A Case That Broke Me ~ Eight Hundred Wee Souls ~ Part 3

The Bon Secours home was one of many such institutions in Ireland where unmarried pregnant women were sent to give birth in secret. 

Many were forced into unpaid labor, and their children often died from neglect, disease or malnutrition. Those who lived were frequently adopted out, sometimes illegally. 

In October 2018, the Irish government was to facilitate a full excavation of the mass grave site; and DNA testing This was not going to be a cheap task anywhere from 6 to 13 million pounds!!! The Commission did a very detailed report, which was finally completed in 2020; published in January 2021.

AS IT STANDS TODAY...

As of this week, the excavation of the site has begun. Catherine Corless was given an official apology. There has been an apology by the Catholic church, specifically from the nuns. They have gone so far as saying they were not very "Christian-like".

All I know is many,many babies and toddlers perished and were not even given the acknowledgment nor treated with an ounce of humanity. This is sooooo wrong!!!

I am going to end this here for now, as we wait for additional information. I really only have one question when it comes to stories like these... HOW DID VARIOUS RELIGIONS GET AWAY WITH SUCH HEINOUS CRIMES???

Updates when available

A Case That Broke Me ~ Catherine Corless Part 2

 

In 2012, Catherine Corless, a local historian, had written and published an article about Bon Secours Mother & Baby Home. It didn't take much, within a year she discovered the names of MANY children who had died in the home.

Unfortunately with this being very "dark" news, the town didn't take the research into the institution very well. People turned against Catherine Corless, calling her "Obsessive" and "Delusional."

In 2014, Anne Corrigan found the inspection reports for the home. She noticed that the home reported the deaths as "congenital debilities" "infectious diseases" and "malnutrition". Catherine Corless' came to the conclusion believing all of the deceased had been buried somewhere on the property. It was at this time Corless claimed that there was nearly 800 (796) children who died there.

Catherine Corless' claims were valid enough that the MOTHER & BABY HOMES COMMISSION OF INVESTIGATION (under Judge Yvonne Murphy), started excavations in November 2016.

Between November 2016 and February 2017, the Commission found a significant amount of human remains, aging them from 35 week gestation to 2 - 3 year old toddlers. The remains were found in a "vault of twenty chambers."

Once they performed tests, carbon-dating confirmed everything that Catherine Corless had been saying. All the remains were from the time the home was operated by Bon Secours order. It was also revealed the remains were in a septic tank.

(I think this is what "hurts my heart". It isn't so much that children had perished; being realistic there wasn't a lot of medical help for unwed mothers nor their children. What I am grappling with is how their remains were disposed of. They were never properly recorded, buried nor even acknowledged. It was like they never existed... and that doesn't sit well with me).

To be continued...

A Case That Broke Me ~ Part 1

 

Hello my fellow crime buffs. The case I am going to dive into today, is all over the news right now. I have a number of reasons why it is really, really breaking my heart... some very personal reasons; but I like the rest of you, am absolutely furious and disgusted that the "church" has once again done the most despicable thing. 

Please bear with me as I struggle to find the words I want to put down here...

You may have figured it out, but I am going to write about the remains of 800 babies and toddlers that are in a septic tank on the property of a former "mother and baby home" (A place where unwed mothers went to have their babies, as we know back in those days, it brought great shame to the family if a woman was having a baby out of wedlock).

THIS STORY REMINDS ME SO MUCH OF THE BUTTERBOX BABIES CASE, UNBEKNOWNEST TO THEIR MOTHERS. THAT CASE WAS ABOUT THE IDEAL MATERNITY HOME IN CHESTER, NOVA SCOTIA (1928 - 1947).

Today, we will be discussing Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home aka St. Mary's Mother and Baby Home. It was fully operated from 1925 -1961 and was located in the town of Tuam, County Galway, Ireland.

I would like to mention a woman named Catherine Corless. She is a local historian who taken it upon herself to investigate the home and its sordid history. 

It just so happened that she began investigating in 2012, the same year that the Health Service Executive had a feeling that approximately a thousand children had been illegally adopted out to people in the United States.

After conducting their research, the Health Service Executive only found 36 illefal foreign adoptions from that home. They, at that time, concluded their investigation stating the allegations of foreign adoptions for money, were "impossible to prove, and impossible to disprove."

To Be continued

Israel Keyes ~ Unhinged Cross Country Serial Killer ~ Arrest & Aftermath

We have met the victims and we have learned about Israel's crime spree. We learned about how methodical he was; how he planned for months, even years to commit murders; so why did he get sloppu with the killing of his last victim Samantha Koenig???

Demanding rabsom money to be deposited inot Smantha's account would be the downfall for Keyes. The police were obviously tracking him throughout the southwest side of the United States. There was a very controversial debate between the law enforcement's decision to not release the video footage of him at the ATMs.

Keyes was arrested by Texas Highway Patrol Corporal Bryan Henry and Texas Ranger Steven Rayburn in the parking lot of the Cotton Patch Café in Lufkin, Texas, on the morning of March 13, 2012; after a BOLO had been released for his vehicle that had been spotted on the ATM cameras. 

Authorities played it smart, and pulled him over when he went slightly over the speed limit; this gave them the right to search his car when they noticed there was money in his car that was stained with the ink that explodes on money stolen from a bank. They discovered Samantha Koenig's bank card and cellphone in the car; which put the final nail in his coffin, so to speak.

Keyes was extradited to Alaska, where he tried to say the phone and card ended up in his car by someone who walked by his car. He was charged with fraudl but eventually confessed to killing Samantha Koenig. He obtained a Federal Public Defender, and Keyes was indicted and his trial was scheduled to begin in March 2013.

Over the next several months, Israel Keyes would speak repeatedly to investigators.

He willingly confessed to some of his crimes, makign it known that he wanted to be executed within the year. He begged to avoid publicity because he worried about how this would affect his family, especially his daughter. Let it be known that he pretty much stopped cooperating when his name was revealed to the public. 

(On Wednesday, May 23, 2012, Keyes attempted to escape during a routine hearing, using wood shavings from a pencil to pick his cuffs. US Marshals used a taser to subdue him).

There had been talk that some of his file could not be released due to national security concerns. Keyes' military experience and obsessive interest in explosives, suggest he MAY have had ties to violent extremist groups.

(Note this is just speculation and no one can confirm it).

Unfortunately, it looks like the families and loved ones of Israel Keyes' victims will never see true justice in the deaths of their loved ones...

While being held in jail, waiting for his triall Israel Keyes was held in Anchorage Correctional Complex. He somehow obtained a razor blade; and committed suicide on December 2, 2012. He had slit his wrists and attempted to strangle himself. He left a parting note (a suicide note, if you will). It offered no clues about other victims.

AFTERMATH

In 2020, the FBI released the drawings of eleven skulls and one pentagram, which had been drawn in blood and found underneath Keyes's bed after his suicide. One of the drawings included the phrase "WE ARE ONE" written at the bottom. The FBI believes the number of skulls correlates with the total number of his victims.

For now, that is all we know on the case of Israel Keyes, the unhinfed cross country serial killer. Did he murder 3 or 11 people... or are there far more victims out there??? I will update if there is anything new to add.

Israel Keyes ~ Unhinged Cross Country Serial Killer ~ Crimes Part 3

 

Now that we know Israel Keyes' background, including his "honourable discharge" from the military, let's continue on to his crime spree...

To start, what makes Israel Keyes an interesting case is that unlike the majority of serial killers, he didn't have a pattern. He didn't have an MO. Keyes would target people at random, and not in one specific place. He DID, however, plan for months in advance before executing that particular crime

His specialty was frequently using campgrounds or isolated locations. He would claim that he only used guns, but later we learn that he preferred to strangle his victims, as he had a sick pleasure of watching them lose consciousness. He also, falsely claimed that he didn't kill children or parents of children, out of respect and love for his daughter; whom he worried would learn about his sinister acts. 

(Police debunked this when they suspected Israel Keyes killed several teenagers and children). 

Oddly. Israel Keyes, while serving in the military claimed he did NOT murder anyone BUT he DID confess to attempting to rape a sex worker, while he was in Egypy (on leave). He admitted it happened a second time, while he was in Israel.

Israel Keyes revealed he robbed banks in New York and Texas, which later was confirmed by the FBI later (Community Bank branch in Tupper Lake, New York April 2009).

I find this a bit off with Keyes, when he told investigators that he burglarized a Texas home and set it on fire. It again was confirmed by the FBI that he actually burglarized 20 to 30 homes across the United States. He also robbed several banks between 2001 and 2012.

It is believed, although it can't be confirmed, nor denied that Israel Keyes began killing in 2001, right after his discharge from the Army. He has been held responsible for as many as eleven deaths in the United States.

On his murder trips, he kept his mobile phone turned off and paid for items with cash. For the Currier murders, Keyes flew to Chicago, where he rented a car to drive 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) to Vermont. He then used a "murder kit" he had hidden two years earlier to execute the murders.

(I am now going to list his victims, at least the ones that are known. The last part will be the aftermath)

The victims Israel Keyes confessed to killing...

Israel Keyes confessed to the murder of 49-year-old William "Bill" Scott Currier and his wife, 55-year-old Lorraine Simonne Currier. They lived in Essex, Vermont. 

According to Keyes, he broke into their home on June 8, 2011, tied them up and drived them to an abandoned farmhouse. He shot Bill then proceeded to sexually assault, and strangling Lorraine. Their bodies were never found. What is totally insane is that 2 years prior, Israel Keyes had stored a "murder kit" by the Currier home. 

(After the murders, he moved most of the kit's contents to a new hiding place in Parishville, New York, where they remained until after his arrest).

The only other victim that Israel Keyes would confirm was 18-year-old Samantha Tessla KoenigShe worked at a local coffee booth in Anchorage, Alaska. Keyes abducted Koenig from her there on February 1, 2012.

