justin and Jacob, his parents, siblings and many other loved ones.” The agency said it is working with state lawmakers to pass the Bernard N. Gribbin Law, which would increase penalties for assaults on public transit operators. “This was a heinous crime, and one that we should never forget,” the statement said.

Sources

• The Philadelphia Inquirer, Robert Moran, Oct 9, 2026, accessed Oct 10, 2026
• KYW Newsradio, Kristen Johanson, Oct 9, 2026, accessed Oct 10, 2026

39. Drunk man jailed 15 years and caned for fatal back-alley attack on 71-year-old in Serangoon North

Location: Serangoon North, Singapore

Legal status: Convicted and sentenced. Mohamed Serajudeen Mohamed Yusoff, 33, pleaded guilty to culpable homicide not amounting to murder and was sentenced by Justice Andre Maniam on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026, to 15 years in jail and 10 strokes of the cane.

The sentence. Mohamed Serajudeen Mohamed Yusoff was sentenced to 15 years’ jail and 10 strokes of the cane for killing a 71-year-old man in a back alley in Serangoon North in November 2024, The Straits Times and CNA reported. Three other charges, over his aggression toward other people that day, were taken into consideration. For culpable homicide not amounting to murder, an offender can be jailed for life, or for up to 20 years with a fine or caning, CNA reported. The prosecution sought at least 15 years and 10 strokes. The defence asked for nine years and nine months with five strokes.

The victim. The two outlets that covered the hearing print his name differently: CNA gives Andrews John and The Straits Times gives John Andrews. No court or police document giving the name was available, so both forms are noted here. He was 71.

A day of drinking. Serajudeen, then 31, was an operations manager at a food and beverage outlet. He finished a shift at about 10.30am on Nov. 19, 2024, and began drinking, the outlets reported. The Straits Times said he drank three to four cans of beer alone and later met two friends to drink large amounts of whisky. CNA reported he was slurring and dozing off, and his friends booked him a private-hire car home at about 2.55pm from Block 123 Serangoon North Avenue 1.

The driver. In the car he became agitated, scolded the driver and vomited. When the driver stopped on Serangoon North Avenue 2 and cancelled the ride, Serajudeen kicked him hard on the leg and threatened to beat him if he called police, CNA reported. He then wandered unsteadily around the shops at Block 151 for about half an hour.

The fatal assault. Outside a supermarket, he and the 71-year-old man made contact. The older man turned to speak to him, and the argument moved to the back alley of the block. Dashcam footage from a parked vehicle showed the victim gesturing in Serajudeen’s face before Serajudeen suddenly punched him in the head and pushed him to the ground, The Straits Times reported. He kept punching the man as he lay on the concrete, causing his head to hit the ground repeatedly, and then stomped on his upper body about eight times before walking away. A passer-by called police. As he left, Serajudeen threatened another passer-by: “You want to find trouble with me? You want to die?” CNA reported. He later phoned his manager to say he had beaten someone up.

Cause of death. The victim suffered a severe head injury with bleeding in the brain and extensive bruising, CNA reported. He died in hospital on Nov. 29, 2024, 10 days after the assault. Serajudeen was arrested at home early on Nov. 20. An assessment at the Institute of Mental Health found he had alcohol use disorder, but that his actions were goal-directed and he was not of unsound mind.

The court’s reasoning. Justice Maniam treated the victim’s vulnerability and Serajudeen’s heavy drinking, given his history of alcohol-linked aggression, as aggravating factors, The Straits Times reported. He rejected the defence argument that the victim was less vulnerable because he joined the argument. “Not only did the accused strike the first blow, he struck all the blows,” the judge said. Prosecutors Tay Jia En and Cheronne Lim called the attack “the epitome of senseless violence” and said the two were strangers whose paths had crossed moments earlier. Serajudeen had earlier convictions, including seven months’ jail in 2023 for assaulting a 54-year-old man and a fine in 2022 for a drunken public disturbance. His lawyer, Quek Liuyong, said his client was very sorry, never intended to cause a death, and “vows that he would never ever touch alcohol again.”

Sources

• The Straits Times, "Man gets 15 years' jail, caning for drunken 'senseless' killing of 71-year-old man in Serangoon," Selina Lum, Oct. 8, 2026
• CNA, "Drunk man killed 71-year-old man in back alley, gets jail and caning," Lydia Lam, Oct. 8, 2026

40. Two men arrested after burned remains of rubber tapper found in torched pickup near Trang reservoir

Location: Tha Ngio Reservoir, Huai Yot district, Trang province, Thailand

Legal status: Arrested. The Trang Provincial Court issued arrest warrants for two men on Oct. 7, 2026, for jointly setting fire to another’s property and concealing, moving or destroying a body to hide a death, the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) said. Thai Examiner reported that one man also faces a murder charge. Neither has been tried, and both are presumed innocent.

Drawn from an English-language report by Thai Examiner and a Thai-language account of the CIB arrest by Siam News, translated. Names are given as printed by Thai Examiner. Thai police withheld surnames.

The discovery. At about 9pm on Tuesday, Oct. 6, police and firefighters went to a roadside near Tha Ngio Reservoir in Huai Yot district after reports of a burning pickup, Siam News and Thai Examiner reported. The vehicle, a Mitsubishi according to Thai Examiner, was destroyed, and burned human remains were found on the front passenger seat. The victim was later identified as Theerasak, 37, from Sichon district in Nakhon Si Thammarat. Thai Examiner reported that his older sister, Siriluck, contacted Huai Yot police after recognising the pickup’s registration in local reports, saying she had not been able to reach him for days. He worked tapping rubber, she said.

How police found the suspects. CCTV and witness statements showed the pickup had been parked at the spot all day before it was set alight, Siam News reported, citing the CIB. Police then traced a brown Isuzu pickup believed to be linked to the fire to a car repair shop in Chang Klang district, Nakhon Si Thammarat, where they found the first suspect. According to the CIB account, he admitted driving that vehicle and said he had helped burn the pickup and hide the body, then led officers to the second suspect at a resort in Mueang Trang district. Thai Examiner gives a different sequence, saying the main suspect was arrested at home on Oct. 7 and the second man was arrested later that evening in Chang Klang. This card does not resolve the difference.

The suspects. Thai Examiner identified the main suspect as Natthawut, 36, and the second man as Pongpisut, 28, also spelled Phongphisut and known as “Sak.”

Alleged account of the killing. Police say the main suspect confessed. According to Thai Examiner, he told police he had agreed to buy 4,000 methamphetamine tablets from Theerasak for ฿30,000 but received only 200. He said the two met at about 2pm on Sunday, Oct. 4, and that when they stopped by a quiet roadside he struck Theerasak repeatedly on the head with a wooden stick until he believed he was dead. He then drove the body in the victim’s pickup, using GPS to find the nearest reservoir, intending to dump it in the water, but the vehicle became stuck in mud at about 1am on Oct. 5. The CIB account agrees that he admitted the killing and said the pickup got stuck, and that he phoned the second man to pick him up.

The fire. On Oct. 6, police allege, the two returned to the reservoir, stopping on the way to buy gloves and fuel, and set the pickup and body alight at about 9pm, Siam News reported. Thai Examiner reported that Pongpisut’s young daughter was in his vehicle but asleep and did not see the fire.

Evidence. Police seized a .45 Colt pistol with two magazines and 12 rounds, ฿31,490 in cash and 192 methamphetamine tablets, Siam News reported. Thai Examiner also reported clothing believed to be stained with the victim’s blood and put the number of tablets at 200.

Doubts and forensics. Thai Examiner reported that on Oct. 8 Pongpisut took part in a reconstruction at the reservoir, but Natthawut refused, and police were examining inconsistencies in his account. An autopsy from Songklanagarind Hospital to establish the cause of death was still pending.

Sources

• Thai Examiner, "Murder in Trang over meth tablet dealing. Two men arrested after burned remains found near reservoir," James Morris and Son Nguyen, Oct. 9, 2026
• Siam News, "เปิดคำรับสารภาพสะเทือนขวัญ คดีเผากระบะอำพรางโหด ข้ามจังหวัด," Oct. 10, 2026 (account attributed to the Central Investigation Bureau)

41. Quebec man sentenced to life, no parole for 17 years, in killing of Santiago Gaona

Location: Quebec City, Quebec, Canada (killing in Contrecoeur, Monteregie)

Legal status: Sentenced. Pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, forcible confinement and indignity to a dead body; life sentence with no parole eligibility for 17 years (Oct. 9, 2026).

A judge on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, sentenced François Bouchard to life in prison with no eligibility for parole for 17 years for the 2023 killing of Santiago Gaona, a 26-year-old Montreal man whose remains Bouchard admitted trying to destroy in an industrial branch shredder on farmland near Quebec City.

Justice Louis Dionne delivered the sentence at the Quebec City courthouse, Noovo Info reported. Second-degree murder carries an automatic life sentence in Canada, so the hearing turned on how long Bouchard must serve before he can apply for parole. Le Soleil reported in May that the available range in this case ran from 10 to 22 years. The Crown asked for 18 to 19 years. The defence asked for 13 to 14.

The plea

Bouchard, who was 33 when he pleaded guilty in May 2026, admitted to second-degree murder, forcible confinement and indignity to a dead body. He had originally been charged with first-degree murder. Le Soleil reported that the prosecution reduced the charge because it could not establish beyond a reasonable doubt the exact date of death, which fell between Sept. 8 and Sept. 16, 2023.

According to the facts admitted in court, Bouchard and Gaona had been in conflict since late August 2023. Bouchard believed Gaona had tried to kill him by supplying him with a dose of drugs, a motive described during a preliminary hearing. Bouchard then organized Gaona’s abduction and confinement at his home in Contrecoeur, in the Monteregie region. He admitted cutting Gaona’s throat with a knife at some point during the confinement, then cutting the body into pieces and keeping the remains at his home in four bags. Gaona’s family lost all contact with him from Sept. 9.

The shredder and the discovery

On Sept. 16, 2023, Bouchard and two others drove to the Quebec City area to use an acquaintance’s industrial branch shredder to dispose of the body. On Sept. 17, a Quebec City tree-trimming contractor went to police to report that he had caught Bouchard and two others on his farmland using his shredder to grind up remains, with a fire burning nearby. Officers who went to the site quickly found human tissue, and the machine was seized for analysis. Bouchard admitted to setting fire to the remains.

Bouchard was arrested on Sept. 17 in Kahnawake. The victim was identified three days later.

Forensic evidence

At the Contrecoeur residence, which Le Soleil described as a place frequented by several people for drug use, investigators found blood spatter in several rooms along with the victim’s DNA. A finger was found in an outdoor fire pit. Gaona’s DNA was also found inside the vehicle Bouchard used to drive to Quebec City.

The sentencing arguments

Bouchard’s lawyer argued that injuries he suffered when he set a fire in his own cell at the Quebec City jail in January 2025 justified a lighter sentence. Noovo Info reported that Justice Dionne accepted that Bouchard’s health makes reoffending unlikely, but found that the aggravating factors, including the gruesome nature of the crime and its effect on the victim’s loved ones, outweighed it.

Le Soleil reported in May that Bouchard also faces separate charges in the Court of Québec for threats against correctional officers. Those charges have not been tried, and he is presumed innocent of them.

The co-accused

Cassandra Major pleaded guilty in October 2025 to being an accessory after the fact to murder and to indignity to a dead body. She was sentenced to 33 months; because of time already served in pretrial custody, she was released after one day. Jean-Philippe Lamontagne pleaded guilty in June 2026 to being an accessory after the fact to the murder and received a 10-month sentence, with a little more than four months left to serve after credit for pretrial custody.

