Teen TikToker allegedly murdered disabled sister day after going viral
A 14-year-old Pennsylvania girl who allegedly stabbed her disabled sister to death posted a now-viral Tiktok video before the murder — and her account has since been shut down, according to police and reports.
Claire Miller’s TikTok account was closed Thursday by the video-sharing app over a post she made the day before she allegedly stabbed her 19-year-old sister, Helen Miller, who had cerebral palsy and used a wheelchair.
Miller’s account, which is believed to be @spiritsandsuchconsulting, was flagged for violating the app’s “community guidelines,” which forbids users who “promote or are engaged in violence,” according to Business Insider.
It wasn’t immediately clear what the teen’s problematic TikTok video depicted, but screen shots from the time period reportedly show Miller venting about her father.
Miller was “hysterical” when she called 911 at around 1 a.m. on Monday, allegedly confessing “I stabbed my sister,” according to an arrest affidavit.
Cops rushed to the home and allegedly found Miller in blood-stained pants as she tried to wash her hands in the snow, according to police.
The teen then directed officers to a bedroom where they found Helen Miller, 19, with a fatal stab wound to her neck, prosecutors said. She was pronounced dead at 4:13 a.m.
Miller is now being charged as an adult for homicide. Cops have not determined a motive, a police official said.
Miller had amassed 22,000 followers on Tiktok before her account was taken down, though it was unclear if news of her arrest had boosted her numbers.
Tiktok didn’t immediately return a request for comment Friday.
via: https://nypost.com/2021/02/26/teen-tiktoker-allegedly-murdered-sister-day-after-going-viral/
Photo Credit: Manheim Township Police Department
Florida woman walks into jewelry store, complains and steals $15K diamond ring
A Florida woman swiped a $15,000 diamond ring from a jewelry store after making a fuss about a previous purchase, police said Thursday.
The jewel heist took place on Feb. 10 at Gold Silver Creations in Key West, according to The Miami Herald.
Store manager Bigya Niroula said the unidentified woman came into the shop and “was complaining a lot.”
“She said, ‘Can I try the ring, please?’ I said, ‘Sure,’” she recalled.
She chose a size 7 14-carat white gold ring with three diamonds.
As Niroula helped someone else, the sticky-fingered customer swapped out the pricey gem for one of her own rings and left the store, cops said.
The manager was able to snap some photos of the suspect, who was wearing a floral skin-tight outfit, leopard-print mask and her hair in two buns.
She is believed to be from Homestead but may be living with her boyfriend in Stock Island Key, near Key West, cops said.
Crime Stoppers of Miami-Dade and the Florida Keys is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to an arrest.
via: https://nypost.com/2021/02/25/florida-woman-steals-15k-diamond-ring-from-jewelry-store/
Photo Credit: KEY WEST POLICE DEPARTMENT
Iowa State sorority member found dead from excessive drinking, hypothermia
An Iowa State University student was found dead in her sorority parking lot — succumbing to excessive drinking and exposure to the cold, authorities say.
Olivia Chutich, 21 — the daughter of a Minnesota judge — was found lying in the parking lot of the Delta Delta Delta sorority shortly before 10 a.m. Jan 22, according to the Ames Police Department.
The college junior is believed to have been lying in the parking lot for hours in temperatures as low as 8 degrees before being discovered, the Ames Tribune reported.
An autopsy revealed that the communications studies major’s death was caused by hypothermia and acute alcohol intoxication, police said.
Chutich was the daughter of Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Margaret Chutich and her wife, Allina Health CEO Penny Wheeler, according to the newspaper.
She was born in Guatemala and adopted as an infant, her obituary said.
“We weren’t perfect parents, and she wasn’t a perfect child, but we were a perfect match. And what a love story it was,” her parents wrote.
Chutich’s “vibrant spirit, heart-on-her-sleeve emotions, kindness, compassion, and glorious smile are remembered by all who crossed her path,” the death notice read.
