Murderer Among Us

Every week, local newsrooms publish reports that may never become national headlines. A name, a neighborhood, a date, and an investigation that will continue long after most readers move on. This week, six stories from six American counties caught our attention. Some involve new arrests. Another concerns an arrest warrant. The events did not all happen this week; the developments below were reported between October 19 and October 25. It is tempting to turn stories like these into a simple argument about how dangerous the country has become. But six reports cannot tell us whether violence is rising or falling nationwide. They can, however, remind us that public safety is personal: it shapes how people trust their neighbors, the authorities, and the ordinary places they visit every day. Six homicide cases in the news this week 1. Chicago, Illinois — A death after an earlier police report Reported October 19 | Incident: October 16–17 | Cook County The Chicago Sun-Times reported ...

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, so maybe I should not have been surprised to see domestic violence everywhere in the news this week. But I was. Not because the stories were especially shocking. That is actually what bothered me most. They felt familiar. One headline was about Denise Brown, the sister of Nicole Brown Simpson, speaking again about domestic violence more than three decades after losing her sister. Another reported that at least 31 people in Minnesota were known victims of intimate relationship homicide in 2025. A new University of Florida study looked at something we still don't talk about enough: the possible brain injuries that can accompany intimate partner violence. Different stories. Different people. Different states. But I kept thinking the same thing: How much suffering happens before the rest of us finally see it? Domestic violence is rarely one terrible night that suddenly appears out of nowhere. From the outside, people often look for the obvi...

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Every year, we see the purple ribbons, awareness walks, social media posts and reminders to look for the warning signs. But this year, October began with another kind of reminder — one that is much harder to scroll past. A Woman Is Dead. Her Longtime Partner Is Charged. In Philadelphia, 48-year-old Maria Pagan was found dead inside her North Philadelphia home in late September. Police later arrested her longtime partner, 46-year-old Melvin Rivera, and charged him with murder. Authorities have not publicly announced a motive. The case appeared in the news just as Philadelphia organizations were preparing events for Domestic Violence Awareness Month. That timing is difficult to ignore. We spend October talking about domestic violence as a national problem. But for someone, somewhere in America, it isn't a campaign or a statistic. It is happening inside a house or apartment right now. Domestic Violence Rarely Begins Wit...

Eight recent murder cases from across the United States. Who was arrested, where it happened, who died, and what authorities allege. Important: The people listed below have been arrested or charged. A criminal charge is an allegation, not a conviction. Each defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. JaShawn Johnson — Orangeburg County, South Carolina September 28. JaShawn Johnson, 20, of Orangeburg, was arrested and charged with murder following the death of 23-year-old Cortez Davis. The Orangeburg County Sheriff's Office said Davis was shot Friday night near Charleston Highway and Woodbine Drive. The investigation remains open. Accused: JaShawn Johnson Victim: Cortez Davis, 23 Location: Orangeburg County, South Carolina Charge: Murder Source: Orangeburg County Sheriff's Office / ABC News 4 Shouyong Zhang and Shili Chen — Dublin, California September 27–28. Shouyong Zhang and Shili Chen, both 77, were arrested on suspicion of murder ...

 The internet has made it easier than ever to stay connected. It has also made it easier than ever to become someone else. For years, one man quietly built an entire world of fake identities online. To friends, coworkers, and strangers who met him through social media, he appeared to be dozens of different people.

 Some crimes fade into the background after the headlines disappear. Others never really go away. The Delphi murders became one of those cases that people across America just couldn't stop thinking about. Even years later, people still search the names Abby and Libby, still listen to the audio, still look at that bridge photo and wonder how something like this could happen in the middle of a quiet Midwestern town. On February 13, 2017, Abigail Williams, 13, and Liberty German, 14, went out to enjoy what seemed like

 Some crimes disappear from the news cycle fast. Others just refuse to go away. The Idaho college murders became one of those cases that people across America kept talking about long after the headlines faded. It wasn’t just the violence - it was how random and unsettling everything felt. In the early morning hours of November 13, 2022 , four University of Idaho students were found murdered inside an off-campus house in Moscow, Idaho , a small college town where violent crime was rare. The victims -  Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin  - had spent the previous evening doing completely normal college things: going out, meeting friends, grabbing late night food. Nothing suggested what was coming. Investigators later determined the attack likely happened sometime after 4 AM. There were no signs of forced entry, which suggested the killer may have entered through an unlocked door - something pretty common in college housing. One of the most ...

 Introduction The killing of Sam Nordquist is one of the most disturbing criminal cases to emerge from upstate New York in recent years. The investigation revealed prolonged abuse, multiple suspects, and circumstances that raised serious questions about vulnerability, isolation, and accountability. This article presents a detailed, fact-based overview of the case - from the first signs that something

Few names in American criminal history provoke the same visceral reaction as Jeffrey Dahmer . Between 1978 and 1991, Dahmer murdered 17 young men and boys, primarily in Wisconsin. His crimes - marked by manipulation, extreme violence, and a chilling double life - forced the public to confront how a seemingly ordinary person could conceal unimaginable brutality in plain sight.

