Convicted South Carolina murderer Alex Murdaugh has been sentenced to 27 years in prison for stealing money from clients.
Murdaugh, previously sentenced to two consecutive life sentences for the murders of his wife and youngest son, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/convicted-murderer-alex-murdaugh-pleads-guilty-to-financial-crimes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pleaded guilty</a> in September to 22 counts of financial fraud and money laundering. His sentence was handed down on Tuesday, CBS News <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/alex-murdaugh-sentenced-financial-crimes-27-years/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
Murdaugh is currently seeking a new trial for the murder charges, but will have to serve nearly 23 years of his sentence for financial crimes even if the murder conviction is overturned. As part of the plea agreement, Murdaugh gave up his right to appeal the financial sentencing, meaning that he will be at least 76 years old before he could be released from prison if the murder conviction is overturned.
Murdaugh admitted to stealing around $12 million from clients over the years after promising to help them with medical bills or pain and suffering. One victim, Jordan Jinks, had been a friend of Murdaugh’s since they were children. He asked Murdaugh to represent him after he incurred hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills for a neck injury resulting from someone rear-ending his car.
Jinks paid the bills, assured that Murdaugh would obtain a settlement to refund him. When Murdaugh received that settlement, he kept the money for himself.
&#8220;The money you stole from me, I would have gave it to you,&#8221; Jinks said during Murdaugh’s sentencing. &#8220;Why bro? Why?&#8221;
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While taking responsibility for the financial crimes, Murdaugh adamantly denies killing his wife, Maggie, and their youngest son, Paul.
“I want to take responsibility. I want my son to see me take responsibility. It’s my hope that by taking responsibility that the people I’ve hurt can begin to heal,” Murdaugh said when pleading guilty in September.
His defense attorney, Dick Harpootlian, noted at the time: “There’s two things Alex will tell you. One, he stole the money. Two, he did not kill Maggie and Paul.”
A jury found Murdaugh <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/alex-murdaugh-found-guilty-of-killing-wife-son" target="_blank" rel="noopener">guilty of murder</a> on March 2, and he was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences.
The decision came after just a few hours of deliberation and a six-week trial where more than 70 witnesses testified. Murdaugh has maintained his innocence, suggesting his son Paul was the main target for the murders due to his involvement in a 2019 boat crash that killed 19-year-old Mallory Beach.
Murdaugh spent nearly two days testifying in his own defense at his trial and immediately admitted to lying for years about his whereabouts on the day his wife and son were murdered.
The prosecution had already argued that Murdaugh lied about not going to the dog kennels on the day his wife and son were murdered. Prosecutor Creighton Waters previously pointed <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/cell-phone-evidence-puts-disgraced-attorney-alex-murdaugh-at-scene-of-family-murder-prosecutors-say" target="_blank" rel="noopener">to cell phone evidence</a> taken from Paul’s phone less than five minutes before he was killed. Paul had filmed one of the dogs to send to a friend, and prosecutors allege Murdaugh’s voice can be heard in the background of the recording. Murdaugh has said he wasn’t at the kennels that night. Prosecutors said that Murdaugh murdered his wife and son around 8:49 p.m., just a few minutes after the video was taken.
When Murdaugh took the stand, his defense attorneys asked him if he had lied to police about his whereabouts on the night his family was murdered, and Murdaugh admitted to lying.
“I lied about being down there, and I’m so sorry that I did,” Murdaugh said, <a href="https://people.com/crime/alex-murdaugh-admits-lying-police-murders-wife-son/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to People Magazine</a>.

Alex Murdaugh

Alex Murdaugh Sentenced To 27 Years For Financial Crimes

Crime

Fraud

Murder

South Carolina

U.S.

The judge overseeing Richard Allen’s murder trial and the Indiana attorney general have asked the state Supreme Court to deny a petition that would reinstate Allen’s original defense attorneys and remove the judge from the case.
Judge Fran Gull and Attorney General Todd Rokita, a Republican, have filed a response to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/attorneys-seek-new-judge-in-delphi-murder-case-citing-bias-against-defense" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a petition</a> from attorneys not directly affiliated with the case, who asked the Indiana Supreme Court to replace Gull. Gull and Rokita argue in their response that the petition should be rejected because it fails to meet proper requirements, Scripps News <a href="https://www.courttv.com/news/delphi-judge-indiana-ag-ask-court-to-reject-petition-to-reinstate-richard-allens-attorneys/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
Gull and Rokita wrote that the petition from the attorneys was inappropriate, and that Allen should have appealed the withdrawal of his original defense team, which he hasn’t done. The judge and AG also argued that Allen didn’t express a “clear and unquestioned” right to reinstate his attorneys, while saying his Sixth Amendment rights were not violated.
Gull argued that it was those rights she was protecting when she removed Andrew Baldwin and Brad Rozzi as Allen’s original defense attorneys following a leak of sensitive case material from Baldwin’s office. A former employee of Baldwin’s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/indiana-man-charged-with-leaking-evidence-related-to-delphi-murder-trial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has been charged</a> over that leak.
Gull also argued that Rozzi and Baldwin jeopardized the case by failing to report the leak in a timely fashion, not safeguarding case materials, and making statements that could prejudice the case and providing false information to the court.
Earlier this month, attorneys Mark Leeman and Cara Wieneke filed a Writ of Mandus arguing that Allen, who is accused of killing two teenage girls, has had his rights violated by Judge Gull, Fox 59 <a href="https://fox59.com/news/indycrime/defense-attorneys-in-delphi-murder-case-ask-indianas-supreme-court-to-vacate-special-judge/amp/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. In particular, the two point to Allen’s right to a speedy trial and Gull’s alleged bias against the defense.
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Allen, 51, is accused of murdering 13-year-old Abby Williams and 14-year-old Libby German in a case that has attracted national attention. Allen’s original court-assigned attorneys, Baldwin and Rozzi, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/delphi-murder-suspects-attorneys-wanted-to-represent-client-pro-bono-a-judge-said-no" target="_blank" rel="noopener">withdrew</a> from the case in late October – <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/judge-in-delphi-murder-case-suffers-urgent-medical-condition-closed-chambers-transcript-released" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the circumstances of which</a> form part of the basis for Leeman and Wieneke’s filing.
Attorneys Leeman and Weineke asked the Supreme Court to install a new judge. In addition, Leeman and Weineke argued that replacing the original attorneys violated Allen’s constitutional right to a speedy trial, as the trial was initially set to begin in January 2024 but now won’t start until mid-October 2024.
Baldwin and Rozzi had already filed a brief with the Indiana Supreme Court to investigate Judge Gull’s handling of the case.
For his part, Allen wrote in a letter that he wanted Baldwin and Rozzi to represent him.
“I want Mr. Baldwin and Mr. Rozzi to continue to represent me until this case is resolved, one way or the other. I believe they are acting in a manner that is in my best interest,” he wrote in his letter to Gull.
Allen, a CVS worker and father, is accused of forcing Abby and Libby off of a trail they were hiking and into a wooded area, where he allegedly killed them both.
The defense team, however, said the girls were killed by “[m]embers of a pagan Norse religion, called Odinism, hijacked by white nationalists.”
“Richard Allen has zero connections to any pagan cult or pagan cultists, and furthermore no forensic evidence (such as DNA) or electronic evidence links Richard Allen to the girls or to the crime scene – i.e., he is a completely innocent man,” they wrote.