Police do not believe foul play was involved in the student’s death.
via: https://nypost.com/2021/02/26/iowa-state-student-dead-from-excessive-drinking-hypothermia/
Photo Credit: Instagram
OK man accused of killing neighbor, cooking her heart and feeding it to others before killing 2 more is released early from prison
CHICKASHA, Okla. (AP) — An Oklahoma man who had been released early from prison in January as part of a mass commutation effort is now accused of three killings, including the death of a neighbor whose heart he cut out, authorities said.
A judge denied bail Tuesday for Lawrence Paul Anderson, who faces three counts of first-degree murder, one count of assault and one count of maiming for the attack this month in Chickasha, about 35 miles (55 kilometers) southwest of Oklahoma City.
According to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, Anderson is accused of killing Andrea Lynn Blankenship, 41, and cutting out her heart. Authorities say Anderson brought the heart to his aunt and uncle’s house, cooked it with potatoes and tried to serve it to them before killing Leon Pye, 67, wounding the aunt and killing Kaeos Yates, the pair’s 4-year-old granddaughter.
Anderson sobbed in court during an initial court appearance Tuesday, The Oklahoman reported.
“I don’t want no bail, your honor. I don’t want no bail,” he said.
Anderson’s attorney, Al Hoch, indicated that he will seek a mental evaluation to determine whether Anderson is competent to stand trial.
Anderson had been sentenced in 2017 to 20 years in prison for probation violations on a drug case, the newspaper reported. Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt commuted the sentence last year to nine years in prison, and Anderson was released after serving a little more than three years.
Grady County District Attorney Jason Hicks criticized the criminal justice reform that led to the commutations of hundreds of Oklahoma inmates.
“It is time that we do better,” Hicks said. “If we have the highest incarceration rate in the world, OK. We can look at our citizens and be honest with them and tell them that you’re safe. I can’t tell the people in my district today that they’re safe.”
Stitt’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
Jason Nelson, Oklahoma’s interim secretary for public safety, has said that the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board recommended commutation for Anderson on a 3-1 vote.
via: https://www.kmov.com/news/oklahoma-man-released-early-from-prison-accused-in-3-deaths/article_afd84224-9f72-5162-ae56-4f7aae51a608.html
Photo Credit: Grady County Sheriff’s Office via AP
Landlord accused of kidnapping tenants, dumping them in a cemetery, so he could evict them
ALBANY, N.Y. — A New York landlord is out on bail after being arrested and accused of kidnapping tenants from his property and dumping them in a cemetery 30 miles away.
The two tenants accused landlord Shawn Douglas of kidnapping them while armed from their home at his property in the South End neighborhood of Albany.
In the police report, the two accusers say they were abducted, restrained with zip ties and covered with pillowcases. They then claim Douglas dumped them off in a rural cemetery in the town of Ghent.
One person was able to free themselves from the restraints to seek help at a nearby house.
“He’s lucky they came out of that alive. They could have froze to death out there,” said Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple.
Douglas was reportedly frustrated he couldn’t evict the victims from his property because of a statewide ban on evictions caused by the pandemic. Apple said despite frustrations from landlords, there’s a legal system in place.
“My advice to both parties is to be patient. You have to be tolerant. There is a process. I didn’t invent it, so don’t call down to the sheriff’s office screaming and yelling like everybody has for the last 12 months,” Apple said.
The ban on evictions in New York expires May 1. As landlords wait for their day in court, eviction requests continue to grow. Meanwhile, the sheriff’s hands remained tied.
“We know right now, we have upwards of 100 [eviction requests], and we know there’s hundreds basically in the filing ready to go at city court, town court,” Apple said.
The Albany Police Department has not released further details about this case, but more people could be charged in connection with the alleged kidnapping.
via: https://www.pix11.com/news/national-news/landlord-accused-of-kidnapping-tenants-dumping-them-in-a-cemetery-so-he-could-evict-them
Photo Credit: pix11.com/Drew Angerer
An artist honors icons by creating Black History Month-themed playing cards
(CNN) — Kearra Johnson was in her senior year at the University of Missouri when she came up with the concept for what is now known as the Revolution Card Deck — a deck of playing cards featuring the names and faces of notable Black individuals.
