Female accused of murdering her fire captain wife was jailed years before for killing husband — in eerily similar way



A California female is the primary suspect in the murder of her wife, who was a fire captain. The wanted woman reportedly served time in prison for the killing of her estranged husband years ago — and the manner of his death is eerily similar to the manner of the fire captain's death.

Yolanda Marodi is wanted by the San Diego County Sheriff's Office and the U.S. Marshals Service's San Diego Fugitive Task Force for the alleged murder of 49-year-old Rebecca Marodi. Since being named a suspect, Yolanda Marodi has been on the run.

'Yolanda was very jealous ... and did not want to have Becky maintain the friendships she had for years with other women.'

The San Diego Sheriff's Office said in a statement on the X social media platform: "Have you seen 54-year-old Yolanda Marodi, also known as Yolanda Olejniczak? She is suspected of fatally stabbing her wife, 49-year-old Rebecca Marodi, at a home on Rancho Villa Road in Ramona on February 17."

Police said deputies found Rebecca inside her Ramona residence with multiple stab wounds.

"Lifesaving measures were administered by the deputies until Cal Fire paramedics arrived," the sheriff's office stated. "Despite their efforts, Marodi succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene."

Police are searching for Yolanda Marodi — who is approximately 5'2" tall, weighs about 166 pounds, and has brown eyes and brown hair. She has tattoos on her upper right and left arms.

Authorities said the suspect is believed to be driving a silver 2013 Chevrolet Equinox with California license plate 8BQJ420. Police noted that she likely is traveling with a small white dog.

The San Diego Sheriff's Office added that the suspect's whereabouts "are not known. Out of an abundance of caution, the Sheriff's Office has alerted authorities on both sides of the border about this suspect."

The San Diego Sheriff's Office said investigators are still determining the "motivation and circumstances" surrounding Rebecca Marodi's murder, but detectives are working "diligently to gather more information and establish a comprehensive understanding of the case."

Police said it's being treated as a "potential domestic violence incident."

Citing family, Lt. Mike Krugh of the San Diego County Sheriff's Office told People magazine that the couple had been married for about two years.

The victim's ex-wife, Lilia Phleger, said the couple had a "toxic relationship."

"You don't ever want somebody that you once cared for so much to suffer," Phleger said. "For this to happen to Becky, in our home, this was the home we lived in together. It's just unfathomable."

Phleger added that "Yolanda was very jealous ... and did not want to have Becky maintain the friendships she had for years with other women."

The Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department said, "We are incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support during this difficult time as we mourn the loss of our beloved Fire Captain Rebecca Marodi."

"Her legacy of mentorship, service, and dedication will be felt for years to come," the statement read.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection stated, "It is with great sadness that Cal Fire reports the off-duty death of Fire Captain Rebecca 'Becky' Marodi. Captain Marodi served over 30 years with Cal Fire, primarily in Riverside County, but also serving time in San Bernardino and San Diego Counties. The tragic loss of Captain Marodi is mourned by her family, friends, and her Cal Fire family."

On Tuesday morning, Cal Fire crews honored the captain with a procession from Marodi's home to the San Diego Medical Examiner’s Office.

KFMB-TV reported that Yolanda Marodi is an ex-con who went to prison for the October 2000 stabbing death of her estranged husband in San Bernardino County.

In that case, Yolanda Marodi allegedly attempted to flee from authorities with her two young children before turning herself in to police. In January 2004, she pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the stabbing death of her first spouse and was sentenced to 11 years in prison.

In October 2006, Yolanda Marodi pleaded guilty to felony drug possession in prison — which added 37 months to her sentence.

Yolanda Marodi was released from prison in December 2015.

Anyone with information regarding the case is urged to contact the homicide unit for the San Diego Sheriff's Office at (858) 285-6330 or after hours at (858) 868-3200. Anonymous tips can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.

You can watch a KFMB-TV report on the incident here.

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Woman dies after male bludgeons her in head with can of beans — but defense argues alcoholism played role in her death



A South Dakota man admitted to hitting a woman in the head with a can; she later died. However, his defense argued that the woman's poor health and alcoholism were major factors in her death.

In October, 44-year-old Pedro Simental pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in connection with a physical confrontation with 40-year-old Edleigha Little in November 2023. Authorities said Little died after Simental struck her in the head with a can of beans.

Simental’s attorney argued that these conditions made her more vulnerable to the 'single, reckless blow' to the head that ultimately caused her death.

On Monday, Seventh Circuit Judge Joshua Hendrickson sentenced Simental to 15 years in prison. Both the prosecution and the defense recommended a 15-year prison sentence.

What's the background?

Simental and Little got into a physical altercation on the evening of Nov. 8.

KELO-TV reported that Simental admitted to law enforcement investigators that he "may have struck the victim in the left side of her head with a can."

When police arrived at the crime scene, they found Little unconscious and suffering multiple bruises on her head, neck, and face. She was rushed to the hospital. However, Little succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead a few hours later.

According to KOTA-TV, the defense noted Little’s blood alcohol content was .474% at the time of her death.

The Pennington County State’s Attorney noted in a statement that Hendrickson acknowledged the case's numerous challenges, especially the victim's poor health before the attack.

During the trial, Simental’s lawyer highlighted several of the victim's pre-existing health conditions, including that Little was a “severe alcoholic,” and her years of excessive drinking could have caused the hematoma, according to KOTA-TV.

Defense Attorney Conor Duffy cited statements from two medical examiners that claimed severe alcoholism triggered the hematoma after the blow to the head. Medical examiners noted that Little sustained "minimal external signs of trauma."

A state doctor claimed that her hematoma was "spontaneous."

Simental’s attorney argued that these conditions made her more vulnerable to the “single, reckless blow” to the head that ultimately caused her death.

However, Senior Deputy State Attorney Roxanne Hammond expressed concern over Simental’s lack of accountability.

During the investigation, Simental allegedly stated that he "takes little to no responsibility for his role in her death."

However, Simental stressed in court that he does take responsibility for his actions that led to Little's death.

Little's niece told the court that her aunt was a caring, thoughtful person and accused Simental of regularly abusing the victim. The niece urged Judge Hendrickson to impose a lengthy sentence so Simental could not "do this to another woman and her family."

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Dershowitz Blasts Alvin Bragg For Bringing Charges Against Daniel Penny In Case That Could End With ‘Hung Jury’

'I don’t think you bring criminal cases unless they’re clear'

Teens who beat Las Vegas boy to death avoid adult prison, mom slams plea deal: 'They’re letting them get away with murder'



Four teenagers facing murder charges over the fatal beating of a Las Vegas boy outside his high school last November have reached a plea deal with prosecutors that has enabled them to avoid serving time in adult prison. The mother of the victim of the deadly beating is outraged over the plea deal.

Dontral Beaver, 16; Treavion Randolph, 16; Gianni Robinson, 17; and Damien Hernandez, 18; all agreed on Thursday to plead guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the death of 17-year-old Jonathan Lewis Jr., according to KLAS-TV.

'There is no justice for my son Jonathan Lewis that was stomped to death and murdered while 20 people stood there and did nothing more than film it and broadcast it to social media.'

The plea deal will allow all four teens to no longer face murder charges as adults, and they will be sentenced in juvenile court. The plea deal would mean the teens would avoid being locked up in an adult prison.

All of the teens were under the age of 18 when the alleged crime was committed and were formally charged with second-degree murder in January.

Five other teens were also charged in the case with four of them having already pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the juvenile court system. One teen is yet to be sentenced.

The victim's mother said she was blindsided by the plea deal and claimed that she was not notified of the hearing held on Thursday.

“I was told that they were going to plea guilty to murder and that the most they would get in the adult system is two years,” Mellisa Ready told KLAS-TV.

“I would’ve disagreed with the deal entirely. They should be accountable as adults — they made an adult choice,” Ready continued. “They knew that when they were stomping on my child’s head that he was going to die as a result. You cannot jump in a human being’s head, stomp on him, and think that they’re going to remain alive after.”

Ready declared, “They knew he was going to die, and that’s how I feel — and they’re letting them get away with murder.”

The distraught mother added, “There is no justice for my son Jonathan Lewis that was stomped to death and murdered while 20 people stood there and did nothing more than film it and broadcast it to social media.”