Todd Rokita

Delphi Murder Trial Judge, Indiana AG, Ask State Supreme Court To Deny Defense Attorneys’ Reinstatement

Indiana

Teenagers

The widow of a French serial killer who was previously convicted of helping her husband kidnap and murder virgins has been charged in her alleged role in three additional murders.
Monique Olivier, wife of serial killer Michel Fourniret, will face trial over charges of aiding and abetting the kidnapping and murder of three young women decades ago, CBS News <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/monique-olivier-widow-of-serial-killer-michel-fourniret-faces-trial-over-cold-cases/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Her husband had been charged with abduction, rape, and murder in the three cases but died in 2021 before he could stand trial.
The oldest of the charges relates to the 1988 disappearance of Marie-Angele Domece, who was just 18 when she vanished from Auxerre, France. Her body was never found. Olivier is also charged in the 1990 murder of Joanna Parrish, a 20-year-old British woman whose naked body was found in the Yonne River in France.
Finally, Olivier is charged with complicity in the 2003 disappearance of Estelle Mouzin, 9, whose body has never been found.
Olivier and Fourniret were previously found guilty in 2008 in relation to numerous murders, the Associated Press <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/virgin-serial-killer-and-wife-convicted/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> at the time. Fourniret, then 66, was sentenced to life in prison for murdering seven women, most of whom were raped. The women, who were between the ages of 12 and 21, were strangled, shot, or stabbed with a screwdriver during Fourniret’s serial killings that occurred between 1987 and 2001. He reportedly targeted the women because they were virgins.
In addition to the murder convictions, Fourniret was also convicted of raping or attempting to rape all the victims.
For her part, Olivier was convicted of complicity for four of the murders and also sentenced to life in prison, but could be considered for early release after serving 28 years. Prosecutors alleged that Olivier helped her husband find virgins to feed his sexual fantasies.
Fourniret was detained by Belgian police in June 2003 after a failed kidnapping attempt of a 13-year-old girl. The girl was able to give police the license plate number of the man who kidnapped her after she was able to free herself from bindings and escape out of the back of Fourniret’s van.
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Fourniret died in 2021 at the age of 79, never facing trial for the three additional victims, even though he asked in 2008 to be tried for those murders, CBS reported.
Eric Mouzin, whose 9-year-old daughter Estelle was one of Fourniret’s victims, said only trying Olivier was &#8220;somewhat short of the mark,&#8221; according to CBS. &#8220;It will be difficult to pass judgment with only a single defendant,&#8221; he added.
Olivier’s attorney, Richard Delgenes, said that the court should “not expect any revelations” about her part in the crimes but that her participation level sets her apart from her husband.
&#8220;Unlike him, she takes no special pleasure in the pain of his victims or of the families,&#8221; he said, according to CBS.

