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Men allegedly shot teen they claim was ‘stalking’ them: Cops

homesafetytechpros — Wed, 22 Jan 2025 12:58:13 +0000

Background: The truck driven by Kaylee Dutton (Iron County Sheriff’s Office). Left insets (clockwise from top left): Aldric Felipe, Ethan Galloway, Matthew Sorber-Petrie, Michael Hess-Witucki (Law&Crime Trials/YouTube). Inset (right): Kaylee Dutton (Provided by family to KSTU).

A Utah teen is dead after two men allegedly chased her down in her truck and opened fire on her and her friend, ultimately shooting at her 12 times.

Aldric Felipe, 21; Ethan Galloway, 23; Michael Hess-Witucki, 23; and Matthew Sorber-Petrie, 22, all appeared in court on Tuesday, days after they allegedly took part in the Jan. 17 murder of KayLee Dutton, 17. Two of them — Hess-Witucki and Galloway — have been charged with murder and 12 counts of felony discharge of a firearm. All four suspects were charged with obstruction of justice in connection to the alleged murder as well as possession of a controlled substance.

All four men are being held at the Iron County Jail without bail after being arrested on Jan. 18, the day after they allegedly followed Dutton and her unidentified 18-year-old friend from an apartment complex in what was revealed by police to be Hess-Witucki’s black truck. Dutton’s passenger told police that she first saw the suspects and the black truck in the complex, where both the girls and the suspects were located at the same time for “unrelated” reasons. A booking affidavit obtained by KSL, a local NBC affiliate, stated that several witnesses saw the black truck in the area and had surveillance video to back up the claim.

The affidavit also reportedly stated that Hess-Witucki and Galloway admitted to the crime during an interview with police. After being read their rights, the two men charged with murder allegedly “admitted to participating in the homicide.” Hess-Witucki stated that he was driving while Galloway allegedly fired the fatal shots from the front passenger seat.

According to the affidavit, “[t]heir justification for chasing the victim’s vehicle was they believed they had previously observed the victim’s vehicle in their neighborhood and presumed the occupants of the victim’s vehicle were [stalking] them.” Galloway reportedly wrote a letter to Dutton’s parents apologizing for what he had done. Sorber-Petrie, who remained at the residence with Felipe, allegedly admitted to lending the other two men the gun knowing that they intended to pursue Dutton.

Dutton’s parents spoke to Salt Lake City Fox affiliate KSTU about their daughter. Her father, Waylon Dutton, recounted the last words he said to KayLee as she left their home on Jan. 17, saying, “She came in. Her mom said, ‘Where are you going now, Kaylee?’ She said, ‘I don’t know. We’re going to go find something.’ My last words to her were, ‘Just be careful.””

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2 men arrested in complex kidnapping, rape and murder plot

homesafetytechpros — Wed, 15 Jan 2025 10:48:27 +0000

Left to right: Dustin Adlai Yates and Brad Michael McKinney (Smith County Sheriff’s Office).

Two Texas men are behind bars after meticulously planning the kidnapping, rape, and murder of a woman, Lone Star State police say.

In the end, whatever plan might have existed was not seen to fruition.

Dustin Adlai Yates and Brad Michael McKinney stand accused of stalking and murder, according to Smith County Jail records.

The alleged plot was slowly uncovered by law enforcement after Yates was initially arrested on the stalking charge alone in December 2024, according to court documents obtained by Jacksonville, Texas-based NBC affiliate KETK, which serves the state’s eastern reaches.

The ordeal began in the fall of 2022, when the victim, referred to in court documents as Myra, ended her relationship with Yates and blocked his attempts to contact her through phone and email.

Undeterred, Yates allegedly went on to use various phone numbers — with several different area codes — to continue to contact the woman, authorities say. By 2023, the alleged harassment escalated to the point where Myra filed a family violence case with the Houston Police Department. A detective intervened, warning Yates to cease all communication with his ex-girlfriend. He allegedly did not listen.

Myra complained to the Smith County Sheriff’s Office about nine separate threads she received beginning Oct. 31, 2024. In one of those emails, Yates allegedly mentioned the woman’s former address.

