Corrupt American state troopers arrested for taking bribes to pass commercial drivers on test

 

Corrupt American state troopers of Massachusetts arrested for taking bribes to pass commercial drivers on test

By Edward Era Barbacena 

Two current and two former Massachusetts State Police troopers were among six people charged Tuesday in a scheme to allegedly take bribes including a new snowblower and driveway in exchange for giving passing scores on commercial driving tests, the U.S. attorney’s office said.

The troopers are accused of falsifying records and giving preferential treatment to at least 17 drivers from May 2019 to January 2023, who were taking their commercial drivers license or CDL test. Even when the drivers failed a skills test, the troopers passed them and communicated they had done so with a text and the code word golden. Some troopers even joked in the text messages how badly a driver had performed on the test, according to the indictment.

“In short, as is alleged in this indictment, CDLs were for sale,” Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy told reporters. “Troopers were bribed with free goods to pass applicants no matter how they performed on the test.”

Sgt. Gary Cederquist, 58, of Stoughton, and Trooper Joel Rogers, 54, of Bridgewater, were arrested Tuesday. Calvin Butner, 63, of Halifax, and Perry Mendes, 63, of Wareham, both retired state troopers, were arrested in Florida Monday. All four face more than 70 counts on a range of charges including conspiracy to falsify records, extortion and making false statements.

Two others, Eric Mathison, 47, of Boston and Scott Camara, 42, of Rehoboth, were also implicated in the scheme.

Cederquist, Rogers, Mathison and Camera made their initial appearance Tuesday afternoon and pleaded not guilty to the charges. Butner and Mendes were expected to make appearances at a later date. A phone number could not be found for any of the six and their lawyers did not respond for a request for comment.

Cederquist, who also is accused of helping four state troopers get commercial drivers licenses, is accused of accepting a new driveway worth $10,000 and a snowblower valued at $2,000 and a $750 granite mailbox. Cederquist also asked for a shed and a plunge pool in exchange for passing drivers.

“Let me be clear. Those named in this indictment that have lost their moral compass and they will be held accountable” Michael Krol, special agent in charge for Homeland Security Investigations New England, said. “Their actions, however, should not tarnish the reputation of an entire institution especially for the overwhelming majority of public servants in the Massachusetts State Police and fire service who serve the citizens of our commonwealth day in and day out with pride, honor and integrity.”

 

Another case of murder-suicide in the United States leaves four people dead in Los Angeles, California 

By Edward Era Barbacena 

Four people were killed in Los Angeles Saturday night in what appears to be a murder-suicide, according to police.

Los Angeles Police officers responded to the 11600 block of Lerdo Avenue shortly before 7 p.m. following a report of a shooting.

Officers located four people who were pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators determined the shooting was a murder-suicide, Los Angeles Police said.

There was no answer when the officers arrived at the scene and knocked at the door, according to police.

Police forced their way into the home and a survivor of the shooting pointed them toward three victims who died from gunshot wounds: a man in his late 40s and two women — one in her late 40s and another who was about 80-years-old.

Officers also found a man in his late 80s in a different area of the home who was dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police said they believe this man shot the three others.

"The witness was inside and fortunately was not harmed during the incident and was able to barricade themselves and call the police," Los Angeles Police Capt. Kelly Muniz said during a press briefing.

The identities of the deceased and the gunman's possible motive were not immediately released.

 

Mass shooting again in the United States leaves two students dead in Chicago

Gunmen opened fire as students exited school in Chicago's Loop, killing two students

By Edward Era Barbacena 

A group of gunmen jumped out of vehicles and opened fire as students exited a high school in Chicago's Loop Friday afternoon, killing two teenagers, Chicago police said.

In a press conference hours after the shooting took place, authorities said several students were exiting Innovations High School just before noon when "gunfire erupted."

Police said multiple gunmen exited two vehicles in the 0-100 block of North Wabash and "fired multiple times, striking two teenage students of Innovations High School," police said.

"It appears that a group of approximately six students were exiting and there was no confrontation," said Deputy Chief of Central Control Group with the Chicago Police Department Jon Hein. "Like I said, several individuals exited two vehicles, approached the group and fired multiple times."

A witness at the scene reported hearing multiple gunshots followed by "howling" and crying.

The victims, who police said were age 16 and 17, were initially transported to area hospitals in critical condition, but later pronounced dead from their injuries. The Cook County Medical Examiner's office confirmed the deaths.

A woman who was walking in the area at the time had her coat grazed by a bullet but not injured, police said.

"Wherever the tragedy like this strikes in the city, it's heartbreaking for the families and everybody affected by it," Hein said. "It's a tragedy no matter where it happens."

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said the Mayor's Office of Community Safety has activated its "victim services support teams to aid victims' families and fellow students."

"Today, outside of Innovations High School, two students were tragically shot as classes were starting to dismiss for the weekend. I extend my deepest condolences to their families and the Innovations High School community as they grapple with unimaginable pain and trauma caused by this senseless act of violence," Johnson said in a statement.

Police said they believe the shooting was an "isolated incident" and said there was no ongoing danger in the area.

 

Biological male and deranged homosexual American swimmer Lia Thomas begins secret legal battle to compete in the 2024 Olympics against real women 

By Edward Era Barbacena 

Biological male and American homosexual swimmer Lia Thomas is taking legal action in hopes to join the U.S. Women’s Swim Team for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

According to a report from The Telegraph on Thursday, it was revealed that the 24-year old  swimmer hired Canadian law firm, Tyr, to take on the case with the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland.

Thomas’s case comes after the sport’s governing body, World Aquatics, began prohibiting individuals who underwent “any part of male puberty” from competing against biological women back in 2022.

Thomas is challenging certain parts of the World Aquatics’ gender inclusion policy, which went into effect on June 20, 2022, according to the international court body.

His legal focus aims to overturn the policy that dictates male-to-female transgender athletes would only be eligible to compete in the women’s categories if they transition before the age of 12 or before they reach stage two of the puberty Tanner Stages.

Prior to the rule taking place, homosexual males allowed to compete against biological females if they lowered their testosterone levels.

Despite the legal battle, his case is unlikely to be heard in time to allow Thomas to qualify for the Olympic trials in June.

 

Panicked Brian Laundrie Called His Parents 20 Times After Killing Gabby Petito

By Edward Era Barbacena 

Brian Laundrie called his parents up to 20 times in two days after he killed his girlfriend Gabby Petito, it has emerged.

The panicked barrage of calls was a marked change from Laundrie’s regular communications with his parents, the Daily Mail reported.

In the two months before Petito’s death, he apparently only called his dad, Christopher, once, and phoned his mother, Roberta, five times.

Laundrie, 23, eventually told his parents that Petito, 22, was “gone” and that he needed a lawyer two days after the blond Long Island native was last seen alive, a November 2023 court filing previously revealed.

Laundrie’s call lasted 55 minutes, followed by another 22-minute conversation around 9:20 p.m., the outlet said, citing phone records.

The first two calls were followed by several more over the course of Sunday and into Monday, Aug. 30 — most of which were between Laundrie and his mom, Petito family attorney Pat Reilly told the Daily Mail.

Laundrie supposedly made the “gone” comment to his father but on his mother’s phone.

“Brian told Christopher, ‘Gabby’s gone, I need a lawyer.’ And he was frantic, in Christopher’s words,” the attorney told the Daily Mail.