Robert Draskovich — the attorney for Gianni Robinson — told KLAS-TV, “We were able to evaluate all the evidence as a whole and reach this mutually beneficial negotiation. Obviously, what occurred is a tragedy, but convicting these young men of murder would be a second tragedy, following the first.”

As Blaze News previously reported, Lewis was brutally mauled by a group of teens outside Rancho High School in Las Vegas on Nov. 1, 2023. Video of the vicious attack was uploaded to social media and shows a mob of teens kicking, stomping, and punching Lewis.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police officers responded to a battery call and found Lewis battered and bleeding from the head. The teen was rushed to a local hospital in critical condition. Six days later, he was medically declared brain dead. The teen died after succumbing to his significant injuries. His cause of death was declared to be blunt force trauma, and his death was ruled a homicide.

Las Vegas Metro Police Lt. Jason Johansson previously said investigators suspect that the fight stemmed from a pair of wireless headphones and "possibly" a vape pen being stolen from Lewis or his friend.

At the time of the assault, Johansson described the fatal attack as being "very void of humanity."

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Ex-ballerina — who said she killed estranged husband in self-defense — convicted in 'Black Swan' murder trial



A former ballerina accused of fatally shooting her estranged husband has been convicted in the case that has been dubbed the "Black Swan" murder trial.

Ashley Benefield, 33, had been charged with second-degree murder for the shooting death of her husband, Doug Benefield.

The pair met at a Republican Party fundraiser in 2016 when Ashley was a 24-year-old ballet dancer and Doug was a 54-year-old Navy veteran and technology consultant, according to People magazine. The couple got married just 13 days later.

In a Florida courtroom Tuesday night, a Manatee County jury convicted Benefield of the lesser crime of manslaughter. In Florida, manslaughter carries a 15-year-maximum prison sentence.

After the verdict was announced, the judge revoked Benefield's $100,000 bond and remanded her to the custody of the Manatee County Sheriff's Office.

Her sentencing date has yet to be set.

Benefield fired a gun at her 58-year-old estranged husband in 2020 at her mother's home in Bradenton, Florida.

Benefield’s lawyer Neil Taylor argued that the fatal shooting was in self-defense after a history of the husband's abusive behavior.

In his closing argument Tuesday, Taylor said his client filed "complaint after complaint after complaint calling Doug Benefield’s behavior to the attention of authorities with no results. Over and over again with no relief," according to NBC News.

In his opening statements, Taylor described the estranged husband as "a manipulative, cunning, and abusive man."

“Thirty years older than Ashley, he was obsessed with her, and he successfully portrayed himself as he was not in an effort to win her hand in marriage,” Taylor said. “Despite promoting himself as a religious, honorable, and decent human being, Benefield was a manipulative, cunning, and abusive man who insisted, absolutely insisted on control.”

Taylor told the courtroom that Doug once fired a handgun into a kitchen ceiling in an attempt to get Ashley to stop talking, threw a loaded gun at her, punched their dog unconscious, and regularly carried a concealed firearm that was always "ready to fire," WFLA-TV reported.

“The only thing that is going to have been established here beyond a reasonable doubt is that Douglas Benefield was a violent abuser, Ashley Benefield’s efforts to placate him [were] absolutely consistent with what abused women do, especially when a child is involved, and that Ashley’s result and resource to deadly force was justified under the circumstances,” Taylor said.

The pair met at a Republican Party fundraiser in 2016 when Ashley was a 24-year-old ballet dancer and Doug was a 54-year-old Navy veteran and technology consultant, according to People magazine. The couple got married just 13 days later.

Eva Benefield — Doug's 23-year-old daughter from a previous marriage — said during the "Black Swan" murder trial, "They were just with each other all the time. It was very lovey-dovey. They were very touchy-feely PDAs. Any event with school or extracurricular that I was in, they were together. They never left each other's side."

Less than a year later, Ashley became pregnant with Doug's child.

About a year into their marriage, the couple started a ballet company — which was said to be Ashely's "dream."

Assistant State Attorney Suzanne O’Donnell told the jury, “All within a year of being married, they have done a vasectomy reversal, gotten pregnant, started a ballet, and the ballet has crumbled.”

