Background

The November 1981 drowning death of actress Natalie Wood remains one of Hollywood’s most intriguing unresolved mysteries. Nearly 45 years after it occurred, many questions linger, including how a woman who had a well-known phobia of being in dark water and whose greatest fear was drowning ended up in the Pacific Ocean on a chilly November night.

Her death was ruled an accidental drowning, but after decades of scrutiny and speculation, her case was reopened and reclassified, leaving many to wonder: What actually happened to Natalie Wood?

A Star is Born

In the 1960s, everyone knew the name of Hollywood starlet Natalie Wood. After finding success as a child star, Natalie went on to have a long and illustrious career, becoming one of the two youngest people to earn three Golden Globe nominations. Natalie’s destiny was fated, and her mother insisted on making her a star by any means necessary.

Natalie’s mother, Maria Zoudilova, was a Russian immigrant whose family had fled to China at the start of the Russian Civil War. In 1928, Maria and her husband, Alexander, had a daughter, Olga. In 1930, the three of them traveled by ship to America. Six years later, Maria and Alexander divorced.

Maria soon met Nicholas Zacharenko, who was also of Russian descent and had likewise fled with his family to China at the outbreak of the Russian Civil War. The family would later make its way to America in 1933. Maria and Nicholas were married in February 1938. Their daughter, Natalie Zacharenko, was born on July 20th, 1938, in San Francisco, California.

A year after Natalie was born, Nicholas changed the family’s surname to Gurdin, and by 1942, the family had settled in Santa Rosa, California. In 1946, Natalie’s sister Svetlana was born. She would later become an actress and change her name to Lana Wood.

Natalie’s future was largely determined by her mother, who had long dreamed of being a starlet herself, and since that had not come to pass, she was insistent on transferring that dream onto young Natalie. Despite being so young, Natalie was pushed toward acting opportunities under the strict tutelage of her mother, who remained desperate to live vicariously through her daughter.

Maria’s delusions were fueled by the words of a fortune teller, who had told her that her daughter would be a beautiful star and reach international fame.

Early Career

To Maria’s delight, young Natalie caught the attention of producers working on a film in downtown Santa Rosa. After her discovery, RKO film executives suggested she use the stage name Natalie Wood in order to sound more American. Her first on-screen appearance came at just 4 years old, in The Moon is Down, a film adapted from a John Steinbeck novel.

She earned the favor of director Irving Pichel, who cast her again in the 1943 film, Happy Land. Pichel kept in touch with Maria, contacting her whenever a role came up that he thought might suit young Natalie.

Eventually, Maria insisted on relocating the entire family to Los Angeles. Though Natalie’s father opposed the idea, Maria was insistent that making Natalie a star was her one and only priority. She often neglected Olga and her youngest daughter, Lana, instead focusing all her effort and energy on Natalie’s acting career.

At age seven, Wood would appear alongside Orson Welles in Tomorrow is Forever, released in 1946. It was during filming for this movie that others on set had a firsthand look at how cruel and harsh Maria could be as a stage mom. When Natalie was unable to cry during one of her scenes, Maria ripped a butterfly to pieces in front of her, causing her to break down sobbing.

The breakout role of Natalie’s early career came in 1947 when she starred in Miracle on 34th Street, a film that became a Christmas classic. Her success in this role launched her acting career in earnest, and soon she was one of the top child stars in Hollywood. She would go on to star in more than 20 films during her childhood.

Natalie was never given the opportunity to simply be a kid. Because her career started so young, she never had the opportunity to go to school or make friends as a normal child might. Natalie’s early education happened on set, spending three hours per day with a teacher learning school curriculum before racing back to the studio to film her scenes.

Leading Lady

Natalie continued acting in both film and television into her teen years. In 1955, at age 16, Natalie starred alongside James Dean in Rebel Without A Cause. According to her, this was the first film Natalie chose to do on her own; up until this point, all her roles had been strictly dictated by her mother.

Natalie signed a contract with Warner Bros. for this movie, and she earned an Academy Award Nomination for Best Supporting Actress. After completing high school in 1956, Wood signed another contract with Warner Bros. She began starring in leading roles after her performance in Rebel Without a Cause gave her a new level of fame.

The following year, in December 1957, 19-year-old Wood married 27-year-old actor Robert Wagner, known to friends as R.J. They became one of the most high-profile and talked-about couples in Hollywood. Though Wagner was eight years her senior, Wood had far more experience in the industry, having started at such a young age. At the time, many speculated that the marriage would help to boost Wagner’s career.

In 1958, Natalie starred opposite Frank Sinatra in Kings Go Forth. After a brief hiatus and a temporary suspension from Warner Bros. due to her refusal of certain roles, she had another appearance as leading lady in the 1960 film Cash McCall before her career took a turn.

A combination of her hiatus and a poorly-received film left Natalie’s career, once flourishing, in an awkward slump. Now in her early twenties, she was struggling to pivot from the innocence of her child star status to a serious actress, taking on more mature roles. Critics were not kind, and at only twenty-two, she was painted as a “washed-up” actress. However, director Elia Kazan saw Wood in a different light.

In 1961, Kazan cast Natalie in the film Splendor in the Grass. Kazan was able to draw out the depth and power he knew Natalie possessed. Wood’s performance in the film earned her many accolades, including nominations for an Academy Award, Golden Globe, and BAFTA Award. Another standout performance later that year in West Side Story reestablished Wood’s career.

Despite her on-screen resurgence, Wood, like everyone else, had her issues. As her sister, Lana, stated in a 2000 Vanity Fair article, “Hollywood prepares you for life in front of the camera, but it doesn’t prepare you for private life.” Wood had begun taking sleeping pills to deal with her chronic insomnia and was regularly seeing a psychiatrist, even passing up acting roles that would interfere with her sessions.

Her marriage to Robert Wagner was also becoming strained, and tensions were exacerbated with rumors of a fling between Natalie and her Splendor in the Grass co-star Warren Beatty. Wagner and Wood divorced in 1962.

That year, Wood debuted her singing skills in Gypsy, and a year later, earned her third Academy Award nomination for her performance in Love with the Proper Stranger. At 25, she had now tied the record for the youngest person to earn three Oscar nominations. She also received multiple additional Golden Globe nominations for her work.

Hiatus and Marriages

In 1966, following health problems and the disappointing reception of the film Penelope, Natalie began a three-year hiatus from acting. She fired her entire team and paid $175,000 to Warner Bros. to buy herself out of her contract. She started dating British producer Richard Gregson, and in 1969, the two were married.

That same year, Natalie returned to acting, starring in Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, which was a resounding success. In 1970, Natalie and Richard welcomed their daughter, Natasha. After Natasha's birth, Natalie mostly stopped pursuing film roles, appearing in only four more films. Instead, she began appearing in various television shows, including The Affair.

This work led her to reconnect with her ex-husband and now co-star, Robert Wagner. In 1972, Natalie divorced Richard Gregson. Later that year, she would remarry Robert Wagner, who was also recently divorced from actress Marion Marshall. Two years later, Natalie and Robert had a daughter, Courtney, who would be raised alongside Natasha and Robert’s daughter, Katie.

Natalie’s acting career continued, though she appeared less often and was more focused on television roles. She was said to be a loving and devoted mother and called her life with her daughters and Robert her “fantasy fulfilled”, but that fantasy would be tragically cut short.

Dark Waters

In 1981, 43-year-old Natalie Wood and 38-year-old co-star Christopher Walken were filming Brainstorm, a science fiction movie with an impressive $15 million budget. On Thanksgiving weekend, Natalie and Robert were planning to take his yacht out to Catalina Island, a rocky 22-mile-long island off the coast of southern California.

Natalie invited co-star Christopher Walken to join them onboard Splendour, named for Wood’s iconic 1961 film. According to the boat’s captain, Dennis Davern, the atmosphere was somewhat awkward because Wagner and Walken did not know each other. Meanwhile, Walken and Wood had developed a rapport while working together.

Nevertheless, the three of them, along with Davern, set sail. On November 28th - Thanksgiving Day- they sailed to Avalon, the only incorporated city on the island, and spent the evening shopping and dining. They then returned to the boat, where the sea was reportedly rough and choppy.

There have been conflicting statements; however, it later emerged that Wood requested to return ashore and was escorted by Davern. They were able to find lodging at a nearby hotel. According to the Vanity Fair article, Davern would tell police, "We thought it was best for me to stay with her, for protection. She knew I wasn't going to make any kind of play for her—she was comfortable with me."

They returned to the Splendour the next morning, and according to Davern, Natalie cooked a large breakfast for everyone. That afternoon, the four of them sailed to the northern end of Catalina Island and anchored in Isthmus Cove, where they dined at Doug’s Harbor Reef, a favorite of the yacht community. According to Davern and several of the restaurant staff, they were all drinking heavily and had finished several bottles of wine and champagne.

The details of what happened after they left the restaurant are a subject of much debate, even to this day. At some point that evening, Natalie retired and presumably went to bed. Later, when her husband went to look for her, he found that Natalie was not on board the 60-foot vessel. She was nowhere to be found, and the yacht’s dinghy was also missing.

At approximately 1:30 a.m. on November 29th, a distress call came from the Splendour. Authorities responded to the call for help, and the search began. It took around six hours to locate Natalie, and when they finally did, it was too late.

Natalie’s body, dressed in a flannel nightgown, blue wool socks, and a red down jacket, was floating face down approximately 200 yards off the coast of Catalina Island. To the south, the inflatable dinghy had washed up on the rocks along the shoreline. Her death came as a shock to Hollywood and to the world.

Los Angeles County coroner Thomas Noguchi determined Natalie’s death was the result of an accidental drowning and the combined effects of hypothermia. Noguchi cited Natalie’s intoxicated state as a possible reason for her being unable to climb back into the dinghy after slipping off.

But why would Natalie have been on the dinghy in the first place, in the darkness of night and in such rough conditions? That is the question that makes this tragedy more complicated than it may initially seem, and is only deepened by Natalie’s lifelong traumas.

Investigation

Initial reports included statements from witnesses who heard strange screaming on the night of Natalie’s death. According to John Payne and Marilyn Wayne, a couple who had been sleeping onboard a boat anchored near the Splendour, they’d heard a woman screaming for help around midnight. They thought the voice sounded like it was coming from the stern of the Splendour, and more specifically, from someone in the dinghy.

They didn’t immediately rush to help because a nearby yacht was having a late-night party, and they’d heard a man’s voice calling back in a joking tone. It wasn’t until they saw the news of Natalie’s death that they thought to make a police report. Natalie’s toxicology report indicated a blood-alcohol level of 0.14 percent, above the threshold that would merit a DUI charge if driving. The autopsy revealed bruising on Natalie’s arms, legs, and her left cheek, which Noguchi cited as evidence of an accidental fall into water.

Scratch marks on the side of the dinghy, apparently made by fingernails, were consistent with Natalie attempting to climb back into the inflatable vessel. Her down jacket would have made this a very difficult task once the feathers were weighted down with water. Noguchi thought she had accidentally slipped off the dinghy, was too intoxicated to think rationally, and clung to the side of the dinghy as it drifted away, until she eventually gave out from exhaustion and hypothermic effects and drowned.

While the story of how Natalie had died seemed plausible, the question of why she was on the dinghy in the first place remained. Noguchi commissioned a “psychological autopsy” to analyze Natalie’s reasoning for leaving the yacht in the first place. When this report was completed, Noguchi decided against releasing it to the public.

This decision led to overwhelming backlash, including pointed criticism from the Screen Actors Guild and Natalie’s former co-star, Frank Sinatra, which eventually resulted in Noguchi losing his job the following year. However, Noguchi’s ruling of accidental drowning as Wood’s cause of death remained.

Case Reopened

In 2011, Natalie’s case, which had been closed since Noguchi’s ruling on her manner of death, was reopened. Dennis Davern made a public statement, confessing that he had lied to police during his initial interview. He claimed that Natalie and Robert had been arguing on the night of her death, and that Wagner became enraged with jealousy after accusing her of flirting with Christopher Walken.

Davern has maintained that Natalie’s death was not the tragic accident it was painted to be. He pointed the blame at Wagner, whom he claimed had ordered him not to turn on the search lights or contact authorities when Natalie initially vanished. He has said that for the two days of the trip, Natalie and Robert had both been drinking heavily, and that the tension onboard the yacht was unbearable.

On the night of Natalie’s death, Davern witnessed a heated argument between Wagner and Walken over Natalie’s career and future. Walken defended Natalie and her independence, which caused Wagner to explode with rage, shattering a bottle of wine and screaming jealous accusations at Walken.

Though Davern’s credibility as a witness, given his initial dishonesty, is in question, Wagner himself confirmed in a 2020 documentary that he did smash a bottle of wine in the yacht’s main salon, but that he and Walken had then cooled off on the deck, while Natalie retired to her room.

After her case was reopened, Los Angeles County’s Chief Coroner amended her death certificate, which now reads “drowning and other undetermined factors.” The following year, in 2013, a 10-page addendum to Natalie’s autopsy report revealed that some of the bruising on Natalie’s body may have been present before any fall into the water, but there was nothing to prove definitively when or how the bruising occurred.

In 2018, Robert Wagner was officially named a person of interest in the case. Many, including one of Noguchi’s former interns, believe that Natalie did not slip but rather was thrown overboard. Wagner and his daughters continue to maintain his innocence. In 2022, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Lt. Hugo Reynaga announced that all leads in the case had been exhausted, and the death of Natalie Wood remains open and unsolved.

A Haunting Premonition

Long before the name Natalie Wood appeared on the big screen, Natalie’s mother, Maria, had visited a fortune teller. This fortune teller told Maria her daughter would become a star, beautiful and known around the world. There was another prediction, though, and it was one that would haunt Natalie for her entire life.

According to the psychic, this prophecy would only be fulfilled if Maria avoided drowning. The fortune teller emphasized seeing Maria drowning in “dark water.” Though the promise of a famous daughter dominated Maria’s mind, so did the fear, which she passed on to Natalie. From a young age, Maria taught Natalie to fear water.

At ten years old, Natalie was forced to film a scene that required her to cross a bridge over turbulent water. Maria pushed her, despite her terror, and when Natalie reached the middle of the bridge, it collapsed. Natalie plunged down as the cameras kept rolling, struggling against the water and screaming through the fear and the pain of a broken wrist.

From there, her fear of water only worsened. She had frequent nightmares about drowning, and her phobia became so severe that she was hesitant to wash her hair. At age 14, Natalie was forced to jump from the back of a boat or be cut from the movie. She then jumped into the water, triggering a hysterical outburst of genuine terror.

Even as an adult, Natalie was so afraid of water that she wouldn’t use her own swimming pool. Only weeks before her death, Natalie had confessed to a journalist that she was “afraid of water that is dark.” This pervasive fear had haunted Natalie for her entire life. She would tell those close to her that her biggest fear was drowning, saying, “I love being on the water and near the water, but not in the water.”

When the news of Natalie’s death broke, her sister, Lana, found the circumstances more than puzzling. Raised by the same mother, she had been taught the same fears. Lana knew how deeply Natalie feared water, specifically dark water, and that she had never learned how to swim.

Why, then, would Natalie willingly leave the safety of the yacht, climb into a small inflatable raft, and set out into an endless expanse of cold, dark water so late at night with clouds blocking out even the light from the stars? Lana did not think this was something Natalie would ever do, regardless of how many drinks she’d had. Natalie would not have willingly exposed herself to her greatest fear.

Closing Thoughts

In a 1974 interview, Natalie said that the storms in her and her husband’s life were now limited to the ones they experienced while out cruising the seas, and their relationship was nothing but smooth sailing the second time around. Was this still true on that fateful night in 1981, or had the storms of life caught up to them?

Robert Wagner, now 96, maintains his innocence despite being named a person of interest. He claims he has never been back to Catalina Island since Natalie’s death. We will likely never know the truth of what happened that fateful night, but we do know that the story of Natalie Wood will live on as one of the biggest Hollywood mysteries of all time.

Sources:

Chamings, Andrew. “A Hollywood star’s death still haunts this remote California village.” SF Gate, 17 Aug. 2025,https://www.sfgate.com/la/article/hollywood-death-catalina-california-village-20816352.php

Dechant, Lawrence. “Natalie Wood Autopsy Report Revised; Actress Bruised Before Death.” ABC News, 14 Jan. 2013, https://abcnews.com/Entertainment/natalie-wood-autopsy-hints-assault/story?id=18212595

Diehl, Digby. “Natasha: The Biography of Natalie Wood.” Variety, 4 Aug. 2001, https://variety.com/2001/more/reviews/natasha-the-biography-of-natalie-wood-1200469640/

Kashner, Sam. “Natalie Wood’s Fatal Voyage.” Vanity Fair | the Complete Archive, 1 Mar. 2000, https://archive.vanityfair.com/article/share/ab8e2115-7a47-4527-8749-c2eef01a96fc

Background

The judicial system, despite its flaws, is one of America’s oldest and most sacred institutions. The judges who preside over its courts are tasked with upholding the law impartially and ensuring that justice is served. The authority of their position carries a heavy responsibility, directly impacting the lives of those who stand before them.

