Latest news with #WCIV
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Yahoo
South Carolina Man Allegedly Hides in Ex's Shower, Threatens Her With Knife in 'Prank': Police
A South Carolina man is facing charges after allegedly breaking into his ex-girlfriend's home He allegedly hid in her shower wearing her bike shorts as a mask He is charged with assault and battery, burglary, and weapons possession A South Carolina man is facing multiple felony charges after allegedly ambushing his ex-girlfriend in her home while hiding in her shower. According to a report from the Charleston Police Department cited by local outlets WCBD and WCIV, it was meant to be a 'prank' to ease tensions after an argument. Jackson Collum Arnold, 25, allegedly broke into his ex-girlfriend's garage apartment just before midnight Sunday, hiding in her shower until she returned home. Wearing only a pair of her bike shorts over his face and a hat, Arnold was otherwise naked from the waist down when he confronted the woman with a knife, the report said. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. The victim told officers she feared for her life when Arnold allegedly held the knife to the side of her head and simulated slashing her throat before choking her. She managed to remove the shorts obscuring his face and identified him as her on-again-off-again boyfriend, according to the police. Arnold claimed he intended only to 'surprise' the woman and 'lighten the mood' following a text message dispute earlier in the night, the report said, per the outlets. Investigators said Arnold attempted to avoid detection by parking far from the home and leaving his phone behind. Officers later found his underwear in the bathroom; he had reportedly dressed in jeans by the time police arrived in response to a 911 call. Arnold was arrested and booked on charges of first-degree burglary, assault and battery, and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. Read the original article on People
New York Post
06-05-2025
- New York Post
SC man hid in ex-girlfriend's shower and put knife to her head in alarming ‘prank' to ‘lighten the mood': police
This prank was criminally bad. A South Carolina man allegedly hid in his ex-girlfriend's shower and then emerged with a knife when she got home early Sunday in an alarming attempt to 'prank' her and 'lighten the mood,' he said, according to authorities. Jackson Collum Arnold, 25, used a pair of his ex's bike shorts and a hat to cover most of his face, but was naked from the waist down as he gave his former girlfriend a paralyzing scare around midnight, Charleston cops alleged. Advertisement Collum Arnold allegedly hid in his ex-girlfriend's shower and then emerged with a knife when she got home early Sunday in an alarming attempt to 'prank' her and 'lighten the mood.' SACDC The victim accused Arnold of holding a knife to the side of her head, and when she pushed him away, he pretended he was slicing her throat, though the knife didn't touch skin, according to a police report obtained by news outlets. He then allegedly choked her before the victim yanked the shorts off the suspect's face and discovered the man attacking her was her on-again-off-again boyfriend, the police report states, according to WCBD. Advertisement The victim told police she feared for her life and thought she was about to be raped inside her garage apartment before she saw it was Arnold. But the lousy jokester claimed to authorities he only snuck into her home to 'surprise' her and 'lighten the mood' after the pair got into a fight over text earlier that night, according to the police document also reported on by WCIV. His underwear was reportedly found inside the bathroom by officers, though he did have a pair of jeans on when police reached the scene, thanks to a 911 call. The victim accused Arnold of holding a knife to the side of her head, and when she pushed him away, he pretended he was slicing her throat, though the knife didn't touch skin. Christopher Sadowski Advertisement Arnold allegedly went to great lengths to carry out the criminal ruse, including parking several hundred feet from the property the victim shares with her family, who live in the house attached to the garage. He also kept his cell phone at home because he might have been sharing his location with her using the Life360 app, according to the police report. He was booked early Sunday on charges of assault and battery, first-degree burglary and possession of a weapon during a violent crime.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Yahoo
Alleged accomplice accused of helping disgraced lawyer Alex Murdaugh enters plea deal
A former banker and alleged accomplice of disgraced legal scion, Alex Murdaugh, has agreed to a guilty plea in helping with some of his financial crimes. Court records obtained by WCIV show that Russell Laffitte pleaded guilty to several federal fraud charges last week and will spend five years in prison. The records show that Laffitte also agreed to pay $3,555,884.80 in criminal restitution. Additionally, the former bank CEO will not be allowed to work at any federally insured bank or credit union without prior consent. At the time of the crimes, Laffitte served as the CEO of Palmetto State Bank and allegedly used his position to carry out the schemes. He also acted as the conservator or financial representative for Murdaugh's personal injury clients. Alex Murdaugh, Accomplice Ordered To Pay Millions In Money Scheme After Housekeeper's Death Laffitte's family founded the bank in 1907 in the same rural town of Hampton, South Carolina, where the Murdaugh's too would rise to prominence. Read On The Fox News App During his earlier testimony, Laffitte claimed that he