Crime Alert 06.26.24

Breaking crime news as it happens throughout the day! Follow "Crime Alert Hourly Update" now on your favorite podcast app: https://link.chtbl.com/Crime_Alert Here are some of our top stories this week. A Texas mom's instinct proves right, when she discovers her son's suspicious behavior leads to a body. Stay informed, stay safe, and stay ahead with "Crime Alert Hourly Update.”   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Stephanie Russell loses custody of her two children when it comes to light during court proceedings, that Russell has been coaching her children to lay claims of abuse against her ex-husband. The evidence was revealed to be video recordings of the children practicing. Russell then tries to hire a hitman, but the hitman is undercover FBI. Now, Stephanie M. Russell pleads guilty to two counts of a federal indictment.   Joining Nancy Grace Today: Kathleen Murphy - Family Attorney (North Carolina), NCDomesticlaw.com; X: @RalDivorceLaw   Caryn Stark - NYC Psychologist; X: @carynpsych, Facebook: "Caryn Stark"  Paul Szych – Former Police Commander; Author: “StopHimFromKillingThem” on Amazon Kindle; X: @WorkplaceThreat; Screen Actors Guild-Eligible Actor  Alexis Tereszcuk – CrimeOnline Investigative Reporter, Writer/Fact Checker at Lead Stories; X: @swimmie2009 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Diddy sits in jail on federal charges, a twelfth victim has come forward with a lawsuit accusing Sean Combs of drugging and raping her. Thalia Graves, who was dating a Bad Boy employee, says she accepted a glass of wine from Combs while riding in a car driven by his head of security, Joseph Sherman. Graves states she doesn’t remember passing out, but when she woke up, she was lying face down on a pool table with her hands tied behind her back, as Sean Combs raped her vaginally and anally. Years later, Graves learned that Combs had filmed the assault and shared the video with others. At the same time, speculation has arisen over what Sean "Diddy" Combs is eating in jail. Reports suggest he’s avoiding the meals provided by food services, fearing he could be poisoned. Former inmate Larry Levine suggests that Combs might be paranoid, but it’s not unreasonable to think someone could pay to have his food poisoned, potentially causing a heart attack. Correctional officers don’t earn much, and those implicated in the alleged videos have plenty of money. However, Levine also notes a simpler reason: many prisoners simply dislike the food when they first arrive.    Joining Nancy Grace today:  Renee Rockwell - Criminal Defense Attorney; Facebook: "Renee.Rockwell" Dr. Bethany Marshall – Psychoanalyst, Author – “Deal Breaker,”  featured in hit show: “Paris in Love” on Peacock;, Instagram & TikTok: drbethanymarshall, X: @DrBethanyLive Dr. DeWayne Hendrix  - Former Associate Warden at the MDC in Brooklyn, and Former Senior Warden with the US Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons; Founder and President of A New Daylight Foundation, & Author: "Who Are You?  See it Say it and Seize it;" @anewdaylight (IG) @drdewaynehendrix (LinkedIn)  @anewdaylight (X) Lynn Shaw - Founder and Executive Director of Lynn's Warriors Josh Sabarra  - Marketing Executive and Best-Selling Author: "Enemies Closer" Sydney Sumner - CrimeOnline Investigative Reporter  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Man arrested 2000 miles away after woman's body pulled from New Orleans wharf. Boyfriend defecates on the floor, then chokes his horrified girlfriend.  For more crime and justice news go to crimeonline.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ellen Greenberg, a 27-year-old first-grade teacher in Philadelphia, and her longtime boyfriend, Sam Goldberg, had just sent out "save the date" cards for their upcoming wedding. As a blizzard approached Philadelphia, her school dismissed early. At home with her fiancé, Sam left around 4:45 p.m. to work out at the apartment complex gym. Less than an hour later, when he returned, the door was locked from the inside. For over 20 minutes, Sam pounded on the door, texted, and called Ellen, but received no response. At 6:33 p.m., he broke down the door and found Ellen on the kitchen floor, stabbed 20 times in the chest, neck, and head. While on the phone with 911, Sam was instructed to perform CPR, but he told them a knife was still lodged in her chest. First responders arrived within minutes, and Ellen was pronounced dead at 6:40 p.m. Police launched an investigation. Initially, the medical examiner ruled Ellen's death a homicide, but after meeting with police, the ruling was changed to suicide. Since the medical examiner changed the manner of death, Ellen’s parents, Josh and Sandee Greenberg, have been fighting to have the ruling reversed. Now, Guy D'Andrea, a former assistant district attorney who worked on the case, is speaking out.  Joining Nancy Grace today:  Sandee & Josh Greenberg -  Ellen Greenberg's Parents, Twitter: @justice4ellentw, Facebook: @justice4ellenFB,   Facebook: #Justice For Ellen Guy D’Andrea  - Former Pennsylvania Prosecutor, Attorney at Laffey Bucci D’Andrea Reich & Ryan John Luciew [pronounced Lucy]- (Harrisburg, Pa) Journalist for PennLive.com and The Patriot-News of Harrisburg, Pa. (specializes in true crime and cold case investigations for PennLive.com); Author: “Kill the Story;” Twitter: @JohnLuciew  Benee Knauer - Author of "What Happened To Ellen?: An American Miscarriage of Justice"  Tom Brennan – Private Investigator and Consultant for the Greenbergs Dr. Kendall Crowns – Chief Medical Examiner Tarrant County (Ft Worth) and Lecturer: University of Texas Austin and Texas Christian University Medical School See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Teen Waffle House Cook shot and killed over wait time for to-go order. DUI driver tries to blame erratic driving on pet squirrel. For more crime and justice news go to crimeonline.