Rockville Man Who ‘Searched’ For Missing Ex Was Her Killer All Along, Prosecutors Say Rockville Man Who ‘Searched’ For Missing Ex Was Her Killer All Along, Prosecutors Say
Rockville Man Who ‘Searched’ For Missing Ex Was Her Killer All Along, Prosecutors Say A Maryland man who pretended to be worried about his missing ex-girlfriend — even calling police to report her disappearance — will spend decades in prison after admitting he beat and strangled her in their apartment before dumping her body off an ICC bridge. Francisco Lara-Garcia, 33, was sentenced to life in prison, suspending all but 40 years to serve, for murdering his ex-girlfriend and abandoning her body, the Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office announced on Thursday, Nov. 20. Lara-Garcia pleaded guilty in March to first-degree murder for killing 20-year-old Keylin Chavez Domin…
Another Hackensack Adult Charged In Child Rape Case: Prosecutor Another Hackensack Adult Charged In Child Rape Case: Prosecutor
Another Hackensack Adult Charged In Child Rape Case: Prosecutor A 42-year-old Hackensack man was charged with sexual assault and child endangerment after an investigation into past abuse, authorities said. Fernando Sandoval sexually assaulted and endangered a juvenile in Hackensack more than once between Dec. 21, 2024, and Nov. 2, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. A criminal complaint obtained by Daily Voice shows that Sandoval held the child down and forcefully penetrated them. Jennifer Garcia-Mota Bergen County Prosecutor's Office Authorities have not said whether the case is connected to the arrest of 42-year-old Jennifer Garc…
Son Starved To 77 Lbs; Adoptive Littlestown Parents Get Months In Prison: DA Son Starved To 77 Lbs; Adoptive Littlestown Parents Get Months In Prison: DA
Son Starved To 77 Lbs; Adoptive Littlestown Parents Get Months In Prison: DA A Littlestown-area couple has been sentenced for the horrific abuse of their adopted special-needs son, who weighed just 78 pounds at 14 years old, Adams County District Attorney Brian Sinnett announced this week. Stacey Lynn Myers, 52, was sentenced to 11½ to 23 months in jail, while Todd Douglas Myers, 57, received 5 to 23 months, according to the DA’s office. Both will serve five years of probation after their incarceration at the Adams County Adult Correctional Complex. The pair were convicted by a jury in August on felony endangering the welfare of children and prohibited offensive wea…
Man Charged With Murder Pleads Not Guilty In Fatal Shooting Of 41-Year-Old In Yonkers: DA Man Charged With Murder Pleads Not Guilty In Fatal Shooting Of 41-Year-Old In Yonkers: DA
Man Charged With Murder Pleads Not Guilty In Fatal Shooting Of 41-Year-Old In Yonkers: DA A 29-year-old man has been arraigned on murder and weapons charges in connection with a deadly summer shooting in Westchester that claimed the life of a 41-year-old victim, prosecutors announced.  Xavier Palmer, age 29, pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon during his arraignment on Thursday, Nov. 13. He was then remanded to the Westchester County Jail by Judge George Fufidio, the Westchester County District Attorney's Office said. The charges stem from a shooting that happened shortly before 12:30 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 11, on the s…
Hackensack Woman Did Nothing To Stop Child Sex Assaults, Prosecutor Says Hackensack Woman Did Nothing To Stop Child Sex Assaults, Prosecutor Says
Hackensack Woman Did Nothing To Stop Child Sex Assaults, Prosecutor Says A Hackensack woman is facing charges after investigators say she knew about ongoing sexual assaults involving a child and did nothing to stop them. Hackensack Police contacted the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit in early November 2025 regarding “an alleged sexual assault of a juvenile that occurred in the past,” authorities said.  Investigators said the investigation revealed that Jennifer Garcia-Mota, 42, of Hackensack, “had prior knowledge of the assaults occurring and allowed them to continue,” Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. A criminal complaint …
Bombshell: DNA Ties Dead Sex Offender To '90s Murder, Rape In Calverton, DA Says Bombshell: DNA Ties Dead Sex Offender To '90s Murder, Rape In Calverton, DA Says
Bombshell: DNA Ties Dead Sex Offender To '90s Murder, Rape In Calverton, DA Says A major DNA break on Long Island has identified a deceased sex offender as the man who murdered Ann Lustig in Calverton in 1997 and raped an 82-year-old woman the year before, prosecutors said. Forensic testing produced a full DNA profile that linked evidence from both attacks to Steven Briecke, a convicted sex offender whose information had been stored in the national CODIS database for decades, the Suffolk County DA’s office announced Monday, Nov. 10. Briecke died years ago, preventing prosecution, but investigators said his identification brings long-awaited closure to both victims’ fami…
Dog Law Investigation Leads To Aggravated Animal Cruelty Charges For 2 In Palmyra Dog Law Investigation Leads To Aggravated Animal Cruelty Charges For 2 In Palmyra
Dog Law Investigation Leads To Aggravated Animal Cruelty Charges For 2 In Palmyra A Palmyra woman and man are facing multiple animal cruelty charges following a months-long dog law investigation, Western Lebanon County Regional Police announced on Saturday, Nov. 8. Brooklyn Taylor Cordell, 25, and Trei Anthony Gilcrist, 32, were each charged with two counts of Felony Aggravated Cruelty to Animals, Misdemeanor Cruelty to Animals, and Misdemeanor Neglect of Animals, according to police and court dockets. These charges are the result of a dog law investigation that began on May 11, 2025, in the 300 block of North Chestnut Street in Palmyra, police said. Cordell and Gilcrist…
Man Who Let Homeless Woman In To 'Warm Up' Convicted Of Rape In Allentown: DA Man Who Let Homeless Woman In To 'Warm Up' Convicted Of Rape In Allentown: DA
Man Who Let Homeless Woman In To 'Warm Up' Convicted Of Rape In Allentown: DA A jury has convicted Felix Javier Pagan, 40, of raping a woman inside his North 7th Street apartment in 2022, the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday, Nov. 5. He was found guilty on all counts after a three-day trial and now faces a possible 25–50 year sentence. Sentencing is set for 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 9 before Judge Anna-Kristie M. Marks, officials said. Prosecutors said the victim — who was experiencing homelessness at the time — went to Pagan’s apartment in the 200 block of N. 7th Street on Jan. 13, 2022 to get warm. While inside, Pagan raped and sexually assaulted…
Murder-For-Hire: Wife, Ex-GF, Gunman All Sentenced In Husband’s Whitehall Killing Murder-For-Hire: Wife, Ex-GF, Gunman All Sentenced In Husband’s Whitehall Killing
Murder-For-Hire: Wife, Ex-GF, Gunman All Sentenced In Husband’s Whitehall Killing All three defendants charged in a murder-for-hire plot that ended with a man gunned down in a Whitehall Township parking lot have now pleaded guilty and received state prison sentences, Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan announced Wednesday, Nov. 5. Brenda Rodriguez Sentenced Brenda Rodriguez, 52, of Palmerton, was sentenced to 2½ to 10 years in state prison for her role in the killing of her husband, Hector Garcia Gomez. She pleaded guilty in September to Conspiracy – Aggravated Assault, a felony of the first degree, and was sentenced by Judge Robert L. Steinberg. Rodriguez…
Dad Of 3 Killed Outside 1-Year-Old's Birthday Party, Allentown Shooter Learns His Fate: DA Dad Of 3 Killed Outside 1-Year-Old's Birthday Party, Allentown Shooter Learns His Fate: DA
Dad Of 3 Killed Outside 1-Year-Old's Birthday Party, Allentown Shooter Learns His Fate: DA The man who fatally opened fire outside a 1-year-old’s birthday party has been sentenced to state prison, prosecutors announced on Thursday, Oct. 30. Roberto Gonzalez, 26, of Allentown, pleaded guilty on Sept. 2, 2025, to Voluntary Manslaughter – Unreasonable Belief and Possession of Firearm Prohibited, according to the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office. He was sentenced by Judge Anna-Kristie M. Marks to 11½ to 28 years behind bars. The shooting happened on Feb. 17, 2024, around 8 p.m. outside the East Side Fire Social Hall, 405 E. Walnut St., where a birthday party for a 1-year-old …
‘He Took My Breath — I’m Taking My Life Back’: Woman Faces Her Abuser After Mt. Airy Attack ‘He Took My Breath — I’m Taking My Life Back’: Woman Faces Her Abuser After Mt. Airy Attack
‘He Took My Breath — I’m Taking My Life Back’: Woman Faces Her Abuser After Mt. Airy Attack A Maryland felon with a violent history of attacking women will spend more than four decades behind bars after strangling his girlfriend and threatening to kill her, according to Frederick County prosecutors. Gary Michael Gouge, 42, of Mt. Airy, was sentenced to a total of 44 years in the Division of Correction for first-degree assault and violation of probation for a previous first-degree assault, the Frederick County State’s Attorney’s Office announced. According to the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded in January to a home in the 4500 block of Buffalo Road for a domes…
24-Hour Fatal Beating Of Wife In Front Of Children Lands Husband Life Sentence: Lancaster DA 24-Hour Fatal Beating Of Wife In Front Of Children Lands Husband Life Sentence: Lancaster DA
24-Hour Fatal Beating Of Wife In Front Of Children Lands Husband Life Sentence: Lancaster DA An Elizabethtown man will spend the rest of his life in prison for brutally beating his wife to death in front of their children, the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office announced on Friday, Oct. 24. Christopher Alexander Mello, 43, pleaded guilty to First-Degree Murder in the death of his wife, 39-year-old Alexandria Reynolds, at their home in the 300 block of West High Street on Sept. 30, 2021, authorities said. Police were called after Mello’s father reported his son had been “acting crazy” and saying something about his wife being dead. Officers arrived to find Mello with a teen…