#shocking crimes

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[fletchermarple]

Some cases seem like they came straight out of a horror movie, and this one that happened in Tampico, Mexico, is one of them.

It started on March 27, 2018, when Jessica Gabriela Hernández (20) left her house and didn’t come back. She was 8 months pregnant and had gone to meet a woman called Cinthia, who’d contacted her through Facebook and offered to give her some baby clothes she no longer needed.

The truth behind that apparently generous offer was beyond sinister.

Three days after Jessica went missing, Cinthia (her last name hasn’t been revealed) arrived to the hospital with a dead newborn baby girl. She claimed it was hers, and she’d had an abortion. But the doctors realized almost right away that Cinthia couldn’t have given birth recently and contacted authorities.

When police arrived to Cinthia’s home, they found Jessica’s body wrapped in plastic bags and hidden under a bed. It was clear from the horrific sight that her baby had been cut out right from her belly. The autopsy report would later reveal Jessica died from hypovolemic shock, which basically means she bled to death from the cut in her stomach, which was made with a kitchen knife. It also means Jessica was still alive when her baby was taken from her.

Cinthia, who already has three kids, told a judge during a lengthy interrogation that she had been pregnant but lost the baby early on. Still, she continued pretending, fooling even her husband Omar. The couple even had a baby shower and everything. Cinthia scouted Jessica on Facebook with the plan to kill her and pass her baby as hers. Later, when the baby died after Cinthia’s actions, she mourned her in Facebook and even had a wake and a funeral. Jessica’s family had to fight to exhume the baby’s body from where it had been buried to take her to their own plot.

Although Cinthia has claimed that Omar was unaware of her actions, both of them were arrested and will spend four months in jail while the investigation proceeds.

[fletchermarple]

On November 3, 1981, Marcy Renee Conrad (14) died at the hands of Anthony Jacques Broussard (16). Some have said they were dating, but most of their friends and Marcy’s family deny any relationship beyond being acquaintances. What’s clear is that on that afternoon, Marcy was at Anthony’s house and he raped and strangled her (not necessarily in that order, according to prosecution). Then, then loaded her half naked body in his truck and dumped it in a ravine.

Instead of trying to hide his crime, Anthony started bragging to his friends that he had murdered Marcy. When faced with their skepticism, he took them to the body. Two days of a callous, hard to comprehend routine followed, one that put the small town of Milpitas, California, on the map as a place where the American Youth had lost their morals.

Marcy’s body became a macabre spectacle, as word of her death started to quietly spread among local teens. Several young people went to look at her, some would throw stones at her or poke at her with sticks. Mark Fowlkes (17), Anthony’s best friend who had dated Marcy before, even took his 8 year old brother to watch. Another girl stole a patch from Marcy’s jeans. Finally, on November 5, one of the kids grew enough of a conscience to alert police.

The news that the body had been there for two days and the behavior of the teens was more of a scandal than the crime itself. The explanation at the time was that most of them were stoners who distrusted police and didn’t want to snitch on their friend. Anthony Broussard was described as a strange boy and later claimed to have been on LSD when he killed Marcy. He was tried as an adult and went through a 90 day psychiatric evaluation that determined he wouldn’t be helped in a juvenile center. He ended up pleading guilty to first degree murder after the judge accepted evidence that he had boasted about the crime to a cell mate. Anthony had also been accused of molesting two other girls, aged 13 and 14, but those charges were dropped when he was sentenced to life in prison. He’s been denied parole several times. One of his friends, Kirk Rasmussen (16) got a three year sentence as a juvenile for attempting to conceal the crime.

This case was fictionalized in a polarizing 1987 movie called River’s Edge, starring Keanu Reeves. Despite the fact some critics hated it, it won Best Picture at the Independent Spirit Awards.

[fletchermarple]

The Controversial Case of the “Murder Babes”

Authorities are calling it “the most gruesome murder in Thailand history”, but the tragedy and shocking details of the crime itself have almost been buried under the baffling reaction of the public, the killers’ attitudes and the way the local media has covered the story.

