Latest news with #violentcrime
CBS News
8 hours ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Gov. Pritzker says state of Illinois is seeing major drop in violent crime alongside Chicago
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker weighed in Tuesday on Chicago's massive drop in violent crime. The crime numbers are shaping up to be the story of the summer in the city. Through this past weekend, homicides are down 30% from the same time period last year in Chicago. Meanwhile, shootings are down 40% over the same stretch, while carjackings are down 50%. Other major cities around the country are also seeing big drops. There is no magic answer to what is behind the reduction in violent crime. Mayor Brandon Johnson credited employing youth, using violence disruptors, and better engagement between public and private partners. Gov. Pritzker also said there has been a similar drop in crime statewide "Shootings and homicides on our highways are down 60, 70, 80% depending on where you look — but certainly in the Chicago area — and that's a result of more officers, investment in technology, making sure that we have summer jobs for kids, and making sure that we're investing in areas that have high poverty rates. All of that works, I think, to reduce crime rate in the city of Chicago, and well as across the state of Illinois."
CBC
2 days ago
- CBC
3 teens charged after boy attacked, robbed and cut by machete in Winnipeg
A 14-year-old boy suffered a "significant injury" to his hand after being attacked by three other teens, robbed and struck with a machete during a shopping trip to Polo Park mall, Winnipeg police say. The victim was shopping around 8:30 p.m. on Friday when the three teens approached him. He was hit multiple times by a machete, causing him to fall to the ground, police said in a news release on Monday. As the assault continued, the victim was robbed of personal property before the attackers ran off. Police were called and found the victim, who was given emergency care before being rushed to hospital in stable condition. A short time later, officers found the three attackers at a restaurant a couple of blocks away on St. Matthews Avenue. A 13-year-old boy is charged with robbery and three warrants for failing to comply with a prior sentence. A 14-year-old boy is charged with robbery and a 15-year-old boy is facing a charge of robbery. Police neither identified which of the attackers had the machete nor provided any additional information on the injuries suffered by the victim.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Three found guilty of taking part in violent bank heists, stealing $170k
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A federal jury has convicted three men for their roles in a series of violent bank robberies in 2023 that led to two people being shot and nearly $200,000 stolen. Courtney Trenell, 34, Devin Hinds, 36, and Joshua Cribbs, 33, all of Memphis, were found guilty of four bank robberies and using firearms during some of those robberies. Four of their co-defendants have already pleaded guilty. MS girl social media sensation after nailing 'Chickenhead' rap Evidence at trial proved that between April 2023 and December 2023, Trenell, Hinds, and Cribbs conspired to rob banks in and around Memphis. Four of the co-conspirators, Robert Haley, Travis Drain, Marquarius Trenell, and Monterrio Trenell, pleaded guilty to bank robbery and using a firearm during the robberies. 'The bank robberies committed by these seven defendants included gunpoint threats, instilling fear and chaos in innocent victims going about their days,' said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department's Criminal Division. 'Their actions terrorized bank employees and customers alike. We are grateful to our prosecutors, the FBI, and our local law enforcement partners for bringing these dangerous individuals to justice and helping make the Memphis community safer.' In total, the group stole over $170,000 in cash from five bank robberies. A sixth robbery attempt was unsuccessful and ended in a shoot-out between the co-defendants and an armed security guard, where the robbers shot two victims. Prosecutors said co-defendants Haley and Drain coordinated the five robberies and one attempted robbery throughout the conspiracy. At the same time, Marquarius Trenell robbed the Truist Bank on Aug. 11, 2023, as well as the Bank of Bartlett with Monterrio Trenell and others on Oct. 20, 2023. 81-year-old lives in car parked outside of dilapidated South Memphis home During the Aug. 11, 2023, robbery of a branch of Truist Bank, Hinds raised a gun and shook it back and forth at a bank customer to instill fear and deter her from notifying law enforcement. He then served as a getaway driver. Hinds also drove a getaway car during the Dec. 22, 2023, robbery of a branch of the Independent Bank, where a co-defendant pointed a semi-automatic military-style rifle at bank employees. Courtney Trenell and Cribbs helped rob branches of the Bank of Bartlett and First Horizon Bank on Oct. 20, 2023. The defendants planned to rob the banks, which are directly across the street from each other, at the same time to confuse law enforcement and evade capture. Cribbs entered the Bank of Bartlett with a trash bag and threatened bank employees into handing over money. Cribbs unknowingly took at least one dye pack, which exploded after the robbers fled, releasing red dye that stained the stolen cash. Armed robbers hit two Memphis banks minutes apart During the Bank of Bartlett robbery, Courtney Trenell operated a second getaway vehicle stationed about a mile from the robbery, aiding one of the robbers in fleeing the area. 'The hard work and determination of the FBI and its partners cannot be overstated,' said Assistant Director Jose A. Perez of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division. 'We are proud that our actions held these criminals accountable for their harm to the Memphis community.' At trial, an FBI special agent testified that the defendants spoke over conference calls before and after the robberies, which the government argued was to coordinate the crimes. An FBI analyst testified that DNA evidence from Courtney Trenell and Hinds was found inside their respective getaway vehicles. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Daily Mail
