Katherine Schaffstall

Asa Ellerup once insisted her husband was innocent. Then her ex-husband, Rex Heuermann, confessed — to her face — that he killed eight women. The journey from fierce defender to reluctant believer played out across Peacock’s docuseries The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets, which concluded with its fourth and final episode on April 23, […]

Colorado state senate candidate Frederick Alfred Jr. was arrested after his 4-year-old daughter nearly drowned in a hotel hot tub at the same time he went out to the bar. Alfred, 38, was with his son, 6, and daughter, 4, at the Opal Key Resort and Marina in Key West, Florida, when he left them […]

A teacher in Tennessee has been arrested after she was accused of dragging a nonverbal student across a rug, which caused the minor to be injured and have a “blood red mark.” Meg Day was arrested on April 16 and was charged with assault, according to McNairy County Sheriff’s Office records. The arrest took place […]

An elementary school assistant principal in Texas was fatally shot inside of her home during an “accidental shooting,” and her husband has since been arrested and charged with manslaughter in connection to her death. Officers responded to Lindsay Velasquez’s home around 7:30 p.m. on April 17 following a report that someone had been accidentally shot […]

Michigan high school student Lauryn Licari started to receive concerning text messages in 2021, which consisted of hostile and threatening messages about her relationship with her boyfriend, Owen McKenny. After Owen began to receive similar text messages of his own, police got involved in the matter. Following an intense investigation, Lauryn’s mother, Kendra Licari, was […]

The remains of three young children have been found in a wooded area in Memphis, Tennessee, with police believing the bodies may have been there for years. The Memphis Police Department said in a press release shared on Wednesday, April 22, that the children were believed to be between 3 and 7 years old. Police […]

A Maryland man has been arrested in connection to the death of his wife 24 years after she went missing. Michelle Rust was just 24 years old when she went missing in July 2002 from her family’s home in Arbutus. More than two decades later, her husband, Dwight “DJ” Rust Jr., was arrested on Tuesday, […]

Peacock’s The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets concluded with the fourth and final episode on Thursday, April 23, which gave an inside look into Rex Heuermann’s family’s reaction to his guilty plea in connection to eight killings. On April 8, Heuermann pleaded guilty to murdering seven women and admitted to killing an eighth. As […]

An Ohio man has been accused of killing his 4-month-old daughter after he allegedly threatened that she would be a “dead baby” if she kept crying. Marcellaus Nekie Malone was taken into custody after he was charged with one count each of murder, involuntary manslaughter and domestic violence, as well as seven counts of endangering […]

A Missouri man who positioned himself as a “healer” within the Amish community now faces involuntary manslaughter charges in connection with the death of a 6-month-old boy — adding to a growing list of serious criminal allegations that include trafficking, kidnapping and sodomy. Sam Shetler was charged with involuntary manslaughter after he was accused of […]

An Oregon man has been found guilty after he was connected to the death of his girlfriend, who was last seen alive in 1983. Mark Sanfratello was arrested in June 2025 in connection with the murder of Teresa Peroni, who was 27 years old at the time of her disappearance. The Oregon Department of Justice […]

A couple in Arkansas has been accused of killing their 2-month-old son after the father initially blamed the boy’s fatal injuries on an accident that involved a car seat. Gabrielle Elaine Ayers was taken into custody on Sunday, April 19, and was charged with one count of first-degree murder and one count of first-degree endangering […]

A Texas man has pleaded guilty to shooting his girlfriend in the head while she was taking a bath, during which they were involved in a heated argument over finances. The Bexar County District Attorney confirmed that Judge Jennifer Peña sentenced Donevyn Bowie to serve 38 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to murder […]

A Missouri man, who billed himself as a “healer” within the Amish community, has been charged with involuntary manslaughter after he was accused of giving a sick baby ineffective medicine. Us Weekly previously reported that Sam Shetler was arrested in March in connection with a number of unrelated crimes, which included sex trafficking and kidnapping, […]

Michele Hundley Smith was 38 years old when she left her home in Eden, North Carolina, on December 9, 2001, telling her family she was going Christmas shopping at a Kmart in Martinsville, Virginia. She never came back, and her husband and three children were left wondering whether she was alive or dead for two […]

A juvenile in Alabama has reportedly been arrested for murder following the death of 10-year-old Katheryn Bigbee. Police said that Bigbee was found dead in her family’s home on Friday, April 17, according to AL.com, WBRC and WVTM. “The parents heard something, and they couldn’t find one of the children inside the home,” Piedmont police […]

A family in Alabama experienced an unimaginable tragedy when a mother, her pregnant teenage daughter and her 12-year-old son were found killed inside of their home, and police are still looking for suspects. The Mobile County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Lisa Gail Fields and her two children, Keziah Luker and Thomas Cordelle Jr., were found […]

A Florida man has been arrested for fatally shooting his stepdaughter after she allegedly criticized his manners. James Pelzer was taken into custody on Sunday, April 19, and was charged with one count of dangerous and depraved murder without premeditation in the death of Alanda Cuffee, according to online jail records viewed by Us Weekly. […]

A Texas woman has been arrested in connection to her husband’s murder cold case, 24 years after he died. The Frisco Police Department confirmed in a press release on Monday, April 20, that Lisa Honrud was arrested that same day on a murder warrant connected to the death of her late husband, Frank Weiss. Weiss […]

A former school counselor from North Carolina broke down in tears as she learned her fate after she pleaded guilty to having sex with a minor student. Jessica Finley, who previously worked as a counselor and volleyball coach at McDowell High School in Marion, was sentenced to serve a maximum of 40 years in prison […]

A Maryland man who was on his way to pick up his 7-year-old daughter from after-school care was shot to death by a driver who was trying to merge. The Prince George’s County Police Department announced that Polo Shaw has been charged with first and second-degree murder in connection to the death of Darian Ragland. […]