Category: Crime
New York City Policing at a Crossroads
NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has appointed my Brooklyn College colleague Alex Vitali to his advisory committee on public safety. The…
Previously Deported Illegal Reportedly Stabbed Victim On Same Rail System Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Was Killed
Alleged Illegal Reportedly Commits Attack On Same Rail System Refugee Iryna Zarutska Was Killed
14- and 16-year-old boys arrested for brutal murder of 14-year-old girl, Florida police say
Two teenage boys have been arrested for allegedly shooting and killing a 14-year-old and then lighting her body on fire.
Danika Troy was reported missing by her mother on Monday, according to Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson, who conducted a media briefing on Thursday.
‘The evidence pointed to them immediately. They took them into custody immediately.’
A day later, the girl’s badly burned remains were found by a man walking near Kimberly Road in Floridatown.
Police said they identified the remains as belonging to Troy because her mother had reported that she left with a scooter, and it was found near the remains. They also found shoes that matched those she was wearing.
Johnson said that a witness told police that 16-year-old Gabriel Williams and 14-year-old Kimahri Blevins had planned the murder of the girl.
In an interview with police, Blevins allegedly said he blocked Troy after they had a falling out on social media. Williams also said he was upset with something Troy had said, according to police.
But a possible motive is still undetermined.
“They have been interviewed, but the motive that we’re getting doesn’t fit the forensics or any facts of the case,” Johnson said.
The sheriff said Williams stole the gun they used from his mother.
“It’s bad enough that you kill a 14-year-old; you’re 14, you’re 16, you shoot her multiple times, and then you set her on fire,” Johnson added.
The state attorney’s office said a grand jury will determine whether the boys should be tried as adults.
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“This is what major crimes calls a ground ball,” Johnson said. “The evidence pointed to them immediately. They took them into custody immediately.”
Williams and Blevins were each charged with first-degree premeditated murder. They both are in custody at the Santa Rosa Juvenile Detention Center.
“It shocks me,” neighbor Sue Petrisch said. “It’s always been so quiet here, and it’s getting bad. It’s terrifying, in fact.”
A candlelight vigil is planned to honor the victim on Monday at Avalon Baptist Church. A GoFundMe account has been set up to help pay for her burial costs.
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Obama DEA Official Indicted For Laundering Money For Mexican Drug Cartel
‘No tolerance and no excuse for this kind of betrayal’
Pregnant woman disappears without a trace — but a grisly forest horror scene sends cops straight to her mother and stepfather
Search parties spent weeks attempting to locate a missing Michigan woman who was pregnant. However, the frantic search ended in a disturbing discovery that shocked a community.
On Nov. 4, 22-year-old Rebecca Park was reported missing, according to the Wexler County Sheriff’s Office. At the time, Park was approximately 38 weeks pregnant.
‘The brutality and disregard for human life displayed here are deeply troubling.’
Following weeks of searching for the missing pregnant woman, Park’s remains were found in the Manistee National Forest on Nov. 25. However, Park’s child was no longer in her womb.
According to a statement by the Michigan Department of Attorney General, 40-year-old Cortney Bartholomew and 47-year-old Bradly Bartholomew “lured” Park to their home in Wexford County. Cortney Bartholomew is Park’s biological mother, and Bradly Bartholomew is her stepfather.
“The couple then allegedly tortured Park in an attempt to remove the unborn infant, resulting in the death of both,” the statement read.
“This is frankly evil personified,” Wexford County Prosecutor Johanna Carey said at Tuesday’s arraignment, according to Michigan Live. “These two individuals created a plan, conducted research.”
Carey continued, “Mr. Bartholomew brought Rebecca to their home, forced her into another vehicle, and took her into the woods, where they stabbed her, forced her to lie on the ground while they cut her baby out, ultimately causing her death and the death of the baby.”
Carey said Park’s death is a “case of premeditated torture and murder.”
According to ABC News, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel stated, “This case involves a truly horrific homicide in which a young woman and her unborn child endured unimaginable suffering at the hands of the defendants.”
Nessel added, “The brutality and disregard for human life displayed here are deeply troubling.”
Nessel stressed that the evidence “reflects an extraordinary level of callousness and violence.”
“Rebecca had everything to live for, and our hearts are with her loved ones as they endure this unthinkable loss,” Nessel said.
Nessel vowed that justice would be “pursued in this tragic case without delay.”
Cortney Bartholomew and Bradly Bartholomew were arrested in connection with Park’s death.
The couple was each charged with one felony count of first-degree premeditated murder, one felony count of murder, one felony count of torture in a place of confinement, one felony count of conspiracy to commit torture, one felony count of assault of a pregnant woman with the intention to cause miscarriage or stillbirth, one felony count of conspiracy to commit assault on a pregnant woman with the intention to cause miscarriage or stillbirth, and one misdemeanor count of removal of a dead body.
If convicted of any of the felonies, the pair faces up to life in prison.
Court records identify Bradly Bartholomew as a habitual offender, which means he could face harsher penalties.
Both suspects were jailed without the possibility of bond.
People magazine reported that Cortney posted a video on her Facebook page on the same day that her daughter was due to give birth, with a caption that read: “My alibi of where I was the night my daughter came up missing.”
The video had a black screen with audio of Cortney’s 14-year-old son reportedly saying, “She gave me my meds at about 8:40. I don’t remember a lot as I just said, but she was there when I went to bed, and she was also there when I woke up the next day. I know that she never goes out and about when I’m sleeping just because she doesn’t like to drive at night.”
Park’s adoptive mother, Stephanie Park, told WWTV-TV and WWUP-TV that she had had custody of Park since she was a year old. The mother said that she has been taking care of Rebecca’s two young sons, ages 3 and 2.
Officials have not yet revealed if the remains of Park’s baby have been recovered.
Anyone with information on Park’s death is urged to contact the tip line at the Wexford County Sheriff’s Department at 231-779-9216.
The Wexford County Sheriff’s Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Blaze News.
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Pastor allegedly tried to meet minor for sex — he ran for Congress as a Democrat and was an NAACP leader
A California community is reeling after hearing the news that a local pastor was allegedly caught trying to meet a person he thought was a minor for sex.
James David Stockton, 54, was arrested on Saturday by Signal Hill police after an online citizen group called “Caught Fished” said it had documented inappropriate messages with the pastor.
‘He got into the nasty part that no pastor should be talking about.’
Stockton is the pastor at South Bay Church of God in Torrance. He ran for Congress as a Democrat in 2024, and before that he was a leader of the NAACP in Marion County.
The group provided some of the texts to KTTV-TV and said that Stockton knew the decoy was claiming to be 16 years old and in high school.
“What time you get out of school today?” read one text allegedly from Stockton.
“I promise to be gentle and make sure you are enjoying it,” read another.
The founder of the citizen group, named Antoine, said it got very explicit at that point.
“He got into the nasty part that no pastor should be talking about,” he told KTTV.
Stockton was defeated in his campaign by Rep. Randy Fine (R), who currently holds the office.
The church appears to have scrubbed a webpage indicating Stockton was their pastor, according to a KTTV-TV report.
“We don’t know anything, other than what we see on the video,” a member of the church said to KTTV. “But it was a shock to us, as everybody else.”
The pastor was released on his own recognizance on Tuesday after pleading not guilty to a felony count of arranging to meet a minor for lewd purposes.
Stockton is due back in court on Dec. 12.
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