“They refused to acknowledge that that meant Gabby was dead, which flies in the face of logic. If your son calls and he’s frantic and he says, ‘She’s gone, I need a lawyer.’ What other explanation of ‘gone’ could there be?” he insisted.

Christopher dismissed Reilly’s interpretation, and said he thought his son was referring to “something to the effect of, well, there were times that Gabby would leave and go away for a couple days to meet with her friends or she’d just leave for a couple hours when she was living with us.”

“That was his explanation for why he couldn’t admit that ‘gone’ meant she was dead. It was a flurry of calls on those two days. The calls between Brian and his parents prior to that were very sporadic, around five,” Reilly said.

Gabby Petito’s dad, Joseph, was in court to hear the depositions, he added.

When the “gone” call came up, the grieving father “just put his head in his hands.”

Amid their son’s calls, Roberta and Christopher Laundrie also contacted their family lawyer, Steve Bertolino.

Bertolino — who is based on Long Island — was retained on Sept 2, and instructed the parents to stay silent.

After a nationwide search, Petito’s remains were found on Sept. 19 in a camping area of the Grand Teton National Forest in Wyoming.

Laundrie is believed to have strangled his fiancée before returning to his parents’ North Port, Florida, home on Sept. 1 using her 2012 white Ford Transit van.

His skeletal remains were found in October in the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park. An autopsy ruled that he took his own life with a gunshot to the head.

Petito’s parents are suing the Laundries and Bertolino for pain and emotional distress based on allegations that the couple intentionally withheld information about their daughter’s death.

The case hinges on the Laundries’ Sept. 14, 2021, statement, in which they said, “On behalf of the family it is our hope that the search for Miss Petito is successful and that Miss Petito is reunited with her family,” Reilly explained.

“The key is that they knew Gabby was dead at the time of the statement,” he said.

Roberta Laundrie, he added, “is cold, a very cold woman.”

“She’s unemotional, defensive [during her deposition],” the lawyer stated.

“Christopher is a different personality, he’s more unassertive, polite, and matter-of-fact. He wasn’t as stoic as Roberta, and I don’t mean that in a positive way,” he said.

Reilly slammed both Roberta and Christopher’s behavior.

“They were parents themselves and Gabby was going to be their daughter-in-law. How could they stay quiet when they know she’s no longer living?” he said.

“They know Gabby’s parents are frantically searching, they know they can bring some sense of relief to their suffering by letting them know where her body is,” he continued.

“And instead they allowed the body to remain out there in the wilderness to be attacked by animals or whatever else was out there. It’s just unconscionable,” Reilly concluded.

Petito’s parents have “sympathy and empathy” for the Laundries because they also lost their child — but “that is something they don’t see they are getting from Roberta and Christopher,” the attorney noted.

Reilly also took issue with the infamous “burn after reading” letter that Roberta wrote while her son was on the run.

“What kind of parent writes a letter to that to anybody, much less their child?” he said.

“But it’s up to the jury to decide when it was written. I don’t know when it was exactly. Roberta says it was written before, but it’s not dated. So it’s awful coincidental that she would discuss burying a body and him going to prison in a letter if it was before Gabby was actually murdered,” he insisted.

Reilly said Laundrie’s own statement in which he claimed Petito’s death was a “mercy” killing was “ridiculous.”

Going forward, Reilly explained, Petito’s parents simply “want to know what Christopher and Roberta know, what they knew, what they held back.”

“And this sounds simplistic, they want justice. They want the Laundries to pay for what they’ve done,” he added.

“They’ve been strong since this case was filed in 2022. But there have been moments when they’ve cried and there have been moments when they’ve been angry. They’ve gone through everything by reliving what happened. But their resolve is to keep moving forward.”

 

Pamela Hargan,  Megan Hargan and Helen Hargan 

American woman of Virginia sentenced for killing her own mother and sister 

2 life sentences for Megan Hargan who tried to make deaths of her mother Pamela Hargan and sister Helen look like murder-suicide

By Edward Era Barbacena 

Family annihilation is quite common in the United States and the culprits are usually middle-aged white American males but in Virginia,  a white woman is responsible for the gruesome murders of family members over money.

A Virginia white American woman convicted of killing her mother and younger sister and then staging the scene to look like a murder-suicide was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences Friday.

Pamela Hargan and her daughter, Helen, were found shot in the head in their McLean home in July 2017. Evidence at trial revealed after Megan Hargan shot her mom and sister, she propped up the rifle to make it look like Helen had shot herself.

Investigators learned Megan Hargan had been in the process of stealing $400,000 from her mom for a house down payment, but her mom discovered the scheme.

“She killed her own mother and sister so she did not have to face the consequences for her fraud,” Senior Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Kelsey Gill said. 

Megan Hargan’s first conviction was thrown out because of jury misconduct, but a second jury found her guilty of two counts of first-degree murder. The judge gave her the maximum sentence.

Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steven Descano called the crime one of the worst, most depraved the county has seen.

“This was a brutal, unjustified, meticulously planned murder of two loved ones,” Gill said.

Megan Hargan continues to insist she is innocent, and her defense attorneys say they plan to appeal.

“There will be no point when Megan Hargan accepts responsibility for these offenses,” defense attorney Andrew Elders said. “She did not carry them out.”

 

A white-American man of Massachusetts sentenced to life with possibility of parole in racist road rage killing a Black-American man

Dean Kapsalis, of was convicted by a jury last year of second-degree murder, violation of constitutional rights and other offenses in the killing of Henry Tapia.

By Edward Era Barbacena 

A very stupid racist white-American man of  Massachusetts  convicted of murder in the 2021 death of a Black man after a racist road rage encounter was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 15 years.

Dean Kapsalis, of Hudson, was convicted by a jury last year of second-degree murder, violation of constitutional rights and other offenses in the killing of Henry Tapia. Kapsalis and Tapia got into an argument on Jan. 19, 2021. Investigators found that as the argument wound down, Kapsalis shouted a racial slur and then hit Tapia with his pickup as he drove off. Tapia died at a hospital, prosecutors said.

“The murder of Henry Tapia is a senseless tragedy fueled by hate and anger,” District Attorney Marian Ryan said last year after the conviction. “The fact that some of the last words Henry Tapia heard were a horrific racial insult meant to intimidate and threaten him based on the color of his skin is something we cannot tolerate.”

Judge David A. Deakin, according to The Boston Globe, called the sentence Wednesday proportional to the crime. While he took into account the support Kasalis received from friends and family, he noted that “your record reflects essentially a lifelong tendency toward violence.”

Deakin also addressed relatives of Tapia, who left behind a fiancee and children.

“I am well aware that no sentence can give them what they most want, which is to have Mr. Tapia back,” Deakin said. “If I could, I wouldn’t do anything other than that.”

Kapsalis argued at trial that Tapia’s death was an accident. His sentencing was delayed by his unsuccessful attempt to reduce his conviction to manslaughter.

 

Racist white-American man of Michigan, sentenced to prison for racially motivated hate crime 

Anthony Mangiapane yelled racial slurs at a 37-year-old Black-American man for just  walking past his business on July 25, 2022 

By Edward Era Barbacena 

A Warren man convicted for a 2022 hate crime and deadly weapon assault will serve two consecutive prison sentences, the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office announced Thursday.

