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Audio Sources:

“Isabel Celis Timeline, From disappearance to grim discovery”

“Raw Video Part 2: Parents of Isabel Celis speak to the local media”

“Christopher Clements sentencing”

Sources:

Associated Press, 22 April, 2012 – “No New Clues”

Athens Banner-Herald, 22 April, 2012 – “Suspicion Over Entry Point”

News & Politics Examiner, 22 April, 2012 – “Missing 6-Year-Old From Tucson May Have Been Abducted”

Associated Press, 23 April, 2012 – “Police Keeping Missing Girl’s Family from AZ Home”

Associated Press, 23 April, 2012 – “Child Abductions at Home Relatively Rare”

The Arizona Daily Star, 24 April, 2012 – “Tucson Police Look for Missing Child”

The Arizona Daily Star, 25 April, 2012 – “Tucson Police Search”

The Arizona Daily Star, 25 April, 2012 – “Isabel’s Dad”

The Arizona Daily Star, 25 April, 2012 – “FBI Profilers Will Help Look for Isabel”

Associated Press, 25 April, 2012 – “Tucson Police Winding Down Search “

The Explorer, 27 April, 2012 – “Police Seek Group”

News & Politics Examiner, 29 April, 2012 – “Search for Isabel Celis”

The Arizona Daily Star, 30 April, 2012 – “More Than 300 at Mass”

Tucson Sentinel, 30 April, 2012 – “Video of Witnesses”

News & Politics Examiner, 1 May, 2012 – “AZ Man Breaks In”

News & Politics Examiner, 3 May, 2012 – “Parents of Missing Isabel Celis”

The Arizona Daily Star, 5 May, 2012 – “How Should We Act”

The Explorer, 11 May, 2012 – “CPS Involved”

Independent – 3 KTVK, 14 May, 2012 – “Father of Missing Tucson Girl”

Independent  – 3 KTVK, 15 May, 2012 – “Tucson Police”

News & Politics Examiner, 15 May, 2012 – “Isabel Celis”

The Arizona Daily Star, 16 May, 2012 – “As  Tips Keep Coming”

The Arizona Daily Star, 25 May, 2012 – “Intensity of Search”

Independent – 3 KTVK, 25 May, 2012 – “New Evidence”

The Arizona Daily Star, 2 June, 2012 – “Volunteers Work”

The Arizona Daily Star, 16 December, 2012 – “No Sign of Isabel”

The Arizona Daily Star, 16 January, 2014 – “Police Swarm”

The Arizona Daily Star, 18 April, 2014 – “Parents of Isabel Celis”

The Arizona Daily Star, 31 March, 2017 – “Finding Remains”

The Arizona Daily Star, 29 April, 2017 – “Hundreds Gather”

The Arizona Daily Star, 24 October, 2017 – “Autopsy Confirms Death”

Tucson Sentinel, 14 September, 2018 – “Man Indicted”

Independent – 3 KTVK, 15 September, 2018 – “Man Accused”

The Arizona Daily Star, 16 September, 2018 – “Suspect’s Criminal History”

The Arizona Daily Star, 22 September, 2018 – “Court Documents”

Associated Press, 24 September, 2018 – “Suspect Pleads Not Guilty”

The Arizona Daily Star, 12 February, 2019 – “Prosecutors Want Death Penalty”

Associated Press, 12 September, 2022 – “Man Accused of Killing 2 Tucson Girls”

The Arizona Daily Star, 13 September, 2022 – “Harrowing Events Described”

Associated Press, 14 November, 2022 – “Man Convicted”

The Arizona Daily Star, 14 February, 2023 – “Defence Attorney Tries to Blame Father”

The Arizona Daily Star, 15 February, 2023 – “Dad Defends Himself”

The Arizona Daily Star, 16 February, 2023 – “Isabel Celis’ Family”

The Arizona Daily Star, 17 February, 2023 – “Isabel Celis, 6”

The Arizona Daily Star, 23 February, 2023 – “Suspect”

The Arizona Daily Star, 24 February, 2023 – “Clements’ Phone”

Associated Press, 1 March, 2023 – “Man Accused”

The Arizona Daily Star, 1 March, 2023 – “Jurors to Begin Deliberating”

The Arizona Daily Star, 3 March, 2023 – “Tucson Jury Fails to Reach Verdict”

The Arizona Daily Star, 15 March, 2023 – “Clements Jurors”

The Arizona Daily Star, 1 March, 2024 – “Man Convicted”

The Arizona Daily Star, 10 April, 2024 – “Man Who Killed”

Sponsors:

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Audio Sources:

“Andrew Conley gives a walkthrough to officers.”

“Andrew Conley Says He’s Sick”

“Conley parents testify in court”

“Andrew Conley Statement”

“Teen Apologizes In Court For Killing Brother”

Sources:

ABC – 11 WHAS, 30 November, 2009 – “Small Community of Rising Sun, Ind. Rocked by 10-Year-Old Boy’s Death”

UPI, 1 December, 2009 – “Brother Arrested in 10-Year-Old’s Slaying”

The Dearborn County Register, 3 December, 2009 – “Teen Charged with Coldblooded Murder of Brother”

The Ohio County News, 3 December, 2009 – “Answers South in Fifth Grader’s Death”

Associated Press, 4 December, 2009 – “Ind. Teen Charged with Strangling Brother, 10”

Batesville Herald-Tribune, 4 December, 2009 – “Tee Brother Charged with Murder”

Associated Press, 5 December, 2009 – “Ind. Parents Grieve Slain Son”

New York Daily News, 5 December, 2009 – “Dexter Inspired me to Kill”

Life Examiner, 6 December, 2009 – “Ind. Teen Pleads not Guilty to Killing 10-Year-Old Brother”

Life Examiner, 8 December, 2009 – “Teenage Murder Suspect Andrew Conley Felt Like Fictional TV Character”

Chicago Examiner, 13 September, 2010 – “Indiana Dexter Killer Pleads Guilty”

Associated Press, 15 September, 2010 – “Doctor: Ind. Boy Fought as Brother Strangled Him”

Associated Press, 15 September, 2010 – “US Teen Calmly Admitted Killing Brother”

Associated Press, 16 September, 2010 – “Ind. Teen Who Killed Brother Breaks Down in Court”

The Daily Record, 16 September, 2010 – “TV Dexter Made me a Killer”

The Dearborn County Register, 16 September, 2010 – “Conley Was Collected, Cool, Calm”

Associated Press, 17 September, 2010 – “Teen Used Care Bear to Show How he Killed Brother”

Long Beach Press-Telegram, 18 September, 2010 – “Teen Joked After Killing”

The Dearborn County Register, 20 September, 2010 – “Testimony Begins in Conley Sentencing Hearing”

Associated Press, 21 September, 2010 – “Ex-Girlfriend Says Ind. Teen Idolized Teen Killer”

Andrew Conley v. State of Indiana

https://murderpedia.org/male.C/images/conley-andrew/conley-transcript-1.pdf

The Dearborn County Register, 15 October, 2010 – “Conley Sentenced to Life Without Parole”

The Journal Gazette, 16 October, 2010 – “Teen Gets Life for Killing Brother”

Associated Pres, 14 November, 2011 – “Lawyer Says Ind. Teen Wrongly Labeled Psychopath”

Associated Press, 31 July, 2012 – “Ind. Court Upholds Life Sentence”

The Indianapolis Star, 23 January, 2010 – “Teen Will Plead Insanity in Killing of Little Brother”

The Tribune, 18 September, 2010 – “Teen Who Killed Brother Fought Urge to Stab Dad”

The Journal-Press, 21 September, 2010 – “Murderer Asks for Trial to Stop”

Dana had grown up in Derry and she was known as a kind and generous woman who was always there for her friends. Anita Stoner said: “Our kids go to school together. She was wonderful, kind and caring. She was that person you could call at 3 a.m. if you needed Tylenol for your kids, and if she didn’t have it, she’d run to the store and buy it for you. She’d do anything for anybody.” She worked as a personal care assistant at West Hempfield Middle School and was very pro-active in parent-teacher organizations.¹ David had been in the Army.

At around 5:40AM on the 30^th of November, 2016, David left the family home to drive to work. Shortly before 7AM, Jacob retrieved a Ruger .380 handgun from the top of the refrigerator in the kitchen. He entered his mother’s bedroom but noticed that the weapon was unloaded. He went back into the kitchen where the ammunition was stored. He grabbed a six-round magazine and then loaded the gun.

Jacob then entered his mother’s bedroom again and shot her once in the forehead as she slept. He then went into Caleb’s bedroom and shot him once in the forehead as he slept as well.

After the murders, Jacob called 911. He claimed that his father had shot and killed his mother and brother and then placed a gun in his bed before leaving the home. “Why didn’t he kill me? I need help,” he exclaimed to the dispatcher.

Jacob then hung up before calling back and yelling. He asked why they had hung up and said he needed an ambulance.² While on the phone to the dispatcher, Jacob had said he went into his mother’s bedroom and attempted to wake her up. He then became hysterical and said that he had blood on his hands.

When paramedics arrived at the crime scene, they found Jacob standing in the front yard. There was blood on his knee as well as a cut on his right big toe and a cut to his index finger. He immediately approached the paramedics and kept repeating the word: “Mom.”³

They provided him with a blanket and began to question him when he went back inside and brought out the murder weapon. Paramedics were not trained to handle such a situation, so they retreated and waited for police to arrive.⁴

While awaiting police, Jacob began to walk down the street armed with the gun. He came across a neighbour who engaged him in conversation and encouraged him to drop the weapon to which he complied. Moments later, police arrived and Jacob was taken by ambulance to Excela Westmoreland Hospital in Greensburg where he was interviewed by police.

While he initially claimed his father had committed the murders, he made a full confession to the two murders. He told Pennsylvania State Trooper Jason Morgan that if his father was at home, he would have shot him too. In regards to a motivation, Jacob simply said that he and his parents hadn’t been getting along recently. He said that he was close with his younger brother.

Jacob would be arrested and charged as an adult with two counts of criminal homicide and dirst-degree murder.

The murders would completely stun the area, in particularly those who knew the family. They described Jacob as a polite and kind boy, who received good grades and was involved in sports and church. Anita Stoner, whose son was friends with Jacob, would state: “He’s such a good kid. If you could pick a friend for your kid, it would be Jacob.”

Other members of the Remaley family would be even more horrified. They couldn’t comprehend what had happened and why. David Remaley Sr. would state: “Yeah… one day I’ll believe I’ll forgive him. I’m a pretty easygoing guy, and sometimes you can’t stop terrible things from happening.” He had been informed of the murders by his son, David.

The sentiment at a prayer vigil that night would be the same. Many in attendance spoke about their disbelief, stating that Jacob appeared to be a normal teenager. “He was a really nice kid, said Rebecca Tumulty. “He donated his hair every year for Relay for Life,” which was an event that raises funds for fighting cancer.

Dana and Caleb were laid to rest on the 4^th of December. Their funeral was held at St. Bruno Roman Catholic Church in New Derry.⁵ The service was led by Rev. Larry Manchas, who asked the mourners to pay for Jacob.⁶

In the wake of the murders, Jacob was ordered to undergo mental health care. He was also ordered to be held without bond in the Westmoreland County Juvenile Detention Center.⁷

Early the following year, Jacob’s defence lawyer, Wayne McGrew, requested that his client be tried in juvenile court as opposed to adult court. He said that psychological testing had indicated that he was amenable to treatment in the juvenile justice system. However, District Attorney John Peck would say that a prosecution-hired mental health expert determined that he would be able to receive proper treatment in adult prison.⁸

The prosecution and the defence would be allowed to present arguments before Judge Christopher Feliciani on whether the case should be moved to juvenile court. They offered polarizing opinions.