For Nashville, Tennessee-based Judge Cason “Casey” Moreland, this authority became a tool of power and corruption. The former Davidson County General Sessions Judge was charged with abusing his authority to exploit others while benefiting himself.

Cason “Casey” Moreland

Cason “Casey” Moreland earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee at Martin, graduating in 1980. After completing his undergraduate studies, Moreland pursued his J.D. at the Nashville School of Law.

After law school, Moreland worked in private practice until 1995, when he was elected to the bench in Davidson County to serve in District X. According to his 2014 election profile, Judge Moreland was a husband and father of two and described himself as a “Moderate Democrat.”

Judge Moreland served on the Davidson County General Sessions Court and was re-elected in 1998, 2006, and 2014. As a judge in the General Sessions Court, Judge Moreland saw a wide variety of cases. In time, he would come to be regarded as a key fixture of the local judicial system.

Because his position involved handing out sentences that can carry such lasting consequences, Judge Moreland was expected to hold himself to a strong ethical standard. Given his numerous re-elections, it seems the public believed he was doing exactly that. Yet, behind closed doors, Judge Moreland was not operating in a manner befitting of his “Honorable” status.

Illicit Affairs

On May 5th, 2016, a local Nashville woman, Leigh Terry, was found dead in her apartment downtown. Her death appeared to be a suicide, but as with any unattended death, authorities are expected to investigate the circumstances surrounding the case. In doing so, they uncovered an interesting connection – Leigh Terry knew Judge Moreland, and perhaps a bit better than he let on.

In 2013, Leigh was facing a DUI charge. She was ordered to appear in court before Judge Moreland, but he recused himself from handling her case due to what he called a “minimal acquaintance” with her. If this were the truth, Judge Moreland would have been operating in good faith and in accordance with the standards of practicing fair and impartial law.

In reality, Judge Moreland was, or would soon be, having an affair with Leigh Terry. According to her friends, she had reported that her relationship with Judge Moreland was a transactional one. Her friends later told police that Leigh had engaged in sexual acts with Judge Moreland to escape the repercussions of a previous DUI charge.

Though another General Sessions judge sentenced Leigh to five days in prison, she would never actually serve any time. Shortly after her sentence was delivered, Leigh’s father made a $1000 donation to Judge Moreland’s 2014 re-election campaign. Judge Moreland was also the one who signed off on the paperwork that would end Leigh’s probation two months earlier than scheduled.

In 2015, Natalie Amos, a friend of Leigh’s, was introduced to Judge Moreland. Natalie, facing legal troubles of her own, was told that Judge Moreland could magically make her problems go away. With traffic fine payments stacking up and court fees on top of that, Natalie was willing to hear what Judge Moreland could offer her. In exchange for sexual favors, Judge Moreland would use his “powers” to make Natalie’s legal issues disappear.

Federal Investigation

Things were going well for Judge Moreland until Leigh Terry died. After her death, Natalie Amos made a shocking decision. Natalie went to a local Nashville news outlet, WSMV, and told her story. She shared the details of how Judge Moreland had been using his position as a presiding judge in Davidson County to elicit sexual favors from women facing legal troubles. Natalie's going to the media marked the beginning of Judge Moreland’s eventual downfall.

In January 2017, the FBI officially opened a formal investigation into Judge Moreland’s apparent history of corruption. When they did, they would uncover far more than the reported sexual misconduct and abuse of his judicial power.

The day after the investigation was opened, Natalie Amos agreed to an interview with the FBI, and she told them everything, with text messages from Judge Moreland to prove it. Investigators uncovered that Judge Moreland had attempted to bribe Natalie with $6000 to recant her story. What’s more, this money had been stolen from the Davidson County Drug Court Foundation, a local drug court nonprofit group.

Judge Moreland went further than attempting to bribe Natalie Amos. He enlisted the help of an intermediary, a semi-pro wrestler by the name of James Pedigo, to make sure Natalie’s story was silenced one way or another.

He instructed Pedigo to deliver the demands for Natalie’s retraction, but before bringing it up, to make sure Natalie was intoxicated. He also attempted to have drugs planted on her, then have her pulled over in a staged traffic stop to destroy any credibility she may still have.

Unfortunately for Judge Moreland, his intermediary had recently become a confidential informant for the FBI. He was wearing a wire during his conversations with Moreland, which only added further evidence to the mounting federal case against him.

Arrest and Conviction

On March 28th, 2017, Judge Moreland was arrested on federal obstruction-of-justice charges. News of his unsavory behavior had spread, and the calls for his resignation had grown. After appearing in court, Judge Moreland submitted to the requests for him to resign, requests which were bolstered by Mayor Megan Barry. Following his resignation, U.S. Magistrate Judge Joe Brown allowed Moreland to be released under home confinement.

As the investigation continued, federal investigators untangled the web of corruption surrounding Moreland. They discovered that he had embezzled some $15,000 from the nonprofit organization meant to help those suffering from addiction seek treatment.

Moreland also continued, though stripped of his judicial title, to interfere in the investigation, ordering a drug court director to destroy all records that would provide a paper trail for his pattern of embezzlement. In March of 2018, federal investigators had seen enough. Moreland was arrested again, and this time, he wouldn’t be getting off so easily.

Among other things, the disgraced judge pled guilty to obstruction of justice, witness tampering, and stealing money from an organization receiving federal funds. He accepted a plea agreement and, in doing so, was forced to admit that he had been embezzling money since early 2016.

He was also forced to admit that he ordered the destruction of records proving his guilt. Finally, on November 30th, 2018, Moreland was sentenced to 44 months in prison, along with restitution of $18,000 and a forfeiture of $13,500.

Closing Thoughts

The story of Judge Cason “Casey” Moreland serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of authority abused and power gone unchecked, and a reminder that even those sworn to uphold the law are not above corruption. The deplorable actions of this disgraced former judge represent a profound breach of trust, yet another stain on the reputation of the legal system in this country.

This case raises questions about how long such actions can go undetected or unaddressed before something is done to rectify the injustice.

What remains clear is that Moreland’s fall from grace represents more than one man’s misconduct; instead, it is a reflection of the broader questions of ethics and the responsibility for those in positions of power, and the consequences that must follow when those ethics and responsibilities are betrayed.

Sources:

“Tennessee Judge Faces Federal Corruption Charges.” FOX 5 Atlanta, 28 Mar. 2017, www.fox5atlanta.com/news/tennessee-judge-faces-federal-corruption-charges

Former Nashville General Sessions Judge Sentenced to Federal Prison. 30 Nov. 2018, https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdtn/pr/former-nashville-general-sessions-judge-sentenced-federal-prison-obstruction-and-theft

Hitson, Hadley. “Disgraced Former Judge Casey Moreland Left Behind Trail of Corruption: Notorious Nashville.” The Tennessean, 29 Aug. 2025, https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/crime/2025/07/17/nashville-fbi-casey-moreland-investigation/

“Judge Pleads Guilty to Scheming to Plant Drugs.” CBS News, 25 May 2018, www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/judge-pleads-guilty-to-scheming-to-plant-drugs

Teller, Sara E. “Judge Accused of Trying to Cover up Sexual Relationships - Legal Reader.” Legal Reader, 28 Mar. 2018, www.legalreader.com/judge-accused-trying-cover-sexual-relationships

Background

In the world of criminal law, a lawyer's reputation is everything. Paul Bergrin’s was built on success, on winning cases others couldn’t, and defending clients others wouldn’t, but the deeper he moved into that world, the harder it became to tell where the law ended and something far more dangerous began.

A Formidable Presence

There is a certain level of trust placed in those who operate within the justice system, an expectation that even in the adversarial environment of a courtroom, there are lines that simply are not crossed.

Defense attorneys may push boundaries, challenge evidence, and dismantle prosecutions piece by piece, but they are still bound by the same laws they work within. The justice system depends on that balance -without it, the entire structure begins to fracture.

Paul Bergrin understood that system better than most; he had built his career inside it, learned its weaknesses, and earned a reputation as someone who could navigate it with precision.

Bergrin, who grew up in Queens, New York, attended Brooklyn College before graduating from law school in Florida. He was admitted to the Florida and New Jersey bars in 1980 and the New York bar in 1986.

By the time he established himself as a defense attorney, he was already known as a formidable presence in the courtroom. A lawyer who approached every case like a battle and who, more often than not, walked away victorious. For clients facing serious charges, particularly those tied to organized crime and drug trafficking, Bergrin became the man to know.

What made Bergrin effective was not just his legal ability, but his experience. He had served as a federal prosecutor in New Jersey, handling violent crimes and building cases designed to put people behind bars for life. That background gave him insight into how prosecutors think, how evidence is structured, and where cases are most vulnerable.

It also gave him something less tangible but just as important: credibility. He wasn’t just another defense lawyer looking for a win; he was someone who had once represented the system itself.

Bergrin built a successful practice, taking on difficult cases and developing a reputation for defending clients that others might avoid. He was known for his confidence, his aggressive style, and his willingness to fight relentlessly, particularly for those he saw as overlooked or unfairly targeted. To many of his clients, he was more than a lawyer. He was a lifeline.

But somewhere along the way, that role began to change.

Blurred Lines

The shift, or “switching” of sides, was not immediate, nor was it obvious from the outside. Bergrin continued to appear in court, win cases, and cultivate the image of a successful attorney. Behind that image, however, his connections to the criminal world were beginning to deepen. He was no longer simply representing individuals involved in illegal activity; he was spending time with them, conversing, and building relationships that started to extend beyond the courtroom.

According to federal investigators, those relationships eventually evolved into something far more serious. Bergrin became entangled in criminal operations that went well beyond legal representation. One of the earliest clear signs of this transformation came through his involvement with a New York-based escort service.

Bergrin’s role in the escort service, which operated behind the front of a nightclub, expanded over time, particularly after the owner was arrested. Prosecutors would later argue, at that point, he effectively took control of the business, overseeing its activities, all while continuing to present himself as a legal professional.

This juxtaposition created a dual existence for Bergrin. It became a defining feature of his life, and he began to move between courtrooms and criminal environments with ease, maintaining the appearance of legitimacy while becoming increasingly embedded in the very world he was supposed to fight against.

As the lines between lawyer and criminal continued to blur, Bergrin’s status and wealth increased. Late nights and close associations with individuals deeply involved in drug trafficking and organized crime became routine.

At the same time, his approach to defending clients was becoming more extreme.

“No Witness, No Case”

To Bergrin, winning had always been important, but over time it appeared to take on a different meaning. Winning was no longer simply about legal success; it became something closer to necessity, a base need that couldn’t be ignored. That mindset, according to prosecutors, led him to adopt tactics that went far beyond the boundaries of the law.

Allegations began to surface that witnesses connected to his cases were disappearing, and that testimony was being undermined in ways that could not be explained by legal strategy alone. Those suspicions would eventually center around a phrase that came to define the case against him: “No witness, no case.”

It was a simple concept rooted in reality; many prosecutions rely heavily on testimony, and without a witness, many cases can collapse. Bergrin didn’t just understand that principle; he acted on it. Federal authorities alleged that he “conspired to eliminate witnesses” who posed a threat to his clients, ensuring that prosecutions would fail before they could fully take shape.

One such case involved a cooperating witness in a drug investigation who was murdered before he could testify. DeShawn McCray, known on the streets as “Kemo”, wasn’t a high-profile figure, nor was he someone who would have drawn attention outside of the investigation he became part of. But in the eyes of federal prosecutors, he was something far more significant- he was the witness who could tie everything together.

McCray had been working with law enforcement, carrying out controlled drug buys in Newark as part of a wider effort to build a case against a dealer named William Baskerville. It was the kind of role that came with risk; informants operate in a space where exposure can be fatal. Once their identity becomes known, there is very little separating them from retaliation.

That risk became reality when Baskerville was arrested and met with Bergrin. During that meeting, McCray’s name surfaced as the government’s key witness, the person whose testimony could secure a conviction. Under normal circumstances, that information would remain confined to legal strategy, protected by the boundaries that govern attorney-client relationships, but this case did not follow normal circumstances

Bergrin allegedly told a Latin Kings gang member secretly working with the government, "It cannot under any circumstances look like a hit," but would later claim it was "bluffing" and "gamesmanship" in which Bergrin led the presumed hit man on after he realized the man had no intention of killing anyone.

Murder of DeShawn McCray

McCray’s identity did not stay contained within the walls of a legal consultation; instead, it was allegedly passed along to individuals connected to Baskerville’s drug network, accompanied by a simple message: If McCray testified, the case would move forward. If he didn’t, it would fall apart.

Not long after, in March 2004, McCray was walking along a street in Newark when he was approached and shot multiple times. The attack was direct, deliberate, and left little doubt as to its purpose. This was not a robbery or a random act of violence. It was an execution.

His death removed the central witness from the case. And with that, the case fell apart.

What makes McCray’s killing so significant is not only the loss of life, but the way it was allegedly enabled; this was not a situation where criminals independently decided to silence a witness. The prosecution argued that the information that led to his death came from someone operating within the justice system itself, someone who understood exactly what that information meant and how it could be used.

In that sense, McCray’s murder became more than just another act of violence tied to a drug case; it became the clearest example of how far the line had been crossed. Bergrin didn’t just “target a witness;” he allegedly used privileged legal knowledge to expose and eliminate him.

Building A Case

Prosecutors would later argue that Bergrin played a direct role in facilitating McCray’s murder, using his position to communicate information and influence events in ways that directly undermined the justice process with deadly consequences.

As investigators began to focus on Bergrin, what they uncovered suggested a pattern, rather than an isolated incident. Authorities claimed Bergrin was also involved in trafficking hundreds of pounds of cocaine by using his law firm to connect suppliers with distributors and allowing cocaine to be stored at a restaurant he owned.

Bergrin was also accused of tampering with witnesses, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney John Gay, who described the "brainwashing" of a 9-year-old girl so that she would lie about the brutal stabbing of her mother by her father, a Bergrin client.

According to the FBI, Bergrin had transformed his law practice into a vehicle for criminal activity and engaged in conduct that included witness tampering, drug trafficking, and involvement in prostitution operations.

The case against him was built on several years of investigation, drawing on testimony from former associates, recorded conversations, and financial evidence that pointed to a network of illegal activity operating behind the façade of a legitimate legal practice.

Building that case was not easy. Bergrin’s knowledge of the legal system made him uniquely equipped to avoid detection, and earlier attempts to prosecute him had faltered due to procedural issues. For some time, it appeared as though he might be able to evade consequences for his shady actions and continue his activities.

Downfall

Federal authorities continued to gather evidence, slowly building a case that would hold up in court. When charges were finally brought, they reflected the scale of what prosecutors believed Bergrin had been responsible for. In June 2011, Paul Bergrin was indicted by a federal grand jury and charged with multiple racketeering charges, as well as bribery, fraud, and the murder of a witness.

Though his 2011 trial ended in a hung jury on a portion of the charges, in 2012, a circuit court allowed the government to introduce evidence that Bergrin had plotted the murder of an additional witness.

He was tried again and accused of racketeering, conspiracy, drug trafficking, and involvement in violent crimes tied to his efforts to protect clients and maintain control over his operations. Bergrin argued that his actions had been misinterpreted and that conversations presented as evidence of criminal intent were taken out of context, twisted, or misunderstood. However, the weight of the evidence told a different story.

Testimony from witnesses, supported by recorded communications and financial records, painted a picture of a man who had not simply crossed ethical lines but had abandoned them entirely. The courtroom that had once been his arena became the place where his actions were laid bare, piece by piece, until the broader pattern became impossible to ignore.

In March 2013, the jury delivered its verdict. Paul Bergrin was found guilty on all counts. The charges reflected the breadth of the case against him: racketeering, conspiracy to murder a witness, drug trafficking, and other related offences. Later that year, he was sentenced to multiple life terms in federal prison, effectively ensuring that the man who had once navigated the justice system with such confidence would now spend the remainder of his life behind its bars.

For Paul Bergrin, who has since been disbarred from both New York and New Jersey, the fall from grace was particularly sad. A man with a brilliant legal mind who had begun his career by prosecuting those who prey on society had fallen so far that he was willing to allow people to be murdered rather than risk losing a case.

