Monthly Archives: February 2018

Aaron Hernandez’s Suicide Note To Fiancée Shayanna Jenkins …

When Aaron Hernandez was found dead in his prison cell on April 19, 2017 after hanging himself, authorities also discovered the former NFL star’s last words in three handwritten suicide notes. In the weeks following Hernandez’s death, a portion of one note — addressed to his fiancée, Shayanna Jenkins — was released in a legal filing by the prosecution.

At the time, prosecutors intended to use the suicide note to argue Hernandez’s first-degree murder conviction should not be vacated because of his death. As CNN reported, the annulment of his guilty verdict would “reward the defendant’s conscious, deliberate and voluntary act,” said the court filing.

Massachusetts, the state where Hernandez was tried, recognizes the legal principle of “abatement ab initio,” which allows courts to void convictions for defendants if they die before exhausting all their appeals. And in Massachusetts, first-degree murder convictions prompt an automatic appeal.

Prosecutors, however, were looking to

Aaron Hernandez Told Fiancée Shayanna Jenkins To ‘Tell My Story Fully’ In Suicide Note

Prosecutors, however, were looking to

Appeal Ruling Expected For Adnan Syed Of ‘Serial’ This Week

Adnan Syed, the subject of “Serial” will soon know if he will get a new trial and a new shot at freedom after nearly two decades behind bars. Over the weekend Syed’s defense attorney Justin Brown tweeted that he’s expecting a ruling from the Maryland Court of Special Appeals very soon.

However, a spokeswoman with the Administrative Office of the Courts told an ABC affiliate in an email that they “cannot speculate on a particular time when the opinion will be issued.”

In 2000, Syed was sentenced to life after being convicted of killing Hae Min Lee, his ex-girlfriend and classmate. She was found buried in a shallow grave in Baltimore. Syed, now in his thirties, has maintained his innocence.

“Serial” dived into the case and the popular podcast conjured up questions about Syed’s conviction and it led to a new trial. In 2016, Retired Baltimore Circuit Judge Martin Welch ruled that

Neighbors Say They Knew Nikolas Cruz Had a Dark Side, Would ‘End Up In An Orange Jumpsuit’

A neighbor of the suspected gunman at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School says that she saw his despondent behavior years before he killed 17 people at his former high school.

Prior to the incident, Joelle Guarino says always felt that he would shoot up a school given his violent tendencies.

“I had no doubt he was going to do this,” she said to CNN. “My husband and I both knew that we would eventually see him one day on the news, wearing an orange jumpsuit being charged with murder.”

Guarino used to live by 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz and saw him growing up. She describes him being sullen, avoiding eye contact with her and not speaking to anyone. She says that he did play with her children but displayed violent and anti-social behavior. On one instance, she says that Cruz threw a rock at her son and hit him in the eye. In another, she says

Steve Wynn Accused Of Rape And Fathering Child In Resurfaced Police Reports

Hotel magnate Steve Wynn has been accused of rape by two women in newly-surfaced police report dating back four decades. The former chairman and chief executive of Wynn Resorts was accused by women in the 1970s, according to the reports obtained by The Associated Press.

In one report, a victim said that Wynn raped her at least three times around 1973 and 1974 at her Chicago apartment. She said that she became pregnant as a result and gave birth to a baby in a gas station restroom.

In another report, a victim who worked as a dealer at the Golden Nuggest casino (a property developed by Wynn) had consensual sex “several times” with Wynn but “felt coerced to perform the acts” because of his position. When she turned him down, she was forced to resign. She said that on another instance, Wynn pinned her against the refrigerator and raped her in her apartment.

Missouri Man Allegedly Kills Fianceé, Her Son, And Self, But 4-Year-Old Daughter Survives

A young child in Missouri was spared after her father reportedly shot and killed his fianceé, her son, and then himself. According to multiple media reports, a 4-year-old girl survived by pretending to be asleep after she heard gunshots. Meanwhile, her dad was doing the unspeakable in the other room.