Anthony Mangiapane yelled racial slurs at a 37-year-old Black man walking past his business on July 25, 2022, on the west side of Schoenherr Road near Eight Mile, officials said.

The man was walking on the sidewalk when he noticed a green laser dot on his chest, according to the investigation.

Mangiapane shouted at the St. Clair Shores man to leave the area and fired three shots toward him with a rifle, the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office reported.

Police arrived to find Mangiapane had barricaded himself inside a business, though he later surrendered.

A bomb squad found a grenade shell and rifle casing that matched Mangiapane's weapon.

Investigators also found Nazi memorabilia and multiple weapons, including the rifle with a green laser sight that Mangiapane had pointed at the man.

Macomb County Circuit Court Judge Edward Servitto sentenced Mangiapane to 14 months to four years in prison for the assault and ethnic intimidation on Wednesday.

He will also serve two years incarceration for a felony firearm conviction, the Prosecutor's Office said.

“Today's sentencing is a solemn reminder that our community rejects intolerance. We strive to build a society where every individual can live free from fear,” Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido said in a statement.

Mangiapane's attorney listed in court documents could not be immediately reached for comment Friday.

 

American woman of Pennsylvania indicted for facilitating rape of a child to a paedophile to have it filmed on camera 

Ariel Hiestand, 33, was hit with a dozen charges, including rape, for her alleged involvement in the horrid sexual assault carried out by accused pervert and paedophile Edward L. Williams

By Edward Era Barbacena 

PURE WHITE EVIL

An evil white American woman of Pennsylvania woman allegedly facilitated the sickening rape of a 7-year-old girl and filmed the abuse before showing it to another child, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Edward L. Williams 

Ariel Hiestand, 33, was hit with a dozen charges, including rape, for her alleged involvement in the horrid sexual assault carried out by accused pervert Edward L. Williams, who was arrested last week.

Hiestand, of Ephrata, allegedly pressured the 7-year-old victim into the assault perpetrated by the 54-year-old Manheim man, capturing it on film, the Lebanon County District Attorney’s Office said, according to PennLive.com.

The abuse happened the night of January 14 into the next morning, prosecutors alleged.

Hiestand then showed video of Williams sexually abusing the girl to another child, the district attorney’s office alleged.

Hiestand fessed up to the disturbing accusations when talking with detectives, prosecutors alleged.

“Hiestand was later interviewed by members of the Lebanon County Detective Bureau and admitted that the child in fact had disclosed to her that she was being abused by Edward Williams and that she told the victim that she needed to allow him to abuse her again,” prosecutors said, the Lebanon Daily News reported.

She’s also facing involuntary deviant sexual intercourse with a child, aggravated indecent assault of a child and endangering the welfare of a child, as well as child porn charges, the newspaper reported.

She was arrested Friday just days after Williams was arrested and charged with rape of a child, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child and two other related felony counts.

Williams was taken into custody after authorities saw video of the abuse, according to prosecutors.

The young victim told a nurse that Williams would inappropriately touch her when the pair would have movie nights together, the DA’s office said.

A second child informed police that while Williams would creepily rub her arms and legs, he didn’t rape her because he knew she would alert authorities, prosecutors said. 

 

Convicted American murderer of Alabama executed by Nitrogen gas - the first of its kind 

Kenneth Eugene Smith became the first prisoner known to be executed using a controversial method known as nitrogen hypoxia

By Edward Era Barbacena 

Convicted murderer Kenneth Smith thrashed violently and repeatedly gasped for air during a 22-minute execution as he became the first inmate to be put to death with nitrogen gas.

The 58-year-old was strapped to a gurney and fitted with a mask and a breathing tube that controlled the gas, slowly depriving him of oxygen, at William C. Holman prison in Atmore, Alabama last night.

Moments before the execution, he said: “Tonight Alabama causes humanity to take a step backwards... Thank you for supporting me. Love you all”. He then turned to his family and signed the words “I love you”.

Journalists inside the room described how Smith appeared to struggle as he was put to death. Lee Hedgepeth said: “I’ve been to four previous executions and I’ve never seen a condemned inmate thrash in the way that Kenneth Smith reacted to the nitrogen gas.

“Kenny just began to gasp for air repeatedly and the execution took about 25 minutes total.”

Also present was the family of Smith’s victim, 45-year-old Elizabeth Sennett, who was brutally murdered in a $1,000 killing-for-hire job set up by her husband, Charles Sennett, who planned to collect the insurance money.

The execution comes as The Independent continues its campaign to end the death penalty having exposed the shortcomings of capital punishment as an effective crime prevention tool, and as a morally abhorrent act of violence by the state.

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey, who did not respond to a request to attend the execution, said: “On March 18, 1988, 45-year-old Elizabeth Sennett’s life was brutally taken from her by Kenneth Eugene Smith. After more than 30 years and attempt after attempt to game the system, Mr Smith has answered for his horrendous crimes.

“The execution was lawfully carried out by nitrogen hypoxia, the method previously requested by Mr Smith as an alternative to lethal injection. At long last, Mr Smith got what he asked for, and this case can finally be put to rest.

“I pray that Elizabeth Sennett’s family can receive closure after all these years dealing with that great loss.”

Before his execution, Smith was visited in prison by his wife and sons and was given a last meal of T-bone steak, hash browns, toast and eggs, which he reportedly hardly ate.

And despite late 11th hour appeals made to stop the execution by the death row prisoner’s lawyers, who described it as cruel and experimental, the US Supreme Court declined, and Smith was led to the execution room where officials began feeding him the poisonous gas at 7.53pm.

The nitrogen flowed through a mask for around 15 minutes, said John Hamm, commissioner of the Alabama Department of Corrections. Media witnesses in the room described how Smith appeared conscious before shaking and writhing within the restraints on the gurney, and was breathing heavily.

Afterwards, Smith’s spiritual adviser, Rev Dr Jeff Hood told media: “When they turned the nitrogen on, he [Smith] began to convulse, he popped up on the gurney over and over again, he shook the whole gurney,

“I could see the corrections officers, I think they were very surprised that this didn’t go smoothly - one of the state officials in the room was so nervous she was tap dancing.

‘(Smith) kept breathing for what could possibly be up to nine minutes, ten minutes, unbelievable evil was unleashed tonight in Alabama... that was torture.”

The use of nitrogen gas was the first time a new execution method had been used in the US since 1982.

It followed a previous attempt to execute Smith with lethal injection in 2022 that was called off because authorities could not connect intravenous lines into his system.

Smith claimed the experience left him with physical and psychological pain, including post-traumatic stress disorder.

The state had predicted that the nitrogen gas in the second execution attempt would cause unconsciousness within seconds and death within minutes.

But Rev Hood said: “We didn’t see somebody go unconscious in 30 seconds. What we saw was minutes of someone struggling for their life.”

Among those present at the execution were the sons of Smith’s victim. Afterwards, one of the, Chuck Sennett, told reporters he’d forgiven Smith, but said: “Kenneth Smith made some bad decisions 35 years ago and his debt was paid tonight.”

In the weeks leading up to his execution, Smith’s attorneys tried several last-ditch attempts to spare his life due to the risks associated with the new method.

In a separate appeal that also made its way to the Supreme Court on Wednesday, justices were asked whether attempting a second execution on Smith would constitute “cruel and unusual punishments” under the Eighth and 14th Amendments of the US Constitution.