Sources

• Noovo Info, "Meurtre de Santiago Gaona: 17 ans de prison avant une libération conditionnelle pour François Bouchard," Jennifer Gravel and Raphaëlle Champagne, Oct. 9, 2026
• La Voix de l'Est / Le Soleil, "Il égorge sa victime et tente de la faire disparaître au broyeur," Judith (surname not captured; Le Soleil justice reporter), May 26, 2026
• Lead only, not opened (blocked): Journal de Québec, Oct. 9, 2026; TVA Nouvelles, May 26, 2026

42. Man, 52, held on suspicion of murdering shopkeeper in daytime knife attack on Malmö square

Location: Bellevuetorget / Bellevuegården, Malmö, Skåne, Sweden

Legal status: Detained (häktad) on “probable cause,” the stronger of Sweden’s two levels of suspicion, for murder. Malmö District Court ordered him held with restrictions on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, and ordered a preliminary psychiatric examination (a so-called Section 7 examination). He has not been charged. Through his lawyer, he neither admits nor denies the allegation. He is presumed innocent.

The killing. A woman in her 50s was stabbed to death outdoors on Bellevuetorget, a square in the Bellevuegården area of Malmö, on the morning of Wednesday, Oct. 7, SVT Nyheter and Sydsvenskan reported. Sydsvenskan reported police were alerted shortly after 10 a.m. Medical staff gave her help at the scene but could not save her life, SVT reported. Prosecutor Sebastian Noculak Nilsson said in a Swedish Prosecution Authority press release that knife violence caused her death.

The victim. The woman ran a shop in the area and was a well-liked business owner, SVT reported. Candles and flowers have been left outside the shop where she worked, according to Sydsvenskan. She has not been publicly named. Tina Hermansson, counsel for several of her closest relatives, told SVT by email: “This is an incredibly difficult time for the family. At the same time, they want to express their gratitude for all the wonderful warmth and care that people have shown.”

How the suspect was stopped. A care assistant who was nearby got the man to drop the knife and then overpowered him until police arrived, SVT reported. Sydsvenskan, which had earlier spoken to the care assistant, identified him only as Birat. The suspect was arrested at the scene. Sydsvenskan reported that several witnesses saw the attack and that the man was still beside the woman and the weapon when police arrived. The knife believed to be the murder weapon has been seized, the prosecutor confirmed.

The relationship. The prosecutor said in the press release that the victim and the suspect knew each other. Sydsvenskan reported, citing its own information, that there is a family relationship between them; the prosecutor would not say how they knew each other.

The detention hearing. The hearing at Malmö District Court began at about 4 p.m. on Friday, with the 52-year-old taking part by video link from custody, Sydsvenskan reported. “My client can neither admit nor deny,” his lawyer, Johanna Sundman, told the court. Most of the hearing was then held behind closed doors to protect the investigation. Shortly before 5 p.m. the court ordered him detained on probable cause with restrictions, as the prosecutor requested, and ordered the Section 7 examination, a doctor’s interview used to assess whether a suspect may have been seriously mentally ill at the time. The man accepted being detained but opposed the restrictions, SVT reported. Sydsvenskan reported he had no previous convictions, according to its own research.

The investigation. “A large investigative resource is working on the case,” the prosecutor said in the release. “Witness interviews and interviews with the suspect are being held. A technical examination is being done, a review of technical findings and a mapping of the days of those involved leading up to the act.” He told Sydsvenskan investigators were “working on the motive” and “turning every stone to find the answer to why.” He would not say whether surveillance video of the attack had been secured. Many people were crossing the square at the time, and the prosecutor said witnesses would be interviewed carefully: “It is of course shocking to see something like that.”

Case numbers. Swedish Prosecution Authority AM 153287-26; Malmö District Court B 13191-26.

Sources

• Swedish Prosecution Authority, Åklagarmyndigheten, 2026-10-09
• SVT Nyheter, 2026-10-09, updated 2026-10-10
• Sydsvenskan, Sandra Stendahl, Joakim Palmkvist, 2026-10-09

43. Minnesota man convicted of first-degree murder in “rejection killing” of Kayli Arseth

Location: Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota, USA (killing in Richfield)

Legal status: Convicted on all counts, including first-degree premeditated murder (announced Oct. 9, 2026). The conviction carries a mandatory sentence of life without parole; sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 15, 2026.

A Hennepin County jury has convicted Jose Luis Lopez Xique, 27, of Shakopee, of first-degree premeditated murder in the June 2025 shooting death of Kayli Arseth in her Richfield apartment, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office announced Friday, Oct. 9, 2026.

Lopez Xique was also convicted of second-degree intentional murder and aggravated harassment with a dangerous weapon. In Minnesota, a first-degree premeditated murder conviction carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole, the office said. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 15 at 11 a.m. (case 27-CR-25-16934).

The discovery

On June 17, 2025, Richfield police went to Arseth’s apartment on the 7700 block of Penn Avenue South for a welfare check after she failed to show up for work and had missed a meeting with a friend the afternoon before, according to court records cited by KSTP and FOX 9. No one had heard from her since the previous evening. Officers found her dead inside.

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner found she died of a gunshot wound to the head and ruled the death a homicide. A search warrant obtained by FOX 9 said the apartment was locked, the windows were secured and there was no sign of forced entry. Officers saw bloodstains in the apartment and what appeared to be a blood smear on the outside of the apartment door.

The relationship

Investigators found that Arseth met Lopez Xique online and that the two had been spending time together as friends. According to the charges, messages showed that Lopez Xique asked her for a romantic relationship and that she told him she was only interested in friendship. Arseth had asked him whether he was free on June 16 to help her with her motorcycle.

The phone and the discarded bags

According to court records reported by KSTP, Lopez Xique’s phone data placed him at Arseth’s apartment building on June 16, where he texted her. The phone stayed there for at least an hour before he left for a hardware store. Later that evening his phone pinged in west Bloomington, where police found two bags of discarded items: 16 rounds of 9 mm ammunition, a blue utility shirt, sunglasses, an empty box of gauze, blue disposable gloves, a pair of shoes and a hat.

Arseth was 22. The Minnesota Star Tribune reported at the time of the charges that Lopez Xique was arrested near his home the Thursday before the July 7, 2025, charges, after driving off as investigators approached and being boxed in by police vehicles. A search of his home turned up a 9 mm gun and clothing similar to what he wore on the day of her death, and investigators saw scratches on his chest and puncture wounds on one forearm. He was first charged with second-degree murder. Court documents say that when he was arrested, Lopez Xique “did not inquire about why he was arrested, told officers to hurry it up and seemed unsurprised.”

Reaction

“This was a horrifying instance of a ‘rejection killing’ where Mr. Lopez Xique refused to accept that Kayli did not want a relationship,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said. She thanked the trial team, victim services staff and jurors.

“Kayli loved music, art, and her family and friends. She was restoring her motorcycle while working as a behavioral technician for children with special needs. She should still be with her family and her loved ones,” Moriarty said.

Sources

• Minnesota Star Tribune, "Shakopee man, 27, jailed in shooting death of Richfield woman, 22, in her home," July 7, 2025
• Hennepin County Attorney's Office, "Hennepin County Attorney's Office secures first-degree murder conviction at trial for 2025 'rejection killing'," Oct. 2026
• KSTP, "Man convicted of 1st-degree murder for death of Richfield woman who rejected his romantic advances," Oct. 2026
• FOX 9, "'Rejection killing': Man guilty of murder for fatal shooting in Richfield," Oct. 9, 2026

44. Kirtland man charged with first-degree murder; deputies say phone video shows him standing on his wife’s chest as she died

Location: Kirtland, San Juan County, New Mexico, USA

Legal status: Charged. A criminal complaint filed Oct. 8, 2026, in Aztec Magistrate Court charges Jess K. Patterson with one open count of first-degree murder. He is held without bond. He is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

The charge. Jess K. Patterson, 34, of Kirtland, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of his wife of 17 years, Lauren Patterson, 36, the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office said in a release reported by Law&Crime. The criminal complaint and a five-page arrest-warrant affidavit were filed Oct. 8 in Aztec Magistrate Court, the San Juan Pulse reported after reviewing the documents. The Tri-City Record reported that the San Juan County District Attorney’s Office has asked that he be held until trial, arguing that “no viable conditions of release exist to ensure the safety of the community at this time.” A pretrial detention hearing and preliminary hearing are set for 9 a.m. Oct. 22 before 11th Judicial District Judge Curtis Gurley in Aztec, the Record reported. Law&Crime reported he is held at the San Juan County Adult Detention Center without bond.

The 911 call. On the evening of Sunday, Oct. 4, a teenage member of the household called 911 to report that Lauren Patterson was unconscious and not breathing, according to the sheriff’s office. Deputies found her dead at the family’s home in the Kirtland area, a small town about 25 miles south of the Colorado border, Law&Crime reported. According to the affidavit as summarized by the San Juan Pulse, a detective considered the circumstances suspicious, noted extensive bruising on her body and obtained a search warrant for the home. Patterson and the couple’s children were taken to a sheriff’s substation for interviews.

What he told detectives. The affidavit says Patterson acknowledged drinking earlier that day but described himself as “lucid.” After being read his Miranda rights, he denied ever beating or physically abusing his wife, the San Juan Pulse reported. He told the detective that he and possibly his sons were the only other people at the home and that his sons had gone for a walk, leaving him alone with her.

Cause of death. An autopsy was performed Oct. 6 at the Office of the Medical Investigator in Albuquerque. Preliminary findings cited in the affidavit showed “numerous rib fractures and a ruptured spleen which began to bleed internally,” and the death was expected to be classified as blunt force trauma, according to the Tri-City Record and the San Juan Pulse. The examination also found an older fracture of her left arm that had healed naturally. The affidavit does not establish how that injury happened.

The video. Detectives obtained a warrant for Patterson’s phone. Examining the extracted data on Oct. 7, a detective reported finding messages he described as abusive and a video of about one minute and 38 seconds, time stamped 5:12 p.m. on Oct. 4, the San Juan Pulse reported. In the detective’s description, the recording shows Lauren Patterson on the floor while a man stands on her chest with both feet for about a minute, “placing his entire weight” on her and “singing and taunting her while she gasped for breaths,” the Tri-City Record and Law&Crime quoted from court records. The affidavit says he is heard saying “she’s dead,” calls her a “skateboard,” and says “goodnight” and walks away when she appears unconscious. The San Juan Pulse reported the detective also described two kicks to her face. Investigators identified Patterson through green Converse shoes and blue cargo pants seen in the video, which matched shoes found on the couple’s bed and pants he wore at the interview, and through his voice, the affidavit says. These descriptions are investigators’ accounts; the video itself has not been made public.

Earlier allegations. The sheriff’s office said Patterson had previously been arrested multiple times in California on domestic violence allegations and was arrested in New Mexico in July on an allegation of battering his wife; the Record reported that case alleged he hit her in the face. The outcomes of the California arrests have not been reported. According to the affidavit, Lauren Patterson’s sister told police he had beaten her with a baton, her mother said she believed he moved the family to New Mexico “to isolate the abuse,” and neighbors said they could “hear him beating her.” These are allegations and have not been tested in court.

“Our hearts go out to Ms. Patterson’s family at this horrible time,” Sheriff Shane Ferrari said.

Sources

• Tri-City Record, Debra Mayeux, Oct 8, 2026, accessed Oct 10, 2026
• San Juan Pulse, Newsroom (based on complaint and affidavit, case M-147-FR-2026-00468), Oct 8, 2026, accessed Oct 10, 2026
• Law&Crime, Colin Kalmbacher, Oct 9, 2026, accessed Oct 10, 2026
• KKOB, Oct 9, 2026, accessed Oct 10, 2026

45. Wife arrested three weeks after Tuscan husband bled to death from leg stab wound first reported as a household accident

Location: Pian del Ponte, Bibbiena, province of Arezzo, Tuscany, Italy

Legal status: Arrested and held in pre-trial custody. Maria Ricci, 59, is under investigation for aggravated “omicidio preterintenzionale,” a homicide in which death results from an intentional injury but was not intended (roughly comparable to manslaughter). A preliminary investigations judge (GIP) in Arezzo ordered her held in prison for six months. She has not been tried and is presumed innocent.