Contact allegedly kept up.

During the early morning hours on Dec. 1, 2024, Yates allegedly messaged the woman using a phone again. In those messages, Yates allegedly said “her expiration date was soon” and that “she had a predictable schedule and daily driving routes,” according to court records cited by KETK.

Later that day, Myra received a photograph of a friend’s house where she had previously stayed, an affidavit alleges. That friend confirmed receiving the same picture from the same phone number.

Detectives would eventually be provided with a slew of chilling messages the alleged victim received.

“I’d be vigilant if I were you,” one message reads.

The affidavit offers a laundry list of that alleged outreach:

“You were a busy girl in 22”

“I wonder what your expiration date is”

“I think it’s soon”

“You have a very predictable schedule and daily driving routes”

In interviews with various members of law enforcement after being arrested late last year on the stalking charge, a broader, more disturbing picture was revealed, authorities allege.

During questioning, Yates allegedly admitted to conducting multiple background checks on Myra through different websites and uncovering her workplace in Tyler. He also allegedly confessed to using different texting applications to disguise his communications.

“I wanted Myra to be scared and looking over her shoulder,” the affidavit reportedly reads. “Dustin stated, without being asked or the topic being brought up, that he had no intention to kill Myra, and if he wanted to, he would have killed her months ago.”

A search warrant for Yates’ cellular phone allegedly turned up evidence of the second man implicated in the plot, authorities claim.

“[McKinney] agreed to help Yates stalk and gather information on [the woman] for Yates for a monetary return,” the affidavit reportedly reads. “Yates got a large information dump about the woman from a private investigator. Yates forwarded Myra’s vehicle and address information to McKinney so he could help him locate the woman.”

Yates allegedly offered McKinney $650 for “wisdom and guidance.” In response, he allegedly replied: “help in any way I can.”

In sum, detectives say the two men exchanged 741 text messages discussing a complex scheme to kidnap, rape and kill Myra.

The pair allegedly discussed McKinney’s experience as a sniper, debated which types of bullets would inflict the most pain, and deliberated about how the inciting moment of subterfuge could begin — including posing as a UPS employee or pizza delivery man.

McKinney was allegedly paid $1,300 for information he provided Yates. The co-defendant also stood to gain some $15,000 for a concomitant plan to film the violence, authorities say.

On Jan. 9, Smith County Sheriff’s deputies took McKinney on various warrants — related to the case and otherwise. During questioning, the second defendant allegedly admitted to accepting money from Yates but attempted to minimize his role, claiming he did not take Yates’ threats seriously and only gathered the information for financial gain.

Yates, for his part, allegedly did not intend to long survive what happened to his ex-girlfriend, according to law enforcement.

In one message, he allegedly told McKinney of a plan to take his own life. In response, McKinney allegedly replied: “take out some filthy people in our country and go down swinging buddy.”

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Suit alleging Jones Day’s family-leave policy discriminates against men can go to trial, judge rules

homesafetytechpros — Sat, 12 Oct 2024 06:50:06 +0000

Law Firms

Suit alleging Jones Day’s family-leave policy discriminates against men can go to trial, judge rules

By Debra Cassens Weiss

September 26, 2024, 10:52 am CDT

A federal judge has ruled that two former associates at Jones Day can go to trial on seven claims against the law firm, including allegations that its family-leave policy discriminates against male attorneys. (Photo from Shutterstock)

U.S. District Judge Randolph D. Moss of Washington, D.C., ruled in a brief Sept. 25 order. He temporarily sealed a decision with his reasoning to allow for proposed redactions to protect confidential business information and privacy interests of third parties.

Law360, Reuters, Law.com and Bloomberg Law have coverage.

The plaintiffs, Mark Savignac and his wife, Julia Sheketoff, had challenged Jones Day’s family-leave policy that grants 18 weeks of paid leave to new mothers who are primary caregivers but only 10 weeks to biological fathers in the same situation. The extra eight weeks for mothers are labeled disability leave, but the reality is that all biological mothers are given the extra paid time off, the lawsuit alleged.

The two lawyers say they complained about the Jones Day policies in a January 2019 email shortly after Sheketoff left the firm to become an appellate public defender. Savignac was fired three business days later.

