The Great Convenience Store Stickup

Please don't ever start doing dope...

By Robert A. Waters

Back in school, you and your buddies used to make fun of Nancy Reagan's slogan, "Just say no." So simplistic, you said, snickering with all your friends. 

Since then, you've been in jail a half-dozen times, and you just got out of prison a few hours ago. You've never been able to hold a job. You beat up every girlfriend you ever had when she attempted to leave your sorry ass. Your dad tried helping when you were young. He'd been in Nam and knew what real problems could be. Now every time you look into his sad old eyes, you feel utterly ashamed.

But that craving is still there, and it's only getting worse. The few dollars you got when you were released from prison have already vanished. You need more money. If you don't score some meth, you feel like you'll die. 

Your old prison buddy, who got out a few days before you, loaned you a beat-up little .22-caliber Saturday Night Special. It seems fragile, like it's missing a couple of pieces. 

It's only four in the afternoon, but you walk across the street from your dad's house and enter the store. Chips, candy, beer, you're not interested. You also don't notice that the surveillance video is state-of-the-art and covers every square inch of the place, inside and out.

A girl stands behind the counter. Got on a green jacket with the business logo. Straight brunette hair, can't be more than twenty. You walk up and stick the pistol in her face. "Gimme the money," you snarl. Her face drains white and she fumbles with the register. "Don't shoot," she whispers. You sweep the gun down, the barrel pointing at the till. She's panicking now, banging the keys with her fingers when all of a sudden the drawer pops open. Sounds like a gunshot. 

The girl grabs a bunch of bills and hands them to you. "That ain't enough," you say. "Open the safe." 

"It's time-stamped," she murmurs. "Please don't shoot me," she says. "I got a little boy. My husband..." 

"Gimme the rest of the money. Now!" 

"I can't."

You point the barrel at her face and cock the gun. Now you feel that same rage you felt when your girlfriends tried to leave. The clerk whimpers out one more word. "Plee-eease...."

When you squeeze the trigger, the gun barely makes any sound. A faraway car backfires. The girl staggers back, a smear of blood on her shirt. Her face looks like she can't believe this is happening. Then she drops like a stone onto the floor.

Oh Jesus, what am I gonna do now?

You finally notice the video behind the counter. You point the gun at it and try to fire at the camera. But your pistol disintegrates. Half of it drops to the floor, you're just standing there holding the grip.

Finally, what little mind you have left tells you to leave.

But as you rush out, a young couple walks in. They nod at you, they're friends with your dad.

You don't have long. You race to your dealer who lives around the corner and hand him the wad of cash. 63 bucks. He places a baggie in your hand. "Get out!" he screams.

You run back to your old man's house. He's lying on the couch, not moving. It's like he's either dead or zoning you out--like he doesn't want to even think about you and your perpetual crises...You run into your bedroom and lock the door.

You've got to get that rush before police arrive.

Suddenly, the door crashes in and someone kicks that baggie out of your hand. That fat cop you hate the most yanks your arms behind your back and cuffs you. Then he wrenches your shoulder up until you scream. 

He laughs.

You never even got that last high.

This is a composite of many convenience store robberies I've studied. With the exception of a couple of cases that were sexually motivated where the robbers kidnapped a female clerk, all were drug-related. In most cases, the robber does something stupid, like having a decrepit gun that disintegrates. He's almost always caught within a few hours. 

Dope has infiltrated our culture so that a large percentage of the population think it's cool to get high. More than 100,000 Americans OD every year. These are real lives, real people who died senseless deaths. And real families that will forever live with the heartache of needless loss.

It's only getting worse.

I'm afraid for my country.

I'm afraid for my grandkids.

If you believe in prayer, pray hard that this curse can be eradicated.

If you don't pray, teach your kids to "just say no." Yeah, it's kinda hokey. But it just might save someone's life.

The Case That Was So Horrific It Could Never Go To Trial

Was Justice Served for Madeline Soto?

By Robert A. Waters

"I'm pretty sure this was all an accident. I'm not sure that any one person [is to blame]. Maybe no one's to blame or everyone's to blame a little bit." Stephan Sterns speaking about how Madeline Soto (pictured) died. NOTE: It wasn't no one's fault or everyone's fault, it was Sterns and Sterns alone who murdered her.

It's hard to say who was running the asylum in Kissimmee, Florida.

There was Jennifer Soto. She rarely worked and when she did, she had to make sure she didn't earn enough so that her disability payments would be revoked. The asylum was a pill dump--everyone in the "family" of three seemed to be overly-medicated much of the time. Jenn, as she liked to be called, took sleeping pills for comfort. If she didn't want to face a problem, why not gulp down a benzodiazepine or two? She also had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. That required additional meds. Drugs were everywhere in the home.

The "family" lived in a 2200 square foot townhouse. It had four bedrooms. Jenn's father owned the place and even his daughter was forced to pay rent to live there. There were two female renters in the rooms upstairs. There was one kitchen that everyone used and a bathroom on  each floor.

The whole situation invited chaos.

Madeline Soto, Jennifer's daughter, had a make-shift bedroom she rarely used. A teenager, she still slept with Jenn, and sometimes Jenn and Stephan. On the night she was murdered, Jenn sent Maddie upstairs to sleep with her boyfriend while she (Jenn) slept. So what could go wrong?

Maddie's father lived a thousand miles away in Texas. So she had gown up in the chaos. She had fought her way through 13 years, being force-fed pills just to exist. Like mother, like daughter. Jennifer claimed that Madeline had ADHD--attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Due to the drugs Jennifer gave her, Madeline sometimes could not stay awake in class. 

On Sunday, February 22, Madeline went to her grandmother's house to celebrate her 13th birthday. (Her mother had to work that day and couldn't attend.) Maddie came home in the late afternoon to find her mother's boyfriend waiting.

Stephan Sterns, 37, was a sneaky little hustler. He lived upstairs in Room 4. Like Jenn, he almost never worked. He bragged to her that at any time he could manipulate his parents into giving him money. And if they wouldn't hand over the cash, he would steal it, he said. He had actually stolen his father's Rolex watch. Sterns' parents lived two hours away. Sterns loved vaping, and playing Warhammer games and wearing his cap backward like a 1980s teenaged nerd. He seemed to think he looked cool. He collected trading cards and figurines, Tamagotchis and Battletech. He was so creepy that almost everyone of Jenn's friends who met him warned her to get him out of her life.

But for some reason, she ignored the advice.

Like Jenn and Maddie, Sterns took medication to sleep and for anxiety.

He had a secret. A dark deadly secret that had festered for years inside Room 4. The room was equipped with several inside door locks so no one would find out the secret. For at least five years, Sterns had been raping Maddie. Sometimes he doubled her sleeping pills so he could molest her while she was unconscious. Other times, he blackmailed her into succumbing to his dark desires. Or he would tell her he loved her, playing on her naivete to form an emotional pathway for sexual exploitation. 

Shortly after Maddie returned from her party, Sterns strangled her to death. Panicking, he drove her body around for hours looking for a place to dump it. Eventually, he found a row of out-of-the-way bamboo trees on private property off Hickory Tree Road in Osceola County. Five days after Maddie went missing, cops found her remains there.

In this era of amateur YouTube detectives, millions of viewers across the world learned details about Maddie's case. (I'm not putting the YouTubers down, just stating a fact.)

After recovering Maddie's body, Kissimmee PD took the lead in the investigation. Detectives had already arrested Sterns on 60 counts of sexual battery, molestation and child pornography. In addition to 1,700 images of Maddie being violated in every way possible, cops found a hard drive owned by Sterns that contained 35,000 images of random sexual acts with children. While the original charges consisted of Sterns raping Maddie, the 35,000 images on the hard drive were likely picked up off the internet. Cops think those images may have been bought and sold. Since Sterns rarely worked but always seemed to have cash to buy expensive figurines, many have conjectured that he sold those vile images via the internet.

A few weeks after Maddie's body was found, Sterns was charged with first degree murder. Prosecutors said they planned to seek the death penalty.

But the court cases never got that far. The prospect of 12 jurors watching 1,700 images of Maddie being raped was too much even for Sterns. Had he allowed those images to be seen, he wouldn't have a chance in prison. His lawyers persuaded him to plead guilty. In that way, he could avoid the death penalty and no one else would view the horrific things he did to Maddie.

On July 21, 2025, Sterns pleaded no contest to the murder charge and guilty to many of the sex abuse charges. He was sentenced to something like 20 life sentences with no chance for parole.

One major question remains. What caused Sterns to murder Maddie? Even after pleading "no contest" for her murder, he never told the reason.

Many theories have emerged. Some analysts say he "outgrew" her. According to this theory, molesters have a certain age preference. Maddie no longer looked like a child. She was a teenager fast becoming an adult. Did that turn Stephan off? Possibly. Would it have made him kill her? I doubt it.

It's more likely that Maddie threatened to expose her abuser. She had told friends that when she turned 13 she planned to go "live in the woods." That may have been a coded way of saying she wanted to end the abuse. I can imagine a scenario of Maddie confronting Sterns. Social scientists who study domestic violence have determined that ending a relationship can be a very dangerous time. What if Maddie informed Sterns that she planned to tell her mom about the hell she had suffered over the years. He knew the end of Maddie's silence would mean he would be imprisoned for life. In his mind, that could never happen. So the only viable alternative for him to continue his life as he knew it would be to murder his long-time victim.

One other scenario strikes me as plausible. What if Maddie was pregnant? Or maybe she thought she was pregnant? It is possible that Maddie had been brainwashed into thinking she was in a romantic relationship with Sterns. While this is despicable to think about, it's happened before. 

According to one of Maddie's girlfriends at school, they kept track of their periods together. They had started menstruating about the same time so they talked about it occasionally. Approximately two months before she was murdered, her friend told detectives that Maddie's periods had stopped. She may have told Sterns she was pregnant with his child. While she might have been ecstatic about having his baby, he would have been crushed. He knew the end had come. Murder, as Sterns saw it, was the only option.

One other fact supports this theory.

Cops found emails on the phones of Maddie and Sterns in which she pressured him to buy "mom," "dad," and "baby" tokens.

If Maddie was indeed pregnant, the information isn't likely to be released any time soon. But those tokens are certainly intriguing.

Some of the YouTube channels I used while researching this story:

The Fish Tank: Gavin Fish

Grizzly: Gisela

Nancy Grace

Vinnie Politan: Court TV.

Facing the Firing Squad

Victim Maurine Hunsaker

40 Years Later, It's Finally Time to Pay

By Robert A. Waters

Ralph Menzies looks like anyone's grandpa. Slightly overweight, maybe a little sickly, but probably nice enough. If you saw him in Walmart, you might nod.

You wouldn't know that from his youth Menzies could never stay out of prison for more than a few days at any given time. For his final crime, he kidnapped, tortured, robbed and murdered a completely innocent woman.

So now this kindly-looking old man faces a firing squad.

A lot of people say he's too old to be shot to death. Not only that, he had a crappy childhood. And he might have mental issues. And, even worse, he may have dementia.

Others say it's been a long time coming, that 40 years is too long for a family to have to wait for justice to be served.

On February 23, 1986, Maurine Hunsaker, 26, went to work at the Gas a Mat service station in Kearns, Utah. As a clerk, her job was to see that customers got gas in their vehicles and bought candy and cold drinks and beer if they wanted to. She may never have even realized that working in such a business is one of the most dangerous jobs in America.

The Salt Lake City Tribune reported that "Menzies is accused of killing Mrs. Hunsaker the morning after she disappeared from her job at a Kearns area self-service gas station February 23. A hiker found her body February 25 near a picnic area on Storm Mountain in Big Cottonwood Canyon."

Menzies had been out of prison for just three days. Instead of trying to find work, he decided to rob a store to get a few bucks for drugs. It was just the luck of the draw that he chose the place where Maurine worked.  

A staff writer for the Tribune wrote that "convicted killer Ralph LeRoy Menzies is an incurable psychopath who should die not just for the murder of Maurine Hunsaker but for his life of crime, prosecutors say."

As a juvenile, Menzies had a rap sheet five pages long. In 1976, just hours after being released from custody for other crimes he robbed a 7-11 convenience store. Two years later, he shot-gunned a cab driver. Had he been jailed for the rest of his life for either of those crimes, Maurine Hunsaker would likely have been able to live her life.

Instead, Menzies played the system. After he kidnapped Maurine, he allowed her to call her husband and tell him that she would be released later. Then Menzies used a long-bladed knife to stab her to death.

Menzies is scheduled to die September 5. 

Maurine's son Matt, who was just ten-years-old when his mother was killed, has long complained about the length of time it takes for an execution to take place. Betty Sudweeks, Hunsaker's mother, recently stated that she is bitter at the system for the dozens and dozens of delays. "Maurine had a very lovely family," Sudweeks said, "and a husband she adored. She had everything to live for."

Ralph Menzies got $116.00 for the robbery.

Who Murdered Eddie Gaedel?

Midget Played in the Major Leagues

By Robert A. Waters

In 1951, baseball was still king. Every day in the summertime, massive crowds showed up to see the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Giants, Brooklyn Dodgers, and other great teams. But there were also ne'er-do-well organizations such as the St. Louis Browns, teams that had never gotten a whiff of a pennant or, God forbid, a World Series. Since he was unable to hire a team of winners, Bill Veeck, owner of the Browns, turned to promoting stunts to gain paying crowds.

His most successful stunt featured a 3-foot 7-inch midget named Eddie Gaedel. On the scorching hot day of August 19, 1951, the Browns were playing a double-header with the Detroit Tigers. As usual, the Browns lost the first game 7 to 2. In between the first and second game, Veeck's ground crew rolled a massive papier-mache cake onto the field. The 18,000 fans in attendance suddenly became excited--another wild feat was coming, they could feel it in their bones.

As the Tigers began getting ready for the second game, catcher Bob Swift took warm-up tosses from pitcher Bob Cain. Umpire Ed Hurley stood behind Swift ready to call the balls and strikes.

Then it happened. As the two bottom-dwelling teams got ready to play, a door in the papier-mache cake popped open and out stepped Eddie Gaedel. Half the size of most players, wearing an official Browns uniform with the fraction "1/8" written across the back, manager Zack Taylor walked to the umpire and stated that Eddie Gaedel would pinch hit for the scheduled number one hitter, Frank Saucier.

Gaedel, a showman, strutted toward home plate holding a child's bat.

The crowd, throbbing with excitement, erupted in laughter.

Umpire Hurley called Veeck and manager Taylor to him. This man is not a professional player, Hurley said. He will not be allowed to hit. Veeck quickly pulled out documents proving Gaedel was a member of the team. The doubtful umpire had no choice, the diminutive batter could play.

Gaedel stepped up to the plate. Veeck had warned him not to swing, to just crouch down and hold the bat on his shoulder. The crowd was standing now, ready to see the stunt play out. Pitcher Cain reared back and threw a fastball to the catcher. "Ball!" roared the ump. Too high. A second pitch was also a ball. Every time Hurley yelled "Ball," the crowds screamed. 

After ball four, Gaedel began jogging toward first base. He stopped twice and curtseyed for the crowds. Pandemonium set in. Gaedel reached first base and stood there. Manager Taylor then put in a pinch runner for Gaedel. As the midget headed to the dugout, the crowds gave him a prolonged and raucous standing ovation. 

Then it was over. As usual, the Browns lost the game. But nobody cared. Each fan would remember this game for the rest of their lives.

Eddie Gaedel was born in Chicago to a poor family. Whether it was due to people making fun of him because of his height, or a Napoleanic complex, he developed a surly personality. That, along with a yearning for juke joints and booze, made the little man a target for bullies. Even though he never won, our one-day hero always seemed to be itching for a fight.

Gaedel fought his last bout on June 18, 1961, ten years after he made baseball history. The Chicago Times reported that "an inquest has been ordered into the death of Edward Gaedel, the only midget ever to play baseball in the major leagues. He was 36 years old. The inquest was ordered after police noted bruises around the knees and on the left side of Mr. Gaedel's face after his body was discovered in the bedroom of his South side apartment Sunday." In addition to the wounds suffered by Gaedel, an autopsy showed that he died of a heart attack.

Rumor suggested that Gaedel was last seen at a bowling alley being followed by four ruffians. Reporters speculated that these men robbed him.

This story disappeared from the newspapers faster than Eddie Gaedel disappeared from major league baseball. While searching many newspapers, I could never find additional information about the murder investigation into his death. Did the cops drop the case after learning of Gaedel's heart attack? That might make it difficult to convict an assailant, so investigators may have decided to deep-six the case. 

The only major league player to attend Eddie Gaedel's funeral was Bob Cain, the pitcher who walked him. "I felt obligated," Cain told reporters.

Blue Monday--The Day Fats Domino Disappeared

Rock 'n' Roll Legend Went Missing for 3 Days

By Robert A. Waters

On August 23, 2005, a storm formed near the Bahama Islands in the Bermuda Triangle. It moved fast, striking just north of Miami on the evening of the 25th. The roiling clouds and driving rains screamed across Florida with winds of 80 miles-per-hour. Twenty inches of rain soaked the Sunshine State. The storm kept drifting west, into the Gulf of Mexico. Once there, winds rose to 175 miles per hour and became a waterlogged thorn in the side of weathercasters. Where would it land?

On the night of Monday, August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina stopped playing games with the news crews. It smashed up on the southern shore of Louisiana. With winds now at 140 miles per hour and a storm surge of 27 feet, much of the city of New Orleans was doomed. Dikes broke, flooding obliterated thousands of homes and businesses, and more than 1,500 residents of Louisiana died. Twenty-four hours later, as the storm rolled out of the "Big Easy," it left a massive hole of devastation behind.

Many people disappeared, some never to be seen again. Among those who vanished was the famous singer, Antoine "Fats" Domino.

The Ponderosa Stomp Foundation wrote that "New Orleans' biggest musical export since Louis Armstrong, [Fats] Domino, sold more records from 1956 to 1963 than anyone but Elvis Presley and could have lived anywhere. He chose, when not on tour, to stay in the neighborhood he grew up in, holding court over heaping pots of red beans and rice in a living room with a grand piano and a couch made from the back of a vintage Cadillac. Musicians, neighbors, relatives, and visiting dignitaries were in and out the door over the decades." (Domino's home is pictured below.)

As the storm blew in, Domino called his agent. The singer stated he planned to "ride out" Katrina with his disabled wife, Rosemary.

Then he went silent.

Antoine Dominique Domino, Jr. was born February 26, 1928 in New Orleans. He learned the piano as a child and started playing local clubs in his teenaged years. In 1949, he released his first record, "The Fat Man." It sold over a million copies. Fats was on his way to fame and fortune. Hits such as "My Girl Josephine," "Blue Monday," and the classic, "Blueberry Hill," continued to chart. 