Coroner criticises care home bosses for leaving 18-year-old girl at the mercy of necrophilia-obsessed teen who strangled her to death
A coroner has criticised care home bosses for leaving an 18-year-old girl with learning disabilities at the mercy of a necrophilia-obsessed teenager who had a history of violent attacks on women and went on to murder her. Melissa Mathieson was strangled to death by Jason Conroy, also 18, at a care home in Bristol in October 2014. Maria Voisin, the senior coroner for Avon, said there was a 'catalogue of failures' including 'reckless conduct at a senior manager level' which allowed the killing to take place despite warnings from staff and Melissa herself. The teenager was attacked by Conroy at Alexandra House, which provided residential care for adults with autism and Asperger's syndrome. Conroy, now aged 28, was jailed for life for the sexually motivated killing. Avon Coroner's Court heard how he once tried to strangle a teacher so he could abuse her and had also attempted to kill his mother. Conroy, originally from Guernsey, moved to Bristol from a boarding school in the Midlands following the incident with the teacher. The school had commissioned a report from a forensic psychologist which concluded that he posed a physical risk to others because of his sexualised behaviour. They warned the managers of Alexandra House about the risk, but this was not reflected in his care plans, which only listed basic information. The directors of the company which ran the home later pleaded guilty to a health and safety offence and were fined £125,000. Ms Voisin said the conduct of senior managers at Alexandra House in failing to understand the danger Conroy posed to others amounted to a 'gross breach of duty'. 'This I consider to be reckless conduct at senior management level,' she said. 'The support plan and risk assessment drafted by Alexandra House's senior management was not sufficient to protect Melissa. 'The risk was, and should have been obvious, to Alexandra House from the school care plan and risk assessment, the numerous meetings before Jason's placement began, the Grant report, the concerns raised by staff and the concerns raised by Melissa herself, who was frightened of him. 'Based on the evidence, it was the gross breach of Alexandra House's duty of care to Melissa that caused her death, as it allowed a known dangerous young man who was under no supervision at the time the opportunity to murder her.' In a narrative conclusion, the coroner said Miss Mathieson 'died as a result of unlawful killing caused by both the act of strangulation and also due to the acts and omissions by the home entrusted with her care'. 'The home failed Melissa in numerous ways,' she said. 'The resident who went on to strangle her, should not have been placed in the same facility as Melissa at all based on his known risks. 'The decision was wrongly made to place him in the same facility with an ineffective care plan and risk assessment, with staff that were not trained on his level of risk, and managers who failed to act when concerns were highlighted by staff and Melissa.' Support workers at the home told the inquest they did not know about his history of predatory sexual behaviour. Several staff told the hearing they would never have been alone with Conroy if they knew of the risk he posed to others, and described reporting their concerns to supervisors. Miss Mathieson, who was from Windsor, Berkshire, had been sent to Alexandra House by social services when she turned 18, having spent the previous two years in a series of different placements. In a letter written before her death, Miss Mathieson blamed social services for 'destroying' her life. Titled Social Services Have Destroyed My Life, she wrote: 'This was a terrible time for me, and I felt like I was dragged away from my home and everything I knew and being completely disrupted. 'They never took into consideration my age or the distance from my family. I was still a child, just very confused.' The letter was read to the court as part of the written evidence of Miss Mathieson's mother, Karen, who died from cancer a year after her daughter's death. Mrs Mathieson said 'the system' had failed her daughter and had also failed Conroy. 'Melissa did not have a nasty bone in her body. She was a gentle, kind and lovely girl. 'Not only has Jason Conroy ended Melissa's life, but he has also ended his own. He should have had his problems addressed a long time ago,' she said. 'The system has failed him, and it has failed Melissa. 'We question the professionals who have had the responsibility for his care, as much as we do of those who had a responsibility for Melissa's care.' Miss Mathieson's father, James, said he felt 'helpless' because he and his wife had not been listened to by social services. 'Karen and I blame Jason Conroy for our daughter's death,' he said. 'But at the same time, how can we blame him when he had said what he was going to do to professionals and was allowed to carry it out. 'We blame the people who put him there with Melissa.' Her mother previously told the court: 'As parents of two autistic children, we did not find Melissa's behaviour more challenging as she got older. 'The problem for us was the involvement (of) social services... who we just found to be impossible. 'They did not seem to realise that Melissa loved the attention she got from people in authority and would often play them to get what she wanted. 'However, from the age of about 16, we felt that we no longer had a voice. 'Social services were putting ideas in her head about living away from home, and ultimately, it was this that put Melissa in danger.'