The defence hired forensic psychologist, Alice Applegate, who testified that the family’s home appeared to be normal to those looking in, but the inside was ride with arguments and abuse aimed at Jacob, who as a result became depressed and antisocial. “By the time he was about 12-years-old, his ability began to split apart. Jacob, as the host, psychologically was not there.”

She said that Jacob suffered from a dissociative disorder which manifested in blackouts, memory loss and the appearance of alternative personalities. These included a witch, an old man, a little girl and a “dominant alter” known as Wrath. She said that Jacob was under the influence of Wrath when he shot and killed his mother and brother.

She revealed that when Jacob was interviewed by investigators, he had struck his head off a wall “so Wrath would come out.” Afterwards, his voice became deeper, and he spoke in detail about the murders. He had said to investigators: “I had to come in and take control. So, if you arrest me, arrest me. But don’t arrest that kid. That kid went through too much.”⁹

According to Applegate, the splits in Jacob’s personality had been the result of his home life. She said that his parents were demanding of him in schoolwork and chores. She stated that he was responsible for much of the housework, including the cooking, cleaning and the laundry. She said that the year before the murders, his parents gave him a vacuum cleaner as a Christmas present.

She went on to state that Jacob had fallen and sustained two concussions during his childhood and that he had nicknames for his mother: Mrs Meanie Bad Witch and Hitler. She went on to describe his father as a heavy drinker who was physically abusive towards Jacob. This was something that David himself admitted to during the court hearing.  A few weeks before the shootings, they family had gone to Disneyworld and left Jacob behind at home.

District Attorney John Peck would question why Jacob had not spoken about these voices to his psychiatrist. He had attempted suicide back in 2015 and saw a psychiatrist for a year. Applegate responded: “There are many times when individuals may be hearing voices, seeing visions and experiencing disassociations. These are confusing, frightening experiences, and people don’t talk about them.”

District Attorney Peck argued that Jacob had been acting carefully and logically when he shot and killed his mother and brother, even making sure that the weapon was loaded. He said that he had killed his mother first so that she could not stop him from killing his brother.

The prosecution called on Ron Barron, a supervisor at the Westmoreland County Juvenile Detention Center. He said that Jacob had been re-admitted to hospitals since the murders and said that he no longer heard the voice of Wrath. They then called on Dr. Bruce Wright, who said he could not reach the same diagnosis as Applegate.¹⁰

According to Dr. Wright, there were far too many inconsistencies within interviews and hospital reports about when Wrath first manifested in Jacob and how many other voices Jacob heard. He acknowledged that there were classmates who spoke about Jacob changing personality at school. There were also writings in his journal in which he wrote he was pleased that his classmates thought he could be “a school shooter.”

David would testify during the court hearing and admit that he had been hard on his son but he contended he did not comprehend the effect his behaviour would have on his son. He said he was willing to help his son through his treatment.

The judge would ultimately decide that Jacob would be tried as an adult. He said that the community would be at risk if Jacob was tried in the juvenile court system.¹¹ However, in 2020, Jacob, who was now 18-years-old, appeared in court where he pleaded guilty but mentally ill to the two murders. “I know I am guilty,” he said.

Jacob Remaley was sentenced to two terms of 30 years to life that were ordered to be served concurrent. Defence McGrew said that it would be easier for Jacob to be placed in a psychiatric institution as an adult which was why they waited until he was 18-years-old for the guilty plea. If at some point the psychiatric treatment is no longer needed, the rest of Jacob’s sentence would be served in prison.¹²

Jacob’s first shot at parole will come when he is 44-years-old. In handing down the sentence, Judge Christopher Feliciani said: “I am sure this is a sad day for you and your family buy you have taken responsibility for your actions. Take advantages of all the programs offered so when the day comes you are eligible for parole, you may be paroled.”

The last time that anybody saw him was at around 1:30PM. According to his parents, Kevin Cuttler and Brandi Wonzer, they had been cleaning the house while Mason was playing outside. As his father explained: “He’s allergic to some of the cleaning products, so he was playing on the front porch with my sister. I told them that if he went anywhere to let me or his mom know. A little while later, nobody had come to get me, so I went outside to have a cigarette break, and the last time I saw him he went around the corner of the house into the back yard — and that was it.”¹³

His parents said that he had never wandered off before. Kevin said he sometimes used to hide underneath the house but when they would call his name, he would burst out laughing “but he’d never go anywhere else but underneath the house.”

A search party was assembled, consisting of the Angelina County Sheriff’s Office, the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Lufkin Fire Department. A PHI medical helicopter crew also embarked on the scene to assist.

Before dawn the following morning, Mason’s body was in the pond located behind the family’s home. A deputy had been walking around the property searching for Mason when he spotted something just below the surface.¹⁴ He then noticed that there were small footprints leading towards the pond.

While by first appearances, this was nothing more than a tragic accident, the Angelina County Sheriff’s Office announced that they were launching an investigation into Mason’s death.¹⁵

The following week, there was an unexpected update in the case when it was announced that 17-year-old Bobby Woods Jr. had been arrested for the murder of Mason. Woods was the boyfriend of Kevin’s pregnant sister and according to investigators, they he had pushed Mason into the pond to make room for their unborn child to live at the family’s home. At the time, three families were living in the home and he feared there would not be enough room for his future child.

