Tag: murder

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News Round-Up: January 13, 2020

Some news items you might have missed: • Mancrush Monday: As if it’s any secret I have a ‘thing’ for former pro rugby player Dan Tai (above). You can follow the handsome InstaHunk here. • Belfast Telegraph: Same-sex marriage comes to Northern Ireland today as couples are now able to give notice of their intent to form a civil same-sex marriage to the General Register Office for Northern Ireland. The first same-sex weddings are expected to take place from February 10, following the minimum period of notice of 28 days. • Buzzfeed News: After a year fighting with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) — successfully overturning a policy widely regarded as discriminatory — and nearly two years of intense training, James Bushe, 31, became the first person with HIV to gain a commercial pilot’s license and fly a commercial flight. • TV Line: Rumored backstage tension at Will & Grace did not precipitate the series’ end, NBC’s top exec maintains. “Some things come to a natural end,” NBC Chairman Paul Telegdy explained to TVLine. “[Series creators] Max [Mutchnick] and David [Kohan] told the story they wanted to tell. Just wait for the finale.” • Detroit Free Press: As police search for more men who may have hooked up with accused murderer Mark Latunski, the Grindr cannibal is now pleading insanity. • Daily Dog: This little guy deserves some Twitter attention. Look at him go!

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Bronx Teen Charged In Fatal Christmas Eve Attack On Gay Couple

A Bronx teen has been charged with murder, gang assault and robbery for the brutal beating that killed 60-year-old Juan Fresnada on Christmas Eve. New York Daily News reports Abu Conteh, 18, was arrested on Tuesday in connection with the mugging that profited a gang of attackers $1 and led to the death of Fresnada. As previously reported, Fresnada and his longtime boyfriend, Byron Caceres, 26, were assaulted around 1:30 a.m. on Christmas Eve when they were targeted by muggers outside a McDonald’s restaurant. Fresnada attempted to protect his younger partner in the attack but was overwhelmed as three men took part in the assault which lasted about 15 minutes according to Caceres. In surveillance video, one of the gang can be seen slamming a metal trash can down on Fresnada’s head before fleeing the scene of the crime leaving the elder man bleeding in the street as cars, passers-by and a city bus passed by without stopping. Surveillance video showed Fresnada bleeding on the ground as passers-by, cars, and even a city bus passed by without checking on the man bleeding on the sidewalk.

Fresnada eventually died from his injuries inflicted by the gang, which included swelling in the brain, after clinging to life for three days on a ventilator at Lincoln Hospital. Conteh was reportedly picked up at his home not far from the scene of the crime after being identified as one of the assailants. Two accomplices have also been identified and police are currently searching for them. The 18-year-old’s mother, Isataturay Conteh, told the Daily News her son is innocent. “He saw people fighting and he knows those people in the video but he never touched that man,” said the mother. “It’s not him who killed this man.” Even with the arrest of Conteh, Caceres says he’s been worried that the suspects might come looking for him. “I’m nervous about it,” he told the Daily News. “I’m thinking a lot about it…. A lot of people told me that I should cover my face when I was talking to the news.” “Hopefully justice comes on the way,” he added. “If I have to go to court, if I have to go the grand jury, if I have to do something to recognize this guy, I will do it.” The couple had lived together in a small apartment in the Bronx since 2016.

Juan Fresnada and Byron Caceres
(source: NY Daily News)

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Grindr Hookup Gone Wrong Ends In Murder & Mutilation Charges

Kevin Bacon (image via Facebook)
Mark Latunski, 50, has been charged with one count of murder and one count of mutilation of the body of his alleged victim in a Grindr hookup gone terribly wrong. MLive.com reports that Kevin Bacon (not the actor), 25, of Swartz Creek, Michigan, told his housemate, Michelle Myers, he was meeting a man he’d met on the dating app around 5 p.m. on Christmas Eve. Bacon then texted Myers at 6:12 p.m. saying he would be out for a while and wasn’t sure when he’d be home. According to Myers, he indicated he was “having fun.” But when the 25-year-old hairstylist was a no-show at his family’s Christmas breakfast, they became concerned. Police eventually found Bacon’s car in a parking lot where a bag containing his phone, clothes, and wallet was discovered. Missing from the scene were his car keys. According to MLive.com, the young man’s body was found on December 28 at Latunski’s home in Shiawassee County’s Bennington Township, 25 miles west of Flint. Police were led to the suspect’s home after some Facebook posts about the home in question were relayed to the Clayton Township Police Department, according to Kevin Bacon’s dad, Karl Bacon. The medical examiner determined Bacon died sometime between late Christmas Eve and early Christmas Day. If found guilty, Latunski faces life in prison.
Mark Latunski (mug shot)
Bacon’s parents, Karl and Pamela Bacon, said at a press conference they didn’t know if their son had any previous contact with Latunski. But the father took issue with the folks at Grindr telling the press “They didn’t give us any info during the initial investigation.” Calling the people in charge at the dating app “rather uncooperative,” the father said,  “There’s no regulation of law on how they operate and how accountable they are to people’s activities on their apps.” “That was our biggest obstacle in this investigation,” said Karl Bacon. “We did not know where he was going and who he was meeting with. If he had relayed that information early on, it may not have been avoided, but it could have been accelerated a lot quicker if we knew who and where.” For its part,  a spokesperson for Grindr issued a statement which read: “We at Grindr are heartbroken to hear about this terrible tragedy, and share our condolences with Mr. Bacon’s family and friends. While for privacy reasons we do not offer public comment on individual user accounts, we remain fully committed to working with law enforcement in the event of any investigation.” The victim’s namesake – Kevin Bacon, the actor – expressed his own condolences on social media writing, “For obvious reasons I’m thinking this morning about the friends and Family of this young person Kevin Bacon. His life was taken from him much too soon. His love was hair dressing. I bet he would have done a great job on this mess on my head. RIP KB.”

This tragic incident, in the wake of previous reports of dating apps being used to lure gay men into dangerous situations, brings to bear the important topic of safety when meeting strangers on such apps. Grindr recently announced new features to protect users’ safety, but are they enough? Some years ago,  a friend told me he always left the web page of a dating website he used open on his laptop when he’d meet up with someone new. His intention was if he went missing people would find the info on his computer. Readers – do you take any specific measures when using dating apps? Tell friends where or who you are meeting? Does anyone have advice on how to help in these situations? Tell us in the comments section. (source: MLive.com)

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Police Officer Found Guilty Of Shooting Black Man In His Home

(screen capture)
Police officer Amber Guyger was convicted of murder by a Dallas County jury on Tuesday for fatally shooting Botham Jean in his own apartment last year. According to the Dallas Morning News, the verdict came following five hours of deliberation by the jury. The court now moves to the punishment phase of Guyger’s trial. In Texas, murder carries a sentence of five to 99 years or life in prison. The charge is not eligible for probation. Guyger, 31, fatally shot 26-year-old Jean in his apartment last year. She had said she mistook his apartment for her own and thought Jean, who was sitting on the couch eating ice cream, was a burglar. During testimony, she told the jury she shot Jean because she was ‘scared,’ even though Jean was only armed with a bowl of ice cream. One of the prosecutors asked her during cross-examination if she could have stepped out of the apartment after realizing someone was there and called for backup. She answered, ‘Yes.’ She is the first Dallas officer convicted of murder since the 1970s. On Monday, Judge Tammy Kemp ruled the jury could consider the Castle Doctrine during deliberations. The Castle Doctrine, similar to the Stand Your Ground Law, allows for “using force (even deadly force) in the protection of a home, vehicle, or other property if someone attempts to forcibly enter or remove an individual from the premises.” The judge also allowed the jury to consider manslaughter. According to some legal experts, the judge may have been appeal-proofing the trial outcome by including Castle Doctrine and “mistake of fact.” An appeals court may have more easily overturned the conviction if jurors weren’t allowed to consider both.