Moss had allowed the August 2019 suit to proceed to discovery in September 2020. The former associates filed a third amended complaint in September 2022.

In his Sept. 25 order, Moss allowed claims of sex discrimination in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Equal Pay Act and the D.C. Human Rights Act. He also allowed claims of retaliation in violation of Title VII, the Fair Labor Standards Act as amended by the Equal Pay Act and the D.C. Human Rights Act.

He tossed claims, however, of sex discrimination based on Sheketoff’s performance review and pay and the firm’s “black box” compensation system. He also tossed claims that Jones Day interfered with Savignac’s protected right to family leave by firing him while on leave.

Savignac and Sheketoff are former law clerks for then-U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer.

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Men assaulted police as crowd called them ‘Nazis’ on Jan. 6

homesafetytechpros — Sat, 05 Oct 2024 02:32:57 +0000

Background: FILE — Violent rioters loyal to President Donald Trump storm the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021 (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File). Insets, top to bottom: James Link Behymer, Donald Lee Moss (Dept. of Justice court filing).

Two Indiana men have admitted to fighting with police on Jan. 6 as hordes of angry Donald Trump supporters descended on the Capitol building.

Donald Lee Moss, 62, of Elizabethtown, Indiana, and James Link Behymer, 61, of Hope, Indiana, pleaded guilty to one count each of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers, federal prosecutors announced Friday. According to court filings, the two friends were part of the riotous crowd of Donald Trump supporters who faced off against Metropolitan Police Department officers outside the Capitol as Congress was set to certify Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral win.

They joined a mob that surrounded officers and shouted obscenities and curses at them at around 2:01 p.m. that day, despite being told to move back.

“Sir, step back for your own safety,” one officer said, extending his hand toward Behymer, according to court documents. After other officers echoed this instruction, Behymer responded defiantly.

“USA! USA! USA!” he shouted, while simultaneously Moss pointed toward the Capitol building and shouted: “This is our f—ing house!”

As an officer extended his hand to keep Behymer back, Behymer swung his fist down, striking the officer’s wrist, prosecutors said. When the officer again tried to move Behymer back, he struck the officer’s arm again while Moss shoved the officer’s hand off Behymer.

“Get your f—ing hand off of him!” Moss shouted as the mob constricted around the police. After hitting the officer, Moss forcefully pushed another officer from behind.

Moss and Behymer were among the mob as the chaos escalated.

“F— you! F— Nazis!” rioters shouted. “Go back to the Gestapo training camp!” Members of the crowd also called the officers “traitors.”

Moments later, Behymer grabbed an officer’s hand and baton while the officer tried to keep Behymer away. This went on for a few minutes, prosectors said.

The two ultimately entered the building at around 2:13 p.m., which is when rioters smashed some of the Capitol’s glass windows and started to stream inside. After encouraging other rioters to enter the building, the two men made their way toward the Capitol Crypt and the hallway toward the Senate Wing doors.

At around 2:31 p.m., Moss is seen on surveillance footage crossing the Crypt lobby and placing it “directly in the path of the retractable ceiling door to prevent the door from closing,” prosecutors said.

Donald Lee Moss, circled in red, left, is seen putting a chair below a retractable ceiling in the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 (Dept. of Justice court filing).

Rioters’ success in keeping the gate open was a significant factor in the Capitol breach, authorities said.

Around 10 minutes later, the two exited the building, only to go back in again around 10 minutes later after rioters broke through a barricade set up at the Senate Wing doors. They ultimately exited the building for good at 3:34 p.m.

The charge carries a potential eight-year prison sentence. Moss and Behymer will be sentenced on Feb. 13, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, the Barack Obama appointee who is also overseeing the federal criminal Jan. 6 case against Trump.

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Teen who lured 3 men to grassy field, killed them sentenced

homesafetytechpros — Sun, 29 Sep 2024 04:16:08 +0000

Top left inset: Caden Smith (Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department). Top right inset: Michael James (WXIN). Bottom left inset: Joseph Thomas (Indianapolis Metro Police Department). Background: The crime scene (WTTV).

An Indiana man who was 16 when he murdered three people while he was showing them how to turn a Glock into a machine gun will spend the rest of his life in prison after he was given a 189-year sentence this week.

Caden Smith, now 19, learned his fate on Friday in the deaths of Abdulla Mubarak, 17, Joseph Thomas, 18 and Michael James, 22.

“Once again, the sale of unregulated firearms led to the tragic deaths of three innocent people,” Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said in a statement. “This significant sentence is a testament to our commitment to holding violent individuals accountable for their actions. We are grateful for today’s announcement and thanks to the dedication of our deputy prosecutors and the investigators, justice was served for Abdullah, Joseph, Michael, and their families.”

As Law&Crime previously reported, the triple slayings occurred around Oct. 12, 2021.

An officer with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department found the three men dead from gunshot wounds on a path filled with tall grass near the 4400 block of South Meridian Street. Investigators recovered several spent shell casings at the scene.

Police later learned via text messages that Smith lured the men to the field over two nights to show them how a Glock switch works. The switch turns the semiautomatic firearm into a machine gun. Smith used the opportunity to murder all three men so he could rob them, per prosecutors. Detectives identified Smith as the suspect and found the murder weapon at his home.

“Abdullah’s, Joseph’s and Michael’s families will never be able to see them grow up and live their lives,” Mears said in a statement at the time. “This verdict solidifies that Smith will likely spend the rest of his life in prison for the crimes he committed.”

Because the killings occurred two days apart in a remote area, rumors sprouted about a possible serial killer, the Indianapolis Star reported. However, cops quickly debunked the rumor and arrested Smith.

A guilty verdict was not always assured. In 2022, a judge threw out some key evidence after ruling detectives violated Smith’s Fourth Amendment rights during a search warrant, Indianapolis NBC affiliate WTHR reported. Smith was released from jail on a GPS ankle monitor, but he found himself back in jail on his 18th birthday after cops uncovered Snapchat photos of Smith with a gun and drugs, according to the TV station.

“It was a long and challenging road for these families, but thanks to the steadfast commitment of the investigators, deputy prosecutors, and the multitude of agencies, justice has been secured for Abdullah, Joseph, Michael, and their families,” Mears said.

Law&Crime’s David Harris contributed to this report.

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Men assault, hold roommate captive for 14 hours: Cops

homesafetytechpros — Fri, 20 Sep 2024 09:33:55 +0000

Left to right: Jason Carlson, Sherell Allen and Luke Anaya (Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office).

Authorities in Colorado arrested three people and are looking for a fourth after they allegedly attacked and beat up their roommate before holding him captive for several hours.

Deputies from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office responded around 10 a.m. Monday to the Saint Anthony’s Medical Center in Lakewood, just outside Denver. A 45-year-old man in the emergency room had a horrifying ordeal to tell. He said he had been tied up and beaten over 14 hours by his roommates. According to a probable cause arrest affidavit, he told deputies he had lived in a home in the 4700 block of South Oak Court for a couple of weeks.

The man said he was in a bedroom in a basement when he overheard his roommates — later identified as 49-year-old Jason Carlson, 48-year-old Sherell Allen, 39-year-old Jimmy Ray Smith II and 41-year-old Luke Anaya — were planning on attacking him, officials said. He first tried to crawl out of a window. When that didn’t work, he barricaded himself in the room by putting items in front of the door. But moments later, the men allegedly broke through the door and fired rock salt at him from airsoft-type guns. They then began assaulting him, the affidavit said.

Smith put his boot on the victim’s throat and applied enough pleasure to “cause him to lose consciousness,” cops wrote. The suspects allegedly bound him to a chair with zip ties and electrical tape. As he was tied down, the roommates “took turns” whacking the victim’s knees with a baseball bat. Then, Carlson poured rubbing alcohol on the victim’s face before “lighting the liquid on fire,” the affidavit said.

The assault continued in the basement and upstairs until two other people came to the home and told the suspects to leave him alone. He was driven to another house before someone else took him to the hospital. The man’s injuries matched his story. He had singed eyebrows, burns on his face, swollen and discolored knees and broken thyroid cartilage on his neck, the affidavit said. There was also evidence he had been tied down. The affidavit does not list a possible motive for the alleged kidnapping.