As a matter of fact, Woods had made a full confession. He had told investigators that he knew Mason was only three-years-old and was unable to swim. He said that he pushed Mason into the pond and then turned his back and ignored his cries for help as he struggled to say afloat.¹⁶

Then in October, Woods’ girlfriend, 19-year-old Billie Jean Cuttler, who was Mason’s aunt, was arrested in connection with the murder of Mason.¹⁷ Woods and Cuttler would both be indicted on capital murder charges.

Cuttler would be ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation to determine whether she could stand trial on the murder charge.¹⁸ It determined that she was competent. However, a second evaluation contradicted the first evaluation.

Her defence attorney, Al Charanza, said that he believed that she was functioning at a kindergarten level or below while her aunt, Jean Oates, stated that she had the mental capacity of a child. She said: “Even before the evaluation, we have always known that she is physically 20 years old, but mind-wise she is below kindergarten level. As far as the lawyers and court, she doesn’t understand any of that.”¹⁹

It would be up to a jury to decide whether Cuttler was competent to stand trial. Dr. Joseph Kartye testified that she had been born prematurely, sustained lead poisoning as a child and attended special education classes. Others detailed how she had below-average mental capacity and could not perform basic math or understand complex concepts at a minimal capacity.

A video of Cuttler’s confession was also played out during which she said that she and Woods had discussed and planned killing Mason the day before his murder. She said that somebody in the family had told Woods that he and Cuttler could not have a baby because it was “too much to deal with.” She said: “I understand that because kids are expensive with diapers and stuff like that.”

She said that when Woods drowned Mason, she was in the bathroom. She told the investigators that prior to going in the bathroom, Woods had told her: “I’m going to handle my business.” When Woods returned home, Cuttler said that he changed his clothes, took off his boots and put on different shoes. She made the startling revelation that she wasn’t actually pregnant and had made it up “to see what he would do.”²⁰

Lt. Brett Maisel would reveal to the jury that in a recorded phone call between Cuttler and her father, Kevin Cuttler Sr., she had said: “I’m going to act stupid too” which was in reference to her upcoming hearing. While her family claimed she could not read or write, an inmate who she shared a cell with testified that she had seen her writing letters. “They looked fine to me, I understood it,” she said.²¹

Ultimately, the jury would decide that Cuttler was incompetent to stand trial. She would subsequently be sent to a maximum-security mental health facility to restore competency and in 2018, she was declared competent. She would appear in court to plead guilty to the lesser charge of conspiracy to commit murder. She was sentenced to 35 years in prison.

In August of 2019, Woods stood trial for the murder of Mason. His videotaped confession would be played aloud for the jury. Woods would take to the witness stand and claim that he had nothing to do with Mason’s death. He claimed that on the day of his death, he and Cuttler had been having numerous arguments and said that the last time he saw Mason, he was sitting on a four-wheeler with Cuttler. He claimed that his confession was a false confession yet he knew details of the case that weren’t made public, such as how Mason was facedown with his eyes closed when his body was found.²²

Bobby Woods Jr. would be found guilty of the murder of Mason Cuttler and was sentenced to life in prison.²³ During victim impact statements, Mason’s great-grandmother, Janey Ramsey, said: “The day you and Billie took Mason’s life, you took away all of his rights. The right to have a birthday every year. The right to his first day of school. The joy and love of his parents, grandparents and great-grandparents. He was just a little boy who couldn’t defend himself from someone like you. It is my hope that Mason will be the first and last thing you think of every day while you are in prison.”²⁴

While at the store, Nokukhanya bumped into some of his friends and asked if he could play with them. His mother agreed. However, when he hadn’t returned home by 7PM that evening, his parents reported him missing and began conducting their own search, assisted by other members of the community.

According to Siphamandla’s friends, there was a man who had been watching them play for quite some time and then approached them. He asked the group of boys to go and call his girlfriend for him and offered whoever agreed R5. Three of the boys refused but Siphamandla agreed and walked off with the anonymous man, never to return.²⁵

The following morning, a missing person report was filed at Reiger police station. At around 2PM, Nathaniel Maleho, who lived a few kilometres away from the Madikane family, went to relieve himself in a bush since there was no water in the toilets. Hidden among the bushes, he saw small legs. Terrified, he ran to get two local men who returned to the scene to investigate. What they found would traumatise them.

It was the semi-naked and burnt body of Siphamandla. His pants and underwear were pulled down and he had been stabbed in the neck and then set on fire. A pair of socks had been stuffed into his mouth and a used condom was discarded beside his body.²⁶

Following the grim discovery, Siphamandla’s parents would publicly state that when they reported him missing, police ignored them. Spokesman for the police, Captain Tsekiso Mofokeng, claimed that the family had not reported him missing until Monday. However, Siphamandla’s family said that this was untrue. Thad reported him missing on Sunday evening and had conducted their own search for him; they said that police had never shown up.

Captain Mofokeng said that they would be investigating the actions of the police and would later confirm that the family had reported Siphamandla missing on the Sunday.

Ekurhuleni mayor, Mondli Gungubele, offered to pay for the funeral of Siphamandla, stating that it was the least the municipality could do to ensure he receive a decent burial.²⁷ He said: “In fact, as I got the gory details of the incident, I felt shivers going down my spine wondering how another person can carry out such a brutal attack on a helpless boy.”²⁸

Sadly, the case went cold and the following year, Siphamandla’s family took part in the DA march to the national headquarters of the South African Police Service (SAPS). They held signs which read: Enough is enough!” The march was intended to highlight the need for the restructuring of the police service as well as the provision of better services to communities ravaged by crime.