But both courts decided against intervening the day before Smith was put to death.

Earlier this month, a group of United Nations experts publicly stated they were alarmed at the thought of the state using the new method. The organisation said: “We are concerned that nitrogen hypoxia would result in a painful and humiliating death.”

Another group of experts, the American Veterinary Medical Association, revealed it did not use certain gases to euthanise specific mammals because they create an “anoxic environment that is distressing for some species”.

As part of its campaign to end the death penalty, The Independent has revealed how corrupt policing, racial bias, and federal law is sending people to death row at alarming rate. There are around 2,500 people on death row across America.

Smith’s crime saw him play a part in a three-person murder-for-hire team who stabbed Ms Sennett in 1988. It was believed that Ms Sennett’s debt-ridden husband, Charles, planned the murder to collect on her life insurance.

Mr Sennett killed himself days later - while the two other men were convicted. Billy Gray Williams was sentenced to life in prison with out parole and died in 2020. John Forest Parker was executed via lethal injection in 2010.

Smith’s remains will be released to the Escambia County Coroner and taken to the Mobile Lab of the Department of Forensic Sciences for a postmortem examination.

 

American man of Connecticut arrested for the murder of his own grandmother on Christmas 

By Edward Era Barbacena 

A white man (as usual) is accused of killing his 83-year-old grandmother in Bristol on Christmas and he has been charged with murder.

Officers responded to reports of a burglary at a home on Morningside Drive around 11:30 a.m. on Christmas morning and found 83-year-old Diana Jones dead in a bedroom. 

They found Diane Jones, had cuts to her neck and "blunt force trauma" wounds to her torso, according to the Office of the Chief State's Medical Examiner. 

Officials ruled Jones' death suspicious, and her death was being investigated as a "potential crime," police said at the time. 

The office of the chief medical examiner ruled her death a homicide and determined that she died of wounds to her neck and blunt force trauma to her torso.

Police said Jones’ grandson, 39-year-old Anthony Jones, became a suspect and he was served with a warrant on Wednesday.

He has been charged with murder and he is being held on a $5 million bond.

 

Racist American state trooper of Minnesota is charged with murder in shooting of Black-American motorist during a traffic stop

Ryan Londregan has been charged in the fatal shooting of Ricky Cobb II during a traffic stop in MInneapolis over the summer

By Edward Era Barbacena

A Minnesota state trooper was charged with murder Wednesday in the shooting of motorist Ricky Cobb II, who failed to get out of his car during a July traffic stop and took his foot off the brake when officers tried to arrest him.

In announcing charges of second-degree unintentional murder, first-degree assault and second-degree manslaughter, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said Trooper Ryan Londregan’s use of deadly force against Cobb, a 33-year-old Black man, was not justified.

“As with all Minnesota law enforcement officers, state troopers may only use deadly force when it is necessary to protect a person from a specific identified threat of great bodily harm or death that was reasonably likely to occur. That did not exist in this case,” Moriarty said..

Londregan’s attorney Chris Madel called his client “a hero,” saying Londregan, 27 was trying to protect himself and a fellow trooper. Madel filed papers seeking to have the case dismissed or at least to have Moriarty removed from the case.

“This county attorney is literally out of control. Open season on law enforcement must end. And it’s going to end with this case,” Madel said in a video statement.

Londregan has not been arrested. Moriarty said her office will not seek to hold him on bail but will ask the court to require him to surrender his passport and firearms. She expected his first court appearance to be scheduled for later this week or early next week.

The July 31 shooting occurred in Minneapolis, where the murder of George Floyd by police nearly four years ago spurred sometimes violent protests and a nationwide reckoning on racial justice. In that case, Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22 1/2 years for second-degree murder.

The shooting has some similarities to the 2022 death of motorist Daunte Wright, who was trying to drive away from a traffic stop in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Center when Officer Kim Potter shot him. Potter said she meant to use her Taser but accidentally grabbed her gun. She served about 16 months of a two-year sentence for second-degree manslaughter.

 

American Catholic priests under investigation for sexual abuse 

Erie Diocese of PA adds names of pervert priests Michael O'Brien, Michael Allison, and John Hagerty to its sex abuse investigation list

By Edward Era Barbacena 

Three additional names have been added to the Erie Roman Catholic Diocese’s public disclosure list as allegations regarding two priests and one lay person warrant investigation following allegations by survivors of sexual abuse.

Under Bishop Lawrence Persico, the Erie Diocese has made a list of names publicly available since 2018.

The Erie Diocese’s public disclosure list came about in the wake of a two-year statewide grand jury investigation by the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General. The grand jury found evidence that at least 301 priests molested more than 1,000 children in dioceses across the state. A report on the grand jury’s findings was made public by the Office of Attorney General in August 2018.

The Erie Diocese created the list in 2018 to publicize the names of persons who have been credibly accused of actions that, in the diocese’s judgment, disqualify each person from working with children. The list also has a section for those whose allegations are under investigation.

“When we first published the list in 2018, we committed ourselves to transparency, a promise that remains in place today,” Persico said in a statement Thursday regarding the three names added.

Added to the list Thursday were:

• Michael O’Brien, who worked at St. Stephen School in Oil City, incarcerated as the result of a case not related to his work with the school, the diocese said.

Added in the under investigation category were:

• The late Father Michael Allison, who held positions at Mercyhurst Preparatory School in Erie and with the Shenango Valley School System in Mercer County.

• The late Msgr. John Hagerty, who held positions at Saint Mark Seminary, Cathedral Preparatory School in Erie and Elk County Catholic High School in St. Mary’s.

As with all allegations, law enforcement was immediately informed, the diocese said.

The Diocesan Review Board and the diocese’s independent investigators, the Pittsburgh-based K&L Gates law firm, were involved in the decision to put all three men on the public disclosure list, the diocese said.

Persico said announcing updates to the public disclosure list causes dismay.

“The pain and sorrow of survivors of sexual abuse continues, and Catholics, who may not have even known those under investigation, wonder when this will end,” Persico said in a statement. “Yet the reality is, past cases continue to affect us today.”

Persico said the diocese position remains unchanged.

“The public has a right to know the names of people whom we consider credibly accused of actions that disqualify and prohibit them from working or volunteering with children or youth,” he said. “In addition, publishing the names of people who are deceased is one way to encourage other victims of that person to come forward.”

“Making these announcements illustrates that the steps we have taken are working. People know that when they come forward, they will be taken seriously,” the statement said. “We have a clear process involving professional, independent investigators who are equipped to determine whether or not allegations have merit.”

 

Demised American priest of Pennsylvania under investigation for sexual abuse 

John Hagerty, who has been deceased since 2013 is one of four priests under investigation for sexual abuse.

By Edward Era Barbacena 

Another former priest in the Shenango Valley is currently under investigation for alleged abuse, according to the Catholic Diocese of Erie.

The Catholic Diocese of Erie is investigating allegations of sexual abuse made against the late Monsignor John Hagerty, who was the headmaster of Cathedral Preparatory School in Erie from 1984-89 and held other positions in the diocese before he died at 83 in April 2013.

According to the Diocese's public disclosure list, Msgr. John Hagerty, who has been deceased since 2013, is one of four priests under investigation for sexual abuse 

The diocese announced on Thursday that it has placed Hagerty's name on its publicly disclosed list of priests and laypeople who are "under investigation" for sexual abuse, including child sexual abuse. The list also includes priests and laypeople who the diocese said have been "credibly accused" of abuse.

According to his obituary, Hagerty served as a pastor at many churches in northwest PA, including Saint Joseph Parish in Sharon between 1977 and 1984 and Notre Dame Parish in Hermitage between 1997 and 2005, when he retired.

Msgr. Hagerty is one of two priests from the Shenango Valley under investigation by the Diocese.

Father Michael Allison, who served as pastor at Beloved Disciple Parish in Grove City and held positions at Kennedy Catholic High School and the Shenango Valley Catholic School System, is also under investigation. He's been deceased since 2020.

The diocese also announced the addition of two other names to the list.

They are the late Rev. Michael Allison, who held positions at Mercyhurst Preparatory School in Erie and with the Shenango Valley Catholic School System in Mercer County; and Michael O'Brien, who the diocese said worked at St. Stephen School in Oil City and is incarcerated in a case not related to his work at the school. Allison died at 60 in 2020.

"

 

Vatican convicts homosexual Catholic priest who sexually abused fellow male student at papal altar boys' school 

Gabriele Martinelli was accused of sexually abusing another seminarian at the St. Pius X Pre-Seminary from 2007 to 2012.

By Edward Era Barbacena 

Father Gabriele Martinelli, acquitted by the Vatican City criminal court in 2021 of sexually abusing a fellow seminarian, was found guilty on appeal of "corrupting a minor" and sentenced to two years and six months in prison.

A Vatican appeals court on Tuesday convicted a priest of sexually abusing a fellow student while they were both attending a school for papal altar boys.

Partially overturning a first instance ruling from 2021, judges sentenced Father Gabriele Martinelli to two and a half years' imprisonment, according to a copy of their ruling.

The original trial, which began four years ago, was the first in the Vatican concerning sexual abuse that occurred on Vatican territory.

Martinelli was found guilty of corrupting a minor and fined 1,000 euros ($1,083) in relation to events that took place during 2008-2009.

There was no immediate comment from the priest.

Martinelli, now 31, was accused of sexually abusing another seminarian at the St. Pius X Pre-Seminary from 2007 to 2012. The seminary, owned by the Diocese of Como, Italy, and operated by the Opera Don Folci religious institute, was located inside the Vatican walls until Pope Francis ordered it to move out while the initial trial was still underway.

Martinelli was put on trial for having forced a person known only as L.G. to have sex over a longer 2007-2012 period, while both were enrolled at the Saint Pius X Pre-Seminary.

The institution, formerly based inside the Vatican, houses altar boys who serve Mass in St. Peter's, including for the pope, and are thinking of becoming priests.

In the first instance ruling, the former rector of the pre-seminary, Father Enrico Radice, was cleared of covering up the abuse due to the expiration of the statute of limitations.

Both Martinelli and Radice consistently denied wrongdoing and accused L.G. of having a personal vendetta against them.

Martinelli was ordained after attending the pre-seminary. In the wake of the scandal that engulfed the institution, Pope Francis decided in 2021 to relocate it outside Vatican walls.

 

American pastor of Kentucky pleads guilty to one count of sexual abuse

According to court documents, Thomas Wall admitted to one count of first-degree sexual abuse.

By Edward Era Barbacena 

A Garrard County paedophile white pastor who was charged with 13 counts of sexual abuse back in March 2022, has pled guilty to one count of sexual abuse first-degree.

According to the plea agreement, the other 12 charges will be dismissed, and his recommended sentence is one year. However, Wall has already served that time, awaiting the outcome of his case.

He bonded out of jail this week on a conditional bond that he has no contact with witnesses, no new arrests, may not posses a firearm, and no use of alcohol or drugs.

His sentencing is scheduled for February 16 at 9:00 a.m.

 

American man of New York is convicted of murder for fatally shooting a woman who pulled into his driveway by mistake

Local police had previously said that Kevin Monahan had "not shown any remorse" for the killing of Kaylin Gilis 

By Edward Era Barbacena 

Being angry in every wrong way can make someone irrational that often leads them into trouble. This is getting too common in the United States where the white people as the usual suspects usually get so mad at ordinary things.

Kevin Monahan  has been convicted of murder for shooting a 20-year-old woman as the car she was in took a wrong turn up his driveway in rural New York.

Kaylin Gillis was shot in the neck by Kevin Monahan, 66, on 15 April 2023.

Monahan's lawyers had argued the fatal shot was fired accidentally by a defective shotgun after he tripped on a nail on his porch and dropped it.

He was found guilty of second-degree murder, reckless endangerment and tampering with physical evidence.

Monahan could face life in prison when he is sentenced on 1 March.

The jury in Washington County, New York, took less than two hours to reach its decision on Tuesday.

Friends and family members of Ms Gillis cried and hugged in court as the verdict was delivered.

Ms Gillis was in one of a group of three vehicles that drove down Monahan's long, curving driveway on a Saturday night in the small town of Hebron, about 55 miles (88km) north-east of Albany.

The friends were in an area without mobile phone service and trying to find a party at a different address.

They had realised their mistake and were already turning back when Monahan emerged and fired twice from his 20-gauge shotgun.

He testified last week that he felt his life was threatened and that he fired a warning shot from his weapon.

But he said the second shot, which killed Ms Gillis as she rode in the passenger seat of an SUV driven by her boyfriend, was a misfire that came after he dropped the gun on his porch.

"I didn't mean to shoot the second shot," Monahan testified according to the Greenwich Time newspaper. "The gun went off."

During closing arguments on Tuesday, Assistant District Attorney Christian Morris told jurors that Monahan had "acted out of anger".

"He grabbed his shotgun and intended to make them leave as fast as possible and he didn't care if they were hurt or killed."

Local police had previously said that he had "not shown any remorse" for the killing.

The victim's family said in a previous statement that she had been looking forward to starting college in Florida so she could become a marine biologist.

In a separate case that took place just days after Ms Gillis' death, a householder in the US state of Missouri was charged with shooting 16-year-old Ralph Yarl, who rang the wrong doorbell while picking up his younger brothers.

 

British tattoo addict and satanic paedophile is jailed for horrendous child abuse and rape

Stefan Farbrother was convicted of a string of offences, including multiple rapes, over a period spanning five years between 1991 and 1997

By Edward Era Barbacena 

A heavily tattooed paedophile who subjected a child to a campaign of terrifying sexual abuse and rape in Kent in the 1990s has been jailed for 18 years. 

Stefan Farbrother, 47, was convicted of a string of offences, including multiple rapes, over a period spanning five years between 1991 and 1997. 

At the time, Farbrother had been living in Sevenoaks but fled to Halifax, West Yorkshire, prior to his arrest in June 2018 when concerns were finally reported to Kent Police. 

He was charged with 13 offences including seven counts of rape and multiple indecent assaults. During one of his attacks, he held a knife to his victim's throat and in another, restrained them using handcuffs. 

He denied any wrongdoing, but was convicted on all counts by unanimous verdict at Maidstone Crown Court in October last year and sentenced to 18 years' imprisonment today.

He was also added to the sex offenders register, for life, and made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order.   

Commenting on Farbrother's sentence, Detective Sergeant Adam Ferguson said: 'Farbrother targeted the victim over a period of many years. 

'He subjected them to the most appalling and terrifying campaign of abuse, using violence and threats which included restraining them with handcuffs and holding a knife to their throat.

'I would like to thank the victim, who has been incredibly brave to come forward and give evidence. 

'The abuse has had a catastrophic effect on much of their adult life, but I do hope they can now move forward from this knowing Farbrother will be serving a lengthy prison sentence.

Successful convictions such as this are just one of the reasons we continue to urge anyone who has been a victim of sexual abuse to contact the police. It is never too late to report a sexual offence. You will be believed.'

 

American evangelical megachurch christian school teacher of Arizona arrested for raping a female student.

Nathaniel Jon Pineda has been charged with 4 counts of sexual conduct with a minor, 4 counts of sexual abuse, and 1 count of luring a minor. 

By Edward Era Barbacena 

A Glendale teacher is facing multiple felonies after he was arrested for allegedly sexually abusing one of his students. Police confirmed that 35-year-old Nathaniel Pineda, a teacher at Dream City Christian, was booked into jail.

Court documents state on Jan. 4, an officer was called to a Glendale home after parents reported their 15-year-old daughter was sexually assaulted. The parents reportedly told police they had confiscated their daughter’s cell phone and found inappropriate text messages between her and Pineda. The victim told her parents the texts started at the beginning of the school year in August, and the two had sex a few months prior, court documents state. The teen confessed to saving Pineda in her phone as “Natalie” to avoid suspicions from her parents, police said.

According to authorities, text messages between the two showed Pineda asking the girl about sex and for sexual favors. The victim told investigators Pineda became “too manipulative” and begged her to be his girlfriend, telling her to wait for him so they could get married, court documents state. Pineda allegedly wouldn’t leave the girl alone, so she agreed to be his girlfriend. The two “dated” from late September to late October, court documents said. Police say that while they were together, Pineda would sneak the girl out of her home and into his mother’s house, where he lived, to have sex.

On Wednesday, Pineda told the victim to delete everything since he could go to jail “for their sexual text messages,” court paperwork states. Investigators say he told her they needed to “get their story straight,” and the girl had to deny everything they did together. According to police, Pineda also confessed to the victim he was scared of being arrested and said he would go back to his home in Guam “as soon as he could.”

On Thursday, police arrived at Pineda’s mother’s home and took him into custody. He was booked on four counts of sexual conduct with a minor, four counts of sexual abuse and one count of luring a minor. The school sent the following statement.

GLENDALE – Yesterday, a former employee of Dream City Christian School (DCCS), Nathaniel Pineda, was arrested by the Glendale Police Department for serious felony offenses involving misconduct with a minor.

DCCS first became aware of allegations concerning Mr. Pineda two weeks ago and immediately reported the information to law enforcement and removed Mr. Pineda from the school campus. Since that time, DCCS has been fully cooperating with the Glendale Police Department and honoring any requests the Department has made concerning its investigation.

DCCS would like to express its gratitude and appreciation for the diligence and professionalism displayed by the detectives at the Glendale Police Department during the course of its investigation.

The wellbeing of students is a top DCCS priority. Therefore, DCCS would request that the privacy of its students and families be respected, especially those who have been most affected by these events.

- Dream City Christian School spokesperson

 

American man of Chicago arrested for murdering wife and three daughters 

Maher Kassem was charged with four counts of first-degree murder

By Edward Era Barbacena 

When it comes to family annihilation, the United States leads on this terrible kind of murder and this is not rare. The usual culprits are middle-aged white men.

A man has been charged with first-degree murder in the killing of his wife and three adult daughters at a Tinley Park home over the weekend, officials announced Tuesday morning.

According to the Tinley Park Police Department, Maher Kassem, 63, of 7430 W. 173rd Place in Tinley Park, was charged with four counts of first-degree murder "stemming from a domestic-related incident" that took place at the home where Kassem and his family lived.

The shooting occurred at 11:20 a.m. Sunday. Four women were wounded in the incident, and all were pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said.

According to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office, the victims were identified as Majeda Kassem, 53, and her adult daughters: Halema, 25, Zahia, 25 and Hanan, 24.

In a press release Tuesday, police said Maher Kassem fatally shot the family members during a verbal argument. Shortly after the shooting, he contacted the police department and said someone had been shot.

Kassem was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Tinley Park police department.

At a Monday press conference, Tinley Park Mayor Michael W. Glotz called the killings a "senseless" act of domestic violence.

"Words cannot describe how deeply saddened I am at this horrible tragedy," Glotz said. "A mother and her three daughters are gone. Murdered in a senseless act of domestic violence."

Glotz went on to say the responding officers were receiving mental health resources after responding to the scene Sunday morning.

"It's difficult to process a senseless tragedy like this," Glotz said, "especially for the first responders who are called on to deal with this situation as it's all unfolding."

Tinley Park Police Chief Tom Tilton at the press conference called the investigation "very complex," and declined to give further details about the 911 call, the suspect, or the suspect's relationship to the victims.

"We don't want to say anything that's going to negatively impact the investigation, or impact the charging decision," Tilton said.

Tilton also said that a/the weapon had been recovered at the scene, though he would not elaborate on what kind.

"I'd rather not right now," Tilton said.

According to Tilton, the Tinley Park Police Department did not have a history of calls to the home.

According Pam Kostecki, executive director of the Crisis Center for South Suburbia in Tinley Park, a "domestic violence" incident occurs when "persons within the household lose their lives to someone else in the household."

"That's what domestic violence is, when violence occurs within a household," Kostecki said during the update. "Whether related or not related to one another."

"At this point, this has nothing to do with Islam, or any other religion," Itedal Shalabi, co-founder and executive director of Arab-American Family Services, said during the press conference. "This is about power and control. This is about gender-based violence. This is about the power of one person over other family members."

Charlotte Vaitkus, who lives nearby the victims, said she knew the victims for the past 15 years through her daughter.

"We’re still in shock hours later. I can’t believe that this happened a block away from me to people that we knew," she said.

 

Iran executes activist for accidentally killing police during 2022 protest 

Human rights advocates criticise Mohammad Ghobadlou’s conviction, saying he did not get a fair trial.

By Edward Era Barbacena 

Iran has executed a man who ran over and killed a policeman, and injured five other people, during nationwide protests in 2022.

Mohammad Ghobadlou was executed on Tuesday, according to the judiciary’s Mizan news agency. However, human rights advocates criticised his conviction, saying he did not get a fair trial.

"After being upheld by the Supreme Court, the death penalty against defendant Mohammad Ghobadlou has been implemented early this morning,” Mizan reported

The policeman was killed amid the huge protests that followed the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, a Kurdish-Iranian woman who was arrested for violating Iran’s strict dress code for women.

Ghobadlou was initially sentenced to death in November 2022 after being convicted of “corruption on earth” for attacking police in Tehran with a car.

The Supreme Court granted him a stay of execution in February 2023, and later ordered consideration of his mental health, according to Mehr news agency.

Mizan reported on Tuesday that the Supreme Court had upheld the death sentence, which was carried out under Iran’s Islamic law of retribution.

Hundreds died during the 2022 protests, including dozens of security personnel, and thousands were arrested over what officials labelled as foreign-instigated “riots”.