The arrest. Carabinieri from the Bibbiena company and the Arezzo investigative unit served a custody order on Maria Ricci and took her to Florence’s Sollicciano prison, Il Messaggero and Il Fatto Quotidiano reported on Oct. 10. The order was issued by the GIP of the Arezzo court at the request of prosecutors. Il Fatto reported that the judge cited the risk of evidence tampering and of repeat offending, taking into account “the character of the woman and her possible unruly reactions.”

The victim. Giancarlo Bernardini, 70, died on Sept. 18, 2026, after a deep wound to his left leg at the couple’s home in Pian del Ponte, in the municipality of Bibbiena.

The sequence, as alleged. According to the Carabinieri’s reconstruction, late on the morning of Sept. 18 the couple argued in the kitchen. Ricci allegedly took a single-edged pointed knife of the dagger type, with a shaped handle and a blade of about 18 cm, and struck her husband once in the front and outer side of his left leg, just below the knee, Il Messaggero reported. Il Messaggero described the weapon as a hunting dagger about 30 cm long overall.

Wound and cause of death. The stab wound reached the popliteal vein behind the knee, causing massive bleeding, both outlets reported. Ricci called the 118 emergency line and at first reported a household accident, and tried to stem the bleeding with rags. By the time paramedics arrived, Bernardini was in critical condition and had lost consciousness. He was flown by helicopter to San Donato hospital in Arezzo and underwent surgery to repair the wound, but died the same day. Quoting the Carabinieri, Il Fatto said the injury caused “a profuse haemorrhage, a haemorrhagic shock and multi-organ failure” that led to his death “despite the rescue efforts and the reparative surgery.” The autopsy was carried out by forensic pathologist Mario Gabbrielli, Il Messaggero reported. He never regained the ability to say what happened.

How the account unravelled. Prosecutors had already ruled out as implausible the idea that the wound came from striking furniture or appliances such as a stove or dishwasher, Il Messaggero reported. During a search of the home with specialists from the Florence provincial command’s scientific investigations section, investigators found the dagger they believe was used. Investigators say the case rests on witness statements and technical and scientific tests. Ricci was questioned several times and, after being formally placed under investigation, was interviewed by a prosecutor in the presence of her lawyer, Saverio Agostini. Investigators say she gave different versions of events. Carabinieri also seized several knives and two phones, one belonging to Bernardini, for analysis of messages that might shed light on the family’s situation and the hours before his death.

Why not murder. Il Fatto reported that investigators and the judge believe the wounding followed a domestic argument and was a disproportionate reaction, but that she did not accept the risk that her husband would die, even though she knew he took antiplatelet (blood-thinning) medication. The lesser charge rests on the facts that she allegedly struck him only once, called for help immediately, tried to help him, and appeared to paramedics to be panicking.

Community. Bernardini’s funeral, held in the days before the arrest, drew a large crowd from the local community, which at the time showed support for his wife, Il Messaggero reported. The Arezzo prosecutor’s investigation continues.

Sources

• Il Messaggero, 2026-10-10
• Il Fatto Quotidiano, Redazione Cronaca, 2026-10-10

46. John Matara testifies in his own defence, tells court Starlet Wahu stabbed him and denies killing her

Location: Nairobi, Kenya (Milimani High Court)

Legal status: On trial. John Matara is charged with murdering Starlet (also spelled Scarlett) Wahu and has pleaded not guilty. The court ruled in May 2026 that he has a case to answer. His defence hearing continues. He is presumed innocent.

What’s new. John Matara took the witness stand in his own defence before Justice Alexander Muteti and gave sworn testimony denying that he killed Starlet Wahu, The Star and Citizen Digital reported. “I did not kill Scarlett Wahu,” he told the court, according to Citizen Digital. His account remains subject to cross-examination and the court’s ruling.

The victim. Wahu was found dead in a short-stay apartment in South B, Nairobi, after a meeting with Matara on Jan. 3, 2024, The Star reported. She was the sister of preacher Victor Kanyari.

The prosecution’s case. The prosecution closed its case in April 2026 after calling 18 witnesses, The Star reported. Arresting officer Horace Arwa testified that Matara admitted stabbing Wahu when he was arrested. A government chemist testified that DNA from both Matara and Wahu was found on a knife and a towel recovered from the scene. Police recovered a bloodstained knife, condoms, HIV testing kits and syringes. Security guards saw Matara leaving the apartment with bloodstained trousers and a white towel around his neck. The apartment’s owner admitted she did not verify his identity or issue a receipt and that the unit was not licensed. In May, Justice Muteti found the prosecution had made a prima facie case.

Matara’s account. Matara told the court he met Wahu around July or August 2023 and that their meetings involved paid sexual encounters. The two outlets report different figures for what he paid and owed, so this card does not give them. He said that on Jan. 3, 2024, he was at a music studio in Imara Daima, recording and celebrating the New Year with other artists, and contacted Wahu at about 11 a.m. to confirm a meeting that evening. He said she preferred South B, asked for a place with a balcony, and reminded him of an outstanding balance.

He said he booked a short-stay apartment advertised online for Sh3,200 a night and travelled there by Uber. The outlets give differing details on the room number and the name of the woman who let him in. Citizen Digital reported he testified that he collected Wahu from the parking area, that they bought a bottle of whisky, and that they later took HIV tests, both negative, before having sex.

He testified that after sex Wahu demanded payment, including the balance, became angry and, according to Citizen Digital’s account of his testimony, threatened that nobody would leave the room alive unless she was paid. He said he called his sister for a loan, which she declined.

The stabbing, in his words. Matara said that after going to the bathroom he returned, and Wahu gently pushed him onto the bed. He thought they were about to have sex again. “She stabbed me multiple times… I folded my hands on my chest so as to cover myself… I was bleeding profusely… there was blood all over. Then I realised she was holding a knife, I never at any moment handled that knife,” he said, as quoted by Citizen Digital. He added: “I can’t really tell what happened, especially when I was struggling for my life. I’m still shocked to date that Scarlet died as a result of that scuffle.” The Star reported he said he used a towel to stop his bleeding.

Next steps. The defence said Matara would testify under oath and call three witnesses. The hearing continues.

Sources

• "John Matara to court: Scarlett Wahu stabbed me multiple times," The Star (Kenya), Cathy Wamaitha, Oct. 9, 2026
• "'She stabbed me multiple times': John Matara tells court he did not kill Starlet Wahu," Citizen Digital, Dzuya Walter, Oct. 8, 2026

47. Two held over fatal stabbing of 20-year-old found near Rome’s Villa Gordiani; knife found in their car

Location: Via Attilio Hortis, Villa Gordiani / Prenestino area, Rome, Italy

Legal status: Detained (“fermo di indiziato di delitto”) for homicide. A 19-year-old Tunisian man and a 24-year-old Italian woman were detained on the order of the Rome prosecutor’s office, police announced on Oct. 9, 2026. Neither has been named. Rome police stress that the case is at the preliminary investigation stage and that both are presumed innocent until any final conviction.

The discovery. On the morning of Monday, Oct. 5, a passer-by noticed a young man’s body among the vegetation on Via Attilio Hortis, near Villa Gordiani and the Prenestina railway station, RomaToday reported. The body lay against the boundary wall of the railway, beside an informal encampment.

The victim. Police identified him as a 20-year-old Tunisian citizen with no fixed address, RomaToday reported on Oct. 6. Official statements have not released his name. RomaToday reported he had been stopped by police in a Tor Bella Monaca drug market on Sept. 11 and was released on a suspended sentence.

Wounds. RomaToday reported a deep stab wound just below the collarbone to the chest and marks on the neck consistent with a struggle; the medical examiner reserved judgment on the neck injuries. Forensic police found little blood where the body lay, which investigators said suggested he may not have died at that exact spot. An autopsy was ordered by prosecutors at the Tor Vergata Polyclinic’s forensic medicine institute, with toxicology tests to establish the time of death and whether he had taken drugs before he was stabbed. Those results have not been published. The area where he was found, along the railway wall, is an informal settlement of makeshift beds, old sofas and gas stoves amid piles of uncollected rubbish, RomaToday reported.

How the suspects were identified. The investigation, run by the second section of the Rome Questura’s Squadra Mobile under the prosecutor’s direction, traced the victim’s last hours through a “capillary” analysis of surveillance cameras in the area, police said in their Oct. 9 statement, an account also reported by RaiNews (TGR Lazio). The footage showed the victim getting into a car with the two suspects at about 8 a.m. on Oct. 5, the morning of the killing. The same car was then recorded at about 11:45 a.m. on Via Attilio Hortis, where the body was found about 30 minutes later after a call to 112.

The knife. On the evening of Oct. 6, Carabinieri stopped the couple in the same car after a report of an assault allegedly involving them, police said. Inside, they found a kitchen knife that state police consider compatible, by its characteristics, with the weapon used to fatally wound the victim. RomaToday reported that the knife was under a seat. That stop, RomaToday said, steered the police investigation decisively toward the pair. RomaToday described the case as solved within a few days thanks to the area’s cameras and that chance check on the evening after the killing.

The detention. In light of the evidence and what police called “concrete profiles of social dangerousness,” the judicial authority ordered both held on suspicion of homicide, the Questura said. No outcome of a court hearing on the detentions had been reported as of Oct. 10.

Open questions. Police said investigations continue to establish the motive and the exact sequence. RomaToday reported on Oct. 6 that investigators’ main line of inquiry concerned the street drug trade in eastern Rome, including a possible debt or territorial dispute, but police have not confirmed a motive. It has not been reported how the two suspects knew the victim, or what role each allegedly played.

Sources

• Polizia di Stato, Questura di Roma, Questura di Roma, 2026-10-09
• RomaToday, Redazione, 2026-10-09
• RaiNews (TGR Lazio), TGR Lazio, 2026-10-09
• RomaToday, Lorenzo Nicolini, 2026-10-06

48. Woman, 37, killed by estranged husband in Cuenca village after he sent their daughters outside, Spanish authorities say

Location: Valverde de Júcar, Cuenca, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain

Legal status: No prosecution possible. Investigators say Luisa Girgiana Galvena, 37, was killed with a bladed weapon on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026, by her estranged husband, who then killed himself. On Friday, Oct. 9, Spain’s Ministry of Equality confirmed it as a gender-violence killing.

The victim. Luisa Girgiana Galvena, 37, was of Romanian origin and worked as a cook at a restaurant, El País reported. She and her husband were going through a divorce and had two daughters, aged 6 and 14. Her parents live in Las Valeras, about 10 km away, and will now care for the girls, El País reported.

What happened. On Thursday afternoon, someone called Luisa’s father to tell him that his two granddaughters were in the street and could not get into their home, El País reported. Their father had put the girls outside and locked himself in the house with Luisa. The grandfather called the 112 emergency number. The regional emergency service alerted the Guardia Civil, the fire station at Motilla del Palancar about 40 km away, and the region’s helpline for victims of gender violence, which called Luisa’s phone again and again without an answer. When firefighters and officers got into the house, they found both dead. elDiario.es, citing emergency sources speaking to the EFE agency, reported the bodies were found at about 7:30 p.m. with signs of a violent death.

Cause of death. Initial findings indicate the man killed her with a bladed weapon and then took his own life, El País reported on Oct. 8. A doctor certified both deaths. Autopsy results have not been published. Reports give different ages for the man, so this card does not state one. He has not been named.

No prior warning to authorities. Sources close to the investigation said there were no previous complaints of gender violence, and neither Luisa nor her husband was in VioGén, Spain’s system for monitoring victims and aggressors, El País and elDiario.es reported. El País reported she had never gone to any support service. Castilla-La Mancha’s equality minister, Sara Simón, said the town’s mayor told her that “everyone saw little things, but no one raised their voice to ask for help for her.” She urged neighbours and relatives to speak up when a victim cannot.