The Independent
5 days ago
- The Independent
Notting Hill Carnival fugitive jailed for bus driver's stab murder
A fugitive has been jailed for murdering his ex-girlfriend's father after being caught at Notting Hill Carnival. Kamar Williams, 34, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 29 years at the Old Bailey on Friday for stabbing bus driver Derek Thomas, 55, in Hackney, north-east London, last July 30. After the 'frenzied' attack, Williams, from the Isle of Dogs, east London, went on the run for a month, the court heard. He was finally detained at Notting Hill Carnival last August 26, having avoided police in a car chase last August 3. Her Honour Judge Angela Rafferty KC told Williams that he had targeted Mr Thomas for 'revenge because of your own fury', adding that the attack involved 'savage violence'. Giving her sentencing remarks, Judge Rafferty said: 'I am sure that you intended to kill Derek Thomas. This was a merciless and determined attack. 'You killed him even though at one time you saw him as a father figure. 'You knew how important he was to his wife and his children as you had lived alongside them for two years.' Judge Rafferty added: 'On July 30 last year, you were simmering with rage throughout the evening having been arguing with your ex-partner Carron Thomas and her family. 'I am sure that in your frustration and anger, you planned to have a violent confrontation with one of the Thomas family that night. 'Mr Thomas died there on the street minutes from his home with the shopping he had bought strewn around him.' Jurors had been told the defendant had been looking for the victim's daughter Carron Thomas on the night of the murder. The jury heard that Ms Thomas had called police twice in the hours before her father was attacked. Just before 7pm, she reported to police that Williams was at her sister's address, but when police arrived he was not there. Then just after 10.30pm, she called police again, while she was at her sister's house, believing she could see Williams walking through the estate. Williams went to Mr Thomas's home looking for him or his daughter, but they were not in. As he was driving away, he spotted Mr Thomas walking home on Stoke Newington Common at around 11pm. Mr Thomas, who had been married for 35 years, had finished a late shift as a bus driver and gone into Tesco for some food before heading home. Williams stopped the van he was driving in the middle of the road, got out and stabbed the grandfather five times. Ms Thomas said her father was a 'kind, gentle and loving man' who 'did not deserve to have his life taken in such a senseless way'. In a victim impact statement that was read to the court, Ms Thomas said: 'What makes this loss even more painful is that the person responsible is someone I shared a relationship with. 'My family is broken. We are trying to carry on, but we do so with heavy hearts, we feel our father's absence in every moment.' Mr Thomas's sister, Blondelle Thomas, said her brother was a 'dedicated bus driver' with Go Ahead London and had been a 'prolific footballer who retired early due to injury'. Reading her victim impact statement at the sentencing, Ms Thomas added: 'My brother Derek Thomas was cruelly and brutally ripped away from me and all who loved and cared about him on July 30 2024. 'I cannot hold my brother, I'll never hear his words 'I love you sister' again. 'I'm truly grateful to have had Derek's love and trust in my life.' Earlier this month, a jury at the Old Bailey found Williams unanimously guilty of murder and guilty of having a bladed article.
