Adopted people often wonder about their biological parents and where they came from. Questions like “Why didn’t my mother want me? Is my mother still alive?,” often plague an adopted person’s mind. They’re valid questions that one man from Long Island, New York, wondered after he learned he was put up for adoption when he was just a boy.

When he was finally old enough to search for answers, he was led on a paper trail that took him all the way to Ireland. There, he was given a runaround by everyone he met. That was, until a DNA test many years later revealed the truth. All the lies, secrets, and falsified documents were about to be exposed…

An Orphan

The earliest memory Kevin can remember is when he was 2 years old. He recalls walking up the steps to an upper-story apartment in Long Island, New York to meet his adopted parents for the first time. Kevin will never forget that moment, as it was then that he came to know his new mother and father.

Childhood

Growing up in Long Island and New Jersey, Kevin had a wonderful childhood. He loved his mother who was a stay-at-home-mom, raising him and his younger sister. Kevin’s father was a cabinet maker who had a vicious temper and struggled with alcoholism, but he loved his children dearly. Neither one of Kevin’s parents knew how their adoptive son wound up in an orphanage, but they wondered…

Curious About His Past

Kevin didn’t start wondering until he was in high school when the volunteer fire department told him he couldn’t join their ranks because his identification papers were incomplete. This was because he wasn’t a U.S. citizen. From that moment, he took steps to become naturalized and he eventually became a firefighter. However, that experience stuck with him.

Searching For Answers

He had to know where he came from, as it felt like a puzzle piece in his life was missing. Kevin tracked down his New York City birth certificate, where he discovered papers that showed he was born at Sean Ross Abbey in Roscrea, County Tipperary, Ireland. This was a place Kevin never even imagined he could have been from. He decided to dig deeper, unprepared for what he may discover…

His Birth Mother’s Name

Kevin’s birth mother was listed as Kathleen Sheedy. It didn’t list his exact birth date, it only gave a time period covering July through September 1958. Naturally, Kevin sought to track down his mom, although he didn’t find anyone named Sheedy that matched this time frame and no one ever responded to his emails. Frustrated but not hopeless, Kevin used his mother’s name as an example when he taught other police officers how to use computer databases to track down people.

His Adoption Papers Were Tampered With

As the years went by, Kevin learned that his adoption papers had been falsified and his birth mother’s name had been changed. Who would do such a thing? His mother’s name was actually Catherine Sheehy, not Kathleen Sheedy. For years, he was looking for a woman who wasn’t even his mother. Kevin bought a plane ticket to Ireland to search for the truth once and for all. His adoptive mother even accompanied him…

Sean Ross Abbey In Ireland

In 1978, Kevin traveled to Sean Ross Abbey, hoping to persuade a nun to dig up his records and tell him something about his birth mother. The nun’s response was, “You are not welcome here, go away,” while slamming the door in Kevin’s face. He couldn’t believe it. Later at a local pub, a bartender told him that the nuns had once been seen behind the convent burning birth and adoption records. Apparently, they often had a lot of bonfires. Kevin went home empty-handed and he carried even more frustration.

Nun’s Mistreatment Of Unwed Mothers

Then, a few years ago, stories of mistreatment within unwed mothers’ homes began to come out and the church sent Kevin a letter offering to share his adoption and birth records with him, but it would cost him 100 English pounds. Kevin thought to himself with disgust, “Sure, I’ll pay you to give me more lies.” However, he couldn’t put a price on finding his biological mother…

Was His Mother Dead Or Alive?

Soon he received the papers in the mail and this time, his mother’s name turned out to be the real name. He called the abbey and asked to speak to the nun in charge of caring for the mothers and babies and he spoke to Sister Hildegarde McNulty. She remembers his mom as being tall and thin, training to be a nurse. Then, McNulty told Kevin his mother had died.

The Truth Was On Its Way

He was reluctant to believe any of this had happened since the church had gone to such great lengths to bury the stories of the adopted children. All the lies and the missing records and falsified records really bugged him and he accepted never knowing the truth. Little did Kevin know, that truth would come wrapped up in a holiday paper as a Christmas gift from his wife…

DNA Kit With Answers Revealed

Knowing how hard her husband worked to track down his family, including all the dead ends he endured, she bought Kevin an AncestryDNA kit. With this information, AncestryDNA was able to track down a first cousin of Kevin’s who lived in Wales. He learned this news just days after his wife Cathy learned she had cancer. The doctors seemed hopeful that Cathy would recover and soon Kevin received a reply via email from his cousin, basically saying that he was busy and “I’ll get back to you.”

As His Wife Fought Cancer, Kevin Received A Surprising Email

Figuring that was the end of that, as his wife prepared for her surgery, Kevin’s cousin responded to him with the first good news. “We’ve been looking for you,” began the email. Being that his wife was his priority, Kevin dismissed any notion of hopping on a plane to meet his biological cousin. However, after Cathy finished her first recovery week following chemotherapy, she urged Kevin to go…

Kevin Headed To Meet His Family

She said she didn’t want him to miss a chance to meet his long-lost family and she worried what would happen if her cancer got worse. Kevin hopped on a plane to London where his family now lived and at the airport, Kevin met his brother for the first time. A man named Tony came up to him and said, “Hi, I’m your brother.” It’s a thing Kevin never thought he would hear.

Learning The Real Story

For years, he thought he was an orphan and that he would never meet any of his biological family, let alone his own brother. During the long car ride to Tony’s home, Kevin, 59, finally began to learn the long-buried secrets of his dramatic upbringing. Kevin J. Battle was born William Sheehy in July 1958 in Sean Ross Abbey, a mother-and-baby home run by the Sacred Heart Sisters. At the time, babies born to unwed Irish girls were adopted across Ireland, Germany, England and the United States…

The Truth Was Revealed In 2009

The practice of forcing unmarried pregnant girls into convents, where they would work in kitchens and gardens for three years to atone for their sins while nuns sold their children to unwitting couples was exposed by a U.K. journalist in 2009. It was later turned into a 2013 film called “Philomena.”

The Women Feared The Public Shame Of Giving Birth Out Of Wedlock

What made it so difficult for Kevin to discover his mother’s real name was because, at the time, the girls or their families used fake names, so the public shame of giving birth out of wedlock wouldn’t follow them throughout their lives. Unwed mothers were hidden and forced to give up their children. In 1978, when Kevin searched for his mother in Wales, she was still alive…

The Family Learned The Truth The Day Their Mother Passed

He might have been able to track her down had the nuns given him access to his records at the time. Kevin’s mother, too, had been looking for her son. His half-siblings told Kevin they learned about him in 2009, the same day that they buried their mother. Their father told them their mother couldn’t bear to share her secret while still alive, but she had wanted to tell them when she died in case he ever came looking for her.

Catherine Held On To Her Secret

She had been looking for her son, but the church told Catherine her baby was dead, killed in a car accident in New York. Still, she hoped he was still alive and looking for her. The remaining family members searched for Kevin, but to no avail. It wasn’t until arriving at the home his mother once lived in that he saw a photo of her for the first time…

“She Did Love Me”

It was a grainy black and white photo that his sister gave him, of his mother holding him. Being that he arrived in the U.S. as a toddler, he never even had a baby picture. But the blurry photo is evidence that his mother did love him, he could tell by the way she held him. “Look at her smile, look at how she’s holding me,” he said. Kevin figured this was taken during the two or three weeks she was home with him before he was taken by the nuns.

His Story

“She did want me, I see that now,” he said. Kevin is hopeful that he may one day find his father, although his siblings know nothing about him. He’s happy he finally got some answers, and he’s feeling more complete in his life knowing the truth. As soon as his wife is able to travel, he looks forward to seeing his family again.

Six Decades Later, Adopted Man Learns The Secret Of His Mysterious Birth is an article from: LifeDaily

When four men who were unrelated to each other were killed in separate shootings, a whole city was left scared and worried for their lives. Young men were being picked off seemingly at random, and there was good reason to be scared.

The killings seemed to be so senseless, so pointless, and without any motive. But what was the reason behind the Federal Way slayings?

Ideal City

Federal Way is a city in King County, Washington, with a a population of just under 90,000 residents. Entrenched in beautiful surroundings, Federal Way has always been an ideal spot for people wanting to live an authentic rural lifestyle. Little ever happened to break the peace in this stunning little enclave and that’s just how people liked it.

High Alert

It was the spring of 2016 when Federal Way was turned into a scary place to live, thanks to a man who decided it was a good idea to shoot and kill people at random. After the first shooting, everyone in the city was on high alert, and that didn’t just apply to law enforcement. What was to come shocked even the toughest of people…

One Month

In just the month of May, four innocent men lost their lives, simply because they found themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. After the killer got the taste for blood with his first victim, he shot another three men within the space of just a few hours, jolting an entire city into action.

Innocence Taken

Alex was only 26, having been born and raised in Seattle, he had been studying art and looking forward to a bright future ahead. When he was found dead at a downtown apartment complex, police sprung into action to find the killer…

More Victims

It was the same day in May, just a few hours later, when the shooter would find himself taking another innocent life. Frank Cohens Jr. from Tacoma was only 27 at the time when he was found slumped over the wheel of his parked car, dead from multiple gunshot wounds.

Even More

The hour was late and the killer was already buzzing from the adrenalin of taking the lives of men he didn’t even know. He later told police that he wanted to test out his new handgun to see what effect it would have. The next day, the same shooter shot and killed 30-year-old Adam Gutierrez, also from Tacoma, as he walked home on a sidewalk near a friends house…

Kill For Nothing

Whoever this would-be serial killer was, his motives seemed petty and didn’t warrant the extreme force he used in the murders of these four men. That night, the suspect had been looking for a car to break into and thought that his victim, Alex Kelley, had called the police on him. That was the only reason he shot the poor man to death with multiple bullets. Another victim, Frank, was apparently killed in a Xanax robbery gone wrong. The Tacoma police had a serious situation on their hands.

Walking The Dog

Possibly the most shocking of the murder spree was the killing of Adam Gutierrez. He was just walking his dog that night, on his way to visit a friend, when the suspect approached him and asked him if he needed any help walking his dog. When he said no, for reasons still unknown, the shooter emptied his whole clip into him, leaving him for dead there on the sidewalk…

Suspect Caught

The suspect, aptly named Justice Henderson, was already in custody for the attempted murder of his grandmother’s boyfriend. According to Police Chief Andy Hwang at the time, “We identified Henderson as a potential suspect in our crimes at about the same time he was taken into custody in 2016.” With some simple questioning it wasn’t hard for police to name Henderson as the prime suspect.

Community Rests

No one in Federal Way had slept much at all since the murder spree started. Nobody knew who the suspect was then, and had no idea if they would be next. With a confession from the shooter, Federal Way residents were finally able to sleep easy, and not worry about being shot randomly…

Minds At Rest

Police Chief Hwang was pleased to release a statement at the time saying, “It is important for the community to know that we are confident that the subject we have in custody is indeed responsible for the crimes I have described.” adding, “It did create alarm within our police department, within our community.”

Another Shooting

Even though only four people were ultimately killed by Henderson, him and an accomplice did try to rob and kill other people too. Just five days before the spree, Henderson and his friend Marchae Garrison, both aged just 17 at the time, knocked on the door of a 63-year-old Tacoma resident. When he answered the door, the men shot at him although he wasn’t killed in the incident…

Gang Ties

According to the police, who were grilled as to why men barely out of their teens did this, Hwang confirmed that the teenagers were involved in gang crime and wanted to prove their worth to other gang members by carrying out random shootings in order to build up a reputation for themselves.

Violence Stopped

According to Hwang, “This fairly small group formed on the west end of our town. They were committing violent crimes.” However, according to the police chief, these shootings led the police to be able to dismantle the gangs in the area quickly, with that being the only good thing to come out of these tragic random killings…

Wanting Justice

Poor Jeffrey McClaren, another of the victims, was a “happy spirit” and a creative musician who had his whole life ahead of him. His aunt, Lisa Wollum, spoke about how difficult the loss was for the family, and how they now want justice, “All along we’ve said we wanted justice for Jeffrey, not realizing that all of these were connected,” she said. “It’s hard to see that taken away at 19.” She added.

Pure Evil

Adam Gutierrez’s father Javier also spoke to reporters about the devastation caused by the tragic loss of his son for no reason at all. “I can’t speak for (Henderson) except the evil that this guy carries with him,” said the bereaved, adding, “I don’t understand.”…

Relief For Families

Chief Hwang kept the public informed about all developments in the case at the time, speaking to reporters regularly. “We are so relieved for the families,” Hwang said. “This is the type of moment why people become police officers and detectives. How many people get to do this type of investigation and bring some sort of justice and relief for the family?”

Held To Account

The murder spree carried out by Henderson was felt all the way to the top of the highest echelons in Federal Way. The mayor of the city, Jim Ferrell, promised residents there, “that we would find those responsible and hold them accountable.” Adding, “Ladies and gentlemen that day has arrived.”…

But Why?

Heidi Gutierrez also spoke about the loss of her son in this tragedy, asking the question on everyone’s lips, “I really want to ask him ‘why?’ I want to know but I know I’m never going to get that answer.” Sadly, no one will ever know why Henderson did what he did in that fateful month back in 2016, and for many, the reason why isn’t even important.

Justice for Justice

For their part, investigators and detectives worked amazingly hard to bring this suspect to justice. With the mass of evidence stacked against him, it wasn’t hard for prosecutors to secure a life sentence for Henderson, without the prospect of parole ever. For the families of the victims, all they can do is to move on as best they can and try to remain positive for the future.

Victims Families Receive Justice Following Quadruple Federal Way Slayings is an article from: LifeDaily

For decades, a businessman named Mario Salcedo dedicated his life to work and climbing the corporate ladder. For a while, the raises, bonuses, and promotions were fulfilling enough and gave him enough incentive to keep toiling away in an office.

Wasting Time

After a few decades of dedicating his life to work, Mario’s effort paid off when he was promoted to the director of international finance at a multinational corporation in their Miami office. However, after a while, Mario knew he didn’t want to live the rest of his life like he had been…

Unfulfilled Dreams

Mario had dreams of seeing the world and even starting his own small business, both of which were impossible with his already demanding work schedule. He knew that in order to live the life of his dreams, he wouldn’t be able to keep his corporate job.

Considering The Options

“I decided I had enough of the corporate world, and I wanted to spend the rest of my life traveling the world,” Mario explained. After thinking about his options and making sure he had enough funds saved to finance his future for a few years, Mario finally decided to follow his dreams…

Early Retirment

After decades working tirelessly in business, Mario quit his job and went into early retirement in his mid-40s. With his schedule finally clear to do what he pleased, he started thinking about what kind of traveling he wanted to do.