The family said that while a year had passed, there had been no progress in the murder case. His sister, Bongiwe Madikane, said: “My brother’s body was found on November 4 and only after calling numerous times were we told last month that there is an investigator working on the case. We ask them why they don’t communicate with us and no one can answer us.”²⁹

There had been a spate of attacks on children across the country in the recent months. Also in attendance at the march was the parents of 3-year-old Cuburne Lavone van Wyk, who was found murdered and burnt at a mine dump in the Ramaphosa informal settlement around nine months after Siphamandla was killed. His killer, Nathaniel Katlego Mpoku, was arrested on the 31^st of October.

Gauteng Premier David Makhura pledged that the murder would be solved, stating: “Child killers will be brought to book and will face the law.” He also said that they were going to be looking into whether the murder of Siphamandla and Cuburne were somehow linked due to the similarities.³⁰

As the months transformed into years, the case just went colder and colder. Despite the fact that a plethora of evidence was left behind, nobody has ever been arrested for Siphamandla’s murder. Mpoku was convicted of Cuburne’s murder and Siphamandla’s mother attended each day of the trial, hoping that he would confess to murdering her son as well. That confession, however, never came and he has never been implicated in the murder.

The murder of Siphamandla Madikane remains unsolved today but his family still hold out hope that one day, it will be solved and justice will be served. Nokukhanya, has said: “I’ve been praying that Mandla can fight for himself from the grave and show us who killed him.”³¹

In January of 2013, South Valley in New Mexico and the surrounding area was rocked by an extremely brutal mass murder which had taken place inside a secluded family home. The area would be even more horrified when they discovered who had been the perpetrator of the slaughter and in the aftermath, there be intense media coverage and a massive debate over gun control.

Sponsors:

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Audio Sources:

“Griego speaks in court for the first time”

“Psychologist describes ‘bizarre’ family life of Nehemiah Griego”

“Lawyer seeks higher-quality rehabilitation for Nehemiah Griego”

“esentencing begins for Nehemiah Griego, who murdered parents, siblings”

“Resentencing begins for Nehemiah Griego who murdered parents, 3 siblings”

“Timeline of the Griego Family Murders”

“Testimony reveals why teen says he killed family”

Sources:

Associated Press, 20 January, 2013 – “AP News in Brief”

The Wire, 20 January, 2013 – “Teenager Reportedly Used AR-15 to Kill Five in New Mexico”

Boston Examiner, 20 January, 2013 – “Albuquerque Shooting Victim, Shooter Identified”

St. Paul Pioneer Press, 20 January, 2013 – “New Mexico Teen Planned More Shootings”

Albuquerque Journal, 21 January, 2013 – “Five Dead, Teen Accused in Killing Spree”

Associated Press, 21 January, 2013 – “NM Shooting Victims are Chaplain, Wife, 3 Kids”

The Advertiser, 22 January, 2013 – “15-Year-Old Charged Over Massacre of his Family”

Albuquerque Journal, 22 January, 2013 – “Who is Nehemiah?”

Albuquerque Journal, 22 January, 2013 – “New Chilling Details but Questions Remain”

Associated Press, 22 January, 2013 – “NM Teen Planned More Shootings”

Albuquerque Journal, 23 January, 2013 – “Teenager Contemplated Killings for Some Time”

Albuquerque Journal, 23 January, 2013 – “Our Family is Heartbroken”

Associated Press, 23 January, 2013 – “Service Scheduled for Slain Family”

Associated Press, 24 January, 2013 – “NM Teen Spends Time at Church After Family Slain”

St. Paul Pioneer Press, 24 January, 2013 – “More than 2,000 Honor Slain NM Family”

Albuquerque Journal, 25 January, 2013 – “Bad Rap for Nehemiah”

Albuquerque Journal, 27 January, 2013 – “Kids Who Kill Their Parents”

St. Paul Pioneer Press, 29 January, 2013 – “Family Vows Support for NM Teen Murder Suspect”

Albuquerque Journal, 30 January, 2013 – “Give Him a Second Chance”

Albuquerque Journal, 30 January, 2013 – “About the Victims”

Associated Press, 4 February, 2013 – “NM Teen Indicted in Deaths of Family Members”

Albuquerque Journal, 5 February, 2013 – “Teen Indicted in Family’s Homicides”

Associated Press, 3 May, 2013 – “Autopsy Reports Released”

Associated Press, 15 August, 2013 – “NM Teen in Slaying Family may Plead Insanity”

Albuquerque Journal, 7 March, 2015 – “Suspect in Slaying has Undergone Brain Scan”

Associated Press, 16 October, 2015 – “NM Teen Pleads Guilty to Killing Parents, 3 Younger Siblings”

Associated Press, 11 January, 2016 – “Teen Tells Doctor He Heard Voices Before Killing”

Associated Press, 11 January, 2016 – “Teen Accused of Killing Family Can be Rehabilitated”

Albuquerque Journal, 12 January, 2016 – “Treatment Vs. Jail”

Associated Press, 12 January, 2016 – “Teen Accused of Killing Family Can Be Rehabilitated”

The Columbia Chronicle, 12 January, 2016 – “Hearing Enters Day 2”

The Columbia Chronicle, 13 January, 2016 – “Teachers, State Workers Describe Teen Who Killed Family”

Albuquerque Journal, 15 January, 2016 – “Griego Knew Plot was Bizarre”

Albuquerque Journal, 16 January, 2016 – “Juvenile Killer is Salvageable”

Associated Press, 11 February, 2016 – “Prosecutor Says Teen Planned Family Killing”

Associated Press, 11 February, 2016 – “Judge Mulling Sentence for New Mexico Teen Who Killed Family”

Associated Press, 15 February, 2016 – “Prosecutor to Appeal Ruling”

Albuquerque Journal, 3 March, 2016 – “Nehemiah to go Free at 21”

Albuquerque Journal, 2 May, 2016 – “Protest of Juvenile Killer’s Sentence”

