A search for missing Oklahoma 4-year-old Athena Brownfield ended in tragedy after remains discovered last week were positively identified as belonging to the missing girl.
Brownfield was first discovered missing on January 10 after a mail carrier found her 5-year-old sister wandering around outside of a home in Cyril, Oklahoma, CNN <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/17/us/athena-brownfield-ivon-adams-caretaker-beat-death-affidavit/index.html">reported</a>. Ivon Adams and his wife Alysia were arrested days later and charged in Brownfield’s disappearance. The two were caring for the two young girls, police allege.
“Due to a gag order filed in Caddo County District Court, there is no additional comment on the investigation from the OSBI,” the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) said in <a href="https://www.facebook.com/OSBI.OK?hc_ref=ARTg3ns84Qw9tROP8G2jVWmBNURNGrblR3I_3nZj8dNsL0bPr70Zf6WXx3GHirQFq7g&amp;fref=nf&amp;__xts__%5b0%5d=68.ARBYEH2kAoHekDVReyu0X5lNwZiLwd_2MVejobQRkQ1PMNHKSCvvW6uFBtdS1fKf9dYeSf6whEKL23qV1D-H6sAGR_zZEl5SWuv43BvklVGPVQ21XL-H1oJ0Ztl57fLCZH4ce7QUC4ZGrCtM01fK4mNCB5pq0gPSfYhDAOAeCxHVmwjpQKh1P5PRejb8RNIRMXZwGK3K2lHHudaRXEoLkeDeBZzdbAp7e5-5hKlIGrznUn91jhkL0GKGMsh8ZOWaqj87cUSVHv4eD2A2lMpH3j5654_5lUKdnaErw9D1RkmTbc8">a statement</a> posted to Facebook.
Ivon faces additional charges of first-degree murder and felony child neglect and is accused of beating Brownfield to death and burying her near his old house. Alysia has pleaded not guilty to two counts of felony child neglect. She is accused of “failing to protect (Athena) from physical abuse” from her husband, a charging document said.
On January 12, Alysia confessed in an interview with authorities that Ivon beat Brownfield multiple times on Christmas night, leading to her death.
Alysia detailed the brutal details of her husband’s alleged murder, saying that after he beat Brownfield, he “held her up by her arms” and saw that she was “not moving and her eyes were barely open,” the arrest affidavit said.
Ivon allegedly then “laid her on the ground and punched her at least three more times in the chest.” Brownfield stopped moving after that beating.
He then allegedly “buried her near a fence line” outside their old house in Rush Springs, Oklahoma, according to court documents. Alysia allegedly told authorities that Ivon placed a “large broken branch” over the ground where he buried the young girl.
Ivon was arrested in Arizona and was extradited back to Oklahoma, where he is currently in jail.
On January 17, the OSBI <a href="https://www.facebook.com/OSBI.OK/posts/pfbid0232hmWocnfWh3o1nrADxmYJ4TJaF9sCk1sjMe6XPftb8Y5Zvbf7HUsi1VNpEbP9ghl">announced</a> that it had “recovered the remains of a child in rural Grady County outside of Rush Springs.” At the time, the bureau couldn’t confirm the remains were those of Brownfield, but said they had been taken to the medical examiner’s office in Oklahoma City for identification.
Court documents revealed that the Adams had been caring for Brownfield and her older sister for the past two years, after the children’s biological mother left them in their care for unknown reasons. The couple allegedly didn’t take the girls to the doctor and didn’t enroll Brownfield’s older sister in school.
A funeral for Brownfield was held on Wednesday.

Forensic Science

Remains Found In Oklahoma Identified As Missing 4-Year-Old Athena Brownfield

Child Abuse

Children

Crime

Murder

Oklahoma

U.S.

Opening statements have begun in the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/murder">murder</a> trial involving a prominent <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/south-carolina">South Carolina</a> legal dynasty, with prosecutors revealing new evidence against disgraced former attorney Alex Murdaugh.
Murdaugh is accused of murdering his wife, Maggie, and youngest son, Paul, to build sympathy for himself as his embezzlement of millions of dollars from his law firm and clients was about to be revealed.
“Listen to that gathering storm that all came to a head,” lead prosecutor Creighton Waters said in his opening statements, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/25/us/alex-murdaugh-murder-trial.html">according to The New York Times</a>. “The evidence is going to be such that you are going to reach the inescapable conclusion that Alex murdered Maggie and Paul, that he was the storm, that the storm was coming for them, and the storm arrived on June 7, 2021.”
Waters said that Murdaugh texted and called his dead wife’s phone after allegedly committing the murders to create an alibi, but that evidence shows Murdaugh was at the dog kennels on his family’s estate when the murders occurred. The prosecutor pointed to bullet casings matching those found around Maggie’s body in other places on the property, which Waters suggested meant she was killed with “a family weapon.”
He added that Murdaugh didn’t have an explanation for where two of the three rifles he had purchased over the past couple of years had gone. Waters also mentioned that empty boxes of ammunition with the same brand and type of bullets as those in the bodies were found on the property.
Even more damning was a raincoat with gunshot residue found at Murdaugh’s mother’s home, where he went after his wife and son were murdered.
Waters also pointed to cell phone evidence 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 allege that Murdaugh murdered his wife and son around 8:49 p.m., just a few minutes after the video was taken.
In the defense’s opening statements, Murdaugh’s attorney Dick Harpootlian argued that the brutal nature of the murders was one reason Murdaugh couldn’t be the killer since he was described as a loving father and husband.
“He didn’t kill — butcher — his son and his wife,” Harpootlian said in his opening statement. “And you need to put from your mind any suggestion that he did.”
The defense also argued that the prosecution’s timeline was wrong and that Maggie and Paul were killed at some point after Murdaugh had left to visit his mother, People Magazine <a href="https://people.com/crime/alex-murdaugh-trial-prosecutors-discuss-son-cell-phone-video/">reported</a>. Murdaugh has said he left his estate around 9 p.m., returning an hour later and calling 911 to say he had found his wife and son dead.
Murdaugh was already in prison for dozens of other charges, including financial crimes and charges related to his alleged attempt to stage a fake “hit” on himself. Those charges, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/alex-murdaugh-charged-with-murder-in-death-of-wife-son/2022/07/14/677dce78-0387-11ed-8beb-2b4e481b1500_story.html">according to The Washington Post</a>, were made after his wife and son were killed, but he had not been indicted for their deaths until July 2022.
The murder charge was the last in a long and bizarre story regarding the once-prominent South Carolina attorney. After Murdaugh’s wife and son were murdered, police began looking into Murdaugh’s life and discovered numerous disturbing details.
Murdaugh was accused of stealing $8.5 million from people who had hired him as their attorney. He is also alleged to have orchestrated his own murder by hiring a friend to kill him so that his surviving son, Buster, could receive a $10 million life insurance payout. Murdaugh allegedly lied to police about the incident, claiming a stranger shot him on the side of the road. This all took place just days after Murdaugh’s firm discovered he had stolen money from clients.
Further, state police began looking into the hit-and-run death of a 19-year-old in July 2015 as a possible connection to Murdaugh, but no additional details have been released. Authorities also exhumed the body of Murdaugh’s former housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield, who was said to have died after a fall in 2018. Murdaugh allegedly collected more than $4 million from his home insurer by claiming wrongful death and saying he was working for Satterfield’s family, but the family didn’t receive any of the money, according to prosecutors.
In June 2022, Murdaugh was also indicted for alleged money laundering and creating a “distribution network” for painkillers, the Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/article/crime-south-carolina-money-laundering-indictments-7cb0c6e33cd9ad421dafd5e82df52795">reported</a> at the time. Murdaugh allegedly ran the drug ring with the same friend he allegedly hired to kill him.
Murdaugh has repeatedly denied killing his wife and son, saying he was visiting his parents when they were killed. He’s been in jail since October with a $7 million bond. Last summer, the South Carolina Supreme Court disbarred him, with his attorneys declining to contest the arguments against his disbarment.

US-NEWS-MURDAUGH-CS

Cell Phone Evidence Puts Disgraced Attorney Alex Murdaugh At Scene Of Family Murder, Prosecutors Say

South Carolina

A <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/massachusetts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Massachusetts</a> mother will be charged with <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/murder" target="_blank" rel="noopener">murder</a> after she allegedly strangled her <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/children" target="_blank" rel="noopener">children</a> before attempting suicide, prosecutors say.
On Tuesday night, a man called 911 saying a woman had attempted suicide by jumping out of a window. The woman was identified as Lindsay Clancy, 32, of Duxbury, Massachusetts, and the caller was identified as her husband but remains unnamed.
When police arrived at the home, they found three children &#8220;unconscious with obvious signs of trauma,&#8221; Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz said during a press conference Wednesday afternoon, <a href="https://cbs12.com/news/nation-world/da-2-children-killed-baby-airlifted-to-hospital-in-unimaginable-senseless-tragedy-duxbury-massachusetts-plymouth-county-district-attorney-timothy-cruz-emergency-police-fire-murder-kids-hurt-infant?fbclid=IwAR1glXDeL6Q1e3JIOvAX5Qopnc6nbg-r013zaeFGz-kb8p1LQAOX69fRXkM" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to CBS 12</a>.
“It’s a horrific situation,” Cruz said. “We’re still putting it together.
He said a preliminary investigation from the medical examiner found that the children had been strangled by their mother. Two of the children, a 5-year-old girl and a 3-year-old boy, were taken to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center but were pronounced dead. A 7-month-old baby was flown to Boston Children’s Hospital and is still in their care.
“The child is in care right now as we speak,&#8221; Cruz said at the press conference. &#8220;I don&#8217;t have his exact status but I think we should all be praying for him.”
The children’s mother is also being treated at a Boston hospital and will be charged with murder for the deaths of two of her children. Clancy is a labor and delivery nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital, the Boston Globe <a href="https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2023/01/25/duxbury-mother-lindsay-clancy-charged-murder-children/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
&#8220;We will be arraigning her with two charges of murder in the deaths of her children,&#8221; Cruz said.
The Plymouth County District Attorney&#8217;s Office announced Wednesday that Clancy faced two counts of homicide, three counts of strangulation, and three counts of assault and battery with a deadly weapon, NBC Boston <a href="https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/duxbury-mom-charged-with-strangling-children-as-community-and-family-grapples-with-tragedy/2955419/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
Cruz assured the public that they were safe and that this was not a random incident. He also declined to comment on possible mental health issues Clancy may have been facing.
“When something like this happens, there are obviously usually more questions than there are answers,” he said. “As we proceed forward, we will give answers as we can.”
The children’s aunt, Donna Jesse, <a href="https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/duxbury-mom-charged-with-strangling-children-as-community-and-family-grapples-with-tragedy/2955419/">expressed her grief</a> to the outlet.
&#8220;They were just beautiful, beautiful children. Well cared for — they were just beautiful, that&#8217;s it. They had a beautiful life,&#8221; she said.
The children’s great-grandmother, Rita Musgrove, told the outlet that she had talked to their mother just a week ago and that nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
&#8220;It&#8217;s a pretty shocking thing, and it is heartbreaking,&#8221; she said.
The Duxbury Fire Department released a statement Thursday morning saying their &#8220;thoughts and prayers are with the victims of this tragic event, their family members, and all the members of our public safety community who responded.&#8221;
If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or go to <a class="css-yywogo" title="" href="http://speakingofsuicide.com/resources" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources</a> for a list of additional resources.