Monique Olivier

Widow Of Serial Killer Charged With Aiding In Kidnappings And Murders

Widow Of French Serial Killer Charged With Aiding In Kidnappings And Murders

France

Rape

Serial Killers

World

An Indiana man has been charged with leaking evidence related to the high-profile murder of two Delphi teenagers.
Mitchell Westerman, 41, has been charged with one count of conversion after admitting that he took pictures of crime scene evidence related to the 2017 murders of 13-year-old Abby Williams and 14-year-old Libby German, WSBT <a href="https://wsbt.com/news/local/man-charged-in-delphi-evidence-leak-murder-richard-allen-victims-libby-german-abby-williams-teen-pictures-crime-scene-youtube-you-tube-pod-cat-podcast-indiana" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Westerman also said he leaked the photos online.
Westerman worked at the law firm of Andrew Baldwin, who was one of the original defense attorneys. The leak led to Judge Fran Gull dismissing Baldwin from the case. Westerman reportedly said he no longer worked for Baldwin but would frequently visit the attorney and his staff at their office.
Westerman said he told Baldwin four days after he leaked the photos that he had done so, saying he found the photos spread out on a conference table in Baldwin’s law office and used his phone to capture the images. Westerman then reportedly shared those photos with a man in Fishers, Indiana. That man then shared the images with a man from Texas, who then distributed the photos to YouTube and podcast creators.
The man from Fishers reportedly took his own life after being questioned by police about the leak, WSBT reported.
The leak was reported on October 5. Weeks later, Judge Gull <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/judge-in-delphi-murder-case-suffers-urgent-medical-condition-closed-chambers-transcript-released?ref=now.republican" target="_blank" rel="noopener">met with</a> Baldwin, his fellow defense attorney Brad Rozzi, and Carroll County Prosecutor Nicholas McLeland. The group discussed the leak, but Judge Gull stated that was not the only reason she wanted the attorneys removed from representing Richard Allen, who has been charged in the Delphi murders. Gull said the attorneys “potentially” violated the Rules of Professional Responsibility. She told Baldwin he was “grossly negligent” for sending a sensitive email to a “Brad” who was not Rozzi, and questioned whether the two attorneys had fully cooperated with a gag order she had filed. She also said she had evidence the attorneys “left materials all over a conference-room table, accessible to anyone.”
“It pains me to say this, but the totality of these circumstances demonstrate gross negligence and incompetence on the part of the defense team,” Gull said. “I am unsatisfied with your representation of Mr. Allen. I am gravely concerned about his rights to have competent, non-negligent representation. He currently doesn’t have that right now.”
Gull then said she told them this information privately but would say it in open court if they didn’t withdraw. From the transcript of the meeting, which was <a href="https://www.wthr.com/article/news/crime/delphi-girls-murdered/delphi-murders-trial-transcript-released-conversation-richard-allen-attorneys-disqualification-judge-chambers-libby-german-abby-williams-indiana-case/531-2878bbc2-4e2d-429a-b13e-89a0aa72b467" target="_blank" rel="noopener">first obtained by WTHR</a>:
<blockquote>Rozzi: “So basically, what you’re saying is ‘You guys either quit on your own accord or you make me fire you?’ That’s what-“
Gull: “No. I’m saying to you that this is my this is what [I] plan to say in court on the record when we convene at two o’clock.”
Rozzi: “Well, so are – is the culmination of that that you’re removing us from the case?”
Gull: “I will, based on what I’ve just shared with you.”</blockquote>
A little later in the conversation, Rozzi told Gull she had “ambushed” him and Baldwin into a “forced resignation” without giving them a real opportunity to prepare for the meeting.
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Rozzi and Baldwin did withdraw from the case but tried to represent Allen pro bono. Judge Gull denied them that opportunity.
In response, concerned attorneys not directly affiliated with the case <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/attorneys-seek-new-judge-in-delphi-murder-case-citing-bias-against-defense" target="_blank" rel="noopener">petitioned</a> the Indiana Supreme Court to replace Gull.

Mitchell Westerman

Indiana Man Charged With Leaking Evidence Related To Delphi Murder Trial

Convicted murderer and former South African Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius, who competed with carbon fiber prosthetic legs, was granted early release and will go on parole in January. 
Pistorius was granted parole on Friday by the Department of Correctional Services in South Africa, which will go into effect on January 5, Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/blade-runner-oscar-pistorius-granted-parole-10-years-killing-girlfriend-valentines-day">reported</a>. The sprinter, nicknamed “Blade Runner,” was convicted of murdering his girlfriend, 29-year-old model Reeva Steenkamp, after shooting her multiple times on Valentine’s Day morning in 2013. Pistorius was initially sentenced to 13 years and five months in prison for the slaying.
The sprinter gained popularity and fame after qualifying for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Pistorius was born without fibula bones, requiring doctors to amputate both of his legs when he was just 11 months old. He was the first amputee to <a href="https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/africa/athletic-legacy-the-first-amputee-to-win-able-bodied-track-medal-1.1927516">win</a> a world track medal among nondisabled participants at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics and became the first double amputee to compete against able-bodied Olympians in 2012. 
Less than a year after shocking the world and competing in the Olympic Games, Pistorius fired four shots into a closed bathroom door at his Pretoria, South Africa, home, killing Steenkamp. Prosecutors argued that Pistorius shot Steenkamp, whom he had been dating for three months, in a fit of rage after the model had fled to the bathroom during an argument with the Olympian. Pistorius pleaded not guilty to a charge of murder and a gun charge, arguing that he mistakenly shot Steenkamp thinking she was an intruder. 
He was convicted of manslaughter in 2014 and sentenced to five years in prison, but that conviction was overturned by a higher court, and Pistorius’ conviction was changed to murder with his sentence increasing to six years. Prosecutors appealed the ruling, arguing the sentence was too lenient, and in 2017, the sprinter’s sentence was increased to 13 years and five months by South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeals, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/24/africa/oscar-pistorius-parole-intl/index.html">according</a> to CNN.  
Earlier this year, it was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/blade-runner-pistorius-who-murdered-model-girlfriend-might-get-24-hour-guard-if-freed-on-parole">reported</a> that Pistorius would be given 24-hour police protection upon his possible release. A police source told The Daily Mail that Pistorius would be a target for criminal gangs after getting out of prison.
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“Pistorius killed a young woman and that in itself is a major no-no as far as Johannesburg’s criminal fraternity is concerned,” the source said, adding, “Oscar is a murderer, but once he has served his sentence, he should be able to rebuild his life and live safely.”