The marriage also reportedly deteriorated.

In 2017, the couple obtained a court order that barred them from contacting each other, O’Donnell said.

During her pregnancy, the ex-ballerina moved from the pair's South Carolina residence to her mother's home outside of Sarasota, Florida.

Taylor said Ashley attempted to obtain a domestic violence injunction in Florida, which would have barred her estranged husband from seeing their child.

O'Donnell argued, "This was a custody battle that this mother was going to win at all costs. The cost was the life of Doug Benefield, and that is murder."

A judge denied Ashley's request for a domestic injunction.

WTVT-TV reported that Doug was not aware that their child was born until a restraining order was filed against him.

On Sept. 27, 2020, Doug allegedly was helping Ashley pack her things for a move from her mother's Florida home to Maryland.

Ashley claimed that an argument erupted, Doug slapped her in the face, and she fled to the bedroom to retrieve a handgun.

She then testified that Doug blocked her from leaving the house and lunged at her. She claimed that at that moment she shot Doug.

“I thought he was going to kill me,” Ashley testified, according to the New York Post.

Ashely fired four rounds from her .45-caliber handgun.

Benefield’s next-door neighbor, John Sant, said Ashley ran to his house immediately after the shootings.

“As soon as I opened the door, before I could say anything, she said, ‘He attacked me,'” Sant told the court. “At that point, I said, ‘Who?’ She said, ‘Doug. ... He attacked me, and I shot him.”

During the "Black Swan" murder trial, Sant's 911 call was played for the jury. Throughout the call, you can hear Sant attempting to calm Benefield.

"She just came over, her estranged husband attacked her, and she said she shot him," Sant said in the 911 call, according to WTVT.

O’Donnell said there was no evidence that Ashley had been physically assaulted.

O’Donnell also said the fatal bullet that struck Doug entered through the side of his body, which she argued contradicts Ashley's testimony.

Detectives noted — in regard to where the victim was struck — it “does not appear that he was facing Ashley when she began shooting.”

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8-year-old girl dies in hot car; mom charged with manslaughter



A young girl in North Carolina died after her mother apparently left her in a car for hours on one of the hottest days of the year.

Last Wednesday, 36-year-old Ashlee Stallings went to work at an Amazon facility near Charlotte Douglas International Airport on a day when temperatures reached between 94 and 97 degrees. For reasons unknown, Stallings also brought along her 8-year-old daughter and then allegedly left the girl in the car so she could attend to her job responsibilities.

Stallings suggested to police that her daughter may have turned off the AC after she became too cold.

About three and a half hours later and about an hour and a half after the girl's last text message, Stallings went to the car to check on her daughter. According to reports, she found her daughter lying on the floor of the backseat, foaming at the mouth, and struggling to breathe.

Stallings then reportedly grabbed a hammer and smashed out a back window to get the girl. She then hopped in the driver's seat and headed for the hospital but stopped somewhere along the way and dialed 911.

First responders raced to the scene and found the girl in "critical condition," a police statement said. They then transported the girl to the hospital, where she was pronounced deceased.

Court documents have indicated the girl had gone into cardiac arrest and suffered brain damage as a result of hyperthermia. Her name has not been released.

When questioned, Stallings reportedly admitted to police that she had knowingly left the girl in the car and that doing so was wrong. However, she added that she had left the car running with the air conditioning turned on and had been keeping in contact with her daughter via text, court documents said. Stallings suggested to police that her daughter may have turned off the AC after she became too cold.

Stallings was arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter and child abuse or neglect causing serious injury. She remains at the Mecklenburg County Detention Center on a bond of at least $250,000.

A statement from Amazon described the incident as "incredibly tragic." "During this difficult time, we’re supporting our employees and have made counseling resources widely available," the statement added.

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Ohio mother sentenced to prison for death of 4-year-old daughter who was fed Mountain Dew in baby bottle, causing her teeth to rot



An Ohio mother has been sentenced to prison after her 4-year-old diabetic daughter died from being mainly fed a diet of baby bottles filled with Mountain Dew.