The count. With the Ministry of Equality’s confirmation on Oct. 9, the number of women killed by partners or former partners in Spain in 2026 rose to 42, and to 1,383 since records began in 2003, El Confidencial (EFE) reported. elDiario.es reported she is the third in Castilla-La Mancha this year. Equality Minister Ana Redondo García and the government delegate against gender violence, Carmen Martínez Perza, expressed their “most emphatic condemnation.” Reports differ on the number of children orphaned this year, so this card does not give one. El País noted that in most such killings in Spain no prior complaint had been filed, and that separations and divorces are periods of high risk.

Reaction. The town council declared three days of official mourning, suspended weekend events and held a minute’s silence in the main square at noon on Friday, attended by more than a hundred residents. Mayor Eduardo Mena said women “continue to die simply for being women.” The government sub-delegate in Cuenca, Mari Luz Fernández, said “a woman every week is an unbearable figure.” Regional president Emiliano García-Page expressed “deep sadness” and said that if it was confirmed as a gender-violence killing he felt “enormous anger and indignation.” The family was supported overnight by Red Cross emergency psychologists, and the girls were to be seen by a specialist programme for children affected by such violence.

Help. In Spain, the 016 line helps victims of gender violence 24 hours a day in 53 languages and does not appear on phone bills.

Sources

• El País, Isabel Valdés, 2026-10-09
• El País, 2026-10-08
• El Confidencial (EFE), EFE, 2026-10-09
• elDiario.es (elDiarioclm.es / Europa Press), Europa Press, 2026-10-08, updated 2026-10-09

49. Hamburg court convicts 18-year-old of murder over police-chase crash that killed his passenger

Location: Kennedybrücke, Außenalster, Hamburg, Germany

Legal status: Convicted, not final. On Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, the youth chamber of the Hamburg Regional Court found an 18-year-old driver guilty of murder, attempted murder, dangerous bodily harm and other offences and imposed a youth sentence of seven years. The verdict is not yet legally binding and can be appealed. He has not been named. He was 17 at the time of the crash, and the trial was closed to the public until the verdict.

The verdict. Presiding judge Anne Meier-Göring announced the verdict and sentence on Friday, the German Press Agency reported in coverage carried by Die Welt and Tag24. A court spokeswoman confirmed to NDR that the defendant was convicted of several offences including murder, attempted murder and dangerous bodily harm. The trial was closed to the public until the verdict was read. “It was nothing but hara-kiri, it was a bet on life and death,” the judge said. His own life and those of others had been a matter of indifference to him, she said.

The victim. The driver’s front-seat passenger, a 35-year-old man, died. He had to be resuscitated at the scene and died later in hospital, NDR reported. He had been a work colleague and had found the defendant a job with a security firm working on a university building site, the court said. He has not been publicly named. The 28-year-old driver of the oncoming van was injured but survived. The defendant was also seriously injured.

The chase. Early on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, the then-17-year-old picked up his colleague in Altona to drive to work, the court found. The two first smoked a joint together in the car. In the Eimsbüttel district, the black 3-series BMW passed a traffic check at 86 km/h. NDR reported officers on Fruchtallee signalled with blue lights for the driver to stop; the court said one officer wanted to pull him over as the last vehicle of his shift. The defendant told the court that his passenger said, “Just hit the gas,” and he accelerated.

According to the judge, he ran a red light at the next junction at 122 km/h and the following one, near Schlump U-Bahn station, at 146 km/h. The court watched the police video of the pursuit several times. “You drove through Hamburg as if on a Formula One circuit,” Meier-Göring said. On the Kennedy Bridge by the Outer Alster lake, in a left-hand bend where he could not see ahead, he steered into the oncoming lane at about 130 km/h without braking, although a column of vehicles had just come toward him. The van driver could not avoid the collision. Die Welt reported the crash happened at 6:20 a.m., in front of the Hotel Atlantic. Far more people could have died, the judge said.

Why he fled. “I wanted to get away from the police,” the defendant told the court. The court found he wanted to stop the car from being seized, as had happened the year before when police smelled marijuana and found drugs in his older brother’s car. He had bought the BMW, his first car, at 17 for 3,700 euros without having a driving licence, and drove it with stolen plates, without insurance and often under the influence of cannabis, the judge said. He claimed to have paid for it from state benefits; the court did not believe him and found it was probably financed by selling marijuana. The car was a status symbol he showed off on TikTok, she said.

Background. The defendant came to Germany from Afghanistan at 13, has only an older brother in Hamburg, learned German quickly but did not finish school or an apprenticeship, the court said.

What’s next. The sentence is not final. Neither side’s intentions on appeal were reported.

Sources

• NDR, 2026-10-09
• Die Welt (dpa), dpa, 2026-10-09
• Tag24 (dpa), Bernhard Sprengel, 2026-10-09

50. Ex-partner arrested after autopsy shows Deysi Paola Giménez Segovia was shot twice in the head in Lambaré

Location: Lambaré, Central Department, Paraguay (arrest in Villeta)

Legal status: Charged (imputado) with feminicide and intentional homicide (homicidio doloso). On Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, Lambaré prosecutor Amelia Bernal Jara formally charged Aldo Alexis Duarte Moreira, 26, ABC Color, La Nación and Última Hora reported. He declined to give a statement, assisted by a public defender. Prosecutors have asked a judge for preventive detention. He is presumed innocent.

What’s new. On Saturday morning, Oct. 10, Duarte Moreira was taken to the Public Ministry for his indagatory statement. He exercised his right to remain silent. The prosecutor then filed the formal imputation for feminicide and intentional homicide and requested preventive detention, citing the gravity of the killing and a flight risk after he fled following the shooting, ABC Color reported.

What happened. Deysi Paola Giménez Segovia, 22, was shot dead on the night of Thursday, Oct. 8, as she walked to work in the Santa Lucía neighbourhood of Lambaré, near Asunción, La Nación reported. Security cameras recorded the attack. The footage shows a white car cutting off her path. A man got out and chased her as she tried to run and called for help. She fell to the pavement and was shot again while on the ground, according to La Nación’s description of the video.

The autopsy. On Friday, Oct. 9, Public Ministry forensic doctor Rafaela Fernández described the autopsy findings. She said Deysi Paola was hit by two bullets in the head and both stayed inside the skull, with no exit wounds. One entered at the back of the head (the occipital region), travelling from back to front and slightly upward. The other travelled downward and from back to front. The entry wounds were about one centimetre across. Fernández said the wound that damaged the brain stem was the fatal one, and that the young woman likely survived the first shot. The bullets were recovered for ballistic testing.

The autopsy found no gunshot wounds to the arms or legs, contrary to early police reports of a shot to one arm. Doctors did find scrapes and small bruises on her face, mainly on the left forehead and around the nose, which the forensic doctor said were consistent with her fall during the attack.

The search. Police named her ex-partner, Aldo Alexis Duarte, as the main suspect, and an order for his capture was issued, La Nación reported. On Friday morning, Diario HOY reported, police located him at his home in the Bella Flor neighbourhood of J. Augusto Saldívar. A white Toyota Runx matching the car in the security footage was found at the property. HOY reported that his sister said he had phoned her and was shut inside the house, and that officers surrounded it while waiting for a search warrant. Prosecutor Amelia Bernal was heading to the scene.

The arrest. Duarte Moreira was arrested later that night in the Naranjaisy neighbourhood of Villeta, according to an update in Diario HOY citing the National Police. At a news conference, Commissioner Abel Cantero, head of the police Homicide Department, said the suspect spoke to officers on the way to the station. According to Cantero, Duarte said he only wanted to talk to his ex-girlfriend to get back together and first fired to scare her. Cantero said Duarte told officers he panicked when she started screaming, because he realised he would be jailed for breaking a restraining order, and said that if he was going to prison, he would rather it be for something “bigger.” These are statements attributed to the suspect by police and have not been tested in court.

Cantero said the suspect had tried to take his own life twice after the shooting. He eventually reached a relative’s home in Villeta, where family members persuaded him to turn himself in rather than make them accomplices.

Prior reports. La Nación reported that Deysi Paola had already reported Duarte to authorities for violence and threats and had a court order keeping him away from her. She was a law student close to finishing her degree and worked to help support her family. Her killing has renewed questions in Paraguay about whether protection orders work for women who report abuse.

The autopsy results will be added to the prosecution’s file.

Sources

• "Autopsia de Deysi Paola confirma dos disparos en la cabeza: uno de ellos le provocó la muerte," La Nación (Paraguay), staff, Oct. 9, 2026
• "Feminicidio en Lambaré: exnovio de Deisy está acorralado en su vivienda," Diario HOY, staff, Oct. 9, 2026, with Oct. 10 arrest update on the same page

51. Jury rejects Tennessee paramedic’s self-defense claim, convicts him in 2021 deaths of wife and father-in-law

Location: Clarksville, Montgomery County, Tennessee, USA

Legal status: Convicted Oct. 8, 2026, of first-degree murder (David Rodgers) and criminally negligent homicide, a lesser charge (Rachel Konen). Bond revoked. Sentencing set for Jan. 13, 2027.

The verdict. After nine days of testimony and nearly five hours of deliberations, a Montgomery County jury on Thursday, Oct. 8, found Matthew David Konen, 36, guilty of first-degree murder in the death of his father-in-law, David Rodgers, 62, and guilty of criminally negligent homicide in the death of his wife, Rachel Konen, 30, Clarksville Now and Court TV reported. Konen had pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder. The judge revoked his bond and set sentencing for Jan. 13, 2027. At the time of trial he worked for Sumner County Emergency Medical Services, Clarksville Now reported, citing WKRN. (Court TV spells the father’s surname “Rogers”; Clarksville Now spells it “Rodgers.”)

The deaths. Rachel Konen and her father were found dead in the Konens’ Clarksville home on the evening of Jan. 20, 2021. Konen called 911 at about 6:42 p.m., Clarksville Now reported. Rachel had been shot once in the center of her back, through the heart, prosecutors said. Rodgers had been beaten to death. District Attorney General Robert Nash showed jurors photos of Rodgers’ injuries and said Konen “beat him with this gun on all sides of his head and face,” leaving his face “broken and sunken in. That’s intent.”

The prosecution’s case. Prosecutors said Konen came home that day after spending time with his girlfriend, whom he later married, Court TV reported. Assistant District Attorney Chris West argued Konen was a man with a “quick temper” who “snapped,” pointing to a pending divorce filed in November 2020, money trouble and a $700,000 life insurance policy on Rachel with Konen as beneficiary. Court TV reported that evidence showed he would have had to pay at least half his monthly income in alimony and child support for the couple’s four children. Prosecutors said Rodgers had only an anxiety disorder, was “gentle, non-confrontational,” and had spent hours that day playing with his grandchildren, which home Ring video showed. “David Rodgers didn’t die by suicide,” West said. “David Rodgers died by beating.”

Forensic and phone evidence. A mobile forensics investigator for the DA’s office testified about texts in which Konen wrote that his family had “turned their backs” on him and, on Jan. 18, 2021, that his flaws were “a quick temper and big time impatience,” Clarksville Now reported. A former co-worker testified that Konen, while teaching her to use a gun, told her, “If you pull the trigger, make sure everybody’s dead because nobody’s there to talk but you.”

The defense. Defense attorney Kyle Mothershead argued Rodgers shot Rachel, then turned the gun on Konen and it clicked, and that Konen tackled him, took the gun and beat him “to incapacitate him.” He said Konen started CPR, then kicked Rodgers when he saw him rising to his knees, fearing for the four children in the house. Mothershead noted gunshot residue on Rodgers’ clothes and Konen’s skin, said Konen’s fingerprints were not found on the gun’s trigger or grip, and called DNA results inconclusive. On the 911 call Konen could be heard beating, kicking and stomping on Rodgers, Court TV reported.