Let’s start by the beginning. On May 25, 2017, the body of 23 year old Warisara Klinjui (in the first two pictures) was discovered in the Khao Suan Kwang district, in the northeast of Thailand. Not only had she been strangled and beaten, but her body had been cut in half with a saw and disposed in garbage bins. Warisara worked at a karaoke bar and had last been seen alive on May 23. 

Police quickly identified the suspects as Preeyanuch “Preaw” Nonwangchai (24), Kawita “Earn” Ratchada (25) and Apiwan “Jae” Sattayabundit (28), three women who were soon dubbed “Murder Babes”. The three alleged killers escaped to Myanmar after the crime, but didn’t try too hard to hide. They were caught in CCTV shopping with colorful backpacks and found jobs in local bars.

The case caused a sensation in Thailand. Preaw in particular became some sort of twisted idol, and TV networks even went as far as to show footage found of her having phone sex with her boyfriend. People took advantage of the popularity and started selling merchandising with the women’s faces, copies of the infamous backpacks and even a keychain with a handsaw, as you can see above.

Eventually, the three women were caught and taken back to Thailand in mid July. The situation only got more controversial as the suspects were seen laughing and applying makeup before facing the cameras, taking pictures with police and even wearing face masks. No remorse at all and what many felt was a too lenient treatment by authorities. They confessed to killing Warisara, and explain that it had started with Preaw wanted to give her a lesson because Warisara had given police information about her drug dealing boyfriend. It had ended with her beating and strangling her, and after she was dead they’d stopped at a hardware store to buy the saw they used to dismember her.

As for the frenzy over the killers, in an interview with the Bangkok Post, Uajit Virojtrairat, director of the Foundation for Media Studies, explained: “There are a lot of people like Preaw out there and they see her as an idol now. Since she’s now being accepted by people as a hero instead of the lead suspect in a murder case, many people will try to be like her.” 

[fletchermarple]

Mont Vernon Murder

Kimberly Cates (42) was a spirited, beloved nurse who became the victim of one of the most horrific home invasions in the last decade. The night of October 4, 2009, Kim’s husband Dave was away on a business trip and she was sharing her bed with her then 11 year old daughter Jaimie.

Sounds alerted Kim that someone was in the house, but it was already too late. Four teenagers had broken into the isolated home in the quiet town of Mont Vernon, New Hampshire. Steven Spader (17) was carrying a machete and Christopher Gribble (19) a knife, and they proceeded to attack the two women while their companions William Marks (18) and Quinn Glover (17) watched.

The gruesome details of the attack were told during trial. Kim was hacked to death, suffering at least 32 devastating wounds while trying to shield her daughter. She ended up dying of massive blood loss. Jaimie’s skull was cracked, her jaw bone broken and her foot almost severed, and feigned death while the blows came down. Somehow she managed to survive and call 911 once the killers left.

Spader and his group, who according to the prosecution called themselves Disciples of Destruction and were doing a thrill kill, were caught in less than a day. Both Spader and Gribble had visited a friend after the murders to brag about what they’d done, and the friend ended up calling the police. Marks and Glover agreed to testify against them in exchange for reduced sentences. Although Spader pleaded not guilty and his lawyer said there wasn’t physical evidence tying him to the crime, his own gloating was used against him. While awaiting trial, he had written letters to a fellow inmate describing the murder of Kim in specific and shocking detail, and had called himself “the most sick and twisted person you’ll ever meet.”

Spader was sentenced to life plus 76 years and later forbade his lawyers to appeal the sentence, claiming he chose to accept responsibility for his actions. He also chose not to be present in that hearing and his lawyer read a generic apology letter in his name, one that Dave Cates considered “insulting”, given the circumstances. Gribble was also sentenced to life in prison. Marks got 30-60 years and Glover 20-40 years. A friend of the group called Autumn Savoy got 5 to 12 years for helping them hide evidence.

All convicted young men came from solid backgrounds, and the community was shaken by the crime. It was later revealed that Spader, the mastermind of the attacks, had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder a year before the crimes, and that his parents, who adopted him when he was 5, had looked for professional help for him. Psychiatrists that evaluated him said he was obsessed with his own infamy, which also explains why he didn’t want a lower sentence. Prosecutor Jeffery Stelzin said about him: “This is a case of someone who made a conscious decision to go out and randomly attack and kill innocent people. He was not unintelligent; he was not abused. He had many opportunities and many of the luxuries of life that other people don't have. He was well-equipped to make rational and certainly logical and legal decisions. And he chose not to."

[fletchermarple]

Today, in stories that make you lose faith in humanity, I bring you a horrific and controversial crime that happened recently in the southern town of Temuco, in Chile.

Alan Peña (13) was a troubled boy. His parents were divorced; his mother had moved somewhere else and he was left in the care of his father, along with two younger siblings. However Alan, who was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, became too much for the father to handle, so he left him in the care of the Sename, a state’s organization in charge of protecting minors that is notorious for doing a terrible job at it. The father visited regularly, but he didn’t always find his son: he had a tendency to escape the facility.

On November 30, 2016, Alan escaped the Sename’s home one last time, and never came back. His body was found on December 13, wrapped in a blanket and hidden under a bed. Police also found a bloddy mattress, a belt and a hammer.

The house where Alan was found belonged to Victor Chanqueo (18), a young man with whom Alan stayed during his escapes. They sold calendars together in the streets. The day before he died, Alan was captured and tied to a chair by Victor and a couple by the names of Johana Mora y Pablo Morales, who believed Alan had raped their 5 year old girl. In a blind act of revenge, allegedly fueled by drugs, Johana and Pablo tortured Alan for 12 hours, hitting him with the hammer. According to their statement later, the boy showed little reaction to the beating, which only infuriated them more. They finally suffocated him with a plastic bag and a pillow. 

An examination of the 5 year old girl proved that she hadn’t been raped, although authorities haven’t yet discarded other forms of abuse. Johana says that she saw her with a black eye, but it’s unclear how they reached the conclusion that it had been Alan who did it.

Johana and Pablo said that Victor had helped them in the beating, but he denies it. The three of them have been arrested and are awaiting trial along with a man called Abraham Bravo, who drove Johana to the place where everything happened and helped them hide the body, although he says he tried to alert the police.

According to Alan’s family, he was very loving and excessively “touchy feely”, which might have given the wrong impression to some. Former teachers have said that he had a “hypersexualized behavior”, due to his vulnerable situation. 

[fletchermarple]

The Gruesome Murder of Laura Ackerson

Laura Ackerson (27) had been missing for over 10 days when her remains were found in an alligator infested creek in Texas, on July 24, 2011. She had been dismembered and authoriries were able to recover her head, torso, and part of her limbs. Her cause of death couldn’t be determined with certainty because of the condition of the remains, but the autopsy showed signs of asphyxiation and a possible stab wound to the neck.

Laura had been in the middle of a nasty custody battle with her ex, Grant Hayes III, over their two kids, who were 3 and 2 years old at the time. Grant was an aspiring musician, drug addict and had a tendency to use and manipulate women. During his relationship with Laura, he was abusive and openly cheated on her with other women, among them Amanda Smith. The extent of Grant’s deceit was so, that Laura believed they were married (they had a ceremony and all) and she only found out he’d never signed the marriage license when he sent her a picture of his wedding to Amanda, ending the relationship between them for good.

Grant, who had temporary custody of the children during week days, and Amanda were going through financial trouble because he’d spent most of her inheritance recklessly. On top of that, Amanda became pregnant and gave birth to a baby girl a month before Laura went missing. The upcoming court date didn’t look good for him, especially after the appointed psychologist had reported he exhibited “illogical disturbed thinking” and seemed to want to erase Laura from their kids’ lives. On the other hand, Laura was trying to improve her life, starting a business and doing everything the court requested of her.