Oscar Pistorius

Former Olympic Sprinter Oscar Pistorius To Be Released On Parole Less Than 11 Years After Murdering Girlfriend

Court

Olympics

Police

South Africa

The judge assigned to oversee the trial of Richard Allen, who is accused of murdering two teenage girls in Delphi, Indiana, back in 2017, was recently in the hospital due to an “urgent medical condition.”
Judge Fran Gull had met with attorneys in the case on October 31, but by November 2, she went to her doctor complaining of feeling sick for several days, Fox 59 <a href="https://fox59.com/indiana-news/judge-overseeing-delphi-murders-case-against-richard-allen-suffers-urgent-medical-condition/amp/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
“Her doctor concluded that she required treatment for an urgent medical condition,” Allen County court administrator John McGauley said in a statement issued on Tuesday. “Judge Gull was subsequently admitted to a Fort Wayne hospital for inpatient treatment for several days.”
The statement also said that other county judges, as well as colleagues, had been helping Gull with her caseload since her hospitalization.
“Since then, she has been working from home in coordination with her Allen Superior Court colleagues,” the statement said. “Her fellow Criminal Division Judges are handling Judge Gull’s court calendar temporarily until she returns to the office, which she expects to be soon.”
The statement did not clarify whether those judges and colleagues were helping Gull on the case against Allen.
Around the same time Gull’s condition was reported, she released the transcript of her closed-door meeting with Allen’s former defense attorneys, Andrew Baldwin and Brad Rozzi. The transcript, <a href="https://www.wthr.com/article/news/crime/delphi-girls-murdered/delphi-murders-trial-transcript-released-conversation-richard-allen-attorneys-disqualification-judge-chambers-libby-german-abby-williams-indiana-case/531-2878bbc2-4e2d-429a-b13e-89a0aa72b467" target="_blank" rel="noopener">first obtained by WTHR</a>, shows the judge planned to remove the two attorneys prior to her public announcement they had withdrawn.
At the meeting, which included Carroll County Prosecutor Nicholas McLeland, the group discussed <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/attorneys-for-man-suspected-of-killing-delphi-teens-withdraw-from-case-after-security-breach" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a leak of documents</a> from Baldwin’s office, but Judge Gull stated that was not the only reason she wanted the attorneys removed from representing Allen. Gull said the attorneys “potentially” violated the Rules of Professional Responsibility. She told Baldwin he was “grossly negligent” for sending a sensitive email to a “Brad” who was not Rozzi, and questioned whether the two attorneys had fully cooperated with a gag order she had filed. She also said she had evidence the attorneys “left materials all over a conference-room table, accessible to anyone.”
“It pains me to say this, but the totality of these circumstances demonstrate gross negligence and incompetence on the part of the defense team,” Gull said. “I am unsatisfied with your representation of Mr. Allen. I am gravely concerned about his rights to have competent, non-negligent representation. He currently doesn’t have that right now.”
Gull then said she told them this information privately but would say it in open court if they didn’t withdraw. From the transcript:
<blockquote>Rozzi: “So basically, what you’re saying is ‘You guys either quit on your own accord or you make me fire you?’ That’s what-&#8220;
Gull: “No. I’m saying to you that this is my this is what [I] plan to say in court on the record when we convene at two o’clock.”
Rozzi: “Well, so are – is the culmination of that that you’re removing us from the case?”
Gull: “I will, based on what I’ve just shared with you.”</blockquote>
A little later in the conversation, Rozzi told Gull she had “ambushed” him and Baldwin into a “forced resignation” without giving them a real opportunity to prepare for the meeting.
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“The options I’ve been given without any notice the Court really are either I withdraw or I’m gonna be publicly shamed,” Rozzi said, “And that’s the way I see this. And I think that public shaming is not only – there’s not only a professional element to that, I think there’s a personal element too.”
As for the leak, Prosecutor McLeland said he was concerned it wasn’t the only leak in the case, and Rozzi said he had seen TV anchors holding evidence while reporting, arguing that evidence will be leaked during a trial this high-profile.
“The point here is, I’m gonna say this maybe a little loosely, but forgive me, don’t care,” Rozzi said. “I don’t care that all this stuff is out there, because it’s been out there for five or six years. I don’t have time, he doesn’t have time, he doesn’t have time to sit and try to marshal all of this stuff while this case is ongoing, because there’s no end to it.”
Rozzi and Baldwin did withdraw from the case but tried to represent Allen pro bono. Judge Gull denied them that opportunity.
In response, concerned attorneys not directly affiliated with the case <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/attorneys-seek-new-judge-in-delphi-murder-case-citing-bias-against-defense" target="_blank" rel="noopener">petitioned</a> the Indiana Supreme Court to replace Gull.
Allen, 51, is accused of murdering 13-year-old Abby Williams and 14-year-old Libby German in a case that has attracted national attention.

Richard Allen

Judge In Delphi Murder Case Suffers ‘Urgent Medical Condition,’ Closed Chambers Transcript Released

Judge In Delphi Murder Case Suffers ‘Urgent Medical Condition,’ Transcript Released Of Meeting With Former Defense Attorneys

The family of the suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer has reportedly made a deal with Peacock worth $1 million to make a documentary series.
Two independent sources <a href="https://www.newsnationnow.com/crime/murder-gilgo-beach-family-earn-money-rex-heurmann/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> NewsNation that the suspect’s wife and family will receive $1 million for participating in the project, which will follow their lives as they cope with the upcoming trial and how it has uprooted their lives.
The suspect, who The Daily Wire is not naming, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/heres-how-a-pizza-box-and-hair-led-police-to-the-suspected-gilgo-beach-serial-killer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was arrested</a> on July 13 for the murder of three women whose bodies were found on Gilgo Beach in Long Island, New York, in 2010. Six days after his arrest, his wife filed for divorce.
She will now begin attending each of his court appearances to see the evidence against her husband, ABC News <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/amp/US/gilgo-beach-suspect-rex-heuermanns-estranged-wife-court/story?id=104858840" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. The estranged wife also visited her husband in jail recently.
The suspect’s estranged wife talked to reporters for the first time in July after investigators finished searching the family home, the New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/07/28/gilgo-beach-suspect-rex-heuermanns-estranged-wife-breaks-her-silence/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> at the time.
“If you want to take pictures, go ahead. I’m OK with it now,” the woman told reporters, <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12349299/Gilgo-Beach-killers-wife-Asa-Ellerup-breaks-silence-say-husband-Rex-Heuermanns-three-alleged-murders-left-depressed-traumatized.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to the Daily Mail</a>. “If you want to stand up here and wait for something. I have a lot of work to do.”
“The sheer depression of what I saw was enough trauma,” she added.
After filing for divorce, the woman’s attorney, Bob Macedonio, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/rex-heuermanns-wife-pictured-first-time-files-divorce-gilgo-beach-serial-slaying-suspect" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> Fox News that the arrest had taken a toll on the family.
“This is all still a whirlwind,” Macedonio told the outlet. “Her and her children’s lives have been completely turned upside-down.”
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Macedonio further said that about an hour after the 59-year-old suspect was arrested, authorities went to his house and informed his family. They then seized the family’s passports, computers, phones, and iPads.
“They were home and the cops came in, and they were completely blindsided, and they told them what was going on,” Macedonio told Fox.
Police investigating the Gilgo Beach serial killings are operating on the theory that the suspect committed the murders in his own home, a source told CNN.
The theory is based on the fact that the suspect’s family was out of town during the murders, suggesting he may have lured the victims to his home, a source involved in the investigation <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/20/us/gilgo-beach-serial-killings-rex-heuermann-house/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> CNN.
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Authorities are operating under this theory, the source said, as they continue to search the suspect’s home for trace evidence of the victims. Killing them at his own home would have allowed him to control the environment while having easy access to the materials found along with the victims at Gilgo Beach on Long Island, such as tape and burlap bags.
Four bodies were found within days of each other. The body of Melissa Barthelemy was found on December 11, 2010, during a police training exercise with a K9, according to <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23876053-heuermann-bail-application" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a bail application</a> obtained by the Daily Beast. Two days later, police searched the area and discovered the bodies of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Megan Waterman, and Amber Costello. So far, the suspect has not been charged for Brainard-Barnes’ death but is the prime suspect.
If convicted, he faces multiple life sentences without parole.

Gilgo Beach

Gilgo Beach Serial Killer Suspect’s Family To Make $1 Million For Docuseries

Gilgo Beach Serial Killer Suspect's Family To Make $1 Million For Docuseries

New York

A Texas woman convicted of killing a professional cyclist as part of a love triangle has been sentenced to 90 years in prison.
Kaitlin Marie Armstrong, 35, was sentenced on Friday to the lengthy prison term for fatally shooting Anna Moriah “Mo” Wilson in Austin, Texas, back in May 2022. The same Travis County jury that found Armstrong guilty deliberated for about three hours before recommending 90 years in prison. Judge Brenda Kennedy accepted the recommendation.
&#8220;Other than the prosecution team, there really are no winners here,&#8221; the victim’s father said after the sentencing was handed down, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/texas-jury-sentences-killer-bicyclist-moriah-mo-wilson-90-years-bars-rcna125691" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to NBC News</a>. &#8220;This is not a time for celebration but a time for prayer, a time to pray for our family, her friends and [the] Armstrong family and their friends.&#8221;
Armstrong killed Wilson because the professional cyclist had briefly dated Armstrong’s on-again-off-again boyfriend while the two were on a break. Armstrong’s ex-boyfriend, professional cyclist Colin Strickland, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ex-boyfriend-testifies-against-woman-accused-of-killing-elite-cyclist-romantic-rival" target="_blank" rel="noopener">testified at the trial</a> about Armstrong’s jealousy and their “tumultuous” relationship.
Strickland said that he once loved Armstrong but wasn’t sure about a long-term relationship with her, which caused tension. The couple lived together even though they took breaks in their relationship, ABC News <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/kaitlin-armstrong-former-boyfriend-testifies/story?id=104623002" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. During these breaks, Strickland said, Armstrong would confront him if she found out he was talking to other women.
In October 2021, Strickland met Wilson at a cycling race in Bentonville, Arkansas. He testified that he and Armstrong broke up shortly after the race.
Strickland began dating Wilson when she was in Austin for a race. He then learned that Armstrong had confronted the other woman about the relationship, which Strickland said was “strange and unnerving” since he didn’t remember telling Armstrong about Wilson. When Wilson left Austin for another race, she and Strickland stopped dating but remained friends.
Strickland and Armstrong got back together by December 2021. During this time, he would text with Wilson on a “professional” basis – discussing gear, races, and sponsorship opportunities, he said. But to “avoid conflict” with Armstrong, Strickland testified that he deleted his messages with Wilson and changed her name in his phone to “Christine Wall.”
On May 11, 2022, Strickland met with Wilson, who was in Austin again for a race. The two went swimming, ate burgers, and drank beer before he dropped her off at a friend’s house. He didn’t tell Armstrong about his day with Wilson but knew Armstrong had access to his Apple account and was able to view his messages with her.
The next day, police arrived at Strickland’s home to tell him Wilson had been murdered. He was brought in for questioning, but police soon turned their attention to Armstrong.
An affidavit filed in relation to the federal case against Armstrong <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/woman-accused-of-killing-elite-cyclist-allegedly-planned-escape-for-months" target="_blank" rel="noopener">described evidence</a> that Armstrong had committed the murder.
“According to a witness, Armstrong expressed a desire to kill [Wilson] in January 2022, based on a personal grievance toward [Wilson],” the affidavit said, <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/07/12/metro/aliases-plastic-surgery-receipt-43-days-run-how-suspect-vt-cyclist-slaying-got-caught-costa-rica/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to the Boston Globe</a>. “A surveillance camera recorded what appears to be Armstrong’s vehicle near the scene of [Wilson’s] murder at the approximate time the murder occurred.”
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The filing also said that a pistol belonging to Armstrong had been retrieved from her home during a search and that “Laboratory test-firing of Armstrong’s pistol confirmed that it fired the spent shell casings that [Austin police] found at the scene of the murder.”
Wilson was a star skier through college before switching to cycling and gravitating toward “gravel racing,” described as a sport sitting between road cycling and mountain biking. She was favored to win a 157-mile race on May 14 but was shot and killed days earlier, on May 11.
Police quickly honed in on Armstrong and brought her in for questioning. Days later, on May 14, Armstrong flew from Austin, Texas, where Wilson was killed, to Houston, and then from Houston to LaGuardia Airport in New York. From there, she traveled to Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey and then flew to San Jose, Costa Rica. A homicide warrant for Armstrong’s arrest was issued on May 18, the day she flew to Costa Rica. On May 25, a federal warrant charged her with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.
Armstrong was found at a hostel in Santa Teresa Beach in Provincia de Puntarenas, the Globe reported.

Kaitlin Armstrong Mugshot

Texas Woman Sentenced To 90 Years In Prison For Killing Professional Cyclist

Austin

Texas

The judge who oversaw Alex Murdaugh’s murder trial will not oversee any of the proceedings regarding his bid for a new trial.
Murdaugh’s defense team has repeatedly asked that South Carolina Circuit Judge Clifton Newman be removed from Murdaugh’s future cases, Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/alex-murdaugh-scores-major-win-bid-new-double-murder-trial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Newman previously sentenced Murdaugh to two consecutive life sentences without parole for the murder of his wife, Maggie, and youngest son Paul, following a guilty verdict.
The defense team has argued that Newman shouldn’t oversee more of Murdaugh’s proceedings since he is a witness in an issue that would factor into the case for a new trial. That issue relates to concerns the defense team has about Colleton County court clerk Becky Hill, whom attorneys Jim Griffin and Dick Harpootlian <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/alex-murdaughs-attorneys-accuse-court-clerk-of-jury-tampering-to-get-book-deal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">have accused</a> of tampering with jurors to sway them toward a guilty verdict so she could get a book deal. The attorneys filed a motion back in September to the South Carolina Court of Appeals arguing that Hill “tampered with the jury by advising them not to believe Murdaugh’s testimony and other evidence presented by the defense, pressuring them to reach a quick guilty verdict, and even misrepresenting critical and material information to the trial judge in her campaign to remove a juror she believed to be favorable to the defense.”
The filing, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/05/us/alex-murdaugh-new-trial-request/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reviewed by CNN</a>, went on to accuse Hill of seeking a book deal during the trial.
“Ms. Hill did these things to secure for herself a book deal and media appearances that would not happen in the event of a mistrial. Ms. Hill betrayed her oath of office for money and fame. Once these 2 facts are proven, the law does not allow the Court any discretion about how to respond. It must grant a new trial,” the filing said.
The filing cites at least three sworn affidavits, CNN reported, including one from a juror who decided Murdaugh’s fate and another who was dismissed. It also includes excerpts from Hill’s book, titled “Behind the Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders,” which was published in August.
A jury found Murdaugh <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/alex-murdaugh-found-guilty-of-killing-wife-son" target="_blank" rel="noopener">guilty of murder</a> on March 2, and he was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences.
The decision came after just a few hours of deliberation and a six-week trial where more than 70 witnesses testified. Murdaugh has maintained his innocence, suggesting his son Paul was the main target for the murders due to his involvement in a 2019 boat crash that killed 19-year-old Mallory Beach.
Murdaugh spent nearly two days testifying in his own defense at his trial and immediately admitted to lying for years about his whereabouts on the day his wife and son were murdered.
The prosecution had already argued that Murdaugh lied about not going to the dog kennels on the day his wife and son were murdered. Prosecutor Creighton Waters previously pointed <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/cell-phone-evidence-puts-disgraced-attorney-alex-murdaugh-at-scene-of-family-murder-prosecutors-say" target="_blank" rel="noopener">to cell phone evidence</a> taken from Paul’s phone less than five minutes before he was killed. Paul had filmed one of the dogs to send to a friend, and prosecutors allege Murdaugh’s voice can be heard in the background of the recording. Murdaugh has said he wasn’t at the kennels that night. Prosecutors said that Murdaugh murdered his wife and son around 8:49 p.m., just a few minutes after the video was taken.
When Murdaugh took the stand, his defense attorneys asked him if he had lied to police about his whereabouts on the night his family was murdered, and Murdaugh admitted to lying.
“I lied about being down there, and I’m so sorry that I did,” Murdaugh said, <a href="https://people.com/crime/alex-murdaugh-admits-lying-police-murders-wife-son/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to People Magazine</a>.
Murdaugh maintained that he did not murder his wife and son, whom he referred to by nicknames “Mags” and “Paul Paul.” He claimed during his testimony that his alleged drug addiction made him “paranoid,” which caused him to lie.