Domino lived in the Lower Ninth Ward at 1208 Caffin Avenue. His home lay directly in the path of Katrina. Throughout the night, winds roared and rain shot like volleys of bullets in the  darkness. The Domino home began taking water early. As the water rose in the house, Fats and Rosemary clambered upstairs to the second floor. 

Six feet, eight feet, ten feet, the flood continued to rise. By now, Fats and Rosemary feared they would die. Looking below, the world-famous musician could see his possessions floating around his home. His expensive white Steinway piano lay on its side, covered by the flood. It's legs and keys were never found.

When morning broke, the streets surrounding the Domino home were empty, except for floating corpses. Ten feet of water sloshed through the neighborhood, drowning many homes in the area. Late that afternoon, the United States Coast Guard began sending rescue crews out in small boats and helicopters.

No one could get hold of Fats. For three days, he remained missing. Fans of the singer grieved, sure he'd perished. Someone even painted "RIP Fats You Will Be Missed" on the front of his home.

Major news outlets, including CNN and Fox News, reported that the famous singer was missing and feared dead. His agent told reporters he had not heard from Fats for three days.

Finally, on September 1, CNN reported that Fats and his wife had been rescued by a Coast Guard helicopter. This was confirmed by his agent. The couple had climbed onto the roof to escape death. They were currently staying in a safe part of the city with their daughter's boyfriend.

Fats lost all his gold records and his National Medal of Arts award in the storm. 

One of the earliest members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Fats was also inducted into the National Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame and the Louisiana Hall of Fame. Over his career, it is estimated that the much-loved artist sold almost one hundred million records.

After Katrina, Fats never rebuilt his New Orleans home. He and Rosemary moved to Harvey, Louisiana. He died on October 24, 2017. He was 89-years-old. His beloved wife had preceded him in death.

His world-famous Steinway was restored and is currently on display at the New Orleans Jazz Museum.

Do You Have Any Information About Lindsey Baum?

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Obituary for My Wife, Marilyn Waters

Marilyn Elizabeth Davis Waters, 74, passed away on March 4, 2025. Marilyn was born June 11, 1951 to Howard and Lillie Mae Davis in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. After graduating from Central High School in Manchester, Tennessee, she went on to study childhood education at Middle Tennessee State University. After graduation, she worked for 35 years as an educator in Levy County, Florida.

Marilyn is survived by her husband of 51 years, Robert A. Waters. After marrying, the couple moved to Ocala, Florida where they lived until recently before moving to Seminole, Florida. Marilyn is survived by her son, John Simeon (Sim) Waters and daughter, LeAnn Waters. She has three surviving grandsons: Jonas Reilly; Porter Cash Waters; and Bowie Jay Waters.

Marilyn positively influenced the children she taught and had an impact on each person she interacted with. Many of those children (now adults) have contacted Marilyn since her retirement and shared the positive influence she had on their lives. She was known for her Southern accent, kindness, sense of humor, and Christian spirit. Marilyn will be missed by her family and friends.

There will be no memorial service.

NOTE: Due to medical issues and a lack of focus (depression) after my wife’s recent passing, I haven’t written much in the last three months. I do have top-flight medical doctors and hope to get those issues resolved. I am also much better on the mental health front. Here is my wife’s obituary.

Eliza Fletcher Should Be Alive Today

The Long, Violent Criminal Record of Cleotha Abston

By Robert A. Waters

Cleotha Abston's criminal history began when he was 11 years-old. It never ended, even when he was incarcerated--in fact, while serving twenty years of a twenty-four year sentence, he committed more than 50 offenses in prison, including exposing himself to correctional officers, larceny, threatening employees, drug possession, and positive drug screenings. Even in prison, he seemed unable or unwilling control his criminal impulses. With that kind of record, why would an obviously dangerous inmate be released early?

Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy wrote that Eliza Fletcher (pictured), "a devoted mother and beloved kindergarten teacher at St. Mary's Episcopal School, was abducted in September 2022 during an early morning run near the University of Memphis. Abston, a convicted felon previously imprisoned for kidnapping, was identified through forensic evidence and surveillance footage."

At around 4:00 A.M, on September 22, 2022, thirty-four-year-old Liza (as she was called) got out of bed and shucked on a pair of purple shorts, a pink shirt, and running shoes. Then she left the house to begin her usual morning jog. When she hadn't returned home by 7:45, her husband, Richard Fletcher, reported her missing.

The case quickly leaped to high profile status in the media. In addition to being an attractive blond, Liza was the mother of two young sons, and a productive, law-abiding citizen. Local TV hosts began railing about yet another innocent mother vanishing off the face of the earth. Then the media got wind of the fact that Liza was an "heiress." Her grandfather, it turned out, was a billionaire. Suddenly, the case exploded into an international sensation.

At around 6:45, on Central Avenue, a bicyclist found a cellphone and a pair of Champion "slides," i.e., sandals. Once he learned about the missing mother, the bicyclist turned these items over to police. The slides were tested for DNA and matched convicted felon Cleotha Abston. The phone belonged to Liza. 

Memphis police began searching the area around the university. One of the tactics of modern police work is to look for surveillance video. And it was there that detectives hit the jackpot. Footage obtained near where the shoes and phone were found showed the abduction. As she ran along the street, a black 2013 GMC Terrain was seen passing her and stopping in front of Liza's jogging direction. As she attempted to pass the vehicle, a figure jumped out the car and grabbed her. Footage shows a violent struggle as Liza is forced into the van.

Liza's body was found three days later. She'd been raped and bludgeoned to death. Liza's blood was found in Abston's car, even though he cleaned it thoroughly. Cops had no doubt they'd found the killer.

Abston's first arrest, for stealing a car, occurred shortly after he turned eleven. Because of his age, he was let off. Again and again. As he continued to commit crimes, he learned that breaking the law garnered few, if any, consequences. When he was fourteen, he raped a smaller boy and still received no jail time.

