4 killed, 16 wounded in Chicago shootings, including 4 shot at West Side birthday party

A quadruple attack on the West Side brought the total of the city's shooting victims to 20, including one man who was fatally shot at a bus stop outside of a CTA Red Line station, and two men killed in a double shooting on the Northwest Side.

In all, four people were killed and 16 wounded in shootings between Saturday and Sunday mornings. Among those injured were a 5-year-old girl and two people who were shot in separate incidents while riding public transportation.

Four people were shot at a birthday party around 1 a.m. Sunday in the 3200 block of West Division Street in the Humboldt Park neighborhood, according to police and witnesses.

A 19-year-old woman was entering the party when she was shot at by someone in a passing car, police said. Two men, 24 and 21, and another woman, 30, were also wounded.

The teenager was rushed to Stroger Hospital in critical condition, police said. The men and other woman were taken to Norwegian American Hospital, where the woman and 21-year-old man were in good condition with wounds to the arm and hand, respectively, and the 24-year-old man was stabilized with a gunshot wound to the lower back.

The first fatal shooting happened around 1:15 p.m. Saturday at the bus stop outside the 69th Street station, 15 W. 69th St., police said.

The man was shot in the chest and taken in critical condition to Stroger Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, police said.

The man was standing at the bus stop at the CTA station when someone who has not yet been identified went up to him and they got into a dispute, according to the notification. The other person took out a gun and shot the man in the chest, police said.

In the double homicide, two men, 25 and 19, were shot around 3 a.m. Sunday in the 6000 block of West Belden Street in the Belmont Central neighborhood, police said.

The men were walking when someone fired at them from a black vehicle, police said. The 25-year-old was shot in the back and died at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, and the 19-year-old was shot in the head and died at Illinois Masonic Medical Center.

Earlier, a 41-year-old man was fatally shot multiple times in the upper body around 2:20 a.m. while driving his vehicle in the 12900 block of South Halsted Street in the Far South Side's West Pullman neighborhood, police said.

The man was pronounced dead at MetroSouth Medical Center in Blue Island.

A man was also shot on a Green Line train on Saturday.

In that shooting, a 23-year-old man was shot on the "L" train near King Drive about 6:10 p.m., police said. The man suffered graze wounds to the right eye and right hand, and was taken to Stroger Hospital in good condition, police said. The man got into a fight with another person and someone took out a gun and shot him, police said.

Green Line service was suspended for more than an hour while authorities investigated.

A 5-year-old girl was also shot Saturday while she was in a car with a family member in the North Austin neighborhood.

The girl and the 30-year-old woman were shot about 7:10 p.m. in the 2000 block of North Laramie Avenue, police said. The girl suffered a gunshot wound to the left arm and had her condition stabilized at Stroger Hospital, while the woman suffered a gunshot wound to the left hand and was in good condition at the same hospital.

The two were in the car when a blue Honda pulled up next to them and someone inside started shooting, hitting them, police said. A man who was with them in the car who has gang affiliation or the woman herself - who does not - may have been the target of the shooting, according to authorities.

In other shootings:

• A person was shot in the lower back around 4:30 a.m. Sunday in the 5300 block of North Western Avenue in the Arcadia Terrace neighborhood on the Far North Side, police said. The person was stabilized at Presence St. Francis Hospital in Evanston.
• Around 4:15 a.m., a 26-year-old man was shot in the leg and a 30-year-old man was stabbed in the abdomen and wrist at a gathering in the 10500 block of South Wentworth Avenue in the Fernwood neighborhood on the Far South Side. The men were both stabilized at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn.
• A 29-year-old man was shot in the knee around 2:45 a.m. in the 2300 block of South Oakley Avenue in the Heart of Italy neighborhood on the West Side, police said. He was transported to Stroger Hospital in good condition.
• Around 1:20 a.m., a 24-year-old man accidentally shot himself in the foot in the 6300 block of South Morgan Street in the Englewood neighborhood on the South Side, police said. He was in good condition at St. Bernard Hospital.
• A 44-year-old man was shot in the lower back around 11:40 p.m. Saturday while sitting in his vehicle in the 3900 block of South Indiana Avenue in the South Side's Bronzeville neighborhood. Police said he was shot by someone in a passing vehicle. The man was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital where he was stabilized.
• A 65-year-old man was riding a CTA bus in the 5600 block of West Division Street in the North Austin neighborhood around 6:05 p.m. when he heard gunshots and felt pain, police said. He didn't realized he was bleeding until he walked home. He took himself to West Suburban Hospital, but was transferred to Stroger Hospital.
• Two people were shot in the Heart of Chicago neighborhood about 5:30 p.m., police said. A 29-year-old man victim suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was in critical condition, while a female victim suffered a gunshot wound to the foot and was in good condition at Stroger Hospital. Information on the circumstances of the shooting wasn't immediately available, nor was the age of the female victim.
• An 18-year-old man was shot in the left leg about 2:30 p.m. in the 3900 block of West Arthington Street in the Lawndale neighborhood, police said, correcting earlier information that the man might have been shot in the 3800 block. The man was walking when someone approached and opened fire. He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was listed in good condition, police said.

