A judge declared a mistrial in Arizona on Monday, after a jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict, in a case where a rancher allegedly killed a Mexican national on his property.
Read the full storyTag: murder
Clarksville Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Federal Prison for Selling Fentanyl While on Bond for State Murder Charges
A 30-year old man from Clarksville has been sentenced to serve 25 years in federal prison for selling fentanyl while on bond for state murder charges, according to the Middle District of Tennessee U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Read the full storyTrump Pays Tribute to Laken Riley, Blasts Biden Border Policies as ‘Crime Against Humanity’
Donald Trump met with Laken Riley’s family and unleashed a blistering attack Saturday on President Joe Biden’s border policies as a “crime against humanity” as the two likely general candidates staged dueling events in the battleground state of Georgia. “Joe Biden has no remorse, no regret, no empathy, no compassion, and worst of all, he has no intention of stopping the deadly invasion that stole precious Laken’s beautiful American life,” Trump told a rally in Rome, Ga., the home district of close ally Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Read the full storyTN U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles First to Greet President Biden as He Enters State of the Union Address, Attempts to Give Him ‘Laken Riley’ Pin, Biden Refuses
Tennessee U.S. Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) was the first lawmaker to make contact with President Joe Biden as he entered the House of Representatives to deliver his State of the Union address.
Read the full storyFormer Trump Campaign Spokesman Steve Cortes Says Murder of Georgia Nursing Student Was ‘100 Percent Preventable’
Steve Cortes, former senior spokesman and strategist for the 2016 and 2020 Trump campaigns and current head of the League of American Workers, said the murder of 22-year-old Georgia nursing student Laken Riley was “100 percent preventable” if it weren’t for the “radical open borders agenda” of President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
Jose Ibarra, a 26-year-old illegal alien from Venezuela, was arrested and charged last week for his alleged murder of Riley, who died from blunt-force trauma to her head.
Read the full storyHouse Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green Sends Letter to DHS Demanding Information Related to Murder of Georgia Medical Student
Tennessee U.S. Representative Mark Green (R-TN-07), who chairs the House Homeland Security Committee, sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas demanding information to assist the committee in its investigation into the murder of 22-year old nursing student Laken Riley.
Read the full story20-Year Old Man Arrested, Charged in Memphis Violent Crime Spree
The Memphis Police Department (MPD) released the identity of a man allegedly responsible for a violent crime spree that left one dead and multiple injured.
Read the full storyFormer Trump Official Calls for the Release of the Nashville Shooter Manifesto After FBI Arrests Oregon Transgender Woman Who Threatened to Kill ‘Trans Phobes’
Sebastian Gorka called for the release of the manifesto written by Audrey Elizabeth Hale, a transgender man who fatally shot three 9-year-old students and three faculty members at the Covenant School in Nashville last year after the FBI recently arrested an Oregon man for threatening to kill “trans phobic a*****s.”
Gorka, who served as the deputy assistant for former President Donald Trump, shared a post about the story of the Oregon man, adding, “Where’s the Nashville Transkiller’s manifesto[?] #TransTerrorism.”
Read the full storySix Members of a South Columbus Violent Crime Ring Indicted on 124 Felony Charges
An investigation conducted by the Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force has resulted in six alleged members of a violent crime ring in south Columbus being indicted on a combined 124 felony charges, according to Attorney General Dave Yost’s office.
Read the full storyThree Ohio Teens Arrested, Charged with Murder Following Altercation Outside Kroger That Left One Dead
Three men have been arrested and charged with murder following an altercation at a south Columbus Kroger earlier this month, according to the Columbus Police Department (CPD).