Keyes took her possessions, including her debit card. He sexually assaulted, but didn't kill her until the following day. Sick and sadistic Israel Keyes left her body in a shed in his backyard and went to New Orleans, where he departed on a pre-booked two-week cruise with his family in the Gulf of Mexico.

Upon his return to Alaska, he took Samantha's corpse out of the shed, put make up on her face, sewed her eyes open with fishing line; put a recent newspaper beside her face, to make it appear she was still alive; demanding a $30,000 ransom.

Unfortunately, this photo gave her loved ones some hope, and at least some of the monies were deposited into Samantha's bank account. 

Menawhile, Israel Ketes dismembered her body and disposed of it in in Matanuska Lake, which is just north of Anchorage, Alaska. Her remains were recovered by the FBI's Underwater Search and Evidence Response Team (USERT).

The authorities believe he had other victims as well.

Julie Marie Harris, a 12-year-old Special Olympics medalist in skiing, disappeared on March 2, 1996, in Colville, Washington/ Her remains were found on April 26, 1997, in a wooded area close by, with cause of death not known. She was a double, with her prosthetic feet found by the Colville River a month after her disappearance. (Keyes, then 18, was questioned in 2012, but he neither confirmed nor denied killing her).

Cassandra "Cassie" Emerson, 12, also from Colville, Washington area, was reported missing after the remains of her mother, Marlene Kay Emerson, 29, were discovered in their burned-out trailer home on June 27, 1997; Cassie's remains were found in 1998 about thirteen miles from her home. (Keyes did admit his first act of arson was with a trailer in Colville).

Keyes admitted he killed five people in Washington State. Israel Keyes claimed to have either buried or submerged a victim in a lake in Neah Bay, Washington in mid-2001. A body was found, but this death was ruled accidental.

He also confessed to the double homicide of a young couple which occurred between 2001 and 2005. According to Keyes, he beat the man to death and strangled the woman; he buried both of them. 

Between 2005 and 2006, Keyes said he had killed two further victims separately; one was apparently dumped in Lake Crescent, Washington. This all seemed a bit odd to investigators as they found that Israel Keyes had no felony criminal record in Washington, only minor driving related offenses. They believed him enough to go through their unsolved murders and missing persons cases.

In 2012, authorities identified a possible victim known only as Lewis County Jane Doe, who was a woman found in the Peterman Hill area in Morton, Washington on April 7, 2011, by a passing motorist. (Her identity was discovered in 2022, but her name was never released to the public). 

Keyes also confessed to at least one murder in New York State. He claimed it happened in late 2012. This has never been proven as Keyesnever revealed identity, age, nor sex of the victim. They have no idea when nor where it happened neither. 

The next part is simply speculation...

Israel Keyes is a suspect in a series of crimes in 2007 that were committed by the the killer dubbed "Boca Killer". (They happened in Town Center at Boca Raton, Florida). Three crimes were committed...

Randi Ann Malitz Gorenberg, 52, who on March 23, 2007, was abducted from the Boca Town Center Mall parking lot. Within an hour, her body, which had two fatal bullet wounds, had been dumped at a different location. 

Second crime, the victims survived. It was a woman and her toddler who were kidnapped on August 7, 2007. The woman was able to give a fairly detailed description, that was pretty close to Keyes'. Yje perp released her, after she withdrew money from her ATM.

The third and final crime here was heartbreaking, as it was the murder of Nancy Bochicchio, 47, and her 7-year-old daughter, Joey Bochicchio-Hauser, who were found fatally shot in their vehicle at the Boca Town Center Mall parking lot on December 12, 2007.

Authorities believe Keyes may have murdered 48-year-old woman Debra Feldman, after discovering that he had frequently searched for her missing persons case on his computer shortly before his arrest.Debra Feldman was last seen in Hackensack, New Jersey on April 8, 2009. When agents showned her photo to Ketes, his only response was, “I don’t want to talk about her yet.” (It is suspected that Keyes buried her near Tupper Lake, New York).

58-year-old James "Jimmy" Lamar Tidwell Jr., an electrician who disappeared in Mount Enterprise, Texas on February 15, 2012. He was last seen at 5:30 a.m. that day, after he had finished working the night shift. The reason investigators believe Keyes killed him is because during a robbery in Azle, Texas on February 16, 2012, the robber wore a white hard hat similar to Tidwell's. Tidwell's hair also resembled a dark-haired wig worn by Keyes during the robbery. 

When interrogated, Keyes stated that his "wig" was, in fact, human hair. When asked where he had obtained the hair, Keyes said, "You don't have to buy real hair to get real hair."

Needless to say, Israel Keyes is one unhinged serial killer, who had no motive. No victim profile. No rhyme nor reason... making him a very dangerous and difficult perpetrator to hunt down... but they did.

To be continued...

Israel Keyes ~ Unhinged Cross Country Serial Killer ~ Adulthood Part 2

 

Now we are going to touch on his personal life, into his adulthood; before we dive into his criminal history, the victims, his crimes, the trial and aftermath...

In the summer of 1997 or 1998, Israel Keyes was down at the Deschutes River in Maupin, Oregon. He had been stalking a teenage girl from among the trees, while she was tubing down the river with her friends.

Keyes proceeded to violently sexually assault the girl, at knifepoint. He had planned for her to be his sacrifice for the Satanic ritual, but backed out, confessing to investigators later that he was "too timid" and "not violent enough"; releasing her back to her tube in the river.

Keyes quickly moved out of the area and on July 9, 1998, he enlisted in the United States Army in the state of New York, where he served as a Specialist in Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry, 25th Infantry Division. He passed a month-long preliminary course for United States Army Rangers training. He was stationed at Fort Lewis and Fort Hood, also spending some time abroad. While stationed in Sinai, Egypt, Keyes befriended several soldiers, informing one of them that he would "like to kill" him.

(I personally do not understand how someone with his mentality would be able to serve in the military, but I am also sure he could easily manipulate the system to get what he wanted... which was quite obvious when you see the number of victims he left in his path!!!)

While at Fort Lewis, Israel Keyes military friends stated he was quiet and mostly stayed to himself; but on weekends he would drink heavily. In Fevruary of 2001, he was arrested in Thurston County for a DUI. He plead down and paid a fine.

Keyes was awarded an Army Achievement Medal for his service as a gunner and assistant gunner from December 1998 to July 2001. He was then honorably discharged and relocated to Neah Bay, Washington.

Once in Neah Bay, Washington, Israel Keyes would live on the Makah Reservation on the Olympic Peninsula. He dated and had a child with a woman who lived on the reservation; they eventually went their separate ways.

In 2007, Israel Keyes was living in Anchorage, Alaska. It was here that he started a construction business called Keyes Construction, while working as a handyman, contractor, and construction worker. When it came to his work, he was cinsidered to he skillful and tristworthy, but most females who encountered him claimed he made them feel "uncomfortable".

***It should be noted that Israel Keyes also had ties to New York; he owned 10 acres and a dilapidated cabin in the town of Constable.***

To be continued...

Israel Keyes ~ Unhinged Cross Country Serial Killer ~ His Younger Years Part 1

 

Today, we are going to discuss the case of Israel Keyes, the man who is deemed as the unhinged cross country serial killer, also the "Alaskan Serial Killer". Before we get to his crimes, we should simply start at the beginning...

Israel Keyes was born in Richmond, Utah, on January 7, 1978, to Heidi and Jeff Keyes. He was the second of ten children in his family. His family belonged to the LDS Church from Torrance, California, and prior to that, his father had been an LDS missionary in Germany.

Israel, along with his siblings were homeschooled until 1983, when his family left the LDS church and moved to a remote spot of land in Stevens County, Washington. The property was so far away from society it had no rumming water, nor electricity; all 12 of the family members lived in a 1 room cabin. (Israel was only 5 years old at this point).

In the nearby township of Colville, the family attended services at a church called the Ark, (instilled white supremacy Christian Identity ideology). Israel Keyes would later describe the Ark as an Amish-like environment. 

***Interesting fact...During this period of attending the Ark, the Keyes family befriended the neighboring family of Chevie Kehoe, who was later convicted for a 1996 triple murder.***

The family attended another church in Colville called the Christian Israel Covenant Church that taught British Israelism as doctrine, also teaching that Anglo-Saxons were to rule over the perceived inferior races. Israel would later akin it to be militia-like. For years, some of the Keyes children were forced to sleep in a tent due to their cabin's small size and made to hunt their food, chop firewood, and work on local farms to support the family. 

(This is where Israel Keyes started showing signs of being "unhinged")

Just for the fun of it, Israel would hunt "anything with a heartbeat"; openly admitting to skinning a deer ALIVE. After revealing his hobby, Israel was ridiculed and ostracized by the other kids who when to the same church.

Even from a young age, Israel Keyes—(who stood 6 ft 2) displayed signs of how dangerous he was; even if people would view him as just a misfit. He admitted to shooting at neighbors' houses, starting fires in the woods, etc. He also broke into houses with friend, (the teen cut their friendship off once he saw Israel shoot an animal). 

On another occasion, Keyes stole several guns from his neighbor's place. He was forced to apologize when his parents discovered what he did. Israel Keyes was also known to sell guns to the locals. 

The Keyes brought in friends to stay in times of trouble. Israel Keyes, one day, was our with their children and one of his sistersl he tied a cat to a tree with a cord from a parachute and gored it with a .22 revolver. The cat circled the tree until it crashed into it.It was after this incident that Israel Keyes realized that hs was different from his other peers, and kept his troubling behaviour to himself. His mother, Heidi Keyes, noticed some subtle changes in her son at this point as well.

Israel Keyes DID prove to be handy with his hands. When he was merely 16, he built a wooden cabin for his family. He worked for a local contractor, but also kept a very detailed journal, especially detailing his sins, like lusting after his girlfriend, at the time. 

Once again, the Keyes family moved, this time to Smyma, Maine. They worked at collecting sap for a maple syrup company, in a prominent Amish community. Their mother, Heidi, who maintained her higly religious ways, forced her children to hide any of their actions, like watching movies or playing instruments. It was around this time, that Israel Keyes would renounce himself from Christianity; declaring that he was Atheist. 

This confession resulted in his parents kicking him out and his siblings being forced to not speak to him. Not long after, Israel Keyes became extremely interested in Satanism and was planning to commit a ritualist murder.

To be continued...

The Apple River Stabbing ~ The Trial & Aftermath

 

We have spoken about the events leading up to the fatal stabbing of Isaac Schuman, and the life altering stabbings of four other young people. By this point Nicolae Miu had been arrested, no one sure what was going to be the charges and his fate.

Nicolae Miu, the accused of a stabbing that killed a teenager and injured four others has been charged with murder, according to court documents. 

He had been charged with one count of first-degree intentional homicide in the death of 17-year-old Isaac Schuman, and four counts of attempted first-degree intentional homicide in connection to the Saturday afternoon (July 30th 2022) incident. 

Miu made his first court appearance, virtually, on Monday, August 1, 2022, the judge setting his bail at $1 million cash. He was told he isn't eligible for a public defender because of his finances, and he faces life in prison if he's convicted of the top charge. Nicolae Miu has been claiming self-defense from the beginning, and there was a preliminary hearing on Friday, August 12, 2022 at 10am.

At the hearing, the prosecution laid the criminal complaint detailing the stabbing on the Apple River near the sunrise bridge in Somerset, Wisconsin, which allegedly started after Miu was apparently looking for a friend's cellphone in the river but was confronted by tubers who said he was "acting sketchy". The encounter escalated, and he apparently punched a female on the left side of her face before Miu was punched, eventually leading to the stabbing.

Witnesses who called emergency services, were describing the scene, revealing how Miu was stabbing the young adults in their mid section, one of the victims looked like they had been disemboweled. Isaac Schuman was found lifeless by the time emergency services arrived.

Miu, who has claimed self-defense, has a preliminary hearing at 10 a.m. on Aug. 12, 2022.  

To begin, Miu, had fled the scene, but not unnoticed. A witness called police at 4:45 p.m., reporting they saw the suspect downriver at Prospect Park. He was detained at the Rivers Edge Campground, where he had been camping with his wife and some friends.

Miu's wife told investigators, they arrived at the campground at 10:45 a.m. to go tubing. She claimed her husband donned SCUBA gear, leaving the group to find a phone that a friend had lost in the river. The second time he tried to look, a group of guys got off their tubes and started hitting him. She saw this and yelled to their friends, two of whom started running toward the fight. 

She claims to have heard screaming, then her husband and their friends were returning; but she didn't see what happened. She said the two friends were not involved; Miu was already on his way back when they reached him. 

(I am a little suspicious about her claims here. She saw everything but the stabbing, and immediately states that the friends were back before her husband, AND clearly heard people call him a pedophile... but didn't see or hear anything else)???

Miu's wife told investigators Miu had a knife in his pocket and he told her, "Those guys grabbed it from him," adding the group called him a pedophile and attacked him, charges said.

Ironically, witnesses' statements seem to match what the young adults and victims were saying. They witnessed Nicolae Miu slap and punch a female; which resulted in a male from the group to punch Miu back. Miu fell into the river. Miu got back up and began stabbing multiple people; whomever was around him, he stabbed.

Authorities located the knife upstream on the west bank of the river. It appeared to have bloody flesh attached. (Proven to be from the victims).

Investigators also obtained video of the incident. The video showed Miu, shirtless, carrying goggles with a snorkel attached up to the group and he grabs onto their tubes as the group yells to Miu to get away. Miu then walks around the tubes, as if he's looking for something, before walking away with his back to the tubing party. He then turns around and says something to the tubers before walking away again toward the Highway 35 bridge.

The video, according to charges, then shows people converging toward Miu, yelling for him to walk away. He then walked toward a female, who was telling him to go away. In the video, people can be heard saying he was "looking for little girls." Then a larger group converged toward the area and multiple people were yelling at Miu, with at least one person touching his shoulder.

Later in the video, it appears two females confront Miu, and he takes out his knife. The camera pans away, and commotion begins with multiple people converging toward Miu. 

Miu then falls back into the water and is slapped with an open hand. He then gets back to his feet before being shoved back by a male in yellow swimming trunks. He then starts emerging from the water with his knife in his hand and the person in yellow swimming trunks shoves him again. That's when Miu stabs him in the abdomen.

The video then shows Miu making stabbing motions toward others as at least one person touches his back, charges said. Witnesses told investigators Miu was acting "sketchily."