Michelle Obama, Thurgood Marshall and Oprah Winfrey are just a few of the figures who appear in a set of cards.
“It’s dedicated to the dreamers — to all of the African American individuals before us who paved the way,” Johnson told CNN.
Despite praise from her peers, the Kansas City, Missouri-based graphic designer and founder of Studio Lo recalled being hesitant to take what was originally a class project and turn it into a physical product.
“I just hadn’t seen it done before,” Johnson said. “But I looked at an example from the class and I was like, ‘How would that look with a Black figure on it?'”
The 22-year-old illustrator recalled how she didn’t intend to take her design idea beyond the classroom. “That, literally, was where it was going to stay and I wasn’t going to push the product any more,” Johnson continued. That all changed when she got her first order request.
Last October, a professor at the University of Missouri came across the design on Johnson’s portfolio website. She was eager to buy a few decks as gifts for her graduate students; however, the cards didn’t actually exist.
“I didn’t want to tell her no,” Johnson recalled. “So I took that as an opportunity just to motivate me to go ahead and get them done.”
After fulfilling the professor’s five-deck order, Johnson pivoted her focus to the cards and began pushing the design.
“I’ve just been showing them to people who I think would be interested and just seeing how many eyes I can get on them,” Johnson explained. “And literally every person that I’ve shown has been excited about it — more excited than me sometimes.”
Johnson initially only printed 100 decks that she planned to sell on her own. However, curators at Made In KC, a company in Kansas City that sells locally designed products, suggested that she print more. “So then I went and got 500 more printed,” Johnson continued. The cards are now being sold in-store at all three Made in KC locations.
Starting important conversations about Black history and Black culture is something Johnson hopes can be achieved with the playing cards. She explained how the project is her creative passion mixed with an important topic.
“I think it’s always important to push [Black] culture forward,” Johnson said. “And there’s no better way to do that and than through creativity.”
Johnson currently works as an In House designer at Kanbe’s Markets, an organization that seeks to eliminate food deserts in Kansas City. Her creative skills, coupled with the idea that art can be used as a powerful tool for change, makes her job at the nonprofit even more enjoyable.
“Just being able to contribute my talents, and contribute to the bigger cause is super rewarding,” Johnson continued.
Looking back on her journey so far, Johnson explained how grateful she is to be surrounded by people who support her work and have her best interest in mind.
“I think a lot of times people kind of fear that people won’t respect or understand their idea,” Johnson said. “But, really, you just gotta be confident and people will see what you see.”
To learn more about the Revolution Card Deck and the artist behind the design, visit her website. The deck sells for $30.
via: https://www.kmov.com/news/an-artist-honors-icons-by-creating-black-history-month-themed-playing-cards/article_cbfc4569-5da1-50e8-9d9a-cf05041536a7.html
Photo Credit: Kearra Johnson
Florida man ‘blacked out’ before using scissors to sever his wife’s lover’s penis
A Florida man who allegedly used a pair of scissors to cut off his wife’s lover’s penis claims he “blacked out” during the attack, a report said.
Alex Bonilla, 51, is set to plead guilty Thursday to charges of kidnapping, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for the July 2019 attack in the victim’s mobile home in Bell, the Smoking Gun reported.
Bonilla barged into the victim’s home, and threatened him with a handgun and a metal pipe. He tied up the man in his bedroom, and said, “You are not going to die, but you are going to have something to remember this for your whole life,” according to the outlet.
The married father of five from El Salvador then pulled down the victim’s shorts and said, “This is normal, you will not die today.”
Bonilla took a pair of scissors and began cutting the man’s penis, splattering blood everywhere. He continued threatening the man before leaving the home with the severed organ, the Smoking Gun reported. The victim’s two daughters were in the home during the incident.
Doctors have been unable to reattach the victim’s penis and he’s been having trouble with urinating and having sexual intercourse with his wife.
