A 28-year-old man in Missouri has been arrested for allegedly killing a 35-year-old pregnant woman and the child she was carrying, as five kids — all of whom were under the age of 10 — watched in horror.

Vanier J. Jones was taken into custody last week and charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the slayings of 35-year-old Christina Lynn Rentchler and her unborn child, court records reviewed by Law&Crime show.

Jones is also facing charges of armed criminal action, first-degree assault, endangering the welfare of a child, and unlawful possession of a handgun.

According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by Law&Crime, officers with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department on April 23, 2025, responded to a call regarding a shooting at a residence located in the 4100 block of Farlin Avenue. Upon arriving at the address, first responders said they quickly located the victim, later identified as Rentchler, who appeared to be suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, including a single shot “in the back of the head.”

A subsequent autopsy performed by the county medical examiner concluded that the victim was in the second trimester of her pregnancy at the time of her death. The exam further concluded that Rentchler’s death was the direct cause of the death of her unborn baby.

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The affidavit also included a harrowing detail about the fatal shooting and who was forced to witness the alleged crime take place.

“In the house during the murder were five juveniles Victim 4, Victim 5, Victim 6, Victim 7 and Victim 8,” the affidavit states. “The juveniles’ ages ranged from ages of 2 to 10 years old. Some of these juveniles were [Rentchler’s] children.”

Following the shooting, investigators interviewed the eldest child at the hospital, who they said identified Jones as the shooter, adding that he had recently begun staying at the house with her and her family. The child also provided a brief description of what led to Rentchler’s tragic murder and how the child avoided suffering the same fate.

“She stated the Defendant had gotten angry and shot [Rentchler],” according to the document. “She stated that she then played dead, and heard the Defendant ask Victim 1’s children where their mother was prior to the Defendant killing Victim 1.”

After being taken into custody, Jones allegedly told police that he had nothing to do with Rentchler’s murder, claiming he was with an individual identified in the document as “Witness 1.” However, when police spoke to the witness in a taped interview, they stated that “not only was Witness 1 not with the Defendant when the homicide occurred, but that the Defendant admitted to Witness 1 that he had just killed a woman.”

Further investigation revealed that Jones had previously been convicted of multiple prior felonies and had “absconded from his federal supervised release at the time of the homicide.”

An Alabama woman who died during a fatal shooting that also took the life of her 5-year-old son texted the name of the man suspected of committing the crime in her final moments.

Arkia “Kia” Berry, 28, was one of three people in a car that was found riddled with bullets on July 13, 2024, along with her 5-year-old son Landyn Brooks and her 28-year-old boyfriend Eric Ashley Jr. According to reporting by local news outlet Al.com, Birmingham homicide Det. Jarvelius Tolliver appeared in court for a preliminary hearing related to the case and presented evidence from the investigation into the triple homicide.

Part of the evidence included text messages sent from the victims’ phones, including a cryptic one sent from Berry that seemed to name the suspect.

A mother in California has been charged with murder for leaving her 4-year-old daughter to die in a “partially submerged” SUV after she sent the vehicle careening into an irrigation canal during a DUI crash, with cops later finding the woman “taking a bath while her daughter remained in peril” at the scene, according to prosecutors.

Juliette Acosta, 26, was originally only charged with felony drunk driving for the deadly DUI crash that took the life of her daughter, Reagan Herrin, on the night of March 8 near the town of Hickman. On Friday, the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office reported in a press release that Acosta’s charges had been upgraded to murder; vehicular manslaughter; driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury; permitting a child to suffer under circumstances likely to cause great bodily injury or death; and resisting, delaying or obstructing a public officer, peace officer or emergency medical technician following an investigation.

A New Mexico woman who reported that her husband stabbed himself has now been charged — with allegedly stabbing her husband.

In a Facebook post on April 1, the Farmington Police Department announced that following a years-long investigation into the death of Robert Hoefer, 49, his wife, Heather Fernandez-Hoefer, 51, has been charged with his murder.