It was a betrayal not only to the friends and families of the victims, but to the law that he had once sworn to uphold.

Sources:

Ax, Joseph. “Paul Bergrin: From Federal Prosecutor To The Most Corrupt Criminal Defense Lawyer.” NBC News, 23 January 2013, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/baddest-lawyer-history-jersey-accused-orchestrating-fbi-informants-murder

Lendman, Stephen, “Targeting Lawyers: The Case Of Paul Bergrin.” December 17, 2009, https://countercurrents.org/lendman171209.htm

“Attorney-Turned-Racketeer.” FBI News Stories, 31 October 2013, https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/attorney-turned-racketeer-a-stunning-betrayal-of-the-law1

“Paul Bergrin: From Federal Prosecutor To The Most Corrupt Criminal Defense Lawyer | True Lives.” YouTube, Uploaded by True Lives 18 October 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBYXOKIGZLc

Background

Early in the morning of July 19th, 2005, the parents of 19-year-old LaVena Johnson were visited by representatives of the United States Army. What they were told was both shocking and unfathomable. According to the Staff Sergeant, LaVena had taken her own life with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The official statement from the Army corroborated this story.

However, when Lavena Johnson’s parents began to independently look into the circumstances surrounding their daughter’s death, what they discovered was deeply disturbing. They uncovered credible evidence that LaVena was sexually assaulted and murdered, and that the Army was implicated in a scheme to cover it up. More than 20 years later, LaVena’s parents continue to seek justice for their daughter.

A Promising Future

LaVena Johnson was born in Florissant, Missouri, on July 27th, 1985. Her parents, Dr. John Johnson and Mrs. Linda Johnson, were exceptionally proud of their daughter. LaVena grew up as a bright young woman, consistently earning honor roll placements. Her parents thought that when she graduated from Hazelwood Central High School, she would enroll in college courses.

However, LaVena had different plans. On September 15th, 2004, she enlisted in the U.S. Army. Though her parents were understandably apprehensive, her father, a veteran himself, was particularly proud of her desire to serve.

At the time, the United States was in the early stages of Operation Iraqi Freedom, which lasted until 2011. At its peak, the war would see over 170,000 U.S. service members deployed. Private First Class LaVena Johnson was deployed to Iraq, where she was stationed in Balad.

Though her parents were worried, LaVena tried to reassure them and kept in frequent contact. On July 17th, 2005, LaVena called her mother. During their conversation, she was happy and bubbly, and the two discussed plans for later that year, including Christmas. The very next day, everything would change.

Tragic News

Around 7:30 a.m. on July 19th, Dr. Johnson and Mrs. Johnson were awoken by loud knocks on their door. Peeking out the window, Mrs. Johnson saw a soldier standing on the porch. Both their hearts sank, fearing something had happened to LaVena. Upon greeting them, the staff sergeant solemnly informed them that LaVena had died of self-inflicted wounds.

Her parents were in shock and disbelief. They had just spoken to her, and she was happy. She was making plans for holiday celebrations. Dr. Johnson, who had earned a Ph.D. in behavioral psychology and worked for the Department of the Army in the drug abuse program, knew what the signs of suicidal ideation looked like. His daughter had none of them.

The same day he was told LaVena took her own life, Dr. Johnson reached out to contacts who knew people in Iraq. It was through these connections that Dr. Johnson learned that LaVena had been found in a contractor’s tent, not in her barracks as initially reported. Immediately, the Johnsons realized that they were not being told the full story.

Push for Truth

The U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command performed an investigation into LaVena’s death, which was not made available until Congress pushed for it to be released under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). This report concluded that LaVena Johnson had shot herself with her Army-issued M16, and that the fire in the tent, not initially disclosed to her parents, was a result of her attempting to burn pages of what seemed to be a diary.

When LaVena’s body was returned home for her funeral, Dr. Johnson’s suspicions were confirmed. LaVena had various injuries and abrasions that were not consistent with her listed manner of death. The Johnsons hired a top pathologist to perform a second autopsy, independent of the Army’s autopsy, which had ruled LaVena’s death a suicide. However, the pathologist disclosed a conflict of interest- he was friends with one of the Army personnel who signed off on LaVena’s initial autopsy.

Though he agreed to perform the autopsy, he failed to include the physical damage to her body in his report, and did not rule her death as murder or suicide, instead choosing to stay neutral.

Obtaining information from the Army was extremely difficult. It wasn’t until ten months after LaVena’s death that her parents finally received black and white copies of photos and documents from the investigation. Dr. Johnson took this evidence to his brother, Joseph Johnson, who had a degree in criminal science. After 45 minutes, Joseph called with a resolute conclusion: LaVena had been murdered.

Controversy and Coverup

The photos the Johnsons had finally received of LaVena were graphic and horrifying. She had bruises all over her face and scratches all over her arms. Her nose was broken as if struck from right to left, and her lip was busted and bloodied.

The most horrific damage had been done to her pelvic region. According to Dr. Johnson, her vaginal area had been terribly torn, and something had been poured over it, potentially lye, likely to cover DNA evidence left behind. The conclusion was grim but clear. LaVena did not take her own life: she was raped and murdered, and the scene was staged to look like a suicide.

LaVena also had severe burns, running from her shoulder to her thighs, as if someone had poured an accelerant on her body and lit it. Reports indicated that a small bench was lying on top of LaVena’s body. There was no way LaVena could have placed it there after she died from a self-inflicted wound.

There was no way for LaVena to self-inflict these wounds. As for the fire, the Johnsons, and many others, believe the fire was started in an attempt to burn LaVena’s body and dispose of the evidence.

The photos told a very clear story. Why, then, would the Army and the Department of Defense continue to stand by a suicide ruling that made no sense in light of the evidence? When asked on an episode of Tell Me More from NPR News in 2008, Dr. Johnson suggested that a high-ranking or prestigious official may have been involved, and as such, the military and government engaged in a cover-up.

The Johnsons sent the Army a package back with the photos depicting clear physical evidence that this was not a suicide, and that evidence was ignored in favor of pursuing the narrative that LaVena took her own life. Dr. Johnson made a promise to LaVena after her death: that he would keep fighting for the truth.

The Fight for Justice

The Johnsons lived up to their promise to continue fighting to expose the truth of what actually happened to their daughter. They have been very vocal in their assertions that LaVana was sexually assaulted and murdered. Despite their efforts, the Army has not changed its ruling on LaVena’s cause or manner of death. The Johnsons’ ongoing fight for justice was documented in a 2010 film, LaVena Johnson: The Silent Truth.

Numerous petitions have been circulated, amassing tens of thousands of signatures, all calling for a proper reinvestigation of LaVena’s death. Not only has LaVena’s story sparked conversation regarding the Black Lives Matter movement, but it also stands as a testament to the widespread issue of sexual assault in the military.

In 2018, 6.2% of women in the armed forces reported experiencing sexual assault. Roughly 1 in 3 women who seek treatment from VA providers report experiencing sexual trauma from their time in the military. Colonel Ann Wright, a retiree from the U.S. Army Reserve and advocate for the issue of sexual assault in the military, has pointed out that these numbers only reflect cases that are reported.

Many cases of sexual assault and abuse are never reported, leaving victims to suffer in silence. LaVena’s story, though tragic, has inspired righteous anger over both how racial inequality impacts access to justice and how women are disproportionately affected by sexual violence, even and perhaps especially in the military.

Closing Thoughts

More than 20 years after her tragic death, LaVena Johnson’s case remains closed. According to the Department of Defense, the U.S. Army, and the House Armed Services Committee, LaVena took her own life.

According to her parents and countless others who have found LaVena’s story and reviewed the facts for themselves, LaVena was murdered, and her death was swept under the rug by a corrupt system designed to protect the powerful at any expense.

Despite the time that has passed, the fight is not over. Even if the truth of what happened to LaVena is never revealed, the injustice of her story has sparked cries for reform. Her name will be remembered, and her case will stand as proof that justice is selectively applied and the truth can be obfuscated even by those sworn to serve and protect.

Sources:

“LaVena Johnson | Say Their Names - Spotlight Exhibits.” Stanford University Libraries, https://exhibits.stanford.edu/saytheirnames/feature/lavena-johnson

Leonard, Mary Delach. “10 Years Later, a Soldier’s Family Still Grieves and Questions the Army’s Version of Her Death.” STLPR, 13 Dec. 2021, https://www.stlpr.org/government-politics-issues/2015-07-19/10-years-later-a-soldiers-family-still-grieves-and-questions-the-armys-version-of-her-death

“Soldier’s Family Challenges Army Suicide Report.” NPR, 11 Aug. 2008, https://www.npr.org/transcripts/93493468

Statement From the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command on the PFC Lavena Johnson Investigation. https://www.cid.army.mil/Portals/118/Documents/FOIA-Privacy-Act/CRC_Johnson-Lavena.pdf

Final Patrol

During her brief law enforcement career, 33-year-old Davina Jones, also known as ‘Dee,’ had patrolled Bald Head Island, North Carolina, without many incidents. Bald Head Island had few of the traditional dangers that define a police officer's life in the larger cities: no back-alley shootings, no gang conflicts, or midnight chases through the streets, but for its calm surface, the island certainly had its shady undercurrents.

On the night of October 22, 1999, Davina set out on a routine patrol around 11:48 p.m. Her partner, Officer Keith Cain, would later recall that she left the station without him at some point during their shift, and minutes later, dispatch received her first transmission - she was ‘out with three.’

The phrase meant she had encountered three individuals, and it was her last, clearly recorded signal. Next, her voice, steady and clear, came over the radio a second time: “There ain’t no reason to have a gun here on Bald Head Island… you want to put down the gun — …” The transmission cut off mid-sentence, leaving the air ringing with static.

About 15 minutes later, Davina’s partner, Keith, arrived on scene. Davina was found lying on the ground with a single gunshot wound to the back of her head, with her service pistol nearby. Testing would confirm that the fatal shot had been fired from her gun.

Davina’s patrol vehicle was parked at the dark base of the lighthouse, with its engine still running, and the headlights shining a bright white beam across a scene that would become the center of one of North Carolina’s most controversial investigations.

A Controversial Ruling

The Brunswick County Sheriff's Office and the State Bureau of Investigation were called in to investigate Davina Jones’ death, and within weeks, then-District Attorney Rex Gore announced a ruling: Davina had died by suicide.

This conclusion, which seemed to be made hastily and with apparent finality, shocked her family as well as many others. For a community that prided itself on its peaceful image, the idea that a police officer had taken her own life while on duty was unsettling. For Davina’s family, there was no way to reconcile the circumstances with that ruling.

The surface details were unusual: a shot to the back of the head, her vehicle left running, and a radio call that suggested a violent confrontation, but the backstory was also perplexing. According to reporting at the time, Davina’s father told news crews that his daughter had recently told him she believed she had stumbled onto illegal activity on the island - drug activity near the lighthouse that had gone beyond simple ‘tourist mischief.’ He claimed she had discussed it with him before her death.

To her family and attorneys, that detail carried some weight - it painted a portrait of someone not ready to end her life, but of an officer increasingly concerned about what she was seeing happening on her beat.

Perhaps one of the most glaring inconsistencies was the wound itself: a shot to the back of the head. This type of wound is a very uncommon trajectory for a self-inflicted injury - attorneys argued that the physics of such a shot would make suicide highly unlikely, especially given the angle and position described in autopsy reports.

There were also questions about how the scene itself was handled. Though not covered in early news reporting, subsequent accounts have suggested that the crime scene was hosed down before all of the evidence could be fully documented, reportedly in preparation for a wedding at the lighthouse the following day. That cleanup allegedly destroyed bloodstains and other forensic clues that might have provided a clearer picture of what actually happened that night.

Davina Buff Jones

Before her name became attached to headlines, hearings, and controversy, Davina Buff Jones was simply “Dee” to the people who knew her best. Born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina, she was the second of three daughters in a close-knit family.

Those who grew up with her described a child who seemed to possess boundless energy. She was small in stature but large in personality, the kind of girl who talked louder than necessary, laughed easily, and argued just as easily. She was fearless in a way that sometimes bordered on stubbornness - it was not recklessness so much as determination; if she believed something was right, she held her ground.

Friends and former partners would later describe her as outgoing, talkative, and strong-willed. One ex-boyfriend recalled that she was rarely quiet and that she filled a room with conversation. Her path to law enforcement was not typical. By the time she joined the Bald Head Island Department of Public Safety in 1998, she was 32, older than most rookie officers. She had worked other jobs before deciding to pursue a career in policing.

Charlotte Magazine later noted that in the mid-1990s, she had received outpatient treatment for adjustment disorder and chronic depression. These details would be cited by prosecutors after her death as part of the rationale for ruling her death a suicide; her family, however, insisted that those earlier periods did not define her state of mind in 1999.

At the center of her world was her family, particularly her father, Loy Buff, who would become one of the most persistent voices challenging the official conclusions about her death. His willingness to speak publicly, to relive the worst night of his life repeatedly in interviews and hearings, spoke to the closeness they shared.

The Buff family’s sustained fight for reclassification, a fight that would last more than a decade, reflected not only doubt about the investigation, but deep conviction about who Davina was - they believed she was not someone who would quietly end her life on a darkened path beside a lighthouse.

Small Town Secrets

Long before Davina Jones stepped out on that final patrol, she had already felt the weight of that island’s gaze. Bald Head Island was designed to seem timeless, a place where the Atlantic’s rhythms marked the hours more than clocks ever did, but beneath its beautiful skies and beachfront homes lay a community defined by old money, tight circles, and a desire to protect its image.

Davina was nine months into her job with the Bald Head Island Police Department when those social tensions first began to surface; she was a small-town officer in a place where everyone knew everyone else, and yet she hadn’t learned to walk softly through those interconnected lives. Davina did her job as she saw it: enforcing the rules without regard for who might be upset by it, and in a community that prized connections and favors, that made her an outsider.

Locals didn’t always appreciate her style, and letters were written to island authorities complaining about her enforcement of ordinances; vacationers grumbled about her refusal to bend the rules, which earned her the ire of many tourists and full-time residents.

Then came what would be the most consequential decision of her short tenure: she filed a sexual harassment complaint against an emergency medical services worker on the island. The complaint was not a trivial matter - in a setting where everyone went to the same functions, ate at the same restaurants, and belonged to the same tiny social circles, raising accusations of harassment was like upending a fragile ecosystem.

Some residents were rattled, some were angry, and just as importantly, some began to view her differently, not as an officer doing her duty, but as someone who had crossed a line in a community that valued silence over confrontation.

Whether the tensions that built up around her before October 22, 1999, had any direct connection to what happened that night will never be known with certainty, but understanding how Davina was viewed by part of the small community she had sworn to protect adds an essential layer to the mystery.

It reveals that this was not simply the case of a young officer on patrol; it was the story of an officer at odds with her environment, struggling with dissent on and off the job, and trying to navigate a world that may not have been prepared to welcome her.

Legal Challenges

Davina’s family refused to accept suicide as the ruling, and in 2003, they took the matter to the North Carolina Industrial Commission - not as a criminal appeal, but to challenge the cause of death for purposes of death benefits. In those proceedings, across several hearings where evidence was presented and witnesses examined, the Commission ruled her death a homicide under state law.

That ruling did not legally overturn the suicide classification, but it was deeply symbolic. It recognized what the Buff family had long argued: that at least in a civil context, it seemed more likely someone else had been involved or, at the very least, that the suicide ruling could not be justified without serious doubt.

The Buff family continued to push, spending tens of thousands of dollars on private investigators, legal fees, and interviews in pursuit of clarity. It wasn’t until 2011, more than a decade after Davina’s death, that the case gained renewed official scrutiny. Newly elected Brunswick County District Attorney Jon David publicly announced a decision to re-examine the case.

He acknowledged the sharp contrast between the original suicide ruling and the Industrial Commission’s homicide findings, saying that the differences in conclusions demanded a fresh look. An outside review was conducted by investigators who had not been involved in the original case.

In December 2013, the results were released: rather than reaffirming the suicide ruling, the review concluded that the available evidence did not support a definitive finding of suicide - there simply wasn’t enough to say conclusively what happened. As a result, the official cause of death was reclassified as undetermined, and the case file was left open for future leads.

For the Buff family, it was a bittersweet victory: the state no longer stood behind the suicide classification, but there was still no closure, no named suspect, and no accountability for a life lost under such strange circumstances.