Police in Bellefontaine Neighbors, Missouri, have said that they found the young girl was unharmed after responding to a 911 call and checked on the family’s home on Hoyt Drive last Thursday, according to People. Local reports stated that the man told police they would find three bodies inside of the house, and then hung up.

Bellafontaine Neighobors Police Chief Jeremy Ihler recounts what happened: Just before midnight on Thursday, the child heard a first gunshot wound and found her mother on the floor. However, her father told her to go back to her soon, so she did.

“She heard several shots fired

Florida Woman Accused of Shooting Dog Because Fiancé Wouldn’t Crack Her Back

A woman from Tarpon Springs, Florida is accused of fatally shooting her and her fiancé dog during an argument on Friday morning. The argument allegedly began because the woman wanted her fiancé to crack her back.

Giselle Taylor, 21, was arrested on suspicion of aggravated cruelty to animals, according to a police affidavit obtained by Oxygen. It states that Taylor wanted her live-in fiancé to crack her back for her and when he refused, a verbal argument ensued.

At some point, according to the affidavit, Taylor left the home and “walked into her garage and removed her firearm from her glove box. The defendant loaded her pistol, walked into the house and approached her fiancé.”

Police described what happened next: Taylor said she was trying to scare her fiancé. She wanted to “provoke a response.” However, that didn’t appear to happen.

“When the defendant did not get the response she was hoping to achieve, she pointed the

Florida Legislature Approves Bills To Arm School Faculty Despite Objections From Teachers And Law Enforcement

Last week, Florida students attempted to influence lawmaking practices by showing up en masse to demonstrate against the proliferation of guns in the wake of a school shooting that claimed 17 lives.

The demonstrations did not sway politicians, who shockingly voted against gun control measures after saying a prayer for the deceased. Now, Florida’s House and Senate are moving in a different direction: this week, they have approved bills that would train teachers to carry guns.

The new measures would devote $67 million to create “marshals” — trained teachers and other faculty with firearms — according to The Huffington Post.

The Florida legislature’s decisions follow suit with President Trump’s vision of gun safety, which he announced during controversial listening sessions with survivors and their parents. The legislature’s moves have faced opposition from both teachers advocacy groups and law enforcement groups, according to The Huffington Post. Trump has additionally advocated that the teachers who receive this training

Dick’s Sporting Goods To Stop Selling Assault Rifles; Adds Age Requirement

Dick’s Sporting Goods announced on Wednesday morning that it was immediately ending all sales of assault-style rifles. As for the other guns they sell, they announced they will immediately start banning sales to people under age 21.

The announcement came on “Good Morning America,” where company Chairman and CEO Edward Stack made an appearance to explain the decision.

“Based on what’s happened and looking at those kids and those parents, it moved us all unimaginably,” Stack said. Of course, he is referring to the recent Valentine’s Day school shooting in Parkland, Florida, which took the lives of 17 people. Since then, survivors of the shooting have become activists, outspoken about their stances on gun control.

Stack’s announcement comes not long after it was revealed that the alleged shooter behind the massacre in Parkland purchased a gun at Dick’s last year, ABC News reports.

“We did everything by the book,” Stack said.

1 In 4 Teens Are Sexting, While Experts And Parents Worry They Don’t Understand The Consequences

The majority of teenagers have smartphones. A new report has analyzed 39 studies featuring approximately 10,300 teenagers and found that one in four have sexted. The report was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Pediatrics, according to Time.

The report shows that 15% of teens say that they send sexts—sexual messages images or videos—while 27% receive them. The report also says that this activity increases with age.

Parents are especially worried in how to help their teens navigate a digital world in which sending and receiving texts could account for illegal behavior.

“The topic is of pressing concern for most parents, who are faced with the double threat of trying to understand the workings of the digital world, while also having to navigate conversations around sexual behavior with their teens,” says Sheri Madigan, an assistant professor in the department of psychology at the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute at the University

Crime Time

Covering Oxygen network's true crime shows. [A TrueCrimeLover.com website]