Police said that on November 29, 2020, officers responded to the Hoefer residence after Fernandez-Hoefer called 911 after she allegedly claimed she found her husband unresponsive. When questioned by police at the time, she allegedly said he had stabbed himself, repeating the story several times, according to an affidavit obtained by KRQE, a local CBS affiliate.

Her story, according to police, eventually fell apart due to her own conflicting statements.

A mother found stabbed to death at a Utah vacation home last month was killed by her own teenage daughter and her friend, police said.

In a press release from the Washington County Attorney’s Office, the Washington City Police Department provided the names of two suspects identified as the alleged killers of 47-year-old Andreea Mottram. Mihaela Gabriela Sorescu, 16, who also uses the name Bella, is Mottram’s daughter. The other suspect, Abigael Paige Flanagan, 17, who also uses the name Jay, was also staying at the home at the time. Police said in probable cause affidavits for both girls that they are “unaccounted for at this time.”

A 23-year-old man in Maryland has been arrested for allegedly killing his ex-girlfriend, fatally stabbing her at a residence in Baltimore over the weekend just a day after she texted friends that he left her in fear for her life.

Rashard Mack was taken into custody on Saturday and charged with one count of first-degree murder in the slaying of 22-year-old Taejhiana Walker, authorities announced. According to a news release from the Baltimore Police Department, officers at about 1 p.m. on Saturday responded to a report of a domestic disturbance at a residence located in the 8300 block on Nunley Drive regarding a reported domestic disturbance.

After arriving at the scene, first responders said they entered the residence and located two adults — one of whom was later identified as Walker — suffering from what appeared to be stab wounds. Walker was pronounced dead at the scene while the other victim — who police identified as Mack — was transported to a local hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

Upon Mack’s release from the hospital, detectives placed him under arrest and charged him with Walker’s murder.

Court documents obtained by Baltimore NBC affiliate WBAL provided additional details about the circumstances of Walker’s death.

According to the report, when police first reached the residence, Mack was found “seated in the living room of the apartment in a metal folding chair. A broken knife blade with blood on it was observed on the floor next to him.”

Almost a year after a North Carolina woman was found stabbed to death in her home, one of her former classmates allegedly confessed to the crime while in jail.

According to an affidavit filed on March 20, Brandon Braxton, 33, was charged with the murder of Whitney Hurd, 32, who was found dead in her home on July 14, 2024. Braxton, who was in custody at the Mecklenburg County Jail on an unrelated charge, reportedly submitted a grievance on March 3 with a note that read, “I killed Whitney Hurd.” Detectives confirmed through video surveillance that it was Braxton who wrote the note. Braxton, who has a long list of arrests in North Carolina, was named as a person of interest in the case and has now been formally charged.

A gas station employee in Tennessee had a serpentine tale to tell police — and the video footage to prove it.

The Madison County Sheriff’s Office, along with 731 Crime Stoppers, posted on Facebook about a March 4 incident at a Citgo gas station in Denmark, Tennessee, during which four alleged robbers used two ball pythons to threaten an employee. The suspects, two women and two men, were not identified and allegedly made off with about $400 worth of CBD oil.

A woman was recently arrested in Florida after attacking a man with a can of Pringles and possibly causing him “permanent disfigurement,” law enforcement in the Sunshine State say.

Shanika Serdahl, 28, stands accused of one count of aggravated battery, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.

The incident occurred on Thursday, at a 7-Eleven on International Drive in Orlando, according to an arrest affidavit.

A deputy arrived in response to a call about a “physical fight” at the convenience store, the court document says.

An Indiana couple could faces charges after police said they singled out their 10-year-old son for neglectful treatment.

According to court documents obtained by the Muncie Star Press, Melody Greenwood, 38, and Adam Greenwood, 36, were arrested by Muncie, Indiana police after bringing their 10-year-old son to IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital in late February.

Medical staff alerted the Indiana Department of Child Services upon noticing that the boy was showing signs of “nutritional” neglect and child abuse, police say. When law enforcement interviewed the boy and the rest of his family, the child reportedly detailed a harrowing experience, allegedly at the hands of his parents.