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Detroit Man Charged In Murder/Robbery Used Grindr To Find Victims

A Detroit man has been arrested in the assault and murder of two gay men.

According to DetroitNews.com, Demetris Nelson used the gay dating app, Grindr, to find and contact his victims.

Demetris Nelson, 26, was charged Friday in 36th District Court in Detroit with several crimes, including first-degree murder, assault with intent to murder and assault with intent to rob while armed and felony firearm possession, according to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office.

If convicted, he faces up to life in prison for the murder charge.

A magistrate ordered him held without bail and scheduled a probable cause hearing for July 26 and a preliminary examination into the case for Aug. 2.

Police say Nelson shot and killed Brian Anderson, 31, and shot and critically wounded Malcom Drake, 26, both of Detroit, last Saturday during an attempted robbery.

Prosecutors allege he shot them because they are gay and used a social networking app to locate the two victims.

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White Supremacist Gets Life In Prison For Driving Car Into Crowd At Charlottesville Hate Rally

Alex Fields Jr. (mug shot)

NBC News reports that James Alex Fields Jr., who drove his car into a crowd protesting white supremacists at a rally in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017, has been sentence to life in prison.

James Alex Fields Jr. pleaded guilty to 29 of 30 hate crime charges in March in a plea deal to avoid the death penalty for murdering civil rights activist Heather Heyer and injuring more than 30 others when he intentionally mowed them down on a side street with his car on Aug. 12, 2017.

The 30th charge, which included a possible death sentence, was dropped. U.S. Attorney General William Barr directed and permitted prosecutors not to seek the death penalty.

Prosecutors have said that Fields has shown no remorse for the violence and had a history of racist and anti-Semitic behavior.

According to reports, Fields admired Adolf Hitler keeping a photo of the German dictator next to his bed.

A former classmate of Fields testified during his trial that on a high school trip to a German concentration camp, Fields said aloud, “This is where the magic happened.”

This isn’t the end of legal troubles for Fields, though.

He has also been convicted on state charges, including first-degree murder, five counts of aggravated malicious wounding, three counts of malicious wounding and one hit and run count for injuring dozens of others with his vehicle.

He has a sentencing hearing set on July 15 regarding those charges.

The jury in that case has reportedly recommended life in prison plus 419 years.

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News Round-Up: March 13, 2019

Paleontologist, Francesc Gascó, saying 'good night.' #ImNotMad

Some news items you might have missed:

• Paleontologist & InstaHunk Francesc Gascó saying ‘good night.’ #ImNotMad

• The Massachusetts House of Representatives has passed a bill banning the practice of so-called ‘conversion therapy’ on minors. With full passage, Mass would become the 16th state (plus the District of Columbia) to ban conversion therapy for minors.

• Donald Trump has proposed cutting over $1 billion in HIV/AIDS funding in next fiscal budget.

• Former Broadway dancer Marcus Bellamy was sentenced to 20 years in prison for murdering his partner during a drug-fueled argument.

• Utah’s House of Representatives approved a bill that would give teeth to the state’s hate crime law – but only after making not only LGBTQ people but “political expression” protected by the law.

• Los Angeles-based electro-pop musician, Devin Tait, recently debuted his new music video, “By My Side,” from his album, Art Damage.

The video is an wistful homage to late 80s-era Halloween nights, and two young men who discover that there may be more to be found in removing your mask than in hiding who you are.

Hit the play button below.

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Toronto Serial Killer Pleads Guilty To Murdering 8 Men

Bruce McArthur, 67-years-old, has been charged and pleaded guilty to eight counts of first-degree murder which included hiding the victims’ dismembered bodies.
Admitted serial killer Bruce McArthur (image via Facebook)

A former landscaper and mall Santa Claus pleaded guilty in a Toronto courtroom Tuesday morning to killing 8 men over a seven-year period.

Bruce McArthur, 67-years-old, has been charged with eight counts of first-degree murder which included hiding the victims’ dismembered bodies.

The victims have been identified as Selim Esen, Andrew Kinsman, Majeed Kayhan, Dean Lisowick, Soroush Mahmudi, Skandaraj Navaratnam, Abdulbasir Faizi and Kirushna Kanagaratnam.

According to local news station CP24, the murders were “sexual in nature,” and there were signs that they were premeditated.

Additionally, there was evidence of ‘confinement’ involved in the incidents.

During a search of McArthur’s apartment, police found some of the victims’ personal belongings.

The murders occurred between 2010 and 2017 in Toronto.

“The bodies of all eight men were found dismembered in planters and in a ravine near a home on Mallory Crescent where McArthur stored tools for his landscaping business,” reports CP24.

McArthur’s next court appearance is set for February 4. At that time, victim impact statements will be filed in the court and the sentencing phase will begin.

Karen Fraser, who owns the property where the bodies were found, told CP24 she feels “violated” by the atrocities.

When asked about McArthur, she described the former landscaper as having two different personalities.

“We call it ‘Bruce A’ and ‘Bruce B.’ ‘Bruce A’ was a man who seemed to have made decisions about his life and was very happy with it. He enjoyed his job. He enjoyed his clients,” she told CP24.

“(He) never got bored with the plants. He was very talented at it. He was very fond of his children. He was a great grandfather. He was the best friend, neighbour, relative that anyone could want. That was ‘Bruce A.’ ‘Bruce B,’ Who was that? I don’t know.”

(h/t CP24)

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White Supremacist Sentenced To Life In Prison For Driving Car Through Charlottesville Crowd

James A Fields Jr.

The Washington Post reports that neo-nazi James A. Fields Jr., convicted of first-degree murder (among other charges) has been sentenced to life in prison and more for his actions.

James A. Fields Jr., an avowed neo-Nazi who rammed his car into a group of counterprotesters at a white-supremacist rally, was sentenced to life in prison by a jury Tuesday after a trial that offered an unsparing view of the physical and emotional ruin he caused in this city with a burst of vehicular rage 16 month ago.

As he had throughout his two-week trial, Fields, 21, sat impassively at the defendant’s table, clad in a powder blue sweater, as the jury delivered its verdict at 12:20 p.m. after about four hours of deliberations that began Monday: life for first-degree murder; 70 years for each of five counts of aggravated malicious wounding; 20 years for each of three counts of malicious wounding; and nine years for leaving the scene of a fatal crash.

His overall sentence: life plus 419 years and $480,000 in fines.

Heather Heyer, 32, was killed in the attack as well as 35 others who were seriously injured.

In Virginia, a trial jury hands out sentences within certain guidelines.

The judge will officially sentence Fields on March 29.  At that time, the judge may reduce, but not increase, the prison time.

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Charlottesville Neo-Nazi Found Guilty Of Murder

James Alex Fields (mug shot via the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail.)

The Neo-nazi who drove his car into a crowd of people a the Charlottesville rally in 2017 has been found guilty of first-degree murder.

From ABC News:

Suspect James Alex Fields was on trial for the death and injuries he is accused of causing when he drove his car into a crowd of counter-protesters, killing Heather Heyer.

He was found guilty on all of the charges he was facing, ABC affiliate WSET reports, which included first-degree murder as well as eight other charges relating to injuries and one relating to fleeing the scene of an accident.

Fields’ sentencing will come at a later date, and he faces life in prison.

Fields’ defense lawyers tried to claim ‘self-defense’ saying he became afraid after the rally, led by white nationalists and neo-nazis turned violent.

Entered into evidence during the trial were text messages Fields sent to his mother leading up to and during the rally. “We’re not the one [sic] who need to be careful,” he texted his mother the day before the event, along with a picture of Adolf Hitler.

The jury also heard a jailhouse conversation between Fields and his mom. When his mother mentioned that Heyer’s mother had lost a daughter due to his actions, he responded, “It doesn’t f*cking matter.”

The 21-year-old still faces 30 federal charges, separate from this trial, relating to hate crimes.