Miu continued to maintain that he feared for his life, but he is clearly heard on the video as arguing with the young people, saying if they were children, they should not be drinking alcohol and he was NOT a child molester. 

(To me, this does not sound like a scared man... if he was truly afraid, he would have left before it escalated any further, no?)

Nicolae Miu, who was convicted of stabbing five people, one fatally, during the July 30, 2022 tubing excursion along the Apple River in Wisconsin. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison Wednesday, July 31st, 2022. He had already been found guilty of fifirst-degree reckless homicide in the death of 17-year-old Isaac Schuman. He was also convicted of battery and recklessly endangering safety with an aggravated factor of the use of a dangerous weapon in connection with the wounded victims: A.J. Martin, Dante Carlson, Tony Carlson and Rhyley Mattison.

“(Miu) left the scene, leaving his victims to die while casually floating past them and emergency workers as if nothing had happened,” St. Croix County District Judge R. Michael Waterman said while handing down the sentence, which came just after the two-year anniversary of the attack.

(I am sure there are people who will agree, or strongly disagree with this sentencing. I feel the District Judge definitely got it right. There was absolutely no need to return to the fight, after he had already walked away. He returned with the intention to do physical harm. Did he intend to kill someone??? Only he can answer that. I find him to be a coward to be striking a woman in the first place; everything was soooo preventable. WHY?)

The End

The Apple River Stabbing ~ Tubing Trip End in Murder

 

The suspect was not previously known to local law enforcement but was taken into the custody of the St. Croix County Jail, pending charges, according to St. Croix County Sheriff Scott Knudson. 

The four injured victims, a 24-year-old woman from Burnsville, a 20-year-old and 22-year-old male from Luck Wisconsin, and a 22-year-old male from Elk River, were in stable condition. Their injuries range from serious to critical with stab wounds to their torsos and chest areas. Paramedics took the 17-year-old to Lakeview Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Later, we learned that his name was Isaac Schuman from Stillwater, Minnesota.

So what caused this incident???

According to the young adults who survived the knife attack, they explained that this strange man (52 year old Nicolae Miu) had been snorkeling under their tubes and was taking pictures of the women/girls under the tubes. They asked him to go away; but when the group got angrier and told him to leave. Nicolae apparently shoved one of the women in the group, which caused the men/boys to shove him back. Nicholae grabbed a knife and began stabbing people. He fatally stabbed Isaac Schuman, who was only 17-years-old.

On the flip side...

Nicolae Miu denies the allegations, insisting that he was simply looking for his friend's phone in the water. I will share a link of the video, I am not sure how long it will work, and I am giving you a TRIGGER WARNING now, as it is pretty intense and difficult to watch. If you choose to watch, it will give you a chance to form your own opinion... First is the TikTok link. Second one, is the YouTube link, which is fairly lengthy, the last one is with the TRIGGER WARNING as it is before and after the stabbings.

TIKTOK LINK

YOUTUBE LEO CAMS LINK

BEFORE & AFTER STABBING

I will now head onto the trial. I know people are saying that these young people got what they deserved, because they shouldn't have spoken to an elder like that. Others feel they should have just went to shore and called the police if they felt he was acting like a sexual predator. Than you have others, who feel that Nicolae Miu was the aggressor and he should be punished for everything he did.

I admit, this is a tricky case. We shall continue with the trial and aftermath in the next blurb.

To be Continued....

The Apple River Stabbing ~ Events Leading to the Tragedy

On July 30, 2022, it was a beautiful day out in Somerset, Wisconsin. Many people went to go tubing down the Apple River; unfortunately one person would not be coming home, while four others would be severely wounded. 

No one suspected a murder would occur while enjoying such a innocent, quiet afternoon cooling off in Apple River.

Before I begin... there are conflicting reports on what lead to this altercation. I am going to write what one of the victims said, and what the assailant claimed in court; the rest is up to you to decide what was the right conclusion... The law can get very convoluted when it comes to cases like this.

According to Rhyley Mattison, a 24-year-old from Burnsville, after the events happened and she was in the hospital. She wrote a status on her social media, revealing that her and a few of her friends had been stabbed by a "random man". 

She quickly revealed that she had no clue who the man was; letting her friends and followers know this...

"Some friends and I were tubing when we came [across] a group who were asking for our help. My friends and I went over to see what was going on and there was an older man there being inappropriate and was asked to leave but wouldn’t. The older man ended up having a knife and stabbed a few friends of mine and myself included." 

Police arrived quickly on the scene after several 911 calls from many bystanders. They arrived on scene at 3:45pm and saw the carnage and civilians helping the wounded; not clear on what had occurred. All they knew at the moment was they had 4 young people who had been stabbed and a 5th one who was deceased from fatal stab wounds. Now the questions arose...

What happened? Who stabbed these young people?? All the police knew was that the suspect and the victims were tubing in the river at the same time. It should be noted that the suspect had fled the scene, he was found three quarters of a mile up the river; an hour and a half after the incident, Nicolae Miu was arrested.