Closing Thoughts

More than twenty years later, the mystery surrounding Officer Davina Buff Jones’ death continues to linger. What began as a seemingly quick ruling of suicide evolved into a deep and unresolved mystery that continues to challenge assumptions about how unexplained deaths are investigated and understood.

Today, her death is officially listed as undetermined, an acknowledgement that the circumstances cannot be conclusively defined as suicide or homicide based on the evidence currently available.

Sources:

Rhew, Adam. “Shadows by the Sea.” Charlotte Magazine, 19 March 2014, https://www.charlottemagazine.com/shadows-by-the-sea/

Vanapalli, Viswa. “Davina Jones’ Death: How Did She Die? Who Killed Her?” The Cinemaholic, 16 November 2021, https://thecinemaholic.com/davina-jones-death-how-did-she-die-who-killed-her/

Dittrich, Stacy. “Analysis Of 13-Year Mysterious Death Of Cape Fear Police Woman.” Forbes, 27 June 2012, https://www.forbes.com/sites/crime/2012/06/25/analysis-of-13-year-mysterious-death-of-cape-fear-police-woman/

WECT Staff. “1999 officer death reclassified from suicide to 'undetermined'.” WECT, 21 December 2013, https://www.wect.com/story/24240600/1999-officer-death-reclassified-from-suicide-as-undetermined/

Flowers, Ashley & Prawat, Brit. “MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF: Davina Buff Jones.” Crime Junkie, 22 August 2022, https://crimejunkiepodcast.com/mysterious-death-of-davina-buff-jones/

Background

On May 25th, 1989, after years of reported stalking, harassment, and assaults, 44-year-old Cindy James was reported missing. That same day, Cindy’s abandoned car was located in the parking lot of a shopping plaza not far from her home in Richmond, British Columbia.

Inside the car were bags of groceries, suggesting she had been interrupted mid-errand, and on the driver's side door were smears of blood. Outside the vehicle, investigators found the contents of Cindy’s purse scattered under the car. Police dogs were unable to track a scent beyond the parking lot.

Then, on June 8th, 1989, nearly two weeks after Cindy was reported missing, a passerby noticed something unusual in the overgrown yard of an abandoned house in Richmond, British Columbia, and alerted authorities.

The body of Cindy James was found hog-tied, with her hands and feet bound behind her back, and a black nylon stocking tightly wrapped around her neck - the positioning of the body suggested deliberate placement, not an accidental death.

Despite this, and the nearly 100 incidents of harassment that James had reported to the RCMP, an inquest would later determine that the cause of James’ death was an “unknown event,” and her case would be officially closed.

Who Was Cindy James?

Cindy James was born on June 12th, 1944, in Oliver, British Columbia, to parents Matilda and Otto Hack. Cindy was the third of six children. Cindy’s father, Otto, was a Colonel in the Royal Canadian Air Force, and it has been reported that Cindy and her siblings grew up in a strict and disciplined household.

As a young adult, Cindy pursued a nursing career in Vancouver and enrolled in nursing school in 1962. During her studies, her father re-enlisted in the Canadian Air Force and relocated the family to France. Cindy would visit them during the holidays and write to them.

In some of her letters, she told her family of a medical intern she was engaged to, who later died by taking his own life after receiving a terminal cancer diagnosis - no one in her family ever met him, nor did Cindy ever formally identify him.

In 1965, Cindy met Dr. Roy Makepeace, a psychiatrist who was 18 years older than her, and the pair married in December 1966. It is claimed that her family expressed concerns about the marriage, having described it as “troubled,” and later claimed allegations of abuse.

Cindy specialized in pediatric and psychiatric nursing, working first as a pediatric nurse at the Vancouver General Hospital, then later spending over a decade at Blenheim House. Her professionalism and care were noted by patients and colleagues alike. Her friends described her as intelligent, meticulous, and deeply empathetic.

Campaign of Fear

In the summer of 1982, Cindy and Roy separated. Shortly after that, her nightmare began. In October, Cindy began receiving disturbing anonymous phone calls, often late at night - the calls would sometimes be a man’s voice whispering her name, other times, it was silence or heavy breathing. One threatening caller even told her he knew she was inside her living room, so hiding wouldn’t help.

Notes began appearing at her home, and even at her workplace; some were made using crudely cut letters from magazines and newspapers, and some were written in a rushed and erratic manner - they were explicit, violent, and said things like “You will die!,” “Cindy I see you”, “Run rabbit run, I’ll show you how good I am,” and “You’re next.”

Soon after this, she reported that a rock had been thrown through her back door window and that someone had entered her house, though nothing appeared to have been missing or moved. In one instance, a dead cat was left on her lawn. Though she reported the incidents to the police, the campaign of fear continued. Her porch lights were smashed, her phone lines severed. Cindy saw this as the intruder sending a message, wanting her to know they had been in her home.

Shortly before Christmas, Cindy received a note outside of her house that read “MERRY CHRISTMAS,” with a picture of a dead woman under a sheet. Then, in late January 1983, the incidents escalated from threats to violence. Cindy’s friend Agnes Woodcock found her unconscious outside her home, with a nylon stocking tied tightly around her neck. Cindy said someone grabbed her and assaulted her while she went to the garage, but the only thing she saw were the attacker’s white sneakers.

This was also when some of the investigators began to have doubts, claiming that the medical evidence did not align with Cindy’s version of events. And though her parents believed their daughter, Cindy’s father, Otto, stated that he felt that she was not telling them everything she knew, likely out of fear.

In a desperate attempt to escape the torment, Cindy moved homes, installed alarm systems, carried rape whistles, altered her appearance, and changed her last name. Despite police involvement, which at one point included 24-hour surveillance of her home, no suspect was ever seen attempting to break in or leave threatening notes, and the incidents seemed to only occur when officers left.

Escalating Violence

On the evening of January 30, 1984, private investigator Ozzie Kaban, whom Cindy hired to help find her stalker, heard garbled static over a two‑way radio he had given her and rushed to her home.

Inside, he found her lying on the floor with a paring knife driven through her hand, pinning a threatening note to the floor that read “NOW YOU MUST DIE CU*T.” Cindy recalled being struck over the head before her attacker inserted a needle into her arm. Cindy was taken to the hospital, where the doctors were able to locate a needle mark in her arm, but found no traces of drugs in her system.

In December 1985, Cindy was discovered in a ditch six miles from her home, suffering from hypothermia, bruises, and cuts, with a stocking tied around her neck - she had no memory of how she got there.

On another occasion, when Cindy’s friend Agnes Woodcock and her husband Tom were visiting, they heard a noise in the house and, when they went to investigate, found Cindy’s basement on fire. The police and fire departments investigated the incident, but once again, no fingerprints or evidence of an intruder was found.

The growing lack of concrete evidence led some in law enforcement to doubt Cindy’s accounts, with some officers concluding that she could, in fact, be staging incidents herself - this theory deeply upset Cindy and her family.

Due to the overwhelming stress and fearing that she may attempt suicide, Cindy was committed to Riverview Hospital, a psychiatric facility. A psychotherapist who worked with her later suggested that part of Cindy’s terror stemmed from feeling disbelieved and dismissed by authorities.

But regardless of the cause, Cindy’s mental state became a point of contention, not only among law enforcement but in the public narrative surrounding her life and death. Following her stay at the facility, Cindy was released and later returned to her nursing job.

Disappearance and Death

On May 25th, 1989, Agnes and Tom Woodcock were scheduled to keep Cindy company at her home to help ease her fears, as they had done several times before. However, when they went over that evening, Cindy was not home, and her car was gone.

The two then drove around looking for Cindy and spotted her blue car in the parking lot of a shopping center. After seeing Cindy’s belongings scattered on the ground outside of her car, they contacted the authorities. A missing persons report was filed, and the search was on to locate Cindy James.

Then, on June 8th, Cindy’s body was found in the yard of an abandoned house in Richmond. She was found hog-tied, with her hands and feet behind her back, and a nylon stocking wrapped around her neck, which had also been seen in several of the prior attacks.

Forensic investigators noted that the location was partially secluded and close to a roadway, so someone passing by could have noticed the scene. There were no signs of a struggle at the immediate location, and no identifiable footprints or vehicle tracks were found, or any forensic evidence definitively linking another person to the scene - these factors would later fuel debate about whether her death was homicide, suicide, or a combination of both.

Investigation

The RCMP launched an intensive investigation into Cindy’s disappearance and death, with officers examining the abandoned property, conducting neighborhood interviews, and revisiting the prior harassment reports Cindy had filed - they reviewed her phone records, investigated possible suspects, and conducted surveillance at her home.

One of the key persons of interest was Cindy’s ex-husband, Roy Makepeace. According to family and friends, Cindy herself strongly believed that Roy had played a part in the attacks. Some law enforcement officials also believed he may have been involved. However, Makepeace strongly denied any involvement, claiming that he told Cindy to get psychiatric help. Roy Makepeace was never charged with any crime related to the harassment, disappearance, or death of Cindy James.

Despite years of stalking reports and multiple unusual incidents, including prior assaults, break-ins, and threatening notes, no suspect was ever identified. Forensic investigators could not link fingerprints, DNA, or other trace evidence to any person other than Cindy.

Toxicology results revealed “high levels of morphine” and other sedatives in her system, drugs that could be lethal in sufficient doses; however, no syringes were found at the scene, and the method of administration remained unclear. The combination of physical restraints and overdose made the discovery deeply disturbing and perplexing, complicating any straightforward conclusion of suicide or homicide.

During the coroner’s inquest in 1990, which lasted approximately 40 days, testimony included police officers, forensic specialists, psychiatrists, and Cindy’s family. Some investigators suggested that her past history of mental health concerns and the lack of physical evidence pointing to an outside attacker raised the possibility that Cindy may have staged the events herself.

Her family rejected these conclusions, arguing that Cindy could not have tied herself so precisely while taking lethal drugs, nor could she have created such a threatening scene alone. Ultimately, the inquest ruled her death as an “unknown event”, leaving the case legally unresolved yet closed.

What Happened?

The mysterious and disturbing circumstances surrounding Cindy James’ death have led to different theories.

Some investigators believe Cindy may have administered the lethal dose of morphine herself and attempted to stage the scene to resemble a homicide. Experts demonstrated that it is physically possible to hog-tie oneself, though extremely difficult.

Proponents of this theory point to her long history of anxiety, alleged paranoia, and reported mental health struggles, suggesting that she may have been capable of orchestrating such a complex act. Cindy’s family and many observers rejected this conclusion outright, arguing that it was nearly impossible to bind oneself in such a manner, especially after a fatal overdose, and that the absence of evidence, such as syringes, did not square with the suicide theory.

Those who believe her death was a homicide argue that Cindy was a victim of a stalker she had feared for years, someone who may have planned her death meticulously. They cite her years of harassment, including threatening phone calls, handwritten notes, break-ins, and previous physical attacks, as evidence that a stalker could have escalated to murder.

The body’s positioning, restraints, and abandonment near a property visible from the road are seen by some as indicative of deliberate placement by the killer.

Some experts suggest a more complex explanation, in which Cindy may have experienced real stalking but also developed psychological distress over years of fear. In this view, her death could have involved elements of both: her own actions compounded by external pressures or opportunistic manipulation by an unknown assailant.

Closing Thoughts

To this day, the case of Cindy James remains a flashpoint in discussions about stalking, mental health, victim credibility, and investigative jurisdiction, and it is also one of the most baffling cases in Canadian history.

Was Cindy the victim of a meticulous, unseen stalker who finally took her life? Did she fabricate events and stage her own death in a tragic psychological spiral? Or is the truth a disturbing combination of both, real terror compounded by doubt, fear, and misinterpretation?

In truth, no one knows for certain, leaving the horrifying mystery to persist and, with it, the debates over whether Cindy James was failed by those who should have protected her or misunderstood by those who should have believed her. The case remains unresolved and deeply controversial, with differing opinions: was she a victim failed by the system, a woman overwhelmed by terror, or both?

In the perplexing and tragic death of Cindy James, no suspect was ever charged, and no definitive explanation for Cindy's death was ever reached. The case remains officially closed.

Sources:

Unsolved Mysteries, https://unsolved.com/gallery/cindy-james/

“The Phantom Stalker - The Cindy James Mystery.” Unsolved Mysteries of The World, 20 January 2019, https://shows.acast.com/unsolved-mysteries-of-the-world/episodes/the-phantom-stalker-the-cindy-james-mystery

Hall, Neal, “The Bizarre Case of Cindy James.” Eve Lazarus, 7 June 2024,https://evelazarus.com/the-bizarre-case-of-cindy-james

“Under Siege”: The Troubled Life and Debated Death of Cindy James.” 18 June 2023, https://thethreepennyguignol.com/2023/06/18/under-siege-the-troubled-life-and-debated-death-of-cindy-james/

“The Mysterious Death of Cindy James: A Case That Defies Explanation.” 10 Minute Murder, 21 January 2025, https://www.10minutemurder.com/blog/the-mysterious-death-of-cindy-james-a-case-that-defies-explanation/

Unsolved Mysteries Wiki, https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Cindy_James

This article is the second in a two-part series about the mysterious and controversial death of Ellen Rae Greenberg

Suicide or Staged?

A few weeks before her death, Ellen Greenberg spoke with a longtime friend, Erica Hamilton, who was studying psychology to become a school counselor. Ellen expressed her concerns about the confidentiality of the information she shared with her new psychiatrist.

Erica explained that unless Ellen were to express homicidal or suicidal ideation, her psychiatrist is legally bound to keep everything confidential. In Erica’s own words, she then point-blank asked Ellen if she was suicidal, and Ellen responded with a resolute no. Dr. Berman had taken notes in her appointments with Ellen, and she had clearly indicated that Ellen was not suicidal

In the week leading up to Ellen’s death, she had just finished mailing out the save-the-date cards for her upcoming wedding. Only four days before she died, Ellen had gone bridesmaid dress shopping with friend and fellow bride-to-be, Alyson Stern.

After arriving home on January 26th, Ellen had been working on student grades. Her friends and family believe these facts all paint the picture of a woman who was not preparing to end her own life.

Additionally, multiple sources confirmed the absence of any suicide note, as well as the lack of any concerning evidence on any of Ellen’s devices. The ME Investigation Report noted there was “No note found or anything indicative of suicide on the computers or in the rest of the apartment.” The final autopsy report, in the Findings section, stated, “Analysis of the decedent’s laptop provided no additional information.”

After the devices were returned to the PPD, all three laptops and Ellen’s cell phone were sent to the Philadelphia Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory (RCFL) to be analyzed. Following this analysis, a police report summarizing the findings stated, “Keyword searches were done on every computer searching for suicide information, and the examination did not reveal anything remarkable.”

Per an FBI report from the DOJ, which the Greenbergs’ attorney received in the fall of 2020, there was “a notation in PPD’s records [which] indicated that no findings were made following the FBI’s review.”

Ellen’s search history was not part of the conversation until the Attorney General’s office took over the case from the local District Attorney in 2018. In March 2019, Inquirer columnist Stephanie Farr reached out to the AG’s office regarding Ellen’s case and her manner of death.

In an email response, the AG’s office representative mentioned “additional evidence” reviewed by the office since 2018, which included web searches for “methods of committing suicide,” “quick death,” and “depression” made by Ellen in the weeks prior to her death.

The AG upheld the suicide ruling, and seven months after they reported this new evidence of Ellen’s alleged search history, Josh and Sandee Greenberg filed a civil suit against the ME’s office to have Ellen’s manner of death changed.

2019 Civil Lawsuit

In preparation for their civil lawsuit, the Greenbergs retained a technology expert to examine the alleged search history. Per the Greenberg’s attorney Joseph Podraza Jr., “Our expert states that the ‘searches’ identified by OAG were not direct searches but instead phantom searches which appear because of analytics.”

The expert, along with many other technology experts, has confirmed that search histories can be fabricated easily and searches can be added retroactively. Podraza has maintained that he has made numerous requests to the AG for a copy of the digital forensic report, but none have ever been provided.

The Greenbergs’ first civil suit was filed in 2019 against the city of Philadelphia’s MEO and Dr. Marlon Osbourne, seeking to have Ellen’s death reinvestigated impartially and her manner of death changed to something other than suicide.

In the autopsy report, Dr. Osbourne claimed that Dr. Lucy Rorke-Adams, a renowned neuropathologist who, after leaving the ME’s office, later agreed to provide neuropathology consults on a contract basis, had examined Ellen’s spinal cord. In 2018, the Inquirer’s Stephanie Farr reached out to Dr. Rorke-Adams regarding this examination, for which no official report had ever been found.