Crime Scene with Police Car

Mother Strangled Her Children Then Attempted Suicide, Prosecutors Say

Massachusetts

Suicide

A <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/florida" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Florida</a> man was arrested and charged Wednesday for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/murder" target="_blank" rel="noopener">murdering</a> a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/microsoft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Microsoft</a> executive nearly a year ago.
Henry Tenon, 61, was charged with conspiracy to commit murder, second-degree murder, and accessory after the fact to a capital felony, as well as child abuse, People Magazine <a href="https://people.com/crime/arrest-made-mysterious-2022-death-microsoft-executive-jared-bridegan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. The charges relate to the February 16, 2022, murder of Microsoft executive Jared Bridegan, 33, who was shot and killed in front of his two-year-old daughter.
&#8220;We know that Henry Tenon did not act alone,&#8221; State Attorney Melissa Nelson said at a press conference on Wednesday.
Nelson added that prosecutors are presenting his case to a grand jury on Thursday “in order to seek an indictment for first-degree murder.&#8221;
Bridegan was driving down a road in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, when he stopped his vehicle and stepped out to remove an abandoned tire from the middle of the road. He was then shot multiple times at close range and left for dead.
&#8220;When officers got on the scene, they found the vehicle with the flashers on, and there was a tire up in front of his vehicle in the roadway,&#8221; Jacksonville Beach Police Department Sgt. Tonya Tator told People, adding that the detective in charge &#8220;felt it was targeted because of the tire being in the road forcing someone to stop.”
&#8220;He was gunned down in cold blood,&#8221; Jacksonville Beach Police Chief Gene Paul Smith said at the press conference, according to People. &#8220;This was a planned and targeted ambush and murder. The ruthless homicide has pained our community.&#8221;
Bridegan’s two-year-old daughter Bexley was inside his vehicle when the shooting occurred but was unharmed.
The murder happened just after Bridegan had dropped his twins off at his ex-wife’s house, leading some to question whether the ex-wife, Shana Gardner-Fernandez, was involved.
Following the arrest announcement, Bridegan’s widow, Kirsten, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/florida-widow-slain-microsoft-exec-calls-out-his-ex-wife-after-suspects-arrest" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> Fox News that she was “not surprised to be honest,” after learning that Tenon was renting a home from Gardner-Fernandez’s second husband, Mario Fernandez, when Bridegan was shot.
&#8220;They charged him with conspiracy. That means there are more people,&#8221; Kirsten said in an interview with Fox. &#8220;This was orchestrated, this was planned and this was specific to Jared.&#8221;
A law enforcement source told the outlet that Gardner-Fernandez and Fernandez remain suspects in Bridegan’s murder.
Bridegan and Gardner-Fernandez had been locked in litigation since their split in 2016, focusing on finances and custody of their now 10-year-old twins. Kirsten told Fox that Gardner-Fernandez refuses to let the twins see their younger siblings, Bexley, who is now 3, and 1-year-old London.
&#8220;Bexley asks about her big brother and her big sister, and I just say, ‘mom has tried,’&#8221; Kirsten said, adding, &#8220;I know they’re hurting.”

Henry Tenon

Man Charged With Murdering Microsoft Executive, But Authorities Say He Didn’t Act Alone

Florida

Microsoft

A 15-year-old girl from New York was <a href="https://abc7ny.com/kayla-green-stabbing-teen-arrest-sentencing/12731011/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">issued</a> a sentence of three to nine years on Tuesday after submitting a guilty plea over lethally stabbing a peer.
The girl’s name was not disclosed because she is only fifteen years old.
The Westchester County District Attorney’s office <a href="https://www.westchesterda.net/january-2023/6863-15-year-old-sentenced-for-fatal-stabbing-of-mount-vernon-teen-kayla-green">released</a> information regarding the sentencing, stating that the girl had pleaded guilty to first degree manslaughter for the deadly stabbing of Kayla Green, who was 16 years old at the time of her death.
“A teenage defendant senselessly took the life of Kayla Green, and in doing so, left a community devastated. As a family and the Mount Vernon community remain in mourning, I want to reiterate my commitment to working with our vital community partners for meaningful violence prevention and intervention, especially for our youth,” District Attorney Miriam E. Rocah said.
“I know that nothing can cure the pain of losing a child. My Office will do what it can within the bounds of New York’s laws to seek accountability in these cases,” Rocah added.
The incident took place on April 8, 2022, when the 15-year-old stabbed Kayla Green after a school event became violent, according to the DA’s office.
According to <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/new-york-girl-15-sentenced-9-years-jail-fatal-stabbing-cheerleader-rcna67381" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBC News</a>, the day included a parade at Mount Vernon High School. A fight started with some of the cheerleaders following the off-campus events, the former Mount Vernon City School Superintendent, Kenneth Hamilton, reportedly said in April.
Green was stabbed with a knife in the abdomen and was taken to Jacobi Medical Center where it was determined that she was deceased.
The 15-year-old will be held in NYC Office of Children and Family Services’ custody until she turns eighteen. She will then be transferred to the NYS Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, the DA office also reportedly stated.
Ahead of the sentencing, the defendant said she was sorry for what she had done.
“I am sorry my actions took away a big sister. I am sorry my actions took away a daughter,” she <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/01/24/teen-girl-gets-3-to-9-years-in-prison-in-death-of-kayla-green/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>, <a href="https://www.lohud.com/story/news/2023/01/24/mount-vernon-teen-sentenced-fatal-stabbing-cheerleader-kayla-green-juvenile-detention/69833590007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">per Lohud.com</a>.
“I think of all the different choices I could have made that day that would have left Kayla alive and saved her family this heartache. But that is why everyone is here today, because I made bad choices,” she stated.
Green’s mother, Lavern Gordon, also spoke out.
&#8220;Justice did not occur today. Mockery did,&#8221; Gordon said. &#8220;My family is broken and our heart will never mend from this loss of my daughter.&#8221;

handcuffs

Teen Issued Three To Nine Year Sentence For Deadly Stabbing

New York

Stabbing

A <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/boston">Boston</a>, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/massachusetts">Massachusetts</a>, man allegedly tried to hire a hitman to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/murder">kill</a> his wife, but the first person he hired scammed him, while the second person was actually an undercover federal agent.
Mohammed Chowdhury, 46, was arrested and charged with one count of murder-for-hire for attempting to have his wife and her boyfriend killed, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts said in <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/boston-man-arrested-engaging-murder-hire-targeting-his-wife-and-her-boyfriend">a press release</a> last week.
In November 2022, someone contacted federal law enforcement to say that Chowdhury was trying to hire someone to kill his wife, and that he had already paid for the murder, but that individual who took the money didn’t follow through with the crime. Chowdhury allegedly told the person who contacted federal authorities that he would be willing to rob a store to finance the hit and wanted the murder committed as soon as possible.
The informant provided law enforcement with Chowdhury’s phone number, and an undercover agent began posing as a contract killer.
Authorities allege that between December 2022 and January 2023, Chowdhury met numerous times with undercover agents offering to help him commit the murders. Chowdhury’s wife allegedly left him for the new lover.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Chowdhury asked the undercover agents: “So how we gonna disappear his, uh, body?” He also told them there could be “No evidence. No evidence. No evidence from like, you know, that, uh, I did something, you know?”
Chowdhury also allegedly provided the undercover agents with photos of his wife and her new boyfriend, their address, as well as information about where they worked and their work schedules.
He allegedly agreed to pay the fake contract killer $4,000 for each murder, with $500 upfront.
Chowdhury met with the undercover agents on January 17 and allegedly provided the deposit while again confirming he wanted his wife and her new boyfriend to be murdered. He was then taken into federal custody, authorities said.
It is not the first time Chowdhury has been charged in relation to his wife. In October 2019, he pleaded to sufficient facts for violating an Abuse Prevention Order his wife had against him.
The latest charges carry a sentence of up to 10 years in prison if Chowdhury is convicted, with three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.

Cropped Hand Holding Rifle In Forest

Massachusetts Man Allegedly Trying To Find Hitman To Kill Wife First Hired Scammer, Then Undercover Federal Agent

Boston

A <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/florida" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Florida</a> woman has been charged with first-degree <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/murder" target="_blank" rel="noopener">murder</a> and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after she shot her terminally ill husband in his hospital room, according to police.
Ellen Gilland, 76, was arrested for allegedly shooting her husband, 77-year-old Jerry Gilland, as he lay dying in a hospital bed in Daytona Beach. Appearing in court on Sunday, Ellen stood quietly as Judge Mary Jolley read the charges against her and denied her bond.
&#8220;Based upon the nature of the charge, Ms. Gilland, I am going to hold you no bond on the murder charge and remaining charges,&#8221; the judge said, <a href="https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/florida-woman-who-shot-killed-husband-at-daytona-beach-hospital-charged-with-murder-denied-bond-police" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to Fox 35 Orlando</a>.
Daytona Beach Police Department officers were called to the AdventHealth Hospital on Saturday around 11:35 a.m. to find Ellen had shot Jerry with a single bullet and locked herself in his hospital room, police said.
The hospital was locked down, and hostage negotiators arrived to talk Gilland into leaving the room.
&#8220;They announced a code silver shelter in place, and that’s when sort of everything kind of became real,&#8221; Dr. Joshua Horenstein <a href="https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/police-say-daytona-beach-hospital-shooting-was-a-preplanned-murder-suicide">told</a> Fox 35.
&#8220;One of the doors banged open, and the nurse came in screaming like this is not a drill. She was semi-hysterical,&#8221; he added.
The doctor said he and two others hid in a closet in the emergency room for an hour and a half.
It took nearly four hours before police used a flash bang and a taser to get Gilland to drop the gun, though Fox 35 reported that she was never considered a danger to anyone else and that no staff or patients were injured during the incident.
The Gillands had planned the shooting as a murder-suicide weeks before Ellen fired the gun, Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young told the outlet.
&#8220;They had a conversation about it, and they planned this approximately three weeks ago that if he continues to take a turn for the worst that he wanted her to end it,&#8221; Young said.
The police chief added that it was unclear how Gilland smuggled the gun into the hospital, but that it didn’t appear the hospital had metal detectors.
&#8220;It’s a tough situation where her husband’s terminally ill so she was already in a depressed state just based on her husband being terminally ill and knowing that the end was near,&#8221; Young added.
Young told other outlets that Jerry was planning to kill himself but had become too weak to pull the trigger, the Daily Beast <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/ellen-gilland-charged-with-murder-for-shooting-terminally-ill-husband-in-daytona-beach?fbclid=IwAR0yYbWQPmzdSjrQdhp37V5znvqOXIcZcUmp6nkmBwLv4P-Blqph3_vi2X8">reported</a>. Originally, Ellen was going to shoot Jerry and then turned the gun on herself, but couldn’t go through with the plan, police said.

EllenGilland

76-Year-Old Woman Charged With Murder For Shooting Terminally Ill Husband In Hospital Room

76-Year-Old Florida Woman Charged With Murder For Shooting Terminally Ill Husband In Hospital Room

Shooting

Jury selection begins Monday in the trial of Alex Murdaugh, the disgraced South Carolina attorney accused of killing his wife and youngest son on the family estate in June 2021.
Murdaugh has adamantly denied any involvement in his family’s murder, insisting the real killer or killers are still out there. The prosecution, meanwhile, insists the evidence shows Murdaugh is the killer.
“The evidence, in this case, is substantial and it all points back to Alex Murdaugh. There is forensic evidence as well as other evidence of his guilt of these murders,” Creighton Waters, deputy state attorney general, said during a hearing in July 2022, in which Murdaugh pleaded not guilty to killing his wife and son.
Ahead of the trial, Murdaugh’s legal team released a forensic report providing graphic details of how his wife and son were murdered, News Nation <a href="https://www.newsnationnow.com/crime/murdaugh-murder-trial/alec-murdaugh-murder-trial/?fbclid=IwAR15cpaH_EAJiCjdkZWEplyYsGYa2MRRc_mOe_mM9OG003vD0YMLgulXWYk">reported</a>. The report said Maggie Murdaugh, Alex’s wife, was found facedown and had been shot five times with a rifle, with the killing blow traveling through her brain. The report also stated that three of the shots were fired while she was standing, and at least one was fired while she was “holding herself up on her knees.”
His son Paul was also found lying face down and had been shot twice with a shotgun, not a rifle. The first shot went through his chest, while the second was to his neck and shoulder, which hit his brain and instantly killed him.
“I need the police and an ambulance immediately. My wife and child have been shot badly,” Murdaugh said in his 911 call after he allegedly discovered his wife and son dead in the dog kennels on their family estate.
Murdaugh was already in prison for dozens of other charges, including financial crimes and charges related to his alleged attempt to stage a fake “hit” on himself. Those charges, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/alex-murdaugh-charged-with-murder-in-death-of-wife-son/2022/07/14/677dce78-0387-11ed-8beb-2b4e481b1500_story.html">according to The Washington Post</a>, were made after his wife and son were killed, but he had not been indicted for their deaths until July 2022.
The murder charge was the last in a long and bizarre story regarding the once-prominent South Carolina attorney. After Murdaugh’s wife and son were murdered, police began looking into Murdaugh’s life and discovered numerous disturbing details.
Murdaugh was accused of stealing $8.5 million from people who had hired him as their attorney. He is also alleged to have orchestrated his own murder by hiring a friend to kill him so that his surviving son, Buster, could receive a $10 million life insurance payout. Murdaugh allegedly lied to police about the incident, claiming a stranger shot him on the side of the road. This all took place just days after Murdaugh’s firm discovered he had stolen money from clients.
Further, state police began looking into the hit-and-run death of a 19-year-old in July 2015 as a possible connection to Murdaugh, but no additional details have been released. Authorities also exhumed the body of Murdaugh’s former housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield, who was said to have died after a fall in 2018. Murdaugh allegedly collected more than $4 million from his home insurer by claiming wrongful death and saying he was working for Satterfield’s family, but the family didn’t receive any of the money, according to prosecutors.
Last month, Murdaugh was also indicted for alleged money laundering and creating a “distribution network” for painkillers, the Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/article/crime-south-carolina-money-laundering-indictments-7cb0c6e33cd9ad421dafd5e82df52795">reported</a> at the time. Murdaugh allegedly ran the drug ring with the same friend he allegedly hired to kill him.
Murdaugh has repeatedly denied killing his wife and son, saying he was visiting his parents when they were killed. He’s been in jail since October with a $7 million bond. Last week, the South Carolina Supreme Court disbarred him, with his attorneys declining to contest the arguments against his disbarment.

