Cheap hot dog sparks deadly dispute at nudist resort that ends in grisly deaths of elderly couple and dog: Police



The deaths of an elderly couple and their dog last year occurred after an argument over a cheap hot dog at a nudist resort in California, according to recent police testimony.

Michael Sparks, 62, was arrested on Aug. 29, 2024. The San Bernardino County District Attorney stated that Sparks was hit with two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the deaths of 79-year-old Daniel Menard and his 73-year-old wife, Stephanie Menard.

'Chopped up my neighbors. Didn’t know I had it in me. SNAPPED.'

Sparks had been neighbors with the elderly couple at the Olive Dell Ranch nudist resort in Colton.

According to Patch, the couple disappeared from their home on Aug. 24, 2024.

Redlands Police Detective Thomas Williams last week testified at a preliminary hearing at the San Bernardino Justice Center that following his arrest, Sparks told a fellow inmate what happened.

"[The inmate] said Mr. Sparks told him the incident started over a hot dog that Daniel Menard had purchased for him,” Williams stated, according to the Press-Enterprise. "He said Mr. Sparks felt that the hot dog was a jab at him, making him feel like he was worth only a dollar hot dog, and that’s what set him off that day."

Williams added that the inmate said Sparks "went outside and struck Mr. Menard in the head until his head caved in. Mrs. Menard came out yelling, ‘No! No!’ and then he began striking Mrs. Menard and Mr. Menard with a rake, a hoe, and a hammer."

According to Williams, Sparks brought the bodies of the elderly couple into a concrete bunker he had built underneath his trailer.

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Citing an alleged conversation between Sparks and another inmate, the Press-Enterprise reported that Sparks admitted he had "dismembered" Stephanie Menard and "mutilated" Daniel Menard.

Detective Williams said police found dismembered body parts of the elderly couple in several black plastic bags and an orange Home Depot bucket just days after they went missing.

In addition, Fox News reported that Sparks told an inmate he had drowned the couple's Shih Tzu dog Cuddles in a sink. Sparks allegedly left the dog's body outside for coyotes to eat.

Witness Gale Heidelberg testified in court that she worked with Sparks when he had a job as a truck driver.

Heidelberg told San Bernardino County Deputy District Attorney Sean Han during the hearing that she had a text message exchange after seeing Sparks' neighborhood on a local news broadcast regarding the missing couple.

Heidelberg allegedly texted Sparks, "I am watching news. Something going on where you live. Are you in town?”

Sparks reportedly replied, "It's me. Committing suicide today. Take care. Bye."

Heidelberg purportedly responded frantically, “Wait. What’s going on? Where are you?”

Sparks allegedly texted back, "Chopped up my neighbors. Didn’t know I had it in me. SNAPPED."

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Witness Wayne Marinelli — who had to compose himself during his court appearance — testified that he searched for the elderly couple but instead saw Sparks washing out a 55-gallon drum that seemed to have blood inside it, according to the Press-Enterprise.

Resident John Hillis reportedly testified that he was "best friends" with the Menards. Hillis said Stephanie Menard had muscular dystrophy and needed a cane to walk while Daniel Menard had been suffering from dementia.

Hillis noted in court that he became worried on Aug. 25, 2024, when Stephanie did not make her typical call to him to pick them up to bring them to church.

Hillis looked for the couple and said their Chrysler Sebring was in a driveway with the keys in the ignition. Hillis went inside the Menard's home to locate them since the elderly couple allegedly provided him with a key to their house.

Hillis told the courtroom that he noticed Stephanie’s purse and Daniel's wallet were inside the home. However, Hillis was most alarmed that Stephanie's cane also was inside the home, the Press-Enterprise reported.

"She doesn’t cross the threshold of the door without the cane,” Hillis said in court.

The Press-Enterprise noted that what "ultimately" set off Sparks was his "humiliation over a hot dog."

Sparks eventually was charged with animal cruelty for the alleged drowning of the dog.

Sparks has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

District Attorney Jason Anderson did not reveal if he will seek the death penalty against Sparks, according to the Press-Enterprise.

Sparks is currently being held without bail.