Read the full storyFACT CHECK of Tennessee House Speaker Sexton Claim that Alleged Killer of Belmont Freshman Would Have Been in Custody Had State Senate Acted: FALSE
In an in-depth interview on Friday, WTN SuperTalk 99.7 afternoon host Matt Murphy spoke with Tennessee Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton about the shooting and death of Belmont University student Jillian Ludwig. The Tennessee Star conducted a FACT CHECK of Speaker Sexton’s claim in that interview that Shaquille Taylor, the alleged killer of 18-year-old Belmont University Jillian Ludwig, who was shot in the head on Tuesday and died on Thursday, would have been in custody if the Tennessee State Senate had passed legislation in the August Special Session that the House had passed. The Star determined that Sexton’s claim is FALSE. The transcript of that interview and the corresponding FACT CHECKS conducted by The Star can be seen below. ——————- Matt Murphy: So, obviously, we’ve been covering this very difficult story involving the passing of a Belmont University student by the name of Lillian, or Jillian, pardon me, Jillian Ludwig, who died Thursday, yesterday morning after being shot in the head while walking near campus Tuesday. EDITOR’S NOTE: Prior to allegedly shooting Belmont University freshman Jillian Taylor in the head on Tuesday, November 7, 2023, Shaquille Taylor was deemed incompetent to stand trial for aggravated assault with a deadly…
Read the full storyHeinous Crimes Committed by Illegal Migrants Under Scrutiny Ahead of 2024 Election
Recent heinous crimes — from rape to murder — committed by illegal aliens are under scrutiny as more migrants enter the United States, making it a hot topic ahead of the 2024 election.
“We need borders. We have to stop the invasion of people into our country. And you know who’s coming in? Prisoners, people from mental institutions, terrorists are coming into our country and millions and millions and millions of people,” former President Donald Trump said Saturday at a rally in Pennsylvania.
Read the full storyTBI’s Annual Crime Report Shows Violent Crimes Decreasing
An annual report issued this week by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) shows that violent crimes are decreasing.
The 437 page report compiles data submitted to TBI from local law enforcement agencies through the Tennessee Incident-Based Reporting System (TIBRS).
Read the full storyProminent Trans Activist Jailed For Murdering Entire Family: ‘Most Depraved Crime I Ever Handled’
Dana Rivers, a longtime transgender activist, was sentenced to life in prison Wednesday for the 2016 murder of a lesbian couple and their son.
Rivers garnered national fame in 1999 for suing the Center Unified School District in Sacramento and winning a $150,000 settlement after being fired for talking to students about transitioning genders, according to Mercury News. Rivers attacked two women, aged 56 and 57, in their bed as they slept, shooting both women and their 19-year old son before stabbing one of the women 47 times and setting their garage on fire.
Read the full storyCommentary: Public Safety and the Mass Incarceration Myth
Let the safety of the people be the supreme law,” wrote the Roman scholar and statesman Cicero, two millennia ago.
This precept was the first the rulers of the ancient Roman Republic remembered. It seems to be the first the rulers of the modern American republic have forgotten. This is evinced in the current debate that claims we incarcerate too many of our citizens.
Read the full storyGilbert Murderer Headed Behind Bars After Killing Wife in 2017
The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office (MCAO) has announced the sentencing for Mark Eric Ponsati, 42, of Gilbert, Arizona, for murdering his wife in 2017 and attempting to pass the crime as an accident.
The sentencing given out Friday by Maricopa Superior Court Judge Michael Blair will see Ponsati put away in the Arizona Department of Corrections for the next 25 years, the maximum penalty for second-degree murder.
Read the full storyParker and Oh to Compete for Philadelphia Mayor This Fall
Philadelphia’s Democratic voters nominated Cherelle Parker in Tuesday’s mayoral primary election.
The former state representative and former ninth-district city councilwoman will face a downhill general-election battle against David Oh (R-At-Large) whose bid for the Republican nod was uncontested.
Read the full storyArizona Supreme Court Reinstates Death Penalty for Murderer Beau Greene
The Arizona Supreme Court released an opinion Friday reinstating the death penalty for Beau Greene, who murdered University of Arizona (UOA) music professor Roy Johnson in 1995.
“The conduct Greene engaged in, aside from his motive to murder, remains subject to a sentence of death and his actions in murdering Johnson continue to fall within that narrow category of the most serious crimes. Therefore, the retributive purpose served by his sentence in 1996 is still reflected in and served by Arizona law today,” wrote Justus William Montgomery in the opinion.