simply did what Murdaugh asked of him and was not aware of the lawyer's alleged schemes. In 2022, a jury convicted Laffitte of helping Murdaugh steal around $2 million from clients. Alex Murdaugh May Be Called To Testify In Federal Trial For South Carolina Banker Russell Laffitte: Report Laffitte was sentenced nearly seven months after the conviction to seven years in prison and was ordered to pay $3.5 million in restitution. However, Laffitte's sentence was overturned in November 2024 when an appellate court determined that, during his trial, the removal of two jurors was mishandled and violated Laffitte's Fifth Amendment rights. Laffitte was fired from the bank shortly after the allegations came to light that he helped Murdaugh and Murdaugh's lawyer friend and college roommate, Cory Fleming, steal from a legal client named Hakeem L. Pinckney, a deaf athlete rendered a quadriplegic following a rollover car accident that seriously injured his family members. Alex Murdaugh Sped Up When He Passed Location Where His Slain Wife's Phone Was Found: Witness A judge ordered Murdaugh and Fleming to pay millions to an insurance company in January 2025 after they conspired to steal about $4 million in insurance funds from his housekeeper's family following her death. Murdaugh's housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield, apparently tripped and fell on the front steps of the Murdaughs' home on their South Carolina hunting estate, Moselle, and died later in a hospital. The $4 million Murdaugh stole from the Satterfield family is part of the 100 financial crimes charges filed against Murdaugh involving millions in stolen funds from his former law firm clients. Murdaugh had previously been ordered to serve 40 years for his financial crimes in federal court and 27 years for his financial crimes in state court. Those sentences came on top of his life sentence for killing his wife, Maggie, and youngest son, Paul, in 2021. A Colleton County jury found the disgraced lawyer guilty of shooting Maggie and Paul near dog kennels on the family's hunting estate in June of that year. Prosecutors say he was trying to create a distraction from his mounting financial crimes, which were beginning to come to light around that time. Fox News Digital's Audrey Conklin and Danielle Wallace contributed to this report. Original article source: Alleged accomplice accused of helping disgraced lawyer Alex Murdaugh enters plea deal
Fox News
15-04-2025
- Fox News
Alleged accomplice accused of helping disgraced lawyer Alex Murdaugh enters plea deal
A former banker and alleged accomplice of disgraced legal scion, Alex Murdaugh, has agreed to a guilty plea in helping with some of his financial crimes. Court records obtained by WCIV show that Russell Laffitte pleaded guilty to several federal fraud charges last week and will spend five years in prison. The records show that Laffitte also agreed to pay $3,555,884.80 in criminal restitution. Additionally, the former bank CEO will not be allowed to work at any federally insured bank or credit union without prior consent. At the time of the crimes, Laffitte served as the CEO of Palmetto State Bank and allegedly used his position to carry out the schemes. He also acted as the conservator or financial representative for Murdaugh's personal injury clients. Laffitte's family founded the bank in 1907 in the same rural town of Hampton, South Carolina, where the Murdaugh's too would rise to prominence. During his earlier testimony, Laffitte claimed that he simply did what Murdaugh asked of him and was not aware of the lawyer's alleged schemes. In 2022, a jury convicted Laffitte of helping Murdaugh steal around $2 million from clients. Laffitte was sentenced nearly seven months after the conviction to seven years in prison and was ordered to pay $3.5 million in restitution. However, Laffitte's sentence was overturned in November 2024 when an appellate court determined that, during his trial, the removal of two jurors was mishandled and violated Laffitte's Fifth Amendment rights. Laffitte was fired from the bank shortly after the allegations came to light that he helped Murdaugh and Murdaugh's lawyer friend and college roommate, Cory Fleming, steal from a legal client named Hakeem L. Pinckney, a deaf athlete rendered a quadriplegic following a rollover car accident that seriously injured his family members. A judge ordered Murdaugh and Fleming to pay millions to an insurance company in January 2025 after they conspired to steal about $4 million in insurance funds from his housekeeper's family following her death. Murdaugh's housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield, apparently tripped and fell on the front steps of the Murdaughs' home on their South Carolina hunting estate, Moselle, and died later in a hospital. The $4 million Murdaugh stole from the Satterfield family is part of the 100 financial crimes charges filed against Murdaugh involving millions in stolen funds from his former law firm clients. Murdaugh had previously been ordered to serve 40 years for his financial crimes in federal court and 27 years for his financial crimes in state court. Those sentences came on top of his life sentence for killing his wife, Maggie, and youngest son, Paul, in 2021. A Colleton County jury found the disgraced lawyer guilty of shooting Maggie and Paul near dog kennels on the family's hunting estate in June of that year. Prosecutors say he was trying to create a distraction from his mounting financial crimes, which were beginning to come to light around that time. Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, homicides, national crime cases, illegal immigration, and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to