San Antonio man accused in 2015 “Hell’s Gate” killing found guilty of murder

A San Antonio man accused in the fatal shooting of Steven Cerna, 19, whose body was found in a West Side drainage ditch in 2015 has been found guilty of murder.

Robert Martinez, 21, was accused of luring Cerna to a motel with the promise of drugs or money. Prosecutors said Cerna was taken to a drainage ditch on the West Side known as “Hell’s Gate” and shot and killed on Feb. 20, 2015.

It took a jury about 90 minutes to reach the verdict Friday morning.

Prosecutors said the killing was done in retaliation for another slaying that did not involve Cerna, while the defense contended that authorities arrested the wrong man.

The case went cold for two years until Martinez started bragging about the killing, prosecutors said.

Martinez’s uncle, Larry Isaac, in jail on a pending kidnapping case, testified for the state Thursday that his nephew admitted he shot Cerna.

Cerna’s mother testified Tuesday that her son suffered from mental illness.

Isaac admitted his testimony was part of a plea agreement that capped his prison sentence to nine years instead of the 20 he faces.

State District Judge Melisa Skinner gave jurors a short break before beginning the punishment phase. Martinez faces up to life in prison.

Article Source: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/san-antonio-man-accused-in-2015-“hell’s-gate”-killing-found-guilty-of-murder/ar-AAuBOeR

Cousins charged in shooting deaths of 4 men plead not guilty

DOYLESTOWN, Pa. — Two cousins charged in the deaths of four young men 

found shot and buried deep on a sprawling farm said Thursday that they didn't

kill anyone.

Cosmo DiNardo and Sean Kratz pleaded not guilty to multiple charges of murder 

and corpse abuse in the July killings.

DiNardo is charged in four of the deaths, and Kratz is charged in three. Neither 

of the cousins, who are 20 years old, spoke about the case during their separate 

arraignments, which drew dozens of the victims' friends and family members.

The not guilty pleas at the arraignments in Doylestown came days after authorities 

filed court documents that would allow them to pursue the death penalty for the cousins.

DiNardo's attorneys have said he admitted killing the men and told authorities where to find one of the bodies in exchange for prosecutors agreeing not to seek capital punishment.

Bucks County District Attorney Matthew Weintraub said prosecutors are "on track" to reach a deal with DiNardo.

"We made an agreement with Cosmo DiNardo. We're the district attorney's office: We honor our agreements," he told reporters. "So should Mr. DiNardo decide to uphold his end of the bargain, we will not seek the death penalty against him."

Kratz's lawyer Niels C. Eriksen Jr. said he commended the district attorney for extending to DiNardo an offer that removes the death penalty as punishment but was "disappointed and confused by today's action of certifying Mr. Kratz's case for capital punishment."

"DiNardo is the admitted killer," he said. "We look forward to challenging the evidence and the aggravators at the appropriate time."

A defense lawyer for DiNardo pushed past a throng of reporters and TV cameras without commenting on the case.

Authorities have said Kratz gave them conflicting narratives about the killings but told them that his cousin was responsible for the deaths and that the pair went out for cheesesteaks afterward.

The disappearances of Mark Sturgis, Tom Meo, Dean Finocchiaro and Jimi Taro Patrick over the summer sparked an exhaustive manhunt on a 90-acre farm owned by DiNardo's parents in Solebury, 30 miles north of Philadelphia.

The victims ranged in age from 19 to 22. Patrick was a Loyola University of Maryland student.

Police used cadaver dogs and heavy construction equipment and brought in dozens of officers from the region to assist in the search until they finally found three of the men buried in an oil tank about 12-feet in the ground.

DiNardo told police that he crushed one of the men with a backhoe after shooting him and tried to set three of the bodies on fire before burying them in the metal container, court documents show. He also told authorities that he lured the men to the farm under the assumption he was going to sell them marijuana.

A lawyer representing the family of Finocchiaro said the family wants Kratz and DiNardo put to death.

"The day of reckoning," attorney Tom Kline said, "is coming."