In their email exchange, Dr. Rorke-Adams explained that every consultative service she provided to the Philadelphia MEO was performed under contract, with the cost determined by the extent of the examination (i.e., physical vs. microscopic). She stated that for each report, a detailed invoice was created, which included the OME case number, the decedent's name, the date of the completed exam, and the associated charges.

Regarding Ellen’s case, Dr. Rorke-Adams then stated, “If there is no neuropathology report in the case file and no record that I charged for an examination, I would conclude that I did not see the specimen in question, although there is a remote possibility that it was shown to me. However, I have no recollection of such a case.”

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This article is the first in a two-part series about the mysterious and controversial death of Ellen Rae Greenberg

On January 26th, 2011, Ellen Rae Greenberg, a 27-year-old elementary school teacher in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was found dead in her 6th-floor apartment. Ellen’s fiancé, Sam Goldberg, placed the 911 call shortly after 6:30 p.m. Sam had been at the gym on the first floor, while Ellen stayed in their apartment after coming home from work early due to a snowstorm.

Sam said he had come back from the gym to find the door locked from the inside, and after an hour of trying to get in, decided to break the lock and force his way in. Inside the apartment was a horrific scene. Ellen had suffered 20 stab wounds, some to the back of her neck and head, and some to her chest, where the knife was still embedded. Despite this, authorities ruled her death a suicide.

There is far more to this case than meets the eye, and it has been the subject of multiple lawsuits and ongoing allegations involving many prominent figures in the city and the state. What really happened to Ellen Rae Greenberg? The answer depends on who you ask.

Ellen Greenberg

Ellen Rae Greenberg was born in New York City on June 23rd, 1983, the only child of Josh and Sandee Greenberg. After Ellen was born, the family relocated to Pennsylvania, settling in the state capital of Harrisburg. Ellen was always sweet and bubbly, and friends and family describe her with great fondness.

Ellen would go on to study at Penn State University, where she graduated with a degree in communications. Though Ellen had initially intended to become a speech pathologist, she later felt a calling to become a teacher. Ellen moved to Philadelphia and began taking courses in the evenings to earn her teaching credentials from Temple University.

While living in Philadelphia, Ellen met Samuel Goldberg on a blind date. The pair started dating around 2007, and in 2010, Sam proposed on the beach in California. Ellen began working hard on planning the wedding shortly after.

In late 2010, Ellen was trying on wedding dresses. By mid-January, she had sent out their save-the-date cards to friends and family. The pair were set to be wed on August 13th, 2011, at the Hotel Hershey near where Ellen grew up. At the time, Ellen was three years into her teaching career, teaching first grade at Juniata Park Academy, and Sam was a producer working with NBC Sports.

Ellen reported being under a lot of stress at work, coupled with the stress of planning her wedding, and she was experiencing some anxiety and trouble sleeping. Her parents encouraged her to see a psychiatrist, which she did. Ellen began seeing Dr. Ellen Berman at her father’s recommendation.

Dr. Berman believed Ellen may be suffering from an adjustment disorder with anxiety. After assessing Ellen’s mental state and current issues, Dr. Berman prescribed Ellen anti-anxiety medication and medication to treat her difficulty sleeping. Ellen began taking the medications as prescribed, and she kept a medical diary documenting her moods and experience with the medication.

January 26, 2011

On January 26th, a nor’easter snowstorm was about to plunge Philadelphia into blizzard-like conditions. With inclement weather coming, Ellen’s school dismissed early for the day.

She left school in the early afternoon, stopping at a gas station near her apartment in Manayunk to fill up at 1:26 p.m., according to a receipt. Just after 1:32 p.m., Ellen scanned her keycard to enter the Venice Lofts parking garage. Sam also came home early that day, arriving about 20 minutes after Ellen.

The events of the next few hours are not perfectly clear, but phone records and surveillance footage provide some insights. At 2:30 p.m., Ellen placed a short phone call to a local restaurant, which lasted approximately 30 seconds. Ellen had been on her computer entering student grades and texting with friend Alycia Young throughout the afternoon. At 3:47 p.m., Ellen sent her final text to Alycia. This was the last time anyone would ever hear from her.

Shortly before 5 p.m., Sam was seen on the apartment building's surveillance footage entering the gym on the first floor. He remained in the gym for around 30 minutes, then walked back through the lobby, grabbed what appears to be the mail, and entered the elevator to go back up to their apartment.

A little over 30 minutes later, Sam returned to the lobby, and sometime after this, he spoke with Phillip Hanton, an employee of Venice Lofts, and explained that he was locked out of his apartment.

Sam further explained that the door is locked from the inside- these apartments had both a standard lock, which Sam could open using his key, and a latch lock, like the ones seen in many hotel rooms. Sam said the latch was engaged from the inside, and he was unable to enter the unit as he could not reach his fiancée.

Before he spoke with Hanton, Sam had called Ellen multiple times and sent her a series of texts, ranging from a simple “Hello” and “open the door” to a more aggressive “I’m getting pissed” and “you better have an excuse.” His final text to Ellen read, “u have no idea.”

Phillip Hanton could have helped Sam force his way inside or otherwise open the latch, but doing so would violate property policy. Instead, Hanton offered to call Ellen’s cell phone from the front desk, which he did multiple times between 6:07 and 6:10 p.m., all of which went unanswered. Three minutes after coming downstairs, Sam re-entered the elevator alone.

After this, Sam called his cousin, Kamian Schwartzman, who was a local attorney. A few minutes after that call, Sam is seen exiting the elevator into the building lobby once more. Surveillance footage shows Sam talking on the phone with someone, and phone records revealed that this call came from the landline of his uncle, James Schwartzman, a very prominent attorney in Philadelphia and father of Kamien.

Sam then briefly walks around the lobby while chatting; the call lasts 1 minute and 12 seconds. After ending the call, Sam gets back on the elevator and goes upstairs one final time.

911 Call

At 6:33 p.m., dispatch received a 911 call from Sam Goldberg. He began the call asking for help, stating that he had just walked into his apartment and his fiancée was on the floor with blood everywhere.

The dispatcher probed for more information, and Sam said that he was unable to tell where she was bleeding from. Sam went on to say that he couldn’t see anything, that there was nothing broken, and that he thought Ellen had hit her head, emphasizing again that there was blood everywhere.

The dispatcher asked Sam to look at Ellen’s chest to see if she was breathing. Sam said Ellen was on her back and that he did not see her moving. The dispatcher asked Sam if he knew CPR, and when he said he didn’t, she asked if he was willing to attempt CPR until medics arrived on scene. Sam replied, “I- I have to, right?”

As the dispatcher instructed Sam on how to lie Ellen down and begin CPR, she suggested removing Ellen’s shirt. Sam said he couldn’t remove her shirt because it was a zippered top. Then, Sam suddenly exclaimed, “Oh my god, she stabbed herself!”

Alarmed, the dispatcher asked where the stab wound was located, to which Sam replied, “She fell on a knife. I don’t know. Her knife is sticking out. There’s a knife sticking out of her heart.”

Pronounced Dead

A few minutes later, first responders arrived on scene. Ellen was found lying on the kitchen floor, partially propped up with her head and shoulders resting against the cabinets. A serrated steak knife with an approximately 5-inch blade was embedded in the left side of her chest. Ellen was wearing a zippered top, sweatpants, and UGG brand boots. At 6:40 p.m., Ellen Greenberg was pronounced dead at the scene.

Bloodstains were evident in the area around her body, with more blood found on cabinets, the countertop, and spattered on Ellen’s clothing. Her glasses were lying next to her, and a white towel was clutched in her left hand. In the early morning hours, her body was taken from the apartment to the office of the Philadelphia Medical Examiner for an autopsy.

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Background

In 1880, citizens of Biddulph Township, a small settlement in Upper Canada (later Ontario), were shocked by the massacre of five members of the Donnelly family. Two women and three men were brutally attacked by a mob intent on vigilante “justice.”

Most of the victims were bludgeoned to death in a drunken frenzy, with even the local constable taking part. For years afterward, the attack was suppressed because many people had relatives who either took part in the attack or were members of the so-called Peace Society.

The Donnellys

During the Great Famine of the mid-19th century, the Donnelly family, like many of their countrymen, left Ireland for a new start and a better life. The Donnellys were Irish Catholics who settled near Biddulph Township sometime around the 1840’s near a town named Lucan. The family consisted of James, his wife, Johannah, their first son, James, born in Ireland, and seven children born in Canada: William, John, Patrick, Michael, Robert, Thomas, and Jennie.

The Donnellys were known as “Blackfeet” Irish, Catholics who lived peacefully without resisting the English or Protestants. The nickname followed them to Canada, where they were known as the “Black” Donnellys. In contrast, “Whiteboys” were Catholic Irish who opposed English occupation. “Black” Irish were often considered traitors, more despised than Protestants.

The family settled in an area with a high concentration of Irish Catholic immigrants in a predominantly Protestant area. There were already plenty of bitter feelings between the settlers based on religious differences, and the arrival of the Donnellys would further increase tensions.

Growing Tensions

Part of the problem was that the Donnellys settled on land they didn’t own. At that time, many people gained land and farms through “squatting,” the practice of taking over land without legal ownership. The law at the time allowed “adverse possession,” meaning squatters could often gain legal rights to the land by making improvements.

The Donnelly family settled on land belonging to the Canada Company. They worked the land, making improvements, felling trees, and building a home over the next ten years. The only problem was that the land belonged to a man named James Grace. Another immigrant, Patrick Farrell, leased part of the land from the Donnellys.

In 1856, Grace wanted his land back. He brought an ejectment to the Court of Common Pleas in Huron County. His claim was that both the Donnellys and Farrell were squatting on his land. The judge recognized the years of the Donnellys’ work and granted them fifty acres. He split the rest of the lot to Patrick Farrell, leading to bitter feelings.

Imprisonment of James Donnelly

On June 27, 1857, violence erupted during a barn-raising. James Donnelly (the father of the clan) and Patrick Farrell got into a fist fight. Farrell suffered a blow to the head and died two days later. Fearing the worst, James went into hiding. He managed to evade the law for two years until he eventually surrendered. A judge sentenced him to hang for the murder of Farrell.

His wife, Johannah, fearing to face life alone with eight children, petitioned the courts for clemency. To her relief, and James’, the sentence was reduced to seven years in the Kingston Penitentiary.

While James was in prison, his sons began to develop a bad reputation among local law enforcement, allegedly being involved in numerous assaults and altercations.

Stagecoach Feud

In 1873, the Donnelly brothers, William, Michael, John, and Thomas, began a stagecoach line that quickly outrivaled any other stage line in the area. Soon, other stage lines began to feel pressure from the competition. In October 1873, Hawkshaw Stage Line sold out to Patrick Flanagan, a man determined to drive the “Black” Donnellys out of business.

Shortly after, the great “Stagecoach Feud” began. Stages were smashed or burned, horses beaten or killed, stables burned to the ground. While most of the violence was blamed on the Donnellys and gave the family a further bad reputation, there were few, if any, actual convictions.

Although there were few formal charges, the Donnellys were a source of constant friction in the area.

Peace Society Vigilantes

In June 1879, Father John Connolly, the priest at St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church, hoped to ease some of the tensions in the area. He established a Peace Society Association in Biddulph and invited everyone to pledge their support. One condition he set was that anyone who joined would consent to having their homes searched for stolen property. To no one’s surprise, the Donnellys refused.

This caused the Donnellys to leave St. Patrick’s and join another nearby church. They viewed Father Connolly as part of the problem rather than the solution. James and his family disagreed with Father Connolly’s hardline anti-Protestant stance, as many of the Donnellys ’ friends and neighbors were Protestant.

In August 1879, a militant splinter group broke away from the Peace Society. They became known as the Vigilance Committee Society. Most members, including Constable James Carroll, had strong grievances against the Donnelly family.

On the evening of February 3, 1880, the members of the Vigilance Committee gathered at the Cedar Swamp Schoolhouse in Biddulph. Earlier that month, a man named Patrick Ryder’s barn burned down. Like many arsons in the area, the Donnellys were blamed, though there was no evidence to confirm this.

Father Connolly of St. Patrick’s Church offered a reward for any guilty parties to be found and punished. But this didn’t go far enough for the members of the Vigilance Committee. They decided to take the law into their own hands.

Several of the Donnelly sons had been seen at a wedding when Ryder’s barn burned. Their father, James Donnelly, sent a letter to a lawyer in London, Ontario, who would defend them in the case against Mr. Ryder. James planned to file countercharges against Ryder.

After mailing his father’s letter, John Donnelly left to spend the night with his brother, Will, who promised to loan the family a cutter to travel to the trial the next day. The trial was scheduled for February 4th.

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Background

In the dim, soot-stained streets of post-war London, where ration lines stretched around corners and the city still wore its bomb scars like open wounds, a young man named Timothy Evans walked daily past the rented room in a crumbling terrace house at 10 Rillington Place, which he shared with his wife and infant daughter. Work bag in hand, trying, in his own modest way, to build a life.

Three years later, he would be buried in an unmarked prison grave, hanged for a crime he likely did not commit, while the true murderer watched from the shadows.

A Quiet Struggle

Timothy John Evans was born into poverty in 1924 in Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales. He left school early and struggled with literacy all his life. Evans was known to exaggerate stories and often tried to appear more capable than he was. His speech was marked by a stammer which worsened under pressure, and he had difficulty articulating himself, especially when nervous.

In 1947, he married Beryl Thorley, a bright and hopeful young woman. Their early married life was marked by financial hardship, frequent arguments, and the looming challenge of raising a family in the post-war economy.

They moved to London, eventually taking the top-floor flat at 10 Rillington Place, a decaying building in Notting Hill that they shared with other tenants. Below them lived John Christie and his wife, Ethel, an unassuming older couple who kept to themselves. Christie, a former special constable, often offered advice and support to younger tenants.

A Desperate Situation

In 1949, Beryl and Timothy Evans were barely surviving. Though young and hopeful at the start of their marriage, the pressures of post-war life quickly set in. Money was scarce, arguments and fights frequent, and their surroundings bleak. Beryl discovered she was pregnant again.

At the time, abortion was illegal in the United Kingdom under almost all circumstances. It was rarely discussed openly, and access to safe procedures was nearly impossible for working-class families.

Yet, for Beryl and Timothy, another child felt unthinkable, as they were already struggling to feed and care for their daughter, Geraldine. Beryl confided to neighbors that she was terrified at the prospect of another baby, as they simply couldn’t afford it. These circumstances led them to make a desperate decision: they would seek an abortion.

That’s when John Christie, their downstairs neighbor, offered to help. Christie claimed he had medical experience from his time as a war medic and that he had assisted in similar situations before.

To a frightened couple with no money, little education, and few options, Christie’s offer may have felt like a lifeline. This moment of vulnerability, born out of fear and poverty, would prove fatal for Beryl, and eventually for Timothy and Geraldine as well.

The Confessions

On November 30, 1949, Timothy Evans walked into a police station in Merthyr Tydfil and told officers that his wife had died under unusual circumstances. His first confession was halting and unclear: he claimed to have accidentally killed Beryl by giving her a substance to induce an abortion, something, he said, that had been supplied by “a man.” He then disposed of her body in a drain outside their home.

But when police examined the manhole in front of 10 Rillington Place, they found nothing. In fact, the cover was so heavy that it took the strength of three officers to remove it. Evans’ story didn’t add up. When questioned further, Evans altered his statement - this time, he implicated John Christie.

Evans explained that Christie had offered to help perform an abortion, something Evans had avoided mentioning earlier to protect Christie, as abortion was illegal in the UK at the time. After some deliberation, Evans said, he and Beryl agreed to let Christie proceed.

On November 8, Evans returned from work, and Christie informed him that the procedure had failed and that Beryl was dead.

Evans said that Christie promised to dispose of the body and claimed that a couple from East Acton would adopt and take care of Geraldine. On November 14, Evans left for Wales as instructed. He later returned to London, concerned about his daughter, but Christie refused to allow him to see her.

On December 2, police searched the property surrounding 10 Rillington Place. There, they discovered the body of Beryl Evans wrapped in a tablecloth, hidden in a wash-house in the back garden. Next to her lay the body of Geraldine. Both of them had been strangled.

Though Evans seemed surprised to hear that his daughter was dead, during questioning, he confessed to the murders. However, he later claimed that he feared he would be subjected to violence by the police if he did not confess.

Trial and Execution

Evans’s trial began in January 1950 at the Old Bailey. It lasted three days and focused exclusively on the murder of Geraldine, not Beryl. The prosecution argued that Evans had killed his daughter to eliminate a witness after murdering his wife.

The defense tried to present the version of events in which Christie had been the central figure in the deaths, but it struggled against Evans’s changing statements. Evans took the stand, but his stammer, poor memory, and visible distress undermined his credibility.