By the time he reached sixteen, he was ready for the big leagues. Abston used a gun to carjack and kidnap attorney Kemper Durand. He locked Durand in the trunk of his own car, a Mercedes Benz, then drove around picking up "friends." At some point, Abston forced the lawyer into a convenience store to withdraw money from an ATM. Durand saw an armed security guard enter and sounded the alarm. The guard quickly called police. Abston and his cohorts fled when they saw the guard's gun. Durand later said, "I was extremely lucky that I was able to escape from the custody of Cleotha Abston...It's quite likely that I would have been killed had I not escaped."

Abston was sentenced to 24 years in prison for kidnapping. But, as we all know, 24 years never means 24 years. Even though he had all those prison infractions against him, he was released after serving slightly less than 20 years. Memphis writer Jessica Jaglois wrote that, "according to the Tennessee Department of Corrections, he was released early due to credits he received for serving jail time before his sentence and for participating in the prison's job program where Abston worked in the kitchen, laundry, [as a] cleaner, and as a cook."

Almost from the second he was released, Abston began a crime spree. He somehow obtained a job at a Fed Ex warehouse. Within weeks, he was arrested for stealing thousands of dollars worth of goods. He targeted high-end items such as television sets and designer shoes, such as Nikes. Despite his arrest, Abston was released while cops and Fed Ex continued their investigations.

The violent criminal soon set up a profile on an internet dating service. The first woman to contact him was Alicia Franklin. (NOTE: she released her name to the media.) She was promptly lured to a vacant apartment and raped. DNA linked Abston, but he somehow remained free until he murdered Liza.

In 2023, before going to trial for the kidnapping and murder of Eliza Fletcher, Abston pled guilty and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Later, he was convicted of the rape and kidnapping of Alicia Franklin. A Tennessee judge sentenced him to eighty years.

Abston should have been arrested earlier for raping Franklin, but was not. Immediately after the assault, she reported it to the Memphis Police Department and had a rape kit done. He was quickly identified by DNA but was not immediately arrested.

Tennessee Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally was still outraged that Abston had been released from prison early. He stated that if the convicted felon had served his full sentence for the Durand kidnapping, "Eliza Fletcher would still be alive." 

The grieving Fletcher family released a statement to be read to Abston. It read: "We have no idea what happened to you to turn you into someone so filled with a desire to hurt people. Whatever it was, it does not excuse or explain what you have done. You have changed the course of our lives forever, and nothing will ever be the same. Your actions were evil. There is no other word for it. You murdered Liza, even though she did nothing to deserve it. She did not hurt you. In fact, she would've been the first to help if you needed it."

Cleotha Abston (pictured) has never shown one shred of remorse.

The Magic Needle

 Nancy Judith Harris

Burned to death for $76.00 and a wedding ring...

By Robert A. Waters

After Matthew Johnson was sentenced to death for the murder of Nancy Harris, her son Christopher looked him in the eye and said, "I hope the screams of my mother tear at your soul for eternity."

The time has finally come for whatever justice humans can deliver. Johnson is scheduled to be executed in the Texas death chamber on May 20.

Nancy Harris had worked at the Fina Whip convenience store in Garland, Texas for many years. On the morning of May 20, 2012, the seventy-six-year-old mother and grandmother opened up at 7:00 A.M. Videotape shows everything that happened in the next few minutes.

Matthew Lee Johnson entered the store shortly after Harris. Court records state that he was "carrying a cigarette lighter and a bottle containing what was later determined to be lighter fluid. [Johnson] walked around the sales counter into the employees-only area where Harris was standing. He poured the fluid over Harris's head, demanded money, and stood immediately behind her as she attempted to open the cash register."

Johnson grabbed two packs of cigarettes and two more lighters. Documents read that "he also attempted to remove Harris's ring. When it did not come off, [Johnson] licked his fingers, used the moisture to lubricate the ring and Harris's finger, and worked the ring off."

By this time, Nancy had opened the register. Johnson reached in and pulled out $76.00 in bills. Not wanting to leave anything behind, he also scooped up the few coins he found in the tray.  

Then, before leaving, Johnson clicked a lighter and held it to Harris's head. Her hair exploded in flames, and, as Johnson left, she ran to the back of the store to a nearby sink. Video shows her hair on fire and the flames crawling down to her shoulders. Using water from the faucet, she attempted to put out the flames but was unsuccessful. 

In fact, the blaze got worse. Documents describe the scene: "Harris leaned over the sink, attempting to extinguish the flames. When that attempt failed, Harris removed her burning shirt and dropped it to the floor, but her brassiere remained on fire. As Harris leaned over the sink again, flames from the still-burning shirt ignited her pants leg. She was unable to extinguish the flames. Still on fire, she made her way out of the store and began screaming for help."

As this was happening, Johnson nonchalantly grabbed a couple of candy bars and walked out the door.

Two police officers happened to be near the store and ran to help. Officer Billy Coffee grabbed a fire extinguisher from his car and put out the flames. He and the other officer called for backup and attempted to administer aid to Nancy. She kept screaming, "Help me. Help me. Help me." She also gave the officers a description of her attacker.

An ambulance quickly arrived and transported Nancy to Parkland Hospital. There, emergency room physicians determined that the patient had first, second, and third degree burns on her face, shoulders, abdomen, upper arms and legs. Staff quickly started the burn protocol, but Nancy's airway began closing. Medical personnel intubated the patient but had little hope that she would survive.

In the meantime, Johnson had retreated to a neighborhood behind the store. There, as he attempted to break into a home, he was arrested. In his pockets, cops located Harris's ring, cigarette lighters, coins and seventy-six dollars in bills.

In constant excruciating pain, Harris passed away three days after the attack. The medical examiner ruled her death a homicide, caused by "thermal injury."

Johnson had a lengthy criminal history, including many arrests for robbery, violating protective orders, resisting arrest, numerous charges for drug offenses, aggravated assaults, thefts, exposing his genitalia in a public place, and several counts of domestic abuse. 

Johnson was tried and convicted of the capital murder of Nancy Harris. A jury voted 12-0 to give him the death penalty. A few weeks ago, his appeals ran out. Johnson is scheduled to die on May 20, 2025.

While politicians in many states make excuses for not carrying out death sentences, Texas executes approximately five killers each year. One of the lamest rationalizations some legislators give to their voters is that they are unable get the drugs to required for execution. 

Texas must have a magic needle, because officials seem to have no trouble sending deserving killers like Matthew Lee Johnson from Planet Earth to Hell. 