Inspiration Strikes

“I didn’t know how I was going to travel, whether I was going to fly everywhere. All I know is I wanted to travel the world,” Mario said. Then one day, inspiration struck the retiree as he was walking around Miami…

Travel By Sea

Mario had been living in Miami for decades and had seen cruise ships come into port and dock countless times. However, after going into retirement, it occurred to him that going on a cruise ship might be a nice, and more leisurely, way to see the world.

The First Cruise

Mario went home and did some research. Shortly after, he booked his first cruise. He had no idea if he would even like being out on the ocean for days at a time, but after his first day on the water, he knew he had found something he would be passionate about for the rest of his life…

A Lifelong Love

“I tried my first cruise and I said, ‘That’s it, I’m sold’… and that’s how I got hooked,” said Mario, who immediately started looking into other cruises and more destinations as soon as he got back to his home in Miami after that first cruise.

Sampling The Cruise Lines

Mario went on as many cruises as he possibly could to try out different cruise lines to figure out which was his favorite. After 3 years of sampling different cruise lines, however, Mario still loved being on the water but was craving some consistency in his life…

Craving Stability

“I was jumping from ship to ship. I felt like a gypsy… ship-hopping every weekend,” Mario said about those first 3 years of cruising. “[Then] I said this doesn’t make sense, this is really not a good quality of life. I need to have some stability in my cruising life.”

20 Years Later

By that point, Mario had determined that Royal Caribbean was his personal favorite cruise line, so in 2000, he started booking trips exclusively with Royal Caribbean. So far, Mario has been on about 1,000 cruises over the past 20 years, and more than 850 have been with Royal Caribbean…

Frequent Floater

Mario, now 68 years old, is considered a ‘frequent floater’, or someone who typically spends months on a cruise ship at a time. “I’m totally addicted and hooked,” Mario said about his love of cruises. “I cannot live on land. I’ve lost my land legs.”

52 Weeks At Sea

Rather than paying to live in a retirement home, Mario pays about $70,000 every year to spend about 52 weeks traveling the world on a cruise. When he’s not at sea with Royal Caribbean, Mario stays at his condominium in Miami checking up on his property and doing any errands that need to be done while on land…

Life In Reverse

“I live life in reverse. I have one week that I call my week off, or my vacation week if you want to call it that,” said Mario, who has earned enough reward points over the past 20 years to qualify him for reduced rates to help him afford his ‘reverse’ lifestyle.

The Small Business

Over the years, Mario also managed to fulfill his second dream of starting a small business while traveling the world by starting an online investment management business. On a typical day, Mario explained he works from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. “I spend five to six hours per day running the business in my pool deck office,” he said. “Without internet access, free or otherwise, I would not be able to live on a cruise ship…”

A Typical Day

When Mario is finished with his work, he usually spends his days doing activities like dancing, swimming, and seeing shows on the boat. While at port in the Caribbean, he likes to go scuba diving. While doing European cruises, he likes to tour as much of the city he can while at port.

Super Mario

“It never gets boring,” said Mario, who has earned the nickname ‘Super Mario’ since he’s been on 22 out of 24 Royal Caribbean ships. “Mario is famous. He is our absolute No. 1 cruiser,” said Gordon Marshall, Navigator’s hotel director…

A Local Celebrity

“He’s a good, well-known fixture on the ship … and he’s genuinely a very pleasant person to deal with,” Gordon added. “Everybody knows who Super Mario is, and he’s a very nice person,” said bar server Cristiana Iordan. “He doesn’t give a hard time. He’s just Super Mario.”

The Future

After being on a ship for the better part of the past few decades, Mario explained he no longer feels comfortable on land.“I’ve lost my land legs. The week that I spend on land, I don’t like sleeping in my bed. I miss the rocking of the ship,” said Mario, who has no plans of trying to get his land legs back. “I’m going to be on cruise ships as long as I’m healthy and as long as I’m having fun.”

Businessman Commits To Lifelong Change After Eye-Opening Retirement Celebration is an article from: LifeDaily

Buffalo, New York is known for several things; the cultural diversity, the sports, and of course, the hot wings. In general, it’s a nice 200-year-old town, with a multitude of good people in one of the most beautiful places in the Northeastern United States.

But in 1983, a heinous and horrific event occurred which shook the town to it’s core…

Featured Photo Credit: us.pressfrom.com

Ed the Hero

Ever since he was a child, Edmund Schreiber had always wanted to be a hero. Born in 1897, just before the turn of the 20th century, Edmund wouldn’t get his chance to actually be that hero until the First World War broke out in 1914. When America finally joined the conflict in 1917, the 20-year-old joined the army without a second thought.

War Breaks Out

World War I was one of the largest global wars in the history of the planet. More than 70 million soldiers, generals, and other assorted military personnel, 60 million of which were Europeans, fought between July 28, 1914 and November 11, 1918: and Edmund Schreiber was one of them.

Keystone Division

Edmund went through basic training and eventually found himself among the U.S. Army’s 28th Infantry Division, nicknamed the Keystone Division, because the original unit was comprised initially of Pennsylvania National Guard members. Before long, Edmund Schreiber found himself in France.

A Century Hence

In 1918, Schreiber was fighting the Germans in the battle of France. That was nearly 100 years ago and during the ferocious battle, Edmund found himself hit by machine gun fire. He fell at the battle but awoke at a field hospital some time later, the bullets excised from both his thighs. He had survived.

Purple Heart

When he returned home, Schreiber received a Purple Heart for being wounded in battle. These coveted military decorations demonstrate that a soldier has been wounded or killed in service to their country. They were first introduced in April 1917 and have been used since that time. Approximately 320,518 Purple Hearts were given in WWI alone.

Retirement

Eventually, Edmund Schreiber returned to his home in upstate New York and started a family. By 1983, the 92-year-old veteran was living by himself in the suburbs. It was a peaceful life but one that was soon to be upended by a situation he never envisioned, even while on the battlefields of France…

Neighbors

It was 1983 and 17-year-old Saundra Adams lived in the same suburban neighborhood as Edmund Schreiber, the same street in fact. Because Schreiber lived alone, Saundra offered to help clean the house, get groceries, and run various errands for him.

Helping Out

Saundra’s help around the house was invaluable and whenever possible, Edmund would offer her compensation for her services. Eventually though, Saundra contrived to do something dangerous, something that anyone who knew her would have never expected…

The Plan

With the help of an accomplice, Saundra Adams planned to break into the elderly war hero’s Buffalo, New York home and kill him. Perhaps it was because she wanted to rob him, perhaps it was because he had been cruel to her in some way. Whatever her reason, Saundra contrived a terrible way to enact her plan.

Life in her Hands

Once they had broken into his home, Saundra Adams tied the old man’s hands with his neckties and strangled him with several more of the ties. Despite having survived one of the most pitched battles in the history of war, Edmund Schreiber died at the hands of two punk kids…

Found by Friends

Edmund Schreiber died on June 23, 1983 after a young woman he trusted invaded his home, attacked him in his bed, and took his life. He was found by his friends the next day. Unfortunately, by the time the police found out about the killing, there was very little chance they’d be able to track down the killer.

Fingerprints

Saundra knew what she had done, as did her accomplice, but she wasn’t about to tell the world. An initial investigation found the 17-year-old’s fingerprints all over the residence and Edmund’s belongings, but that all made sense. After all, she had been his helper and housekeeper, she was there often…

Case Gone Cold

Eventually, it became clear that no matter how hard the Buffalo Police Department worked to find the war hero’s killer, they couldn’t hone in on any suspect enough to secure an indictment. The case remained cold for the next 34 years.

Unsolved for So Long

Then, in 2016, the Cold Case squad opened up the box with Schreiber’s file in it and re-examined the evidence for trace DNA. Unsurprisingly, the DNA found on the neckties, along with the already clear fingerprints, once again linked Saundra Adams to the murder. They finally had her…

Arrested Development

Saundra Adams, who is now 51 and living in Buffalo with two kids of her own, was working in the library of the college where she was taking classes when the police came rolling up to the school. She was read her rights and taken into custody, but declined to speak until she’d seen a lawyer.

Fingerprints

Of course, even after being arrested, Saundra’s family came out to support thier daughter and espouse her innocence to the public. Her father, Ernest Adams, explained that the fingerprints meant nothing and went on to reiterate that, “My daughter cleaned the house for him. She’d go get groceries for him. She ran errands for him.” He couldn’t believe she’d done it…

Pleading Out

Eventually though, Saundra Adams realized the futility of fighting against the now overwhelming evidence. She stood in front of a Buffalo courtroom and pleaded guilty to the now reduced charge of manslaughter. But, reduced or not, she now faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in state prison.

Other Crimes

This plea, luckily for her, came only a single day shy of the year anniversary of her previous arrest. Apparently she had been arrested though not charged on a second-degree murder charge in 2016. Meanwhile, her accomplice in Schreiber’s murder has long-since died and could not be charged. Nevertheless, the case was finally closed…

A Relief

Today, Edmund Schreiber’s family can rest easy knowing that their hero grandfather can finally rest in peace. Erie County District Attorney John Flynn has come out to the media as saying the family is “feeling fantastic” because Saundra Adams is finally being brought to justice.

Legacy

This story is ultimately one about two people who have left very different legacies for their children. One, a hero whose ignominious end is eclipsed by his heroic deeds in life and whose children can rest easy knowing what a wonderful man he was. The other, a desperate woman who is now paying for her heinous crime and whose children must live with the fact that their mother is a cold-blooded murderer.

New Evidence Discovered In 34-Year-Old Case Of Strangled Veteran is an article from: LifeDaily

With only a population of two thousand, Shiner, Texas is a small town that lies an hour and a half east of San Antonio. It also happens to be the hometown of Shiner Beer, one of the best-selling independent beers in the country.

For decades, Shiner was a minuscule blip on the country’s radar, that is, until 2012, when it became the center of a scandal that rocked the little city to it’s core…

A Ranch

He was small town rancher who owned a farm right outside of Shiner and not far from Yoakum. It was a little place, by ranch standards anyway, but it was still enough that he needed some help now and again to tend the horses and do odd jobs around the place.

Bygone Age

It was the type of thing you imagine happened in movies about Depression-era farms or homesteads in the American west. Despite the fact that our story takes place in 2012, this sort of farm lifestyle is still very much a part of daily life for many Americans. The farmer in question needed a hand and he knew just who to call…

Jesus

Jesus, of Gonzales, Texas had been looking for work for some time and had spent his life doing odd jobs on local farms throughout Texas. Despite his age, Jesus was nearly 50, he was a dab hand at tending horses and was soon hired by the farmer in question to work on his land for a few weeks.

Making Off

It had been a hot, Texas afternoon and the sun way high when another worker on the farm noticed something peculiar. Jesus was missing. He thought nothing of it, until he noticed the 47-year-old making off into a secluded pasture holding what appeared to be a struggling child…

Find Her Dad

The witness noted with dismay that the child was crying out and fighting to get away from the older farm worker. He rushed to find the child’s father, who thankfully had been nearby but was distracted by the horses he was tending to notice what was about to transpire on his land.

Screams in the Distance

Suddenly, the little girl let out a blood-curdling scream. Her father looked up with a start and ran in the direction of Jesus. Following the sound of her struggles to the place where the farmhand had taken her, he came upon a terrible sight; Jesus was on top of his little girl, his pants and underwear were pulled down…

Grabbed Him

The enraged father couldn’t contain himself. He grabbed hold of the molesting farmhand and yanked him off his screaming child. In an instant, he was on top of him, beating him about the head, punching him over and over until finally, Jesus fell limp and silent.

Call for Help

It took him a moment to realize what he’d done. The blood and bruising had rendered Jesus Flores’ face completely unrecognizable. Once he’d come to his senses, the farmer called 911, telling them, “I need an ambulance. This guy was raping my daughter and I beat him up and I don’t know what to do…”

Didn’t Mean It

He had meant to punish the man, to stop him from hurting his daughter, but he certainly never meant to kill the guy. As the 911 dispatcher tried to keep him calm, the farmer became more and more frantic. “This guy is fixing to die on me, man, and I don’t know what to do.” he told them, his voice quaking with fear and the last vestiges of his righteous anger.

Can’t Find Us

The farmer became even more frantic when it became clear that the emergency vehicles the operator had dispatched, were nowhere near his farm. Apparently, the ambulance had been having some trouble finding the remote ranch on the small, two-lane country road. Jesus Flores was running out of time…

No Other Choice

With no other choice, the farmer had to make a last-minute decision. He had inflicted the wounds, he was going to have to take responsibility for what happened next. Pushing past his seething hatred of the man, the father screamed at the dispatcher and told them he was getting in his truck and driving the man to the hospital.

CPR

As soon as he got the battered abuser to the hospital, emergency personnel administered CPR, but it was too late. Flores’ heart had stopped beating sometime on the way to the hospital. Lavaca County Sheriff Micah Harmon arrived at the hospital not long after, only to find one dead man, and one grieving, sobbing father, who hadn’t meant to kill anyone…

Dead on Arrival

Jesus Flores was soon taken to the Medical Examiner’s office where it was determined that the fornicating farmhand had died from “blunt force head and neck injury.” Despite the farmer’s best efforts and most sincere regrets, the police confirmed that Flores’ cause of death was murder: and the farmer was responsible.

No Arrest

Thankfully, for the farmer, he was able to go home that night and had not been placed under arrest. Of course, the grand jury hearing would eventually commence soon enough. The names of the father and the little girl were omitted from any article like this in order to keep their identities secret…

No Malice

The father’s emotional 911 call was brought up and it made it very clear that there was no sense of satisfaction or apathy about what he’d done. “Come on! This guy is going to die on me!” says the regretful father on the 911 call. “I don’t know what to do!”

Special Case

A special grand jury was called and convened soon after, reaching its decision almost immediately. It was not a cut and dry case by any stretch of the imagination and the farmer’s selfless heroism, even towards his enemy, had to be considered carefully in court…

The Verdict

Finally, the district attorney came out in a press conference to deliver the jury’s verdict on indictment. “Under the law, deadly force is justified to stop a sexual assault, as such, no charges would be filed against this father.” It was a justifiable homicide, and one he clearly hadn’t meant to cause.