His confused explanations stood in stark contrast to the cool, measured testimony of John Christie, who portrayed himself as a helpful neighbor caught in a tragic situation.

The jury deliberated for just 40 minutes before returning a guilty verdict. On March 9, 1950, 25-year-old Timothy Evans was hanged at Pentonville Prison. Evans went to the gallows maintaining his innocence, particularly concerning the death of his daughter.

At the time, there was little public outcry - Evans was seen as a troubled, perhaps mentally unstable man; his confessions, though inconsistent, seemed to confirm his guilt. The notion that he had been manipulated, or that someone else might be responsible, received little attention.

The Truth Revealed

After Timothy Evans was hanged in 1950, life at 10 Rillington Place seemed to return to a strange kind of normalcy. John Christie continued to live at the property; he remained in the downstairs flat with his wife, Ethel, and even took on work as a clerk and postman, but behind the closed doors of the dingy terrace house, something dark was festering.

By early 1953, Christie had fallen into financial trouble - he was unemployed, struggling to pay rent, and increasingly isolated. Then, without warning, he told neighbors that his wife had gone to visit relatives. In truth, Ethel was dead, strangled by Christie, likely in December 1952. Her body was buried beneath the floorboards of the front room.

Christie began subletting the flat to make ends meet, but his strange behavior alarmed the new tenants. He insisted that the kitchen was off-limits and refused to let anyone use the garden. Suspicion grew, and in March 1953, Christie abruptly left the property, taking only a small suitcase and telling neighbors he was going away for work.

The landlord, needing to prepare the flat for new occupants, sent in workmen to clean. On March 24, 1953, one of the workers noticed a loose panel in the kitchen wall. Behind it was a small, foul-smelling alcove. Inside, in a crouched tangle, were the decomposing bodies of three women. Ethel’s body was found beneath the floorboards, and two more skeletons were located in the back garden.

Arrest of John Christie

A manhunt for John Christie was launched across London. He had been sleeping rough, moving from lodging houses to embankments, blending in with the city’s transient poor.

On March 31, 1953, Christie was finally arrested near Putney Bridge after being recognized by a policeman; he was calm and cooperative as officers took him into custody, and he reportedly remarked, “I suppose you’ll be glad to have me.”

After being convicted for the murder of his wife, Ethel, John Christie was hanged in July 1953.

Aftermath

After several inquiries into the matter, in 1966, Timothy Evans was granted a posthumous pardon for Geraldine’s murder, though not a formal acquittal; the pardon was a powerful public recognition of the miscarriage of justice that had occurred.

The case of Timothy Evans became one of the defining legal scandals of 20th-century Britain. It contributed directly to the growing unease around the death penalty and helped prompt its abolition in 1969.

His story remains a chilling reminder of how vulnerable individuals—especially those without education, money, or support—can be overwhelmed by the machinery of the justice system.

Sources:

Carradice, Phil, “The execution of Timothy Evans”, BBC, Monday 16 January 2012, https://www.bbc.co.uk/webarchive/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.co.uk%2Fblogs%2Fwales%2Fentries%2Fcdc56160-91eb-366d-ae0e-5d9c5a676fe2

Made in Manchester (MIM) “The Tragic Life and Death of Timothy Evans”, https://www.madeinmanchester.tv/timothy-evans

Jacobson, Stephanie, “Crime of the Century: The Case of Timothy Evans”, September 17, 2021, https://home.heinonline.org/blog/2021/09/crime-of-the-century-the-case-of-timothy-evans/

Background

In the early morning hours of October 31, 2010, a 20-year-old university student died in a bizarre and tragic incident near a popular nightspot in Bogotá, Colombia. Initially ruled an accidental death, the drowning of Luis Andrés Colmenares would later be reinvestigated, and shockingly, several of his friends would be charged in connection with his death.

The case would become highly contentious, with attorneys on both sides making inflammatory accusations, including bribery and corruption. The polarizing case garnered national attention, and to this day, there are strong opinions on both sides.

Luis Andrés Colmenares

Luis Andrés Colmenares Escobar was born on May 23, 1990, in Villanueva, a town located in the department of La Guajira, Colombia. He was the son of Oneida Escobar and Luis Alonso Colmenares. Growing up, Luis Andrés showed a natural curiosity and a drive to learn.

Because Luis and his brother Jorge came from an affluent family, Luis was able to pursue higher education. He excelled at math and science and was accepted into one of Colombia’s most prestigious universities, the Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá.

There, he studied Economics and Industrial Engineering, two fields that required a lot of study. His professors and fellow students recognized his discipline and determination, but they also noted that he was someone with whom you could joke around and tell stories outside of class.

He was a strong student, but also had a social and easygoing side that made him popular among his peers. Those who knew Luis Andrés often describe him as friendly, charismatic, and sociable.

Halloween 2010

On the night of October 30, 2010, Luis Andrés and a group of friends went out to celebrate Halloween in Bogotá’s nightlife district, the Zona T (also called Zona Rosa). They ended up at a club called Penthouse, where university students and young professionals gathered for a costume party that night.

Luis was accompanied by Laura Moreno, his date that night, their friend Jessy Quintero, and several classmates. Luis was wearing a red devil costume that evening and seemed to be enjoying himself with the group.

According to Moreno and Quintero, they left the party shortly after 3:00 a.m. to get some food. They claim that Luis was very intoxicated and that he was acting anxious and erratic.

The three of them stopped at a hot-dog stand. Both Laura and Jessy later told investigators that, after buying a hot dog, Luis suddenly ran “like crazy” off toward El Virrey Park, which is roughly a ten-minute walk from the hot-dog stand.

Quintero says she stayed at the stand, and Moreno chased after him. Laura later told police that she tried to stop Luis, but he jumped into a shallow water channel (a culvert) in Parque El Virrey and disappeared from view.

After being picked up by their other friends, Quintero tried to call Luis’s cell phone, and when Laura answered, she frantically explained that Luis had jumped into the culvert and that she could no longer see him.

After that, the pair returned to the park and continued searching for him. Unable to locate him, the group went to a nearby police station and reported the incident to the authorities. They also contacted Luis’s family.

Discovery of Luis’s Body and Initial Findings

Early that morning, Luis’s mother rushed to Bogotá. Police and firefighters were dispatched to search the vicinity of the drainage tunnels and canal. They examined all areas where water flowed, including river banks and water canals. Search dogs, ropes, and torches were used by the rescuers.

Read more

Background

In the mid-2010s, an ambitious Bulgarian entrepreneur was a rising star in the finance world. Ruja Ignatova had the smarts, sophistication, confidence, and charisma that could disarm the most adamant sceptics and convert non-believers.

So, how did she go from a life of glamor, wealth, and luxury to one of the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives? This is the story of Ruja Ignatova, “The Cryptoqueen.”

Ruja Ignatova

Ruja Ignatova was born on May 30, 1980, in Ruse, Bulgaria. Her father was an engineer, and her mother was a school teacher. When she was 10 years old, she and her family left Bulgaria to start a new life in Germany.

Despite moving to a new, foreign place, her teachers were pleasantly surprised to see that this little girl was a fiercely ambitious student, an independent thinker, and had excellent grades.

Her focus and dedication led to multiple scholarships and opportunities. She attended the University of Konstanz in Germany, earning a PhD in private international law, and received a Master’s degree in European law from Oxford University.

Yet it seemed that building a solid career in law was not enough for her. After brief employment as a consultant with the global management firm McKinsey & Company, there was only one thing brewing in her mind: to become rich as quickly as possible.

Joining the “Financial Revolution”

Ruja’s first run-in with the law took place in 2012. She was accused and convicted of fraud in connection with a company she and her father had acquired, which ultimately went bankrupt under suspicious circumstances. Ruja managed to avoid jail time, instead receiving a 14-month suspended sentence.

The failed venture paved the way for a rare opportunity in a new and controversial concept in the finance world: Cryptocurrency. In 2013, she was instrumental in launching BigCoin, a Ponzi scheme based out of Hong Kong.

The currency had no value whatsoever, and the scheme relied solely on the number of people who would be drawn into the fraudulent business. It wasn’t long until BigCoin collapsed. Nevertheless, the idea stuck, and Ignatova wanted to perfect it.

OneCoin Scam

In 2014, she founded the company, OneCoin, with the help of businessman Sebastian Greenwood. OneCoin sought to defraud its investors out of millions of dollars. OneCoin was not your traditional cryptocurrency. Unlike cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, which must be “mined” online in order to be created, and is a decentralized peer-to-peer currency that is recorded on a public ledger called the blockchain, OneCoin did not have any of those safeguards.

The FBI described Ruja’s process as this: “In order to execute the scheme, Ignatova allegedly made false statements and representations to individuals in order to solicit investments in OneCoin. She allegedly instructed victims to transmit investment funds to OneCoin accounts in order to purchase OneCoin packages, causing victims to send wire transfers representing these investments.”

Additionally, OneCoin offered courses and resources for individuals seeking to master cryptocurrency trading. There were also promises of the company doubling coins in investors’ accounts.

OneCoin was marketed as a revolutionary, global currency that offered financial freedom with no restrictions, with Ignatova as its queen. But OneCoin’s attractive slogan, ‘Join the Financial Revolution,’ was anything but liberating. There were no returns, only false promises, and destroyed lives left in her wake.

Ignatova’s associates described her as “the smartest person in the room,” and she wasn’t afraid to show it. She proudly displayed her credentials, whether solicited or not. She was on top of the world, enjoying immense luxuries like private jets, mansions, and yachts. In 2016, she married a German lawyer named Björn Strehl, with whom she has a daughter.

On the Run

Eventually, banking institutions and law enforcement began to become suspicious. They started placing restrictions on OneCoin’s activities. They found that the company did not have a blockchain, a tool for tracking cryptocurrency transactions. That was the first red flag. Additionally, investors were not seeing the returns they had been promised.

The FBI, IRS, Interpol, and intelligence agencies in several countries were on to her. Ignatova started to get paranoid. Her own lover, Gilbert Armenta, who also helped her launder money, decided to cooperate with the FBI and help gather evidence to prosecute her.

When she found out that Armenta had betrayed her and that US authorities were closing in on her, Ignatova had her brother Konstin book her and a bodyguard a flight to Greece. Ignatova and her companion boarded a Ryanair flight to Athens on October 25, 2017. She then vanished into thin air while her bodyguard returned to Bulgaria. She has been deemed “the missing cryptoqueen” as she has not been seen since.

Alleged Criminal Ties

An investigation by journalists at the BBC found Ruja Ignatova’s ties to the criminal underworld, particularly with organized crime groups in Bulgaria. According to various sources, interviews with her former employees and others, it was revealed that Ignatova’s paranoia and threats from individuals in Dubai and the UK led her to recruit these criminal networks to protect her.

A mysterious figure and alleged drug lord named Hristoforos ‘Taki’ Amanatidis may have protected her at one point. According to some sources, they might have been very close at one point. There were also some financial ties between the two as well.

BBC journalists revealed that a man who used to work for Taki, named Krasimir Kamenov, offered to help the FBI in their search for Ignatova before he was suddenly assassinated at his home in Cape Town.

Before he died, Kamenov told Bulgarian journalist Dimitar Stoyanov how Taki told him that Ruja was “good as dead” after becoming a liability to their criminal activities. She knew, saw, and heard too much. Kamenov then gave Stoyanov a report that Ignatova was killed on a yacht sailing on the Ionian Sea and that Taki was responsible.

People who started to look into Taki and his criminal activities were winding up dead. But was Ignatova really dead? The question remains unanswered. As of May 2023, there were supposed sightings of her alive in Cape Town, South Africa. So far, authorities still have not been able to locate her.

In 2019, her brother Konstin pleaded guilty and served time for fraud and money laundering. According to sources, he maintained contact with Ruja throughout her disappearance. It is speculated that Ruja’s daughter is most likely in the care of family members in Bulgaria, while her ex-husband, Björn, was charged with three counts of money laundering.

Fugitive Status

The FBI alleges that OneCoin defrauded its investors out of more than $4 billion. Ruja Ignatova is wanted for fraud and other related charges. In addition to being one of the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted fugitives, she has an active Interpol Red Notice and is wanted in multiple countries. She is currently one of the most high-profile international fugitives.

In 2024, the FBI increased the reward for information leading to the arrest of Ignatova from $250,000 to $5 million.

Sources:

Marshall. “Meet The Cryptoqueen Ruja Ignatova: The Mastermind Behind The OneCoin Scam.” BroadBiography, 4 August 2023, https://broadbiography.com/biography/crime/cryptoqueen-ruja-ignatova/

“Missing Cryptoqueen’s murky links to Bulgarian underworld.” BBC, 3 June 2024, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2llvlx2ez9o

Karimi, Faith. “This ‘Cryptoqueen’ scammed investors out of $4 billion, the FBI says. Then she boarded a plane and disappeared.” CNN, 22 January 2023, https://edition.cnn.com/2023/01/22/business/ruja-ignatova-cryptoqueen-fbi-most-wanted-cec

Walker, Liana. “‘Cryptoqueen’ accused of $US4 billion OneCoin fraud added to FBI’s most-wanted list.” ABC News, 1 July 2022, https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-01/onecoin-cryptoqueen-ruja-ignatova-on-fbi-most-wanted-list/101199868

In May 2024, Tales From the Underworld covered the story of Eirik Jensen, the former Superintendent of the Norwegian police force, who was convicted of drug smuggling and corruption charges in 2014.

Update

In May of this year, it was reported that former Norwegian police officer and convicted drug trafficker Eirik Jensen will be allowed to stay out of prison and serve the remainder of his sentence on an ankle monitor.

In 2017, Jensen was convicted of gross corruption and drug trafficking charges and sentenced to 21 years in prison. It was Norway’s biggest police scandal since the end of World War II.

A lengthy appeals process followed his conviction, during which time Jensen remained free. Eventually, an appeals court upheld Jensen’s convictions and sentence, and in 2020, he began serving his sentence at Kongsvinger Prison.

In March 2023, after serving less than three years of his 21-year sentence, he was suddenly released after it was reported that he was experiencing serious health problems.

Then, in May 2025, it was announced that 68-year-old Jensen would remain permanently released from prison and allowed to serve the remainder of his sentence on an ankle monitor. It turned out that his “medical issues” were mental health-related and that he “simply couldn’t cope with life behind bars.”

Critics argue that this undermines public confidence in the legal system, especially since his lenient treatment and former status as a high-profile police officer can be interpreted as favoritism and unequal treatment under the law.

While he has been released, Jensen still faces some restrictions, including a footlink (ankle monitor), limited movement, and is not allowed to leave Norway. He must also follow an “activity plan,” and appear at meetings when called by prison staff.

So, how did a former highly respected police officer draw a lengthy prison sentence that is on par with some of Norway’s most notorious criminals?

Backstory

In 1977, at age 20, Jensen joined the Norwegian police force. He quickly distinguished himself with his unorthodox methods and excelled in undercover work. During the 1980s, he was a member of a task force focused on busting drug traffickers, biker gangs, members of organized crime, and curbing violence among youth gangs.

Jensen was so dedicated to his work that he even rode motorcycles and frequented biker bars during his free time in order to make connections and build relationships. He was renowned for his ability to build a rapport with those on the other side of the law.

By approaching criminals with mutual respect and understanding, Jensen was able to establish a network of informants and even persuade some gang members to abandon crime and reform their lives.

Regardless of what some both inside and outside the department may have felt about Jensen’s methods and techniques, he steadily rose through the ranks of the department, largely helped by his positive image amongst members of the media, which in turn put the department in a positive light.

Based upon his success, Jensen was eventually promoted to the position of superintendent. Norway’s top cop had finally made it to the top.

Then, in 2014, Eirik Jensen’s world was turned upside down when he was arrested and indicted on drug trafficking and corruption charges. The charges stemmed from his association with one of his informants, named Gjermund Cappelen. Cappelen had been an informant for Jensen since 1993 and was well known to police as a major trafficker of hashish.

When Cappelen was arrested in 2013, he dropped a bombshell. In an attempt to reduce his prison sentence, Cappelen revealed that for years, Eirik Jensen had helped him to traffic and smuggle drugs.

Jensen vehemently denied the charges, claiming his relationship with Cappelen was solely about intelligence gathering. However, Cappelen's testimony, obtained through a promise of leniency, proved damaging.

Prosecutors claimed that for over a decade, Jensen had facilitated Cappelen's illegal activities, receiving millions of kroner (hundreds of thousands of euros) in bribes while turning a blind eye to the smuggling of over 13 tons of hashish.