Ghobadlou is the eighth person executed after being convicted of murder or other violence against security forces during the demonstrations.

‘Unfair sham trials’

However, human rights group Amnesty International said the 22-year-old’s right to a fair trial was violated, and his bipolar condition was not taken into consideration by the judicial system.

“Ghobadlou received two death sentences after grossly unfair sham trials marred by torture-tainted ‘confessions’ and failure to order rigorous mental health assessments despite his mental disability,” Amnesty said.

However, Mizan said claims of mental disability were wrong. Ghobadlou, it noted, had allegedly rejected the suggestion during his trial.

Earlier this month, dozens of people, including Ghobadlou’s family, demonstrated in front of a prison in the Iranian city of Karaj against his sentencing as well as that of another young man.

“My child is sick, he has a medical file, but they don’t want to accept,” Ghobadlou’s mother shouted in one video of the event at that time, which was verified by Al Jazeera.

Iran executes more people per year than any other country except China, according to Amnesty, and usually does so by hanging.

 

American online pastor of Colorado charged in ‘worthless’ crypto scam says God made him do it

Eli Regalado says he sold over $3 million in tokens to his community because “the Lord” told him to give his followers a 10x return.

By Edward Era Barbacena 

A Colorado-based online pastor who has been charged with fraud for selling a “worthless” cryptocurrency says he only did it because “the Lord” told him to give his followers 10x returns.

In a strange nine-minute video — posted to INDXcoin’s official website — INDXcoin founder and pastor Eli Regalado told users of the INDXcoin community that the charges being leveled against him and his partner were true.

On Jan. 18, Regalado and his partner, Kaitlin Regalado, were charged with fraud for their role in issuing and marketing a sham token called INDXcoin to their followers, according to a statement from the Colorado Securities Commission.

“We allege that Mr. Regalado took advantage of the trust and faith of his own Christian community and that he peddled outlandish promises of wealth to them when he sold them essentially worthless cryptocurrencies,” stated Colorado Securities Commissioner Tung Chan.

“The complaint alleges that Regalado targeted Christian communities in Denver and claimed that God told him directly that investors would become wealthy if they put money into INDXcoin.”

From June 2022 to April 2023, the Colorado regulator alleged that INDXcoin raised nearly $3.2 million from over 300 investors through a platform called the Kingdom Wealth Exchange.

Most of the money was raised from the online-only church, Victorious Grace Church, where Regalado serves as a pastor.

Of the more than $3 million raised from investors, Regalado said that half went to the Internal Revenue Service on taxes, while a significant sum went to a divine-backed home remodeling.

Regalado shut down the Kingdom Wealth Exchange on Nov. 1, 2023, after claiming there weren’t “enough finances to keep the internal servers running,” adding that he and his partner were on the “doorstep of poverty.”

In the same announcement, Regalado informed INDXcoin holders that God told them that all investors should refrain from selling the token and that his followers should “stop being ruled by mammon (chasing money).”

While having admitted to being moments away from poverty, the lawsuit filed against them by Chan alleges the pair spent the majority of the $1.3 million sum on cosmetic dentistry, luxury handbags, snowmobiles, home renovations and luxury vacations.

Cointelegraph contacted Regalado for comment but did not receive an immediate response.

 

American homosexual Catholic priest of New Orleans in hospital after being jailed on child rape charges

Paedophile Lawrence Hecker is currently hospitalized at UMC, citing a significant deterioration in his health.

By Edward Era Barbacena 

A 92-year-old retired Catholic priest jailed in New Orleans since September on charges of child rape and kidnapping has been hospitalized, his attorneys said on Friday.

Lawrence Hecker – who admitted that he sexually molested or harassed underage boys in the 1960s and 1970s during a remarkable interview with WWL Louisiana and the Guardian in August – has experienced mental decline, disorientation and some physical ailments while being held in New Orleans’s jail, attorneys argued during a state court hearing.

They requested home confinement for Hecker should he be released from the hospital, but the judge presiding over his case, Ben Willard, said: “That’s not going to happen.”

The New Orleans state prosecutor Ned McGowan suggested a secure hospital that can provide mental health treatment in East Feliciana parish, Louisiana, about 120 miles to the north-west. But McGowan opposed Hecker’s release to home confinement, saying the retired priest had admitted under oath to viewing child sexual abuse images.

McGowan’s remarks appeared to be a reference to a December 2020 deposition given by Hecker in a separate civil lawsuit accusing him of child rape. As the Guardian had previously reported, Hecker said in that deposition that he would look at such images if they “appeared on his computer” while cruising for pornography.

Hecker has been in jail since he was arrested on 8 September on grand jury charges that he choked a high school student and sodomized him while he was unconscious. That was decades after Hecker provided an administrative statement to New Orleans Catholic church leaders in which he acknowledged that he had sexually molested or harassed numerous children whom he had met after becoming an ordained priest in 1958.

Hecker’s clerical career continued until the archdiocese of New Orleans allowed him to retire with full benefits in 2002, during an earlier high point in the worldwide Catholic church’s continuing clerical abuse crisis. The church waited another 16 years before publicly identifying him as a credibly accused child molester.

Less than a month before his indictment, Hecker discussed that statement with WWL Louisiana and the Guardian. Hecker was lucid and stood the whole time during the interview, an 18-minute session during which he said “yes” multiple times when asked whether the statement he had given to his superiors was accurate.

Hecker claimed that society had been more permissive of such behavior in the 1960s and 70s, though it was as illegal to engage in sexual activity with minors then as it is now.

Willard has tentatively set Hecker’s trial date for 25 March. He would face a sentence of mandatory life imprisonment if he is convicted as charged.

Hecker has pleaded not guilty. He has been in the custody of authorities since his arrest because he has not been able to pay the $800,000 bail set for him by Willard.

American couple of Kansas living with corpse charged with collecting relative's retirement funds 6 years after death

 

American couple of Kansas l living with corpse charged with collecting relative's retirement funds 6 years after death

Kirk and Lynn Ritter each face one count of wire fraud and two counts of theft of government funds

By Edward Era Barbacena 

A couple living in a Kansas City suburb have been arrested on allegations they kept a dead parent’s body hidden in their home for more than six years so they could continue to cash in on his retirement benefits.

Federal prosecutors alleged Wednesday that Lynn and Kirk Ritter, both 61, collected approximately $215,000 worth of benefits that were reserved for 81-year-old Mike Carroll, a retired telecommunications employee who began receiving money from the Social Security Administration and his pension in 2008.

In an indictment obtained by The Daily Beast, prosecutors said Carroll’s pacemaker revealed that he died in 2016, but his death was never reported to authorities. The document cited Lynn as being his primary caretaker.

Instead, prosecutors claim his loved ones collected money deposited into his bank account and spent it as their own. This alleged scheme went on for more than six years, until Kirk Ritter called police on Oct. 23, 2022, to report his father-in-law’s death.

Officers arrived at the single-family home and found Carroll’s body lying in bed in a “mummified state,” the indictment said. The Kansas City Star reported that the local medical examiner determined Carroll died of natural causes, but a probe was launched.

Further investigation revealed that Carroll had been dead since around July 1, 2016, prosecutors said. An investigation allegedly revealed that Carroll’s daughter and son-in-law cut checks to themselves from his bank account, actions prosecutors wrote were for “their own personal benefit.”