Bonilla faces 30 years in prison if convicted.
via: https://nypost.com/2021/02/25/man-in-florida-used-scissors-to-cut-off-his-wifes-lovers-penis/
Photo Credit: Gilchrist County Sheriff’s Office
Maryland teacher’s aide seen masturbating during Zoom lesson with kids
A teacher’s aide in Maryland masturbated during a Zoom call with eighth-graders — but insists he thought the online lesson had ended.
Marc Schack, an assistant for special education students at Shady Grove Middle School in Gaithersburg, told the Bethesda Magazine Wednesday he was unaware his self-love session had been captured on the virtual call until being interviewed.
“I thought I was logged out when class was over,” Schack told the bimonthly mag. “I had no clue that Zoom was still on. Why would I do that? That’s my job. I had no clue that Zoom was on. I mean, that’s just crazy behavior.”
A 13-second clip — later posted on social media – shows Schack gaze at his screen before standing up, taking a few steps away and beginning to pleasure himself, according to the report.
Schack’s name appeared on the screen as the host of the Zoom call. Seconds later, another name appeared, replacing him as the moderator.
The 21-year employee for Montgomery County Public Schools – who also runs Pirate Magic, a business that throws “pirate parties” for youngsters while he portrays a character named “Captain Silly Bones” – said he has since been placed on administrative leave.
But he insisted his actions were “just a mistake.”
“I’m only human,” he continued. “It was my bad.”
District officials called Schack Monday to say he was being put on leave, adding that they had “misplaced his background check file,” he said.
“Maybe they were looking to see if I had any criminal misbehavior or anything like that,” Schack told Bethesda Magazine.
But district officials didn’t reference the troubling video portion to him Monday, Schack said, claiming he was unaware of the footage until Wednesday.
“I’m not a pervert or anything like that, you know,” he continued. “You gotta believe me on that … I thought I was in the privacy of my own home. I had no clue.”
A district spokeswoman confirmed to The Post Thursday that a staffer had been put on leave as an investigation is ongoing into “inappropriate behavior that was sexual in nature” earlier this week.
“Per our procedures, we do not release the names of staff members that are under investigation,” spokeswoman Gboyinde Onijala said in a statement. “Local authorities were informed and are investigating as well.”
A spokesman for Montgomery County police confirmed the probe but declined further comment Wednesday since no charges have been filed, according to the report.
Messages seeking comment from Schack were not returned early Thursday.
via: https://nypost.com/2021/02/25/teachers-aide-seen-masturbating-had-no-clue-zoom-was-on/
Photo Credit: Fox5 Washington DC
Mr. Potato Head goes gender neutral and renamed just “Potato Head”
Mr. Potato Head is no longer a mister.
Hasbro, the company that makes the potato-shaped plastic toy, is giving the spud a gender neutral new name: Potato Head. The change will appear on boxes this year.
Toy makers have been updating their classic brands to appeal to kids today. Barbie has shed its blonde image and now comes in multiple skin tones and body shapes.
Thomas the Tank Engine added more girl characters. And American Girl is now selling a boy doll.
Hasbro said Mr. Potato Head, which has been around for about 70 years, needed a modern makeover.
via: https://www.pix11.com/news/national-news/a-mister-no-more-mr-potato-head-goes-gender-neutral
Photo Credit: pix11.com
Navy vet died after police knelt on his neck for nearly five minutes
The family of a Navy veteran who was going through an episode of paranoia says he died after a Northern California police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes.
The family of 30-year-old Angelo Quinto said Tuesday that they called police to their home in Antioch on Dec. 23 because he needed help. They said that soon after arriving, an officer knelt on Quinto’s neck for nearly five minutes.
Quinto lost consciousness and was taken by ambulance to a hospital, where he died three days later. The Antioch Police Department didn’t respond to a request for comment.
A public record request made by this station was denied due to an active investigation.
via: https://www.pix11.com/news/national/family-navy-vet-died-after-police-knelt-on-his-neck
Photo Credit: Isabella Collins via AP