The victim gave cops the location of the assault, and they identified Carlson as the homeowner. The SWAT team arrested Carlson, Allen and Anaya and took them to jail, where they remain on bond ranging from $150,000 to $300,000. Smith remains at large. They are facing charges of attempted first-degree murder, kidnapping and assault.

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Two men charged in execution-style murder at hibachi grill

homesafetytechpros — Wed, 17 Jan 2024 17:18:46 +0000

Jamal Bazile, in the hooded-jacket holding a to-go box and bottom inset, walked into the Hibachi Sushi Supreme Buffet restaurant in Brockton, Massachusetts, on Friday, Jan. 12, 2024, and shot 22-year-old Joe Araujo to death. Bazile, 18, is charged with murder. Another man, 22-year-old Nathan Veiga, top inset, allegedly planned the attack and also is charged with murder. (WBZ via Plymouth District Attorney’s Office)

Prosecutors in Massachusetts charged two men in an execution-style murder at a busy hibachi restaurant that sent patrons scrambling.

Jamal Bazile, 18, the alleged trigger man, is charged with murder, possession of a firearm and ammunition and discharge of a firearm. Nathan Veiga, 22, who allegedly planned the attack, is charged with murder and accessory before the fact. Both pleaded not guilty on Tuesday and are being held in Plymouth County Jail without bond.

The Brockton Police Department responded to 911 calls about a shooting around 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Hibachi Sushi Supreme Buffet. Officers found 22-year-old Joe Araujo suffering from gunshot wounds in the abdomen and leg. Paramedics took Araujo to the hospital where doctors pronounced him dead.

Plymouth District Attorney Tim Cruz released surveillance video of the shooting on Saturday. It shows a man in a hooded jacket, believed to be Bazile, carrying a to-go box walk past a row of booths filled with people eating when he stops in front of Viega’s table, drops the box, pulls out a gun from his jacket and fires three times, hitting Araujo twice. Families that were eating around Araujo’s booth ducked for cover and ran away.

Investigators identified Brazile through his “distinct” jacket and shoes, Cruz said in a press release. Veiga was ID’d because he used his credit card in the restaurant.

Police searched Veiga’s home and allegedly found Bazile’s jacket. Officers arrested him. Cops found Bazile and took him into custody after he assaulted police officers, Cruz said. Bazile had a 9 mm handgun in his possession when he was arrested, though Cruz did not say if that was the murder weapon.

Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Sprague said during Tuesday’s arraignment that the shooting stemmed from a spat between two rival gangs, WHDH reported. Sprague said Veiga spotted Araujo in the restaurant, left and entered a car. Bazile allegedly got out of the same car and walked inside the restaurant.

“With complete disregard of the physical, mental and emotional well-being of everyone in that restaurant, he conducted a brazen, indoor execution in front of small children,” Sprague reportedly said.

One of the suspects allegedly bragged about the shooting on social media using a Chinese takeout emoji.

“The first one says ‘I got points. I came up in my rank. I had to catch me one,”” Sprague said, according to CBS affiliate WBZ.

Cruz told reporters after the hearing that it’s fortunate no one else was struck by the gunfire.

“I think you’re always concerned about people getting hurt, innocent people getting hurt, when you’re dealing with different groups of individuals out there who are brandishing firearms and shooting people willy-nilly,” said Cruz.

It was important to identify those involved in the shooting as soon as possible so they could be taken off the streets, he said.

“We thought it was important for people to understand that this was a significant event here in the city of Brockton,” said Cruz. “You don’t see execution-style murders here in the city very often.”

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Gunmaker accused of targeting “at-risk young men”

homesafetytechpros — Wed, 27 Dec 2023 23:28:45 +0000

Gunmaker accused of targeting “at-risk young men” – CBS News

Watch CBS News

Gun control advocates have filed a complaint with the FTC, alleging a gunmaker “preys on at-risk young men.” CBS News identified similar complaints against gunmakers going back to 1996, but no evidence that the marketing practices were investigated further. Catherine Herridge reports.

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