Trial Begins For Disgraced Attorney Alex Murdaugh, Accused Of Killing Wife, Son

When relatives couldn’t reach 81-year-old Wilomeana &#8220;Violet&#8221; Filkins, they went to her apartment in upstate New York to check on her on August 19, 1994.
They found their beloved Filkins dead, bludgeoned to death in her living room in what appeared to be a robbery. An autopsy determined she had died from multiple blows to the back of her head, CBS 12 <a href="https://cbs12.com/news/nation-world/cold-case-wilomeana-violet-filkins-jeremiah-james-guyette-1994-elderly-woman-robbed-murdered-killed-apartment-new-york-east-greenbush-fingerprint-table">reported</a>.
It was 1994, so the case was expected to be solved quickly with the help of DNA and forensic technology, but it took decades for Filkins’ family to get an explanation.
For three years, police had nothing to go on, until personal property belonging to Filkins was found behind a cemetery in a neighboring town. Police surmised that Filkins was robbed, and her white four-door Plymouth Reliant was stolen and used to dump her stolen property.
Again, the case went cold, but in 2019, police received a tip from a woman who said her ex-boyfriend, Jeremiah Guyette, had started crying when he mentioned robbing a woman and hitting her, NBC News <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/man-took-life-police-questioned-1994-murder-was-just-identified-allege-rcna66661">reported</a>. The ex-girlfriend remembered Guyette saying “that poor old woman.” She also recalled him saying “this can’t be true” and “I’m sure she’s fine.”
East Greenbush Police Detective Sgt. Michael Guadagnino and a New York State Police investigator attempted to interview Guyette on October 1, 2019, but said he became defensive and upset before refusing to speak with authorities and demanding an attorney.
The next morning, police discovered Guyette had taken his own life in the garage of his home in Rosendale, New York, some 70 miles south of where Filkins had been murdered 25 years earlier.
A family member later told police that after police approached Guyette, he called her panicking and saying he didn’t want to go to prison, NBC reported. That family member also told authorities that Guyette told her when he was younger that he had planned to rob a bank and steal a car in order to raise money to go to college.
This same relative had made arrangements for Guyette to speak with an attorney.
Police resubmitted physical evidence from the crime scene, including an unknown fingerprint found on a wooden coffee table, to see if anything matched Guyette. Three years later, following the COVID pandemic, police were finally able to determine that the fingerprint belonged to Guyette, Guadagnino told reporters earlier this week.
Guyette served in the Air Force, worked as a New York school bus driver, and also drove a bus for elderly people. He never had been considered a person of interest until his ex-girlfriend came forward.

Crime Scene at Residential Home

Who Killed Violet Filkins In 1994? Police Finally Think They Have The Answer.

