Latest news with #childmurder
The Sun
29-06-2025
- The Sun
Child murderer to SUE Parole Board for ‘breaching his human rights' after release bid rejected
A CHILD murderer is the first lifer to sue the Parole Board for breaching his human rights after his bid for freedom was rejected. Officials ruled Paul Smith — who suffocated a ten-year-old girl — should stay behind bars amid continuing concern over his twisted sexual interests. 2 But Smith, 38, has now launched a landmark High Court bid to have the decision overturned. He claims that keeping him in jail breaches his human rights in a case to run separately to a new parole appeal due this week. Smith is believed to be Britain's first child murderer to use human rights laws in a bid to be released. The trainee electrician was 17 when he murdered Rosie May Storrie at a Christmas party in 2003. She was found unconscious and half-naked on a bed in Normanton, Leics, and died two days later in hospital. Smith was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life with a minimum of 14 years' jail. At his 2004 trial, judge Mr Justice Astill said he was 'a considerable danger to young girls'. The court heard Smith, who has autism, had previously attacked a 16-year-old female friend and a 12-year-old girl. He became eligible for parole in January 2018 when his minimum jail term expired. A recommendation for open prison transfer was rejected in 2019. Parents of murdered Sarah Everard plea for more whole-life jail terms for worst offenders His appeal against conviction was rejected in 2014. The Parole Board's 2024 review concluded he was not fit to be freed due to the serious ongoing concerns about his 'sexual interests'. Smith's fresh legal challenge is being handled by specialist Newcastle firm Instalaw. It did not respond to our request for comment. Rosie May's parents, Mary and Graham, established the Rosie May Foundation in her memory to help children in crisis around the world. They did not respond to requests for a comment. 2
Fox News
19-06-2025
- Fox News
Military-trained dad accused of killing daughters nears 3 weeks living in wilderness amid manhunt
The manhunt for the Washington father accused of killing his three young daughters has expanded as federal and state law enforcement officials continue to comb through the dense wilderness in search of the military-trained survivalist. Authorities said this week that they are combing through the Teanaway Valley and Blewett Pass areas as the search for Travis Decker continues into its third week, according to the Kittitas County Sheriff's Office. "If you have trail cameras or doorbell cameras, please check them for suspicious activity," the department said in a statement. "If you have residences in these areas, check them for anything missing – no matter how small or seemingly insignificant." The Kittitas County Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. Decker is wanted for allegedly killing his three daughters – Paityn, 9; Evelyn, 8; and Olivia, 5 – after their bodies were found near a Washington campsite earlier this month. Authorities began searching for Decker on the evening of May 30 after his ex-wife notified police that he had not returned the couple's three children from a court-mandated visitation, according to court documents. Three days later, the girls were discovered near Decker's abandoned vehicle with plastic bags over their heads and their hands bound, police said. The update comes one week after the Chelan County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) announced a group of hikers reported seeing a lone individual who appeared unprepared for the wilderness near Colchuck Lake. When authorities responded to the tip, they "spotted a lone, off-trail hiker from a helicopter," adding the individual "ran from sight as the helicopter passed," CCSO previously said in a press release. The lake is located approximately 40 miles from Blewett Pass and 60 miles from Teanaway Valley by car. A new flyer depicting renderings of ways Decker may have changed his physical appearance was released by authorities on Tuesday. The updated poster includes photos of Decker with and without facial hair and wearing a baseball hat. Officials also quashed a TikTok video reportedly showing CCSO Sheriff Mike Morrison announcing Decker's arrest after a long standoff. "To be clear, Mr. Decker is not in custody and CCSO had no part in making the video," the department wrote in a Facebook post. The U.S. Marshals Service has taken on the role of lead agency in the hunt for Decker, who is a former member of the military with extensive experience in wilderness survival. The Washington National Guard is also assisting local law enforcement with aerial search efforts and surveillance. Officials warn that Decker is considered armed and dangerous but do not have reason to believe he is a threat to public safety. The U.S. Marshals Service is offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to Decker's arrest. He is charged with three counts of aggravated first-degree murder and kidnapping.