Associated Press, 15 June, 2016 – “State Worker Accused of Sexual Contact with Teen Killer”

Associated Press, 6 October, 2016 – “Harsher Sentence Sought for New Mexico Teen Who Killed 5”

Associated Press, 24 January, 2018 – “Judge Failed to Review Key Factors”

Albuquerque Journal, 25 January, 2018 – “State Moves to Block Release of Young Killer”

Albuquerque Journal, 17 April, 2019 – “Hearing in Nehemiah Griego Case Concludes”

Albuquerque Journal, 9 August, 2019 – “Nehemiah Griego to be Sentenced as Adult”

Albuquerque Journal, 1 November, 2019 – “Nehemiah Griego Receives 3 Life Sentences”

Clive and Elsie were both hard workers who did their very best to provide a good life for their children. Clive worked long hours as a lorry driver while Elsie worked as a barmaid. When they worked, oftentimes McGreavy would be entrusted to care for the three children.

According to those who knew them, it genuinely appeared as though McGreavy enjoyed spending time with the children and was said to act “like a father” to them. In fact, his own parents would state: “Everyone who knew David knew that he loved children.”³² Elsie would say that McGreavy was always doing things for the children and on one occasion, he had even admonished her for how strict she could be with them.

On Friday the 13th of April, 1973, McGreavy went to Vauxhall pub and drank several pints of beer. He got into an altercation with a friend after he put his cigarette in his beer. From the pub, David went home to look after the three children. Clive was driving to pick Elsie up from her job at the Punch Bowl Tavern. Quite often, Clive would help Elsie close up the pub for the night and this night was no different. In fact, they decided they would have one last drink before returning home shortly before midnight.

As they were approaching the family home, police were already there.

Shortly after McGreavy was left alone with the children, Samantha started to cry for her bottle. For reasons unknown, this infuriated McGreavy. Instead of reaching for Samantha’s bottle like he had done numerous times beforehand, he grabbed Samantha and swung her repeatedly against the wall. She had hit the wall with such brutality that her skull had been shattered. McGreavy then picked up a razor blade and slashed Dawn’s throat before strangling Paul to death with a piece of curtain wire. McGreavy then retrieved a piceaxe from the basement and proceeded to mutilate the three children.

Arguably the most horrifying aspect of the crime came afterwards when McGreavy took the lifeless bodies of the three children and impaled them on a spiked gate in their neighbor’s garden. Detective Chief Superintendent Bob Booth would state: “No investigating officer has ever had to witness such a scene of indescribable horror.” In fact, one of the responding officers was physically sick at the crime scene.

McGreavy was apprehended at 3:05AM in nearby Landsdowne Road. At first, he denied any knowledge of the grisly crime but by the following day, he would make a full confession. He broke down as he said: “It was all too bloody gruesome. It was me but it was not me. How could I do it?” When queried about a motivation, McGreavy said that Samantha was crying. He would plead guilty to the three murders and was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 20 years.

At the time of the murders, McGreavy had not been publicly named and was simply known as “The Monster of Worcester.” During his time in prison, he was frequently targeted by other inmates and spent the majority of his time under protection. On one occasion, however, he challenged Ian Brady to a fight to prove that he was the “most notorious” killer.

In 2006, McGreavy was transferred to an open prison and stayed in a hostel in Liverpool. After news of his transfer hit headlines, it was met by outrage; he was transferred back to a closed prison. A couple of years later, the anonymity order preventing naming him would be lifted by the high court. Initially, he had been protected by the anonymity order out of fears the publicity would put him in danger from others prisoners and disrupt the parole process. However, the high court ruled that while renewed hostility from other inmates was likely to happen, there was no real and immediate threat to his life. This meant that the world now knew that David McGreavy was “The Monster of Worcester.”³³

In 2016, it was announced in the media that McGreavy could potentially be released from prison and was being considered for parole. The announcement struck fear and anger within the community where the crime had taken place as well as within the family of the victims. John Nicholls, who was Clive’s cousin, said that the horrific events were still fresh in everyone’s minds. He said: “My opinion is he should never be let out. He shouldn’t be allowed any kind of freedom. To me, a life sentence should be life.” At the time of the murders, John had been working the night shift when a colleague informed him that three children had been murdered. He stated: “I didn’t put two and two together until later that morning.”³⁴

Two years later, the community’s greatest fears were confirmed when it was announced that McGravy had been cleared for release by the parole board. Upon learning of the grim news, Elsie would state: “What this animal did to my children was every bit as bad as what the Moors Murderers did. But Ian Brady and Myra Hindley never left prison before they died so why the hell should he? He put my babies on spikes for God’s sake – he mutilated them and they died in agony.” She said that following McGreavy’s trial, they had been reassured that the crime was so heinous that McGreavy would never be released from prison. “But despite begging them to keep him locked up, I have now been betrayed,” she said.³⁵

According to the parole board, over the 45 years McGreavy had spend behind bars, he had changed “considerably.” They wrote that he had developed self-control as well as a considerable understanding of the problems he had and what had caused them. According to a psychologist, there were a number of factors that made it less likely that McGreavy would reoffend in the future, including improved self-control and the fact that he had learned to remain calm while under stressful situations. They also found that he had shown himself to be compliant and co-operative with authority, adding that a network of supportive friends within the community would be a protective factor.

In 2019, McGreavy was released from prison. According to the Ministry of Justice, he was released under strict conditions, including a curfew and a tag as well as conditions that he was banned from Worcester as well as the area that Elsie now lived.³⁶

As Tryna and her two friends were walking home along Glynn Road, a car came speeding towards them before the driver slammed on the brakes and jumped out. “Come here, bitch” the man shouted before producing a knife and trying to grab all three girls. Tryna’s friends managed to escape his clutches but Tryna wasn’t so lucky. The man grabbed Tryna and threw her into his car while her two friends ran to a nearby home to call police.