The evidence did not look good for Jensen. Stored messages and communications between Jensen and Cappelen were damning. It also didn’t help Jensen that during the trial, Cappelen came across as a reliable and forthcoming witness, while Jensen, on the other hand, came across as guarded.

In 2017, Eirik Jensen was found guilty of drug trafficking and gross corruption charges by the Oslo District Court and sentenced to 21 years in prison, the maximum term allowed under Norwegian law.

Aftermath

As stated above, Eirik Jensen began serving his prison sentence in 2020, after several years of legal challenges. His case may have been helped by a 2022 Netflix docuseries titled “Mr. Good: Cop or Crook?” The series delves into Jensen’s possible innocence. Jensen was interviewed from prison for the series.

Jensen has continued to maintain his innocence and claims that he was falsely convicted. He is currently seeking a reprieve at the European Court of Human Rights.

Sources:

“Convicted cop ‘excused’ from jail time.” NewsinEnglish.no, 19 May 2025, https://www.newsinenglish.no/2025/05/19/convicted-cop-excused-from-jail-time/

Berglund, Nina. “Jailed cop’s release sparks debate.” NewsinEnglish.no, 16 March 2023, https://www.newsinenglish.no/2023/03/16/jailed-cops-release-sparks-debate/

Berglund, Nina. “Convicted cop gets maximum jail term.” NewsinEnglish.no, 20 June 2020, https://www.newsinenglish.no/2020/06/20/convicted-cop-gets-maximum-jail-term/

“Convicted cop’s appeals trial begins.” NewsinEnglish.no, 28 August 2018, https://www.newsinenglish.no/2018/08/28/convicted-cops-appeals-trial-begins/

“Cop charged with corruption back in court.” NewsinEnglish.no, 6 November 2019, https://www.newsinenglish.no/2019/11/06/cop-charged-with-corruption-back-in-court/

Zicari, Anthony & Reynolds Timothy, “Eirik Jensen Went From Norway's Top Cop to Convicted Drug Trafficker. Was He Guilty or Framed?” Tales From the Underworld, 26 May 2024, https://www.talesfromtheunderworld.com/p/eirik-jensen-went-from-norways-top

In May 2024, Tales From the Underworld covered the shocking tale of Lt. Joe "G.I. Joe" Gliniewicz

Update

In November 2024, Melodie Gliniewicz received a settlement for her late husband's pension after several legal battles. She was reportedly awarded a settlement of $1 million by the Fox Lake Village Board and the Fox Lake Police Pension Board. Negotiations between the parties began in early 2023.

According to a nine-page ruling, they based their decision on the fact that they wanted to avoid the risk of a possible adverse ruling, the cost of attorney’s fees, and reduce the cost of the survivor’s pension in case they lost the case.

The village also wanted to bring closure to a disgraceful chapter in their history. Mayor Donny Schmit said, “While we cannot change the past, we can choose a path forward that brings closure and represents a prudent financial decision for the Village. This agreement does just that, and we are ready to focus on the continued growth and well-being of our community.”

Backstory

Police Lieutenant Joe Gliniewicz was a well-known and respected figure in his community. He served in the village of Fox Lake Police Department, a community of 10,000, just 60 miles north of Chicago. He had earned the nickname “G.I. Joe” for his previous military service.

Lt. Gliniewicz ran the Fox Lake Police Explorers program Post 300 for teens interested in pursuing a career in law enforcement. He was seen by many as a mentor. However, one fateful day in September 2015 would change everything.

On the morning of September 1st, 2015, Joe radioed to dispatch that he was investigating suspicious activity in a remote wooded area. At 7:52 a.m., he radioed in to report that he was pursuing three suspicious individuals at an abandoned cement plant in Fox Lake.

He requested backup as he described the suspects in detail. A few minutes later, fellow officers arrived on the scene and found Gliniewicz lying face down in a marshy area. Joe had been shot and killed, seemingly in the line of duty. The crime scene showed what looked like a horrible struggle.

Right away, the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force pursued their investigation as a homicide. A massive manhunt got underway, searching for the suspects. The ensuing investigation was intense. Local, state, and federal authorities joined forces to track down the suspects. The FBI, ATF, and several other agencies scoured the area, following up on tips and leads.

For weeks, the manhunt continued, with officers working around the clock to find those responsible for Gliniewicz's death. None were ever found. The news of Joe’s death spread rapidly.

The community was left to mourn their fallen hero. They held vigils, banked the police station with flowers. People talked about Joe’s courage and bravery— until a darker story began to unfold.

Troubling Findings

As the investigation continued, troubling findings began to emerge. The crime scene evidence did not align with the initial reports of an ambush. Ballistics and forensic analysis raised questions, and investigators discovered troubling details about Gliniewicz's personal and professional life.

As investigators continued to dig, cracks began to appear in the story. Gliniewicz's squad car radio wasn't on the channel typically used during emergencies. His service weapon wasn't properly holstered, and an empty holster was found near the supposed crime scene.

These inconsistencies gnawed at the investigators, leading them to re-examine every detail. In their careful reexamination of the forensic evidence, investigators determined that Gliniewicz's death was the result of self-inflicted gunshot wounds. He had staged his suicide to appear as if he had been killed in the line of duty.

In a November 2015 press conference, the truth came out and left the community reeling in shock. The crime was, in reality, a “carefully staged” suicide to cover up financial improprieties with Explorer Program 300, run by Charles Joseph Gliniewicz, under the Fox Lake Police Department banner.

It was determined that Gliniewicz had been embezzling funds from the Explorer program and using the money to make mortgage payments on his home, fund vacations, buy military surplus equipment, and more.

Realizing that the truth was closing in, Gliniewicz made a fateful decision. He decided to commit suicide and make it look like murder. In his mind, it was an easier course of action than facing the consequences of prison time and a tarnished reputation. He died a month before his retirement, leaving behind a wife and four sons … and a community in outrage.

Aftermath

The anger was further stoked in January 2016 when Gliniewicz’s widow, Melodie, filed a claim with the Police Pension Board for her husband's benefits. She was entitled to 50 to 75 percent of Lieutenant Gliniewicz's annual salary, as he was never charged with a crime since he died before he could be indicted. She quickly withdrew her claim.

That same month, Melodie Gliniewicz was indicted on 11 felony counts of money laundering and using charitable funds for personal expenses. In February 2022, Melody accepted a plea agreement and pled guilty to one count of deceptive practice, a Class 4 felony.

In exchange, the remaining charges were dropped. In April 2022, she was sentenced to two years’ probation and allowed to have her record wiped clean in a Second Chance program.

During the sentencing hearing, Melodie Gliniewicz said, “I want to make it clear. I never took a cent from the Explorer fund … that’s not embezzling funds … not when you pay it back. Every time he’d borrow money, he’d let me know, and I’d write it down.”

The settlement with Melodie Gliniewicz finally brings to a close a dark and painful chapter for the Village of Fox Lake.

Sources:

Beese, K. (2025, April 1). Gliniewicz’s widow accepts $1 million pension payout settlement. Chronicle Media. https://chronicleillinois.com/news/lake-county-news/gliniewiczs-widow-accepts-1-million-pension-payout-settlement/

Borcia, S. (2025, April 10). Village of fox lake pays $1 million settlement to wife of disgraced police officer Joe Gliniewicz. Lake and McHenry County Scanner. https://www.lakemchenryscanner.com/2025/04/10/village-of-fox-lake-pays-1-million-settlement-to-wife-of-disgraced-police-officer-joe-gliniewicz/

CBS Interactive. (n.d.). Fox Lake, Illinois agrees to settlement for wife of disgraced police officer Joe Gliniewicz. CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/fox-lake-illinois-settlement-wife-officer-joe-gliniewicz/

Schaenzer, A. (2025, April 11). Melodie Gliniewicz gets $1M settlement. Crystal Lake-Cary, IL Patch. https://patch.com/illinois/crystallake/melodie-gliniewicz-gets-1m-settlement

Background

Although the details of her early life are sketchy, we know that Sarah Bowen was born sometime between 1777 and 1780 in Beguildy, Radnorshire, Wales. She had two brothers, with Sarah being the middle child. Described in an April 1845 edition of Eddowes’s Journal as a “remarkably fine woman.” Sarah married Thomas Chandler at some point in her youth, and by 1814, the couple had seven children under the age of ten.

A Desperate Act

One day in early 1814, Sarah faced a dilemma. She needed to purchase some essential items for the household, including shoes for their children. Unfortunately, this would require her to ask her husband for money.

Sarah’s husband, Thomas, had a violent temper and was quick to strike Sarah with little provocation. She knew that Thomas would beat her if she asked him for money, even if it was for their children.

Thinking quickly, Sarah devised a way to get some “money” that did not involve asking her husband. Since she was illiterate, she asked a neighbor to write the words “Two” and “Five” on a note. She took these notes to a local printer and asked to have numbers printed on them in the size and style of the local bank.

Sarah pasted the printed sheets over legitimate one-pound notes from Kington and Radnorshire Bank, which she took to the local market. She purchased a variety of items with the counterfeit notes, but her fraud was soon discovered.

She was then indicted by the Grand Jury on charges of forgery and was sent to the basement jail under the Presteigne courthouse in March of 1814 to await trial.

Hanging Offense?

Sarah’s trial was presided over by Judge George Hardinge. Hardinge had a reputation for handing out harsh punishments in the cases he tried, wishing to set a precedent and make an example out of criminals. Forgery of banknotes had become an increasingly common problem, and Sarah’s family feared that Judge Hardinge might dole out a harsh punishment as a warning to others.

At her trial, Sarah claimed she committed fraud only out of necessity. The court knew that she had several young children, and Sarah said that she feared being beaten should she ask her husband for money, even if it were for the children.

Unmoved by her plight, Judge Hardinge sentenced Sarah to death. For the crime of forging a few banknotes, Sarah, a wife and mother of seven, was set to be executed.

Plea for Mercy

Fearing a swift administration of her sentence, Sarah used the only defense at her disposal: she claimed that she was pregnant and pleaded for a stay of execution. Her stay was temporarily granted, against the wishes of Judge Hardinge, giving others time to petition for mercy on her behalf.

Her husband, family, members of the Grand Jury, sheriff, and even the banker she had defrauded, James Davies, pleaded for mercy for Sarah. They begged for Sarah’s sentence to be reduced on the grounds of her being a struggling and illiterate mother and, citing her good behavior while imprisoned, anything they could think of to save Sarah’s life.

Judge Hardinge did not budge. In a June 1814 letter to Home Secretary Lord Sidmouth, Hardinge explained that Sarah Chandler’s capital punishment was “indispensable to public justice and mercy,” in keeping with his plan to make an example of her.

Sidmouth granted Sarah an additional two-week stay of execution, which Hardinge vehemently protested. When it was discovered that Sarah was not actually pregnant, Judge Hardinge saw to it that her execution date was set for August.

Family First

Sarah’s brothers, Francis and William, were not about to leave their sister to her fate. Francis and William Bowen were no saints; they had committed their fair share of petty and non-violent offenses. Still, they were not going to sit by and allow their sister to be executed for nothing more than a minor act of forgery.

They allegedly bribed or blackmailed a few guards, possibly even the warden, to ensure the success of their plan.

One night, her brothers brought a ladder to the courthouse, carefully resting it against the wall. They climbed up and removed the hearthstone from Sarah’s cell, giving her enough space to climb up and out with their help.

Fugitive

Judge Hardinge was less than thrilled by Sarah’s escape. Immediately, local law enforcement set out to find Sarah, posting flyers promising handsome rewards for anyone who contributed to her capture.

Despite many living in poverty, the people of the town refused to hand Sarah back over to be executed, believing her sentence to be wholly unjust. Sarah and all traces of her vanished. The reward grew, reaching fifty guineas by six months after her escape.

Finally, two years after her escape, Sarah was apprehended in Birmingham, where she had been earning a living by working as a milkmaid. It is unclear what circumstances led to Sarah being found and recaptured or how she had managed to evade authorities for two years.

Sarah was brought back to the jail under the Presteigne courthouse, once again locked away to await her execution.

Commuted Sentence

Most fortunately for Sarah, Judge Hardinge had passed away a year before her new trial, which began in April of 1817. Though the new judge could have upheld Sarah’s previous sentence, he decided not to.

Given Sarah’s apparent efforts to make an honest living, the judge decided to commute Sarah’s sentence from execution to “transportation for life,” the phrase used to describe those who would be sent to the penal colony in Australia as their punishment.

In June, Sarah boarded the Friendship bound for Australia. The ship arrived at Port Jackson in January of 1818 after a long journey at sea. Sarah was sent to work at the Female Factory in Parramatta after her arrival.

About a year later, She was sent aboard the HMC Lady Nelson to Newcastle, another settlement for re-offending convicts. She was sentenced here to serve two years, though it is unclear what offense she committed to earn this further punishment.

Final Years and Death

Few details are known about the remainder of Sarah’s life. Records indicate that in 1827, she remarried one Denis Morrow in Parramatta. Her new husband was an Irishman found guilty of stealing a horse, which earned him a life sentence.

Sarah was later found guilty of a felony in 1829 by the Sydney Bench, earning herself a shaved head and three months at the Factory. Her death was recorded to have occurred in September of 1835.

Closing Thoughts

Sarah Chandler’s story is remembered both for her remarkable escape and for the tragedy inherent to her tale. Some believe Sarah, along with her brothers and parents, were habitual petty criminals and a scourge upon their community. Others think she was just a desperate mother trying to do right by her children.

In any case, Sarah’s story is a staunch and haunting reminder of the often harsh nature of “justice” in years gone by.

Sources:

Clifford, Naomi. “Sarah Chandler (1814).” Naomi Clifford, 2020, https://www.naomiclifford.com/sarah-chandler-1814/.

“Convict Sarah Chandler.” Convict Records, https://convictrecords.com.au/convicts/chandler/sarah/70564.

“Most Daring Prison Breaks by Women.” History Hit, https://www.historyhit.com/most-daring-prison-breaks-by-women/.

“Profile: Chandler, Sarah.” Fretwelliana, https://fretwelliana.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/profile-chandler-sarah-1.pdf.

Background

On a bitter December night in 2005, Daniel Enchautegui, a young and dedicated NYPD officer, found himself in a situation no off-duty cop ever hopes to encounter.

His Bronx neighborhood was silent except for the sharp sound of breaking glass coming from a house next door. Daniel, who had spent his life protecting others, didn't hesitate. He grabbed his badge, called for backup, and stepped into the cold night air to investigate.

Inside his neighbor's house, two men were rummaging through belongings, desperate to find prescription drugs. One of them was Steven Armento, a man well-acquainted with crime. The other was someone far less expected—Lillo Brancato, a former Hollywood star who had risen to fame for his memorable role in A Bronx Tale alongside Robert De Niro.

For Brancato, this was rock bottom.

When Daniel confronted them, the situation escalated almost instantly. Armento, armed with a .357 Magnum, opened fire. Shots echoed down the block as Daniel returned fire, hitting both intruders despite being gravely wounded.

When backup arrived, they found the young officer bleeding out in his driveway with his family nearby.

He died shortly after.

Brancato, bleeding from a gunshot wound, was arrested at the scene. Armento was captured mere blocks away, also suffering from a gunshot wound.

Early Life and Career

Lillo Brancato's life hadn't always been this chaotic. Born in Bogotá, Colombia, in 1976, Brancato was adopted as an infant by a working-class Italian-American family in Yonkers, New York.

His journey into acting began as a fluke. While hanging out at a beach one summer, a casting agent spotted him and noticed his striking resemblance to actor Robert De Niro. That chance encounter landed him the role of Calogero in A Bronx Tale, a coming-of-age film that would come to define his early career.

Critics praised Brancato's performance, and for a while, it seemed like Hollywood had found its next big thing. He went on to appear in films like Renaissance Man and even secured a recurring role on The Sopranos.

But behind the scenes, Brancato was already struggling with the pressures of fame. The industry's temptations—parties, drugs, and a fast-paced lifestyle—proved too much for the young actor.

Grip of Addiction

By his mid-20s, Brancato's recreational drug use had turned into a full-blown addiction. Cocaine, heroin, and prescription pills became a daily routine. The bright future he once had dimmed as directors stopped calling and roles disappeared. Brancato's life became a cautionary tale about the dangers of unchecked success and substance abuse.

Desperation led him to petty crime. On the night of December 10, 2005, Brancato and Steven Armento decided to break into a house where Brancato believed leftover prescription drugs might be hidden.

What they hadn't anticipated was Daniel Enchautegui's bravery and resolve. The confrontation ended in tragedy, leaving a community grieving and Brancato facing the consequences of his actions.

Trial and Sentencing

The aftermath of the shooting was both legally and emotionally charged. Steven Armento, the triggerman, was quickly convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Brancato's case, however, was more complex. Prosecutors argued that his presence at the crime scene made him complicit in the events that led to Daniel's death. Brancato's defense claimed he was unaware that Armento was armed and that his addiction clouded his judgment.

The jury found Brancato guilty of attempted burglary and manslaughter but acquitted him of murder. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison, a decision that sparked outrage among law enforcement and the victim's family.

Many felt that Brancato's addiction didn't absolve him of his role in the crime.

Rehabilitation and Release

For Brancato, prison became a turning point. Stripped of his freedom, he finally confronted the addiction that had dominated his life. He participated in rehabilitation programs, committed to sobriety, and reflected on the devastating choices that brought him there.

When he was released on parole in 2013, Brancato emerged a changed man—or so he claimed. He began speaking publicly about his struggles with addiction, hoping to use his story as a warning to others.

His sincerity, however, has been met with mixed reactions. Some see a man genuinely trying to atone for his mistakes, while others remain skeptical, unable to look past the tragic loss of Officer Enchautegui.

Closing Thoughts

Brancato's story serves as both a cautionary tale and a complex exploration of redemption. Addiction is an insidious disease, one that doesn't discriminate between the famous and the forgotten. Brancato's fall from grace highlights how quickly success can unravel when combined with poor choices and untreated struggles.

For Daniel Enchautegui's family and colleagues, the pain of his loss remains sharp. No amount of redemption can bring him back or erase the events of that December night. And yet, Brancato's efforts to rebuild his life offer a glimpse of hope, a reminder that even in the face of tragedy, change is possible.

Lillo Brancato's journey from Hollywood stardom to a prison cell is sobering. It's a story of promise lost, of lives forever changed, and of the long, uncertain road to redemption.

While the memory of Daniel Enchautegui's heroism endures, so too does the cautionary tale of a man who had everything and threw it away. Whether Brancato's attempts at rebuilding will ever truly honor that loss is a question only time can answer.

Sources:

Levin, E. (2008). Lillo Brancato: From Hollywood Star to Inmate. Vanity Fair. Retrieved from https://www.vanityfair.com

New York Times Staff. (2005). NYPD Officer Slain in Bronx Robbery Attempt. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com

National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2023). The Impact of Substance Abuse on Mental Health. Retrieved from https://www.drugabuse.gov

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Actor Danny Masterson rose to fame as a cast member of the popular television program That '70s Show. Masterson portrayed the wise-cracking and sarcastic Stephen Hyde, a role that made him a fan favorite.

But decades later, his name became synonymous with stories of abuse and sexual assault. What really happened behind closed doors, and how did a beloved TV star fall so far?

Early Life

Danny Masterson was born on March 13, 1976, in Long Island, New York, to Carol Masterson, a manager, and Peter Masterson, an insurance agent. He spent his early years in Garden City and East Williston, New York, and at the tender age of four, Danny began modeling.

His cherubic face and natural charisma in front of the camera quickly made him a favorite in the advertising industry.

By age five, he began his acting career, eventually appearing in more than one hundred advertisements for well-known brands like Kellogg’s, Tang, Hostess, and Clearasil. It wasn't just about selling products but also about selling a persona.

His upbeat, relatable energy made him a favorite in households across America throughout the 1980s. These early experiences honed his on-screen presence and instilled in him an understanding of the industry's workings.

Acting Career

By the early 1990s, Danny transitioned from commercials to acting. He landed a small role in the 1993 family comedy Beethoven's 2nd, playing Seth, a charming, mischievous teenager. Though it was a secondary role, it gave him a taste of Hollywood.

The same year, he landed a recurring role on the television series Cybill, playing Justin Thorpe, which further provided him with a platform to display his comedic timing and adaptability, thereby solidifying his place in the acting world.

That 70’s Show

Danny Masterson's career reached new heights when he was cast as Steven Hyde on That '70s Show, which aired from 1998 to 2006. His portrayal of Hyde, the rebellious and sarcastic friend, resonated with audiences and became one of the show's standout characters as it embodies the counterculture spirit of the 1970s.

This role not only solidified his place in Hollywood but also opened doors to various opportunities in the entertainment industry.

After the success of That '70s Show, Masterson continued to expand his acting portfolio. In 2016, he reunited with former co-star Ashton Kutcher on the Netflix series The Ranch, playing the character Jameson "Rooster" Bennett. The show enjoyed a dedicated fan base, and since the series blended comedy and drama, Masterson's portrayal of Rooster was well-received by audiences.

Personal Life

Beyond acting, Masterson pursued a passion for music, establishing himself as a DJ. Starting in 1997, he performed under the moniker DJ Donkey Punch, later changing it to DJ Mom Jeans in 2010. His gigs took him to various venues, where he showcased his eclectic music tastes and entertained crowds with his dynamic sets.

Beyond his entertainment endeavors, Masterson ventured into the hospitality industry. He co-owned a lounge and bar named Downstairs in Park City, Utah. The venue became a popular spot, known for its intimate atmosphere and live music events.

In 2004, Masterson began dating actress and model Bijou Phillips, daughter of musician John Phillips and actress Geneviève Waïte. The couple's relationship blossomed over the years, leading to their engagement in 2009.

On October 18, 2011, the couple tied the knot in a private castle in Ireland, surrounded by close family and friends. Their union was blessed with a daughter, Fianna Francis Masterson, born on February 14, 2014.

Throughout their marriage, Phillips stood by Masterson during various challenges, including the serious legal allegations against him. However, following Masterson's conviction in 2023, Phillips filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences.

In her divorce filing, she requested legal and physical custody of their daughter, with visitation rights for Masterson. In a statement, her lawyer, Peter A. Lauzon, said, "Ms. Phillips has decided to file for divorce from her husband during this unfortunate time. Her priority remains with her daughter."

Scientology

A significant aspect of Masterson's life is his involvement with the Church of Scientology, a religious organization founded in 1953 by science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, which claims to offer paths to spiritual enlightenment and self-improvement. As someone raised within the church, Masterson has been an active member and vocal advocate.

His faith played a central role in his personal and professional relationships, including his marriage to Bijou Phillips, who also has connections to Scientology.

During his legal proceedings, allegations surfaced that the Church attempted to shield him from repercussions. Prosecutors argued that Masterson used his prominence within Scientology to avoid consequences for years.

Sexual Assault Allegations

In March 2017, Danny Masterson faced serious allegations after three women accused him of sexual assault during the early 2000s. These accusations prompted the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) to investigate the claims. The women alleged that Masterson had assaulted them while they were members of the Church of Scientology.

The allegations against Masterson were particularly significant given his prominence in the entertainment industry and his affiliation with the Church of Scientology. The accusers, former members of the Church, alleged that they were pressured to remain silent about the assaults, fearing retaliation and ostracization.

This intersection of celebrity, religion, and alleged misconduct drew substantial media attention and public scrutiny.

As the investigation progressed, a fourth woman came forward in December 2017 with similar accusations against Masterson. These additional allegations further intensified public scrutiny and increased pressure on law enforcement to take decisive action.

The mounting allegations had professional repercussions for Masterson. In December 2017, Netflix announced that Masterson had been written out of the comedy series The Ranch, stating that production would resume without him.

Around the same period, Masterson's long-term talent agency, United Talent Agency (UTA), ended their professional relationship with him. UTA had represented Masterson for two decades, but they chose to sever ties amid the mounting allegations.

The agency's decision was made quietly, without a public announcement, reflecting the serious nature of the accusations and the industry's shifting stance on such matters. Masterson expressed disappointment with these decisions but maintained his innocence, denying all allegations against him.

His legal representatives asserted that any encounters were consensual and criticized the media coverage as a "public relations campaign" against him. Despite these denials, the mounting accusations and subsequent legal actions marked a turning point in Masterson's career and personal life, leading to ongoing legal battles and a tarnished public image.

Civil Proceedings

In August 2019, four women filed a civil lawsuit against Danny Masterson and the Church of Scientology, alleging harassment, stalking, and intimidation after they had filed sexual assault allegations against Masterson.

The plaintiffs claimed that the Church orchestrated efforts to silence them, including surveillance, threats, and other forms of harassment, to prevent them from speaking out.

According to the plaintiffs, Scientology discourages its members from reporting fellow members to law enforcement under any circumstances. After reporting the alleged assaults to the police, the plaintiffs claimed they were labeled "suppressive persons," a term used within Scientology to designate individuals who are deemed threats to the Church. This designation resulted in their expulsion from the organization.

One plaintiff alleged that her dog suffered fatal injuries to its trachea and esophagus under unexplained circumstances. She also claimed she was chased by Church members while driving, filmed without her consent, harassed online, and targeted by fake social media ads soliciting sexual services in her name.

Another plaintiff reported that a man was seen taking photos from her driveway, and later that same night, someone broke a window in her 13-year-old daughter’s bedroom.

Masterson responded publicly to one of the plaintiffs, his ex-girlfriend, stating that he was going to beat her in court because he believed he was being railroaded by her and the other women for the sexual assault claims they made. However, Masterson did not directly address the stalking or harassment allegations in the statement.

By May 21, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo deemed the evidence presented credible enough to advance the case to trial. Judge Olmedo did not mince words, ruling that Scientology's doctrines actively discouraged and even outright prohibited members from reporting crimes to the police.

She ordered Masterson to surrender his passport and scheduled his arraignment for June 7, 2021.

At the arraignment, Masterson once again pleaded not guilty. His defense team alleged collusion among the three women, claiming they had coordinated their stories and pointed to an alleged financial settlement between Masterson and one of the accusers in 2004.

Despite these arguments, Masterson remained out on a $3.3 million bail, with a pretrial hearing set for August 9, 2021. The trial was then officially set for August 29, 2022, in Judge Olmedo's courtroom but was later postponed until October 11, 2022.

Trial and Sentencing

During his trial, Masterson declined to testify, nor did his legal team call any witnesses in his defense. Both sides rested their cases by November 14, with closing arguments delivered the next day.

The jury began deliberating but quickly reached an impasse after three days. Instead of immediately declaring a mistrial, the judge ordered the jury to resume deliberations after Thanksgiving. However, the deadlock persisted, leading to a mistrial on November 30, 2022.

Undeterred by the mistrial, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office promptly announced plans to retry the case. The retrial began in April 2023, with both sides presenting new evidence and witness testimonies.

The prosecution aimed to strengthen their case by addressing the shortcomings of the first trial, while the defense continued to assert Masterson's innocence. After several weeks of deliberation, the jury reached a verdict on May 31, 2023, finding Masterson guilty of two counts of forcible rape.

However, they remained deadlocked on a third charge, resulting in no verdict for that particular count.

Following the guilty verdicts, the sentencing phase took place in June 2023. The court heard impact statements from the survivors, who recounted the profound effects of the assaults on their lives. Taking into account the severity of the crimes and the lasting trauma inflicted upon the victims, the judge sentenced Masterson to 30 years to life in prison.

This sentence reflected the court's commitment to holding perpetrators of sexual violence accountable, regardless of their celebrity status. By July 2023, the District Attorney's Office announced that they would not pursue a retrial for the third charge, citing the sufficient length of the sentence and the desire to avoid further emotional distress for the survivors.

Then, on September 7, 2023, the court reaffirmed Masterson’s sentence of 30 years to life. His legal team announced plans to appeal the convictions, citing concerns over the admissibility of evidence and potential constitutional violations during the trial.

Fallout and Aftermath

The allegations and subsequent conviction elicited mixed reactions from Masterson's peers and family. Notably, former co-stars Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis, who worked with Masterson on That '70s Show, faced significant backlash after it was revealed that they had written character letters supporting Masterson during his sentencing phase.

In these letters, they described Masterson as a positive influence and a person of integrity.

However, the public perceived these letters as dismissive of the victims' experiences, leading to widespread criticism. In response, Kutcher and Kunis issued a public apology, stating that their intent was not to undermine the victims' testimonies but to provide insight into their personal experiences with Masterson.

Also, the entertainment industry took decisive steps to distance itself from the actor. Notably, he was excluded from participating in That '90s Show, the sequel to the popular That '70s Show, where he initially portrayed Steven Hyde.

The show’s creators chose not to reference his character, effectively erasing his presence from the show's universe. This decision was a result of the serious allegations and subsequent conviction, reflecting the industry's broader commitment to addressing such issues.

Danny Masterson is currently serving his 30-year to life prison sentence. He is incarcerated at the California Men's Colony, a state prison in San Luis Obispo.

Sources:

“Danny Masterson.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 14 Dec. 2024, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_Masterson.

Savya, ere. “Danny Masterson.” FactMandu, Fact Mandu, 12 Sept. 2023, factmandu.com/danny-masterson.

Angela, Yang. “Danny Masterson Sentenced to 30 Years to Life in Prison.” NBCNews.Com, NBCUniversal News Group, 7 Sept. 2023, www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/danny-masterson-sentenced-30-years-life-prison-rcna102463.

A once-renowned figure in the UK glam rock scene, Garry Glitter’s disturbing fall from grace shocked and disgusted fans, critics, and the general public. Glitter, real name Paul Gadd, began his music career in the early 1960s but hit his stride in the early 1970s as he became a fixture in the UK glam scene.

Early Years

On May 8th, 1944, Paul Francis Gadd was born in the quaint town of Banbury, Oxfordshire. Paul’s mother, though not married, tried her best to support herself and her two sons through her work as a cleaner. Paul’s grandmother also helped raise the children, while Paul’s father was never a part of his life.

Paul was said to have been a difficult child; over time, he became too much for his young mother to handle. At age 10, Paul and his brother were put into alternative care.

Paul attended a Catholic school but continued his deviant behavior into his teenage years, often running away from home to visit nightclubs in London.

Start in Music

It was in these London nightclubs that Paul first launched his musical career. Paul had begun performing at various club venues around the city. Eventually, he was discovered by producer Robert Hartford-Davis, who paid for young Paul to record music with Decca Records.

In January of 1960, when Paul was only fifteen, he released a single entitled “Alone in the Night” under the stage name Paul Raven.

By sixteen, Paul was working with his new manager, Vic Billings, who managed to secure a contract with Parlophone, where he worked with George Martin, a producer later known for his work with the Beatles.

Paul’s next two singles did not perform well, but despite the setback, Paul continued to work in and around the music industry. Paul worked as an assistant, appeared in commercials, and auditioned for multiple films.

Through these efforts, Paul met producer Mike Leander. It was around this time, in 1963, that Paul married Ann Murton. A year later, they welcomed a son, who they named Paul. In 1965, Paul joined the Mike Leander Show Band, which led to opportunities to produce records with a few artists.

In 1966, Paul and Ann had their second child, a daughter they named Sarah.

Following his time with the Mike Leander Show Band, Paul helped create the musical group Boston International, which put him on a five-year touring adventure throughout the UK and Germany.

During this time, Paul also recorded and produced several records. He briefly used the stage name of Paul Monday, and his music was finally getting some attention.

Paul landed the role of a priest in the concept album of Jesus Christ Superstar, released in 1970. After multiple setbacks, Paul’s persistence was beginning to pay off.

Gary Glitter: A Sparkling Star

In 1971, glam rock began dominating the charts in the UK. Seeing an opportunity to capitalize on the craze, Paul adopted the stage name of Gary Glitter, which he would keep for the rest of his career.

In 1972, the same year he split from his wife Ann Murton, Gary Glitter released a single called “Rock and Roll, Parts 1 and 2.” This record eventually reached number two on the UK Singles Chart, earned a place in the U.S. Top Ten, and reached number one on the charts in France.

With the success of this record, Gary Glitter’s career had begun in earnest.

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Background

On July 2, 1973, Frank Matthews failed to appear for his hearing in Brooklyn federal court. The 29-year-old drug kingpin was facing a litany of charges ranging from tax evasion to narcotics trafficking.

Matthews and his girlfriend had been arrested by DEA agents at Las Vegas’s McCarren Airport, attempting to board a flight to Los Angeles. His bail was set at $5 million, which at the time was a record.

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Released in 2002 by Miramax Films and produced by Damon Dash for Roc-A-Fella Films, the crime drama Paid in Full has since become a cult classic, especially within the hip-hop world.

Directed by Charles Stone III, the film depicts the rise and fall of three friends as they navigate the treacherous and deadly world of the drug trade in Harlem during the mid-1980s.

This was during the height of the crack cocaine epidemic in New York City, where teenagers could make enough money selling drugs to afford the latest luxury cars, even if they were not yet old enough to obtain a driver’s license.

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