The Sun
14-06-2025
- The Sun
I saw arrogant Mick Philpott carry out sick plot to emerge as the ‘hero' before torching home & burning kids alive
WHEN Mick Philpott burned his six children to death in a family home, horrified parents struggled to comprehend what kind of monster could commit such a sickening crime. Now, a Sun investigation has uncovered new evidence of his botched game plan to play the 'hero' by rescuing his kids from the flames, and how he desperately tried to deflect the blame as his doomed plot unravelled. 12 12 Speaking for the first time in our brand new series, Scene of the Crime, the killer's traumatised neighbours shine fresh light on what really happened before and after that tragic night 13 years ago. On the day before he set the Derby property alight on May 11, 2012, one recalls spotting him carefully setting up two ladders beneath the upstairs windows in a brazen bid to later pull the kids to safety. Haunted by the memory of the children's blackened bodies, she emotionally tells how they "paid the price of their father's " arrogance and stupidity". Meanwhile, another resident on Victory Road reveals how she and her partner were called 'child murderers' in the street after cops held her and her partner for 72 hours - as shameless Philpott scrambled to pin the blame on THEM for his crimes. The furious locals paint a grotesque picture of the convicted mass killer, who we recently revealed was left "battered and bruised" in a brutal jail beating. In extraordinary detail, they tell how he acted with impunity, seeing himself saw himself as 'God's gift', and paraded up and down the street often dressed in little more than a pair of turquoise speedos. Dinner lady Pearl Turner was in her garden when she spotted her next-door neighbour, Philpott, setting up the ladders at the back of his home. Pearl, who lived next door to the family for several years, claimed that he'd planned to climb them once he'd set the house ablaze, and help pull his kids to safety. The dad - who had previously appeared on the Jeremy Kyle Show - had concocted the arson scheme to pin on former mistress Lisa Willis who he was due to face in court over access to his four kids with her. But in a tragic turn of events, he had forgotten to unlock their bedroom windows, leaving them trapped inside the burning building. Evil dad Mick Philpott who killed six children in a horror blaze left 'battered and bruised' in brutal jail beating The fire claimed the lives of Duwayne, 13, Jade, 10, John, nine, Jack, seven, Jesse, six, and Jayden, five. Only Duwayne, the eldest, managed to escape the house alive, before he too died from his injuries in hospital days later. Both Philpott and his wife Mairead, who supported his plan, were eventually arrested on May 29 2012, initially for murder, although charges were later changed to manslaughter. Haunting memories Thirteen years on, Pearl is still traumatised by the memory of seeing the five children's charred bodies laid out in a row in the street outside her home as firefighters tried in vain to save them. Now 78 and retired, she was still living next door to where the tragedy unfolded when The Sun revisited the scene of the killings. Breaking her silence on the horrific fire, she says: 'I'll never get the sight of them lying there out of my head." She shared heartbreaking details about the night of the fire but also offered insight into the extraordinary lengths Philpott had gone to in order to ensure he emerged as a hero. She added: 'I was in my garden the day before the fire and Philpott came home with two sets of ladders. 'He initially placed them against my wall at the back, then moved them off and positioned them very carefully underneath the two upstairs windows at the rear of his house. They were the children's bedrooms. 12 12 12 'As soon as I saw those two ladders leaning up against our wall, I knew the crafty sod was up to something, but never in a million years would I have worked out the evil plan he had in mind. 'I knew he hadn't brought the ladders home to do any DIY or a spot of house maintenance because he was useless and lazy. I'd never seen any ladders at his property before. 'As soon as I became aware their house was on fire, it became clear to me what his purpose with the ladders had been. He'd planned to use them to climb up to their windows and rescue them so he could play the hero. 'But he forgot the bedroom windows had locks on them and in the panic and chaos of the fire, with smoke everywhere, those poor children weren't able to open the windows and died. "They paid the price of their father's arrogance and stupidity. It was all such a needless, tragic waste. 