  He was the kind of man you’d trust to water your plants while you were on vacation A quiet accountant from New Jersey, neatly dressed, polite, always on time for church. His neighbors knew him as a family man - husband, father, provider. They had no idea that behind the polished smile, John List was planning to erase his entire family from existence .

  It started like any other online connection - a young person looking for friendship, maybe love. It ended with one of the most horrifying murder cases New York has seen in years. In February 2025, the body of 24-year-old Sam Nordquist , originally from Red Wing, Minnesota, was found dumped in a field in Yates County, New York. The discovery revealed a story of unimaginable cruelty - weeks of torture, starvation, and humiliation at the hands of people he once trusted. A Move That Turned Into a Nightmare In September 2024, Sam left Minnesota and traveled to upstate New York to meet someone he had connected with online. Friends described him as kind, quiet, and trusting - maybe too trusting. What began as a relationship soon turned into captivity. From December 2024 to February 2025 , Sam endured what investigators later described as “sustained torture.” According to police reports, the abuse included brutal beatings, forced consumption of toxic substances, and deliberate starva...

Every day, we hope our children are safe. We hope they can grow up in a world where we don’t have to fear for their lives. But the reality is that horrific events like what happened in Virginia keep shattering that hope, turning our hometowns into places where we’re scared to let our kids even step outside. I recently came across a heart-wrenching story in the news about how MS-13 gang leaders have once again brought death and devastation to our communities. I read it, and I couldn’t sleep all night, thinking about my own children. Federal prosecutors say Elmer Alas Candray, a 27-year-old native of El Salvador, became one of the busiest killers in Virginia as he rose through the ranks of the savage gang, which is known for its horrific violence https://fdprc.capdefnet.org/sites/cdn_fdprc/files/Assets/public/project_declarations/authorization/declaration_biden_admin_stats__de-authorizations_and_no_seeks_rubenstein_july_2024.pdf Defendant: Alas Candray, Elmer De Jesus Docket No.: E.D. VA...

In a chilling turn of events, an Army sergeant and his brother have been implicated in a sinister murder-for-hire plot that targeted a Connecticut family, including two young children. The servicemember, identified as 30-year-old Sergeant Jeremiah Peikert , and his older brother, Joshua Peikert, 32 , find themselves at the center of a criminal investigation that has unveiled a deep-seated intent to kill. The elaborate scheme, orchestrated from behind bars, involved Joshua Peikert, who was an inmate at Corrigan Correctional Center in Uncasville , Connecticut. According to official court documents, Joshua attempted to employ his cellmate to hire a hitman in 2022, targeting a family that included a 29-year-old woman, her 23-year-old boyfriend, and her two daughters, ages 10 and one.

A list of inmates booked at the Polk County Jail Name DOB Entry Date Release Date ATKINS, AJ 03/14/1986 02.12.2008 05/21/2008 ATKINS, AJ 03/14/1986 12.03.2008 01.08.2009 ATKINS, ANTHONY MARKSIMON 09.03.1986 05/30/2023 06/28/2023 ATKINSON, AMY M 10/20/1968 05.12.2003 05.12.2003 ATKINSON, AMY M 10/20/1968 03/27/2007 03/27/2007 ATKINSON, AMY MELISSA 10/20/1968 07/31/2000 07/31/2000 ATKINSON, ANTHONY 09.09.1983 10/29/2004 12.06.2004 ATKINSON, ANTHONY JAMES 09.09.1983 01.10.2004 01.10.2004 ATMORE, ANGELIA ANNETTE 07.02.1969 11.05.1991 11/29/1991 AUCOIN, ANGELA 11.10.1968 08/25/2002 03.06.2003 AUCOIN, ANGELA LYNN 11.10.1968 07/14/2002 08.07.2002 AUGUST, ASHLEY MARIE 10.02.1985 06.08.2006 06.08.2006 AUGUST, ASHLEY MARIE 10.02.1985 07.03.2008 07.04.2008 AUGUSTI...

Name DOB Entry Date Release Date AARON, ANDREA LACHER 08/27/1977 05/14/2008 05/16/2008 AARON, ANTHONY 10/23/1987 01/25/2006 01/27/2006 AARON, ANTHONY JAMAL 10/23/1987 07.10.2008 07.11.2008 ABARAHAM, AARON EVERETT 01/30/1983 01/29/2007 01/30/2007 ABARCA, AMBROCIO MEZA 02/15/1980 11/26/2023 02/22/2024 ABARCA-MEZA, AMBROCIO 02/15/1980 08/21/2001 08/22/2001 ABBATI, AVA MARIE 01/26/1964 07/28/2003 07/29/2003 ABBOTT, ALAN-MIKAL 12/29/1992 06.07.2023 08.10.2023 ABBOTT, ALAN-MIKAL LEWIS 12/29/1992 03/27/2024 ABBOTT, ALEXANDER 01.03.1961 06.10.2004 08.11.2004 ABBOTT, ALEXANDER JAMES 01.03.1961 10.08.2003 10.08.2003 ABBOTT, ALEXANDER JAMES 01.03.1961 07/16/1989 07/16/1989 ABBOTT, ALLEN 10.06.1962 12/18/2004 12/19/2004 ABBOTT, ALLEN 10.06.1962 01/27/2006 ...