Article Source: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/cousins-charged-in-shooting-deaths-of-4-men-plead-not-guilty/ar-BBGKzQM

Florida executes man for pair of killings dating to 1991

STARKE, Fla. — A man convicted of killing two people in 1991 on Wednesday became the third inmate executed in Florida since the state resumed carrying out the death penalty after a hiatus.

Fifty-three-year-old Patrick Hannon received a lethal injection and was pronounced dead at 8:50 p.m. at Florida State Prison in Starke, the office of the governor said.

Hannon was strapped to a gurney as witnesses watched on the other side of a glass window. While he expressed regret over the killings, he said it was two accomplices that killed the victims, Robert Carter and Brandon Snider. Carter was fatally shot and Snider had his throat slashed.

"I hope the execution gives the Carter family some peace. I wish I could have done more to save Robert. I didn't kill anybody, but I was there," he said.

As he spoke, one of the victim's female family members cursed.

"Robby was a good man and a good friend, and I let him down when he needed me most," Hannon continued. "As far as Brandon Snider, I think that everybody knows what he did to get this ball rolling. I'm sorry things worked out like this the way it did."

The same woman, who authorities declined to identify later, cursed again in a whisper.

Then as the execution began at 8:38 p.m., the woman made eye contact with Hannon and raised her hand as if to wave "bye, bye."

Hannon's body moved during the execution procedure. His lips twitched, his chest heaved and his arms, legs and body appeared to convulse a bit. Then, 12 minutes after the execution began, he was pronounced dead.

Florida resumed executions in August after making changes to its death penalty sentencing law. The law now requires a unanimous jury vote for a death sentence.

The U.S. Supreme Court had previously found that Florida's old sentencing law, which did not require unanimity, to be unconstitutional. However, the new sentencing law did not affect Hannon's case because the state's high court ruled that those decided before 2002 were not eligible for relief.

Hannon was convicted in 1991 of two counts of first-degree murder in the slayings of Snider and Carter.

It was in January 1991 when Hannon and two other men went to Snider's apartment in Tampa.

Hannon's friend, Jim Acker, initially attacked Snider with a knife, according to authorities. Prosecutors said the attacks were motivated by Snider's vandalizing of Acker's sister's apartment. Snider was "eviscerated" by the initial stabbing, according to court documents, and Hannon sliced his throat, nearly cutting off the victim's head.

Carter, who was Snider's roommate, also was home and fled the violence to an upstairs bedroom, where Hannon dragged him out from under a bed and shot him six times, the jury found.

Hannon's jury recommended death unanimously after finding him guilty of both killings.

Hannon's lawyers had earlier requested a halt to the execution plan before the Florida Supreme Court, but that was denied. Hannon had asked for a new sentencing phase, citing recent changes to Florida's death sentencing system. Florida Supreme Court Justice Barbara Pariente, who dissented from the rest of the court, wrote that the jury was not given enough information to make an informed decision in Hannon's sentencing phase.

Without explanation Wednesday evening, the U.S. Supreme Court denied two last-hour requests by Hannon's lawyer sto block the execution.

Article Source: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/florida-executes-man-for-pair-of-killings-dating-to-1991/ar-BBEIfBH

Police find body in Orlando man's backyard while arresting him in unrelated homicide

ORLANDO, Fla. - An Orlando man accused of killing his neighbor may be charged in another homicide after police found a decomposing body buried on his property.

Jimmy Gary Merritt, 37, was arrested Tuesday after Orlando Police said an investigation revealed he cashed a check belonging to a Friday homicide victim and tried unsuccessfully to cash two more, according to an arrest report.

The victim - Benny Hallmark - was found dead of a gunshot wound, lying on a reclining chair in his home in the 3100 block of Lauressa Lane near Catalina Elementary School and Memorial Middle School about 11:15 a.m. Friday, according to the Orlando Police Department.

Hallmark and Merritt were neighbors, living only about 200 feet apart on Lauressa Lane. Police did not say whether the two knew each other.

Responding medics with Orlando Fire Department found the death suspicious, and called police to investigate. On Saturday, the Medical Examiner's Office ruled Hallmark's death a homicide, according to the report.

During the investigation, police said they discovered Merritt had stolen Hallmark's checks and tried to use them. They issued a warrant for Merritt on charges of grand theft, uttering a forged check and fraud, according to the Police Department.

On Tuesday, officers following up on the case spoke to a witness claiming Merritt confessed to killing another person and burying the body in his Lauressa Lane backyard.

Officers went to the home to wait until they could receive a search warrant, according to the Police Department. That's when Merritt came from around the corner and officers arrested him on the outstanding warrant, according to the Police Department.