Justifiable Defense

Yet, as with many cases like this one, the verdict became a point of serious contention across the country. While many Americans share a similar take on the incident as the courts, there are a few that believe that murder is murder, no matter the reasoning and that he should pay some recompense for what he did…

Many At Odds

Indeed, there are those among the populace who believe that as despicable as Flores’ actions were, condoning and even justifying the farmer’s administration of vigilante justice sets a dangerous precedent, especially because in this particular case, the angry father was judge, jury, and executioner all in one.

Other Cases

Ultimately though, it’s up to us to each make our own determination about such a situation. I suspect that many of our readers with children will invariably side with the father. Still, if we allow vigilante justice to be meted out in such brutal ways, even when remorse is shown, where does it stop? And perhaps more importantly, where does it lead?

Texas Rancher Who Heard Daughter’s Scream Forced To Make Impossible Choice is an article from: LifeDaily

Appearances can be deceiving. From the outside, one young Boston couple looked like they had a bright and beautiful future ahead of them. They’d found love early in life and had promising careers ahead of them.

But one of them wasn’t exactly the kind of person they appeared to be. In a single week their true nature would come to light and change things forever.

Featured Photo Credit: www.nytimes.com

Enviable Life

If you were told the basic details of Philip Markoff’s life, you would think that he was on the verge of a fulfilling and enviable life. The 22-year old medical student was engaged to be married to his beautiful college sweetheart, Megan McAllister.

College Sweethearts

Markoff and Megan had met back in 2005 while Markoff was attending SUNY Albany and the two of them both volunteered at the same hospital emergency room. They enjoyed each other’s company and soon, their chance encounter blossomed into a full romance…

Wedding Bells

Markoff and Megan stayed together all throughout college and when they graduated in 2007, they made plans to marry in the summer of 2009. Markoff was accepted by the Boston University School of Medicine, one of the top medical schools in the country.

Student Loans

Like most students, the couple weren’t in the best financial situation. Neither of them were employed at the time. While Megan was looking for work, Markoff couldn’t even do that because of the demands of his medical schooling. Their only source of money was student loans…

Homebodies

Because of their finances and Markoff’s intense study requirements, he and Megan rarely left the apartment. “We don’t hang out with people that much. We don’t have money to go out, so it’s like we’re at home most of the time,” Megan said.

A Bit of Fun

But they weren’t without any fun in their lives. Once or twice a month, the pair would take a trip to the nearby Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut where Megan would watch Markoff play Blackjack. Markoff was pretty smart in how he approached the game. “If he’s up, he’ll keep playing, but if he loses money, he’ll stop,’’ Megan said…

Home Alone

That all changed in April of 2009. During that month, Megan left the couple’s apartment and headed back to her family in New Jersey. It was while she was away that Markoff went on a spree that would put their bright future in jeopardy.

Craigslist Rendezvous

On April 10th, Markoff used Craigslist to arrange a “date” with an escort, Trisha Leffler, at a Boston Hotel. Rather than jeopardizing his upcoming marriage in a way you may expect, Markoff drew a gun on Leffler…

Armed Robbery

Markoff bound Leffler’s hands and tied her to a doorknob using plastic handcuffs. He duct taped her mouth shut and proceeded to rob her blind. He took $800 in cash, a debit card, and $250 worth of American Express gift cards from the escort, then fled the hotel. Two day later, he was at Foxwoods, gambling with the money he’d stolen.

One More Time

Markoff decided that once wasn’t enough for his new method of funding his gambling. Just two days after he’d taken Leffler’s money to Foxwoods, Markoff arranged another hotel encounter using Craigslist, this time with a woman named Julissa Brisman…

This Time Was Different

Brissman advertised on Craigslist as a masseuse. Markoff arranged to meet her at a Boston hotel, just as he had with Leffler. For whatever reason, things didn’t go as smoothly this time. Instead of just making off with some easy cash, Markoff got violent.

Brutality

He struck Brissman in the head and shot her three times, leaving her to die in a pool of her own blood. In just 4 days, Markoff had gone from innocent medical student to, armed robber to murderer…

Back at the Tables

Again, just two days later, Markoff was back at Foxwoods, playing the tables with the money he’d gotten from his mark. He also decided to pull a double that day, arranging another meeting through Craigslist, this time with an exotic dancer, Corinne Stout, who offered lapdance services.

Third Time Not Quite the Charm

After he was alone in the room with Stout, Markoff again pulled his gun on her. It’s not clear if he intended to just rob Stout or to harm her as he’d done to Leffler or if he was going to kill her as he’d done to Brissman because shortly after he pulled the gun on her, he was interrupted by someone entering the room…

A Defender

Stout’s husband had come along with her, probably for the very reason that her sort of work could be dangerous. When he heard sounds he didn’t like coming from the hotel room, he rushed in. Markoff was surprised and fled in a panic before anything else could happen.

Quick Arrest

It didn’t take long after Markoff began his crime spree for police to track him down. Using security camera footage, cell phone records, and emails as evidence, police arrested him on April 16th during a traffic stop when he was on his way to, you guessed it, Foxwoods Casino…

He’s Our Guy

When police searched Markoff’s apartment, they found the handgun, plastic handcuffs and duct tape they believe he had used to threaten and bind the women. They also found two pairs of underpants belonging to his first two victims hidden in a hollowed out copy of Gray’s Anatomy.

Physical Evidence

Markoff was charged with murder, kidnapping, armed robbery, assault, and a slew of other smaller charges and held without bail. While the physical evidence of Markoff’s acts were overwhelming, those around him rushed to defend him…

Unbelievable

Markoff’s friends and family were shocked by the allegations levelled against him. His fiance especially defended him saying that he was “beautiful inside and out” and that he “couldn’t hurt a fly.” But just 9 days after his arrest, she had called off their wedding, seemingly convinced as law enforcement was that he was guilty.

Giving Up

In 2009, a year and a day after Markoff and Megan were to be married, Markoff committed suicide in his jail cell where he had been awaiting trial. He had spread pictures of Megan around his cell, then used a shiv he’d made out of a pen and a piece of metal pried off from a wall outlet to cut himself and write “Megan” and “Pocket” (his pet name for Megan) on the wall in blood. He then cut major arteries in his limbs and and duct taped a plastic bag around his head and was later found dead.

Medical Student Reveals Inner Darkness With Week-Long Spree is an article from: LifeDaily

Childbirth can be one of the most stressful things that a person goes through in life. There’s so much uncertainty and anxiety over whether the baby will be healthy, whether the mother will be safe, and whether there will be any complications, there’s plenty going on, even before you consider managing the pain.

But when one woman went into labor unexpectedly, she was faced with an even more stressful situation than usual. There was something that she’d planned to do before the baby was born that, without some special help, wasn’t going to happen…

Hospital Visit

Late one spring night in New York City, Sushma was at New York Presbyterian/ Weill Cornell Medical Center with her husband Vivek for a great reason: they were going to be having a baby. This was going to be the second time the 37-year-old would have a baby and she knew that she wanted something to address the pain of childbirth.

Epidural

Sushma had planned all along to get an epidural — a powerful painkiller delivered directly to the spinal canal — to deal with the pain of contractions. Getting a long needle poked right next to your spine might sound like a horrifying ordeal to some people but to a competent anesthesiologist, giving the injection is just another day at the office…

Chit Chat

So as the anesthesiologist was seeing to Sushma, she was making small talk with her to help put the expectant mother at ease and also help pass the time. Just as she was finishing up, she mentioned something about an unusual commotion going on elsewhere in the hospital.

Looking For The Chaplain

“She happens to mention that there was a mad dash to hunt down the hospital chaplain for a wedding,” Sushma said. Apparently there was a couple down the hall that, although they’d been together for 10 years, had never gotten around to getting married. They wanted to “make it official” so to speak, before the baby came but the woman had gone into labor early, putting a rush on their plans…

Is That Weird?

“I don’t know if this will feel helpful or weird, but I was ordained on the Internet and I can perform the ceremony,” Sushma said. A few years ago she’d gotten ordained by the Universal Life Church, a non-denominational religious organization that will legally ordain anyone, though’ she’d never performed a ceremony.

Thanks But No Thanks

The doctor said it was nice of Sushma to offer but that the couple would likely prefer the hospital chaplain to perform the ceremony. Besides, she said, “you’re also in labor.” As the epidural began to kick in, Sushma’s focus shifted back onto the baby she was about to have…

On Second Thoughts…

But when the staff found the chaplain, they learned that he was not legally ordained to perform a wedding. That’s when a different doctor came to Sushma’s room for a little bit of an awkward conversation. “I understand you have the ability to officiate weddings?” he asked.

I’m In

“Yeah, let’s do it.” Sushma said after a momentary pause. “It felt like the right thing to do for my husband and I in terms of like, OK, can we help another family out right before we have a kid?” she said. “It’s the right lesson to teach our kid before he makes his debut.”…

Heaven Sent

When Brianna Doyle, 28, and Casey Walko, 30, the couple who wanted the last minute wedding, were told there was a woman in labor willing to officiate, they were overjoyed. “I was absolutely terrified about giving birth to my first child and not being able to get married as planned,” Brianna said. “That’s when the stars aligned and sent me this angel named Sushma who made our dreams come true.”

2 Problems

But there were a couple of problems, the first of which was that Sushma was in labor. “What if you start active labor during the wedding?” her husband Vivek asked. “Well, we’ll figure it out,” Sushma replied. They also had to figure out how to get her to the couple, since her epidural had already kicked in…

Jelly Legs

“My legs were jelly by this point,” she said, meaning they would have to bring the wedding to her. “It was a little bit of a Jabba the Hut moment where they took the automatic bed and sort of propped that up so that I could sit and officiate, and they came to me in my room.”

Making It Magical

Though the setting wasn’t ideal, the hospital staff did what they could to make the wedding as beautiful as possible. One nurse made a bouquet from flowers at the nurses’ station, one braided Brianna’s hair, while another made a crown of baby’s breath flowers for her to wear. For the groom, they fashioned a makeshift bowtie out of a newborn’s cap…

It’s Gotta Be Real

The things they’d done for atmosphere were undeniably thoughtful but Brianna and Casey wanted this to be a real wedding, not just a show. Thankfully, the couple had gotten their marriage license just the day before and it was still in Brianna’s purse.

It’s Time

With marriage license in hand and a willing official to perform the ceremony, there was nothing standing in Brianna and Casey’s way. At about 12:15 am, a nurse started playing the wedding processional song on her phone as the bride and groom were brought into Sushma’s room. With both women in labor, the ceremony began…

Short And Sweet

“Brianna, Casey, welcome to the most unexpected wedding even,” Sushma said to start things off. She kept things as brief and ministerial as possible after that. “I wanted them to feel like they were having a nice wedding, not like they were being married by some crazy lady in the next room who was loopy from an epidural.”

So Caring

On the video Vivek took of the proceedings with his cell phone, you could see several of the nurses wiping away tears. “I have never seen such incredible patient care,” Vivek said. “The room was totally abuzz with love, which is the nicest feeling to have before bringing life into the world.”…

Forever Grateful

Brianna and her now husband Casey were so grateful that Sushma and the hospital staff pulled together to make their dreams come true. “The most amazing thing to take away from this is how none of these people had to do this. They chose to do this for a complete stranger,” Brianna said. “I am forever and eternally grateful to Sushma and the amazing nurses and doctors at Cornell.”

Back To Labor

Of course, there were still a couple of major life events that needed doing after the ceremony was done. There were a pair of babies on their way to being born. About 5 hours after she’d officiated the wedding, Sushma’s son Nayan was born. About 12 hours after that, Brianna gave birth to her daughter Riley…

Scrapped Plans

Brianna and Casey’s original plan was to get officially married at a courthouse, then have a large family wedding sometime after Riley was born. But after their hospital wedding, they decided to shelve the second one. “Nothing can top this,” Brianna said.

Always Choose Love

Sushma was grateful for the chance to do something so meaningful for people who were once perfect strangers. “I can’t say I’ve ever had a chance to actively choose to insert myself into someone else’s love story,” she said. “I was about to bring life into the world and I’ll be damned if this kid didn’t learn that when given the option, he should always choose love. It takes so little to do something kind for someone else.”

Expectant Mother Interrupts Her Labor To Perform Good Deed is an article from: LifeDaily

High school graduation is a time when all those years of hard work, heartache, and hormone-charged emotional turmoil finally come to a triumphant end. Graduates are on the cusp of a true turning point in their young lives and most have an eye towards a brighter future.

For school superstars Christian and Katherine, the future was as bright as could be and the recent past wasn’t too bad either. Their high school careers had been filled with accomplishments which earned them a place at the podium during graduation. There were some stipulations to that however…

Above Average

18-year-old Christian was not your average student. Christian was they type of person who didn’t like umbrella terms or binary labels. As far as they were concerned, they were either “gay” or “Queer,” “male” or female.” Christian was Christian, and Christian was extraordinarily bright, outgoing, talented, and as soon as they graduated was going to attend the University of Louisville to study biology and ecology.

Non Traditional

Christian’s identity was what many would consider a non-conformist, both in gender and sensibilities. But that was part of what made Christian who he was. He wore makeup and traditionally feminine clothing to school events. He even wore a floral jumpsuit, pink eyeshadow and red lipstick, to prom. Most of his fellow students and teachers were complimentary towards him, but at Holy Cross High School in Kentucky, not everyone was…

Feeling Fab

When Christian was a sophomore, they would often find themselves in arguments with the high school’s staff over whether or not they could wear things like makeup or bobby pins in their hair while in school. The school’s oppressive dress code explicitly banned male students from doing those things, but Christian did it anyway as much as they could.

Friends at the Podium

In the end though, Christian’s “unwelcome” sense of style did not stop them from doing well in school. Exceedingly well in fact. Christian was chosen to be his class’ valedictorian and was going to be invited to speak at his graduation. As if that weren’t enough good news, his best friend Katherine Frantz, student council president, would be giving a speech up there too…

Ideas for the Speech

Christian’s speech was going to be, as they say, “epic.” Their plan was to talk about the power of young people in the world today by referencing a mantra often used by David Hogg and other student leaders from Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School which stated emphatically that “the young people will win.” It would inspire his classmates and hopefully the adults in the audience as well.

Hand it In

As per tradition, and to ensure that they didn’t say anything too offensive on the podium, both Christian and Katherine were supposed to have their speeches approved by one of the school’s religion teachers and the principal. Christian Bates handed the speech to the teacher one day and the next day, he told him it was approved and the whole faculty was excited to hear them read it aloud. There was just one problem…

Unorthodox

Despite their teachers’ assurances that the speeches passed with flying colors, Christian and Katherine were soon informed by the Diocese of Covington that they were “randomly selected” to have their speeches approved by the diocese themselves. This was not a normal occurrence, and Christian had a feeling they’d selected them on purpose.

Bad News

The following Friday morning, Holy Cross’s Principal Mike Holtz had the unwelcome duty of calling up Christian Bales’ and Katherine Frantz’s families to tell them that the Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington, which incidentally oversees the high school itself, had deemed their speeches inappropriate. They would not be allowed to read them at the graduation ceremony that evening…

Erroneous Claims

In an effort to soften the blow so to speak, Tim Fitzgerald, who was a spokesperson for the Diocese of Covington, came out and explained the decision to disallow the speeches. He said that the Catholic Church found the speeches to “contain elements that were political and inconsistent with the teaching of the Catholic Church.” He also added that they had been submitted for review after the deadline. They had not.

Too Confrontational

The principal went into even more detail in Christian’s case. He told their mother that the Catholic Church considered the speech to be, “too personal, angry, confrontational, and political” to be read at a school event. Frankly though, the long and short of it was that the valedictorian had been banned from giving their graduation speech simply because of their gender nonconformance…

On the Radar

Christian knew that they’d been on the radar for a while. Christian, who is not Catholic, is the type of person who openly pushed for social reform and was exceptionally vocal about their beliefs. Regardless of their religion, however, Christian has always been as respectful of their beliefs as possible without compromising their own integrity.

Not What They Think

Christian’s speech, which was eventually published on Facebook, was wholly non-offensive. It didn’t mention Bales’ gender identity or sexual orientation, it didn’t call for any specific change to any specific political policies, and while it mentions Christian’s inspiration from the leaders of March for Our Lives, his address does not call for new gun control laws. So why ban it in the first place?

The Threat of Him

Christian Bales recalled all the minor power struggles between themself and the school administration throughout their tenure at the school. Indeed, Christian believed it was their visibility, their very existence in the school that threatened their way of looking at the world. That the Catholic sensibilities of those in charge were offended by the way Christian comported themself.

A Plan

Needless to say, both Katherine and Christian were justifiably frustrated by the diocese’ decision. They wanted themselves to be heard. So they contrived a plan that would enable them to speak their mind despite the school’s decision. They decided to read their speeches after the ceremony and outside of the venue, via megaphone. That way everyone would be able to hear what they had to say…

Speaking Out

They borrowed the microphone from a father who ran the LGBT Facebook group near them and called the local media to come view them giving their speeches. Surrounded by friends, students, and families, Christian and Katherine gave their speeches. “Throughout the past four years at Holy Cross,” Christian began. “I’ve learned how to utilize my voice to advocate for my beliefs as an ethical individual…”

Facing Things Head-On

Christian continued by saying, “I’ve faced opposition in a number of scenarios, but my voice continued to grow in intensity as I faced more adversity. Rather than allowing opposition to silence us, we must utilize it as empowerment. As long as we nurture our minds as youth, we’ll be able to be equally impactful as we encounter the world.” When it was all said and done, the speech went viral…

Joined in Protest

Katherine Frantz spoke right alongside her best friend by tackling the issue of the speech ban itself. “Christian and I have worked for four years to earn the right to speak as valedictorian and student council president at graduation. I was shocked and upset when that honor was taken away from us on the morning of graduation…”

Trust and Appreciation

Overall, Katherine’s speech was less political than Christian’s. It was more focused on applauding graduating individuals. “My speech is about trust in God, hope, and confidence in the future. Those are the lessons that the staff and faculty of Holy Cross gifted me with.” She did however add that she was upset that neither she nor Christian were given a chance to revise their speeches…

Disruptive

After it was all said and done, Christian looked back to the way they’d been treated by the school and rose above their expectations. The school and the church believed Christian to be a disruptive, values-threatening influence, but all they wanted to do was to speak out to their fellow graduates about important political issues in their lives.

No Idea What They’d Unleashed

The high school senior also noted that since the graduation, more people than Christian ever imagined had now heard their message about progressive thinking for their generation. In an effort to stop Christian and Katherine from making their speeches, they ensured that it reached millions.

Valedictorian’s Progressive Thinking Ends Them In Hot Water With Catholic High School is an article from: LifeDaily

The veterinarian’s office was as it usually was: full of the fearful chirps, barks, mewls, and croaks of any number of panic-stricken, sickly pets.

The receptionist looked at the collected company of worried pet owners in the waiting room and breathed a deep sigh, it was going to be a long day as usual. What she didn’t know, was that this day was about to be as far from usual as could be…

At The Vet

What the receptionist didn’t know, even as she scanned the crowded waiting room, was that it was one of the pet owners, not the pets, who needed the most help. She did her job, called a couple into the exam room with their dog, and went back to work: unaware that this couple was not as they appeared.

Beginnings

The woman’s name was Carolyn and she was there with her husband Jeremy. They had taken their dog to the DeLand Animal Hospital in Port Orange, Florida because she had noticed that the animal was acting a bit strange. Her real reason for being there had little enough to do with a poorly pooch, however…

Drinkin’ It In

Two days earlier, the couple had taken it upon themselves to indulge in a little bit of fun. They started with alcohol, mixed it with suboxone and other “unknown white pills” and before either Carolyn of Jeremy knew it, they were both much too loaded to properly function.

Accusations

After a while, Jeremy began to bring up certain uncomfortable subjects. Always sort of insecure, he accused Carolyn of flirting with other men and when she denied it, took things to a whole other level. He told her to go into their bedroom and said he was going to call some guys over to have sex with her…against her will…

Beaten

Even as inebriated as she was, 28-year-old Carolyn was not about to be disrespected that way. At first she was certain he was joking around, but no sooner had she told him no, than his anger escalated out of nowhere. Jeremy Floyd ran at his wife, beating her and eventually even pulling his gun on her.

“They Both Reached for the Gun”

He held the gun on her and she instinctively grabbed for it. The gun went off, sending two rounds flying through the wall of their home. In the end, Floyd turned out to be the stronger of the two and pushed her to ground again. The struggle ended with her being rendered unconscious, but the long ordeal was just beginning…

Recovering

Carolyn Reichle spent the next day recovering from her head injury. She woke up 22 hours later in a daze, to the stark realization that not only was it her husband who had caused her head trauma, but he wasn’t about to let her leave. He apologized for his actions of course, but he said that she was going to stay there for her own good.

Caught Her First

Before she could get up and get out of their driveway, Carolyn was dragged back into the couple’s home by an enraged Floyd. Despite his earlier apologies, Floyd continued to beat on her. He then threatened to kill her if she didn’t comply with his wishes…

Two Days

Carolyn had gone from happily married to trapped at gunpoint in her own home. Still reeling from all the slaps to her head, Carolyn struggled to try and think of a plan. She knew she couldn’t escape outright. Whatever had happened to Floyd, he’d gone completely off the deep end. There was no telling what he’d do next.

Escape Plan

She pushed through the possible concussion and thought up a plan. Her husband may have been strong but he was hardly a genius. She remarked that their dog was beginning to look a little sick. She even offered to take the animal to the vet just in case. As expected, Floyd insisted that he “accompany” her…

Consideration

He had of course considered that she might be lying. As a convicted felon, Jeremy Floyd was no stranger to the vagaries of betrayal amongst allies. He knew that if he wanted to keep her controlled he’d have to maintain the threat of violence. So he brought the gun along for insurance purposes.

Threats

On the drive to the vet, Floyd pulled the gun out and held it on her the whole way. He told his wife that if she tried to run or call the cops, he would not only kill her, he’d kill her whole family too. She had to play along, at least until she figured out something better…

The Note

Carolyn was understandably afraid for her life. Luckily, once she was inside, she was able to go to the bathroom and write out a note. She didn’t know who she’d give it to, but she knew she had to. Once she and Jeremy were brought into the exam room, Carolyn slipped the vet a note during their handshake.

Call the Police

The vet took their dog into the back room and handed it off to a nurse before opening up the note. The note read: “Call the cops. My boyfriend is threatening me. He has a gun. Please don’t let him know.” She thought quickly and then decided to pass the note on, to stall for time…

Stalling for Time

The note was slipped to one of the receptionists who quickly and quietly alerted the police to the situation at the vet’s office. Before long, the place was surrounded by police officers and the pet owners were quietly moved out of the building.

Police Arrive

Police barged in and took Jeremy Floyd into custody. Authorities also recovered a loaded 9mm handgun in the waistband of the convicted felon. Carolyn was brought to the hospital and Jeremy was taken in for questioning…

Why Keep Her?

When asked why he would not allow Carolyn to leave their home, Floyd told them that it was so she “didn’t run into any strangers.” This was of course after he admitted that he was wrong and then said his arrest was “God punishing him.”

Didn’t Want To Her Hurt

He added that he retrieved the handgun, which was Carolyn’s actually, and then tried to keep it from his wife in the struggle merely because he believed she was going to commit suicide if he didn’t take it from her. It was clear that Jeremy Floyd wasn’t in the right state of mind…

Hospital Stay

Carolyn Reichle meanwhile, was taken to a nearby hospital and treated for the many injuries she suffered at her husband’s hands. She had a black eye, bruises, and a severe head wound. Thankfully, she made a full recovery.

Multiple Charges

Jeremy Floyd was ultimately charged with a slew of things, including: domestic violence, aggravated assault with a firearm, false imprisonment, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of ammunition by a convicted felon and, the cherry on top, simple battery. He is currently being held without bail but only time will tell what sort of sentence he receives.

Visit To The Vet Turns Into Rescue Attempt For Desperate Florida Woman is an article from: LifeDaily

Thanks to the invention of the Internet, we are constantly treated to interesting videos and stories of all kinds at all hours of the day, whenever we want. We get to see funny cat videos, harrowing police standoffs, and sometimes, daring rescues.

This is a story about one brave man who saw something happening and quite literally jumped into action to save the person in danger. Thanks to the Internet, the whole thing was caught on video for all to see…

Firemen Arrive

Fire crews in Paris had been called to the scene because something terrible was happening at a downtown apartment building. They mobilized a number of trucks and crashed their way through the city until they arrived at the scene to find that their work had already been done for them.

Out of Reach

It seemed that the crisis which had called them to the apartment building had been averted. Not only that, but the child whose life had been in danger was completely fine, if a bit shaken up by the experience. So what had happened to the child in the apartment and what had caused them to be saved by an amateur rescuer?

Terrified Onlookers

It began earlier in the morning, a crowd of terrified onlookers had gathered around the front of the building. They were shouting up at the balcony at something dangling. Even from the street, anyone could tell that the dangling thing was a child who had wandered too far out onto the balcony and fallen, barely catching himself.

Immigrant

Mamoudou Gassama had only just moved to Paris from his home country of Mali a few years before. Though he was not a citizen yet, he had come to love the city and its people. He was walking along the street when he saw the crowd gathering. He asked an onlooker what was happening and was shocked to learn that a child had fallen off the balcony and was hanging on for dear life…

The Climb

Mamoudou looked up at the dangling child and knew that the neighbors trying to reach him were not going to be able to grab hold fast enough. Without a moment’s hesitation, he ran to the side of the building and began to haul himself up towards the balcony with his bare hands at astonishing speed.

Barely Hesitated

He hadn’t even given it a second thought, he knew that if he didn’t go and go then, the child might fall before the echoing fire trucks in the distance made it to the building. Make no mistake, Mamoudou was terrified. He didn’t know if he would even make it in time, but he had to try to rescue the child…

Upper Body Strength

Now, I’m sure you can assume that the amount of upper body strength needed to scale the side of a building, up four floors, in less than 30 seconds is, for lack of a better word, prodigious. Well, 22-year-old Mamoudou Gassama clearly had that prodigious strength and it carried him swiftly towards the crying child.

Spider-Man

Mamoudou climbed from balcony to balcony, moving steadily towards the four-year-old. Finally, exhausted from his own exertion, he grabbed the boy’s arm and pulled him back to safety. A moment later and the two walked into the apartment, closed the balcony door, locked it, and waited for the paramedics to arrive…

Shaky Legs

As he and the boy waited for emergency workers, Mamoudou’s adrenaline finally got the better of him. He could hardly stand for the dizziness he felt and had to sit down. As he sat in the living room, he began to shake. He was glad he’d saved the kid, that everything was ok. He couldn’t believe what he’d done.

Gone Viral

Mamoudou’s daring rescue was caught on video by onlookers, and before long the “Spider-Man of Paris,” as he would come to be known, would become a viral sensation all across the Internet. The incident was viewed millions of times across a number of news outlets and Youtube. But it also raised a number of questions…

Miracles

Paramedics came in soon after and examined both the rescuer and the child. It was a miracle, but other than a torn fingernail and a bit of a scare, the four-year-old was fine. Mamoudou walked away with a few minor cuts. The question remained though, where were the boy’s parents in all this?

Home Alone

The apartment at the 18th arrondissement in Paris had been vacant of anyone but the child when Mamoudou brought the crying four-year-old back in. Apparently, the boy was at home alone when the whole situation emerged. When his dad returned home and was told what had happened, he was of course questioned by the police as to where he’d been…

Where Were His Parents?

The viral Spider-Man rescue video had all the world asking the same question: Where were the parents? Well as it happened, his father had left his young son home to go shopping. That’s right, he’d left his four-year-old son at home, unattended for what could have been upwards of an hour.

Out Shopping

The man went to the store as he planned, got what he needed and then, instead of coming right back, he decided to make a quick stop. As to why he thought this would be a good idea, we may never know. What we do know is what he was doing when his errant errand took him away from his very vulnerable son…

Stop to Play

The father had decided to take some time to himself to play Pokémon Go, a mobile game that achieved viral fame when it was released in 2016. The game requires you to wander around in the real world, tracking and catching the digital monsters by using your phone’s GPS location to locate nearby Pokemon.

Pokemon Go

Pokémon Go also uses your phone’s camera to show Pokémon on screen atop the actual background. It makes them appear as if the creatures are in their real world. The game was an instant success and was downloaded over 500 million times before 2017. Of course, it was also fairly addictive: addictive enough to even distract normally-attentive parents…

Several Issues

Since its inception, many a wandering Pokemon trainer has found themselves walking into poles, ditches, or even crashing their car whilst on the search for the digital critters. People who play the game have been known not to pay attention to their surroundings, or in the case of the boy’s wayward father, their responsibilities.

