Category: murder

Florida Executes Man for 1990 Murder After Escaping Prison

STARKE, Fla.—Florida executed a man on Thursday for murdering a woman in 1990 after he escaped from prison, stabbing her to death in a shopping mall parking lot in an attempted carjacking. Donald Dillbeck, 59, was pronounced dead at 6:13 p.m. after receiving a lethal injection at Florida State Prison, the governor’s office said. He…


Son Convicted of Beating Mother to Death in Anaheim

SANTA ANA, Calif.—A 24-year-old man was convicted Feb. 16 of beating his mother, a veteran state Department of Corrections officer, to death with a baseball bat in Anaheim. Seth Allen White was convicted of second-degree murder with a sentencing enhancement for the personal use of a deadly weapon. Jurors, who rejected first-degree murder, deliberated for…


Growth of UK Cannabis Farms Has Seen Corresponding Rise in Violent Robberies, Say Experts

Seven people have been killed in the last five years in England and Wales in incidents linked to break-ins or attempted burglaries at houses or factories which have been converted into cannabis farms. On top of that stark statistic, in May 2022 four Vietnamese nationals died in a fire in a disused mill in Oldham,…


Murdaugh’s Sister-in-Law Saw Odd Behavior After Killings

Alex Murdaugh’s sister-in-law testified Tuesday in his double murder trial that she thought it was odd that he didn’t seem scared in the weeks after his son Paul and wife Maggie were killed at their South Carolina home. Marian Proctor told jurors her family was distraught after the killings. She said Alex Murdaugh was devastated…


Former Michigan State Star Pleads Guilty in 2021 Murder Case

DETROIT—A former Michigan State University basketball star pleaded guilty Monday to second-degree murder and a firearm charge in the fatal 2021 shooting of a Detroit man. Keith Damon Appling, 31, pleaded guilty in Wayne County Circuit Court to one count each of second-degree murder and felony firearm in the killing of Clyde Edmonds, 66, Prosecutor…


Texas Father Convicted of Murder in Fatal Shootings by Teen Son

Dallas—A Texas man has been convicted of capital murder in the fatal shooting of three teenagers by the man’s then-14-year-old son. Richard Acosta, 34, was convicted Friday by a jury in Dallas of capital murder for the 2021 shooting deaths of Xavier Gonzalez, 14; Ivan Noyala, 16; and Rafael Garcia, 17, the day after Christmas….


Lockdown Blamed as Knife Deaths in England and Wales Reaches Record Level

The number of deaths with a bladed instrument—mostly knives—in England and Wales was the highest since records began in 1946, with 282 people losing their lives between April 2021 and March 2022, according to a report by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The number of homicides using a knife or other sharp instrument went…


Utah Man Googled ‘Gunshot in a House’ Before Murder-Suicide

SALT LAKE CITY—A Utah man who fatally shot his wife, her mother, and their five kids before turning the gun on himself had done online searches about how loud different guns sound and whether neighbors could hear gunshots five days before the killings, new court records posted online show. According to a document containing the…


Michigan Judge Denies Former Officer’s Bid to Drop Murder Charge

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.—A Michigan judge on Friday refused to dismiss a second-degree murder charge against a former Grand Rapids police officer who was fired after shooting a motorist in the back of the head during a struggle over a Taser. Christopher Schurr is scheduled for trial on March 13 in the shooting death of Patrick…


Man Charged in Tennessee Jogger’s Death Pleads Not Guilty

MEMPHIS, Tenn.—The man charged with raping and killing a Tennessee kindergarten teacher during a pre-dawn run in Memphis last year pleaded not guilty Friday. Cleotha Henderson, who has also used the name Cleotha Abston, was indicted last week on charges that include first-degree murder and especially aggravated kidnapping, The Daily Memphian reported. The first-degree murder…