A <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/new-york" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York</a> defense attorney says accused murderer Brian Walshe is &#8220;dumb as dirt,&#8221; claiming that his internet search history could easily be what puts him behind bars.
Walshe was <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/did-you-kill-your-wife-brian-reporters-ambush-accused-killer-after-he-pleads-not-guilty/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">arraigned</a> at Quincy District Court in Massachusetts on Wednesday, charged with murdering his wife Ana — who was reported missing on January 4 when she did not show up to work. Walshe was also charged with disinterment of a dead body without proper authority, as well as an earlier charge of misleading the police in their investigation.
During the arraignment, prosecutors read a list of shocking internet searches Walshe allegedly made using his son&#8217;s iPad — and according to defense attorney Mark Bederow, those searches could cause him problems on at least two fronts.
&#8220;If these allegations are true, it’s stunning how dumb as dirt this guy appears to be. It’s unbelievable,&#8221; Bederow told the <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/01/19/brian-walshe-is-a-dumb-as-dirt-alleged-criminal-lawyers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York Post</a>, saying that the searches could be used as evidence that he had committed a crime even though authorities still had not found his wife&#8217;s body.
But in addition to being used as evidence that a crime was committed, Bederow said, the searches could be used to prove that Walshe was thinking clearly — thus making it far more difficult for him to use diminished mental capacity as a defense.
&#8220;His internet searches — as sick as they may be — are rational in a cogent thought type of way. There appears to be a lot of planning and it appears to be well thought out,&#8221; Bederow explained.
Among Walshe&#8217;s potentially damning alleged Google <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/01/18/brian-walshe-arrives-at-court-to-face-murder-charges/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">searches</a> were the following:
<ul>
<li>how to stop a body from decomposing</li>
<li>how long before a body starts to smell</li>
<li>how long does DNA last?</li>
<li>dismemberment and the best ways to dispose of a body</li>
<li>hacksaw best tool to dismember</li>
<li>can you be charged with murder without a body?</li>
<li>can you identify a body with broken teeth?</li>
</ul>
Former New York prosecutor — and current criminal defense attorney — Duncan Levin <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/01/19/brian-walshe-is-a-dumb-as-dirt-alleged-criminal-lawyers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told the Post</a> that while the case could certainly move forward without a body, the evidence against the alleged killer would likely be stronger if and when Ana Walshe&#8217;s body was found.
&#8220;It’s too early to tell what holes there may be in any of the evidence. Obviously from what we know, there is an extremely strong circumstantial case against Brian Walshe,&#8221; Levin said, adding, &#8220;Without the body, it&#8217;s not a slam-dunk case for the prosecution. If they find her body, the case will obviously become much more difficult for the defense to have a fighting chance.&#8221;

Arraignment of Brian Walshe For Murder of Ana Walshe

‘It’s Unbelievable’: Attorney Blasts Brian Walshe As ‘Dumb As Dirt,’ Says His Google Searches Could End Him

Attorney Blasts Brian Walshe As 'Dumb As Dirt,' Says His Google Searches Could End Him

Violent Crime

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A <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/pennsylvania" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pennsylvania</a> woman has been arrested and charged with first-degree and third-degree murder in connection to the double-homicide of her elderly parents.
The victims, Reid Beck, 73, and Miriam Beck, 72, were found dismembered in their family home by authorities on Tuesday, after the couple&#8217;s son asked for a wellness check. The last time the victims were heard from was January 7.
Verity Beck, the couple&#8217;s 49-year-old daughter, was found by authorities in the home with the dismembered bodies. Verity lived at the home with her parents.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
BREAKING : Elderly couple found dead in Jenkintown home were shot then dismembered , a chainsaw was found at the scene. Daughter charged w/ 1st degree murder. <a href="https://t.co/QE4FVh7aYI">https://t.co/QE4FVh7aYI</a>
&mdash; Annie McCormick (@6abcAnnie) <a href="https://twitter.com/6abcAnnie/status/1615833410571837467?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
After &#8220;entering the home, officers encountered the couple’s adult daughter inside,&#8221; a press release from the Montgomery County District Attorney&#8217;s Office read. &#8220;Officers observed one deceased person tightly wrapped in a white bed sheet, and evidence of a second deceased person inside the home. There were signs of extreme trauma present.&#8221;
When officers asked Verity where her parents were, the daughter <a href="https://6abc.com/jenkintown-bodies-found-people-dead-beverly-road-abington-township-police-montgomery-county-district-attorneys-office/12715920/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> responded, &#8220;They are dead.&#8221;
Verity was taken into custody and later charged.
<div id="attachment_490781" style="width: 448px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-490781" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-490781 size-full" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Screen-Shot-2023-01-18-at-7.08.28-PM.png" alt="Verity Beck" width="438" height="544" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/01/Screen-Shot-2023-01-18-at-7.08.28-PM.png 438w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/01/Screen-Shot-2023-01-18-at-7.08.28-PM-242x300.png 242w" sizes="(max-width: 438px) 100vw, 438px" />Montgomery County District Attorney&#8217;s Office</div>
During a further search of the home, authorities found a chainsaw near one of the dismembered bodies. Both Reid and Miriam&#8217;s bodies &#8220;were in various stages of dismemberment,&#8221; the press release noted, adding that &#8220;several firearms were recovered from the home as well.&#8221;
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&#8220;Verity used this chainsaw and put parts of her parents into trash bags and had covered them up. They were actually in two different trash cans,&#8221; Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said during a press conference Wednesday.
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Steele went on to reveal that officers were overcome with a smell when they walked in the home, making them believe the bodies had been decomposing for some time.
The Montgomery County Coroner’s Office, after examining the couple, indicated the double-homicide could have been committed up to a week ago.
The coroner&#8217;s office also determined that Reid and Miriam &#8220;were victims of a gunshot wound to the head and the cause of death was ruled a homicide,&#8221; the DA&#8217;s office said.
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Verity&#8217;s brother, <a href="https://6abc.com/jenkintown-bodies-found-people-dead-beverly-road-abington-township-police-montgomery-county-district-attorneys-office/12715920/">according</a> to a criminal complaint, was at the family home before he eventually called the police Tuesday. He saw what appeared to be a body under a blanket and spoke to his sister for about 30 minutes.
Verity allegedly told her brother that things at the home had &#8220;been bad.&#8221; He encouraged her to call the police, but after Verity told him she needed &#8220;more time,&#8221; he went home and called 911.
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Verity is being held at Montgomery County Correctional Facility, and is not eligible for bail.
The DA&#8217;s office asks that anyone with knowledge please reach out to Abington Detectives at (267) 536-1100.
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Verity Beck