Carjackers Who Murdered Woman Get Light Sentences

 Linda Frickey

Woman's Arm Severed in Deadly Attack

By Robert A. Waters

Like jackals, they surrounded the silver Nissan mini-van as Linda Frickey waited inside. There was Lenyra Theophile, 15; Mar'quel Curtis, 15; Briniyah Baker, 16; and the leader of the pack, John Honore, 17. Surveillance video from home cameras captured the teens circling their prey.

On March 21, 2022, the normally peaceful community on Beinville Street in New Orleans was decidedly middle-class, in the best sense of the word. Residents worked for what they had, and kept their homes looking nice. Linda, employed as an agent for Security Plan Life Insurance Company, had given her employers 28 years of service. Friendly, positive, outgoing, Linda had made long-lasting friends with many of her customers.

Closing in, Honore nonchalantly sidled up to the driver's side door. Suddenly, he yanked it open, surprising his victim. Before Linda could move, Honore whipped out a can of pepper spray and drenched her. Then he punched her in the face several times for good measure. Linda could not fight back. As Honore tugged at her, trying to get Linda out of the car, the other three predators piled into the vehicle.

Linda finally fell onto the asphalt, and Honore deliberately stomped on her face before climbing into the driver's seat. During the assault, Linda's right arm got caught in the seat belt, part of which hung outside the car.

Jillian Kramer, staff writer for NOLA.com, described what happened next.

"Honore got into the vehicle and drove...Frickey, tangled in the driver's seatbelt, was dragged alongside the SUV for the length of nearly two football fields.

"From her front yard on Beinville Street, Leanne Mascar watched as [Frickey] flapped on the side of the vehicle.

"Then I heard this voice: 'Let me go,' Mascar said.

"'Honore was trying to dislodge this person like a piece of trash had stuck to the car,' she said.

"He drove the vehicle over a curb. There a utility pole cable ripped Frickey's arm from her body. Mascar said she ran to Frickey, who was awake, face up, her clothes ripped from her body.

"'My first thought was where is all the blood?' Mascar testified. 'There was no blood.'

"She covered Frickey with a pink and white sheet. With her husband, Marc, and several others who had gathered, Mascar prayed over Frickey. 'Time was going slowly,' Mascar recalled."

Paramedics arrived just in time to watch Linda die. Forensic pathologist Erin O'Sullivan stated that Linda had suffered the following injuries: fractured ribs, vertebrae and collarbone, a torn aorta, and head bleeding. She also had her arm severed from her body. She might have died from any of those injuries, according to O'Sullivan.

Within hours, the parents of two of the assailants turned them in, and those two ratted out the others. Honore had driven the car a mere two miles before abandoning it. 

Linda had many family members in the area. After such a brutal attack, her family, including her husband of 36 years, called on the system to render justice. But justice in America does not often come easily, especially when those committing crimes are juveniles.

In 2023, Honore chose to face a jury while his cohorts pled guilty to reduced charges of second-degree murder. Baker, Theophile, and Curtis received 20 years in prison. Honore was convicted, also of second-degree murder. The judge sentenced him to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years. (He will be 42 years old at that time.)

According to my research, the three accomplices might serve 85% of their time before being released. That means they will be in their early thirties when they're freed to bring more misery to residents of the Big Easy. 

Where are the Police?

New Mexico Woman Shoots Felon Who Breaks into Her Home

Check out this interview with Anissa Tinnin. Here, using Ring doorbell surveillance video and audio recordings of the 9-1-1 call, we get a real-life perspective of a home invasion as it's occurring.

Joseph Rivera should have been in jail or prison. But within a span of a few weeks, he was arrested and re-arrested at least five times for auto theft and other charges, yet each time he was released. And so he ended up breaking into Tinnin's home.

NOTE: Thanks to KRQE News for publishing this interview. 

Ohio Governor Refuses to Execute Vicious Killers

 Siera Joughin

A Moratorium on Justice

By Robert A. Waters

Sierah Joughin, 20, had known mostly good things in her life. That summer, she lived with her parents before heading back to the University of Toledo for her senior year. She was pretty, with naturally blonde hair and a personality that drew people to her. On the afternoon of July 19, 2016, near Metamora, Ohio, Sierah pedaled her bicycle down a rural road through mazes of seven-foot high corn rows. She'd been visiting her boyfriend, whom she'd known since grade school, and was headed home.

Her parents lived six miles from Josh Kolasinski's home. When she left, he cranked up his motorcycle and rode alongside her to make sure she got home safely. The Supreme Court of Ohio reported that "Kolasinski recorded two videos of Joughin on her bike during the ride. She was wearing sunglasses, athletic shoes, shorts, a tank top, and she sat on a checkered dishtowel draped over her bike seat." About half-way to Sierah's home, the lovers stopped for a moment and kissed. Then Sierah insisted that Kolasinski turn back. She said she'd call when she made it to her parents' residence.

That call never came.

James Worley (pictured), 57, had spent all day viewing porn, including many films portraying women being kidnapped and sexually assaulted. He also loved bondage movies and anything showing sexual violence. That afternoon, he climbed on his motorcycle and drove the same route as Sierah. As he passed the pretty cyclist riding alone, Worley became overwhelmed with the urge to play out his fantasies in living color. He stopped his motorcycle less than a mile from the Joughin residence and waited.

As Sierah rode by, Worley smashed her head with his motorcycle helmet. The blow knocked her cold. He then dragged the bloodied girl into the corn maze, using handcuffs to immobilize her. After checking to make sure she couldn't be seen from the road, he turned his bike around and raced home.

Worley could barely wait for nightfall. As soon as darkness fell, he drove his pickup truck back to where he'd left Sierah. She was barely conscious as he loaded her into the cargo bed. In his panic to flee, Worley dropped several items. These were located by searchers. Included were a box of motorcycle fuses, a pair of men's sunglasses, and an orange screwdriver, as well as the blood-soaked checkered dishtowel. In addition, he'd forgotten to pick up his motorcycle helmet. It lay by the side of the road until a farmer found it and turned it over to police.

It took Worley less than five minutes to drive back to his farm. Behind his house, he had a barn where he stored hay. In the barn, he'd hidden many secrets, including a plastic bin filled with ladies lingerie. Worley stripped the injured girl and dressed her in panties and a bra. (DNA on the panties matched that of Sierah.) Worley likely sexually assaulted her at the time, but covered the evidence by pouring bleach and other cleaning products on her body. Once he was sated, he killed her. An appeals court document states that Worley "bound her, and shoved a rubber dog toy into her mouth and tied it in place, causing her death by suffocation." He rammed it in so hard it broke one of her teeth.