St. Croix County Sheriff Scott Knudson was asked to descibe the scene. His only response was, "Chaotic. Scary. I'm sure that anybody that witnessed this will never forget it. So it is a tragedy." At this point, detective, including the K9 Unit had not found the weapon.

To be Continued... 

Casey Anthony ~ The Aftermath of Caylee Anthony's Murder

I really cannot stand looking at this woman. I don't know how she can even look at herself in the mirror after what she has done. She can deny whatever she wants to everyone in the world, but she KNOWS what she did!!!

Ten days after Casey Anthony received her sentence in regards to the death of sweet little Caylee Anthony, she was released from Florida's Orange County jail. 

Obviously, she was met with a lot of grief from protestors outside. To say that the public was outraged over her acquittal is an understatement.

You would think after all the publicity this woman had received from the trial, that she would want to fly under the radar, and stay out of the public's eye. Alas, she didn't. In 2016, she created her own photography business. Although she is receiving financial support from some members of her legal team, she is not living in a lap of luxury by any means. She has also tried to open a private investigation business in 2020, which ultimately never happened because she'd need a private investigator's license and as a convicted felon she is not able to obtain one.

Casey Anthony went on to do a docuseries in November 2022 on the Peacock channel. In this series, she says that on June 16, 2008 she wasn't feeling well and went to lay down with Caylee. Her father woke her up, both went looking for the missing Caylee, and it was George Anthony who found her. After holding her cold, wet daughter's body for a few moments, her father told her it was going to be okay; and he took Caylee away.

According to Casey, she believed her daughter was alive for the next 31 days, then speculated that George staged the drowning to cover up that he had been abusing Caylee; but quickly admitted that she wasn't sure. Casey is only willing to admit that her only wrongdoing was being dishonest to the investigators.

The Anthony family has been shattered since 2008. Cindy and George Anthony went as far as doing lie detector tests just to get their own daughter to stop accusing them. Cindy, especially doing it to end the drama.

It seems Casey Anthony loves to be in the spotlight, as she has recently (March 1, 2025) she has created a TikTok account, claiming she's a legal advocate. Casey Anthony is saying she needs to advocate for herself and also advocate for her daughter. She babbles on about being a proponent for the LGBTQ community, for legal community, women's rights; feeling this platform was thrust upon her as a blessing.

It is almost 15 years since Caylee Anthony's light was dimmed here on earth. A young life was taken, long before she should have been. I strongly feel justice was never served in this case. I DO hope one day that more evidence will come forward, but we also know that the United States of America has the Double Jeopardy Law, and Casey could not be charged for the same murder twice.

I truly am appalled at how many people are following and supporting Casey Anthony. She is no advocate. How could anyone turn to her, believing she is there for women's rights or to advocate for her daughter??? To me, that's a slap in the face!!!

May you rest in paradise sweet baby. Our thoughts are always with Cindy and George Anthony on the loss of their beloved grandbaby.

A Trial That Captivated the World ~ Caylee Anthony

 

On May 24, 2011 the country, possibly the world, was sitting on pins and needles, when the trial began... Casey Anthony was up against first degree murder charges... charged with killing her own child; a defenseless two-year-old little girl. No one will forget her name...

CAYLEE ANTHONY!!!

As the trial was on its way, the defense now claimed that Caylee had drowned in the family pool, and Casey's father, George Anthony helped her bury, Caylee in the backyard. 

(This would be one of the many absurd allegations brought up at the trial). 

One of the biggest lies that Casey's defense team brought forward were he sudden claims that her father, George Anthony had sexually abused and molested her; something that has never been proven, and venomously denied. The lies kept coming, which the prosecution was not letting go of; they brought up the lies Casey had told her parents as well as the incriminating searches on Google for "how to make chloroform".

Despite the prosecution making it VERY clear that no one makes an accident look like a murder (re: Casey's claims that Caylee accidentally drowned in the family pool).

On July 5, 2011, the jury came back with a verdict; something most people were completely shocked about. Casey Anthony is found NOT guilty of murder, but IS convicted on misdemeanor charges... SAY WHAT???

Casey Anthony was NOT guilty on first-degree murder, manslaughter and child abuse BUT she WAS convicted on four counts of lying to the police. (I am absolutely flabbergasted that this was the result)...

July 7, 2011, Casey Anthony faces the judge and receives her verdict of FOUR YEARS in prison and a $4,000 fine. 

(I am trying to keep my own opinion out of this, but is that what a child's life is worth??? I cannot comprehend how a person can get away with murder. I don't understand how a person can live with themselves after they've killed their own child?!!)

To be continued....

An Arrest That Captivated the World ~ Caylee Anthony

 

Here is where the twists and turns really begin...

October 2008, Casey Anthony has been arrested and charged with first degree murder of her two year old daughter, Caylee Anthony. 

The entire world was watching, in disgust, as a mother was soooo dismissive and her lack of emotion was disturbing, did not go unnoticed.

