Murder and Homicide

Story of the Day

Bad Beginnings

Hit or Mrs.?

According to the courts, Joyce Cohen hired three men to murder her wealthy husband. Now the entire case may be unraveling.

Crime Stoppers Cares (If You're A Cop)

According to the courts, Joyce Cohen hired three men to murder her wealthy husband. Now the entire case may be unraveling.

Breaking News: Opa Locka Rapper Toro Gunned Down

According to the courts, Joyce Cohen hired three men to murder her wealthy husband. Now the entire case may be unraveling.

Secrets and Crimes

Four years after hed been convicted of murder in Belgium, Jean-FranCois Buslik was a pilot and a family man living quietly in North Palm Beach. Then justice came calling.

Best Place to Get Killed

North End

Justice Severed

Maharaj went from the high life to a life sentence — 20 years so far for a crime he may not have committed

The Infamous Holland Correction

Okay, I say a couple nice things about departed Sun-Sentinel reporter John Holland and the knives start flying. The Holland haters bring up an eight-year-old correction which one commenter calls "the longest and most embarrassing front-page retraction in the Sun-Sentinel's history." I remember that ... More >>

Stacey & Friends

Four characters in search of a talk show

Muscles, Murder, and a Messiah, Part 2

Gil Fernandez Jr. could be responsible for as many as nine murders. If he's truly repentant, his former prosecutor says, he needs to confess his sins.

Curse of the Dead

Anna Nicole's ghost could go home at last — if some trial hotshots get their way

Too Dumb to Die

Kevin Moore's case raises questions about executing the mentally disabled

The Life and Crimes of Bam Jones

Henry Lee Jones is accused of two murders. That's only the beginning.

The Captain of Deceit Strikes Again

Richard Scheff still can't get the story of the Frank Lee Smith case straight -- and he doesn't seem to care

Captain of Deceit

It's clear the BSO's Richard Scheff lied under oath. So why isn't he charged with perjury?

A Single Hair

After a severely flawed trial, Michael Rivera was convicted of killing a little girl. New DNA evidence may help him.

Lauderadale Man Guilty of Memphis Murders May Now Face Local Inquiry

Henry Lee JonesFormer Fort Lauderdale resident Henry Lee Jones was convicted this week of a double murder in Memphis. Now the question remains whether Jones will be sent back to Florida to face murder charges in Broward County.Police have said they're considering whether Jones might be responsible f ... More >>

North Florida Murder, South Florida Evidence, Leads to North Pennsylvania Arrest

A multijurisdictional murder case started, it appears, when Broward sheriff's deputies responded to a Crimestoppers tip that a red Mazda truck left at the Greyhound bus stop in Fort Lauderdale was involved in a murder. The truck was registered to 76-year-old Tommy Lee Kellum of Lake City, Florida. A ... More >>

In West Palm, Leaf-Blowing Man Makes Case for Limiting Scope of Justice

MartinAn arrest in a cold case is supposed to be an occasion for celebrating the enduring cause of justice. There is no statute of limitations (da-DUM!!) for murder. That applies even after you've left the state where it happened to start a new life a thousand miles away. Still, on one afternoon nea ... More >>

Stabbing Death in Lake Worth

A 35-year-old man from Lake Worth was stabbed to death early this morning near 2nd Avenue North and North A Street, according to a news release by the Palm Beach Sheriff's Office.Richard J. Daniels, a 33-year-old man, also of Lake Worth has been arrested in the death of James H. Russell, his roommat ... More >>

On Anniversary of Unsolved Murder, Broward Sheriffs Detectives to Renew Call for Help

Wednesday marks the seven-year anniversary of the murder of Melissa Karp, a 17-year-old runaway whose body was found in the Everglades by a fisherman on August 19, 2002. Broward Sheriff's investigators are still trying to find the person who shot her to death, and tomorrow they're going to hold at a ... More >>

Fatal Stabbing at Pompano Gas Station

Photo: Broward Sheriff's OfficeEdris Berry​An argument at a Shell gas station in Pompano Beach led to the early-morning stabbing death of a 33-year-old man, Edris Berry, and the Broward Sheriff's Office is looking for two men in their 20s who were with Berry when the stabbing to took place. From t ... More >>

Stabbing Suspect Caught

A 26-year-old man has been arrested and charged with the murder of Edris Berry in the early-morning hours of Wednesday at a Shell Gas station in Pompano Beach. The news release from Broward Sheriff's Office:The victim, 33-year-old Edris Berry, was at the gas station at around 1:50 a.m. when two youn ... More >>

Deputies Name Suspect in Deerfield Homicide

Photo: Broward Sheriff's OfficeElvin R. Sanchez​Ronald Rivera is the name of the suspect wanted for the murder Sunday of 31-year-old Elvin R. Sanchez in Deerfield Beach.From the BSO release:Sanchez's body was found Sunday, October 25 shortly before 9 o'clock when a man walked outside his residence ... More >>

Suspect Nabbed in Boynton Basketball Killing

Kudos to the witnesses who stepped forward in the murder case of Junior Cesar. The Boynton Beach Police Department acted on witness tips to arrest Suprinet Augustin, 22. He allegedly confronted Cesar during a basketball game at Pence Park, pistol-whipped him, then shot Cesar three times. Another 22- ... More >>

Hot Tip on Cold Case: Fugitive Arrested Nearly a Decade After Murder

This February 4, Yakoub Levy would have had his 10-year anniversary as a fugitive from justice. Instead, the man wanted in a 2000 homicide in Fort Lauderdale will spend it in a jail cell. The Fort Lauderdale Police are reporting that Levy, one of three suspects in a killing that took place at 2217 N ... More >>

Deerfield Beach Murder Suspect Found in Alabama

About six weeks after a Honduran man, Elvin Sanchez, was found murdered in a residential neighborhood of Deerfield Beach, the man suspected of killing him is in custody. That suspect is 22-year-old Ronald Rivera, who was working as a carpenter in Birmingham, Alabama.From the Broward Sheriff's Office ... More >>

Shooting Death in Pompano Beach Traced Back to Teens

No end in sight for a couple terrifying criminal trends: violent teenagers and homeless victims. The Broward Sheriff's Office is reporting the arrest of two teens, Harry Velez (age 17) and Brady John Fisher (19), in the murder of Eustoquio Lopez, a 40-year-old homeless man, who was shot early Saturd ... More >>

Dead Body Found in Fort Lauderdale; Police Open Murder Investigation

This morning Fort Lauderdale Police found the body of a dead woman at 201 Northwest 20th Avenue. They believe she was murdered. Judging by the press release, they don't know much more than that.Police and Fire responded to the location and confirmed that they had a deceased person. This is an activ ... More >>

El Toro Loco Has Earned Attention of State, County Law Enforcement

Flickr: johnchamiltonThe bull's been a little too crazy at El Toro Loco​Earlier this month, we told you that El Toro Loco on South Military Trail Road on the outskirts of West Palm Beach had become a frequent site of violence. Slightly less violence than we at first thought -- turns out the bar wa ... More >>

Morning Juice: Newly Released Evidence Adds to Intrigue to Two Unsolved Murder Cases

​The news in Broward and Palm Beach this Tuesday:Police in Rye Brook, New York, say that an anonymous letter they received in July contains details of the Ben Novack murder case that, during the subsequent investigation, have proven accurate. Among the claims: that the death of Novack's mother in ... More >>

Gangs of Boynton: B-Town Boy Turned Preacher Man

"Plug" Woody: Killed two preachers​At around 8:15 on a Saturday night late last month, Detective Alex Marino of the Boynton Beach Police Department responded to a call. Two men were lying dead on SW 2nd Ave., both of gunshot wounds. One of the victims was 23-year-old Stephen Ocean. The other, 25-y ... More >>

Second Suspect Sought in Murder of Man at Pompano Barbecue

Photo: Broward Sheriff's OfficePetigny​It appears that more than one man was linked to the stabbing death of a man at a Pompano Beach barbecue this past weekend. The Broward Sheriff's Office is looking for Tony Petigny, a 28-year-old man who lives in Deerfield Beach. Petigny allegedly had a role i ... More >>

Suspect in Barbecue Stabbing Was Arrested, Then Released

Photo: BSOPetigny​As I was posting this article yesterday about the search for murder suspect Tony Petigny, I noticed that in his mug shot, Petigny had a swollen right eye -- just like the Broward Sheriff's Office release said.After another New Times staffer noticed the same thing, I asked BSO whe ... More >>

Debra Villegas, Melissa Lewis, and the Round Up Connection

Debra Villegas (left) liked to party at Round Up.​On the night her best friend was murdered in March 2008, Debra Villegas was partying with friends at the Round Up Country Western Club in Davie.This wasn't unusual for Debra, the former chief operating officer at the Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler law ... More >>

Tony Villegas' Comments to the Police

Tony Villegas said he'd never used pepper spray.​On March 10, 2008  Plantation police detectives confronted Tony Villegas at the Florida East Coast Railway depot in Fort Lauderdale with a search warrant. He told them he had been expecting them. By this time, detectives had been quietly questi ... More >>

Suspect in Teacher Slaying Claims Sexual Assault, Echoing Accusation of Former Student

PBSOLawrence Hunt was charged with second-degree murder.​Riviera Beach police have finally arrested a suspect in the slaying of popular L.C. Swain Middle School teacher Calvin Williams. But the second-degree murder charge against Lawrence Hunt, 20, only raises more questions about the sexual cond ... More >>

The Killer of His Daughter's Mother: A Cunning American Boy Becomes a Mexican Cartel Soldier and East L.A. Executioner

PBSOLawrence Hunt was charged with second-degree murder.​Riviera Beach police have finally arrested a suspect in the slaying of popular L.C. Swain Middle School teacher Calvin Williams. But the second-degree murder charge against Lawrence Hunt, 20, only raises more questions about the sexual cond ... More >>

Burglars Got Worst of Saturday Night Encounter With Broward Sheriffs Deputies

Broward Sheriff's Office Deputy Geoffrey Brown injured his leg Saturday night after he and his partner interrupted a burglary at an unoccupied Southwest Ranches home. But a BSO news release indicates Brown was released later that night. One of the suspect burglars was not so lucky.

Extra Reading on the Calvin Williams Murder

Calvin Williams was killed May 14.​This week's New Times feature story focuses on the murder of Calvin Williams, 41, a special-ed teacher at L.C. Swain Middle School in Greenacres. In May, a lover allegedly shot and killed Williams in his Riviera Beach apartment.Lawrence Hunt, 20, told police that ... More >>

Video: Debra Villegas Tells of Rothstein's Affair With Melissa Lewis

On Sunday, we brought you the news of Scott Rothstein's alleged affair with his slain employee, Melissa Britt Lewis. Here's the sworn interview where Debra Villegas, Lewis' best friend and Rothstein's right-hand woman at his now-defunct law firm, tells a Plantation police officer about the affair.N ... More >>

Hollywood Man Named a Suspect in Yet Another Possible Parent-Killing

BSOJason Kertesz​Hollywood police have arrested a man they say is a suspect in the death of his 62-year-old mother, whose body was found in her home this weekend. Irene Kertesz's husband found her dead in her Hollywood home around 9 p.m. Saturday, and WSVN is reporting that her son -- 29-year-old ... More >>

Clem Beauchamp Charged With Three Murders, Including Kids Stuffed in Bags Found in Canal

Palm Beach County Sheriff's OfficeClem Beauchamp​Clem Beauchamp has been charged with the murders of his girlfriend's children -- who were found dead and stuffed in suitcases in a canal between Delray Beach and Boca Raton -- as well as the death of the girlfriend herself, who turned up dead at a t ... More >>

Amanda Rice Stevenson, 96 Years Old, Arrested for Allegedly Murdering Her Nephew

St. Augustine Police DepartmentAmanda Rice Stevenson, 96, is charged with murder.​Amanda Rice Stevenson is 96 years old.She also allegedly shot and killed her nephew last night by firing a round from a .357 Magnum into his chest.St. Augustine Police Department spokesman Mark Samson says the co ... More >>

Rothstein on Melissa Lewis Murder: "Everyone Knows I Wasn't Involved"

"You're disgusting!" says Ponzi schemer.​He's a Ponzi schemer, a fraudster, involved with corrupt politicians and the Mob, but Scott Rothstein insists he's not a murderer.Under intense questioning by attorney Mary Barzee Flores during a deposition last month, the  "Prince of Darkness" vehemen ... More >>

Two Alleged Accomplices of Man Killed by Cops in Gun Buy Charged With Murder

Broward Sheriff's OfficeElvence Saint Aulien (left) and Jean Marcel Coulanges have been charged with first-degree murder.​A day after Johnny Wright was shot and killed by cops during an undercover gun buy, his two alleged accomplices are now in jail on murder charges.According to the Broward S ... More >>

Alleged Accomplice in Jimmy McMillan's Death Has Faced Murder Charges Before

Palm Beach County Sheriff's OfficeJonathan Jones​Jonathan Jones was arrested on Tuesday as an alleged accomplice in the murder of Belle Glade grocery store owner Jimmy McMillan, as an "accessory after the fact."At 20 years old, this is now the second time Jones has been booked into the Palm Be ... More >>

Alfred Infosino, 83, Gets 21 Years in the Pen for Beating His Girlfriend to Death With a Battery

Palm Beach County Sheriff's OfficeAlfred Infosino​The 83-year-old gentleman who called the cops to let them know he just "drank ammonia" and beat his 77-year-old girlfriend to death with a flashlight battery is going to prison for a while.A jury found Alfred Infosino guilty last month of secon ... More >>