Read the full storyBill Would Bring Back the Death Penalty in Iowa for One Heinous Crime
State. Senator Brad Zaun’s bill that would reinstate the death penalty in Iowa for those who sexually assault and then murder children survived the Legislature’s famous Funnel Week.
Zaun, R-Urbandale, joined The Iowa Star Monday on NewsTalk 1040 WHO to talk about the legislation and other bills moving forward in the Legislature.
Read the full storyGroup Names Chicago, New Orleans as U.S. Murder Capitals
Chicago recorded 697 total homicides in 2022, far more than any other city in the United States, but New Orleans had the highest murder rate per capita, according to a new report from a nonprofit research group.
Chicago had more total homicides in 2022 than Philadelphia (516), New York City (438), Houston (435) and Los Angeles (382), which rounded out the top five, according to a report from Wirepoints, an Illinois-based research and news organization that surveyed 2022 crime data from 75 of the largest U.S. cities.
Read the full storyCulprits Behind 2020 Arizona Crime Spree and Murders Now Facing Jail Time
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell (R) announced Thursday that three gang members behind a string of violent crimes and murders committed in 2020 have now been sentenced to decades in jail.
“The victims in this case were innocent bystanders who were simply going about their lives when they were targeted by known gang members,” said Mitchell. “Violence, intimidation, or harm against the community will simply not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Read the full storyWisconsin Congressman Tiffany Wants ‘Year-and-a-Day’ Homicide Rule Gone
U.S. Representative Tom Tiffany (R-WI-07) is spearheading an effort in Congress to end the “year-and-a-day” rule for federal homicide prosecutions.
Tiffany’s “Justice for Murder Victims Act” would allow murder charges to apply if an attacker committed an assault that resulted in the victim’s death more than a year and a day after the incident. Representative Hank Johnson (D-GA-04) is cosponsoring the legislation, while Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Jon Ossoff (D-GA) have introduced a companion bill in their chamber.
Read the full storyPhiladelphia District Attorney Krasner Issues Answer to Impeachment Summons
As the holiday weekend nears, Pennsylvania state senators are viewing initial written arguments from Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner (D) contesting his impeachment.
The then-GOP-controlled state House of Representatives voted last month 107-85 to try the radical prosecutor in the Senate to consider his removal from office. Senate leaders then issued a writ of summons to Krasner outlining seven counts against him. Articles of impeachment concern alleged “dereliction of duty and refusal to enforce the law,” obstruction of a legislative investigation against him, improper conduct in two criminal trials, failure to admit conflict of interest, failure to heed victims’ rights and refusal to prosecute certain crimes.
Read the full storyAttorney General Mark Brnovich Seeks Death Penalty for Aaron Gunches, Who Requested His Own Execution
Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced Wednesday his office requested a warrant of execution for Arizona death row inmate Aaron Gunches.
“The rule of law is for all of our society to uphold,” said Brnovich. “We must never cease to pursue justice for victims, their families, and our communities.”
Read the full storyPhiladelphia Victims’ Relatives Testify About Krasner’s Work as District Attorney
Pennsylvania’s House Select Committee on Restoring Law and Order heard from mothers of recent Philadelphia murder victims on Thursday morning to gather perspective on District Attorney Larry Krasner’s (D) job performance.
In a video-recorded interview, Jennifer Meleski, the mother of 24-year-old Chuckie Maude who was murdered in the city’s Kensington neighborhood in 2021, shared her frustration with the city for creating an atmosphere in which gun violence abounds. She blamed Krasner for hamstringing police by pressing charges against officers who “stop and frisk” people on suspicion they are illegally carrying weapons.
Read the full storySoft-on-Crime Shelby County DA Says Fletcher Murder ‘Isolated Attack’
Despite reports that the suspect in the Eliza Fletcher’s kidnapping and murder has now been charged with a separate abduction and rape in 2021, Shelby County District Attorney, who ran his campaign on criminal justice reform, says the Fletcher incident was an “isolated attack.”
Cleotha Abston Thursday was charged separately with aggravated rape, especially aggravated kidnapping, and unlawful carrying of a weapon stemming from an event that allegedly occurred in 2021, though details were not immediately available.
Read the full storyHome of Nevada County Official Searched in Connection with Murder of Las Vegas Reporter
Police searched the home of a Clark County, Nev. administrator early on Wednesday, allegedly in connection with the recent slaying of a Las Vegas newspaper reporter who had spent considerable time reporting on the administrator’s political career.
Read the full storyBystanders Detain Murder Suspect in Hendersonville
According to police, two good samaritans Monday detained an alleged murderer in Hendersonville.
According to the Hendersonville Police, Lloyd T. Martin shot two people in the front yard of a home.
Read the full storyAlleged Drug Smuggler Charged with Murder After Overdose Death of TDOC Prisoner
A woman has been charged with murder after an investigation conclude that she snuck drugs into a Tennessee Department of Corrections (TDOC) facility earlier this year.
Those drugs killed her boyfriend in an overdose, authorities say.
Read the full storyOhio Violent Crime Reduction Funds Raised to $100 Million
During a visit to the Whitehall Police Department this week, Gov. Mike DeWine (R) indicated he will expand funding for the Ohio Violent Crime Reduction Grant Program from $58 million to $100 million, citing a nationwide spike in violence.
According to data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s 2011 and 2020 Uniform Crime Reports, homicides in the Buckeye State rose sharply in the decade between those years. Five hundred murders occurred in Ohio in 2011 and 820 took place in 2020. Regional figures also show violence worsening, with one poll of Franklin County police chiefs showing that aggravated assault increased by 36 percent in that jurisdiction between 2020 and 2021.
Read the full storyState Representatives Seek to Impeach Philadelphia District Attorney Krasner
Republican members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives on Monday circulated a memorandum seeking cosponsors for articles of impeachment for Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner (D).
Reps. Josh Kail (R-Monaca), Torren Ecker (R-Abbottstown) and Tim O’Neal (R-Washington) wrote in their message to House colleagues that impeachment is a severe option that they would only initiate in the face of a prosecutor’s clear “dereliction of duty.” They charged Krasner with a “willful refusal to enforce Pennsylvania’s criminal laws” in Philadelphia.
Read the full storyGeorgia Sheriff Pleads with Parents to Help Kids Avoid Gangs’ Influence
After a community member was shot and killed in what police determined to be a gang-related shooting, one Georgia sheriff is telling parents to be attentive to how they are raising their children.
“Parents, if you have young men and young ladies who glorify the gang lifestyle and emulate what they see represented to them by those people, you need to step up, be a parent, and stop them now if you love them,” Spalding County Sheriff Darrell Dix said on the office’s Facebook page. “If you don’t, chances are that you’ll end up as another parent with a child either in prison or in the ground. If you don’t believe me there are parents in this community that will testify to that fact to you.”
Read the full storyRothman Proposal Would Make Death Penalty Likelier for Killings at Pennsylvania Schools, Certain Other Settings
Pennsylvania state Rep. Greg Rothman (R-Camp Hill) last week announced he intends to introduce a measure allowing courts to impose the death penalty for killings based on their taking place in some settings including schools.
Currently, a convict can receive a death sentence in the Keystone State if a court finds he or she committed a murder to which at least one of 18 statutorily defined “aggravating circumstances” and no “mitigating circumstances” apply. Aggravating circumstances include the victim having served as a police officer or other first responder, the defendant having committed the killing for hire or the killer having held the victim hostage. Mitigating circumstances include the perpetrator having no prior criminal history or the killer having committed his or her crime under “extreme duress.”
Read the full storyCambria County Prosecutor: Difficulty Recruiting Police Is Fueling Pennsylvania Crime
FBI data currently indicate that Pennsylvania’s violent crime rate exceeds any other northeastern state’s, and a county prosecutor told state senators this week he attributes much of that reality to difficulty recruiting and retaining police officers.
Cambria County District Attorney Gregory Neugebauer testified before the Senate Republican Policy Committee alongside other law-enforcement professionals to illuminate what is driving up crime in the Keystone State and what can be done about it. The hearing, held at the Cambria County Courthouse in Ebensberg, was the first of several the panel is hosting this week to address crime prevention in conjunction with National Crime Victims’ Rights Week.
Read the full storyNumbers of Black Americans Murdered Increased in Wake of Defund the Police Movement: Report
Support for calls across the nation to to defund police departments nationwide and pandemic-related factors has led to an increase in the number of murders of black Americans, according to an analysis by the Manhattan Institute.
The overall murder rate increased 30% from 2020 to 2021, according to data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Read the full storyTrial of Prolific Accused Ohio Serial Killer Begins with Opening Arguments
Defense attorneys Tuesday made their opening arguments in the case of a high-profile alleged serial killer, Dr. William Husel.
Husel stands criminally accused of 14 murders from 2015 to 2018 for allegedly intentionally giving his patients at Mount Carmel West Hospital enough fentanyl to kill them.
Read the full storyIllinois Man Charged with Homicide in McMinn County Cold Case from 1996
A man has been indicted and charged in a cold case homicide that occurred in McMinn County more than 25 years ago, following an ongoing investigation and the re-testing of evidence according to a press release by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
Read the full storySon of Man Charged with Felony Harassment in Kim Potter Trial Killed in Minnesota High School Shooting
The deceased victim of two teenage students who are now charged with murder stemming from a shooting at a Richfield high school is the son of a high-profile Black Lives Matter (BLM) activist who himself has trouble with the law.
“Fernando Valdez-Alvarez, 18, and Alfredo R. Solis, 19, were charged in Hennepin County District Court Friday with one count each of second-degree murder and two counts each of attempted second-degree murder,” according to reports.
Read the full storyPennsylvania Senate President Pro Tempore Corman Calls for Philly District Attorney’s Impeachment
Outrage at Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner’s (D) leniency toward criminals has driven Pennsylvania Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman (R-Bellefonte) to call for the prosecutor’s impeachment.
Corman sent a letter to leaders of the GOP-run state House of Representatives asking them to seek Krasner’s removal. In his missive, the lawmaker deplored the city’s sharp present rise in violent crime and said the district attorney has played a major role in that spike by allowing many offenders to escape punishment.
Read the full storyU.S. Marshals Arrest Two Additional Suspects Wanted for Killing Rapper Young Dolph in Memphis
Three suspects wanted for the murder of rap star Young Dolph have been captured as of Tuesday, according to the U.S. Marshals.
Rapper Young Dolph, whose real name was Adolph Thornton Jr., was gunned down in a daylight ambush at Makeda’s Homemade Butter Cookies in Memphis on November 17. Young Dolph was admired for charitable works in Memphis. He organized Thanksgiving food giveaways, donated thousands of dollars to high schools, and paid rent and covered funeral costs for people in the Castalia Heights neighborhood where he was raised. When he was killed, the 36-year-old rapper was in Memphis to hand out Thanksgiving turkeys and visit a cancer center, NPR reports.
Read the full storyCalifornia Man Who Backed Clinton in 2016 Gets 35 Years to Life for Murder in Fight over Election
ACalifornia man who supported Hillary Clinton for president in 2016 was sentenced this week to 35 years to life in prison for fatally shooting a woman during an argument about the presidential race.
The incident occurred Jan. 10, 2017, when defendant John Kevin McVoy Jr. was told by a bandmate to “Get the f— out of my house,” after McVoy revealed he had voted for Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, according to Fox News.
McVoy then fired two shots. One hit the bandmate, identified by the Press-Enterprise of Southern California as Victor Garcia, in the head.
Read the full storyTwo Separate Georgia Murder Suspects Arrested in Tennessee This Week
Two suspects in separate murders in Georgia were arrested in Tennessee Monday, according to reports.