Within hours after her disappearance, the Fulton County Sheriff's Office began a full-scale search. Early the next morning, a cop found Sierah's bike hidden among the corn. 

Two days after her disappearance, searchers found Sierah's remains, buried in a separate area of the corn field. Court documents state that "Joughin's body was covered in dirt with her wrists handcuffed behind her back, her ankles bound together with duct tape, and her feet bound to her hands with a rope. She was lying on her stomach with her head turned to the side. A rubber cone-shaped dog toy, which was secured with a shoelace tied at the back of her head, had been used to gag her and there was straw in her hair." She also wore an adult diaper, similar to ones found in Worley's barn. 

The items left by her abductor were collected and sent to the lab for testing. The motorcycle helmet had Sierah's DNA on it, as did several of the other items. Both Sierah and Worley's DNA were inside a rubber glove found near the murder scene.

Twenty years earlier, Worley had been convicted of a similar crime. Robin Gardner, 26, was riding her bicycle near Whitehouse, Ohio when a pickup truck knocked her into a ditch. Placing a screwdriver to her throat, he threatened to kill her if she didn't get in the truck. Robin, however, was able to escape. Worley only served two years in prison for that crime.

As the trial for Sierah's murder approached, there was no doubt as to Worley's guilt. He was convicted of aggravated murder and kidnapping, and sentenced to death. Over the years, all his appeals have been denied. 

When his appeals are exhausted, will Sierah find justice? Ohio's Republican Governor Mike DeWine has placed a moratorium on executions in the state. Three killers, Quisi Brown, a cop-killer, Charles Lorraine, a double murderer, and Melvin Bonnell, currently sit on death row awaiting execution since their appeals have run out. One of DeWine's stated reasons for ditching capital punishment is that Ohio cannot "secure the drugs used in lethal injections." (It seems amazing that other states, such as Florida and Texas, can purchase those drugs and yet Ohio cannot.)

Ohio has an election for governor coming up next year and DeWine can't run again due to term limits. Since the majority of Ohioans favor the death penalty in certain instances, this might be a good campaign issue for a gubernatorial candidate to run on.    

Will Those Accused of Firebombing Tesla Cars Really Pay?

 Paul Hyon Kim

Man charged with destroying Tesla electric vehicles

Robert A. Waters

A federal grand jury recently indicted Paul Hyon Kim, charging him with arson and the unlawful possession of an unregistered firearm. The affidavit states that on the night of March 18, 2025, Kim used Molotov cocktails to firebomb a Tesla dealership in Las Vegas, Nevada. In addition, he is accused of shooting several rounds into the windows of the business lobby.

Several other suspects around the country have been charged with similar crimes. Department of Justice Attorney General Pam Bondi has vowed to prosecute these individuals as terrorists. If they are found guilty, sentencing could run into decades.

But is that likely to happen? Unfortunately, in the past, many leftists have served minimal sentences or even no sentences for much worse crimes.

I've written about a couple of these cases. 

Do you remember Reginald Denny and the Rodney King riots? Denny, an innocent truck driver, was dragged from his cab and beaten so horrifically that every bone in his body was fractured. Read his story and learn how much time the assailants served.

How about the cold-blooded murder of Myrna Opsahl by members of the Symbionese Liberation Army? For decades, the Feds refused to charge the known killers. Once they did, these terrorists served little to no time. You can read about this case of little to no justice being served.

Another Riot, Another Time

The Unquiet Death of Myrna Opsahl

Unsolved Murder of North Carolina Store Clerk

25 Years Later, Who Murdered Colleeen Blackburn?

By Robert A. Waters

At 8:30 P.M., on June 17, 2000, the Wake County Sheriff's Office received a 9-1-1 call from the community of Garner, North Carolina. 

Caller: We just pulled into a convenience store. This lady's been shot. We're at Ray's Grocery on White Oak Road.

Dispatcher: On White Oak Road? She's been shot?

Caller: Yes, she's bleeding everywhere.

Dispatcher: Did you see the person that shot her?

Caller: Yes. Well, I didn't see the person shooting, but he sped off.

Dispatcher: Okay. Can you tell me where she's been shot?

Caller: It looks like she's got a hole coming through the back of her right shoulder blade...I'm afraid she's gone.

Dispatcher: Okay. Are you still by her?

Caller: Yes, I'm right here looking at her back, looking for breathing.

Dispatcher: Okay.

Caller: I don't feel anything.

From my research, it appears that Ray's Grocery did not have surveillance video. Cops never developed any solid leads, except for a vague description given by the caller.

Captain T. S. Matthews of the Wake County Sheriff's Office spoke to reporters. "I'm sure somebody has seen something and not realized it," he said. "Hopefully, as much as this is in the news, it's going to jog their memory. And that's all we can count on at the moment. Everything else is coming to a dead end that we've been working on."

Except  for the fact that she was murdered, Colleen Blackburn would likely have never made the headlines. She lived in a house trailer near Ray's Grocery until her mother, who lived with her, passed away. Colleen was 37-years-old and working two other jobs when she was shot to death. 

Colleen never complained about the long, dangerous hours she worked. But it was obvious she hoped to improve her standard of living. She had recently graduated from Wake Technical College, gaining a medical transcriptionist degree. She was friendly and liked country music. She sometimes attended local square dances. 

So for two and a half decades, a killer has gone free. The 50 bucks he got in the robbery are long gone, but he may still be lurking around, unless he's in prison for another crime or dead. Meanwhile, Colleen has long since been forgotten, except by family or friends.

The suspect (or possibly two suspects) drove away in a mid-1980s light-blue Oldsmobile. The car was missing part of its back bumper and was last seen heading east on Highway 70 toward Clayton.

It is galling to think this woman's murder may never be solved.   

If you know someone who may have committed this killing, contact the Wake County sheriff's office at 919-768-5100.

"Why Eddie, Why?"

Eddie James Scheduled for Execution

By Robert A. Waters

The television show "America's Most Wanted" was a national treasure. From 1988 to 2011 (24 seasons), AMW was one of Fox News's highest rated shows. Host John Walsh, whose son Adam had been kidnapped from a Miami mall and murdered, was the face of the show. AMW recreated hundreds of crimes, giving its audience information as to where suspects might be hiding. The show was responsible for the capture of 1,190 criminals, including hundreds of killers and rapists.

Edward Thomas James was one of those murderers caught after being featured on AMW. A California woman recognized his face and contacted police. James was soon arrested and extradited back to Florida to stand trial for the slayings of eight-year-old Toni Neuner (pictured) and fifty-eight-year-old Elizabeth (Betty) Dick.

WARNING: The details of this case are graphic and disturbing.

On the night of  September 20, 1993, James, who rented a room in Betty's house trailer, had just returned from a party. He'd been drinking hard, but, according to witnesses, was still "sober." As he entered the home, he noticed Betty's four grandchildren sleeping in the living room. (It was not unusual for Betty to keep the children.)

James picked up Toni by the neck and dragged her into his room. He choked her, then attempted to have sex with her. (In his confession, James described the sex acts he attempted to commit on the child, but said he was not "having fun." The autopsy clearly showed extensive damage to Toni's vagina and anus.) Toni's death was due to strangulation.

James then decided he wanted to rape an adult woman. He went into Betty's bedroom and attacked her. She began to scream and Toni's nine-year-old sister, Wendi, woke up and went to check on Betty. The child saw James choking and stabbing the older woman. Betty kept asking "Why Eddie, why?" At some point in the attack, James yelled, "If you're not dead by the time I count to three, I'm going to stab you some more."

When he saw Wendi, James grabbed her and placed her in the bathroom. He tied her hands and went back to stabbing Betty. Investigators found that she was nude from the waist down.

Court documents describe what happened next. "Wendi could not communicate with her aunt because she was gagged. She finally freed herself, looked around to see if anybody was there, and exited through the back door. She climbed over a fence in the backyard, and hid from a few cars that drove by, fearing they might contain James. Finally, she ran to her Uncle Tim's house...Wendi still had the pillow case she had been gagged with around her neck."

By the time cops arrived, James had stolen Betty's car and fled. He took a few items of jewelry and a small amount of cash. 

Investigators found it hard to believe the extreme violence they encountered. Toni's body lay in James's bedroom and Betty's body lay near her own bed. Police found the bloody butcher knife used in the attack near her body. 

James drove to Oklahoma, pawning some of Betty's jewelry along the way. He continued to California where he ran out of money and jewelry. 

James was tried and sentenced to death for capital murder.

His execution is scheduled for March 20, 2025.

Of course, the usual anti-deathers are out in force. But most Floridians hope the magic needle will do its job. Such brutal acts cry out for justice. 

   

The Execution of Ronald Dale Yeatts

"The Last of Her Generation"

By Robert A. Waters

Seventy-year-old Ruby Meeks Dodson lived life on her own terms. She stayed alone, in her remote country home near Ringgold, Virginia. An avid reader and introvert, she retired after working many decades as a sales clerk at Belk-Leggett, a department store. Her husband, Alexander, had died five years earlier. She had no children and the local newspaper called her "the last of her generation." Her poodle, Benji, kept her company.

Although she was not one to join clubs or just call and chat, Ruby had a small circle of friends and relatives. Because of arthritis, she could barely walk so friends would often drive her to the grocery store or to run errands. According to the Danville Register and Bee, the teenagers at the "Ringgold Baptist Church sort of adopted Dodson. The Sunday before Dodson died, the group brought her a sunshine basket." The teens also regularly mowed her lawn.

Two middle-aged men, Charles Michael Vernon and Ronnie Dale Yeatts, lived vastly different lives than Ruby. They existed only for the next high. They'd both been arrested numerous times on charges including illegal drug possession, burglary, writing bad checks, and other such crimes. Yeatts had recently been accused of at least one rape, although he hadn't yet been charged.

September 23, 1989 was a typical day for the friends. Court documents state that they spent the morning drinking beer and smoking marijuana and crack cocaine. In the afternoon, Yeatts noticed their stash was quickly becoming depleted and asked Vernon if he knew anybody who had money.

Vernon never hesitated. He said he and his father had once installed a water filter for an old lady named Ruby. He noticed she paid them in cash. "She's got lots of money in her home," he said. 

They wasted no time driving there. During the trip, Vernon handed Yeatts a pocketknife with a three-inch blade. Pulling into Ruby's driveway, they raised the hood of Vernon's 1981 Plymouth. It took a few minutes, but Ruby hobbled outside.

Court documents describe what happened next: "Ms. Dodson 'stepped out' and asked what the two men wanted. Yeatts told her they were having car trouble and asked 'something about the phone.' Yeatts then requested a glass of water, and when Ms. Dodson brought it to him, he handed it to Vernon, who poured it out. Yeatts asked for another glass of water, and, as Ms. Dodson stepped inside to get it, Yeatts followed her into the house. Vernon also entered the house and went directly to the bedroom, where he 'assumed [Ms. Dodson] kept her money,' and began searching through drawers but found nothing."

As Vernon searched the bedroom, Yeatts guided Ruth into the kitchen. Vernon, who later  claimed he didn't know Yeatts had murdered the widow, grabbed Ruth's purse. After a short time, he and Yeatts left. Vernon told investigators that "when we got in the car, I noticed that there was blood on Ronnie. And I said, 'Did you kill her?' He said, 'She's dead. Don't worry about it.'"

For the two losers, it was a huge score--$1400 in cash. The thieves casually split the money, then threw away the purse and bloody knife. Vernon later said Yeatts told her he had to kill Ruby because she could identify him. 

In typical fashion, they immediately drove to the "projects" and spent all the money buying more drugs.

Jean Wright, a friend, discovered Ruby's body. The Bee and Register reported that "Wright had come over to give Dodson her mail that Saturday." After discovering her friend's bloody remains on the kitchen floor, Wright called police.

An autopsy established that Ruth had been stabbed 13 times and her throat cut.  

It didn't take cops long to figure out who committed the murder.

Yeatts (pictured) eventually confessed. He was tried, convicted and sentenced to death. Because Vernon testified against his cohort, he received a life sentence with the possibility of being released after twenty years.

On April 19, 1999, Yeatts received a cocktail of drugs and casually drifted off to his eternal sleep. It was certainly not as painful as the torture he inflicted on Ruby Meeks Dodson. 

Was justice served?