Crazed Killer Strikes Again in "Hustletown"

(Above is a photo of the McDonald's where Andrew Williams murdered Martha Medina. Also pictured is the convicted killer. It's hard to believe but Williams was out on bail after being arrested for a previous murder. He was even wearing an ankle monitor. The Medina family not only blames Williams, but also the judge who set bond for this violent career criminal.)

The Jugging Murder

By Robert A. Waters

On the morning of September 23, 2021, Martha Medina, 71, pulled up to a Chase Bank ATM in Houston, Texas and made a small cash withdrawal. She then drove to McDonald's at 430 Uvalde Road, parked near the entrance, and walked inside to purchase takeout breakfasts for her family. As she walked back to her car holding a bag of food and her purse, she had no idea she'd been followed from the bank by three career criminals. On the streets, they call it "jugging." 

Unlike Martha, a productive, well-respected member of her community, 41-year-old Andrew Williams had been a violent felon for most of his existence. In 2000, he spent time in the state prison for aggravated robbery. In 2014, Williams served time for fraud and feloniously using another person's identification. After being released, Williams ran down his girlfriend with his car but served little jail time.

And in 2019, he shot a bystander during an armed robbery, killing her. Doug Wylie wrote: "Williams...[was] involved in a 'drug deal gone bad' when Chima Ogbonnaya was shot in the back of the head and left for dead in a darkened, desolate parking lot." After Williams was arrested, the prosecutor urged 248th Criminal District Court Judge Hilary Unger to deny bond. However, the judge disagreed and soon the lifelong criminal was back on the streets of Houston, i.e., Hustletown. 

At the time he murdered Martha Medina, Williams wore an ankle monitor. This helped police seal their case against him.

On that fatal day in 2021, Williams followed Martha to McDonald's. Two accomplices, Lawrence "Dirty" Earl Thomas and Felton Ford, allegedly assisted him. A police spokesperson said Thomas served as a lookout while Williams and Ford committed the robbery. Williams ran toward Medina as she was getting into her car. He quickly wrested her purse away and, in the scuffle, Medina fell to the ground. The robbers rushed back to the getaway car and climbed in. Williams, driving, sped through the McDonald's parking lot and ran over Medina, who was lying on the pavement.

Wylie wrote: "Williams waited for his victim to emerge from the eatery with take-out food in hand. Then, he began his assault with a strong-armed purse-snatching, got into his car, and during his attempted escape struck Medina, running her over and dragging her some distance beneath the vehicle."  

Bystanders attempted to give Medina aid, but she was pronounced dead when she arrived at a local hospital. 

The court recently convicted Williams of murdering Martha Medina and sentenced him to life in prison. (The other alleged suspects are awaiting trial.)

Judge Unger narrowly won reelection against Republican challenger Julian Ramirez. During her campaign, she made no bones about her beliefs. "Courts should find alternatives to incarceration with an eye towards rehabilitation," Unger wrote on her website.

It would have been an amazing transformation for Andrew Williams to go from a past riddled with drugs, violence and murder to becoming a model citizen. Elections mean something. If you don't believe it, look at this case. Had Ramirez been elected, he likely would not have let Andrew Williams bond out for murdering Ogbonnaya.

Martha Medina would likely be alive today.

There's a $20,000 reward waiting if you can identify this killer

 

Teenage Girl Murdered in Road Rage Shooting

By Robert A. Waters

Do you know this man? $20,000 awaits you if you turn him in.

On Sunday morning, December 10, seventeen-year-old Louise Wilson (pictured below) was traveling from Whitney, Texas to Galveston. Two passengers, one in the front seat, the other in the back, traveled with her. On the Pierce Elevated on I-45 in Houston, she swerved to avoid a braking vehicle in front of her. In doing so, she accidently cut in front of another car.

The unidentified driver (pictured above) of the vehicle that was cut off sped up beside Louise and opened fire. After being shot through the heart, the teenager heroically pulled her car to the side of the road, avoiding an accident. However, she died at the scene. A passenger, also shot, survived.

Louise, much-loved, had just graduated from high school. Her father addressed the media. "To my daughter's killer," he said, "I want to say that you're a coward. But unlike how you've taken Louise's life, we have taken yours. We've just given you up to 20,000 reasons to doubt and not trust everyone in your world right now. You will have to live with that doubt for the rest of your life, having to wonder who might turn you in--your mom, dad, brother, sister or friends, [and] those who [you] bragged to about what you did to our little girl."