Prison Time

Though the game has declined in popularity over the years, it still claims the occasional addict. The four-year-old’s father now faces up to two years in prison for child endangerment. It seems a fitting punishment for someone who thought more of his digital pets than his actual child. As for the real world Spider-Man…

A Fine Reward

Mamoudou Gassama’s heroic actions got him an invite to the palace to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron. Though he showed up to the meeting in jeans and a flamingo-printed shirt, Macron was no less impressed by his bravery and awarded him not only the national hero award with a medal for bravery, but also offered to make him an official French citizen.

Join Their Ranks

Mamoudou has also been offered a job in the fire brigade thanks to his quick thinking and obvious skills. President Macron was so impressed by his actions that he posted their meeting on Facebook saying, “Paris fire brigade would be keen to welcome him to their ranks.”

Immigrant Jumps Into Action To Save Child In Imminent Danger is an article from: LifeDaily

When everything you’ve worked for your entire life comes crumbling down and the people you love are taken from you, it can be hard to stay positive.

In 2017, Central Mexico was hit with a devastating natural disaster that killed hundreds, injured thousands, and destroyed cities and homes in mere minutes. For many, the destruction was too much to bear, but thankfully, an unexpected hero gave them the strength and hope to keep going…

A Seismically Active Region

Mexico is situated on several tectonic plates, which makes it 1 of the most seismically active areas in the world. Over the years, the country has experienced several devastating earthquakes, like the 1985 Mexico City earthquake that killed 10,000 people.

The Annniversary

Exactly 32 years later, in September 2017, the city was honoring the anniversary of the historic natural disaster and held a national earthquake drill at 11 a.m. They had no idea at the time, but just 2 hours later, the region would be rocked by yet another disaster…

2 Hours Later…

At around 1:15 in the afternoon, Central Mexico experienced a powerful 7.1 magnitude earthquake that lasted for about 20 seconds. A warning was sent out about 20 seconds before the quake began, however, many thought it was just another drill.

The Epicenter

According to the National Seismological Service (SSN), the epicenter of the quake was 75 miles from Mexico City and powerful shaking was reported for about a minute afterward. While that doesn’t sound like much, that is a long time for an earthquake to last and it showed in the aftermath…

The Aftermath

More than 40 buildings collapsed and at least 369 people died as a result of the earthquake. More than 6,000 other people were injured during the violent disaster that damaged countless more buildings, school, and homes.

A State Of Emergency

Because of the destruction, fires, gas leaks, and the fact that more damaged structures could collapse at any moment, the areas most affected by the earthquake were immediately evacuated and a state of emergency was declared all across Central Mexico…

A Civilian Evacuation

While everyone else was being evacuated from the areas hit with the most damage, first responders, including 3,000 active-duty troops from the Mexican Army and Mexican Navy, made their way into the city to clean up debris, search and rescue victims, and perform security missions.

The Main Goals

In the immediate aftermath, the main goal was to prevent more buildings with major structural damage from collapsing and to search for people trapped under the piles of wreckage in the hopes of saving as many lives as possible…

Frida The Labrador

Since it can be nearly impossible to detect if there are bodies or victims buried deep under the wreckage, a yellow Labrador Retriever named Frida and 14 other rescue dogs from the Mexican Navy’s (SEMAR) Canine Unit were deployed to Mexico City to help rescuers track down victims with their hypersensitive noses.

An Impressive Track Record

Since Frida was trained as a search and rescue dog with the Mexican Navy, she had dedicated her life to saving the lives of people during emergency situations. Throughout her long career, she has rescued 53 people, 12 of which are still alive today thanks to her tireless work.

Exhausting Work

Just a few weeks before being deployed to Mexico City, Frida had been working in Oaxaca, searching for people after the area was hit by an 8.1-magnitude earthquake that devastated the area. The work was exhausting, however, the 7-year-old dog knew there was still more work to do when another earthquake hit Mexico City.

Getting To Work

As soon as Frida landed in Mexico City and got on the ground, her handler, Israel Arauz, dressed her up in her working gear, which included a vest, dog boots to protect her paws, and special dog-sized goggles to keep dust and debris from getting into her eyes…

Searching The School

Frida and her handler, who have worked together in landslides, gas explosions, and earthquakes, spent most of their time in Mexico City searching the debris of a local elementary school to retrieve the bodies of 19 children and 6 adults who were killed when the building collapsed on top of them.

A Miraculous Discovery

During the search, Frida miraculously found 11 more children trapped under the wreckage that were still alive and never would have been able to get out on their own. After Frida lead Israel and other rescuers to the spot where the children were, they managed to get them all out alive…

Refusing To Give Up

At 7 years old, Frida is considered an older search and rescue dog, but she refused to let her age stop her from saving as many lives as she could. At times, Frida would work for so long that her legs would give up and Israel would have to carry her out to rest and refuel.

An Inspiration

After taking some time to rest, Frida would get back up and head back into the debris. Her refusal to give up not only inspired her fellow rescuers, but it gave hope to devastated people across the country who watched Frida on the news as she refused to give up…

Well-Deserved Recognition

At one point, the President of Mexico even saw what Frida was doing for the victims of the natural disaster and what she was doing for everyone’s morale. “This is Frida. She belongs to SEMAR and has helped save 52 lives in various natural disasters at national and international levels,” the president wrote in a tweet to thank Frida for her service.

Worldwide Praise

“It’s a source of pride to work with Frida. She’s a very, very special dog,” said Israel. Soon after videos of Frida spread online, people around the world were praising her for her tireless dedication to saving lives. In the months that followed, an artist even made a mural of her in Mexico City to commemorate what she did for them…

The Mural

“She is a symbol of strength and hope in these times and I painted her to bring positivity to Roma Norte, a very affected area of the city that I love,” says San Diego artist Celeste Byers, who painted the famous mural along with local graffiti artist Uneg.

Frida’s Future

For Israel, it’s especially nice to see Frida get the recognition she deserves since she is getting older and is estimated to only have another year left in service as her senses get weaker. However, after a life of hard work, Israel explained he is going to adopt her officially and make sure she finally retires and gets to relax like she deserves.  

After Country Is Rocked By Natural Disaster, An Unexpected Hero Gives Them Hope is an article from: LifeDaily

The loss of a parent can be devastating for people no matter how old they are. However, when a young child loses a parent when young, the grief can be overwhelming and can shape the rest of their lives.

After losing his WWI veteran father, a 5-year-old boy clung to 1 of his father’s belongings as it was the only way he felt connected to him. So when that 1 piece of his father vanished as well, he embarked on a lifelong journey to figure out what had happened to it…

Featured photo credit: www.time.com

Forever Changed

When people are sent off to war, they hope to be 1 of the lucky ones that makes it home to their loved ones alive. However, even the ones who manage to survive the battlefield usually don’t come home the same as how they were when they went to war.

The Scars Of War

For the men and women who have gone off to war, moving on and transitioning back into civilian life can feel impossible for those struggling with the physical and emotional scarring left behind by what they’ve witnessed or experienced. For some, the things they have been exposed to leaves them battling a completely different kind of fight…

A WWI Veteran

When Stephen was on the battlefields fighting in WWI, he dreamed about surviving the trenches and getting back to his family back in England. After fighting for years, Stephen was awarded several medals for his bravery and was finally sent home.

The Fight Isn’t Over

Stephen tried to settle into his new life and even became a father, however, he soon learned that his fight wasn’t over yet. Soon after starting his family, Stephen discovered he had lung disease as a result of inhaling gas while fighting in the trenches…

The Battle Is Over

In 1938, Stephen ultimately lost his battle with lung cancer and passed away. At the time, his son Ben was only 5 years old and was given his father’s Mons Star medal, which Stephen earned because of his role during the 1st British infantry unit fire on the Germans at the Battle of Mons on August 14, 1914.

The Medal

The 5-year-old was told to keep the medal as a way to remember his late father, and Ben never went anywhere without the Mons Star medal, also known as the 1914 Star. Whenever Ben missed his father, all he had to do was reach into his pocket to fell a connection to him…

The Empty Pocket

Months passed by but Ben still refused to go anywhere without his father’s medal. So when the family went on a day trip to Brighton, Ben brought it with him. However, at some point that afternoon on the beach, Ben reached into his pocket and realized the medal was gone.

The Frantic Search

Ben frantically looked around the rocky beach he had been playing on, but couldn’t find the medal anywhere. In a panic, he cried out to his family that it was gone and they all started searching all around the pebbly beach…

Going Home Empty Handed

At the end of the day, the 5-year-old and his family had carefully and tirelessly combed the beach for the Mons Star, but, sadly, they didn’t have any luck finding it and were forced to call off the search when it was time to head home.

A Severed Connection

Ben was absolutely devastated the he had lost the 1 thing that he had been given in memory of his father. Without the medal, he no longer felt the connection to his dad that he had whenever he held it in his tiny hands…

In Denial

Ben was heartbroken, especially since everyone in his family told him that he would just have to accept that the medal was gone and would likely never be seen again. The 5-year-old, however, refused to believe that he would never find it.

Decades Later

Over the years, Ben never stopped looking for his father’s medal at the beach in Brighton where it first went missing. As decades passed and Ben became a man, he started to wonder if someone had picked the medal up and taken it not knowing where it came from…

Refusing To Give Up

Ben started looking through archives, antique fairs, and private collections whenever he could in the hopes that he would find the 1914 Star with his father’s name inscribed on the back. No matter how many time his efforts failed, Ben refused to give up the search.

The Next Generation

Even when Ben got married and started his own family, he never gave up the search for his priceless memento. When his children were old enough, he even told them the story of what happened and always told them to keep an eye out for the medal…

The Search Continues

According to Jane Bulmer, Ben’s now middle-aged daughter, her father would often bring the family to the beach in Brighton where the medal vanished and encouraged the family to always keep an eye out in case it possibly washed up on shore.

Scouring The Internet

“We had some lovely day trips there but you always had one eye on the beach, just in case,” Jane explained. As Ben got older, he started spending more and more time doing research online in the hopes that he would find the medal or at least some trace of what happened to it…

76 Years Later

Then 1 day about 76 years after the search began, Ben was left speechless by an ad that he found on eBay in 2014. “He couldn’t believe his eyes when an eBay lot suddenly popped up on screen showing a Mons Star inscribed with his father’s name, regiment, and service number,” said Jane.

The Seller

“After all these years of wondering what had happened to it, we just sat there in amazement looking at the screen, hardly daring to believe what we were seeing,” Ben said. “It was part of a five-day auction by a Lincolnshire collector, who had owned the Mons Star for more than 30 years and had now decided to sell it,” Jane explained…

A Bidding War

Ben ended up in a bidding war against another buyer, but was willing to pay anything to get the priceless memento back with the family. Ben even traveled to pick it up himself from the seller to ensure it made it back to his home in Norfolk safely. “The seller had bought it himself from another collector, whose name was long forgotten, and there was no record of what had happened to the medal in the intervening 40 years before he had acquired it,” Jane said.

Back In The Family

“This didn’t matter to my father as the important thing was that the Star had not been lost,” Jane added. “I am delighted it is now back with our family as it serves as an emblem of my father’s heroism, and of the many hundreds of thousands of men who lost their lives or were injured in this terrible conflict.”

82-Year-Old Stumbles Upon Unbelievable eBay Ad 76 Years After Losing Family Treasure is an article from: LifeDaily

When someone is convicted of a crime, their punishment is prison. But aside from just being a punishment, a ‘penitentiary’ is ideally supposed to reform a person, making them a better member of society after they come out, than they were when they went in.

Of course, that isn’t always the case. Plenty of people in prison have been in and out multiple times. So when a person actually does turn over a new leaf and become a model citizen, they should be celebrated and rewarded with freedom. But one man would find out that even after doing everything right, the justice system isn’t always perfect…

Surprise!

As he pulled up to her house and walked through the tall wooden gate, he was greeted by happy shouts, laughter, and squirts of water from tiny novelty water guns — it’s a surprise party. The people gathered are Matthews friends, coworkers, and people he volunteers with…

Normal Saturday

On a Saturday afternoon in April 2018, Matthew was going to visit his girlfriend Naomi, just as he would any given weekend. Little did he know that she had been planning something for him, with the help of some friends.

Overwhelmed

Matthew, a man of few words, stands silently for a moment then, with tears in his eyes and a smile on his face, he simply says “alright.” That’s when the backyard bbq begins in earnest with Matthew as the guest of honor, though the people aren’t there to celebrate a happy occasion.

Going Away

While the gathering is a celebration of Matthew, it’s colored with a note of sadness, even more so than most going away parties. That’s because in just a short while, he’s going to prison for a long time.

Storied Past

What’s even more unusual is that Matthew hadn’t committed any crimes since Bill Clinton was president. It all began when he was just a kid growing up in a difficult home. Matthew’s father was a violent man with him and his siblings so, when he turned 18, he turned to the Army as a path to escape from the dysfunction and poverty of his childhood.

Anger And Frustration

It worked well for him while he was in the service but after his time with the Army ended, Matthew was back in the same place, mentally, full of anger and frustration. Not seeing many options for a better life, he turned to selling drugs. When he sold crack to a police informant in 1995, he was picked up by the cops…

Heavy Sentence

It was an open and shut case, essentially all over but for the sentencing right from the start. The judge described him as “a danger to society who should simply be off the streets.” When the staggering sentence of 35 years in federal prison came down, Matthew said no one was sad to see him go, not even him.

No Feelings

“I had closed up and gone into a shell,” he said. “I felt like I was hard as a brick building, as hard as a rock. And I had to be because feelings didn’t matter there. And if you had feelings you allowed yourself to be hurt even more.” But obviously, something had to change between the angry criminal he was then to the respected friend he had become…

New Leaf

During his time in prison, Matthew took college classes and correspondence courses, taught a GED program, and even became a law clerk. He used that training to help other incarcerated inmates understand their cases. He became a trusted figure, known for keeping the secrets of the illiterate, reading their court letters and drafting filings for them.

Perfect Record

Inside, he also organized bible studies and tried to act as a mentor to newcomers. Over the course of 21 years, Matthew turned his life around, not having a single disciplinary infraction as he was moved from maximum to eventually low security…

Reforms

Then in 2016, something changed. The justice department changed the guidelines for sentencing of crack related crimes, adjusting the penalties to be more in line with other narcotics. That meant one simple thing for Matthew: freedom. His 35-year sentence was cut short and just like that, he was a free man.