“The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said 29-year-old Alyssa Danielle Wild of East Dublin, Georgia was pulled over in Franklin,” according to WTVC. “Wild is charged with murder in the death of 38-year-old Charles Stephen Holmberg of Cuthbert, Georgia. Holmberg was found shot dead Saturday in a vehicle parked at a motel in Dublin.”
Read the full storySuspect in Slaying of Henry County Police Officer Found Dead with Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound
The suspect in the death of Henry County officer Paramhans Desai, who was shot on Nov. 4 when he responded to domestic disturbance call in the town of McDonough, has taken his own life, according to Wednesday reports.
After battling for four days, Desai succumbed to his gunshot wound Monday.
Read the full storyDistrict Attorney Announces He Will Seek the Death Penalty Against the Clifton Man Charged with Murdering Hardin County Deputy Matthew Locke
Over the weekend, Hardin County Deputy Matthew Locke was shot and killed in the line of duty while responding to a domestic violence call. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said Todd Alan Stricklin, 48 from Clifton, has been charged with first-degree murder after shooting the deputy just after 8:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Read the full storySoros-Funded Group Sends Letter to FCC Calling for Murder of Republicans
A far-left group funded by radical billionaire George Soros submitted a letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) calling for Republicans to be murdered, according to the Washington Free Beacon.
The group in question is Free Press, which is funded by Soros’s Open Society Foundation, as well as the Center for American Progress, the Tides Foundation, and other far-left organizations. Free Press, whose stated goal is to “reshape media” in the United States, submitted a letter signed by almost 5,000 of its members baselessly accusing the FCC of systemic racism.
Read the full storySteven Wiggins Sentenced to Death for Killing Dickson County, Tennessee Sergeant Daniel Baker
On Thursday, a Dickson County, Tennessee jury sentenced Steven Wiggins to death for murdering Sergeant Daniel Baker.
Earlier that day, District Attorney General Ray Crouch and defense lawyer Luke Evans presented their closing arguments to jurors, who were tasked with deciding between the death penalty and life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
Read the full storyRecording Shows Dickson County, Tennessee Murderer Wiggins Telling Son to Be Violent Toward the Child’s Pregnant Mother
During sentencing for Dickson County, Tennessee murderer Steven Wiggins this week, prosecutors played a recording wherein Wiggins spoke to his 10-year-old son on the phone from prison and asked the child to “kick [the child’s pregnant mother] in the stomach.”
The prisoner’s command of his son came in response to the child telling Wiggins about the mother’s pregnancy.
Read the full storyDickson County, Tennessee Judge Strikes Testimony Related to Personal Feelings on Death Penalty in Wiggins Trial
Judge David D. Wolfe of Tennessee’s 23rd Judicial District, presiding over sentencing of convicted murderer Steven Wiggins, advised witnesses on Tuesday that they may not testify to their own philosophical opinion against the use of the death penalty in all cases.
The judge thus struck a portion of the testimony Peter Schaffer gave Monday during sentencing proceedings to determine what punishment Wiggins will receive for the shooting death of Dickson County Sergeant Daniel Baker: life imprisonment or death.
Read the full storyDefense Argues Mental Ill-Health in Wiggins Sentencing for Murder of Dickson County, Tennessee Sgt. Baker
When a Dickson County, Tennessee jury reconvened Monday on sentencing Steven Wiggins for killing Sergeant Daniel Baker, counsel for the the defendant argued Wiggins suffered mitigating mental-health issues.
Defense attorney David Hopkins emphasized to jurors that their determination of Wiggins’s guilt last week was not being challenged and that the task at hand is deciding whether life without the possibility of parole or the death penalty is deserved.
Read the full storySteven Wiggins Found Guilty on All 10 Counts in Killing of Dickson County, Tennessee Sgt. Daniel Baker
A Dickson County, Tennessee jury Thursday found Steven Wiggins guilty of premeditated first-degree murder and nine other charges related to the 2018 shooting death of Sergeant Daniel Baker.
“Some people obviously had some tears, but I had some sort of sense of relief,” Baker’s widow Lisa told reporters after the verdict was announced.
Read the full story