Author: Edward Campbell

A Wichita man has been convicted of murder in the 2019 death of his girlfriend’s 2-year-old son, bringing a seven-year-old child death case to another major legal milestone. Bernardo Gonzalez-Mejia, 38, was found guilty Wednesday of first-degree murder, abuse of a child and aggravated endangering of a child in the death of Jacob Aviles, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office. The jury reached its verdict after about three hours of deliberation following a seven-day trial before District Judge Eric Williams. Gonzalez-Mejia was caring for Jacob on Sept. 29, 2019, when Wichita police and emergency crews were called to…

A former employee at a Fort Lauderdale assisted living facility is facing a manslaughter charge more than three years after a 26-year-old patient died following a series of alleged choking incidents inside the group home. Jimmy Bertram Alexis, 43, was arrested Tuesday in connection with the June 30, 2023, death of Jason Similien at the Genuine Love and Care Group Home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Police said Similien, who had autism and experienced anxiety and psychosis, was found unresponsive at the facility that morning. The case remained under investigation for years. A Broward County medical examiner determined in November 2023…

A Granite City, Illinois, woman will spend 55 years in prison for fatally shooting her former boyfriend, Phillip Armstrong, after claiming she fired only a warning shot during an encounter outside her home. Tara A. Anderson, 40, received the sentence on October 6, 2026, following her conviction for first-degree murder in May. Armstrong, 39, was killed on September 24, 2023, while attempting to retrieve a vehicle from Anderson’s property. The shooting happened on Madison Avenue in Granite City, in southwestern Illinois. According to evidence presented at trial, Anderson had asked Armstrong to come to her home to pick up the…

A Monterey County mother has been arrested again in connection with the case surrounding a newborn found dead along a rural roadway, as investigators have released new details about the circumstances surrounding the infant’s death and the treatment of the 14-year-old girl who gave birth to her. Ofelia Garcia Ortega, 36, was taken into custody Tuesday at the Salinas Superior Courthouse after detectives served an arrest warrant. She now faces two felony counts involving forged identification documents, along with misdemeanor charges related to child endangerment and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The case began Aug. 1, when emergency…

Two people were seriously injured Wednesday after a vehicle struck them at Applecrest Farm Orchards in Hampton Falls, New Hampshire, sending both to area hospitals, police said. The crash happened around noon in the parking area of the orchard at 133 Exeter Road. Hampton Falls police and fire crews responded to the scene and provided medical treatment before the injured victims were taken to local hospitals. The two victims were identified in later reporting as women. Police have not released their names or provided a detailed update on their medical conditions. Investigators have not yet said what caused the vehicle…

A 23-year-old Bronx mother died after she and her 8-month-old daughter were allegedly pushed from a 15th-floor balcony early Tuesday, and the man police identified in connection with the case has since been arrested. Nathaly Ramirez was found seriously injured outside the apartment building at 2550 Olinville Ave. in the Allerton section of the Bronx shortly before 3:40 a.m. on Oct. 6. Her infant daughter was also found at the scene and was rushed to Jacobi Hospital. Ramirez later died from her injuries. Her daughter survived the fall and was initially listed in critical condition. Police later said the baby’s…

Jordan Dupree Collins Sr. has been found guilty in the killing of his 16-year-old son, Jordan “Manny” Collins Jr., bringing a verdict to a case that began with the teenager’s disappearance and ended with a lengthy search through a Minnesota landfill. An Anoka County jury returned the second-degree intentional murder verdict Wednesday after about three and a half hours of deliberation. Collins Sr., who represented himself during the trial with an advisory attorney, now faces sentencing in December. The case has drawn significant attention in Columbia Heights and surrounding communities since Manny was reported missing in May 2025. His remains…

A North Bay Village police officer was arrested after an alleged domestic dispute with her boyfriend at her Hialeah home, with police reporting that the man suffered scratches and bite marks during the confrontation. Marcia Sangronis, 38, was taken into custody Tuesday, Oct. 6, after Hialeah police investigated the incident. Sangronis was reportedly off duty when the alleged confrontation occurred. According to the arrest report, Sangronis and the man had been in a relationship for about two years. The dispute reportedly centered in part on his plans to pursue a career in law enforcement, an issue the couple had discussed…

An 11-year-old child is in critical condition after being shot in the face by another child inside a Detroit home Wednesday afternoon, police said. The shooting happened in the 8000 block of Artesian Street on Detroit’s west side after an unsecured handgun was accessed inside the home. Police said three children, ages 11, 9 and 4, were inside the house without an adult when the gun went off. A neighbor called 911 at about 2:19 p.m. after hearing a gunshot. Officers arrived roughly three minutes later and found the injured child. The child was initially taken to DMC Sinai-Grace Hospital…

A Detroit postal worker was injured Wednesday afternoon after a group approached him while he was making his regular route, leading to a physical confrontation and a gun being fired, police said. The incident happened around 5:10 p.m. Oct. 7 near JoAnn Avenue and Collingham Drive on Detroit’s east side. Officers were sent to the area after a ShotSpotter alert and a 911 call reporting gunfire. Police said a group of people approached the postal worker as he was working. The situation escalated into a physical altercation, and one person fired a gun during the confrontation. Initial reports indicated the…