What’s next. Konen is to be sentenced Jan. 13, 2027, at the Montgomery County Courts Center. He may appeal.

Sources

• Clarksville Now, Jazmin Logan, Oct 8, 2026, accessed Oct 10, 2026
• Court TV, Lauren Silver, Oct 8, 2026, accessed Oct 10, 2026

52. Chicago mother charged with murder in 2025 death of 3-year-old son Leland Chipoco

Location: Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, USA

Legal status: Charged with first-degree murder and aggravated battery of a child; in Chicago police custody as of Oct. 8, 2026. A detention hearing was set for Oct. 10 at Cook County Circuit Court, 2600 S. California Ave. As of about 5:20 p.m. ET on Oct. 10, no public report of the hearing’s result had been found. Presumed innocent.

Felicia Hirn, 32, has been returned to Chicago and charged with murder in the June 2025 death of her 3-year-old son, Leland Chipoco, more than 15 months after he died of injuries that doctors flagged as possible child abuse.

The Chicago Police Department said on Oct. 9, 2026, that Hirn was taken into custody on Oct. 8 by Chicago police and the U.S. Marshals Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force in the 10000 block of West Balmoral Avenue. Police said she was identified as the person who, on June 14, 2025, seriously injured the boy in the 2900 block of North Spaulding Avenue in the department’s 14th District. He later died. Police listed one felony count of murder and a detention hearing on Oct. 10. ABC7 Chicago reported that she faces three felony counts, including murder and aggravated battery of a child. She is presumed innocent.

ABC7 reported that Hirn had first been arrested in Maryland in September on a Cook County warrant and has now been returned to Chicago. Hoodline reported that she waived extradition.

The allegations

According to the criminal complaint quoted by ABC7, Hirn “choked Leland Chipoco with her hands around the neck and forcibly shook Leland thereby causing the death.” This is an allegation that has not been tested in court.

Leland was declared dead at Lurie Children’s Hospital in June 2025. According to the Cook County medical examiner’s summary obtained by ABC7’s I-Team, Hirn, who brought him to the hospital, told doctors he “fell off a slide and hit his head.” Medical records reviewed by the I-Team described bruises, retinal and subdural hemorrhages and spinal injuries, and doctors raised concerns about child abuse and alerted authorities. Hoodline, citing ABC7, reported that the medical examiner ruled the death a homicide tied to child abuse.

The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services said it worked with law enforcement and completed its investigation, “indicating the mother on allegations related to the child’s death and other allegations of abuse.”

A 15-month wait

The Cook County warrant was issued 15 months after Leland’s death, following repeated inquiries from his family and the I-Team, ABC7 reported. The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office and Chicago police had declined to comment on the case to the station.

Keshia Washington, the grandmother of Leland’s half-siblings, told ABC7 she reported signs of abuse to his school, police and DCFS 10 months before he died. “I begged and I pleaded, you know, someone please do something before something bad happens to one of those children, and everyone just really shrugged me off,” she said.

Leland’s father, Mark Chipoco, who was no longer living with Hirn, said he felt relief at the charges. “It makes me relieved that finally, all this time, after a year of waiting, they finally do something for my son,” he said. “My son was smiling, healthy, jolly.” Before the warrant was issued, he told the I-Team: “I keep calling the detective each week, each day with no answer.” He told the station he drives past his son’s grave every day on his way to work.

Sources

• Chicago Police Department, "Offender Charged with 2025 Murder of 3-Year-Old Male," Oct. 9, 2026
• ABC7 Chicago I-Team, "Felicia Hirn now in custody in Chicago, charged in 3-year-old son Leland Chipoco's murder over a year after boy's death," Oct. 2026
• ABC7 Chicago I-Team, "Felicia Hirn charged in 3-year-old son Leland Chipoco's murder over a year after boy's death in Chicago," Oct. 2026
• Hoodline, "Chicago mother charged 15 months after son, 3, died of head trauma," Oct. 2026

53. Phoenix man charged with murder in bus stop shooting that killed two men, including his grandfather

Location: Phoenix, Maricopa County, Arizona, USA

Legal status: Arrested Oct. 7, 2026, and booked on two counts of premeditated first-degree murder; first appearance Oct. 8; held on $2 million cash-only bond; next court date Oct. 14. Presumed innocent.

A 23-year-old Phoenix man is charged with two counts of premeditated first-degree murder in a shooting at a central Phoenix bus stop that killed two men, one of whom prosecutors say was his grandfather.

Taishawn Terry Bailey was arrested Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, a day after Charles Hendrix, 56, and Jerry Braggs, 64, were shot to death near 16th and McKinley streets, south of Interstate 10, Phoenix police said. He is being held on a $2 million cash-only bond, and his next court appearance is Oct. 14, according to jail records cited by KTAR. He is presumed innocent.

The shooting

Officers responded to multiple reports of gunfire shortly after 4:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 6, and found both men with gunshot wounds, KTAR reported. Phoenix Fire Department personnel pronounced them dead at the scene. Police initially believed there might be a third victim but confirmed at the scene that there was not, AZFamily reported.

According to court documents reported by AZFamily, surveillance video showed Bailey at the bus stop with the two men. Investigators allege he fired multiple rounds at one man, who fell to the ground. The second man ran from the bus stop into the road, tripped and fell, and investigators allege Bailey walked up to him as he lay on the ground and shot him multiple times. Witnesses said Bailey then ran off along McKinley Street. These are allegations from court filings.

The arrest

The next day, investigators used GPS location data from Bailey’s cellphone to track him to a park near Baseline Road, where officers found him asleep on a playground, AZFamily reported. Phoenix police said he was apprehended in the area of 44th Street and Baseline Road and that a firearm was recovered, FOX 10 reported. ABC15, citing a police report, said it was a Taurus 9 mm handgun and that a smoke shop employee identified Bailey and reported seeing him with a handgun before the shooting.

His statements

In an interview with police, Bailey reportedly said he had been with the two men at the bus stop for several hours but left before the shooting. Investigators said cellphone records showed he was in the area at the time and left afterward. According to court paperwork, he then said he fired in self-defense after one of the men lunged at him with a knife, and that after shooting the first man he blacked out and shot the second.

Investigators said the surveillance video did not support the self-defense claim. Bailey then admitted that the gun he was carrying was the one used in both shootings, and cartridge casings recovered at the scene matched his firearm, court documents state. ABC15 reported that forensic testing confirmed the casings were fired from the Taurus.

At Bailey’s first court appearance overnight Thursday, prosecutor Ashley Stetson said one of the victims was Bailey’s grandfather but did not say which man. “Additionally, there are indications that the allegations were caught on surveillance video which does indicate or give some sort of evidence that the suspect claim of self-defense is not accurate,” Stetson said.

Sources

• FOX 10 Phoenix, "Suspect in custody after two men were found shot to death in Phoenix: PD," Oct. 8, 2026
• ABC15 Arizona, "Suspect arrested in connection to deadly Phoenix shooting of two people," staff, Oct. 2026
• KTAR News, "Taishawn Bailey faces 2 Phoenix homicide charges," David Iversen, Oct. 8, 2026
• AZFamily, Brian Petersheim Jr., "Man accused of killing his grandfather, another victim, in Phoenix bus stop shooting," Oct. 8 to 9, 2026

54. Grimes man sentenced to 58 years in beating death of 2-month-old daughter Mia Green

Location: Polk County, Iowa, USA (death in Grimes)

Legal status: Pleaded guilty in August 2026 to child endangerment resulting in death and domestic abuse assault; sentenced Oct. 9, 2026, to a total of 58 years with a 35-year mandatory minimum.

A Polk County judge on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, sentenced Dylan James Brown, 24, of Grimes, to 58 years in prison for the death of his 2-month-old daughter, Mia Green, and for assaulting the child’s mother. Brown, also known as Guy Green, must serve at least 35 years before he is eligible for parole.

In August, Brown pleaded guilty to child endangerment resulting in death, a Class B felony, and to domestic abuse assault impeding air or blood flow causing bodily injury, a Class D felony, the Polk County Attorney’s Office said. District Judge Coleman McAllister imposed the maximum: 55 years total, served consecutively, on those two counts, including the 35-year mandatory minimum on the child endangerment charge, plus three years for violating probation in a 2023 road-rage case in which Brown had pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily injury and assault while using a dangerous weapon. He must also pay $150,000 in restitution to the child’s family.

What happened

On Aug. 7, 2025, the Johnston-Grimes Fire Department and the Polk County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a baby who was not breathing, KCCI reported. Crews performed CPR and took her to a hospital, where she was on life support until she died on Aug. 19.

Brown was arrested on Aug. 7. KCCI reported that court documents say he hit the baby more than 40 times and strangled her mother until she passed out when she tried to intervene. A University of Iowa pathologist, Dr. Melissa Blessing, testified that Mia’s injuries included acute fractures to the skull, pubic bone, ribs, collarbone and shinbone. She said the injuries were inconsistent with CPR and resembled trauma from a car crash. KCCI also reported a brain bleed.

The charges changed over time. KCCI reported that prosecutors at one point dismissed the original charges without prejudice pending the autopsy, then refiled with first-degree murder and domestic abuse assault after receiving the autopsy report. Brown ultimately pleaded guilty to the reduced counts under a plea agreement.

The sentencing

Brown told the court he woke in the early hours of Aug. 7 to find the child not breathing. “He started striking the child, thinking it was the best course of action,” his attorney, Andrew Petrovich, said. “There is no evidence to suggest he had an ill will toward baby Mia.” The defense asked for a 15-year minimum, citing mental illness and an abusive childhood spent largely under state supervision.

Prosecutors pointed to nine violations of a no-contact order with the child’s mother. “This sentencing is not about his childhood; it is about the childhood he took,” Assistant County Attorney Shannon Bogolin said.

“Mr. Brown was six-foot-two, 350 pounds, and he beat his child to death,” Judge McAllister said, adding that Brown also knocked the mother unconscious. “These crimes are not only senseless, they shock the conscious.” The judge said he considered Brown’s upbringing but noted he had attended college and held a job. “This was not a one-time error in judgment or mistake,” he said.

Brown apologized. “I hope I get the help I need in prison,” he said.

Detectives Christie Arcuri and John Pohlman of the Polk County Sheriff’s Office led the investigation.

Sources

• Polk County Attorney's Office, "Grimes man sentenced to 58 years in prison related to baby's death," Oct. 9, 2026
• KCCI, "Grimes man gets 50 years in prison for fatally beating 2-month-old daughter," Oct. 9, 2026

55. Jacksonville man sentenced to life for 2022 killing of Philip Curtiss, whose remains were buried in a vacant lot

Location: Jacksonville, Duval County, Florida, USA

Legal status: Convicted of second-degree murder and abuse of a dead human body; sentenced Oct. 8, 2026, to life in Florida State Prison followed by 15 years.

A Duval County judge on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026, sentenced Reginald House to life in Florida State Prison followed by an additional 15 years for the 2022 killing of Philip Curtiss, a 44-year-old man who lived on a boat behind House’s home and vanished that fall.

A Duval County jury found House guilty of second-degree murder and abuse of a dead human body, State Attorney Melissa Nelson’s office announced. Circuit Judge Anthony Salem imposed the sentence. Hoodline reported that the jury deliberated about 15 minutes. Assistant State Attorneys Trey Atkinson and Lauren Anderson prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.

The disappearance

Curtiss was reported missing to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office on Nov. 25, 2022, according to the state attorney’s office. Investigators learned that around the time he disappeared he was living in a boat behind House’s residence. News4JAX reported that the property was on Starratt Road in the Oceanway area and that Curtiss had not been seen for several weeks when police first learned he was missing. Curtiss was believed to have been killed and House was a suspect, but prosecutors said there was not enough evidence to arrest him, and the case went unsolved.

The break

In May 2023, House was arrested on unrelated charges and questioned again about Curtiss, but he denied any involvement, the state attorney’s office said. Hoodline, citing Action News Jax, reported that the unrelated charges were attempted murder and that the case was moved to the sheriff’s office Cold Case Unit around the same time. Detectives also searched a residence in the 1700 block of Starratt Road.

