Death cap mushrooms: How a family meal in Australia turned deadly
An Australian mother of two stands accused of murdering three family members by poisoning them with deadly fungi. Erin Patterson is on trial for the killing of the parents of her husband, whom she's separated from, and his aunt. A fourth victim, the aunt's husband, was hospitalized, but survived. Patterson denies the charges. CNN's Will Ripley walks us through the case.
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Victim's family reacts to convicted killer being ruled competent to be executed
SALT LAKE CITY () — Ralph Leroy Menzies, a Utah man convicted of kidnapping, robbing, and killing a woman in the 1980s, is competent to be executed, a court ruled. It's been nearly four decades since a Utah woman and mother of three Maurine Hunsaker was kidnapped and killed. Her family says after the judge's decision on Friday, justice is being served. 'She was my world, she was everything to me and that's why for all these years I've never given up the fight because of what she meant to me and what I lost,' her son Matt Hunsaker told It is a fight Hunsaker has been chasing for nearly four decades. 'The system has failed, 40 years, that's a long time,' Hunsaker said, referring to the nearly 40 years Menzies has been on death row. PREVIOUSLY: Court rules that convicted killer with dementia is competent to be executed On Friday, Judge Matthew Bates ruled Ralph Menzies is competent enough to be executed despite having dementia. This is news Hunsaker had been hopeful for. 'We were waiting for what was coming out and we knew it was a pivotal decision that was going to change lives honestly,' Hunsaker said. He also says it is bringing him relief. 'Wanting my mom to be proud of me for fighting as hard as I did. It helped my drive and kept me focused to make sure my mom is remembered,' Hunsaker said. Menzies has been on death row since 1988 for the murder of Hunsaker's mother, Maurine. She was kidnapped from her job at a convenience store in Kearns in 1986 and later found in Cottonwood Canyon, tied to a tree and with her throat slit. Matt was 10 years old at the time. Salt Lake City faces soaring water demand and officials urge conservation as summer nears 'He took from me I will never get back, and I will never stop fighting unless there is no fight to fight for,' Hunsaker said. On the other hand, Menzie's attorney, Lindsey Layer, says they plan to fight too, by appealing to the Utah Supreme Court. She said her 67-year-old client suffers from dementia and severe memory loss, which was the reason behind the competency hearing. Layer called it 'deeply troubling' that Utah plans to 'remove Menzie from his wheelchair and oxygen tank, strap him to an execution chair, and shoot him to death,' she said in a statement to However, Hunsaker said it is not just about punishment, it is about finally turning the page on a lifetime of loss. 'We were at peace either way, but now let's see this execution happen, let's get this over with, and let's let the family close this chapter and move on,' Hunsaker said. Hunsaker said he hopes this next phase of appeals goes quickly and he plans on showing up to any possible scheduled execution. Victim's family reacts to convicted killer being ruled competent to be executed Owner reunited with lost dog after 6 years: 'My heart was racing' New mammoth exhibit to open at Utah Natural History Museum on Saturday Residents react to 4.8 earthquake in Caliente, Nevada Escaped inmate known as 'Devil in the Ozarks' found a 'short distance' from prison: sheriff Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Wichita teen talked to police about killing pregnant girlfriend, court records show
A 19-year-old Wichita man accused of killing his pregnant girlfriend declined to be interviewed by police but made statements such as 'I killed her' while he sat alone in an interrogation room, according to a probable cause affidavit released Friday. Matthew Wayne Criscenzo has been charged with first-degree premeditated murder in the May 25 killing of 20-year-old Naomi Oglesby at his father's home in the 700 block of South Laura, near Kellogg and Washington. His father called 911 and took the Glock 22 .40 caliber handgun from his son after hearing the gunshot, the court document says. Criscenzo was standing over Oglesby and said 'I killed my baby,'' his father told a detective, according to the affidavit. Oglesby had been shot in the head. Doctors perfomed an emergency C-section to try and save the baby, but she 'started having seizures and was intubated,' and further testing showed 'severe brain trauma due to a lack of oxygen,' a detective wrote in the document. Family previously said Zy'nia Rayne Oglesby, who was born at 5:03 a.m. on May 25, weighing 6 pounds, 7.7 ounces and at 19.5 inches long, suffered brain damage from the lack of oxygen after her mother was killed. The baby and Naomi Oglesby's other child, Yazmyn Rayne Oglesby-Criscenzo, who died at 6 weeks old from sudden infant death syndrome on Aug. 3, 2024, were both Criscenzo's children, family said. The affidavit says that Criscenzo talked to officers about what happened leading up to Oglesby's death. When officers arrived at the 4:28 a.m. call, Criscenzo was trying to give Oglesby mouth-to-mouth, the document says. The sergeant pulled him away from her. While walking him to another officer, Criscenzo said: 'I can't believe I did this' and 'I didn't want to, I didn't mean to, I just didn't want her to go and I thought she was gonna leave me,' according to the document. To another officer he said, 'It all went to (expletive) because I got drunk and she just wanted me to stop and I didn't want her to go,' the document says. In the back of a police car, according to the affidavit, Criscenzo said, 'I didn't want her to go. I didn't think my finger was on the trigger and then she pushed me away and it went off.' In an interrogation room, Criscenzo declined to give a statement after being read his Miranda rights, the affidavit says, but after detectives walked out the room he said: 'I wanna go home with Naenae and I killed her. I killed her.' In the document, officers say they found a spent .40 caliber round in the living room and two live rounds, an extended magazine on the couch and three gun cases in Criscenzo's bedroom. The blood spatter was low to the ground, indicating she was near the ground when she was shot, the detective wrote. Criscenzo has also been charged with aggravated battery tied to the case, but that charge doesn't list a name, only initials, which don't match Oglesby's initials. Since his arrest, Criscenzo has also been charged in other cases. He has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated endangering of a child, criminal threat and domestic battery from an April 29 incident, which happened in the 2600 block of East Ninth Street and involved a handgun, according to a police report. He was also charged with aggravated burglary, aggravated endangering of a child, aggravated intimidation of a witness, domestic battery, battery and criminal threat in a Jan. 25 incident. A police report says that the suspect left visible injuries on his girlfriend and also on a male.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Newport man suspected of murder, kidnapping, rape after woman found chained near man's buried body
Jun. 6—A 48-year-old Newport, Washington, man is facing murder, kidnapping and rape charges after a woman was found chained and a dead man buried nearby, according to the Pend Oreille County Sheriff's Office. Deputies responded to a welfare check about 8:30 p.m. Thursday on Fertile Valley Road after Spokane County Sheriff's Office deputies indicated they took a report of a woman being held against her will and a dead man buried on private property in Pend Oreille County, according to a Pend Oreille County Sheriff's Office news release. Deputies contacted a male at the end of the driveway. The male escorted the deputies onto the property, where they discovered a woman chained, the release said. The dead man was found near her buried on the property. Two males and a woman who were living on the property were detained, a search warrant was obtained, and the Washington State Patrol forensics team processed the scene, according to the release. The Spokane County Medical Examiner's Office is investigating the man's cause and manner of death. John L. Rosen was arrested on suspicion of first- and second-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping, first-degree rape and unlawful imprisonment. Shawna L. McGlothen, 28, of Deer Park, was arrested on suspicion of false or misleading statements to a public servant. The second male detained on scene was interviewed and released. It appears all suspects are in custody as the "very complex" investigation continues, the sheriff's office said.