Sparks reportedly is scheduled to appear in court on Friday.

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Riley Gaines hilariously highlights the absurdity of the claim that transgender women are women



Former college swimmer Riley Gaines highlighted the utter absurdity of radical leftist gender ideology after someone made the oft-repeated, preposterous claim that transgender women are women.

"Trans women are women," J. Perkins, who describes himself on X as an "antiracist educator" and "higher ed lawyer," wrote a dozen times in a post. He also calls himself "woke."

"Hot dogs are dogs," Gaines mockingly wrote 12 times in a row when responding to Perkins' post. "A confident, outlandish statement ≠ reality," she added.

— (@)

When swimming for the University of Kentucky in 2022, Gaines and then-University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas, a man who identifies as a woman, tied for fifth place in the NCAA women's championships 200 freestyle final, according to swimmingworldmagazine.com.

Gaines has become an outspoken opponent of radical leftist gender ideology and its negative impact on women's and girls' sports.

"You're clearly a very confident person, despite being an open transphobe. How about you speak to me directly, @Riley_Gaines_?" Perkins wrote.

"Gladly. Trans woman are, in fact, males. It's not opinionated or hateful. It's fact. You're also clearly a very confident person, despite being openly racist. Glad to have a conversation there if you need anything else cleared up as well," Gaines replied.

"Sure, we can put a pin in your transphobia for a moment. Please do explain how I’m racist? Lol," Perkins wrote.

"A two-second look at your profile is all anyone needs to see this definition applied," Gaines answered, while sharing a screenshot with a definition of racism.

Perkins then told Gaines that he was going to mute her on the social media platform. "Imma mute you now because you clearly don't even know definitions of the terms you're throwing around. Stay in school. Seriously," he wrote.

When someone on X asked whether it makes a woman "transphobic" if she does not want to change in the presence of a man like Lia Thomas, who exposes himself, Perkins called the person's post "nonsense" and claimed that only "bigots" suggest that such scenarios occur.

"I'm not suggesting it happened. I'm telling you it is. Because it happened to me and my teammates. The general consensus of how we ALL felt was violated, betrayed, and traumatized. Only a misogynistic pig would disregard that and tell us we're the problem," Gaines replied.

— (@)

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Mitt Romney LOVES Weiners!
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Mitt Romney LOVES Weiners!

New study claims eating just 1 hotdog reduces your life by 36 minutes



Researchers at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, Department of Environmental Health Sciences say that eating just one hotdog shaves 36 minutes off a person's life, according to a recent Fox News report.

What are the details?

The study's authors explained that their newly released nutritional index aims to inform Americans about how to achieve "healthier and more environmentally stable diets," the outlet reported.

Among those on the index's danger zone included hotdogs, sugary drinks such as soda, and breakfast sandwiches among the biggest offenders.

Fruits, non-starchy and mixed vegetables, and cooked grains were among the best health defenders.

According to the outlet, researchers determined that consuming just one 85-gram serving of chicken wings shaved off about 3.3 minutes of life, while an all-beef hotdog resulted in 36 minutes lost "largely due to the detrimental effect of processed meat."

However, consuming a peanut butter and jelly sandwich increased a person's life by 33 minutes, and other foods such as "salted peanuts, baked salmon, and rice with beans" also saw gains between 10 and 15 minutes.

What did the authors say?

"We use the results to inform marginal dietary substitutions, which are realistic and feasible," authors wrote. "We find that small, targeted, food-level substitutions can achieve compelling nutritional benefits and environmental impact reductions."

“Previous studies investigating healthy or sustainable diets have often reduced their findings to a discussion of plant-based versus animal-based foods, with the latter stigmatized as the least nutritious and sustainable," a portion of the study, published in the August 2021 issue of Nature Food, said. “Although we find that plant-based foods generally perform better, there are considerable variations within both plant-based and animal-based foods that should be acknowledged before such generalized inferences are warranted."

Researchers also concluded that swapping 10% of daily caloric consumption from food items such as beef, processed meats, and other unhealthy highly refined foods, for other higher quality food items like leafy green vegetables, nuts, and more could render "significant health benefits," Fox News added.