Once officers received a search warrant, in the backyard they found a "badly decomposed body" wrapped in plastic and blankets buried under a large pile of wood and tools from the garage, according to the Police Department.

The body has not yet been identified and officials have not determined the cause of death, the Police Department said.

Police also found the firearm used in Hallmark's homicide.

Merritt faces a charge of first-degree murder in Hallmark's death, as well as the financial crimes.

Police said further charges are pending regarding the unidentified body. The medical examiner's report must first be completed.

Merritt has a criminal history in Orange County that includes convictions of aggravated battery and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a weapon by a felon and numerous drug offenses stemming back to 1997.

Visit The Orlando Sentinel (Orlando, Fla.) at www.OrlandoSentinel.com

Article Source: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/police-find-body-in-orlando-mans-backyard-while-arresting-him-in-unrelated-homicide/ar-AAu5GTz

Trucker arrested for California bus crash that killed 13

INDIO, Calif. — The driver of a big-rig charged in a California bus crash that killed 13 people last year has been arrested.

The Riverside County district attorney's office says 51-year-old Bruce Guilford was arrested Thursday in Georgia by a U.S. Marshals Service task force.

He was charged a day earlier with vehicular manslaughter and reckless driving.

It's unclear whether he has a lawyer.

Guilford's tractor-trailer had stopped for construction work on Interstate 10 in the Palm Springs area last Oct. 23 but prosecutors say he failed to move when the road reopened.

A bus carrying passengers from a desert casino back to Los Angeles rear-ended the truck, killing 13 on board and injuring 29.

Prosecutors say Guilford had fallen asleep after sleeping only seven hours in the 24 hours before the crash.

Article Source: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/trucker-arrested-for-california-bus-crash-that-killed-13/ar-AAtKr2A

Suspect in 4 Ohio slayings arrested while walking along road

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Unarmed, worn out and ready to give up, the suspect in the
fatal shootings of three adult relatives and a 7-year-old boy didn't try to flee when
officers arrested him Friday as he walked along a road in far southern Ohio, a
sheriff said.

Officers were acting on a tip from a resident who spotted 23-year-old Arron
Lawson. Authorities had said he fled into the woods Thursday, shortly after midnight.

Lawson is an outdoorsman and hunter who liked being in the woods, but "I think
he was just plumb worn out from being out in the elements" during a manhunt that
spanned two cool nights, Lawrence County Sheriff Jeffery Lawless said.

The sheriff wouldn't discuss any potential motive or the chronology of the slayings,
and he declined to disclose what Lawson said to the arresting officers.

Lawson is being held on charges of murder and aggravated murder. It wasn't immediately clear whether he has an attorney.

He was arrested roughly 12 miles (19 kilometers) south of where authorities found three adults dead in a house trailer on Wednesday evening.

A fourth adult who came upon the scene after work and was stabbed fled the home and was flown to a hospital in Huntington, West Virginia. That victim is recovering well, Lawless said.

The youngest victim, 7-year-old Devin Holston, initially was the subject of a missing-child alert after the adults were discovered. Authorities spent hours searching for him, only to later find him dead in the same house trailer, his body apparently hidden, Lawless said.

A few relatives of the victims said after the arrest that they had seen no sign or warning of such violence by Lawson, who lived just up the road from the trailer home.

Lawson was being questioned by investigators Friday and could face more charges, the sheriff said.

Agents from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation have been helping Lawrence County with the investigation, BCI spokeswoman Jill Del Greco said.

The initial report about the slayings — violence against multiple people believed to be related — recalled details from a still-unsolved homicide case that rattled rural southern Ohio last year, but the cases didn't appear to be connected, Del Greco said.

The deaths on Wednesday occurred roughly 40 miles (64 kilometers) southeast of the Piketon area, where eight people from the Rhoden family were found shot to death in four homes in April 2016.

___

Associated Press writer Mark Gillispie in Cleveland contributed to this report.

Article Source: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/suspect-in-4-ohio-slayings-arrested-while-walking-along-road/ar-AAtnrwd

Human Remains Found on Pennsylvania Farm in Search for Missing Men

The body of a missing man has been uncovered on a sprawling multi-million dollar Pennsylvania farm along with unidentified human remains, authorities announced Thursday morning. 

Dean Finocchiaro, 19, was found deceased on the property of Antonio and Sandra DiNardo, whose son Cosmo, 20, is being held by police as a person of interest in the disappearance of the teen and three others. 

After a painstaking search in the dark and muggy heat just outside New Hope, Pennsylvania, cadaver dogs led police to a section of the $5.4 million property, where the remains were found buried 12 ½ feet beneath the earth. 