Tamara Banks, 41, was sentenced on Friday to at least nine years in prison for the young girl's death and up to 13 and a half years. Banks, of Clermont County, had pleaded guilty in March to involuntary manslaughter for the death of her daughter – Karmity Hoeb.

Karmity's father, 53-year-old Christopher Hoeb, also pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter. He is set to be sentenced in June.

Karmity was found unresponsive on Jan. 21, 2022. The couple called 911 and the girl was rushed to the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

The 4-year-old girl was declared to be brain dead and died four days later after being taken off life support.

Karmity died in 2022 of a diabetes-related brain injury.

The Clermont County coroner determined the girl's cause of death was diabetic ketoacidosis. Prosecutors said the girl's condition "was left undiagnosed and untreated over a long period of time."

Dr. Chris Peltier – President of the Ohio Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics – told WCPO-TV, "Diabetic ketoacidosis, or DKA, is an extreme complication of untreated diabetes."

Prosecutors claimed Banks and Hoeb mostly fed their daughter a baby bottle that was filled with baby formula and Mountain Dew soda. Prosecutors noted that the 4-year-old girl should have been weaned off bottles long before her death.

A 20-ounce bottle of Mountain Dew reportedly contains 77 grams of sugar.

WXIX-TV previously reported the girl's teeth had rotted out and she had almost none left.

Karmity suffered from a "serious medical issue" days before her death, but her parents failed to call for help or take her to the hospital, according to prosecutors.

Prosecutors said Karmity suffered neglect, child abuse, denied proper nutrition, lacked medical care, and there was no evidence that she had been taken to a dentist in her short life.

Clermont County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Clay Tharp told the Cincinnati Enquirer, "This is one of the most tragic cases I have ever encountered."

Tharp also pointed out, "This child did not have to die."

Our guardian angel now

Karmity – nicknamed "Boogie" – "loved to be silly" and "loved looking at herself in the mirror because she knew how beautiful and special she was."

"Each day she woke up full of joy and love," the girl's obituary read. "Every day she was playing with her Mickey buddies and racing her cars. She touched everyone that ever laid eyes on her or spent any time with her. She will always be remembered as our daughter, our guardian angel now."

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Louisiana couple sentenced for allowing their severely autistic daughter to rot to death on their couch



A Louisiana couple has finally been brought to justice for killing their severely autistic 36-year-old daughter, Lacey Ellen Fletcher — found "melted" into a couch and covered in excrement, sores, and maggots.

The victim's parents, Sheila and Clay Fletcher, pleaded guilty to manslaughter last month. On Wednesday, an East Feliciana Parish judge decided it was the couple's turn to rot for years in one place.

The sickening scene

Lacey Fletcher's emaciated remains were discovered in January 2022, fused by rotten skin to her parents' living room couch in Slaughter, Louisiana.

Blaze News previously reported that East Feliciana Parish coroner Dr. Ewell Dewitt Bickham III figured the woman's 96-pound body had been been stuck there for well over a decade, making for the kind of scene "you make horror movies about."

"When I first walked in the house, it smelled of feces, fecal material, however you want to put that politely, it stunk. And when I got to the body, the individual was basically sitting in a hole, filled with liquid stool and urine," Bickham told WAFB-TV. "It's the worst form of medical neglect I've ever seen. I don't know any other adjectives or adverbs to add to that."

The Daily Mail obtained forensic pathologist Dana Troxclair's autopsy report, which indicated the victim had "polarizable fibers (most likely fibers from the couch) and maggots embedded in the exposed surface of the bones."

Fletcher likely was infested with the maggots while still alive.

"There was no evidence of decomposition at the time of the autopsy; therefore, it was determined that the maggots were present prior to death," wrote Troxclair.

Extra to the maggots and excrement, authorities indicated Fletcher had sores all over her body, including several ulcers on her underside, reported the Advocate.

Bickham determined that the cause of death was "acute medical neglect." This neglect "led to chronic malnutrition, acute starvation, immobility, acute ulcer formation, osteomyelitis which is bone infection, which led finally to sepsis."

The victim had not been to the doctor in at least 20 years. Sheila Fletcher, who had been away on a weekend trip with her husband the weekend the victim died, reportedly told police that Lacey Fletcher did not need to go to the doctor because "she was never sick."

The ghoulish parents

Sheila and Clay Fletcher later claimed that their daughter, who was reportedly diagnosed with "severe" Asperger's and social anxiety, was of "sound mind to make her own type of decisions."

Under this pretense, they apparently went about their lives while their daughter rotted in a pile of feces right next to Sheila Fletcher's recliner in front of the family television.

On May 2, 2022, shortly after Sheila Fletcher resigned her post as town alderman, the couple was indicted for second-degree murder in their daughter's death.

Their trial was set to begin in June 2023; however, District Judge Kathryn Jones dismissed the indictments, citing defective language in the charging affidavits.

East and West Feliciana Parish District Attorney Sam D'Aquilla re-charged the couple shortly thereafter.

Facing the prospect of life in prison without parole, Sheila and Clay Fletcher withdrew their not-guilty pleas ahead of their trial, which was scheduled for last month, and formally agreed to plead guilty to manslaughter.

Blaze News noted that the couple's defense attorney Steven Moore said, "They were negligent, yes. It is clear they were negligent. They loved her to death — that is the true statement with the Fletchers. They loved their daughter to death."

The sentencing

After hearing over six hours of witness testimony Wednesday, Judge Kathryn Jones said, "Of all the things I can say about this case, the one thing that keeps coming to mind is that Clay and Sheila Fletcher continually chose the path of least resistance when it came to the care of their daughter."

Jones did not buy the parents' claim that Lacey Fletcher was of "sound mind" to make her own decisions, stressing it was their responsibility to seek help on the victim's behalf.

"This was a tragedy. The truth is that Lacey laid on a couch and slowly died because she got no medical or mental health care," said Judge Jones.

Clay Fletcher, who wept along with his wife in court, suggested that his victim's "world closed in on her gradually because of her phobias, fears, and social anxieties. The couch was her sanctuary. It was her comfort zone," reported WBRZ-TV.

Jones ultimately imposed a 40-year sentence on both Clay and Sheila Fletcher Wednesday, but suspended 20 years each, reported the Advocate.

The judge also required that both killers serve five years of probation upon their release.

West Feliciana District Attorney Sam D'Aquilla told the New York Post, "We respect the judge's decision. If you had a horse that was in the stall behind your house, and you go back there and the flesh is just gone from its body, and you can see bones exposed. … You wouldn't even treat your animal like that."

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After daughter's body found 'melted' in sofa, parents plead 'no contest' to manslaughter | Banfieldyoutu.be

Guatemalan illegal immigrant accused of police sergeant's death is released from ICE custody



An illegal immigrant from Guatemala accused of being involved with the death of a Florida police sergeant has been released from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody.

Virgilio Aguilar Mendez, 19, was accused of being involved with the death of St. Johns County Sgt. Michael Kunovich.

The incident happened around 9 p.m. on May 19, when Kunovich approached Mendez for "suspicious behavior" outside a closed restaurant in St. Augustine, according to the arrest report.

"Aguilar Mendez was walking on a public sidewalk and speaking with his mother, which is not a crime," a lawsuit read. "When Sgt. Kunovich seized Aguilar Mendez, he stopped and did not try to flee."

Police bodycam footage shows Kunovich asking the teen for identification, but Mendez does not speak English.

Bodycam video shows Mendez resisting as Kunovich attempts to pat him down. Police said the teen did have a small pocket knife in his possession at the time of the confrontation.

A struggle ensued and a deputy tased Mendez, and the teen was thrown on the grass.

The police restrained Mendez.

However, Kunovich suffered a medical emergency during the encounter and collapsed to the ground. The Florida police sergeant was rushed to the hospital, but he was later pronounced dead.

Mendez was charged with aggravated manslaughter of an officer for the sudden death of Kunovich.

However, prosecutors dropped the criminal charges against the illegal alien following the results of Kunovich's autopsy that said the 52-year-old police officer died suddenly of natural causes after suffering cardiac dysrhythmia. The medical examiner said the death may have been a result of the severe heart disease he was alleged to have, a prior heart attack, or heart and lung deterioration due to smoking.

There were also arguments by the defense that Mendez was incompetent to stand trial.

