Convict rearrested at his own birthday party nearly 2 months after he escaped: 'We won’t stop until you’re caught'



A convict serving a sentence in a Connecticut halfway house who had escaped back in August was caught nearly 1,000 miles away at a birthday party that was to be thrown in his honor.

According to a Facebook post, deputies of the Henry County Sheriff's Office in McDonough, Georgia, apprehended Forenza Rakeem Murphy last Saturday.



Murphy, 31, had been convicted of a robbery charge in Connecticut and was serving his sentence at a halfway house in Bridgeport. However, on August 8, the halfway house reported that Murphy had left the premises without permission. He allegedly managed to evade authorities for nearly eight weeks when police in Georgia — nearly 1,000 miles away from Bridgeport — received a tip that he was at a relative's house nearby. At approximately 4:15 p.m. local time, police found Murphy, who was reportedly at the home helping to decorate for his own birthday party. He had turned 31 on September 24.

Murphy was then rearrested and transported to the Henry County Jail.

"If you make your way into Henry County, we’re going to get on your trail and we won’t stop until you’re caught," said Sheriff Reginald B. Scandrett, according to the Facebook post.

"It was a great collaborative effort with The Connecticut DOC that led to the apprehension of Murphy," Scandrett added.

Murphy began serving his four-year sentence for robbery back in October 2019, so he had served nearly 75% of his sentence when he reportedly went on the lam. The Connecticut DOC website lists his maximum release date as March 19, 2023, just five months away. He is now expected to face further charges, though it is unclear what those charges will be.

The name of the halfway house where Murphy had been living has not been released. McDonough, Georgia, is a suburb of Atlanta.

British PM facing heat — again — for attending a birthday bash while the rest of the country remained in lockdown



British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing renewed calls to resign following a report that he attended a birthday party in June 2020 while the rest of the country struggled under government-imposed COVID-19 lockdown rules that forbade such gatherings.

What are the details?

ITV News reported this week that Johnson and his wife, Carrie Johnson, joined up to 30 guests in the Cabinet Room of 10 Downing Street, the prime minister's official residence, on June 19, 2020, for a surprise gathering put on to celebrate Johnson's birthday upon his return from an official visit to Hertfordshire.

According to the British news outlet, the Johnsons further breached lockdown protocols later that evening when they hosted family and friends upstairs in the prime minister's residence.

ITV said the Cabinet Room shindig lasted roughly 30 minutes and that guests enjoyed food and other refreshments while a birthday cake was presented to the prime minister. The outlet claimed that the party was organized by Johnson's wife and his interior designer, Lulu Lytle.

In a statement to the Washington Post on Tuesday, a Downing Street spokesperson admitted that staff members "gathered briefly in the Cabinet Room after a meeting to wish the Prime Minister a happy birthday," but said, "He was there for less than 10 minutes."

In response to other claims — such as that Carrie Johnson organized the party and that it included 30 guests, cake, and singing — the spokesperson said, "This is totally untrue. In line with the rules at the time, the Prime Minister hosted a small number of family members outside that evening."

What's the background?

News of the birthday gathering sparked further backlash against the prime minister, who was already under fire for attending a separate "drinks party" at 10 Downing Street last May, again amid his own government's lockdown.

Johnson apologized for his attendance at the latter party in front of a packed House of Commons earlier this month, acknowledging the "rage" that many U.K. residents may feel when they believe that "in Downing Street itself, the rules are not being properly followed by the people who make the rules."

But he defended himself, as well, claiming that he only stayed at the party for 25 minutes in order to "thank groups of staff" for their hard work and added that he "believed implicitly that this was a work event."

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson apologies for attending lockdown party - BBC News youtu.be

The U.K. government is currently investigating these party allegations, and results are expected to be released relatively soon.

What else?

BBC News reported that some members of Parliament and senior figures in Johnson's own Conservative Party responded to the June 2020 allegations by denouncing the prime minister's behavior, while others called on the public to reserve judgment until the investigation is complete.

Members of the opposition Labor Party, however, hammered the prime minister for his hypocrisy. They pointed to a letter that Johnson sent to then-7-year-old Josephine Booth in March 2020, consoling her and praising her for canceling her own birthday party amid coronavirus restrictions.

Labour leader Keir Starmer reportedly reiterated his call for Boris Johnson to resign, saying, "The prime minister is a national distraction and he's got to go."

Media Ignores Obama's Birthday Party

Media Ignores Obama's Birthday Party

VIDEO: Women trash 3-year-old's birthday party. Cops say DA won't press charges due to not enough property damage.



Two women were caught on video destroying a child's birthday party outside a Houston apartment complex over the weekend — and police told TheBlaze that the district attorney declined to press charges due to insufficient property damage.

What are the details?

The video begins with a woman dragging away an upside-down table that appears to have a cover on it as others in the grassy area stare at her.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

The woman then returns to a second table where a male and female are seated; the table has a cover on top as well as food.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

Standing at one end of the table, the woman tells the pair, "Excuse me? Excuse me?" And presumably when she doesn't get the correct answer, she says, "OK, that's fine" — and attempts to drag the table away.

When the table occupants protest, the woman tells them, "Move your stuff! Move your stuff!" When they don't move the table or the items on it, she asks the pair, "Are you gonna move y'all's s**t? Are you gonna move y'all's s**t?"

With that the woman yanks up the table as a person off camera is heard remarking, "Wow!" — and the table's cover and the food slides off to the ground.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

She then carries the table away and lets it drop to the ground.

Another woman with her is seen tossing a chair against a tree and then picking up another chair and walking away with it.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

The first woman is heard saying something unintelligible to the partygoers, and the video ends.

Here's the clip. (Content warning: Language):

Two women destroying 3yr old birthday party .youtu.be

What else did police say?

Police told TheBlaze they were called to the apartment complex around 9:15 p.m. Saturday where they spoke to the woman who took away the tables as well as the woman who was sitting at one of them.

Police said the woman who took away the tables was upset because they were set up too close to her patio, that she said she asked the people at the party to move them and that she called police over a noise complaint.

The woman who was sitting at one of the tables told police she's six months pregnant but wasn't injured.

Police told TheBlaze they brought the incident to the district attorney's office, but the D.A. declined to press charges since there wasn't enough property damage to issue a Class B misdemeanor. But police added that officers will reexamine the incident to see if a Class C misdemeanor can be issued.

What did the family have to say?

According to KPEL-AM, the family of 3-year-old Angely rented the tables and chairs to celebrate her birthday — and now they're responsible for covering damages.

A GoFundMe account was set up to help cover the costs — and as of Tuesday afternoon nearly 300 donors have pledged over $4,600.

Here's more about the incident from the mother's perspective:

The station said community organizations have reached out to offer a makeup birthday party for Angely: