Category: Crime
US man killed during mission trip in Angola — his wife is convicted for plotting his murder with security guard lover
The wife of a man killed in Angola has been convicted for orchestrating his murder during a mission trip with their family, according to a statement from their church.
44-year-old Beau Shroyer was found stabbed to death inside a vehicle on Oct. 25, 2024, in the town of Thienjo. His family had been sent to Africa on a mission trip in 2021 by the Lakes Area Vineyard Church in Detroit Lake, Minnesota.
Law enforcement had ‘strong suspicions of a romantic relationship between the person who ordered the crime and her accomplice, the guard at the couple’s residence.’
Shroyer had stopped to help people who were pretending to have vehicle issues in a remote area. They stabbed him to death and fled in the rental car, as previously reported by Blaze News.
Local authorities eventually arrested the man’s wife, 44-year-old Jackie Shroyer, and accused her of being the “mastermind” behind the slaying of her husband.
Angola official Manuel Halaiwa said that law enforcement had “strong suspicions of a romantic relationship between the person who ordered the crime and her accomplice, the guard at the couple’s residence.”
They also arrested two people they said were her accomplices, identified as Bernardino Isaac Elias and Isalino Musselenga Kayoo “Vin Diesel.” A third alleged accomplice identified as Gelson Guerreiro Ramos is still on the run.
Authorities said Jackie Shroyer paid Kayoo $50,000 to commit the crime.
“Though this news is shocking and extremely difficult to comprehend, it’s important for you to know that this verdict follows a very thorough investigation and trial process that was monitored closely, conducted fairly, and carried out with integrity,” said the church’s pastor, Troy Easton, in a statement.
The couple’s five children were brought back the U.S. after their mother’s arrest to be with family.
Jackie Shroyer will serve her sentence in Angola, according to the church.
The church did not say what her sentence was.
The victim’s cousin Bret Shroyer told KSTP-TV that his death hit their family hard.
“Beau was a rock, just a really strong member of the family, he was doing good, all of the time,” he said. “He was supportive; he was always looking for ways to help somebody else out.”
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
FBI whistleblower pans bureau for alleged ‘gross misconduct’ and ‘fraud’ in early Jan. 6 pipe-bomb investigation
The Biden FBI is guilty of “gross misconduct and/or fraud” for calling off surveillance of an early person of interest in the Jan. 6 pipe-bomb case, an FBI whistleblower alleges in a letter to Congress. The letter refers to events that occurred nearly five years before Blaze News disclosed that the surveillance subject lived next door to a Capitol Police officer who is now a potential forensic match to the gait of the bomb suspect.
After reading the Nov. 10 protected whistleblower disclosure from an FBI supervisory special agent who is still at the bureau and a Nov. 8 Blaze News investigation of the pipe-bombs case, U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie believes the FBI “has been engaged in a cover-up” or has been “grossly incompetent.”
“Either way,” Massie (R-Ky.) told Blaze News in a statement, “these latest revelations about the pipe-bomb investigation require answers from the new FBI director.”
The Blaze News investigation said former Capitol Police Officer Shauni Rae Kerkhoff, 31, appears to be a forensic match to the gait of the pipe-bomb suspect. A forensic gait analysis arranged by Blaze News rated Kerkhoff’s stride as a 94% match to the individual shown on video planting pipe bombs the night of Jan. 5, 2021.
The gait analysis used a computer algorithm to analyze walking parameters including flexion (knee bend), hip extension, speed, step length, cadence, and variance. The veteran analyst who ran the study said based on visual observations the program can struggle with, he personally pegged the match at closer to 98%.
Kerkhoff has not been charged with any criminal conduct by any law enforcement agency in connection with the pipe-bomb incident.
The FBI has not responded to Blaze News requests for comment.
Attorney Kurt Siuzdak of Madison, Conn., filed a 10-page protected disclosure on behalf of his client, the whistleblower, with Massie and U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.), among the most active lawmakers still investigating Jan. 6 and its aftermath. Loudermilk is the chairman of the House Select Subcommittee to Investigate the Remaining Questions Surrounding Jan. 6.
The FBI supervisor said that “after FBI agents came within yards of the person who has been identified” in Blaze News’ reporting, “the FBI surveillance team agents were ordered to cease their investigation, denied permission to conduct at least one logical interview, immediately removed from surveillance, and reassigned to do general leads work,” Siuzdak wrote.
“The ‘neighbor’ identified below [in the whistleblower complaint] lived within feet of [Person of Interest 3] and she appears to be the same individual as investigative reporter Steve Baker identified as a former U.S. Capital [sic] Police officer, who is currently associated with a U.S. intelligence agency,” Siuzdak wrote.
After the FBI identified several persons of interest in the pipe-bombs case, Squad 21 of the Washington Field Office Intelligence Division was assigned to do “FISUR,” or physical surveillance, in the Bailey’s Crossroads section of Falls Church, Va.
Kyle Seraphin, who was then a member of Squad 21, told Blaze News the surveillance lasted two days before the squad was pulled off the case without warning.
The new whistleblower said the female next-door neighbor of the man being surveilled was photographed by FBI agents.
“The ‘neighbor’ had been photographed by the FBI surveillance team, and her photograph and attire are similar to the individual who [allegedly] placed the devices,” Siuzdak said.
The FBI had already determined that the man referred to in FBI documents as Person of Interest 3 should be interviewed by agents. But when Seraphin proposed that he do a “knock and talk” at the man’s door, the idea was rejected, Siuzdak said.
The suspected pipe bomber moves to a bench behind the Democratic National Committee building in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 5, 2021. FBI
The face-to-face interview with POI3 “would have obviously led to the doorstep of the ‘neighbor,’” Siuzdak wrote. “However, investigative steps offered by the FBI agents in the field were rejected, and agents were immediately reassigned. The discontinuation of the investigation was described [by the whistleblower] as improper.”
Kerkhoff is named in consumer, banking, and credit records as having resided next door to the man under surveillance. She later moved to Alexandria, Va. When Blaze News editor in chief Christopher Bedford visited the area of Alexandria near her residence the night of Nov. 7, the curtains were drawn, two civilian-looking vehicles were in the driveway, one civilian-looking truck was out front, and a fourth vehicle pulled up after Bedford parked. Two plainclothesmen got out of the final car, and a third joined them from inside the house. The three men stood sentry in front of the home for a time.
The local police responded to Bedford’s visit, and when he tried to drive away, he was quickly pulled over and asked why he was in the area. The local police promptly allowed him to go after he provided his ID and explained the reason why he was near the address.
Internal FBI documents included in the protected whistleblower disclosure corroborated information contained in a January 2025 report from the Committee on House Administration Subcommittee on Oversight.
According to the documents, the FBI had investigated an individual known as POI2, who was seen on surveillance video taking photographs behind the Capitol Hill Club the morning of Jan. 5 — about nine hours before an unknown subject in a grey hoodie placed a pipe bomb next to a row of rolling commercial garbage tubs.
The pipe bomb suspect (above left) walking west on C Street toward Rumsey Court, stopping in front of a congressional rooming house (upper right), possibly looking to place a pipe bomb on Jan. 5, 2021. Capitol Police squad cars (below) with lights engaged were across the street as the suspect walked down the court to plant the bomb. FBI/@Armitas/U.S. Capitol Police CCTV
The man left the area and later returned to walk through Rumsey Court, which runs behind the Capitol Hill Club and the Republican National Committee building. When he was later questioned by FBI agents, the man claimed he was taking photographs of “objects bearing numerals” for a book project.
Agents used surveillance video to track the man through part of the day Jan. 5. He arrived at the Capitol South Metro Station from the East Falls Church Metro Station at 9:58 a.m. Capitol Police “observed POI2 switching hats when we [sic] exits South Capitol Metro,” an FBI report said.
After taking photographs behind the Capitol Hill Club, POI2 walked around the U.S. Capitol complex and met with two unknown individuals, the House report said.
The FBI considered POI2’s behavior suspicious and said he could be considered a possible accomplice to the pipe bomber.
The man again walked through Rumsey Court before proceeding to the Capitol South Metro Station and riding the train back to Falls Church, Va., where he arrived at 6:53 p.m.
FBI records show that Person of Interest 2 was dropped off at the East Falls Church Metro by a Volkswagen Tiguan registered to Person of Interest 3, who was put under surveillance by the FBI a week later. Person of Interest 2 used a prepaid Metro SmarTrip card to pay for the train rides. The SmarTrip card was purchased by Person of Interest 3, the FBI said.
The FBI interviewed Person of Interest 2, who was not identified in the investigative documents Blaze News reviewed, on Jan. 19, 2021. The man was subsequently dismissed as no longer a person of interest in the pipe-bombs case. The FBI also cleared Person of Interest 3 of having any role in the placement of the bombs.
The U.S. House report said the FBI did not explain on what basis it cleared Persons of Interest 2 and 3, indicate how the men knew each other, or explain how Person of Interest 2 obtained the other man’s prepaid SmarTrip card.
In a Nov. 12 story, the Daily Wire reported that “law enforcement suspected a particular Falls Church, Virginia man’s Metro card of being linked to the case, and also that the Capitol Police officer was in fact his neighbor, literally sharing a wall with him.”
The man told the Wire his Metro card “was used by a childhood friend who traveled from the south to attend Trump’s rally, and stayed with him to save money. The Air Force vet let him borrow his card and picked him up from the Metro station in Virginia after the rally, he said. Both men are Trump supporters, he said.”
The man said he had been interviewed on the matter by what he believes to be Metro transit police, as was his visiting friend. Furthermore, the man told the Daily Wire that he does not believe his Metro card was used by his neighbor, the Capitol Police officer, on January 5.
Blaze News was unable to independently confirm the Wire’s report. Blaze News investigative reporter Steve Baker knocked on the front door of the man’s townhouse on Nov. 9, but he declined to comment.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Former teacher sentenced to 132 years in prison for horrific abuse of her two stepsons
A former Virginia teacher was convicted of horrific abuse of her two stepsons beginning when they were 9 and 11 years old.
Barbara Paul was found guilty in July of 42 counts related to the abuse of the children that belonged to her fiancé, an Henrico police officer. She previously worked as an Henrico County school teacher.
‘They’re free of this now. It’s no longer a weight that’s holding over them. They won’t have to deal with her.’
Paul punished the children with beatings and excessive exercise that included jumping for hours. Police were able to obtain video footage from inside the home showing her choking the children.
The children were punished for reasons that included their being unable to guess a number in Paul’s mind, putting a pencil in a lunchbox, and missing the bus.
School officials testified to four instances when staff noticed injuries to the older boy. In the first instance, the issue was turned over to Child Protective Services, but no follow-up was conducted, according to a school official.
Paul’s attorney argued that she suffered from mental issues, including executive function disorder and ADHD. He also claimed that the boys’ father had been mentally and physically abusive to Paul.
Angela Fountain, the boys’ maternal grandmother, spoke to WTVR-TV outside of the courthouse.
“To know that my grandsons will never have to look at this woman, ever. They’d never have to worry about running across her anywhere in public or in private,” Fountain said. “They’re free of this now. It’s no longer a weight that’s holding over them. They won’t have to deal with her, and the joy, the elation is just beyond. It’s everything that we had hoped for and prayed for.”
Paul was sentenced to 132 years and 102 months in prison.
Chesterfield Judge David E. Johnson told Paul that the abuse she inflicted came from an “evil mind” and not a “disturbed one.”
The judge had everyone in the courtroom stand as a sign of respect for each of the two boys as they walked out of the courtroom after their testimony.
Johnson said he wanted to ensure with the sentencing that the children would never have to face the fear of running into their former stepmother ever again.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
‘Pure evil’: Feds charge alleged leader of ‘unthinkably depraved,’ violent group involved in child sextortion
A 21-year-old leader of a violent extremist group involved in “unthinkably depraved” extortion of child sex abuse material faces multiple sentences of life in prison if convicted.
Baron Cain Martin of Tucson, Arizona, allegedly ran the online network “764” under the moniker “Convict” after joining the group around 2019 — when he would have been just 15 years old.
‘His alleged actions targeting children as part of the 764 online terror network are so depraved they defy comprehension.’
The Department of Justice at the time of his December 2024 arrest described the 764 organization as a “dangerous network of violent extremists who systematically target children and weaponize child sexual abuse material” in order to support an “accelerationist agenda” to destroy civilized society and the U.S. government.