Finocchairo was reported missing on July 7 along with Thomas Meo, 21, and Mark Sturgis, 22. Another 19-year-old, Jimi Patrick, was reported missing on July 5. It is unclear how the four men may have known Cosmo DiNardo.

"We're going to see this investigation through to the end," Bucks County District Attorney Matthew D. Weintraub said at news conference shortly after midnight. "We're going to bring each of these lost boys home to their families, one way or another." 

Although Cosmo DiNardo has not been charged with the murder of Finocchairo, he is being held on a $5 million bond. 

"This is a homicide; make no mistake about it. We just don't know how many homicides," Weintraub said. 

DiNardo was first arrested on Monday for an unrelated gun charge, stemming back to February when he was accused of owning a firearm despite a history of mental illness. Because of an involuntary commitment to a mental institution, DiNardo was not allowed to possess a firearm. 

The 20-year-old is schizophrenic, according to his lawyers, who say their client’s mental illness is being exploited by prosecutors, Philly.com reported. 

He was held on a $1 million bond in relation to that case and released after his parents posted $100,000 for his bail. He was then taken back into custody on Wednesday for allegedly attempting to sell one of the missing men’s car for $500. 

DiNardo tried to sell Meo’s Nissan Maxima to a friend, court records show. Inside the car, police found Meo’s diabetic kit, which Meo’s parents said their son could not survive without. 

The back-to-back arrests bought investigators time as they scoured 90 acres of property and other spots across the county for clues to the men's disappearance, Weintraub said.

On Thursday morning, Weintraub thanked the tireless efforts of the officers working on the farm in an attempt to uncover any additional evidence relating to the men’s disappearance. 

Although he has not been charged in relation to the missing men, prosecutors described DiNardo as a flight risk and a “dangerous person.” 

Officers haven’t disclosed why DiNardo is considered a person of interest, or what led them to begin the search on the family’s farm. 

With DiNardo in custody, the punishing search continued on the family farm, where veteran officers and brand new cadets worked side-by-side to sift through the dirt with backhoes, hands, metal detectors and buckets. 

The Pennsylvania FBI and U.S. Marshal as well as local and state police are all working to investigate the case. Officials have suggested the search is the largest in the history of Bucks County. 

Before human remains were discovered on the property, a family attorney for the DiNardos released a statement saying they are fully cooperating with law enforcement. 

"As parents, Mr. and Mrs. DiNardo sympathize with the parents and families of the missing young men and they are cooperating in every way possible with the investigation being conducted by law enforcement," the statement said. 

The DiNardo family earned a fortune off of trucking and concrete, according to NBC News affiliate NBC 10. After buying the farm outside New Hope for $5.4 million in 2005, they purchased a nearby property for $500,000 in late 2008. 

DiNardo's grandfather, also named Cosmo DiNardo, owned numerous properties and eventually shared a real estate deal with his son Antonio before handing over the business entirely to him. 

Article Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/human-remains-found-pennsylvania-farm-search-missing-men-n782461

Woman Charged With Killing Family Smiles In Court

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. — A woman charged with killing four of her young children and their father smiled and flashed a double thumbs up to news cameras during her first court appearance Friday before telling a judge she doesn't want an attorney.

Isabel Martinez, 33, appeared before Gwinnett County Magistrate Court Judge Michael Thorpe a day after police said she stabbed the five to death and seriously injured another child at her home outside Atlanta. The injured child, a 9-year-old girl, survived but remained hospitalized with injuries police described as serious.

Before the hearing began, Martinez sat with other inmates and struck poses for cameras — smiling, giving the thumbs up, putting her hands in a prayer position and spreading her arms out wide.

As Judge Thorpe listed the charges against her — five counts of malice murder, five counts of murder and six counts of aggravated assault — Martinez smiled, shook her head "no" and wagged her finger at him. The judge advised her sharply not to perform for the cameras.

When Thorpe informed her of her right to have an attorney, she said through a Spanish-language interpreter, that she doesn't want one. She later added that her attorney will always be the people and her faith.

Thorpe advised Martinez to hire a lawyer or to allow one to be appointed for her.

"What prompts a person to take the life of such innocent children and her spouse is something we may never understand," Gwinnett County police said in a statement. "This is a horrendous crime not only for the victims but for the extended family, neighborhood and community."

Psychologists and others who study cases of mothers accused of killing their children say it's not as uncommon as people might believe. But media coverage often focuses on dramatic cases, such as Andrea Yates who was found not guilty by reason of insanity for the 2001 drowning deaths of her five children in her suburban Houston home.