'They were lovely, polite kids. They always waved at me when they saw me. If I was in the garden, they'd wave from their bedroom windows. 'On the day of the fire, I told the police about my suspicions over the ladders, but it took them weeks to arrest him. I've never really understood why. It was obvious to me what he'd done.' 'We were called child murderers' One of those arrested, a 41-year-old woman named Vicky, also told The Sun - in another first interview - how Philpott tried to frame her and her partner for the fire that left six children dead. Vicky, then aged 28, revealed how officers arrested her and her late partner Adam, then 38, who died last year, and took them to Ripley police station and held them for questioning for 72 hours. Through tears, Vicky said: 'We had been friends with Mick, Mairead and Lisa (Philpott's former live-in mistress) for some time and Mick used that friendship to try and save his own skin. 'When the police spoke to him on the day of the fire he told them me and Adam had started it. "As soon as they told me Mick had accused us of starting the fire, I knew it had to have been Mick himself who had done it. Why else would he have tried to put it on us? 'Even so, it took us three days to convince the cops we were innocent before they let us go, but when we got back people still believed we'd done it. 'We were getting called child murderers in the street and on social media. It was absolute hell for us. It went on for months and months. I am still traumatised by it. "Poor Adam is dead now but it was the same for him until the day he died. You just never get over it. 'The abuse only stopped when Philpott and the other two went to court and the details came out, but for me and Adam, the damage was already done. 'And those poor, poor children. Nothing could bring them back. 'Philpott was an obnoxious, self-centred b*****d who thought he was God's gift to everything. He killed his own children then tried to frame me and Adam - his friends - for it. That tells you what kind of man he is. 'I hope he is never released from jail. He is a monster and should die in there.' 12 12 Vicky said she remains close friends with Lisa, and is 'in touch' with her. 'Lisa has long since moved away from Derby and I would never tell anyone where she is now,' she said. Vicky also revealed that Mairead, who was released early from jail in 2023, has since changed her name and is living with a new partner. 'She is a monster too and should never have been let out early. Why should she be allowed to start a new life as if nothing happened?' 'Hope he never gets out' Speaking to those living in Victory Road now, it is notable how many locals' lives were interwoven with the Philpotts. Neighbour Martin's son was in a relationship with Philpott's daughter from his first marriage at the time of the tragedy. He said his son, then 18, had been one of the first to try and enter the burning building and rescue the children. Martin said: 'Before the fire crews arrived, my boy was there trying to get the kids out. "He saw the ladders at the back of the house and climbed up to try and get in through the window but the heat was so intense it was burning the hairs off his arms. His skin felt like it was on fire. 'He tried and tried to smash the windows but he just couldn't. It was awful. 'He knew the Philpotts because he'd been going out with one of Mick's daughters for about a year at the time. We all got to know Mick and his family quite well and we'd sometimes go round for dinner. 'I never really liked him because he was such a loudmouth, but I had to make the effort for the sake of my son and his girlfriend. 'To be honest, I thought Mick was a bit of a prat. He'd been on TV and thought of himself as a star. He really believed he was a film star. 'But I never thought for a moment he'd be capable of what he did. 'What happened put such a strain on my son's relationship with Mick's daughter that they broke up a year or so later. "My son was traumatised by the events of that night and he has struggled with his emotions to this day, although very recently he has started to open up a little. 'All of us around here just want to forget about Mick and that horrific day, but it is impossible. I hope he never gets out of prison.' Elsewhere in Victory Road, a 38-year-old mother told how her son was at school with several of the Philpotts' children. She recoils at the mention of Mick Philpott's name and tells how he 'made my skin crawl'. She said: 'I hated him on sight. He was a horrible, horrible man. 'He was friends with my ex-partner and he'd call round here to see him wearing nothing but a pair of tight, turquoise Speedos and a pair of trainers. 