A search party was immediately assembled but it was tragically already too late.

Around two hours after Tryna was abducted, her lifeless body was discovered in a parking lot in Forest Hill Parkway which was located in the Glenville area of Cleveland. She had been raped numerous times and then stabbed seven times in the chest. A wound to Tryna’s arm indicated that she had attempted to defend herself against her ruthless attacker but to no avail.

The discovery of the body led to a new chapter in the case: the search for the sadistic killer. It wouldn’t be long until he attempted to strike again…

On 6 December, 1984, a young girl was playing outside her home when a man grabbed her from behind and threw her into his car. Her sister witnessed the attack and called for their mother who rushed outside and was able to grab hold of the car door handle as it attempted to get away. Her mother managed to smash the window and get her daughter out before the car sped away. Thankfully, several witnesses were able to write down the registration number of the potential kidnapper.

The registration number led to Romell Broom, who had just been released from prison six months earlier. He had served nine years for the rape of a 12-year-old girl and an unrelated robbery.³⁷

Broom was brought in for questioning and staunchly denied that he was involved in Tryna’s murder, claiming that he had been with relatives on the day of her abduction and then went to a bar with his two brothers. Forensic evidence, however, indicated otherwise. When forensic experts carried out a DNA test on Broom years later, they discovered that his DNA matched the DNA found on Tryna. Tryna’s two friends also picked Broom out of a police line-up and identified his car as the car used in the abduction.³⁸

On the 3^rd of October, 1985, Broom was found guilty of Tryna’s murder and was ordered to be executed. Following the verdict, Broom spoke to Tryna’s mother, Bessye Middleton, and contended that he was innocent: “He said by executing him, it wouldn’t bring our daughter back. That is true, but he was looking for sympathy.”³⁹ Broom’s lawyers had attempted to argue that it was a case of mistaken identity and tried to claim that the DNA testing was inconclusive.

On the 17th of September, 2009, the date of Broom execution fell upon him. He turned down the request for a last meal and had no visitors. He attempted to call his father but received no response.⁴⁰

When Broom was strapped to the gurney to receive the lethal injection, the medical staff attempted to find a vein to administer the lethal injection drugs. However, they were unsuccessful. After being poked and prodded numerous times, Broom attempted to offer assistance in finding a vein. Over a two-hour period, they attempted 18 times to insert a needle into his vein. Blaming his prior drug use, it was announced that Broom would receive a reprieve from the death penalty considering they could not execute him in a way they deemed humane. 

Following the attempted execution, Broom was sent to the infirmary at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility where his lawyer, Adele Shank, said that he was traumatised by the ordeal.⁴¹  He was the only inmate to survive an execution attempt since the lethal injection was introduced in 1982. There were two other inmates, Joseph Clark and Christopher Newton, who had endured prolonged executions via lethal injections as executioners struggled to find useable veins. Following these two cases, the state of Ohio changed their execution protocol.⁴²

Then in 2016, the state of Ohio was given a second chance to try and execute Broom. Broom had tried to argue that a second execution attempt was a cruel and unusual punishment. Ohio’s Supreme Court, however, ruled that Broom was not being punished twice for the same crime, since the three drugs used in an execution had not entered his body during the first execution attempt. Justice Judith Ann Lanzinger wrote: “Because Broom’s life was never at risk since the drugs were not introduced, and because the state is committed to carrying out executions in a constitutional manner, we do not believe that it would shock the public’s conscience to allow the state to carry out Broom’s execution.”⁴³

Broom received a second execution date – 17^th of June, 2020. However, on the 14^th of April, 2020, Broom’s execution date was delayed until the 16^th of March, 2022. On the 28^th of December, 2020, Broom died in prison. His cause of death was coronavirus. His death marked the final chapter in the grim case. Tyna’s mother, Bessye, said that his death was a relief which meant that she and the rest of her family would no longer have to face the endless appeal process.

According to Robert Dunham, the executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, Broom’s case will stand out in history as one of the most significant botched executions in American history: “This case, more than any other, demonstrates the dangers in attempting to carry out these procedures. Lethal injection has the appearance of a medical procedure, but it is carried out by non-medical personnel.”

When police arrived at the scene, they spotted a small red tricycle and a Radio Flyer wagon in a side yard. Nothing could have prepared them for what they found inside. They found the bodies of two children – Justin Dalton Thomas, 5, and Shelby Alexis Riggs, 2. They were pronounced dead at the scene. They also found their mother, Christina. She was unconscious but still breathing. She was rushed to North Little Rock Hospital where she was reported to be in critical condition.

In the apartment, police found a suicide note from Christina which was addressed to her mother. She wrote that she feared that her children, who all had separate fathers, would be separated after she ended her life. She also wrote that she didn’t want her children growing up knowing that she had taken her own life. It was now evident that this had been an attempted murder-suicide.

Christina would fail in the suicide and after regaining consciousness at hospital, she was charged with two counts of murder. Meanwhile, Justin and Shelby’s bodies were transported to the local medical examiner’s office for a cause of death to be determined. According to the responding officers, there were no evident signs of trauma. It simply looked as though the children were asleep.

The grim murders completely shocked the small community of Sherwood. In fact, it was the first homicide of the year. In 1996, there had only been one killing and the year before that, there had been none. Christina’s family said that they couldn’t comprehend what had happened, adding that the actions of Christina certainly did not “fit her personality.”

