Albert Cronkite, Author at DR News - News, Retirement, Finance

Man kills dog owner who tried to protect his pets after wife was mauled police say

Authorities say Shawn Cyriacks was shot after trying to stop Matthew Pasco from killing dogs that had attacked a woman. LEESBURG, Fla. — Witness statements from a wooded encampment near Griffin Road describe the minutes before a dog owner was fatally shot as a fast-moving confrontation that began in a tent and ended on a trail. Those accounts now sit at the center of the first-degree murder case against Matthew Lee Pasco, 43, of Leesburg. …

Teen cousin accused in death of 2-year-old California boy placed in foster care with relatives

The 2-year-old died while in foster care after earlier county cases had already prompted reform promises. SAN JOSE, Calif. — The death of 2-year-old Jaxon Juarez in a San Jose foster home has deepened scrutiny of Santa Clara County’s child welfare system, which was already under state oversight after earlier child deaths. Prosecutors have charged Jaxon’s teenage foster brother and cousin with murder, but the case has grown beyond one criminal defendant. County and state …

Tulsa woman collapsed with 5-year-old son in her arms after his father shot her police say

Investigators say witness statements, a recovered gun and an alleged confession support the murder charge. STILLWATER, Okla. — A single fired 9 mm casing found in a living room is among the key evidence in the case against a Payne County man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend on Easter morning. Connor Allen Kinnamon, 27, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Audrey Adams, 27, after investigators said he shot her inside a rural …

Ankle monitor parolee admits killing beloved archaeologist in Best Buy parking lot

Authorities said Zachary Ryan Babitz was under supervision and wearing a GPS monitor before the New Mexico attacks. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A former New Mexico prisoner who authorities said cut off a GPS ankle monitor before killing an 83-year-old man has pleaded guilty to federal charges under a deal calling for life in prison. Zachary Ryan Babitz, 40, admitted to a series of armed robberies, carjackings and firearm crimes that prosecutors said began in Albuquerque …

Juvenile boy in Alabama faces murder charge after 10-year-old dies from stab wounds say police

10-year-old Katheryn Aliceanna Bigbee’s death was ruled a homicide after police found her during a late-night response. PIEDMONT, Ala. — The Calhoun County coroner said 10-year-old Katheryn Aliceanna Bigbee died from multiple stab wounds after Piedmont police found her during a missing-child investigation that led to a juvenile murder charge. The coroner’s finding gave investigators and the public one of the clearest facts in a case where many details remain undisclosed. Police have said the …

Stepfather allegedly shoots Florida woman dead in front of her mother over rudeness complaint

The 39-year-old was killed in an Escambia County home after a brief dispute, deputies said. ESCAMBIA COUNTY, Fla. — Friends described Alanda Cuffee as selfless after deputies said the 39-year-old was shot and killed by her stepfather during a brief dispute inside an Escambia County kitchen. Cuffee’s death on April 19 turned a home on Gulf Breeze Avenue into the scene of a murder case and left her mother as the main witness. James Pelzer, …

Girlfriend watches FedEx driver gunned down by road rage fueled Florida man say police

Police say the suspect had no authority to enter the Riviera Beach work site where Nathaniel Padgett was killed. RIVIERA BEACH, Fla. — A private loading area at a FedEx distribution center became the center of a murder investigation after police said a driver followed an employee inside and shot him after a road dispute. The April 16 killing of Nathaniel Padgett, 34, is being examined not only as a road rage case but also …

Police say Burbank man stalked sleeping mother and daughter inside their home before slaughter began

Meera Varma, a mental health advocate, survived the attack that killed her mother. BURBANK, Calif. — A family’s loss stretched from a Burbank bedroom to India after an early morning stabbing killed Arti Varma, injured her daughter and led to charges against Sergio Meza Fraire. The case has drawn attention because of who the victims were and because of how prosecutors say the attack unfolded. Arti Varma was a 59-year-old first-grade teacher at Bret Harte …

Courthouse custody battle turns deadly after husband learns child is not his

Prosecutors said Stephen Andrew White struck Erin Lee Thomas, then shot him after a gun jam. LAURENS, S.C. — The evidence in a courthouse parking lot shooting began with two kinds of force: a vehicle driven into a man and a gun fired after he lay injured on the pavement. That sequence led to a 40-year sentence for Stephen Andrew White, who pleaded guilty April 20 to murder and possession of a weapon during the …

Sheriff says suspect hunted through family home before killing mom and kids

The Wilmer killings left one toddler alive and a capital case moving through Mobile County. MOBILE, Ala. — Relatives of a Wilmer family killed inside their home are mourning a devoted mother, a pregnant teenager and a 12-year-old boy as prosecutors prepare a capital murder case against a man who knew them. Lisa Gail Fields, 46, her daughter Keziah Arionna Luker, 17, and her son Thomas Cordelle Jr., 12, were found dead April 20 at …