The DOJ revealed in late October that Martin now is charged with dozens of crimes, including:
- Five counts of producing child pornography;
- Eleven counts of distributing child pornography;
- Three counts of coercing and enticing minors to engage in sexual activity;
- Three counts of cyberstalking;
- Animal crushing;
- Distribution of animal crush videos; and
- Conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
He’s also charged with participating in a child exploitation enterprise, conspiring to provide material support to terrorists, and conspiring to kill, kidnap, or maim persons in a foreign country, officials said.
Martin — who’s been in federal custody since his arrest — also is accused of coercing underage victims to harm themselves numerous times, officials said. The 764 group produces “extreme gore media and child sexual abuse material” and shares the content with members; the group also grooms underage females to mutilate themselves while recording or streaming video online, officials said.
A criminal complaint said Martin allegedly admitted to using the “Convict” moniker and bragged about being the “catalyst for thousands of extortions” under 764. Investigators said he referred himself as the “king of extortion.”
In one alleged incident, Martin coerced a 13-year-old child to cut designs into her body that included satanic symbols and swastikas. He also made her cut his name into “every possible place” on her body.
In another alleged incident described in the complaint, Martin coerced a 16-year-old on Discord to scratch herself until she drew blood and then pour alcohol over the wounds.
He is indicted for alleged crimes against nine victims — eight of whom were between the ages of 11 and 15 at the time of the abuse. He is believed to have other victims.
“His alleged actions targeting children as part of the 764 online terror network are so depraved they defy comprehension,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “We will use every available tool to protect our children and ensure that those who perpetrate such acts of pure evil face the full force of justice.”
RELATED: A 2021 gun arrest in NYC put investigators on the trail of a global satanic pedophile cult
The DOJ in April announced the arrest of two alleged members of 764 in North Carolina and Greece.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said the case was a warning to parents about monitoring their online behavior.
“This man’s alleged crimes are unthinkably depraved and reflect the horrific danger of 764 — if convicted, he will face severe consequences as we work to dismantle this evil network,” Bondi said. “I urge parents to remain vigilant about the threats their children face online.”
Experts say that parents should limit their children’s access to social media and other online sites, especially those which allow strangers to contact and interact with their accounts.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
NYC man allegedly raped 15-year-old girl he lured online while on probation for disturbingly similar attack
A man who was released on the condition of seeking mental health treatment after raping an underage girl is accused of doing the same again.
William Credle, 24, sent a rideshare driver Monday to go pick up a 15-year-old girl he met online and bring her to his apartment in the Bronx, where he raped and beat her, according to police.
He was being sought for arrest when he allegedly attacked the other victim.
Credle allegedly kept her against her will and kept her tablet device away from her, which was her only means of communication. When she begged to be allowed to go home, he raped her again and punched her in the head, police said.
After the girl’s parents realized she was not at home in New Jersey, they tracked her location using the tablet to Credle’s apartment, according to police. New Jersey police contacted police in New York City, who arrested him at Hughes Avenue near East 187th Street at about 11:40 p.m. Tuesday.
Credle was charged with a slew of crimes, including rape, sexual abuse, and unlawful imprisonment.
Bronx prosecutor Nicole Beachboard said in court that Credle made the victim “smoke marijuana and drink from a Snapple bottle containing a liquid tasting of orange soda with a strange aftertaste.”
Even more disturbing, the suspect was on parole awaiting sentencing for a conviction of a similar crime in 2023.
“The defendant, then 21 years old, sent an Uber to a 14-year-old girl, who was transported by Uber to his apartment, and he forced her to engage in anal and vaginal sex,” Beachboard said. “The complainant alleged that he had drugs and a gun in his apartment.”
Credle was released on the condition that he seek mental and rehabilitative treatment, but he violated other terms, leading to a warrant being filed for his arrest.
RELATED: 10-year-old raped in Harlem after meeting man online, NYPD releases photos of suspect
He was being sought for arrest when he allegedly attacked the other victim.
Credle had also missed four court appearances and had been arrested for other violent criminal offenses, including one for allegedly punching his mother in the head.
He was held on $50,000 bail.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Roy Cooper Enraged Victims’ Families When He Took 15 Convicted Killers Off Death Row on His Final Day as Governor. Now He’s Pitching Himself as a Tough-on-Crime Senate Candidate.