The following day, Christina appeared in court where she pleaded innocent by reason of mental defect to the murders. As she was led into the court room, she appeared to be distraught. During the hearing, her defence lawyer, John Wesley Hall, did not request bail and instead said that his client would be better off in jail. He said: “It’s just her mental condition. She’s obviously quite stressed…”⁴⁴

A couple of weeks later, the cause of death for Justin and Shelby would be released. Justin had died from a drug overdose and smothering while Shelby had been smothered to death. Christina had worked as a nurse and at the crime scene, police had found three syringes on the night stand on the table next to the bed. The syringes contained morphine and potassium chloride. ⁴⁵

Meanwhile, Christina was sent for a psychological examination to determine whether she was fit to stand trial. According to Christina, she had suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder after the Oklahoma City bombing. As mentioned, Christina had worked as a nurse and she tended to a number of the victims of the bombing back in April of 1995. According to her defence lawyer, in the aftermath of the bombing, Christina fell into a deep depression.

Christina had claimed that on the day of the bomb, she went to the destroyed building to provide medical assistance. However, the Veterans Administration hospital where Christina had worked at the time said that she was off-duty on the day of the bomb. They said that she had been paid 4 and a half hours overtime for helping workers at St. Anthony Hospital. There had only been four employees that went to the bomb site in the aftermath and Christina was not one of them.⁴⁶

Medical examiners would determine that Christina had the mental capacity to understand her actions and could assist in her defence. She was ordered to stand trial for the two murders. She was ordered to stand trial in June of 1998 and prosecutors announced that they would be seeking the death penalty against Christina.⁴⁷

During opening statements, Christina’s defence said that they were not going to be disputing whether Christina had killed her two children. However, he said that they were putting forward the theory that Christina had suffered from acute depression and had come to believe that it was in the children’s best interest to kill them as well as kill herself. He said: “In her state of mind, taking the children with her was the best thing for them…” He said that she loved her children but had been suicidal for more than a year.

The defence also said that there were other factors which added to Christina’s frame of mind at the time of the murders. They revealed that she had suffered years of sexual abuse at the hands of a relative when she was a young girl and that the family had a history of depression with a great-grandfather who ended his own life and an older sister who attempted suicide. He said that the two fathers of Justin and Shelby were unsupportive both emotionally and financially and that Christina was struggling to make ends meet.

He said that Justin in particular was difficult to handle because he was hyperactive. He revealed that when Christina injected Justin, he began to cry from the pain caused by the potassium chloride. “She completed the act to put him out of his misery,” said Christina’s defence lawyer.

This opening statement was countered with the opening statement of Chief Deputy Prosecutor Melody Piazza, who described Christina injecting Justin and then smothering him and his sister with pillows. She revealed that Justin had cried out: “Momma, no. Momma. Momma,” but his pleas fell on deaf ears. She said that the prosecution believed that Christina hated her son and that she left her children by themselves while she went out and played karaoke.⁴⁸

Ultimately, the defence were unable to sway the jury in their favour and they found Christina Marie Riggs guilty of the murders of Justin and Shelby. During the penalty phase of the trial, Christina unexpectedly turned to the jury and said: “I want to die. I want to be with my babies. I want you to give me the death penalty.” The jury complied and sentenced Christina to death.⁴⁹

On the 30^th of April, 2000, that death sentence was carried out. When asked if she had any final words, she said: “No words can express just how sorry I am for taking the lives of my babies. No way can I make up for or take away the pain I have caused everyone who knew and loved them.” Ironically, Christina had been executed with potassium chloride, the very same drug that she had used to murder her son.

Bargo is located just off the Hume Highway in the New South Wales southern highlands. It’s a sleepy little town known most for its interesting bushranging history. It’s also known as the gateway to Picton Lakes, the very last pristine freshwater lake near Sydney. However in 1992, a 9-year-old girl vanished on her way home from school and in the aftermath, the small town of Bargo was left forever marred by the tragedy.

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Sources

The Sydney Morning Herald, 20 August, 1992 – “Police Fear For Missing Girl”

The Sunday Age, 21 August, 1992 – “In Brief”

The Sydney Morning Herald, 21 August, 1992 – “House to House Search Today for Ebony”

The Sydney Morning Herald, 22 August, 1992 – “Angry Scenes as Man is Led Into Court”

The Sydney Morning Herald, 27 August, 1992 – “Prisoners Attack Schoolgirl’s Accused Killer”

The Sydney Morning Herald, 28 August, 1992 – “Goodbye Bonny, Our Little Angel”

The Sydney Morning Herald, 11 February, 1993 – “Ebony Murder Unplanned, Hearing Told”

The Sunday Age, 6 July, 1993 – “Mother Cries Out to Killer in Court”

The Sunday Age, 10 July, 1993 – “Cheers in Court as Child’s Killer is Jailed for Life”

The Sunday Age, 1 April, 1994 – “Schoolgirl’s Killer in Plea for Lighter Term”

The Sun Herald, 20 November, 1994 – “Ebony Killer Appeal”

The Sydney Morning Herald, 13  December, 1994 – “Life Does Go On”

The Sydney Morning Herald, 16 September, 1995 – “Ebony’s Killer Claims Victims’ Cash”

The Sydney Morning Herald, 18 October, 1996 – “Scales of Justice Out of Kilter”

The Sydney Morning Herald, 22 November, 1996 – “Row Over Prison Bashing Rort”

The Sydney Morning Herald, 3 February, 1997 – “Murder Victims’ Families Hail Miracle Grant”

Illawarra Mercury, 14 February, 1998 – “When It’s Right to Execute”

The Sun Herald, 17 December, 2000 – “Touched by Evil”

Southern Highland News, 20 August, 2002 – “The Day a Town Lost Its Innocence”

Illawarra Mercury, 12 August, 2006 – “Living With the Pain of a Brutal Separation”

The Daily Telegraph, 14 July, 2015 – “Mother’s Pain Over Vile Child Murderer”

Audio Sources

“Crimes that Shook Australia”