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Polk County Sheriff's deputies respond to a 911 call from a home in Auburndale, Florida. Inside, they find 39-year-old Catherine Griffith lying face down with a kitchen knife in her neck. She is pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators begin canvassing the neighborhood to determine what led to Catherine's death. The case background begins when, after 20 years of marriage, Catherine Griffith leaves her husband, Charles Griffith. She alleges that Charles abused her and their two sons, Christopher and Collin, for years. Christopher, 20, no longer lives at home, but custody disputes arise over 13-year-old Collin, who goes to live with his father in Oklahoma. Catherine claims Charles cut off her contact with Collin after he begged her to rescue him, accusing her ex-husband of "holding Collin hostage" since he came out as gay. Charles, however, contends that Collin no longer wants contact with Catherine because she is "unstable" and that he restricted communication after Catherine sent Collin a photo of a handwritten suicide note. A judge rules that Collin will remain in Oklahoma with his father. Tensions escalate on Valentine’s Day when Collin calls 911 to report he shot and killed his father. He tells the operator his father attacked him and chased him with a knife through their home. When cornered in a bedroom, Collin says he grabbed a shotgun and shot Charles in self-defense. Investigators, unable to rule out self-defense based on the 911 call and home evidence, send Collin to live with his mother in Florida. Catherine's social media posts suggest she and Collin are happy together, as they travel to Washington D.C., take a Disney cruise, and celebrate Collin’s early graduation and his first car purchase. However, friends and family describe a more troubled relationship. Collin frequently argues with his mother and struggles with his mental health. On September 6, Collin leaves after a disagreement over household chores and goes to his grandmother's house. Despite several attempts to bring Collin home, Catherine confides in a neighbor about her exhaustion in dealing with her son. She texts that she has cleared out Collin’s room and will not allow him back without her permission. The neighbor also tries to convince Collin to return, but he ignores her. Catherine says she plans to meet Collin at his grandmother’s home the following day as a last-ditch effort to bring him back before he misses a probation meeting, warning that if he doesn't comply, law enforcement will intervene. Joining Nancy Grace today:  Peter Odom - Partner at Price Benowitz LLP  Washington DC; Former Homicide Prosecutor Dr. Jorey Krawczyn – Police Psychologist, Adjunct Faculty with Saint Leo University; Research Consultant with Blue Wall Institute, Author: Operation S.O.S. – Practical Recommendations to Help “Stop Officer Suicide”  Robin Dreeke – Behavior Expert & Retired FBI Special Agent / Chief of the FBI Counterintelligence Behavioral Analysis Program; Author: “Sizing People Up: A Veteran FBI Agents Manual for Behavior Prediction;” X: @rdreekeke Dr. Priya Banerjee – Board Certified Forensic Pathologist, Anchor Forensic Pathology Consulting; X: @Autopsy_MD Susan Hendricks - Journalist, Author: “Down the Hill: My Descent into the Double Murder in Delphi’;" IG: @susan_hendricks X @SusanHendicks   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

14yo girl shoots her mom, attempts to shoot her stepfather after a concerned friend tells mom about her drug use. Man wakes up missing more than $40,000 after world's most expensive date! For more crime and justice news go to crimeonline.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It took over a year for Virginia police to make a second arrest in connection with the murders of Christine Banfield and Joseph Ryan. Juliana Peres Magalhães, the au pair caring for Banfield's daughter, faces second-degree murder charges, but only in Joseph Ryan's death. The person indicted in Christine Banfield’s killing is her husband, Brendan Banfield. He faces four counts of aggravated murder and one count of felony firearm use. That day, Banfield told 911 he shot a man who had stabbed his wife. Investigators say the killings were part of a larger scheme. Peres Magalhães and Brendan Banfield began a romantic relationship in the months leading up to the murders, and allegedly continued the affair afterward. On the day of the murders, Magalhães called 911 to report an emergency. She hung up during the first call, and more than 10 minutes later, she called again, with Brendan Banfield speaking to the dispatcher. He claimed he shot a man who had stabbed his wife. According to Peres Magalhães, they found Joseph Ryan holding a knife to Christine Banfield’s throat. She alleged Ryan stabbed Christine Banfield, and Brendan Banfield then shot Ryan. Magalhães also told authorities she fired one shot at Ryan with a second gun. Prosecutors and police say Brendan Banfield and Juliana Peres Magalhães had been having an affair for months before Christine Banfield and Joseph Ryan were killed.   Joining Nancy Grace today:  Brian Foley –  Board-certified Criminal Defense Attorney, Former Chief Prosecutor in Harris County, (Houston) Texas; Author: “What Prosecutors Don’t Tell You”; Instagram @brianfoleylawpllc/ YouTube – @brianfoleylawyer/X: @brianpllc Courtney Lasky, M.Ed., LBA, BCBA   –  Board-certified Behavior Analyst, Autism Expert, and Chief Clinical Officer with Little Stars Therapy Services Ron Bateman – Sheriff (Former Homicide and Undercover Narcotics) & Author: “Silent Blue Tears: Voice of The Victims;” X: Ronbatemanbooks Dr. Jan Gorniak – Medical Examiner, Clark County Office of the Coroner/Medical Examiner (Las Vegas, NV), Board Certified Forensic Pathologist Sierra Fox - Anchor/Reporter, Fox 5 Washington DC; @thesierrafox: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Family of four is found dead in their burning home... of stab wounds, not smoke inhalation. 8-year-old girl busted for stealing Mom's car to drive to Target! For more crime and justice news go to crimeonline.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.