Police Off The Cuff

True Crime Author series "Good Folks Mad City" by Mike Colon. #MikeColon #truecrimestories #NYPD #FDNY Good Folks, Mad City: Life on The Edge in The FDNY & NYPD extracts 40 stories from the over 200 first responder interviews that I have done on my podcast Mic'd in New Haven over the years with both active and retired members of the New York City Fire Department and New York City Police Department. These stories range from phenomenal technical rescues, major criminal investigations, hostage rescues, shootouts, major fires, defusing bombs, and the response to the World Trade Center attacks in both 1993 and 2001. A gripping firsthand recollection of some of the biggest emergencies in New York City's history as told by the men and women in blue and red who were there, this book will take you a wild ride on what it's like to walk the beat or run to box alarms in the greatest city in the world.

Trump assassination attempt: SS Dir. Cheatle to testify Monday #SecretService #Trump #Congress The director of the Secret Service, Kimberly A. Cheatle, will appear before lawmakers for the first time on Monday as scrutiny intensifies over the security failures at the Pennsylvania rally where a gunman tried to kill former President Donald J. Trump, the agency announced on Friday. “The Secret Service is fully accountable for the safety of its protectees. We are committed to better understanding what happened before, during, and after the assassination attempt of former President Trump to ensure it never happens again,” Anthony Guglielmi, spokesman for the agency, wrote on social media on Friday. As of Thursday, it was unclear whether Ms. Cheatle would appear before the committee. A letter sent by the Department of Homeland Security to lawmakers on Wednesday had urged the committee to allow for a later hearing date to give her more time to prepare. Regardless, lawmakers on Friday said the hearing would take plac

Thomas Crooks shooter of former President Trump, did he act alone? #thomascrooks #donaldtrump #Assassination The Investigation: F.B.I. officials told Congress that the 20-year-old gunman who tried to kill Donald Trump used his cellphone and other devices to search for images of Trump and President Biden. Security Blind Spots: Even as investigators continue to examine what happened at the Trump rally, it is already clear that there were multiple missed opportunities to stop the gunman before the situation turned deadly. The Gunman: In interviews, former classmates of the suspect described him as intelligent but solitary, someone who tried to avoid teasing by fellow students. Secret Service Director: Kimberly Cheatle returned in 2022 to lead the agency she had served for nearly 30 years. Now, the assassination attempt on Trump has thrown her tenure into uncertainty. Fears of What’s Next: Among voters, there is growing anxiety that America’s political divide is nearly beyond repair, and the shooting only made th

Millionaire Miami developer dead amid murder for hire allegations #SergioPino #TatianaPino #MurderforHire Before he shot himself in the bedroom of his waterfront Coral Gables mansion Tuesday, prominent South Florida builder and developer Sergio Pino was about to be arrested for soliciting multiple attempts by several individuals to murder his wife before their contentious and lucrative divorce became final, according to federal law enforcement officials. Nine people are now in custody in connection with what the FBI agent in charge called “two murder crews” Pino hired and ordered to carry out the murder of his wife, Tatiana, who filed for divorce in April 2022. “He decided he was going to kill his wife,” said U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe at a news conference Wednesday, citing an attempted poisoning with fentanyl, stalking and a botched attempt to injure her with a rented flatbed truck as she drove home from a divorce court hearing in August 2023. But it was in June 2024 when “hitmen” who were alleged to be

How does a 20 year old with an AR-15 able to shoot President Trump? #Trump #NassauPoliceCommissionerPatrickRyder #secretservice The recent shooting of former President Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania rally has raised serious questions about the security failures that enabled the attack. While there was significant Secret Service presence as well as local law enforcement on the scene, a gunman was able to get onto the roof of a building about 150 meters away from Trump and fire at both him and members of the crowd. That development has prompted concerns about missteps made by the Secret Service and gaps in the coverage provided for the former president at the event. “We are speaking of a failure,” Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said in remarks about the attack. Scrutiny of what went wrong has spurred President Joe Biden to order an independent review of the issue. House Speaker Mike Johnson has called for one in the lower chamber as well. “The Secret Service is working with all involved Feder

The one year anniversary of arrest of Rex Heuermann, new evidence. #rexheuermann #gilgobeach #sandracostilla Rex Heuermann, the accused Gilgo Beach serial killer charged in six killings is now being eyed by investigators for even more, nearly one year to the day that the Manhattan architect, husband, and father of two was arrested. Heuermann was arrested on July 13 and charged the next day on July 14. His dilapidated Massapequa Park home was turned into the epicenter of a massive search for evidence by state and Suffolk County police, Sherriff's deputies, and the FBI. Investigators believe many murders happened inside. "Rex is just a strange guy," said his next-door neighbor, Etienne. That search led to another of thousands of wooded acres in Manorville this year, bringing the previous charges in the deaths of four women up to six last month. "This year has been 21 years since she was taken from us - longer than the chance that she got to be alive," said Jessica Taylor's cousin, Jasmine Ro

Jailhouse email shed new light on Madeline Soto's murder? #StehpanSterns #MadelineSoto #jennifersoto OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — New documents released Thursday shed more light on Stephan Sterns, who is accused of the murder of 13-year-old Madeline Soto. One day after Sterns' trial was delayed, the state attorney's office released a 64-page document of email correspondence between Sterns and who appear to be his parents. RELATED: Stephan Sterns' trial delayed in Madeline Soto murder case The conversation starts off with Sterns complaining about life in isolation. "It's not exactly the Ritz; it's a small cell, and the pod is quite noisy," Sterns said. "The mat is flat and has very little cushion left. The cell is small, filthy, and has some spots on the wall that appear to be bloody fingerprints." He later complains that his coffee supply is running low and continues to ask for a book. It's an odd conversation for the 38-year-old accused of 60 counts of sexual battery of a child and of the murde

The Attempted Assassination of Former President Donald Trump. The former president was holding a rally when he said he was shot in his ear. Two people, including the suspected gunman, were killed and two were critically injured. A man fired “multiple shots” toward the stage during former President Donald J. Trump’s rally in Butler, Pa., on Saturday evening, killing one spectator and critically injuring two others, according to the Secret Service. Mr. Trump was rushed off the stage, blood visible around his right ear. He was taken to a hospital, and the Secret Service said he was “safe.” The Secret Service also said its personnel had killed the shooter, whom federal law enforcement officials identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old from Bethel Park, Pa. “This evening we had what we are calling an assassination attempt against our former president, Donald Trump,” Kevin Rojek, a special agent at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, said during a news conference at the Butler Township Police Department

Ray Tierney interviewed discusses Gilgo Beach case. #RayTierney #Gilgo #RexHeuermann

The trial of Alec Baldwin Criminal Negligent Homicide of Halyna Hutchins #HalynaHutchins #AlecBaldwin #CriminallyNegligentHomicide A prosecutor told jurors that Alec Baldwin “violated the cardinal rules of firearm safety” in opening statements Wednesday at his trial for involuntary manslaughter. “The evidence will show that someone who played make believe with a real gun and violated the cardinal rules of firearm safety is the defendant, Alexander Baldwin,” special prosecutor Erlinda Ocampo Johnson said. She emphasized that the set of the film “Rust,” where cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, “a vibrant 42-year-old rising star,” was shot and killed, was a workplace. “The evidence will show that like in many workplaces, there are people who act in a reckless manner and place other people in danger,” Johnson said. “That, you will hear, is the defendant.” Johnson walked the jurors through the events leading up to the Oct. 21, 2021, shooting. She said on that day, Baldwin declined multiple opportunities for standard

Nursing student Lauren Johansen murdered by boyfriend bailed out of jail. #Bail #LaurenJohansen #BricenRivers HARRISON COUNTY, Miss. (WLOX) - Thursday, Lauren Johansen’s mutilated body was discovered in the back seat of her car in Harrison County. The man charged with her murder, ex-boyfriend Bricen Rivers, was released on bond for a violent felony just days earlier. ALSO READ: Murder victim identified, suspect arrested following manhunt in Harrison County In December 2023, Rivers was arrested by Nashville Metro Police and charged with aggravated kidnapping. Lauren Johansen’s father, Lance Johansen, told WLOX News that Rivers brutally beat his daughter and held her hostage while the two were on vacation in Tennessee. He also said that he warned a Nashville judge that Rivers was too dangerous to be let out of jail. “I sat in the courtroom in Nashville and told the judge that if they let him out, he was going to kill her,” Lance Johansen said. “He had assaulted her — this was probably the fifth or sixth time wh

Police officer and movie producer Jaron Lockridge interviewed. #JaronLockridge #Stix #tennessee Growing up in Bolivar, Tennessee, a small town 45 minutes east of Memphis, Jaron became interested in filmmaking as a high school sophomore in 2002. Believing a career in Hollywood was nothing more than a far-fetched dream, Jaron graduated the police academy in 2010 and became a commissioned peace officer in the State of Tennessee in 2010. As an outlet from the stressors of the job, Jaron began writing again and in 2016, he started his production company, Misguided Perceptions Media Group. With no formal training or film schooling, he began to teach himself how to produce independent films, primarily self-financing his films, saving his paychecks from his job as a police officer. He has since produced 11 feature films such as Betray, The Reaper Man, & Down Bad: Life In The Hood. He believes his niche is telling human stories from an authentic perspective using his experiences of working the streets in uniform a

The criminal prosecution of Alec Baldwin begins on Tuesday 7/9/24 #AlecBaldwin #RustMovieSet #SanteFeNewMexico Troubling details soon started to emerge about the film’s set. There were two accidental firings of blank rounds before the accidental discharge that killed Hutchins, and several members of the camera crew had resigned the night before the incident, citing, among other things, safety concerns. The first assistant director, who is in charge of safety on a film set, had been fired from another movie two years earlier after an accidental gun discharge. The armorer, who maintains control of all of the film’s firearms — and there were a lot, as this was a western — was just 24 years old; she’d done the job only once before. While the Sheriff’s Department was continuing its investigation and Carmack-Altwies was considering her options, Baldwin was sinking into despair. He was grieving over having accidentally taken a young woman’s life and coming to terms with the cascading collateral damage to his own lif

John O'Keefe's brother Paul speaks out regarding Karen Reid Mistrial. #JohnO'Keefe #Mistrial #KarenReid A judge declared a mistrial Monday in the case of Karen Read, a Massachusetts woman accused of killing of her boyfriend, ending a contentious, months-long trial that drew intense attention and protest to the courthouse in Dedham, Massachusetts. After five days of deliberation, the jury could not reach a verdict on Read, 44, who was charged with second-degree murder in the death of 46-year-old Boston police officer John O'Keefe after his body was found outside the home of Brian Albert, a friend of the couple, on a snowy January night in 2022. She had faced a maximum sentence of life in prison. Norfolk County Judge Beverly Cannone scheduled a status update in the case for July 22. The jury told Cannone on Friday and again on Monday that they could not reach unanimous agreement. Cannone directed them to continue deliberating but to no avail. The wide-ranging trial included testimony from more than 65 witnesses

What can we expect Alec Baldwin's Manslaughter trial? #Baldwin #RustMovieSet #Manslaughter Alec Baldwin is headed to trial for involuntary manslaughter three years after the fatal shooting on the set of Rust. Baldwin, 66, was initially charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter in January 2023 after he was holding a prop weapon that contained real bullets on the film’s set in New Mexico back in 2021. The shot killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza. Baldwin has maintained his innocence since the shooting and claimed he didn’t pull the trigger of the prop gun. He pleaded not guilty in February 2023 and the criminal charges were dropped against the actor two months later. “We are pleased with the decision to dismiss the case against Alec Baldwin and we encourage a proper investigation into the facts and circumstances of this tragic accident,” Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro, attorneys for Baldwin said in an April 2023 statement. While the charges were dropped in 2023, Baldwin w