'He'd stand at our porch with one leg raised on the windowsill like he was God's gift, but all I saw was a fame-hungry w****r. He was utterly repulsive. 'I had nieces in their teens at the time and when they were here he'd be leering at them. It was disgusting. 'When they left to go back home, I'd go with them in case he tried to follow them. I just didn't trust him at all. 'I felt sorry for Mairead because she was completely under his thumb and did whatever he told her to. He treated her miserably. "Once I told her to stop being such a wet blanket and stand up to him, but she never did. If he told her to jump, she'd say 'How high?'. It was that kind of relationship. 'When she and Lisa were both pregnant, I remember the three of them walking back from town with loads and loads of bags full of shopping, but he made them carry it all. "He was walking ahead of them, empty-handed, in his stupid Speedos and nothing else. 'It was a weird set-up with the three of them. Between Mairead and Lisa, one of them was always pregnant. 'But even though I knew what an awful man he was, I was surprised he could kill his own children. I hope to God he is never allowed out of jail for what he did.' Battered and bruised Last month, The Sun revealed how Philpott was left with bruises and lumps on his head after an inmate battered him with a metal container at tough HMP Wakefield, West Yorks. A source said: 'Philpott was in a bad way after the attack – battered and bruised and with two large and noticeable lumps on the back of his head. 'The other lad pounced on him and whacked him quite a few times from behind. 'It was one bloke on his own – someone quite a bit younger than Philpott and it happened really quickly on the landing. 'There was a huge commotion, an alarm was going off and guards rushed in to help. 'Otherwise it could have been a lot worse for Philpott. 'Philpott was feeling very sorry for himself after the attack – but no-one had much sympathy. 'That is reserved for the children he killed."
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Yahoo
Search for Travis Decker; Pewaukee native believed to be spotted
The Brief Washington law enforcement believes they have tracked Travis Decker. The Pewaukee native is suspected of killing his young daughters. Federal agencies are leading the search efforts. PEWAUKEE, Wis. - Law enforcement agencies believe they are on the trail of a Pewaukee native suspected of killing his three children. What we know Travis Decker is accused of killing his three young daughters in Washington State. Authorities in Washington confirmed three girls, ages 5, 8 and 9, were found dead on Monday, June 2. The Chelan County Sheriff's Office received a tip from a hiking party, the sheriff's office announced on Tuesday, June 10. The hikers reported seeing a lone individual in the Enchantments area who appeared "ill-prepared for the conditions" and appeared to be "avoiding others." Tracking teams responded and found a lone, off-trail hiker from a helicopter near Colchuck Lake. The individual reportedly ran from sight as the helicopter passed. Additional resources were called to the area, and K9 units were deployed after teams picked up a trail. The subject was tracked to the Ingalls Creek Trailhead area on Highway 97. What you can do Individuals in the area with cabins or residences in the Blewett Pass/Highway 97 area are urged to report suspicious activity, lock their doors and vehicles and look out for neighbors' property. Those with cameras are asked to check them or submit a tip to the U.S. Marshals tip line with the camera's location for law enforcement review. If Decker is sighted, you are asked to call 911 immediately and not attempt to contact or approach him. Deputies also recently announced a $20,000 cash reward for any information leading to Decker's arrest. Decker lived out of his truck. The vehicle was found, but there is no sign of him. FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android Anyone with information is urged to contact the nearest U.S. Marshals office, the U.S. Marshals Service Communications Center at 1-800-336-0102, or USMS Tips. Local perspective Decker graduated from Pewaukee High School. He was a wrestler while attending the school. His brother told FOX6 News Decker graduated in 2010. Investigators say Decker kidnapped his three daughters 5-year-old Olivia, 8-year-old Evenlyn and 9-year-old Paityn, who were found dead at the Rock Island Campground outside of Leavenworth, Washington. Investigators say the preliminary cause of death for each was asphyxiation. A GoFundMe to help the children's mother, Whitney, cover expenses and legal costs has surpassed $1 million. The Source Information in this report came from the Chelan County Sheriff's Office, FOX13 and prior FOX6 coverage.
CTV News
07-06-2025
- CTV News
Search expands for former Army soldier accused of killing his 3 young daughters in Washington state
Pictures, flowers and candles mark a makeshift memorial Tuesday, June 3, 2025, in Wenatchee, Wash., in honor of Olivia, Paityn and Evelyn Decker, who were found dead near Leavenworth after their father Travis Decker failed to return them after a scheduled visitation. (Nick Wagner/The Seattle Times via AP) SEATTLE — Authorities have closed a wide swath of popular campgrounds and backpacking areas along the Pacific Crest Trail in Washington as they search for a former Army soldier wanted in the deaths of his three young daughters. Dozens of additional law enforcement officers from an array of agencies joined the investigation and search Friday for Travis Caleb Decker, 32, four days after the girls - 9-year-old Paityn Decker, 8-year-old Evelyn Decker and 5-year-old Olivia Decker - were found dead at a remote campsite outside Leavenworth. The girls' mother reported them missing the night of May 30 when Decker failed to return them to her home in Wenatchee, about 100 miles (160 kilometres) east of Seattle, after a scheduled visit. Gov. Bob Ferguson announced Friday night that he was ordering the state's National Guard to help with the search, saying 'we will be providing helicopter transportation for law enforcement as they search in remote areas.' 'The brutal murder of these young children has shocked our state,' he added in a statement on social media. 'I'm committed to supporting law enforcement as they seek justice for Paityn, Evelyn and Olivia.' The Chelan County Sheriff's Office said in a statement that there were more than 100 officers involved in the search, which covered rugged terrain in the Cascade Mountains of central Washington, and more than 500 tips had poured in from the public. 'Out of an abundance of caution, we have been given notice to, and are working in conjunction with our surrounding counties in the event Mr. Decker moves through the forest into their jurisdiction,' the statement said. Decker was an infantryman in the Army from March 2013 to July 2021 and deployed to Afghanistan for four months in 2014, according to Army spokesperson Lt. Col. Ruth Castro. From 2014 to 2016, he was an automatic rifleman with the 75th Ranger Regiment at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington. Last September his ex-wife, Whitney Decker, wrote in a petition to modify their parenting plan that his mental health issues had worsened and that he had become increasingly unstable, often living out of his truck. She sought to restrict him from having overnight visits with the girls until he found housing. 'He has made huge sacrifices to serve our country and loves his girls very much but he has got to get better,' she wrote. 'I do not want to keep Travis from the girls at all. ... But I cannot have our girls staying in what is essentially a homeless shelter, at times unsupervised, with dozens of strange men, or staying in a tent or living in his truck with him both in extreme temperatures and unknown areas for their safety.' Authorities warned people to be on the lookout for Decker and asked those with remote homes, cabins or outbuildings to keep them locked, to leave blinds open so law enforcement can see inside and to leave exterior lights on. It was unclear if Decker was armed, but the Chelan County Sheriff's Office said he should be considered dangerous. A reward of up to $20,000 was offered for information leading to his arrest. An online fundraiser for Whitney Decker raised more than $1 million, and friends Amy Edwards, who taught the girls in a theater program called 'Short Shakespeareans,' and Mark Belton thanked supporters during a news conference Thursday. 'Their laughter, curiosity and spirit left a mark on all of us,' Edwards said. 'They were the kind of children that everyone rooted for, looked forward to seeing and held close in their hearts.' Edwards and Belton said Whitney Decker hopes the tragedy prompts changes to the state's Amber Alert system as well as improvements in mental health care for veterans. The night the girls were reported missing, Wenatchee police asked the Washington State Patrol to issue an Amber Alert but it declined, saying that as a custody matter without an imminent threat, the case did not meet the criteria for one. The patrol did issue an 'endangered missing person alert' the next day, but those do not result in notifications being sent to mobile phones. As searches expanded for the girls last weekend, a sheriff's deputy found Decker's pickup in the area of Rock Island Campground, northwest of Leavenworth. There were two bloody handprints on the tailgate. The girls' bodies were discovered down an embankment nearby with evidence that they had been bound with zip ties, according to an affidavit filed in support of murder and kidnapping charges against Decker. County Coroner Wayne Harris said Friday that his office was awaiting pathology results to determine when and how the girls were killed. Authorities issued closure notices the previous day for that camping area, which lies in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, as well as for a large swath of rugged territory to the north. That included trails and campgrounds along the Pacific Crest Trail, which runs from the Canadian border to Mexico, and around Stehekin, at the northern end of Lake Chelan. Gene Johnson, The Associated Press