Let's continue where we left off... her arrest!!! (What we know so far...)

Casey Anthony left her parents' home in June 2008, with her daughter, Caylee. Casey didn't return for 31 days. Cindy Anthony called the police, reporting that her granddaughter, Caylee was missing. She was terrified, telling officers that Caylee has been missing for a month, and they only found out now from their daughter, who had finally admitted it. She was adamant that something was wrong, claiming that her daughter's car smells terrible.. "smells like there's been a dead body in the damn car".

She continued, repeating what Casey had told her, that she hasn't seen Caylee nor her babysitter, Zenaida "Zanny" Fernandez-Gonzalez. Casey claimed that Zanny had kidnapped Caylee a month ago. (This call was made on July 15, 2008).

The very next day, July 16, 2008 Casey Anthony was arrested and initially charged with child neglect, giving false statements and obstruction. She claimed that she left Caylee with the babysitter as she went to work at Universal Studios... both which turned out to be flat out lies. 

Casey Anthony was released but mere days later she was declared a "person of interest" on the disappearance of Caylee. (This was July 22, 2008).

The judicial system was NOT toying with this case, at all. On October 14, 2008, despite not finding Caylee, nor her bodily remains, a Florida grand jury indicted Casey Anthony on first degree murder charges. These charges carry the potential of resulting in with a death penalty.

Five months after Caylee Anthony was reported missing, her remains were uncovered in a wooded area, less than a mile away from the Anthonys' home in Florida. The person who found the remains, testified later that he saw a white object in the same area in August 2008, believing it was a human skull. Police came out, looked one way and the other, only to berate him for wasting the officer's time.

To be Continued...

A Case That Captivated the World ~ Caylee Anthony

The easiest way to write about this case, is to start right from the phone call...

THE BRIEF OVERHAUL OF THE CASE

On July 15, 2008, there was a report sent out to the police, by a woman named Cindy Anthony. This name would be on everyone's lips in the weeks and months to come. 

She is the mother of Casey Anthony, and the grandmother of 2-year-old, Caylee Anthony. 

Cindy Anthony had grown deeply concerned for her granddaughter, Caylee, when she reported her sweet grandbaby has been missing for about a month, at this point.

This call is what triggered an emotional, painstaking search for a wee lass; leaving people with many, many questions. The police started an elaborate investigation, as her loved ones and the world watched. Their main suspect, right from the beginning was Caylee's own mother, Casey Anthony. (She was 22 at the time that Caylee was declared missing).

It seemed apparent that George and Cindy Anthony were suspicious of their daughter, Casey from the beginning, as she was always giving them excuses as to why their granddaughter wasn't with her. Police clearly agreed with them and dug into Casey's life. 

With probes into her phone, computer and vehicle; there was very damning information. Casey Anthony had done searches for chloroform and how to break a neck??? (Am I the only one appalled at this?) These discoveries became all the more incriminating when there were traces of choloroform in the trunk of her car, along with signs of human decomposition.

With all this incriminating evidence, even without any remains found (at this time), Casey Anthony was charged with first degree murder of her only child, 2-year-old, Caylee Anthony in October 2008.

Sadly, 2 months later, Caylee Anthony's skeletal remains were found in a wooded area, less than a mile away from the Anthony residence in Florida.

To be continued...

An Update on a Previous Case ~ Jason Vukovich (Alaskan Avenger)

 

Hi all. This is going to be a tiny blurb about a case I wrote about in my previous blog. It is about Jason Vukovich aka The Alaskan Avenger. 

Long story short, he was a victim of childhood abuse, along with his brother; when he was old enough and managed to escape his life of hell, he went back to his hometown and sought out the sex offenders' registry and found a few of them.

I know many would not condone violence, but I 100% know where he was coming from, when he allegedly committed these crimes. 

I do NOT for one second feel he should have served any time in prison. The men he attacked where scumbags who preyed on innocent beings, and got what they deserved. 

Our judicial system is systematically failing our children, men and women everyday.

I will be writing a lot of cases like this, and things will get very graphic. I am just getting organized, but if you have not read this case, I can give you the link to my old blog so you can catch up. I am also going to give you the link to Jason Vukovich on Facebook; if you are interested in following him as well.

The Real Alaskan Avenger Facebook Page

Jason Vukovich's Instagram

This is the link to my original blog about the case... I hope you all have a great weekend. Stay safe!

Original Case for Alaskan Avenger Jason Vukovich

~ Phoenix

Hi Everyone

Good Afternoon Crime buffs. 

I hope your day is going well. I am going to post the link to my old crime blog as I have linked this new one to my personal one as well. This way, it will give me a chance to write about some new cases, while you can get acquainted with my writing and the cases I already explored.

If you have any cases you would like me to explore... Please let me know. I cannot promise I will get to them right away, but I will look into them, add them to the list as they come to me. 

Thank you for reading my blogs. I appreciate every single one of you. 

Stay safe and Be well.

MY OLD LEGAL BLOG

~Phoenix