On his final day as North Carolina governor, Senate hopeful Roy Cooper (D.) commuted the sentences of 15 convicted killers on death row, a move that blindsided and enraged the families of their victims. It’s another piece of his record on crime that Cooper will have to contend with as he attempts to sell himself as a tough-on-crime candidate.
The post Roy Cooper Enraged Victims’ Families When He Took 15 Convicted Killers Off Death Row on His Final Day as Governor. Now He’s Pitching Himself as a Tough-on-Crime Senate Candidate. appeared first on .
Outrage erupts after teenager pleads no contest to horrific rape charges and walks free
An Oklahoma teenager was facing 78 years in prison for 10 charges related to rape, but he was allowed to walk free after being granted youthful offender status.
Jesse Butler, 18, was instead sentenced to community service as well as counseling. He also will not have to register as a sex offender.
‘The laws are there, but what do you do when they don’t follow them? Does this sound like justice?’
Butler was charged with rape, attempted rape, sexual battery, forcible oral sodomy, and assault in relation to rapes committed against two fellow students that he was dating, according to court documents.
At the time of his arrest, he was 17 years old.
Police said they found video on his phone of him choking one of the victims. The other victim was reportedly choked unconscious and nearly died.
He initially pleaded not guilty but agreed to plead no contest in a deal with the district attorney that changed his status to a youthful offender.
Members of the Stillwater community who were shocked by the sentencing protested on Wednesday at the Payne County Courthouse.
“The justice system here in Stillwater has allowed a violent sex offender to walk free. Not only is he currently free and loose on the streets. He’s a virtual student at Stillwater Public Schools as a senior, and after he finishes having the slap on the wrist, he doesn’t even have to register as a sex offender,” Tori Grey said at the protest.
“I want him to get what he deserves. He needs to be prosecuted,” said Stillwater High School student Tristan Turner.
Oklahoma state Rep. Justin Humphrey (R) said on News Nation’s “Banfield” that the development was “corrupt.”
“How in the world did this judge get to this?” he asked.
“The laws are there, but what do you do when they don’t follow them? Does this sound like justice?” he continued.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
California seeks ‘compassionate release’ of ‘sadistic pedophile’ convicted of raping and drugging his children
The state of California is asking that a man convicted of horrific repeated rape of his children be released after he was diagnosed with dementia.
Ramiro Ruiz was incarcerated for 85 years to life in 1998 after being convicted of heinous crimes that involved repeatedly raping, sodomizing, and drugging his children. He also chained up the children.
‘This guy was clearly a monster then, and he’s a monster now.’
On Monday, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation went before a Madera County courtroom and asked that Ruiz be released before his impending death.
The CDCR argued that the 86-year-old was no longer a threat to society because of his advanced age and deteriorating condition.
Prosecuting Attorney Eric DuTemple opposed the release request.
“This guy was clearly a monster then, and he’s a monster now,” DuTemple said. “I think that he was best described in the probation court when he was sentenced that he is a sadistic pedophile.”
The victims ranged in age from 5 to 15 years old, and one was developmentally disabled. Ruiz was formerly diagnosed with sexual sadism disorder as well as pedophilic disorder.
“The decision the court has to make is the defendant is still capable of committing super strikes and is he an unreasonable risk to the public if we release him out of CDCR custody,” DuTemple continued.
Madera County District Attorney Sally Moreno argued that Ruiz was still capable of committing crimes against children if released.
“This was probably one of the most heinous sex crimes I have seen in my 20-plus years as a prosecutor,” Moreno said. “He does have an advanced age — I believe he’s 86 — but that doesn’t mean he’s incapable of maneuvering or manipulating a 2- or 3- or 4-year-old child up onto his lap where he could inflict all kinds of horrible damage.”
The judge refused the request on Monday, after shutting down the argument that Ruiz had behaved in prison. He pointed out that there were no children in prison to abuse.
“People were sentenced for their crimes, they were sentenced by judges and juries, and victims were given assurances that this is the amount of time this defendant would serve,” Moreno added.
Defense attorney Aaron Montoya indicated that they may refile a request for compassionate release.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