Please view the following video interview with Louise's parents:

If you have any information about this case, or know who the shooter is, please contact Crime Stoppers of Houston at 713-521-4600. Or you may dial Houston Police Department directly at 713-884-1331.  

Armed Robbers Got What They Deserved

California Storeowners are Literally Up in Arms

By Robert A. Waters

On January 1, 2024, at about 10:00 A.M., two armed robbers burst into the MSM Jewelry Store in Oakland, California.

The owner, who wished to remain unidentified, told police he saw two men park their car in the wrong direction outside the store. When they exited their car, he noticed they wore masks and held semiautomatic weapons. As they entered the business, the owner opened fire with a 9mm handgun. He said, "They told me, 'don't move or we'll shoot.' So I started shooting at them because they had guns pointed at me. They were shooting back."

Both robbers quickly realized they were facing a determined foe, so like cowards, they turned and scampered for the door. One fell and lost his shoe as he was slipping and sliding across the slick the floor. The owner insists he hit one in the shoulder.

The store owner was not charged with any crime.

Maybe the California authorities will get DNA from that lost shoe. And maybe they'll arrest the robber. And maybe they'll charge him with something like, say, attempted murder. Or maybe, like usual, prosecutors will let him go with no indictment and no punishment. California's criminal justice system under Governor Gavin Newsom is becoming a joke for the rest of the country to laugh at. Unfortunately, it's not funny for the people who live and work there.

Robberies in Oakland are so prevalent that some city council members are calling for a meeting with police to discuss how to reduce the mayhem.

I have one suggestion: in the next election, vote for prosecutors who will take crime seriously.

Smash and Grab Robbers Routed by Armed Store Owner

"It's Terrifying Living in California"

By Robert A. Waters

On December 11, 2023, a gang of smash and grab robbers stormed into the Estates Consignment store in Pleasant Hill, California. It was the middle of the day when a "scout," a woman dressed in a colorful dress, wandered around the shop eyeing surveillance cameras and speaking into her cell phone. A security guard stood at the locked door, allowing customers to enter and exit.

When the woman left the building, she held the door open long enough so the group of thieves could force their way inside. Two robbers threatened the unarmed security guard, holding him at bay, while five men raced straight toward the jewelry section of the store. One robber carried a sledgehammer. Expensive rings, watches, necklaces and high-end gems sat in glass cases near the rear of the store.

As the men neared the jewelry cases, a clerk screamed, alerting business owner Albert Marcu.

The brazen attitude of the thieves struck him. They acted like they owned the store. Marcu pulled a .38-caliber revolver from his pocket and moved to confront the men. "I told them to 'watch it' and they saw the gun and ran away," he said.

That's an understatement. As they neared the counter and noticed the gun, they stopped dead in their tracks. It was if all five men hit a brick wall at once. They halted, turned and sprinted for the door, kicking over chairs in their panicky flight.

In thirty seconds, the thugs were gone.

Albert Marcu is a remarkable man. He grew up in communist Romania, but fled when he was 19. He landed in Germany and obtained a degree in architecture there. Immigrating to America, Marcu worked for a few years in that profession. However, his passion was making and repairing jewelry and he soon opened his successful Estates Consignment shop.

After defending his store, the storeowner gave interviews to several networks.

"I feel very, very bad for this country," he said, "which is one of the best countries in the world. We beg the politicians to help us small businesses and help communities all over California. I'd say about 99% of my customers complain about crime."

Marcu told reporters he had a premonition his store might be hit "as large-scale retail thefts have become synonymous with the Bay area."

In an interview with Fox News, Marcu was asked about Governor Gavin Newsom's claim that San Francisco outperformed other areas in the state in reducing thefts. "Not true," Marcu said emphatically.

"I didn't want to shoot anybody," he said. "But I have to make a statement. Too many bad things have happened. Stores get robbed left and right. I have a message for all business owners, to take example and fight for themselves, because if you don't fight for yourself, nobody will."

"It's terrifying living in California," Marcu said.

As of this writing, none of the would-be robbers that attacked Albert Marcu's consignment store have been apprehended. If they are caught, they'll likely be released and face no charges. (In the Golden State, many prosecutors refuse to indict criminals except for the most violent crimes.)