In November 2023, while House was still jailed, he was interviewed about an unrelated matter. The next day, an informant told police House had confessed to killing Curtiss and burying his remains, prosecutors said.

The confession and the remains

When interviewed again, House admitted to confronting Curtiss in his house about an alleged theft and beating him in his bathroom, according to the state attorney’s office. He admitted punching Curtiss several times and pouring bleach on his body. He said he burned the remains in a barrel and buried them in an empty lot, and he agreed to take police to the site, where they found the remains and some of Curtiss’s belongings. A witness who was in the bathroom during the beating was later found and gave police details.

Hoodline, citing Action News Jax, reported that the remains were found in a trash bag buried in a field in the 200 block of Elm Street in the Brooklyn neighborhood, and that the Medical Examiner’s Office identified them as Curtiss. House was arrested on the murder and abuse of a dead body charges on Nov. 13, 2023.

Early in the investigation, a witness told police she had heard Curtiss was shot and his body dragged into woods behind the Starratt Road property, News4JAX reported, according to Hoodline. That account differs from the beating House described and from the case prosecutors presented at trial.

Sources

• Office of the State Attorney, Fourth Judicial Circuit of Florida, "Reginald House Found Guilty of 2022 Murder of Philip Curtiss," Oct. 8, 2026
• Hoodline, "Jacksonville Man Convicted in Field Burial of Missing Boat Dweller Philip Curtiss," Oct. 8, 2026

56. Chester man sentenced to life without parole for ambush plot that got his friend Zaheem Sabree killed

Location: Chester, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, USA

Legal status: Convicted at trial in July 2026 of first-degree murder, attempted murder, aggravated assault, conspiracy and firearms offenses; sentenced Oct. 8, 2026, to life without parole plus a consecutive 20 to 40 years. He can appeal.

The sentence. Delaware County Common Pleas Court Judge Mary Alice Brennan on Thursday, Oct. 8, sentenced Jesse Allen Jr., 20, of Chester, to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the June 30, 2024, shooting death of 17-year-old Zaheem Sabree, The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Delaware County Daily Times reported. First-degree murder carries an automatic life-without-parole sentence in Pennsylvania. Brennan added a consecutive term of 20 to 40 years for attempted murder. Allen also pleaded guilty to firearms violations just before the hearing, the Daily Times reported. He shook his head and said nothing as the sentence was imposed, the Inquirer reported.

Who Zaheem Sabree was. Sabree was a star football player at Chester High School and an honors student at STEM Academy, the Inquirer reported. He and Allen had been friends since childhood.

Transferred intent. Allen did not fire the bullet that killed Sabree. He was found responsible under the legal principle of transferred intent, which holds that a person who intends to harm one person but harms someone else instead is still criminally liable, the Inquirer reported. Deputy District Attorney Matthew Krouse argued that Allen set the events in motion and that, but for his actions, Sabree would still be alive.

The motive. Prosecutors said Allen wanted to kill a teenager he blamed for the earlier killing of a mutual friend, 17-year-old Sabrie “Breezy” Pierce, according to both papers. That teen is charged in Pierce’s death, is awaiting trial and is presumed innocent; this card does not name him because he was a minor at the time of the alleged offense. Text messages shown during Allen’s three-day trial showed he began recruiting people to help kill the teen right after Pierce’s death. “Everybody gone pay,” Allen wrote in one message, the Inquirer reported.

The ambush. On the day of the shooting, Allen and Sabree walked through the target’s neighborhood looking for him, according to evidence at trial. County Detective Sean Gallagher took jurors through video showing two would-be ambushers dressed in black arriving and trying to hide on the 100 block of East 24th Street, the Daily Times reported. Someone saw them and tipped off the target, who exchanged fire with them when he arrived. Gallagher said eight .45-caliber casings were found where Allen and Sabree stood and 10 9mm casings where the other teen crouched behind a car. Prosecutors said Sabree fired a .45-caliber pistol, the Inquirer reported.

The fatal wound. Sabree was struck in the head by a 9mm round and fell, the Daily Times reported. Police took him to Crozer-Chester Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, the Inquirer reported.

The texts. In messages read in court, Allen placed himself at the scene, claimed his gun jammed after he fired several times, said he did not kill Sabree by friendly fire, and wrote that he could not tell police he was there without admitting why, the Daily Times reported.

The hearing. Defense attorney Brian Malloy asked that the other sentences run concurrently, noting Allen had lost a friend, and declined to comment afterward. Krouse asked for a consecutive term because there were two victims. “No one should have to experience the trauma and suffering of losing a loved one to gun violence, let alone one so young,” Krouse said in a statement, offering condolences to Sabree’s family.

Sources

• The Philadelphia Inquirer, Oct 8, 2026, accessed Oct 10, 2026
• Delaware County Daily Times, Alex Rose, Oct 8, 2026, accessed Oct 10, 2026

57. Harvey man sentenced to life for luring Andrew Davis IV to deadly marijuana robbery

Location: Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, USA (killing in Harvey)

Legal status: Convicted Oct. 2, 2026, of second-degree murder and obstruction of justice; sentenced Oct. 8, 2026, to mandatory life without parole, plus a concurrent 40 years.

A Jefferson Parish judge on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026, sentenced Dekias Stevenson, 23, of Harvey, to life in prison without benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence for the 2024 killing of Andrew Davis IV, 21, of Slidell, who was shot after being lured to a West Bank apartment complex to be robbed.

Judge Ellen Shirer Kovach of the 24th Judicial District Court denied post-verdict motions for acquittal and a new trial before imposing the sentence, which is mandatory for second-degree murder in Louisiana. She also gave Stevenson the maximum 40 years for obstruction of justice, to run concurrently, the Jefferson Parish District Attorney’s Office said.

“This was a very callous, cold-blooded murder, and it’s not lost on the court that I’ve seen no remorse whatsoever,” Kovach said, noting that Stevenson rolled his eyes and cracked his fingers during victim-impact testimony.

The robbery plot

On Aug. 17, 2024, Stevenson contacted Davis about buying marijuana but planned to rob him, prosecutors said. Davis, traveling with his girlfriend, met him at the Westchase Apartments in the 1000 block of Manhattan Boulevard. Stevenson and Lavanta Carto, both armed, got into the back seat of Davis’s car. Davis was also armed.

The first shot was fired inside the car with no heated words beforehand, prosecutors said. Davis’s girlfriend ran for cover behind a trash bin. Stevenson and Carto got out and fired at Davis, Stevenson with a .40-caliber pistol and Carto with a 9 mm. A bullet entered Davis’s chin, lacerated an artery and severed his spinal cord, leaving him paralyzed; he died within minutes. His girlfriend drove the car to a nearby business and called 911. His own .45-caliber pistol was found on the front passenger seat, and there was no evidence he started the shooting.

The evidence

Of the nine shots fired, Stevenson fired six, prosecutors said. A .40-caliber casing inside the car showed he fired from the back seat. Crime-scene reconstruction expert Dr. Timothy Scanlan described the shooting as “focused fire” on Davis in the driver’s seat. Detectives found 105 grams of marijuana at the scene. Stevenson fled to Baker, Louisiana, and was arrested on Aug. 22, 2024. In an interview lasting more than eight hours, he told more than a dozen versions of events. After the shooting, he traded the .40-caliber pistol for $500 worth of marijuana, the basis of the obstruction charge.

A jury deliberated for an hour and a half on Oct. 2 before convicting him. Stevenson is the fourth person convicted in Davis’s death. Carto, 28, of Algiers, was convicted in June of second-degree murder and sentenced to life. Joshua Tumbar, 30, of New Orleans, who drove Carto to the complex and later took Stevenson’s pistol in the marijuana trade, pleaded guilty in October 2025 to obstruction of justice, accessory to second-degree murder and distribution of marijuana and received seven years. He testified that he routinely sold marijuana to Stevenson, which prosecutors said showed Stevenson had no reason to buy from Davis. Stevenson’s girlfriend, Janisha Hymes, 24, pleaded guilty to obstruction and received two and a half years for driving him to Baker.

The family

“You knew my child,” Davis’s mother told Stevenson in court. “If you wanted to rob him, you should have just robbed him. You didn’t have to kill him.” She said Davis’s 3-year-old son still looks into his father’s bedroom “just to see if he was there.” Davis’s girlfriend wrote in a statement read in court: “The man I loved was murdered, and I witnessed it with my own eyes.”

Sources

• Jefferson Parish District Attorney's Office, "Dekias Stevenson sentenced to life in prison for West Bank murder," Oct. 8, 2026
• Jefferson Parish District Attorney's Office, "Dekias Stevenson convicted of murdering Slidell man in drug robbery," Oct. 2, 2026
• WGNO, "Man sentenced for second-degree murder in Harvey," Oct. 8, 2026

58. Slidell man convicted of second-degree murder in 2022 ambush shooting during staged marijuana sale

Location: Covington, St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, USA

Legal status: Convicted Oct. 9, 2026, of second-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder and attempted armed robbery; sentencing set for Dec. 9, 2026. Mandatory life without parole.

A St. Tammany Parish jury on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, found Deanthony Ashawn Williams, 22, of Slidell guilty as charged on all counts in a November 2022 ambush shooting that killed a 19-year-old man and critically wounded an 18-year-old.

District Attorney J. Collin Sims announced that Williams was convicted of second-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder and attempted armed robbery. Judge Richard Swartz presided over the trial and will sentence Williams on Dec. 9. Under Louisiana law, Williams faces a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, probation or suspension of sentence. Assistant District Attorneys Christina Fisher and Taylor Nicholson prosecuted the case. The district attorney’s release did not name the victims.

The shooting

On the evening of Nov. 28, 2022, St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to reports of gunfire on Northwood Drive in Slidell. They found a black Ford Fiesta that had collided with a white Ford F-150. In the driver’s seat of the Fiesta was the 19-year-old victim, who had been fatally shot and died at the scene. The 18-year-old was found in a nearby driveway with a gunshot wound and was taken to a hospital in critical condition.

Investigators recovered numerous shell casings fired from two different guns.

How the case was built

Through witness interviews, social media analysis and confidential tips, detectives determined that the two young men had gone to Northwood Drive expecting a marijuana sale, according to the district attorney’s office. When they arrived, prosecutors said, Williams and a 15-year-old co-defendant approached the car in hooded sweatshirts with handguns drawn and demanded their belongings. When the driver accelerated to get away, both opened fire into the car.

Prosecutors said that in the days after the shooting, Williams bragged about it to acquaintances and sent text messages referring to the crime. On the stand, Williams admitted that when people accused him of the murder he “didn’t deny it,” and acknowledged texting a friend, “I’m finna go to jail fa murder.”

In closing, Nicholson pointed to a message Williams sent a friend before the shooting, “Do u know any licks I can hit,” and one he sent a girlfriend the day after, “If sb kill another person then laugh about it is that evil.” “That’s how you tell intent, ladies and gentlemen,” Nicholson told jurors. “I’m finna take someone’s son, taking shots, pre-gaming a murder.”

The surviving victim testified about the lasting effects of the attack: “A lot of trauma brought to me, a lot of mental, and a lot of physical pain.”

In rebuttal, Fisher told jurors: “It should be hard to take someone’s liberty. The problem is that it wasn’t hard for Deanthony Williams to take a life. He rapped about it beforehand and laughed about it after.”

Sims called the killing “a senseless, cold-blooded act of violence driven by greed and a complete disregard for human life. The defendant chose to ambush two young men, attempt to execute a violent robbery in the dark of night, and brag about taking a life as if it were a point of pride.”

The co-defendant

Charges against the co-defendant, who was 15 at the time of the shooting, remain pending, and no trial date has been set. He is presumed innocent.