Alec Baldwin involuntary Manslaughter trial to begin in New Mexico. A New Mexico judge has ruled that actor Alec Baldwin's indictment will stand in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of his film Rust. In an order on Friday, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer turned down a motion by Baldwin’s attorneys to dismiss the indictment. Baldwin therefore remains scheduled to go on trial in July for involuntary manslaughter. Nearly three years ago, during a rehearsal for a scene in the Western movie on a ranch outside Santa Fe, Baldwin was holding the prop gun that had been loaded with live ammunition. The Colt .45 revolver went off, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza. Baldwin, who was also a producer for the film, pleaded not guilty, and has maintained he was not responsible for Hutchins' death. Shortly after the shooting, he told ABC News he had "no idea" how a live bullet got onto the set of his film, but that he "didn't pull the trigger." In March, a

The Idaho student Murders Kohberger in Court, a trial date set? Bryan Kohberger is set to appear in court for a scheduling hearing on Thursday. The prosecution and Kohberger’s defense will discuss various scheduling dates, including pretrial motions, oral argument dates, motions challenging the death penalty, and witness lists, among other motions. Kohberger is accused of stabbing four University of Idaho students to death in their off-campus home in Moscow. He faces four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary. Visit the Police off the Cuff website policeoffthecuff676.com

Jocelyn Nungaray, why didn't our system protect her from harm? #JocelynNungaray#Border #BorderPolicy The killing of a 12-year-old Houston girl, found last week in the shallow water of a city drainage ditch after having been strangled, was already a horrific crime. “It doesn’t get any worse,” the city’s mayor, John Whitmire, said. Then investigators arrested two recent Venezuelan migrants and charged them with killing the girl, Jocelyn Nungaray. The second of the two appeared in court on Tuesday; both were being held on a $10 million bond. Suddenly the killing, which had ripped apart a Houston family, became the latest flashpoint in the debate over immigration, seized on by Republicans and immigration opponents who drew a direct line between the crime and President Biden’s policies at the border. Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas urged the death penalty for the men charged in the killing, adding that Jocelyn “would be alive today if Biden enforced immigration laws at the border.” Senator Ted Cruz of Texas agreed. So d

      A report by the North Carolina Medical Examiner’s Office for Mica Miller says that the Myrtle Beach woman died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. The report said that “there was no concern for foul play.” The report also indicated that there was no sign of a physical struggle where bullet casings were recovered at the scene. The report said that the 30-year-old used a 9mm handgun that she purchased from a Myrtle Beach pawn shop to kill herself at Lumber River State Park in Lumberton, North Carolina, on April 27, 2024. Miller’s body was found submerged in the river by trees about 100 feet from the bullet casings by a kayaker, who notified police, the report said. Police also were given a black bag with Miller’s ID and money that was found by a person on the bank of the river. The death of Miller, who was married to John-Paul Miller, pastor of Solid Rock Church in Market Common in Myrtle Beach at the time, has received national attention and has been reviewed and analyzed by family, friends

Two suspects arrested in the murder of Houston 12 year old. The two illegal immigrant suspects charged with strangling 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray to death this week had "lured" her under a bridge in Houston before tying her up and killing her, prosecutors allege in new court documents obtained by Fox News. Johan Jose Rangel Martinez, 21, and Franklin Jose Pena Ramos, 26, each face capital murder charges, and prosecutors are requesting that their bail be set at $1 million. "In this case the defendant lured a 12-year-old under a bridge, where he and his co-defendant remained with her for over 2 hours, took her pants off, tied her up, and killed her, then threw her body into the bayou," Harris County Assistant District Attorney Michael Abner wrote. On Thursday, Fox News reported that the two suspects from Venezuela had entered the U.S. illegally before being released from custody. An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spokesperson confirmed the news on Friday, saying in a statement t