Judge In Alex Murdaugh Trial Won’t Oversee Bid For New Trial In Major Win For Convicted Killer

A Texas woman was found guilty on Thursday of killing a professional cyclist as part of a love triangle gone wrong.
Kaitlin Marie Armstrong, 35, was found guilty of fatally shooting Anna Moriah “Mo” Wilson in Austin, Texas, back in May 2022. The jury took less than two hours to come to their verdict, People Magazine <a href="https://people.com/kaitlin-armstrong-found-guilty-murder-professional-cyclist-8402691" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
Armstrong faces life in prison.
Armstrong killed Wilson because the professional cyclist had briefly dated Armstrong’s on-again-off-again boyfriend while the two were on a break. Armstrong’s ex-boyfriend, professional cyclist Colin Strickland, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ex-boyfriend-testifies-against-woman-accused-of-killing-elite-cyclist-romantic-rival" target="_blank" rel="noopener">testified at the trial</a> about Armstrong’s jealousy and their “tumultuous” relationship.
Strickland said that he had once loved Armstrong but wasn’t sure about a long-term relationship with her, which caused tension in the relationship. The couple lived together even though they took breaks in their relationship, ABC News <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/kaitlin-armstrong-former-boyfriend-testifies/story?id=104623002" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. During these breaks, Strickland said, Armstrong would confront him if she found out he was talking to other women.
In October 2021, Strickland met Wilson at a cycling race in Bentonville, Arkansas. He testified that he and Armstrong broke up shortly after the race.
Strickland began dating Wilson when she was in Austin for a race. He then learned that Armstrong had confronted the other woman about the relationship, which Strickland said was “strange and unnerving” since he didn’t remember telling Armstrong about Wilson. When Wilson left Austin for another race, she and Strickland stopped dating but remained friends.
Strickland and Armstrong got back together by December 2021. During this time, he would text with Wilson on a “professional” basis – discussing gear, races, and sponsorship opportunities, he said. But to “avoid conflict” with Armstrong, Strickland testified that he deleted his messages with Wilson and changed her name in his phone to “Christine Wall.”
On May 11, 2022, Strickland met with Wilson, who was in Austin again for a race. The two went swimming, ate burgers, and drank beer before he dropped her off at a friend’s house. He didn’t tell Armstrong about his day with Wilson but knew Armstrong had access to his Apple account and was able to view his messages with her.
The next day, police arrived at Strickland’s home to tell him Wilson had been murdered. He was brought in for questioning, but police soon turned their attention to Armstrong.
An affidavit filed in relation to the federal case against Armstrong <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/woman-accused-of-killing-elite-cyclist-allegedly-planned-escape-for-months" target="_blank" rel="noopener">described evidence</a> that Armstrong had committed the murder.
“According to a witness, Armstrong expressed a desire to kill [Wilson] in January 2022, based on a personal grievance toward [Wilson],” the affidavit said, <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/07/12/metro/aliases-plastic-surgery-receipt-43-days-run-how-suspect-vt-cyclist-slaying-got-caught-costa-rica/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to the Boston Globe</a>. “A surveillance camera recorded what appears to be Armstrong’s vehicle near the scene of [Wilson’s] murder at the approximate time the murder occurred.”
The filing also said that a pistol belonging to Armstrong had been retrieved from her home during a search and that “Laboratory test-firing of Armstrong’s pistol confirmed that it fired the spent shell casings that [Austin police] found at the scene of the murder.”
Wilson was a star skier through college before switching to cycling and gravitating toward “gravel racing,” described as a sport sitting between road cycling and mountain biking. She was favored to win a 157-mile race on May 14 but was shot and killed days earlier, on May 11.
Police quickly honed in on Armstrong and brought her in for questioning. Days later, on May 14, Armstrong flew from Austin, Texas, where Wilson was killed, to Houston, and then from Houston to LaGuardia Airport in New York. From there, she traveled to Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey and then flew to San Jose, Costa Rica. A homicide warrant for Armstrong’s arrest was issued on May 18, the day she flew to Costa Rica. On May 25, a federal warrant charged her with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.
Armstrong was found at a hostel in Santa Teresa Beach in Provincia de Puntarenas, the Globe reported.

Texas Woman Found Guilty Of Murdering Elite Cyclist Due To Love Triangle

Cycling

The estranged wife of the man accused of being the Gilgo Beach serial killer attended one of his court hearings on Wednesday, the first time she has appeared in court.
The woman, who will not be named since The Daily Wire isn’t naming her husband, filed for divorce just six days after her husband was arrested for allegedly killing three prostitutes and dumping their bodies on Gilgo Beach. The woman’s attorney suggested she would begin attending every court date so that she can see the evidence against her husband, ABC News <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/amp/US/gilgo-beach-suspect-rex-heuermanns-estranged-wife-court/story?id=104858840" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
The estranged wife also visited her husband in jail recently and is reportedly under contract with a production company, ABC reported.
The court appearance on Wednesday allowed attorneys and prosecutors to handle future scheduling matters.
The suspect’s estranged wife talked to reporters for the first time in July after investigators finished searching the property, the New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/07/28/gilgo-beach-suspect-rex-heuermanns-estranged-wife-breaks-her-silence/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> at the time.
“If you want to take pictures, go ahead. I’m OK with it now,” the woman told reporters, <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12349299/Gilgo-Beach-killers-wife-Asa-Ellerup-breaks-silence-say-husband-Rex-Heuermanns-three-alleged-murders-left-depressed-traumatized.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to the Daily Mail</a>. “If you want to stand up here and wait for something. I have a lot of work to do.”
“The sheer depression of what I saw was enough trauma,” she added.
After filing for divorce, the woman’s attorney, Bob Macedonio, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/rex-heuermanns-wife-pictured-first-time-files-divorce-gilgo-beach-serial-slaying-suspect" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> Fox News that the arrest had taken a toll on the family.
“This is all still a whirlwind,” Macedonio told the outlet. “Her and her children’s lives have been completely turned upside-down.”
Macedonio further said that about an hour after the 59-year-old suspect was arrested, authorities went to his house and informed his family. They then seized the family’s passports, computers, phones, and iPads.
“They were home and the cops came in, and they were completely blindsided, and they told them what was going on,” Macedonio told Fox.
Police investigating the Gilgo Beach serial killings are operating on the theory that the suspect committed the murders in his own home, a source told CNN.
The theory is based on the fact that the suspect’s family was out of town during the murders, suggesting he may have lured the victims to his home, a source involved in the investigation <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/20/us/gilgo-beach-serial-killings-rex-heuermann-house/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> CNN.
Authorities are operating under this theory, the source said, as they continue to search the suspect’s home for trace evidence of the victims. Killing them at his own home would have allowed him to control the environment while having easy access to the materials found along with the victims at Gilgo Beach on Long Island, such as tape and burlap bags.
The 59-year-old suspect, who remained unidentified for more than a decade, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/heres-how-a-pizza-box-and-hair-led-police-to-the-suspected-gilgo-beach-serial-killer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was arrested</a> on July 13 for the murder of three women whose bodies were found on Gilgo Beach in Long Island, New York, in 2010.
Four bodies were found within days of each other. The body of Melissa Barthelemy was found on December 11, 2010, during a police training exercise with a K9, according to <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23876053-heuermann-bail-application" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a bail application</a> obtained by the Daily Beast. Two days later, police searched the area and discovered the bodies of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Megan Waterman, and Amber Costello. So far, the suspect has not been charged for Brainard-Barnes’ death but is the prime suspect.
If convicted, he faces multiple life sentences without parole.