Model Citizen

Just as he had started doing in prison, Matthew continued on the path of building a proper life for himself. Over the course of 2 years, he secured himself a steady job, moved out of a halfway house and into an apartment, and started dating. He became enmeshed in his church community and even continued his weekly volunteering that was part of his probation long after he was no longer required to…

Mistaken Freedom

So why was this man, who was the very ideal of rehabilitation, being sent back to prison? In short, a federal judge said that his release in 2016 had been an “error.” Due to the fact that before his federal drug charge, Matthew had spent some time in state prison, he was considered a “career offender” and the change in the law shouldn’t have applied to him.

My Hands Are Tied

The judge who presided over the case described it as “sad” and even commended Matthew on his “exemplary rehabilitation.” But, she said, “her hands were tied.” Matthew was to return to prison and serve out the remainder of his 35 year sentence…

Short Time

With only 45 days of freedom left, Matthew’s attention now turned to getting his affairs in order. Some things were easy enough , returning his SUV to the car dealership, informing his landlord of the last day he’d be in the apartment, and donating every possession he could to charity. But all of those things were just possessions.

Hard Conversation

Far more difficult was saying goodbye to family and friends. He visited all of his siblings and had a difficult conversation with his girlfriend Naomi. “We don’t know what’s going to happen,” she said. “It’s a conversation you don’t want to talk about.” By the time Matthew got out again, he would be in his 60s and, since prison is notoriously bad for the health of older men, probably wouldn’t be in the best shape…

It’s Going To Be Hard

Still, they tried to make plans for Naomi to visit Matthew every weekend, which would have been possible if the judge’s efforts to have him incarcerated in a nearby prison were successful. Unfortunately, he found out he would be locked up in a facility 9 hours drive away.

We Need Reforms

“The whole thing pisses me off to be honest,” said John Hairston, an old friend of Matthew’s. “But it underscores how big a need there is for some reform in the justice system. I don’t care what they say.” But before those reforms come, if they ever do, Matthew will be behind bars…

Harsh Reality

“My reality today was I woke up this morning with Naomi,” Matthew said of his last day of freedom. “We went to Shoney’s to eat breakfast. We were able to move according to our own accord. Whereas tomorrow, they’ll tell me when I can eat breakfast, when I can move, when I can shower or go to the rec yard. They’ll control my life.”

A Great Life

Still, Matthew Charles tries to remain positive about his situation. “Here’s a man who’s changed, right? Some see the changes and others don’t want to see. But that doesn’t mean that I’m going to change back. I didn’t do it for the US Attorney’s office to say ‘Charles has been a good boy, let’s give him a break.’ No, I’m going to continue to live out this new life. It’s a great life.”

After Rebuilding His Life, Model Citizen Loses Everything Due To ‘Error’ By Justice System is an article from: LifeDaily

It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for, the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia is on and the eyes of the world are glued to the action, athleticism, and skill on their TV screens.

As we watch and await a winner for this year’s epic tournament of champions, we also look ahead to the next one. The 2022 World Cup tournament will take place in Qatar, and as amazing and unusual as that sounds, it’s also a pick that is shrouded in controversy…

Featured photo credit: www.fifa.com

Tribal Unity

All the world loves Soccer, or Football, depending on where you’re from. People who most years show little or no interest in nationalism, show up to their local pub painted in their national colors with a flag draped over their shoulders. And if it’s your country that’s hosting the biggest of the big games, then the national pride is even better.

Hatching Plans

Yet amidst all this camaraderie and pride, the FIFA world cup is not the simple world-merging series of games it appears to be. Underneath all that good feeling, corruption and greed rule the games, and scheming politicians work to take something innocent and turn it into something tainted…

Induce Paranoia

Cities will pay a great deal to act as host for the World Cup. They’ll pay millions to do so and though this is rarely considered legal, it is considered commonplace. That’s not even counting the millions of dollars in “inducements” they use to secure contracts to televise the matches themselves.

Bribery

FIFA eventually caught wind of the bribes that many of their executives were taking in order to determine where future events would be held and who would host. Unfortunately for the investigators, the process of looking into these alleged bribes was to be a fairly dangerous one. Some of them even received death threats…

Fated Intervention

Eventually, the U.S. Department of Justice decided to intervene and help suss out where the rampant corruption was coming from. Years of bribery and embezzlement were investigated, and within a few short years the sprawling investigation revealed that more than 40 executives had been involved in the process.

Treasure Cruise

A wave of arrests soon shook all of soccer to its core. Three executives in particular were now on trial for having abused their roles in the global soccer governing body in order to live a life of leisure and untold affluence. But who were these fellows and were they the only ones?

Ambition’s Cost

The three executives on trial at the time were Jose Maria Marin, the former president of the Brazilian soccer federation who was arrested in a raid on a hotel in Zurich. Then, there was Juan Angel Napout of Paraguay. The president of the South American Soccer confederation was also arrested in the same Zurich hotel in 2015. Finally there was former Peruvian soccer federation president Manuel Burga, who they caught the same time as Napout.

Trial of Ambition

In addition to those three ne’er do wells, more than 40 other officials and business executives were also charged in conjunction with the crimes. Many of those individuals have pleaded guilty in order to receive reduced sentences. This was something that Marin, Napout, and Burga also tried to do, unsuccessfully…

Guilty Conscience

The three plead guilty to what amounted to a 24-year-scheme and $150 million in bribes, possibly even more. That’s right, these men and their accomplices had been receiving bribes for over two decades from broadcasting companies and host countries. They were going away for a very long time, but the problems brought about by these three men were far from resolved…

Blossoming Sands

This all falls back to the upcoming 2022 World Cup in Qatar. On the surface, the golden sands of the region makes it seem like a unique place to hold one of the world’s biggest tournaments, especially considering the geopolitical issues in the region. But the problems brought about by the location were less about the sand and more about the gold…

Swift Silence

The people of Qatar have of course been fairly silent about the whole sordid affair. There is evidence that three South Americans were among 22 FIFA executive voters who took million-dollar bribes to support Qatar. They beat out the United States in the final round of voting, but, refused to speak on the claims of vote-buying divulged in the previous court cases.

Toxic Deluge

FIFA’s decision to have the the 2022 World Cup in Qatar is one of the most toxic ones it could have made, especially considering the corruption uncovered by the U.S. Department of Justice. The bid itself is stained by whispers of continued corruption. Even after the Middle East was selected, further humanitarian issues surfaced…

Damnable Pact

There are rumors that a pact exists between Qatar and Spain-Portugal. It was investigated by FIFA’s ethics committee twice prior to the 2018 bidding but went nowhere. However, it was recently proven to be at least partly true when a trusted associate to the late former FIFA senior vice president Julio Grondona, admitted he helped channel millions in bribes on their behalf.

Threaten

The man claimed that he witnessed an altercation between VP Grondona and Qatari officials at a FIFA event. Apparently Grondona was furious that his name kept coming up in the news. He was implicated in corruption and told the representatives from Qatar that either they would pay him $80 million or write a letter saying they never paid. It was a pretty overt threat…

Cruel Edict

The controversies that surround the Qatari games are mainly focused on the labor currently being retained to build the infrastructure needed for such an immense series of games. Men and women have been brought into the country to help build stadiums and housing, but many of them have become trapped by their supposed “temporary contract.”

Enslave

These desperate workers arrive in the country thinking they’ll be paid well and leave when they’re done, but what they find when they arrive is much worse than they ever expected. Many have their passports taken away by their would-be bosses, who promise only to return them once the hard work is done. Obviously working conditions aren’t much better than the contracts…

Rally the Righteous

Labor rights and more importantly human rights are being pushed to the limit as Qatar gears up for the games. The people who paid the bribes are basically using slave labor to build the stadiums and there seems to be no end in sight. Many human rights activists are stepping in, however, and their aim is to help improve conditions, at least somewhat.

Brave the Sands

At this point, we don’t know what teams will qualify for the desert tournament. Yet, nothing seems to be slowing down Qatar’s ever-expanding infrastructure. There have been talks about players staying in Abu Dhabi or Dubai and being flown 200 miles across the desert for the games in Qatar, but it seems a strange prospect..

Secure the Wastes

Currently, the current geopolitical fighting that is happening in the Gulf is making any transport to and from the Qatar World Cup problematic. Qatar is currently trying to settle differences with the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and some other Middle East countries to allow for safer passage, but peace in that region would be tenuous at best.

Game Plan

Corruption has always been a part of organized sports, and even with the efforts of FIFA and the Dept. of Justice, that doesn’t seem to be abating much. The hope is that things improve in Qatar and that in 2022 the world will once again come together to celebrate competition, national pride, skill, and positivity.

Court Reveals Corruption Amidst FIFA’s World Cup Selection Committee is an article from: LifeDaily

Everyone has their secrets. Whether it’s a secret addiction, an extramarital lover, or a big mistake they wish to kept hidden. Some people hold tight to those secrets with all their might, and some can’t help themselves from revealing their true natures in moments of weakness.

This is the tale of a woman whose nighttime escapades with her friends went from a rip-roaring good time to a hangover-driven morning of regret and terror. Her true name has been withheld in order to respect her privacy, but you can call her Jane…

Out with Friends

Jane was out with friends when it happened. She had been having a great time, probably a little too great actually. Yet, inebriated as she was, she still seemed to have the foresight to at least go home with someone she liked, someone she trusted. Or at least, she thought she’d gone home with someone like that.

Waking Up

When she woke up the next day, Jane had the bad feeling that something wholly unexpected and extremely devastating had happened to her in the night. Even reeling from the night’s intoxication, she recalled becoming physical with someone. The bruise on her cheek though, and flashes of a face she didn’t recognize, gave her cause for concern…

Reporting It

Realizing that the man she had been with was not who she thought it had been, Jane went to the police to report what had happened. She knew that it was only by getting ahead of the situation that the police might be able to track down her assailant through the collection of vital “evidence”, if you catch my meaning.

She Knew

The truth of the matter was that Jane sort of had an idea who her assailant had been. She’d met him at the bar the night before. She had been very drunk of course, too drunk to say no, and had believed him to be the man she wanted to be her boyfriend. He was not though, and he was feeling pretty good about himself…

Sent the Video

Meanwhile, the man who had “connected” with Jane the night prior was busy reveling in his successful and fraudulent fornication. Not only had the man taken advantage of a drunk and helpless woman, he’d also gone so far as to film the sex attack on his mobile phone. He then sent the video to a friend.

Creative Edits

The amateur videographer hadn’t sent the raw footage to his friend however. As much as he wanted the requisite pat on the back that friends will give for a successful hookup, he was pretty sure they’d look down on actual rape. He managed this by way of some creative edits, which made it look like Jane had given her full consent first…

Unedited

The video his friends got had made it seem consensual, to the untrained eye. The unedited footage told a different story though. Jane’s voice can be heard saying the name of the man she was in a relationship with, but the assailant responds by telling her: “No, it’s not, it’s me, Paul.” to which she replies, “No, no it’s not.”

Paul the Cop

But it was Paul. 29-year-old ex-special constable Paul Rodgers had been kicked out of the Leicestershire police department a year or so prior for an unrelated incident. He had moved to Blackpool with his girlfriend and their children and gotten a job in construction. No one in his family knew that he moonlighted as a rapist however…

Slap and Tickle

Jane sat in the station and gave her account of the night prior. She told them everything she could remember about the sexual assault. She recalled him having touched her and even hit her with a sex toy afterwards. Even in her addled state, she knew something was wrong but couldn’t fight it, he was too strong.

No Consent

Eventually, the police tracked down Paul Rodgers and confiscated his phone. In no time at all, he was exposed for the pitiless animal he truly was. When he finally came before the court, prosecutor Luke Blackburn painted a picture of a victim who truly couldn’t have given consent and even if she could, thought she was being intimate with someone else entirely…

He Knew…

Mr. Blackburn explained to the jury that, “The defendant knew she thought she was having sex with someone else. He carried on because he wanted sex with her, irrespective of consent and to take a recording.” He added that the Rodgers’ recording clearly shows he was completely sober and in control.

Stayed Strong

Throughout the trial, despite all the public scrutiny and having to relive the event over and over through re-discussion and multiple viewings of her own sexual assault, Jane remained strong as ever. That all changed when, while out on bail, Rodgers took to social media to post about the trial…

Brazen Post

Rodgers apparently had a pretty positive outlook on the charges being levied against him. He was so confident that he was going to get away with it, that he posted an image of someone holding a sex toy on social media. The brazen and tasteless post was the straw that broke the camel’s back and Jane broke down because of it.

Brazen Request

The judge, having heard of the post, revoked Rodgers’ bail. But Rodgers wasn’t done being unabashedly remorseless and creepy. No, he even had the “cojones” to ask the court for a copy of the original sex video he made before the verdicts were even announced. He offered no explanation as to why he wanted it. But his lawyer was not happy to say the least and nor was anyone else…

Not a Good Idea

On the day before his sentencing, Paul Rodgers posted on Facebook once more. Despite everything, he was confident that he was going to get off. He posted: “Tomorrow I can finally get on with my life.” Many of his friends and family expressed their sympathy to his fiance and their children, others however, encouraged her to delete the post: if only for his own good.

Found Guilty

The jury met and deliberated and eventually came back with a guilty verdict of 11 to 1. Paul Rodgers was convicted of the sexual assault and even tacked on indecent touching because he hit her with a sex toy. A few days later, at sentencing, Judge Ebraham Mooncey decided that he had a few choice words to impart to the accused…

For Shame

Judge Mooncey explained how Rodgers was some sort of sex addict who went to swingers clubs and chastised him for taking advantage of the victim. “She has little recollection of what happened…” He brought up the video tape and how the guilty party so brazenly asked for it even after everything had happened.

Jail Time

The Leicester Crown Court judge sentenced Rodgers to be jailed for the next seven years. He will be put on a sex offender list which will follow him for life, even after he is eventually released. Not so funny now, huh Paul? Afterwards, the Leicestershire Police decided to help raise awareness about rape in their region…

All is Not Lost

Last year, the Leicestershire Police launched its “All Is Not Lost campaign,” a program designed to raise greater awareness of rape as a crime. As a movement, it helps to encourage those who have been a victim to report early and to retain evidence. They are hoping that more awareness will also dispel many of the myths and preconceptions around victims and their perpetrators.

Training and Counseling

The police employ specially trained officers who are available to speak to victims of rape and offer specialist support and advice. Those officers, so unlike former constable Paul Rodgers, are there to help victims and offer a sounding board and if need be, a shoulder to cry on in times of trouble.

Victim’s Harrowing Story Corroborated By Perpetrator Releasing Home Video Of The Crime Itself is an article from: LifeDaily

Superheroes come in many different shapes and sizes. One thing they all have in common though is that they are strong and confident, and would always do the right thing in a desperate situation, if they were real.

However, there is one real life superhero, somewhere in Alabama, and even though he’s only 4 years old he’s making a huge difference to countless people’s lives…

Little Superhero

He might only be 4 years old but little Austin has achieved more during his short life than many people do in a lifetime. Not only that, but Austin is also a superhero; a real life one. Moreover, the little boy brings happiness and joy to people in his city on a weekly basis, and this special child is only going from strength to strength.

Real Cutie

As you can see from the pictures, Austin is cute by any standard. He’s also extremely polite and well-rounded; not to mention very mature for his age. Then again, Austin is still a kid and he loves cartoons and especially superheroes. In fact, he really thinks he is one, and he has the costume to prove it. In many ways he really is…

Big Bro

Austin’s parents think he was born to be a special child but they also note that his behaviour has a lot to do with his older brother Taylor who’s autistic. Due to his condition Austin has almost been forced into maturity at a young age, but not in a bad way. Austin and Taylor are very close and always have been in their own very special way.

Compassionate Kid

“Austin is just a compassionate kid,” said Austin’s dad proudly, “He just wants to see everybody happy.” But that compassion is rooted in the nurturing of his older brother who has a mental age similar to his, “He’s always been a nurturer of his brother,” he said, “He’s kind of like a little dad to him.”…

Emotional Response

It was a normal enough afternoon in March when little Austin was watching TV with his mother at home. But then, something on the television sparked an emotional response in Austin, which would be a pre-cursor for his heroic actions later. No one knew it at the time but this kid was about to do something special.

That Panda

“Austin and I were watching an animal show and there was a mother panda that was leaving her cubs,” his mother recalls, “Austin began to get concerned, and I told him that the panda would be homeless.” But Austin didn’t know the meaning of the word homeless, until his dad explained what it meant. Austin felt bad for the baby panda and welled up, almost bursting into tears…

Sweltering Heat

It may have been 95 degrees in Birmingham but that didn’t stop Austin and his dad from bringing support and happiness to those in his community who needed it most. Clad in his red Superman cape, Austin is often at the local homeless shelter, handing out food and smiles to people who are down and out.

Firehouse Ministries

Firehouse Ministries is a red brick building where the homeless are given food. Along with his dad TJ, Austin drops off meals to the needy. “It’s because of you that I want to be a better person,” a homeless man said to Austin, “You’re showing love, everywhere you go, right?” to which Austin replied, “I am.”…

Work Clothes

Austin always shows up to Firehouse in his work clothes. They include: A T-shirt, sneakers, and shorts – all in blue, with a red cape hanging behind him. He even has a hashtag emblazoned in big red letters on his chest which aptly says, “#ShowLove.”

#ShowLove

We’ll let Austin explain what this hashtag is all about in his own words, “Show love means, you care about someone no matter what they look like,” he said. At the same time, Austin does love attention and is already able to command a crowd pretty well. He also has a special superhero name that he calls himself…

President Austin

Not satisfied with Super Austin or any variation of that, the young toddler’s dad explained, “He likes being called a superhero. He’s his own entity, ‘President Austin.’ He doesn’t like being called Superman.” Clearly Austin is strong-willed as well as kind, and feels he needs his own special superhero name. Although we don’t think Mr Trump will be too concerned about it.

His Pillars

When Austin was asked what the pillars of President Austin’s agenda were, he said, “I would chase the bad guys out of school and feed the homeless.” Indeed, Austin has come a long way since he watched superheroes on TV and dressed up at home. But it was his first trip to the homeless shelter that really got things in motion for this superhero…

First Day

On the first day that TJ took his son to Firehouse, Austin asked his dad, “Can we feed them?” TJ said, “I didn’t expect to feed homeless people that day. But when a 4-year-old asks you, what can you say?” With that, TJ put Austin in the car and headed over to Burger King.

Chicken Sandwiches

This story just gets better as TJ attempted to impress the importance of the value of money on his son. When Austin understood that chicken sandwiches weren’t so cheap, he offered to forgo his weekly allowance for a month in order to buy people food then and there. Again, TJ could not refuse the cuteness…

Local Celeb

Austin’s actions did not go unnoticed; how could they? As soon as word spread that there was a new superhero in town, Austin found himself getting even more attention than he ever bargained for. He started appearing on local TV shows, featuring in news articles and became something of a celebrity on social media. But the best was yet to come.

Monthly Allowance

As far as we’re aware, Burger King never gave anyone a monthly allowance, let alone a 4-year-old stranger, even if he was a superhero. However, in a smart move, Burger King are sponsoring Austin and giving him a $1,000 monthly allowance to feed the homeless. Austin is so well known, even the mayor of Birmingham knows about him…

City’s Ambassador

To mayor Randall Woodfin’s mind Austin is the “city’s ambassador,” telling reporters that Austin’s story is one of hope, “It’s one of our younger generation that gets it and understands the importance of helping others. And it’s one that we all want to cherish and make of importance which is showing love,” he said, speaking proudly about Austin and his mission.

Mission Accomplished

Being that Austin’s mission is to fill hungry stomachs and brighten up days, there’s little question that this little superhero has accomplished his mission, “It really brightens our day and warms our heart to see that little superhero cape come up the building and that sweet, sweet voice,” said Anne Rygiel Firehouse Ministries director…

Amazing Cause

Austin picked the right place to peddle his kindness as Firehouse serves more than 5,000 men, women and children with wholesome meals on a regular basis. Rygiel explained, “There’s a lot that we do with very little resources, so we rely heavily in the community,” and the thousand dollars a month from Burger King is a great help.

Thinking Big

Austin’s dad explained that the attention they have received has them thinking big for the future, “We’ve gotten a lot of support from the country, and what we want to do is expand from more than just giving out sandwiches,” he said, adding that ideally he wants to build a facility to help the homeless, “Mental illness, drug abuse, addiction, and things like that. Austin and I want to build a facility and get some specialists in there that can actually help these people get back into the workforce.”

Real Life 4-Year-Old Superhero Feeds City’s Homeless is an article from: LifeDaily

People dream of becoming actors and musicians not just for the fame, but because those high-profile occupations typically come with massive paychecks and lavish lifestyles.

After signing a record deal, one Atlanta rapper’s income dramatically increased as well as his lifestyle. However, when cops figured out how he was really paying for all of his cars, properties, and jewels, they threw him in prison…

The Business Trip

On December 18, 2017, Terrell Davis, a rapper known by his stage name Ralo, chartered a private jet so he and about 10 members of his crew could take a business trip from his home in Atlanta, Georgia, to California for his music career.

A Different Kind Of Business

Davis and his crew really did fly out to California to deal with some business. However, the kind of business he was really doing out in California had absolutely nothing to do with his rapping, and the police were about to find that out…

The Private Jet

When Davis and his friends flew from the Fulton County Airport to Sacramento on a private jet 1 morning in December, airport police didn’t think anything was unusual since celebrities and athletes often take private jets to avoid dealing with the public.

Back In Atlanta

4 days later, Davis and his posse flew back from Sacramento to the Fulton County Airport, which is in Atlanta, Georgia. Airport authorities and police were there as they always are to make sure the airport is secure. However, while working, they couldn’t help but notice something unusual

Questionable Luggage

According to the airport police that had been watching Davis, he and his crew got off the chartered private jet and started loading their luggage into an Econoline van that had been registered to Davis’ home in southwest Atlanta.

Illegal Packages

While it’s normal for people to have luggage with them when traveling, the officers knew the items being loaded into the truck were not normal luggage. Instead, they believed that the 37 packages contained something illegal…

The 37 Packages

The 37 packages were wrapped in white wrapping paper, and according to the police, staff from the charter company offered to help them unload their belongings into the van, but Davis and the other men insisted they didn’t need any help.

Interception

Once the van was loaded, the driver pulled away and police from Georgia State Patrol were sent to pull the truck over and find out what was in those packages. Shortly after, a Georgia State Patrol officer caught up with the van and pulled it over…

The Truth Is Revealed

When the officers pulled over the truck, which had been driving in the dark without any headlights on, they found 3 men inside the van all wearing clothing with ‘RaloFamgoon’ on them. The officers tore open the white packages and discovered 520 pounds of marijuana.

No Proof

Police confiscated the drugs, which was worth about $1 million. The 3 men inside the van were taken into custody right away. Meanwhile, police had no choice but to let Ralo go since they couldn’t tie him to the marijuana yet…

Incriminating Post

A day after the drug bust, Davis posted a picture of himself on social media lounging by a pool with a caption that he would later regret writing. “I’ve lost more than a man have gained in a lifetime,” Davis wrote. “Have you ever lost a million dollars at one time???”

An Investigation Begins

Police and federal authorities were watching Davis and his group, waiting for someone to slip up, which they knew was only matter of time. A week later, detectives working on the new investigation also received the official flight passenger list, which included Davis and connected him to the arrested men…

The Stakeout

About 4 months later, Davis made plans to fly back to California with about 8 other members of his crew, who investigators believed are part of his ‘gang’ called Famerica. When they arrived back in Atlanta on April 15, 2018, authorities were waiting in a stakeout.

Under Surveillance

This time, when the group got off the plane, the police finally witnessed what they were waiting for. After landing, 17 packages were removed from the plane and loaded into a Chrysler 300, which was pulled over by officers waiting to strike…

The Raids Begin

Inside, the cops found 444 pounds of marijuana, which was worth about $880,000. All 8 people involved were immediately taken into custody. Meanwhile, authorities back at the airport were trying to get Davis off the plane but he was refusing to comply.

The Arrest

Eventually, the police sent police dogs into the plane, which reeked of marijuana, and Davis finally got off the aircraft. After that, police finally arrested him and raided 3 locations around the city that Davis either owned or rented for his drug business…

The Charges

According to police, Davis had planned to sell the 964 pounds of marijuana, which was worth about $2 million, around Atlanta through the various apartments he rented out. Davis was officially charged with 2 federal counts of possessing with intent to distribute marijuana.

No Bond

After being arrested, a judge ruled that no bond will be set as prosecutors had evidence showing that Davis was still running his drug business while behind bars. Davis, however, denies everything and claims the police and the prosecution are targeting him…

Wrongfully Targeted

“I feel like they kind of wrongfully targeted me,” Davis said after being arrested. “No drugs were ever sold out of my apartment complex. All the cars were stuff that I bought. None of it was for me. That was for my family. They took my family’s cars.”

The Family Speaks Out

In response to the charges, Davis’ supporters have rallied behind the rapper and his family. “It’s all over the news. The kids keep telling him that they’ve seen his dad on the news. And he keep asking me, ‘mom, where’s dad? Where’s daddy,'” Davis’ wife Missy said. “The kids love him. My son, he misses him. He just told my dad he’s ready for him to come home. My daughter, she keeps asking him about daddy. She love him. Miss him.”

Rapper Gets Thrown In Jail After Cops Learn How He Financed Lavish Lifestyle is an article from: LifeDaily

Most people are terrified of the idea of being killed by a serial killer or an armed robber, but in reality, most murders are committed by people known to the victims.

So when a Florida mom was found dead on the sidewalk, police immediately started talking to her family, friends, and coworkers to weed out any suspects. Once police discovered the stay-at-home mom was leading a scandalous double life, they immediately arrested her 44-year-old husband…

A Grisly Discovery

At around 5 in the morning on January 13, 2018, a 19-year-old teenager discovered a body lying on the pavement outside her home. Upon closer inspection, the teenager realized the woman was actually neighbor and that she was dead.

The 911 Call

The 19-year-old had been on her way to work at a fast-food restaurant but immediately called the police to report the disturbing discovery. According to the girl, the victim was naked apart from a sports bra and a phone was found nearby with a green bottle balanced on top of it…

The Stay-At-Home Mom

Police arrived to the scene shortly after the phone call, but it didn’t stop residents from coming out and looking at the body, which police identified as 42-year-old Kathleen (Kat), as it was normally such a quiet neighborhood.

Concerned Residents

According to neighbors, it appeared as if the crime scene may have been staged as the green bottle of absinthe was balancing perfectly on Kat’s phone and they couldn’t help but wonder if she had been attacked and if the predator was still on the loose…

The Police’s First Theory

Police assured the community that they would do everything in their power to find the person responsible for the death if someone had attacked Kat, although at the time, they believed the stay-at-home mother’s death was an accident.

The Victim’s Blood

Since a bottle of absinthe was found near Kat, police tested her blood and discovered her blood alcohol content was extremely high, which supported their theory that the 42-year-old possibly fell and hit her head on the ground…

A Strange Discovery

The detectives also had the bottle tested for DNA since since there was blood on it, and found that the blood belonged to Kat. However, when forensics tested the bottle for fingerprints, they found there was only 1 set of prints on the bottle and they belonged to Kat’s husband, Jeff West.

Retracing Kat’s Steps

Investigators decided that in order to figure out if Kat’s death was a drunken accident or a murder, they would have to figure out what happened earlier in the night of Friday, January 12, 2018. What they found, however, confused them even more…

The Date Night

If Jeff had been responsible for Kat’s death, they expected to find that the couple had a dysfunctional relationship. Yet police found that during the hours before Kat’s death, the couple had gone out for a fun date night together.

CCTV Footage

Just a few hours before Kat passed away, CCTV footage from R&R Wine and Liquor store showed the couple had come in together at around 9 that evening. The couple, from Calera, Alabama, had gone in and purchased a bottle of Jameson Irish Whiskey and the green bottle of Lucid absinthe found at the crime scene…

The Motive

In the footage, the couple appear to be relaxed and laughing together. At 1 point, it appears that Jeff even playfully patted Kat’s butt. Police couldn’t understand why Jeff would have any motive to kill the woman he loved until they discovered that Kat had been leading a double life.

Kitty Kat West

Investigators discovered Kat had been leading a scandalous double life as an exhibisionist who called herself ‘Kitty Kat West’ to her clients online who paid her to post adult photos of herself on a subscription-based website…

Kat’s Online Persona

According to police, Kat’s instagram account had over 50,000 followers, and she would link to her adult website for those who wanted to see more. However, in order to see the adult content, people would have to sign up for a subscription that cost $15.99.

The Motive

Once detectives found out the kind of things that Kat was doing and posting on social media and her website as ‘Kitty Kat West’, they assumed Jeff had killed Kat in a drunken rage after finding out that his wife was leading an x-rated secret life… 

The Arrest

On February 22, 2018, the 44-year-old father of 2 was taken into custody and charged with the murder of his wife. Jeff, who was honorably discharged after 21 years of service in the U.S. Army and had been working as a college campus security guard, was placed in the Shelby County Jail.