The couple faces charges of wire fraud and theft of government funds, which could send them to prison for as long as 20 years if convicted. They’re slated for an initial appearance at a federal courthouse in Kansas City on Feb. 2.

 

American woman of Mississippi arrested for killing her own son 

Jerri Lynn Isreal,66, is accused of murdering John Allen Gaither,42, hiding body in container behind false wall

By Edward Era Barbacena 

On Saturday, the Gulfport Police Department announced the arrest of 66-year-old Jerri Lynn Isreal on the charge of first-degree murder.

The incident began on December 22 after officers received calls about a possible missing person in the 2200 block of 16th Avenue.

Throughout the week, detectives conducted several follow-ups and began noticing contradictions in statements given by Isreal. She became increasingly uncooperative and changed her statements multiple times.

It was also found that Isreal was arrested and convicted of murder in Florida in 1995; detectives found she did, in fact, commit the murder and made several attempts to dump the body at different locations throughout Florida. With this information, detectives were able to obtain a search warrant for Isreal’s home.

At around 10 a.m. on January 18, detectives and crime scene technicians searched the residence. At this time, Isreal was taken to a local hospital after she consumed an unsafe amount of pills. The search uncovered a large wooden box, later identified by officials as a “military locker-style container,” with a dead body inside. The container was found behind a false wall.

The body was later identified as 42-year-old John Allen Gaither of Gulfport, Isreal’s son.

Isreal was processed and transported to the Harrison County Adult Detention Center to be held in lieu of her bond.

 

American Miss Donalsonville of Georgia arrested and charged with murder of 18-month-old boy

Miss Donalsonville, Trinity Madison Poague, was arrested on murder charges related to child's death

By Edward Era Barbacena 

PURE WHITE EVIL

It is really hard to imagine that a white American woman as a reigning beauty queen can be so cold-hearted and wicked that she is capable of taking a life of an innocent child.  Perhaps beauty is only skin deep among white American people.

The reigning Miss Donalsonville is behind bars in Sumter County, Georgia, charged with the death of a young child.

Sumter County Jail records show that the Georgia Bureau of Investigation arrested and charged 18-year-old Trinity Madison Poague of Donalsonville with Felony Murder, Aggravated Battery, and 1st Degree Cruelty to Children on Friday, January 19.

Officials with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation say on Sunday, January 14 the Georgia Southwestern State University Police Department asked the GBI to investigate the death of a child. 

The investigation indicates an unresponsive 18-month-old boy was admitted to the emergency room at Phoebe Sumter Hospital in Americus, Georgia. Officials say hospital personnel performed life-saving measures on the child, but he later died.  

After multiple interviews and an examination of the evidence, GBI agents arrested Poague.

She is currently being held with no bond in the Sumter County Jail.

It is currently unknown if Poague was related to the child.

Investigators have not released any additional information at this time.

Poague was crowned Miss Donalsonville in 2023 and later went on to compete in the Miss National Peanut Festival Pageant.

GBI investigators say once the investigation is complete, the case file will be given to the Southwestern Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for prosecution. 

The Georgia Southwestern State University Police Department along with the Americus Police Department assisted with this investigation.  

 

American Teacher of Kentucky Who Confessed to Sexually Abusing Multiple Minors at Same Time Could Get Life in Prison 

Ellen Phillips, 38, pleaded guilty to attempting to lure a minor online for sexual activity

By Edward Era Barbacena 

A former teacher’s aide in Danville, Ky., pleaded guilty last week in federal court to attempted online enticement of a minor to engage in sexual conduct, according to authorities. 

Ellen Phillips, who previously went by Ellen Shell, admitted to authorities that in December 2022, she messaged a 15-year-old boy on Facebook to engage in sexual activity, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Kentucky said in a statement on Friday. 

Phillips said she “repeatedly attempted” to convince the child to sneak out of his home for the purpose of sexual activity, despite the child’s reluctance, the statement said. 

Phillips continued to try and convince him, at one point trying to lure him out with the promise of alcohol and oral sex, while also sharing tips on excuses he could give his mother to leave the house, according to the statement. 

It wasn’t clear if she had sexual contact with that particular boy. However, she said in her plea agreement that she would have sexual contact with “multiple minors at the same time,” per the Attorney’s Office. 

Information on the total number of victims, potential further charges or the nature of her arrest — such as how authorities were tipped off about her crimes — was not detailed in the statement. A spokesperson for the office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for further clarification.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office carried out this operation as part of Project Safe Childhood, a Justice Department initiative that addresses child sex abuse, including cases where a minor is targeted online.

Phillips used social media platforms such as Facebook and Snapchat to communicate with her victims, authorities said.

In a statement to PEOPLE, Snapchat said such conduct is "reprehensible" and "has no place" on the platform.

“Snapchat was designed to help young people talk to their friends they know in real life, and we have robust measures in place to make it difficult for teens to be discovered and contacted by strangers," a spokesperson said in part of the statement.

"If we are made aware of any content exploiting minors – whether through our proactive detection technology or confidential in-app reporting tools – we immediately remove it, lock the violating account and report it to authorities," the spokesperson said.

In 2022, the platform launched Snapchat’s Family Center, which allows parents to monitor who teens are talking to on Snapchat and set Content Controls.

When contacted by PEOPLE, Facebook noted it has tools to identify adults exhibiting potentially suspicious behavior and that it's able to prevent them from being able to find, follow or interact with teen accounts.

The platform said it sends safety notices to teens in contact with potentially suspicious adults, encouraging them to report and block them.

In 2023, Facebook also launched parental supervision on Messenger, which allows parents to monitor their teen's Messenger contacts list.

When she is sentenced in April, Phillips faces anywhere from 10 years to life in prison.

 

Deranged American Airlines Flight Attendant Arrested for Secretly Filming Minors

Paedophile Estes Carter Thompson III Faces Child Porn Charges For Filming 14-year-old girl In Plane Restrooms

By Edward Era Barbacena 

A disturbing case has emerged involving Estes Carter Thompson III, a 37-year-old American Airlines flight attendant from Charlotte, North Carolina. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has charged Thompson with attempted sexual exploitation of children and possession of child pornography depicting a prepubescent minor. His arrest occurred on Thursday in Lynchburg, Virginia, and he is currently awaiting further legal proceedings.

This case centers around a deeply troubling incident on September 2, 2023, during an American Airlines flight from Charlotte to Boston. Thompson is accused of attempting to secretly record a 14-year-old girl using the aircraft’s lavatory. The DOJ alleges that Thompson directed the minor to an unoccupied first-class lavatory, where he had concealed his iPhone beneath stickers on the toilet seat to capture footage of the girl.

The girl’s awareness and quick thinking led her to photograph the suspicious setup and report it to her parents, who then informed the flight crew. The pilot was notified, leading to Thompson’s arrest upon landing. Further investigations into Thompson’s iCloud account revealed a pattern of such behavior, with recordings of minors in airplane lavatories and over 50 images of a sleeping 9-year-old unaccompanied minor.

American Airlines has expressed its grave concern and commitment to fully cooperating with the investigation, emphasizing the importance of customer and staff safety.

If convicted, Thompson faces significant prison time, supervised release, and hefty fines. This case underscores the paramount importance of protecting children and maintaining safety and security in all travel environments.