Other cases get less attention, as when a woman kills a newborn or in children's deaths blamed on neglect, said Cheryl Meyer, co-author of two books on mothers who have killed children based on about 1,000 cases during the 1990s.

That amounts to roughly one death every three days. If anything, the total based on media reports at the time underestimates the reality, said Meyer, a psychology professor at Wright State University in Ohio.

In cases when mothers kill intentionally, Meyer said there is often another influence, such as mental health issues, postpartum depression or the loss of a close loved one.

"We like to classify these women as pariahs, that they aren't at all like us," Meyer said. "I found that was not the case."

Some neighbors in the small, largely Hispanic neighborhood in Loganville, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) east of Atlanta, said they had no clue anything was amiss in the home until police mobbed the scene Thursday morning. The neighbors said the Spanish-speaking family had moved to the community recently, and their children seemed happy playing with other neighborhood kids.

Victoria Nievs said Martinez had recently suffered the death of her father.

Gwinnett County Police Cpl. Michele Pihera confirmed that the 911 call came from a woman who was inside the home at 4:47 a.m. Thursday to report a stabbing. Police believe Martinez made that call.

Pihera said the caller was speaking Spanish, which initially made it difficult for 911 operators to communicate with her. The county sheriff's office said Martinez is on a hold for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement but didn't provide further details.

The hospitalized girl, Diana Romero, was in serious but stable condition Thursday evening, police said.

The four children killed were identified as Isabela Martinez, 10; Dacota Romero, 7; Dillan Romero, 4; and Axel Romero, 2. Their slain father was Martin Romero, 33, Pihera said.

Early indications are that a knife was used to attack the five, though a medical examiner will make the final determination about the cause of death, she said.

Article Source: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/woman-charged-with-killing-family-smiles-in-court/ar-BBDWug6

Man pleads guilty to killing 7 in South Carolina

SPARTANBURG, S.C. — A South Carolina man who admitted killing seven people over nearly 13 years while running a successful real estate business pleaded guilty Friday to seven counts of murder and a number of other charges.

Todd Kohlhepp admitted his role in the deaths of seven people less than seven months after he was arrested when investigators checking on a missing couple rescued a woman chained inside a shipping container on Kohlhepp's Spartanburg County property.

The woman had been raped and locked inside the container for more than two months after Kohlhepp shot and killed her boyfriend, authorities said. Charles David Carter, 32, was the last of the seven murder victims.

According to the plea agreement signed by the 44-year-old Kohlhepp, he will serve seven consecutive life terms plus 60 years on kidnapping, sexual assault and other charges. He will not be eligible for parole, and he also agreed not to appeal the sentence.

Kohlhepp admitted Friday that he killed four workers at Superbike Motorsports motorcycle store in Chesnee in 2003 after the manager made him angry. The victims were the owner, Scott Ponder, 30; Beverly Guy, 52; Brian Lucas, 30; and Chris Sherbert, 26. Guy was Ponder's mother and worked as a bookkeeper. Lucas was a service manager, and Sherbert was a mechanic at the shop.

Kohlhepp also admitted guilt in the deaths of a husband and wife who disappeared in December 2015. The bodies of 29-year-old Johnny Joe Coxie and 26-year-old Meagan Leigh McCraw-Coxie were found on Kohlhepp's land after his arrest. The couple had been hired to do work on Kohlhepp's property.

Kohlhepp was eligible for the death penalty, but the plea deal took that off the table.

No one has been executed in South Carolina in more than six years because the state lacks the drugs needed for lethal injections.

Kohlhepp moved to South Carolina in 2001 shortly after 14 years in prison after pleading guilty to kidnapping in Arizona. Authorities there said the then 15-year-old forced a 14-year-old neighbor back to his home at gunpoint, tied her up and raped her.

Kohlhepp had to register on South Carolina's sex offender registry, but told people it was a trumped up charge after a girl's father was angry about a joyride. Kohlhepp also lied about the felony conviction so he could get his real estate license in the state.

Friends and co-workers at Kohlhepp's real estate business said he was a hard worker with some strange habits. He would watch pornographic videos during work and joked on his firm's website that he motivated workers by not feeding them.

Article Source: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/man-pleads-guilty-to-killing-7-in-south-carolina/ar-BBByhwb

Police: Man Stabs Wife to Death, Drives Self to Jail

An 81-year-old Dayton man is in the Montgomery County jail charged with murder for allegedly stabbing his 70-year-old wife to death following an argument in their home on Delmar Ave.

Donald Cleaver was booked in to jail early Friday morning after he showed up at the police department to turn himself in for allegedly killing his wife, Mary Cleaver.

It was a neighbor that called 911 to alert police to the crime.  “He says he just killed his wife,” the 911 caller said.  “He’s getting ready to head to the jail he says.”

According to Dayton homicide detectives, the investigation shows the Cleaver’s apparently argued last night and after Mary Cleaver went to bed, Donald Cleaver fatally stabbed her. 

The case will be presented to the Montgomery Count Prosecutor’s office for formal charges.

According to a Dayton police report, officers responded to Cleaver’s home in the 200 block of North Delmar Avenue around 1 a.m. Friday.

The Montgomery County Coroner’s Office said Mary Cleaver, 70, was killed at the same address officers responded to.

“He did not say how he did it,” the 911 caller said.

A knife is listed in the police report as a possible weapon used.

Cleaver is not yet officially charged.

Article Source: http://www.whio.com/news/crime--law/police-man-stabs-wife-death-drives-self-jail/LifJN2ZFW94wQo45Ns6nDP/

4 Dead in Topeka Shooting

(CNN) Four people were killed and another injured in a shooting Sunday afternoon in Topeka, Kansas, police said.

The suspected shooter was among the dead.

The killings happened at a home that is part of a business that provides in-home care to people with special needs. All the victims were male.

The survivor was taken to a local hospital with non life-threatening injuries.

The shooter died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police told CNN affiliate WIBW.

Lt. Colleen Stuart of the Topeka Police Department said the home was a "private business providing residential services."

She said the alleged shooter was "associated" with the home but would not elaborate.

Article Source: http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/01/us/topeka-fatal-shooting/index.html

San Diego Gunman

San Diego (CNN)Despondent over the end of a relationship, a gunman entered the pool area of his San Diego apartment complex Sunday and began shooting randomly at people gathered for a birthday party, authorities said.

At some point during the shooting, 49-year-old Peter Selis took a seat in a lounge chair, pulled out his cell phone and called his ex-girlfriend to tell her he shot two people, San Diego Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman said in a news conference Monday.

Selis kept her on the phone as he continued shooting, killing one woman and injuring six before police fatally shot him, Zimmerman said. Another person was injured while fleeing the La Jolla Crossroads apartment complex.

On Wednesday, a source with knowledge of the investigation identified the woman who died as Monique Clark. 

A cell-phone video appears to show the gunman reclining in a chair beneath an umbrella, legs crossed as he reloads the gun in his lap, takes aim and pulls the trigger.

Though Selis was white and some of the victims were people of color, Zimmerman said there was "zero information" to suggest the rampage was racially motivated. 

"The victims were targeted for no reason other than their mere presence," Zimmerman said. "What started as a celebration of a friend's birthday turned into a tragedy of epic proportions for all those in attendance."

'He didn't say a single word'

The first 911 call came in at 6:08 p.m., reporting two people had been shot, Zimmerman said. The second caller described hearing five to six gunshots and seeing someone outside with a gun.

As police responded to the calls, officers in a helicopter above the complex directed ground units to the suspect, she said. Three officers confronted the shooter, Zimmerman said. He pointed his weapon at them, prompting an exchange of gunfire that killed Selis at the scene.

Six survivors were sent to area hospitals with gunshot wounds. Another person suffered a broken wrist, a broken hand and a concussion from climbing a fence during the shooting. All are expected to recover. Authorities initially identified the shooting victims as four black women, two black men and a Hispanic male. Investigators learned that one of the victims initially reported to be a black female was actually white.

The party started about three hours before the gunman showed up around 5:30 p.m., guest Demetrius Griffin wrote on a fundraising site, where the victims are accepting donations for medical expenses.

Something about him was "strange," Griffin said in the post -- all he had was backpack, no book or anything else to suggest "a day at the pool." 

The "birthday boy" approached the man to invite him into the party, Griffin said. The conversation did not last long. The man pulled out a gun and shot Griffin's friend in the chest before turning his weapon on the crowd.

"He was very docile. In his facial expression, no smiling, laughing, talking," Griffin told CNN Monday. "He let off eight rounds, reloaded, let off another eight, reloaded again."

As people began scrambling and screaming, the shooter "didn't say a single word," he said.

Partygoer Haley Thames said she and her friend Lauren Chapman were among those who ran for cover. As they ran, they noticed two women who had been shot and were lying in a pool of blood. One of them was Thames' cousin. 

"I turn around and saw family on the ground, and it became all about that," Thames said.

Chapman said they helped lead the women out of the pool area to safety. When they reached the street, Chapman flagged down an SUV. The driver cleared out his car and drove the women and another victim to the hospital, Chapman said.

San Diego Fire Chief Brian Fennessy later identified the driver as a security guard for the apartment building. 

At a news conference Monday afternoon, survivor Thomas Blea thanked the driver and the first responders who came to his aid.

"It was a terrible experience that we went through, but I'm glad that I'm all right, and I'm glad that most of my friends are all right," he said.

What we know about the shooter

Selis broke up with his girlfriend days before the shooting, Zimmerman said. Family members described him as depressed, but said nothing in his behavior suggested this kind of violence.

"It is very clear that he was despondent over the breakup," the police chief said. "It is apparent that he wanted his girlfriend to listen in as he carried out his rampage."

Detectives are still looking into Selis' background, she said. He has no criminal history and one handgun registered in his name.

Facing significant debts, he filed for bankruptcy in 2015. He listed his occupation as car mechanic, according to a petition filed in US Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of California.

"This was a truly horrific and disturbing act. We pray for the victims and thank our first responders. Our city rejects this senseless violence," San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer said at a news conference.

Shots ring out in placid neighborhood

The apartment complex, La Jolla Crossroads, is located near the University of California San Diego campus. Residents described the complex as typically quiet, a place that college students, physicians and military families, among others, call home.

In a span of about 30 minutes, apartment residents heard gunfire, sirens and the screams of those near the main pool, said resident Susan Berry, who was at the property but did not witness the shooting. 

"People are shocked because it's an affluent neighborhood," Berry said.

When asked how he would characterize what happened, Griffin said he would not call it a terrorist act. "But it's terror," he said. 

Chapman agreed that the most appropriate word to describe what happened was "terror." A junior grade lieutenant in the US Navy, she said she expects to come under attack in war zones abroad, not at home.

"I dedicate my life serving my country understanding that my life is on the line when I'm out there. But at no point in time would I think an act of terror would take place at home in the way that it did."

Article Source: http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/01/us/san-diego-shooting/index.html

Baltimore asks FBI for help: 'Murder is out of control'

(CNN)The number of homicides in Baltimore this year is soaring -- reaching 100 before the end of April for the first time in nearly two decades -- and the mayor is asking the FBI for more help.

"Murder is out of control," said Mayor Catherine Pugh, at her weekly news briefing Wednesday. "There are too many guns on the streets. We're looking for all the help we can get."

The mayor met recently with the special agent in charge of the FBI's Baltimore office and asked for additional agents to help local police battle violent crime in the city, according to the mayor's spokesman, Anthony McCarthy. He said that could either mean bringing in more FBI agents from other field offices across the country or reassigning agents already in Baltimore to work with local police investigating violent crime.

Three people were killed in the city Monday -- raising the number of homicides this year to 101, according to police. And with the warmer months approaching, it's only expected to get worse. 

"The summers in Baltimore tend to be very violent," McCarthy said. "And the mayor wants to get a handle on all the murders, the flood of guns on the streets and the gang activity."

The mayor is also asking the FBI to share its newest crime-fighting technologies with Baltimore Police, according to McCarthy. He said Mayor Pugh is hoping to make an announcement about additional federal resources sometime next week.

Article Source: http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/26/politics/baltimore-crime-fbi-help/index.html

Brothers Charged in Connection with Murder of Missouri Woman Monica Sykes

A man has been charged with second-degree murder in the killing of Missouri woman Monica Sykes. 

Ray Ellis, 27, is being held on a $1 million bond on charges of second-degree murder, armed criminal action, and two counts of tampering with physical evidence in connection to Monica's disappearance and death. 

Ellis, who family members say was involved in a relationship with Monica, is believed to have been the last person to see her before she disappeared in October. Her remains were found in February and positively identified last week.

According to court documents, Ellis confessed to shooting Monica and dragging her body into a field. Documents also reveal Ellis asked a witness how to burn up a vehicle. His white 2003 Cadillac Deville was found burning several days after Monica was last seen. 

Ellis's brother, Jermaine Benjamin, 21, has also been charged in connection with the case for helping set fire to the vehicle, according to NBC affiliate KSDK. The station reports that authorities found a glove containing Benjamin's DNA near the torched car. 

Monica was last seen by one of her nephews the morning of October 28, 2016. The 25-year-old, who lived with her sister and nephews in Berkeley, Missouri, reportedly came home that morning, changed clothes, and headed back out. The young boy told her family and police that he saw her get into a white vehicle with an unknown person. That person is now believed to have been Ellis. 

Monica was featured in Dateline's Missing in America online article series shortly after she disappeared. 

Article Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/feature/missing-in-america/brothers-charged-connection-murder-missouri-woman-monica-sykes-n742826