An Innocent Man

However, Jeff insisted he hadn’t killed Kat and had known all about her secret life. The couple’s close friends even backed up his story, and claimed that he ‘got off’ on his wife’s double life. “In the upcoming days true facts will be coming out,” Jeff’s friend, Mike Waters, wrote on his Facebook at the end of January…

A United Front

“And everybody will find out that this was a terrible accident, that involved excessive alcohol consumption …. Absinthe,” Mike wrote. Both Jeff and Kat’s parents also believed the death was a tragic accident and testified in court to try and get Mike’s bail lowered since there was no way he could come up with that much money.

The Family Testifies

“He didn’t do this,” Kat’s mom, Nancy Martin, said. “He’s a good man. He loved her with all his heart.” According to Nancy, her daughter was an alcoholic and struggled with depression and bipolar disorder. “She didn’t drink a lot, but when she did she didn’t know how to stop.” Nancy testified that Kat ‘fell all the time’, and when she would get drunk, she would act recklessly by stripping off her clothes or jumping on the trampoline, which is why she believes her daughter took off her clothes, ran outside, and hit her head after fall…

A Terrible Accident

“Maybe she fell. I think it was an accident. Jeff didn’t do this. He’s a good man and he loved her with all of his heart,” Nancy said. Jeff’s mom, Carolyn West, also claimed he had known and didn’t have a problem with Kat’s online persona. “He wasn’t jealous, he knew she was sick and needed the attention,” Carolyn said. “She wanted everyone to think she was beautiful,” Nancy added.

Awaiting Trial

Despite the family’s support and testimonies, the judge refused to lower Jeff’s bail, and he is forced to wait for his trial in the Shelby County Jail. “He is heartbroken over the death of his wife and the disruption that this case has caused his family. Mostly, he is concerned about his daughter and how the loss of her mother is affecting her,” attorney John Robbins said. “Jeff is a good man, a good husband, and a good father. When all is said and done, we anticipate a successful outcome of this case.”

Husband Charged With Murder After Wife’s Scandalous Double Life Is Revealed is an article from: LifeDaily

“They had been a happy couple, but they just couldn’t conceive…” It’s a familiar story, one that many would-be parents might find themselves faced with at some point in their marriage. All hope is not lost, however. Not in this day and age anyway.

There are more options than ever available to wannabe parents, so long as they’re willing to put in the work and research. Jane and her husband wanted to start their family but couldn’t, so they sought help. They had no idea that more than two decades later, their decision would provide them with some rather startling revelations…

Two Decades

It had been over two decades since Jane and her husband had made the difficult decision to expend the time, effort, and money that would lead them to finding out why they couldn’t conceive. Thanks to the wonders of artificial insemination, their dreams of having a family had come to pass. They had a baby girl and they named her Ashley.

Finding their Roots

They were celebrating Ashley’s 21st birthday when one of their relatives started talking about taking genealogy tests. They knew where Ashley had come from, but they wanted to see how far back they could trace their family roots. It was supposed to be a fun little test. They could have had no idea what the results would soon unveil…

DNA Results

The Utah parents were excited when they received the results of the test in the mail. As Jane opened them up however, she felt her heart thump into her stomach and the whole world spin around her. Ashley’s DNA was one part hers, that much was true. It would have had to be, her having given birth to her, but she wasn’t related to her husband at all.

Gut Wrenching News

“I felt my stomach just drop,” said the distraught mother. She thought back to the time when Ashley was conceived, after she had given her husband’s sperm sample to the clinic. It was possible the DNA test was wrong, but she had to know for sure. She decided to contact the clinic and see if they had any records. There was just one problem…

Closed-Up

Jane was trying to understand how it all happened. In doing so, she called the Midvale Clinic, which she used in 1992 to help with the artificial insemination. In those days, the clinic had been a part of Reproductive Medical Technologies, Inc., today was another story entirely. Apparently it had been closed in the interim years and she couldn’t get in touch with anyone there.

Clinical Records

Worse still was the news that all of the clinic’s medical records no longer existed. The University of Utah, which had a contract with the clinic, had shredded them all for legal purposes. This meant there was very little chance of getting the real scoop on what had actually happened to her husband’s sperm before she had been inseminated. Jane wasn’t about to give up just yet though…

A Mother’s Journey

They took another sample from Ashley and sent it to the website 23andMe.com for a new test. They also sent it to Ancestry.com as well. The new genealogical data the websites provided was able to identify, at least in some way, her biological father or at least who he was related to. She contacted the man’s relative and explained the situation.

Contacting His Cousin

An Ancestry.com test showed a possible second cousin, unrelated to Ashley’s biological mother, among the daughter’s matches in their database. The woman told them that her first cousin may have been the man they were looking for. Finally, a DNA test of the man’s 99-year-old mother confirmed things. They’d found out who Ashley’s father was: and the news wasn’t great…

An Employee

Ashley’s father had been an employee of Reproductive Medical Technologies, Inc at the time of her insemination. He had worked at that very same Utah clinic from 1988 to 1993 and had been responsible, at least in some capacity for handling samples. Could he have lost the sample and simply provided his own to cover up his own mistake? Or could it have been something worse?

How Could This Happen?

Jane began to learn everything she could about the man to find out why he had done such a thing. She tried to track down this Thomas R. Lippert, but was unsuccessful in finding him. She soon found out the reason for that: Thomas Lippert had died in 1999. Ashley’s father wasn’t just a con artist, though, he had also been a convicted felon…

Who Was He?

In 1975, Thomas R. Lippert became infatuated with Sue Cochran, a 21-year-old student at Purdue University. He wanted her to be his girl, but not in just a girlfriend sort of way. No, Lippert wanted to make sure that his future lover would be madly in love with him. So he kidnapped her and tried to brainwash her into falling in love with her in a cruel and brutal way.

“The Love Experiment”

Lippert took Sue and put her into a black booth where he subjected her to behavioral modification techniques he’d read about in psychology textbooks. He did this by attaching an electrical wire to her fingers and showed her some photos. If they were of himself, she got rewards. If they were of, anyone or anything else, she got a shock. He attempted to kidnap two more girls too before he was caught…

Recalling Him

Lippert served his time and was released, eventually finding work at the clinic. No one knew about his criminal history, but as Jane tried to recall her visits to the place, she began to remember the man working at the front desk. He seemed friendly enough and even seemed to brag about all the photos of babies the clinic put up as a way to showcase their success.

Brag Board

“He was very proud of all those pictures…Almost seemed like a brag board up there,” she explained afterwards. With a pang of horror, she realized that it might not have been just Ashley he provided a “sample” for. She wondered how many of those children were Lippert’s. Though, it wasn’t like she could ask him about any of it…

To the Grave

Unfortunately for her family, and quite possibly countless others, Lippert’s death in 1999 meant that he took all those answers with him to the grave. Jean Lippert, his widow, however, was still around to give at least some insight into the situation. Jean described him as “not a very nice person,” but told Jane that she stayed with him because she was too afraid to leave.

Inconceivable

When the news broke, Jean spoke to several news outlets about the allegations against her late husband. Like everyone else, she found them disturbing, but not surprising. “I think, because Tom didn’t have any kids,” she explained. “He wanted to have a lot of kids out there. Maybe he switched some samples so he could have more of his kids in the world.” It was certainly a theory…

Sample Switch-Up

We may never have the true answer as to Lippert’s motive for the sperm sample switch-up. The University of Utah is trying their best to help minimize the uncertainty for many of the RMTI clinic’s other patients. They have offered free testing for any people who received AI treatments during Lippert’s tenure at the clinic.

A Warning to All

Regardless of the news, Ashley’s family is still grateful to have their daughter. As far as they are concerned, she is every bit as much theirs as she ever was: no matter who her biological father was. They do worry about the others who may be victims of his disgusting and reprehensible behavior…

Website

They too have decided to alert others to the seriousness of this case by creating a website about it. They called the website, appropriately, “Was Your Child Fathered by Thomas Lippert?” and have included photos of Lippert and an as yet unidentified child that he allegedly claimed was one of his through a sperm donation.

Totally Unaware

The website reads: “We believe that it is possible that Thomas Lippert has many biological children living in the Salt Lake City area and beyond. The parents of these children may be completely unaware that their child is not biologically related to the presumed father.” Hopefully all their efforts will reveal the truth of things for many uncertain families.

Ancestry.com DNA Test Reveals Twisted Truth Behind Couple’s ‘Artificial’ Pregnancy is an article from: LifeDaily

When you’re in a strange country, one you’ve never been to before, there are different aspects of that country’s culture that may seem strange to you. This is true even if you’re with other folks from your country, or even if you’re there with thousands of others like yourself.

By and large, the tourists who made their way to Russia for this year’s FIFA World Cup won’t understand every bit of culture they encounter. And many of them will not realize that it’s not merely soccer driving folks to Mother Russia, but something much less savory…

Featured photo credit: www.avionews.com

Signalling Drivers

For instance, tourists who drive down the main highway between Moscow and St. Petersburg, and see the women standing there with flashlights, they are unaware what this practice really means. These women are called mayachki, or “little lighthouses” and their purpose, dressed as they are in neon-yellow vests, is to signal the drivers in cars as they pass.

Lead to Love

What are they signaling you may ask? Well, behind those brave women, and down a dirt path off the side of the highway, are a number of other women waiting to meet up with many a wayward motorist. These women, clad in skin-tight dresses and stiletto heels, are used to the company of men, because it’s their job…

“Illegal”

Like just about everywhere else in the world where the “world’s oldest profession” is popular, prostitution is illegal in Russia. Of course, that doesn’t stop the around three million sex workers in the country from plying their trade on tourist and regulars alike. Most of the time, the police turn a blind eye to such things, or else take kickbacks to keep the girls’ pimps in business.

Gearing Up

Currently, the government is doing it’s best to curtail such behavior. Hundreds and thousands of people have entered the country for the 2018 World Cup and authorities are gearing up for the weeks’-long event and cracking down on prostitution. They don’t want anything to tarnish the event, so they are raiding well-known prostitution sites in order to “clear things away” for the event…

Mopping Up

Besides the whole clearing up everything, and “mopping up,” so to speak, There was another reason that the Russian authorities were trying to make it seem like prostitution was not the booming industry people might assume it was. No, the reason that police are trying to shut down prostitution during the World Cup is much more altruistic.

A Gift

The problem is that, because of the recently relaxed visas granted during the World Cup, the opportunities for further human trafficking into and out of the country has become even greater. It was a gift to the traffickers and those who use such events to gather new sex slaves for their stables. If that sounds jarring in the least, then the stories from some of these women may shock you even more…

Precious Lies

Our story begins with a woman named Precious, who came from Nigeria to Russia in 2016 so that she could earn a college degree. She’d met a woman in Lagos who told her that she could earn enough to pay off a degree by engaging in six months of prostitution. It seemed like too good of an offer to pass up.

Taken Away

But anyone who has ever taken an offer that was “too good to be true” can tell you how right that idiom truly is. Precious had dropped out of college several years earlier and was eager for a quick solution, consequences be damned. She went to Moscow and met the woman and no sooner had she gotten into her car than her passport was taken away…

New Life

The woman then brought Precious to an apartment where she would live with six other women in similar situations. Not only would she not be attending college or making any money towards it, she was going to have to earn $45,000 before the woman would give her passport back. Precious had been duped and now she was trapped.

Clients Were Worse

She was beaten regularly by clients and the woman who owned her and the brothel. The clients were worse though, they refused to wear condoms, molested her, and often took their money back. When she protested, one of these clients even stole all her clothes and threw her naked outside into the Russian winter…

Many Brought In

Yulia Siluyanova represents Alternativa, a Moscow-based anti-slavery organization. She works mostly with Nigerians like Precious, thousands of whom are brought into Russia every year. For instance, during last summer’s FIFA Confederations Cup tournament, many thousands more were brought in under the lax visa regulations, and this year proves to be no different.

Promises, Promises

“Half are told that they will be sex workers, the other half that they will be working jobs like babysitting,” explains Siluyanova. She also noted that most of the women, and indeed some men, are brought in from West Africa, post-Soviet states, and Southeast Asia. Though this doesn’t preclude European and American tourists who run afoul of the wrong people…

Trapped and Trained

None of the prospective sex slaves know when their passports will be taken, how much they’ll need to get them back, or even how much they’re actually making from each client towards their end goal. They are kept and trained in locked apartments and only permitted to leave when client calls come in over the phone or internet.

Starving and Wretched

Women who resist are either beaten like Precious, verbally abused, or threatened with violence against their families back home. One of the women Ms. Siluyanova rescued told her that she had been kept locked in a bathroom without food and water for three days for disobeying her captors. The problem stems from laws, or lack thereof….

Laws in Place

You see, Russia has no direct law against human trafficking, and therefore there are no government programs directed at the problem itself. There are some statutes that deal with such things, but the punishments are as toothless as the people who administer them. They, like so many others, are on the take and taking advantage of the still thriving prostitution industry.

No Rights

Irina Maslova founded the Silver Rose group, another organization that helps sex workers. She believes that these women are the most vulnerable members of Russian society and that this stems from the fact that Russia has never really been what she considers a “rights-oriented government.” The problem is systemic and filters up through all levels of society beginning with law enforcement…

Lawlessness

Maslova brought up a 2016 case where several men broke into a brothel and forced 10 sex workers to march out of the place nude. They then forced the naked, terrified women to march down the street to a local police station. And as if that weren’t enough, the police then kept the naked women in custody for more than 36 hours without food, water or clothing.

Blame Game

The other problem is that Russians, by and large, believe that it is the women to blame in these cases. They think these girls know what they’re getting into when they come into the country. To their credit, Precious did have some idea what she was getting into: she did not realize that she would have her rights and passport stolen and that she would become not a student, but a slave…

Health Issues

Unregulated sex work also breeds things like high rates of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases in the country. However, hope is not lost. There are many volunteers coming in for the World Cup who want to help Russian sex workers. They’ve even brought the basic necessities with them, providing STD tests, coffee, and most important of all for such a situation, condoms.

Same Old Song

In a recent interview, two Russian prostitutes spoke to the media while they waited for coffee. They actually were from Uzbekistan and were there not for the World Cup, but to sell themselves during the event. “Maybe we’ll go home after,” said one of the women. “If the work pays well, maybe we’ll stay.” It definitely doesn’t help their cause, but it’s not as if many of them have a choice.

Russia’s World Cup Opens Floodgates for Sex Trafficking is an article from: LifeDaily