On July 13, 2011, the last day Laura was seen, she was lured to Grant’s apartment in Raleigh, North Carolina, with the pretense that they were going to let her have the kids for a few days. What happened after, we can’t be sure, since Amanda and Grant had different versions, blaming each other.

According to Amanda, Grant said that Laura had tripped and hurt herself and he asked her to take the kids out so he wouldn’t see their mom like that. He later confessed to her he’d killed her and forced her to help him dispose of her body by threatening their daughter. They traveled to Texas, where Amanda’s sister lived, and threw her dismembered body in the creek. The sister, however, testified in court that during the visit Amanda told her she had “hurt Laura bad” and that she was dead.

Grant played the race card as much as he could and then said Laura had signed a contract in which she agreed to give him full custody of the children in exchange for 25,000 dollars. Indeed a document with two different handwritings stating as much was found in his apartment, and although an expert said part of it had been written by Laura, all the people who knew her said it was impossible she’d give up her kids, especially considering all the changes she was making to get custody and the fact that Grant was broke. According to Grant, Amanda got angry at the agreement and accidentally killed Laura, and he just helped her cover it up to protect her. He finished by saying that “Laura got herself killed”.

The couple was tried separatedly and given the amount of evidence against them, they were both found guilty. Grant of first degree murder, and he got a life sentence without parole, while Amanda will spend 13 to 16 years for second degree murder, as long as her conviction isn’t extended by some added charges that were filed last year. In 2014, these upstanding lovers divorced.

This tragic story is told in the book Bitter Remains, by Diane Fanning.

[fletchermarple]

A Twisted Case of Murder and Revenge

On the afternoon of September 30, 2013, Araceli Ramos (19) left her house in Loma Hermosa, Argentina, to go to a job interview. She didn’t know she was really walking into a bizarre trap devised by a man obsessed with revenge.

Araceli had been contacted by Walter Vinader, a former member of Argentina’s Naval Guard with a long list of crimes that included extorsion and forgery. What happened between Araceli and Walter in the hours after they met, past 3 pm, is a mystery, but at around 7 pm, she recorded a creepy video in which she identifies herself as “Rocio” and says she’s scared for her life and is leaving the recording behind in case something bad happens to her. Clearly reading from a script, she talks about a woman called Verónica Celeste Fernández, who’d been found murdered in November 2012. Apart for describing that crime in detail, she links it to Walter’s ex girlfriend and some cops who arrested him in the past for a scam. (If you want to check out part of the video, you can find it here. It’s in spanish and hard to understand, but it will al least show you Araceli’s demeanor during the recording).

Araceli never came back home after this alleged job interview, but she’d left a note to her mother telling her where she was going. Once police started investigating, they found a lot of exchanges between Araceli and Walter, talking about this upcoming meeting, including a Facebook chat, so he was arrested. You see, Walter was a devious guy but he wasn’t very smart. Once his picture came up in the news related to Araceli’s disappearance, a taxi driver recognized him and contacted police. He said that he’d driven Walter to a vacant lot and he’d been carrying a large bag with him. When police went to the place, on October 11, they found Araceli’s body. She was half naked, wrapped in several plastic bags and stuffed inside the bag, which had been wrapped with wire. She was tied up and had been beaten and strangled.

To make this case even more twisted, the place where Walter had arranged to meet Araceli was the house of Aída Amoroso, a woman in her 80s that had mysteriously disappeared two weeks before Araceli’s murder. Walter had forced himself into Aída’s life after meeting her son during a short stint in jail. The son had died, and somehow Walter had taken over the old woman’s house. He was charged for Aída’s murder too, even though her body hasn’t been found. He’s also suspected of the murder of Verónica Fernández, the woman mentioned in the video, who was found in a similar way to Araceli, but he wasn’t charged for that.

During trial, prosecution suggested the theory that Araceli’s murder had been just so Walter could frame his ex and the cops he hold a grudge against for it, after forcing her to record the video blaming them. He claimed innocence and blamed the press for putting the blame on him, but he was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison.