BREAKING NEWS Bradley John Murdoch dead at 67: Peter Falconio killer succumbs to throat cancer taking his evil secret to the grave
Murdoch, 67, was diagnosed with metastasised throat cancer in 2019 and spent his last hours surrounded by prison guards at Alice Springs Hospital in the Northern Territory.
His death means any hope of finding the body of British backpacker Peter Falconio has died with him.
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Daily Mail
38 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Police arrest Chuck E Cheese mascot for credit card fraud as kids look on
A man wearing a Chuck E Cheese mascot was taken away by police officers in cuffs at one of the restaurant chain's locations in Florida. Jermell Jones, a part-time employee at the restaurant, was entertaining when officers from the Tallahassee Police Department arrived and took him into custody still in his mouse costume. He was charged with three felony offenses tied to the theft and fraudulent use of a customer's credit card. The arrest was captured on video and widely shared on social media. TPD said Jones resisted when approached by officers forcing them to place him in cuffs. Critics have slammed the public nature of the arrest, questioning why police didn't wait until the man was out of costume to avoid traumatizing any kids. One person wrote on Facebook: 'Ok, Tallahassee Police Department, y'all couldn't let this man change out of his Chuck E Cheese costume before arresting him in front of those kids?' 'This wasn't well thought out at all. They should not have arrested the mascot in front of those children. Those children's lives have been changed forever because of this. They probably won't trust characters at Disney or anywhere else they go after this,' another added. 'Those poor kids are going to have after seeing this,' a third joked. According to TPD spokesperson Alicia Hill, officers were called to the Chuck E Cheese after a woman reported her credit card had been stolen during a birthday party that was held there in June. The victim said she later discovered roughly $100 in fraudulent charges from unfamiliar retailers. Using transaction records and surveillance, police were able to trace the activity back to an employee working at the restaurant - someone who was responsible for checking hand stamps at the door. But when officers arrived to make the arrest, they were told by another staffer that the suspect was now dressed in the full Chuck E Cheese mascot. 'When they approached him, he immediately tenses up and resists, and so at this point they make the decision to put him in handcuffs,' Hill said. 'Keeping in mind the safety of not only the customers, but the suspect, as well as the officers themselves.' At least one officer referred to the man by his character's name. 'Chuck E, come with me, Chuck E,' one officer said while grabbing the employee in costume. Hill said that while there's no official TPD policy regarding arrests made in costume or in front of children, the department relies on officer discretion to prioritize public safety and the preservation of evidence. Police say they recovered the stolen credit card in Jones's possession during the arrest. He was booked at Leon County Jail and charged with three felonies. 'When you have a victim outside, it doesn't matter what the dollar amount is,' Hill said. 'She was the victim of a fraud.' Jones has since been released on $1,000 bond. Reached for comment, a Chuck E Cheese employee at the Tallahassee location told reporters: 'It's unfortunate that it happened here,' adding that the arrest 'didn't have anything to do with the company.' In a statement to the Tallahassee Democrat, a representative for CEC Entertainment, the parent company of Chuck E Cheese confirmed: 'We are aware of an incident involving a part-time employee arrested at our Tallahassee location on Wednesday, July 23. We have taken the appropriate action concerning the subject employee.'
The Sun
38 minutes ago
- The Sun
Lucy Letby ‘acts like Queen Bee in jail' and ‘gets hair & nails done in salon with killer pal Sara Sharif's step-mum'
BABY killer nurse Lucy Letby acts like the "Queen Bee" in prison due to the level of privileges she's afforded - angering other prisoners, it is claimed. The 35-year-old is serving 15 life sentences after being convicted of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder seven more at the Countess of Chester Hospital. 5 5 5 Letby is reported to have struck up a bizarre friendship with Beinash Batool, who murdered her 10-year-old stepdaughter Sara Sharif. The ex-neo natal nurse is said to be chaperoned by prison guards wherever she goes, and special areas have to be cleared whenever she wants to visit - due to the high risk of her being attacked by fellow lags. The Sun reported last week how the evil pair play card game Uno for hours in their cushy jail unit after being given 'enhanced' privileges at HMP Bronzefield, Surrey. They also have "a lot of freedom" and can buy foods that others can't - often in the kitchen making cheese toasties together. Letby allegedly moans she's the "fattest I've ever been" due to her diet of junk food, including chocolate. Sources have since told The Mirror other female murderers in Houseblock Four are fed up with Letby and Batool - who is serving 33 years - getting special treatment. They say the government's Incentives and Earned Privileges Scheme, which is designed to encourage good behaviour among prisoners, is being used by Letby who manipulates prison officers to get what she wants. The source said: "She turns on the tears at the drop of a hat, she gets all her visits in the family room which is really lovely even though she doesn't have children, it's meant to be for children and they've made it really nice. Her parents come to see her," our source said. "She walks around like she's Queen Bee, she stops other enhanced prisoners going to the library because she says 'I'm scared, I'm scared, I don't know what they'll do to me' but what about other people who are enhanced and want to use that library, they can't. "When she and Beinash go to the salon, the whole salon has to be shut down, because they are scared that other prisoners will attack them and obviously there are scissors and stuff there." The source said the pair go to the salon "at least once a month" and Letby is "always getting" her hair and nails done, adding the wing is "like an upside down world". Lucy Letby cops arrest 3 senior members of leadership team at hospital where killer nurse murdered 7 babies Letby and Batool, 31, have also reportedly been awarded "positive behaviour comments" by prison officers as part of the IEP scheme. This means they get extra perks like visiting the prison staff restaurant, called Vita Nova, which has two qualified chefs, and inmates can be trained barista and knife skills, it's claimed. And when Letby attends the likes of the salon or Vita Nova, it is closed to others to protect her, but she chooses to take Batool as her plus one guest, according to reports. One prisoner told The Mirror, there is "so much hatred for her" because she's "treated like she's Queen Bee". As reported by The Sun previously, the killer nurse works three different prison jobs and blows her wages on sweets and crisps. Letby has jobs as a laundry worker, earning £8 a week, a kitchen worker - another £8 a week - and a library worker. Lag sources say she's put on so much weight "you wouldn't recognise her". Unit 4 of 527-inmate Bronzefield, which is run by private firm Sodexo. Letby and Batool both have TVs with Freeview channels and a DVD player, along with books and films, which they can order from the library. Others on the unit include Sian Hedges, jailed for life in 2024 for killing 18-month-old son Alfie Phillips. Shamed prison officer Linda de Sousa Abreu, who romped with a lag, was also held there until her release last month. Letby — convicted of the murders of seven babies and attempted murders of seven more while a neonatal nurse — has regular legal meetings as she plans her appeal. Batool was sentenced last December for the murder of her tortured stepdaughter. Sara's dad, Urfan Sharif, is serving at least 40 years for murder after she was beaten to death at the couple's home in Woking, Surrey. 5 5
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
He was the 'perfect' co-worker but 'life of the party' architect with a sexy nickname stands accused of dark secret
Drinking a beer and cracking jokes with colleagues, he seemed like any co-worker enjoying a night out after a busy day in a Manhattan office. But once he left the bar and headed back to his Massapequa Park, Long Island home the architect Rex Heuermann allegedly went Jekyll and Hyde and prowled his neighborhood looking for his next victim to kill as his wife and children slept. Katherine Shepherd worked with Heuermann in the same midtown Manhattan office at 525 Seventh Avenue in New York City 's Fashion District during the early 2000s. She was working for an architectural design firm and his company was providing city permits. On occasion, she and her co-workers would gather at Pete's Tavern in Gramercy Park. She remembered Heuermann acting like the life of the party which later earned him the nickname 'Sexy Rexy' amongst colleagues. 'He was fun. He was funny,' Shepherd told Daily Mail. 'He would tell funny stories and jokes that made everyone laugh.' During working hours, she said he was always professional towards her and the other female employees. 'If he ever made me feel uncomfortable, touched me in any way or would've made any inappropriate sex jokes there was no way I would have worked with him,' she said. 'Never ever did he ever make me feel uncomfortable,' she added. However, she said he liked pretty girls in the office and using them to help get what he wanted professionally. 'He knew how to get permits and was renowned for it. He knew all the people and had all the relationships,' she said. 'He had women in the office that were petite and beautiful and he would send them down to the city to get those permits.' Heuermann was arrested two years ago in July 2023 and initially charged with the murders of three women: Amber Costello, Melissa Barthelemy and Megan Waterman. Since then, he has been charged with the murders of four more victims: Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Sandra Costilla, Jessica Taylor and Valerie Mack. All the victims were working as sex workers when they vanished after going to meet a client. Their bodies were found dumped along Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach and other remote spots on Long Island. Some of the victims had been bound, others had been dismembered and their remains discarded in multiple locations. The 61-year-old has pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him. Shepherd said: 'It's just hard to come to grips that this is the same person. It just doesn't match. It doesn't match. 'Though I know in my heart he did it. The evidence is overwhelming. 'He was able to separate his life - somehow put a divider in-between murderous spawn of Satan to a caring father and business owner. I don't know how but he was able too.' She recalled the first time she met him and said she was stunned by his 6ft 4ins size - a client of one of his alleged victims has described him as resembling an 'ogre'. 'He's one of the biggest men you'll ever meet in your life. It is very intimidating having someone that large,' Shepherd said. 'He joked around a lot and made you feel comfortable because he knew he was big and intimidating. I think he was trying not to be intimidating,' she added. However she said he was 'soft spoken' and described him as coming off as 'arrogant and cocky'. She said: 'He was very smart. He was very confident.' Shepherd remembered how kind he was to her when she injured herself on black ice on a city street and took her to the emergency room when the pain became too much to bear. That day in the hospital, she said he waited for her for hours as she took tests, including an MRI. Once discharged, they went by cab to her apartment in Hell's Kitchen and after he got her settled, he went to the pharmacy to pick up her painkiller prescription. She remembered he made her a slice of toast when he returned before leaving her by herself. 'I was grateful for his help. I felt like he was almost taking care of me like a dad would,' Shepherd said. The day that happened was November 17, 2003, four months earlier one of Heuermann's alleged victims 20-year-old Jessica Taylor's body was found decapitated with her hands cuts off in a wooded area in Manorville, Long Island. 'He (allegedly) cut her head and hands off, spread them around Long Island and four months later took me to the hospital because I was in pain and needed help,' she said. When Shepherd learned Heuermann had been arrested for murder and was not the 'normal, everyday, nerdy guy', she thought he was but a cold blooded killer she was stunned. 'I have a totally different view of this guy because like I said, he took care of me. He helped me. He took time out of his day, his job to take me to the hospital to take care of me. I saw that as, "Wow what a good co-worker realizing that I needed help stopping his day to help me. No one else did,"' she said. In 2005, she started consulting on her own and working with Heuermann directly. She said, they'd meet at job sites and one time, the avid hunter and gun aficionado, taught her how to shoot a gun while they were at a job site in the Bronx. She said she didn't plan on it but went for it. 'It was a 9mm - the kind you see in movies all the time - the black square gangster gun,' she explained. 'Anyway that is what I fired. He was telling me where to put my hand because when you shoot the whole top part goes back and if you put your hand in the wrong spot you can hurt yourself'. On some days they'd travel in the same vehicle to a job. She said their conversations were always focused on business and that he would never talk about his wife or kids. However, she did meet them once when she went to his home to do some measuring for a home renovation project he was planning. She was horrified to later learn that she took measurements in the same area that held a secret room where he would allegedly torture his victims. She recalled her final communication with him was in summer 2011 while she was working in California. She sent an email to Heuermann for some permit expediting work she needed done. She said she jokingly called him 'Rexy' like 'Sexy Rexy' - the playful term that she and her colleagues sometimes used. It was also the time when some of the bodies were being discovered along Ocean Parkway in Suffolk County's GIlgo Beach. She said that he never responded. This month marked two years since Heuermann's arrest and the interior designer still grapples with the idea that her kind-hearted co-worker who became her knight in shining armor when she was in distress, is the accused Gilgo Beach serial killer and charged with the brutal murders of seven women. 'I didn't even know about the Gilgo Beach Killer until two years ago. It feels like someone is playing a trick on me. It feels like you are talking about someone else.' 'I am a little bit in denial, still. The practical side of me understands what happened but I just don't get it. It is really hard to comprehend. 'I didn't know he was capable of that. How is anyone capable of that? He has kids. How do you have kids and a wife and go off and do something like that,' she added. After all this time, Shepherd said her time with Heuermann still haunts her but she concluded: 'It is good to talk about it. Every time I talk about it - it is like a little therapy and it helps me.'