Sources

• Office of the District Attorney, 22nd Judicial District of Louisiana, "Slidell Man Convicted of Second-Degree Murder, Attempted Second-Degree Murder, and Attempted Armed Robbery in Fatal Ambush Shooting," Oct. 9, 2026
• AN17 / Amite News, "Slidell man convicted of second degree murder, other charges in fatal ambush shooting," Oct. 2026 (republishes DA release)

59. San Antonio jury convicts man in road-rage killing of Jay Whitemountain Morales, sets 25-year sentence after earlier mistrial

Location: San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas, USA

Legal status: Convicted of murder Oct. 9, 2026; jury-assessed sentence of 25 years in prison. A first trial in May 2026 ended in a mistrial.

The verdict. A Bexar County jury on Friday, Oct. 9, found Eric Vasquez, 48, guilty of murder in the January 2025 shooting death of Jay Whitemountain Morales, 41, a San Antonio father of two, the San Antonio Express-News and KSAT reported. Jurors deliberated about seven hours over two days before reaching a verdict, then took less than an hour to sentence him to 25 years, the Express-News reported. He had faced up to life in prison. Defense attorney Michael De Leon had asked jurors to consider five to 10 years.

The shooting. The Express-News reported the killing happened Jan. 21, 2025, in the 6700 block of Spring Hurst Drive on the Northwest Side. Morales was driving home after picking up medicine for his child, and the two men did not know each other, according to San Antonio police. Prosecutors said Vasquez chased Morales in his vehicle and followed him into his neighborhood. Morales pulled over at a bus stop to keep Vasquez from following him home, and both men got out. Prosecutors said Vasquez shot Morales as he begged for his life.

Wounds and evidence. Police found Morales in critical condition with gunshot wounds, and a weapon was found near him, KSAT reported. According to evidence presented by the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office, Morales got out to open his trunk, where a firearm was, and Vasquez shot him five times. Prosecutors argued at the first trial that Vasquez kept firing after Morales was hit, including while standing over him. Morales was taken to a hospital and died.

Witnesses. Neighbors who saw the shooting testified. Lorraine Campos said she had left home to buy milk when she saw the men at the bus stop. “I saw a man holding a gun and another man on the ground that was screaming,” she said, according to the Express-News. She said the man with the gun said, “Why did you do that?”

How the case turned. A preliminary police report in 2025 described a verbal altercation between the drivers that ended with both pulling over and shots fired, and police initially named Morales as the suspect and Vasquez as the victim, KSAT reported. The lead detective said new evidence changed the course of the investigation. Court records show the sheriff’s office arrested Vasquez on Aug. 9, 2025, and charged him with murder. De Leon said Vasquez cooperated with police at the scene and was allowed to go home before his arrest months later.

The defense. Vasquez claimed self-defense. His lawyer said Morales opened his trunk at the bus stop, took out one of two handguns and pointed it at Vasquez, the Express-News reported. His first trial, in May 2026, ended in a mistrial after jurors deliberated more than six hours without a unanimous verdict.

The family. “You are a monster,” Morales’ sister, Joy Cavazos, said in a victim impact statement. His wife, Sarah Morales, said he worked as an appraiser and was a family man with a passion for life. Crying, she told Vasquez their baby daughter would never see her father again. “You have taken her protector, her father, and now she has to grow up without him,” she said.

Sources

• San Antonio Express-News, Gabriella Ybarra, Oct 9, 2026, accessed Oct 10, 2026
• KSAT, Samuel Rocha IV, Erica Hernandez, Oct 9, 2026, accessed Oct 10, 2026

60. Closing arguments heard in Melfort murder trial over Danielle Dobersheck’s death; judge to rule Dec. 11

Location: Melfort, Saskatchewan, Canada

Legal status: On trial (judge alone) for first-degree murder. Closing arguments heard Oct. 8, 2026; verdict scheduled for Dec. 11, 2026. The defence concedes he killed her but argues for manslaughter. He is presumed innocent of murder unless convicted.

The hearing. Lawyers delivered closing arguments on Thursday, Oct. 8, in Melfort Court of King’s Bench at the first-degree murder trial of Cody Chubey, 38, who is charged in the death of his long-term partner, Danielle Dobersheck, CBC News and northeastNOW reported. Justice Sean Sinclair said he needed time to consider the arguments and will deliver his decision Dec. 11. The trial began in June and was delayed until October while defence counsel Peter Abrametz sought experts on Chubey’s state of mind, northeastNOW reported.

The victim. Dobersheck was 30 and a mother of three, CBC reported. She died in the early morning of March 10, 2024, in a room at the Carra Valla Inn in Melfort, according to northeastNOW.

The scene. Court heard Chubey was found sitting in a motel room whose walls were covered in blood, CBC reported. Dobersheck was dead in the bathroom, along with a bloody snow shovel that, according to the evidence, Chubey used at the end of the assault. Police found the locked bathroom door had been kicked in. The motel owner testified the door had not been damaged before that night, and an officer said a bloody footprint on it was likely from someone doing a “donkey kick” with their back to the door to force it open, CBC reported.

The recording. A couple in the next room recorded audio of the assault, which was played in court. On it, Chubey accuses Dobersheck of cheating and demands to know with whom, while she tearfully denies it and screams for help, CBC reported. He is heard repeatedly saying “I’ll kill you,” according to CBC; northeastNOW’s account of the transcript quotes him yelling “you’re going to die if you don’t tell me.” Prosecutor Jennifer Souter said there was never any evidence Dobersheck was cheating.

The defence. Abrametz said repeatedly that Chubey accepts responsibility for killing Dobersheck but argued he should be convicted of manslaughter because he could not form the intent to kill and the killing was not planned or deliberate. Chubey testified on Oct. 7 that he had no memory of the killing because he had blacked out from drinking, CBC reported. Abrametz cited an expert report by Dr. Stephen Adams of the University of Saskatchewan describing a pattern of alcohol use disorder, and said Chubey’s calm reaction when police arrived showed no consciousness of guilt.

The Crown. “Drunken intent is, nonetheless, intent,” Souter told the court. She said there was no evidence of how much Chubey drank and no blood alcohol test, that officers rated his intoxication between four and seven on a 10-point scale, and that he was cooperative and not slurring when processed that morning, northeastNOW reported. She called his testimony not credible and argued he confused “an inability to form memory” with not forming intent. She described a “toxic relationship” marked by jealousy and control, and cited testimony that Dobersheck did not want to be home when he returned and planned to move to Lanigan for a job.

Unlawful confinement. Souter also argued for first-degree murder because the killing happened while Chubey unlawfully confined Dobersheck, either in the room under his control or after she sought refuge in the bathroom. A neighbour testified he heard Chubey tell her she would not go to hospital and should clean herself up in the bathroom, then heard banging after Chubey became angry over his phone, CBC reported. Abrametz replied that the confinement cases cited by the Crown did not apply.

Sources

• CBC News, Hannah Spray, Oct 8, 2026, accessed Oct 10, 2026
• northeastNOW, Cam Lee, Oct 8, 2026, accessed Oct 10, 2026

61. Witness tells Grand Forks jury he saw defendant with gun after shots killed his father in 2020 motel shooting

Location: Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA

Legal status: On trial for Class AA felony murder (extreme indifference) in the December 2020 death of Jeffrey Allen Shulzitski; testimony continued Oct. 8, 2026. Maximum penalty life in prison. He is presumed innocent.

The trial. Vincent Chase Villarreal, 34, is on trial in Grand Forks accused of fatally shooting his father, Jeffrey Allen Shulzitski, in a room at the Budget Inn Express in December 2020, the Grand Forks Herald and Valley News Live reported. He is charged with Class AA felony murder with extreme indifference, which carries a maximum of life in prison. The state, represented by Sarah Gereszek and Rachel Egstad, opened its case Wednesday, Oct. 7, and the trial’s third day was Thursday, Oct. 8, the Herald reported. Judge Ted Sandberg is presiding.

The timeline. Police say Villarreal shot his father on Dec. 4, 2020, at the motel, then formerly known as the Budget Inn Express, and Shulzitski was found dead in his room on Dec. 5, Valley News Live reported. Villarreal, of East Grand Forks, was arrested on a warrant weeks later at a trailer park in Crookston, Minn., according to the station.

The key witness. Emanuel Garza, taken into custody Sept. 29 as a material witness to ensure he testified, said he was in the room when the shooting happened, the Herald reported. Garza testified that he and Villarreal went to visit Shulzitski and that he sat at a table facing the wall, scrolling on his phone, with Villarreal beside him facing the room. He said his ears started ringing and he heard two gunshots. He turned and saw Villarreal hit Shulzitski in the head and saw that Villarreal had a gun. Garza said Shulzitski looked shocked and dropped to his knees. Garza testified he then left with Villarreal behind him, realized he had left his phone, and told Villarreal to get it, and that Villarreal broke a window to open the door and retrieved it. Garza left on foot. Asked by the defense to act out the shooting, he said Villarreal held the gun in his left hand.

Cross-examination. Defense attorney Ward Johnson pointed to multiple inconsistencies with Garza’s earlier statements. Garza said he withheld information from police at first because he was scared of getting in trouble and maintained he had not lied, only not said everything. In one earlier statement he said a man and a woman were also in the room; who they were is unclear, the Herald reported.

A struck exchange. The parties had agreed not to mention witnesses’ criminal histories. When Johnson asked Garza about a prior Minnesota conviction, the state objected, and Sandberg struck the statements and told jurors to disregard them, the Herald reported. Johnson argued the state had opened the door by calling a witness to describe Garza as kind.

“That’s a lie.” The state also called William Poitra Jr., once sought as a person of interest but later determined not to have been present. Poitra testified that Villarreal had spoken negatively about his father years earlier, and Villarreal interrupted: “that’s a lie.” It was the only time he spoke during the trial, the Herald reported. Poitra said he argued with Shulzitski about drugs that day and afterward told someone he would “end up killing that guy some time.” He said that when he returned later he saw an angry-looking man leave the room and Villarreal sitting inside.

Other witnesses. Two more witnesses described visiting the motel that day and returning the next day to find the room taped off by police. Testimony is continuing.

Sources

• Grand Forks Herald, Maia Labbe, Oct 8, 2026, accessed Oct 10, 2026
• Valley News Live (KVLY), Duke Schindler, Oct 8, 2026, accessed Oct 10, 2026

62. Jury convicts Wilkes-Barre man of third-degree murder in 2024 alley attack on Scott Knox after judge drops top counts

Location: Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, USA

Legal status: Convicted Oct. 8, 2026, of third-degree murder. The judge dismissed first- and second-degree murder, robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery mid-trial. Sentencing set for Dec. 2; maximum 40 years.

The verdict. A Luzerne County jury on Thursday, Oct. 8, found Jary “G” Javier Fortuna, 33, of Wilkes-Barre, guilty of third-degree murder in the death of Scott Edward Knox, 33, after about two hours of deliberations at the end of a three-day trial, The Citizens’ Voice and the Times Leader reported. Fortuna did not react as the verdict was read; some of Knox’s relatives audibly sighed, The Citizens’ Voice reported. Judge David W. Lupas set sentencing for 10:30 a.m. Dec. 2 and ordered him held at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility. He faces up to 40 years.

Top charges thrown out. That morning, outside the jury’s presence, Lupas granted a defense motion for acquittal on first-degree murder, second-degree murder, robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery, citing “a clear lack of evidence” that Fortuna planned to rob and kill Knox. “The evidence is lacking and insufficient to go to the jury on those particular charges,” the judge said, according to The Citizens’ Voice, which called the move highly unusual. Jurors were left to choose between third-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter.