Daughter Charged With Murder Of Parents After Found Near Chainsaw, Dismembered Bodies

Daughter Charged With Murder Of Parents After Found With Chainsaw, Dismembered Bodies

Law Enforcement

Pennsylvania

Accused murderer <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/man-googled-how-to-dispose-of-115-pound-womans-body-now-his-115-pound-wife-is-missing/">Brian Walshe</a>, 47, was ambushed by reporters on Wednesday as he left the court after pleading &#8220;not guilty&#8221; in his wife Ana&#8217;s disappearance — which is now being treated as a murder.
Walshe <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/man-who-googled-how-to-dispose-of-womans-body-charged-with-wifes-murder/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was charged</a> with several felonies — including assault with the intent to kill his wife and disinterring a body without the proper authority — and he appeared in Quincy District Court in Massachusetts on Wednesday morning for his arraignment.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
JUST IN. Brian Walshe pleads not guilty to murdering his wife <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AnaWalshe?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AnaWalshe</a> <a href="https://t.co/gzl5bYh110">pic.twitter.com/gzl5bYh110</a>
&mdash; Josh Benson (@WFLAJosh) <a href="https://twitter.com/WFLAJosh/status/1615732414302810112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Walshe entered a plea of &#8220;not guilty,&#8221; but the judge ordered him to be held without bail until his next status hearing, scheduled as a virtual appearance for February 9.
Reporter Ashleigh Banfield described what it was like to be inside the courtroom during Walshe&#8217;s arraignment, noting that at one point, she had caught him staring at her: &#8220;I couldn&#8217;t take my eyes off of him (Brian Walshe) and realized at one point he was staring at me.&#8221;
She went on to explain that the prosecutor had gone through so many new details that she had been unable to keep up with them all.
WATCH:
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&quot;I couldn&#39;t take my eyes off of him (Brian Walshe) and realized at one point he was staring at me … It was a bit of a chill.&quot;<a href="https://twitter.com/TVAshleigh?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TVAshleigh</a> was present in the courtroom as a prosecutor charged Brian Walshe with the murder of his wife <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AnaWalshe?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AnaWalshe</a>.
MORE: <a href="https://t.co/I1vaIFzczn">https://t.co/I1vaIFzczn</a> <a href="https://t.co/ip0UROmOO2">pic.twitter.com/ip0UROmOO2</a>
&mdash; NewsNation (@NewsNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/NewsNation/status/1615734994525118464?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2023</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;It was a bit of a chill, hearing the details of what the prosecutors allege he did to his wife, Ana Walshe,&#8221; she said during a NewsNation segment on Wednesday. &#8220;I also couldn&#8217;t write fast enough. That&#8217;s how many details were unloaded in this court hearing.&#8221;
Among the details Banfield recounted: Ana Walshe&#8217;s DNA — along with her husband&#8217;s – on a Tyvek suit he allegedly purchased during a trip to Home Depot that was confirmed by security cameras; internet searches — using his son&#8217;s iPad — asking how long before a dead body might begin to smell or how to stop a body from decomposing, how long DNA might &#8220;last,&#8221; and whether or not body parts could be thrown away; and Ana Walshe&#8217;s blood on discarded clothing and jewelry.
Walshe had previously been charged with misleading police after they later determined that his first interactions with authorities appeared to be intentionally leading them in the wrong direction.
As Walshe left the court with his police escorts, reporters who had been waiting outside shouted questions at him. &#8220;Did you kill your wife, Brian?&#8221;
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“Did you kill your wife? Did you kill your wife Brian?” &#8211; media yelling. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BrianWalshe?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BrianWalshe</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AnaWalshe?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AnaWalshe</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CourtTV?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CourtTV</a> <a href="https://t.co/DcIuaClg9D">pic.twitter.com/DcIuaClg9D</a>
&mdash; Matt Johnson (@MattJohnsonNEWS) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattJohnsonNEWS/status/1615728062813057026?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2023</a></blockquote>
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