Gilgo Beach Serial Killings

Gilgo Beach Serial Killer Suspect’s Estranged Wife Attends Court Hearing, Wants To See Evidence For Herself

Gilgo Beach Serial Killer Suspect's Estranged Wife Attends Court Hearing, Wants To See Evidence For Herself

Last week, Florida dentist Charlie Adelson was convicted of plotting to have his former brother-in-law murdered. Now, Adelson’s mother has been arrested for her alleged role in the murder-for-hire plot.
Donna Adelson, 73, was arrested on Monday and charged in connection with the murder of her former son-in-law, Florida State University law professor Dan Markel, the Tallahassee Democrat <a href="https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/local/2023/11/13/donna-adelson-arrested-days-after-sons-conviction-in-dan-markel-murder/71572257007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Donna has been charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy, and solicitation, the same charges on which Charlie was convicted.
State Attorney Jack Campbell told the outlet that Donna and her husband were intercepted at Miami International Airport preparing to board a flight to Vietnam, which has no extradition treaty with the United States. Campbell also said that police and prosecutors had enough evidence to arrest Donna, but the timeline of her arrest was sped up after they learned she was flying to Vietnam.
“That’s what forced our hand,” Campbell told the Democrat. &#8220;We started talking to some of our law enforcement partners about the complexities of trying to bring someone back from either Dubai or Vietnam. And that might be a very complicated and lengthy process. So that’s why we had to make a decision quickly.&#8221;
The flight was scheduled less than 48 hours before a grand jury was set to meet – which may have taken Donna’s case. Campbell added that there wasn’t enough evidence to arrest Donna’s husband, Harvey.
Donna is currently being held at the Miami-Dade Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center without bond but is expected to be transported to the same detention facility where her son is incarcerated and awaiting sentencing.
Charlie Adelson, 47, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/florida-dentist-convicted-of-hiring-hitmen-to-kill-former-brother-in-law" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was found guilty</a> of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, and solicitation of first-degree murder, according to <a href="https://people.com/florida-dentist-convicted-murder-hiring-hitman-kill-brother-in-law-sisters-custody-battle-8391765" target="_blank" rel="noopener">People Magazine</a>. A jury deliberated for just three hours before finding him guilty, the Tallahassee Democrat <a href="https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2023/11/06/charlie-adelson-jury-returns-guilty-verdict-2014-murder-for-hire-killing-of-dan-markel-tallahassee/71478420007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
Charlie reportedly mouthed the word “no” and lowered his head to the table after the first guilty verdict was read. He showed little reaction to the other verdicts.
Charlie was found guilty of hiring hitmen in 2014 to kill Markel. Markel and Charlie’s sister, Wendi, were locked in a contentious child custody dispute at the time the professor was murdered. Wendi had wanted to take the couple’s two children to Miami after their divorce to be closer to her family but was told she couldn’t make the move unless Markel consented, which he didn’t.
Markel had pulled into his garage on July 18, 2014, and was promptly shot twice in the head by unknown assailants. He was taken to a hospital but died 14 hours later.
Years later, it was discovered that the murder was part of a plot devised by Charlie and his mother Donna, who used a woman named Katherine Magbanua as an intermediary to hire two men, Sigfredo Garcia and Luis Rivera, to murder Markel.
At the time of the planning, Charlie was dating Magbanua, who hired Garcia, the father of her children, to kill Markel. Garcia enlisted Rivera to help him, according to prosecutors. Garcia and Rivera drove to Tallahassee from Miami in a rental car to conduct the murder. This rental car was tracked across the state of Florida and was even captured on bus cameras, placing it in the vicinity of Markel’s home just after the murder.
Rivera pled guilty in 2016 to the crime and was sentenced to 19 years in prison. In 2019, Garcia was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years for the conspiracy. Magbanua was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. Her first trial resulted in a hung jury, and she is appealing her conviction.
During his trial, Charlie claimed he had nothing to do with the plot to murder Markel, WPLG <a href="https://www.local10.com/news/local/2023/11/06/trial-continues-for-alleged-mastermind-behind-murder-of-fsu-professor/">reported</a>. He claimed Magbanua, who became his ex-girlfriend, had planned the murder with Garcia and Rivera all on her own and then extorted him. This was Charlie’s attempt to explain away the $100,000 <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/06/us/charles-adelson-dan-markel-murder-conviction.html#:~:text=Charles%20Adelson%20was%20arrested%20last,practice%20for%20%243%2C000%20a%20month.">paid</a> to Magbanua.

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