What prosecutors described. First Assistant District Attorney Anthony G. Ross told jurors Knox was wrongly blamed for a botched drug buy late on May 6, 2024, the Times Leader reported. Prosecutors said a friend of Knox tried to cheat the group out of $40 worth of crack cocaine, and that Fortuna then led a group to take revenge on Knox, The Citizens’ Voice reported. Ross said two people “collected” Knox from his girlfriend’s apartment and took him to an alley behind the Mofon Lounge on Academy Street. Surveillance video showed the group attacking Knox and co-defendant Fernando Bracero jabbing him with a knife, and, Ross argued, Fortuna chasing Knox with a firearm in his pocket after Knox broke free, the Times Leader reported. Ross told jurors the video showed Fortuna “leading a group down an alleyway to brutally beat a victim and pistol-whip him in a head.”

How Knox died. Knox was stabbed in the shoulder, arm and thigh, The Citizens’ Voice reported, and ran for his life. He collapsed on the rear steps of a home on South River Street, about 100 yards from the alley. The prosecution closed its case with body camera video from Wilkes-Barre officer Cody Cecelon showing Knox unconscious and covered in blood on those steps.

The defense. Defense attorney Max C. Lubin called no witnesses. He argued that Bracero had a “hidden intent” the others did not know about and that Fortuna learned of the stabbing only afterward. “Mr. Fortuna did not stab Scott Knox. Mr. Fortuna did not rob Scott Knox, and Mr. Fortuna did not intend to injure Scott Knox,” he told jurors, according to the Times Leader. The prosecution’s key witness, co-defendant Jaime “O.G.” Knights, testified that Fortuna was the “ringleader” but that the plan was a beating, not a killing. “We was not hunting Scott,” he said, according to The Citizens’ Voice. Ross countered that he did not need to prove specific intent to kill, only actions showing “a total disregard for human life.”

The co-defendants. Bracero was convicted at trial in July of first-degree murder and sentenced to life without parole, both papers reported. Knights pleaded no contest to third-degree murder and awaits sentencing. Justice “Millie” Flenory, 26, pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and was sentenced to 12 to 25 years. A fifth man, Jose Rosario-Miranda, is charged with criminal homicide, robbery and conspiracy, has not been caught and is presumed innocent. The two papers report different ages for Bracero and Knights, so this card omits them.

Sources

• The Citizens' Voice, James Halpin, Oct 8, 2026, accessed Oct 10, 2026
• Times Leader, Ed Lewis, Oct 8, 2026, accessed Oct 10, 2026

63. Wilkes-Barre man sentenced to 15 to 40 years for 2023 killing of Kyle Declet

Location: Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, USA

Legal status: Pleaded guilty to third-degree murder (July 2026); sentenced Oct. 9, 2026, to 15 to 40 years in state prison.

A Luzerne County judge on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, sentenced Omar Redditt, 19, to 15 to 40 years in state prison for the October 2023 shooting death of Kyle Earl Lee Declet, 30, outside the Emunah Manor Apartments in Wilkes-Barre’s Heights section. Redditt was 16 at the time of the shooting and was charged and prosecuted as an adult.

Redditt pleaded guilty in July to third-degree murder before Court of Common Pleas Judge David W. Lupas. In exchange, prosecutors dropped charges of shooting into an occupied structure and illegal possession of a firearm by a minor, The Citizens’ Voice reported.

The shooting

According to the charges, two of Redditt’s associates alerted him that Declet was in front of 230 Coal St. at about 6:40 p.m. on Oct. 20, 2023. Prosecutors said Redditt fired more than a dozen shots in Declet’s direction before fleeing. Surveillance video showed Redditt and two other men approaching Declet near Building 230, and after the shooting Redditt was recorded entering another apartment building where he changed clothes, court records alleged, according to the Times Leader.

Police found Declet lying on his side in a pool of water from a pipe that burst in the gunfire. He was taken to Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Plains Township, where he died shortly after arrival. An autopsy by the Luzerne County Coroner’s Office found he died of multiple gunshot wounds.

How he was identified

Police recovered 14 9 mm shell casings at the scene, all fired from the same 9 mm Glock 17 pistol. City police Lt. Det. Michael Twerdi previously testified that DNA recovered from the casings matched Redditt’s DNA profile. The Times Leader reported that Redditt was charged with criminal homicide in November 2025, after the weapon was recovered during an unrelated investigation by the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office. Prosecutors had argued that surveillance video showed him taking a “tactical position” as he prepared to ambush Declet.

The sentencing

Before he was sentenced, Redditt apologized to Declet’s family and his five children. “I’m truly sorry,” he said.

Defense attorney Theron Solomon argued that Declet had been the aggressor, saying he had come to the complex armed and masked, had pulled a gun on a 14-year-old friend of Redditt’s, and had a large amount of fentanyl in his system. Solomon said Redditt’s shots were spread over 25 feet and described him as “a terrified 16-year-old kid.” He said his client nonetheless took responsibility by pleading guilty. Solomon also cited Redditt’s hardships, including the death of his father in an October 2024 police shooting that the Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office ruled justified.

Assistant District Attorney Anthony Cardone opposed a mitigated sentence, arguing that Redditt put himself in a dangerous situation by illegally arming himself.

Lupas called the killing “totally, absolutely senseless.” “A young person is dead and another young person is going to spend a very long time in prison. And for what?” he said. The judge said he was troubled that Redditt was later arrested for possessing a stolen gun; Redditt also pleaded guilty Friday to receiving stolen property in that case. Declet’s family did not attend the hearing.

Sources

• The Citizens' Voice, "Teen gunman gets 40 years for Wilkes-Barre murder," Oct. 9, 2026
• Times Leader, "Wilkes-Barre man pleads guilty in 2023 fatal shooting," July 2026
• Times Leader, "Arrest made in 2023 Wilkes-Barre fatal shooting," Nov. 2025

64. Billings man charged with deliberate homicide in shooting death of Kerry Huber

Location: Billings, Yellowstone County, Montana, USA

Legal status: Charged with deliberate homicide committed with a dangerous weapon (charging documents filed Oct. 9, 2026). Held on $500,000 bond; next hearing Nov. 19. He is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

The charge. Scott Alexander Freeland Jr., 31, of Billings, is charged with deliberate homicide in the shooting death of Kerry Huber, 47, the Billings Police Department said in a release reported by KTVQ. Charging documents were filed Friday, Oct. 9, the Billings Gazette reported in a story syndicated by the Helena Independent Record. The charge carries at least 10 years and up to life in prison. Freeland is held at the Yellowstone County Detention Facility on a $500,000 bond, and his next court hearing is Nov. 19, KULR8 reported.

The call. Police were called to a home in the 4200 block of Carlton Avenue Southwest on the city’s South Side at about 5 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 8, KULR8 and KTVQ reported. According to charging documents described by the Gazette, officers entered and found Huber lying in a hallway, then moved her into the kitchen to perform CPR. She had gunshot wounds to her chest and abdomen, KULR8 reported, and was pronounced dead about 30 minutes after first responders arrived. Investigators determined she was shot six times.

The arrest. Other officers found Freeland sitting in a wheelchair in a back bedroom and detained him, the documents say. An officer saw a Glock 19 handgun on a bed next to him, with a bullet and a magazine nearby, the Gazette reported. KTVQ reported he was at the scene when officers arrived. Police said there was no ongoing threat to the public.

What a witness told police. A witness quoted in the charging documents, whom the Gazette described as likely Freeland’s father, said Freeland picked up a pistol and “started shooting” when Huber arrived. The witness said Huber had come to the house to get money for gas. According to the documents, Freeland told the witness, “I dropped her, dad,” and said she was “a hindrance to the house” and was coming to kill them. The witness told officers Freeland was trying to get sober from drugs.

His statements. In a police interview, Freeland admitted shooting Huber, investigators said, according to KULR8 and the Gazette. He told officers that “she brought meth over,” and KULR8 reported he said he believed Huber was bringing methamphetamine to the home. He said he “felt horrible,” indicated he had been struggling with sobriety, and felt there was “no other way out of his situation” than pulling the trigger, the documents say. He told officers he had recently traded his vehicle for the pistol.

Earlier investigation. The Gazette reported that court documents say the address was previously under investigation. In January, a police source described Freeland as a “fentanyl addict,” and police intercepted packages sent to him that contained drug paraphernalia. In February, officers searched the home and took meth pipes, baggies and a smartphone from the living room. No charges were filed against him in state district court or federal court in connection with that search.

Remembering Kerry Huber. Huber’s sister told NonStop Local that she wants the community to remember Kerry Huber’s name and that murder is never the answer, KULR8 reported. The allegations in this case come from police and charging documents and have not been proven in court.

Sources

• Billings Gazette via Helena Independent Record ("Documents reveal details on fatal Billings shooting"), Oct 9, 2026, accessed Oct 10, 2026
• KULR8, Rachel Kindred, Jourden Redmond, Oct 9, 2026, accessed Oct 10, 2026
• KTVQ, Q2 News, Oct 9, 2026, accessed Oct 10, 2026

65. Gunman pleads guilty to involuntary manslaughter in 2024 Colerain Township bar shooting that killed Christopher Potter

Location: Colerain Township, Hamilton County, Ohio, USA

Legal status: Pleaded guilty Oct. 9, 2026, to involuntary manslaughter, two counts of felonious assault, abduction and possession of a deadly weapon while in detention; two murder counts dismissed under a plea deal. Held without bond pending sentencing on Oct. 13.

The plea. Samuel Jordan III, 44, pleaded guilty on Friday, Oct. 9, in the shooting at The Office Club bar on Springdale Road that killed Christopher Potter, 41, and wounded two bystanders, WXIX (Fox19) and WKRC (Local 12) reported. Under the agreement, prosecutors dropped both murder charges. Jordan pleaded guilty to one count of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of felonious assault, one count of abduction and one count of possession of a deadly weapon while in detention, Fox19 reported; other counts were dismissed. Assistant Prosecutor Chris Lipps said in court that the families of all three victims agreed to the deal.

An unusual hearing. Prosecutors arranged the hearing quickly after Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Christopher McDowell refused a joint request from the state and defense, Fox19 reported. The judge denied it because the case is more than two years old and all witnesses were available, according to the station.

The shooting. Just after midnight on Aug. 22, 2024, during a birthday party with karaoke, Jordan opened fire inside the bar, according to his Bill of Particulars as reported by Fox19. He shot Potter and seriously hurt two bystanders, a man and a woman. Prosecutors wrote that Jordan then “stood over top of” Potter “on the floor” and “fired another round, striking him once more and causing his death.” Potter was pronounced dead at the scene. The Hamilton County Coroner identified him, Local 12 reported. The two bystanders were taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center with injuries that were not life threatening. Colerain Township police said at the time that the shooting grew out of a dispute in the bar.

The abduction. As Jordan fled, prosecutors say, he forced a woman into a vehicle at gunpoint, threatened to kill her and kept her from leaving, Fox19 reported. He was arrested in Florida about a month later and extradited to the Hamilton County jail.

Original charges and record. A grand jury had indicted Jordan on two counts of murder, multiple counts of felonious assault, two counts of abduction and one count of having weapons while under disability, Fox19 reported. He was barred from having a gun because of a 2003 attempted-rape conviction in Montgomery County. In court Friday, Jordan said he is on parole in another state but did not say which.

The jail weapon. Earlier this year Jordan was charged, as an inmate at the Hamilton County Justice Center, with possessing a deadly weapon while under detention. An April sworn statement from the sheriff’s office says a homemade sharpened shank with a cloth-wrapped handle was recovered during intake, citing photos or video and a statement from another inmate that it belonged to Jordan.

What’s next. Judge McDowell revoked Jordan’s bonds on both cases so he stays jailed until sentencing on Tuesday, Oct. 13. The outlets report different sentencing exposure: Fox19 reported he faces 18 to 23.5 years, while Local 12, citing court documents, reported a potential maximum of 38.5 years. He will receive credit for nearly two years already served in the county jail.

Sources

• WXIX Fox19, Jennifer Edwards Baker, Oct 9, 2026, accessed Oct 10, 2026
• WKRC Local 12, Oct 9, 2026, accessed Oct 10, 2026