The 7th District State Attorney’s Office said in a statement, "Recent expert testimony regarding the defendant’s inability to comprehend the English language, his cultural background, and concerns about his intellectual capacity have raised significant issues to consider in the case."

Mendez's criminal defense attorney, Jose Baez, accused the police officers of racial profiling and conducting an "unlawful arrest."

St. Johns County Sheriff Rob Hardwick said in a statement earlier this month, "There have been attempts by some to portray Aguilar Mendez as a victim and vilify Sergeant Kunovich. I continue to stand behind Sergeant Kunovich's actions on the night of May 19, 2023. The danger associated with law enforcement is a risk we assume when we enter this profession. Sergeant Kunovich died a hero protecting the citizens of St. Johns County and there is nothing more noble than that. Please continue to hold our agency and Sergeant Kunovich's family in your thoughts and prayers."

First Coast News reported, "According to the incident report, Mendez is a migrant worker from Guatemala and told police he was previously in immigration custody for six months."

Kunovich was a 25-year veteran of the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office.

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Virgilio Aguilar Mendez RELEASED www.youtube.com

North Carolina mother charged in death of her infant — who died the same way her previous baby did a year earlier



Police have charged a 24-year-old North Carolina woman in connection to the death of her newborn baby — apparently, the second infant to have perished under her watch and weight inside a two-year window.

The Wilmington Police Department indicated that officers responded in the early hours of Oct. 3, 2023, to the 800 block of Castle Street following a report of an unconscious baby who had stopped breathing. First responders were reportedly unable to revive the 7-week-old child, whose name was Zhen.

Investigators discovered that Mackenzie Katlyn Reed had been sleeping next to Zhen "and during the night she suffocated her child."

The Wilmington StarNews reported that the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled Zhen's cause of death as "asphyxia due to unsafe sleep environment." The common cold was listed as an additional factor.

According an investigative report obtained by StarNews, the boy had been sleeping in a queen size bed with both parents and his twin. The autopsy indicated he was ultimately found "prone ... with (his) face in (a) blanket," and had suffered "petechial hemorrhages of epicardium, pleural surfaces, diaphragm and thymus" with swelling in his brain and lungs.

The mother had allegedly been "smoking THC and using THC gummies during the [previous] day and evening."

The investigator's report indicated Reed fell asleep after feeding the child around midnight. Zhen had been on her left side at the time. When the father awoke to find the child, he was on Reed's right side.

According to the police report, the mother said "she could not believe that 'she had done this a second time,'" referencing the death of her 3-month-old baby boy in 2022.

Police indicated Reed "had another child who died that she had been co-sleeping with as well."

A spokesman for the New Hanover County District Attorney's Office told WECT-TV that Reed was not charged for the baby's death in 2022 "because it was determined there was not enough evidence to prosecute."

Following Zhen's death in October, police launched an investigation. The WPD finally obtained warrants for Reed's arrest on March 6 then took her into custody.

Reed has been charged with felony child abuse resulting in serious injury; involuntary manslaughter; and child abuse/neglect resulting in serious physical injury.

"These charges come as a result of an in-depth investigation and hard work by the Wilmington Police Department Special Victims Unit in conjunction with the New Hanover County District Attorney’s Office," the WPD stated in a release.

As of last week, Reed was being held under a $500,000 secured bond.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, roughly 3,500 infants die every year from sleep-related infant deaths, including sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), ill-defined deaths, and accidental suffocation and strangulation.

The AAP recommends "a safe sleep environment to reduce the risk of all sleep-related deaths. This includes supine positioning; use of a firm noninclined sleep surface; room sharing without bed sharing; and avoidance of soft bedding and overheating."

In addition to cautioning against bed sharing, the AAP suggests SIDS risk can be lowered by parents avoiding exposure to nicotine, alcohol, marijuana, opioids, and illicit drugs.

The AAP noted further that studies have shown bed sharing exposes children to various risk factors for SIDS as well as "to additional risks for unintentional injury and death, such as suffocation, asphyxia, entrapment, falls, and strangulation. Infants younger than 4 months and those born preterm and/or with low birth weight are at highest risk."

Pediatrician Heidi Szugye told the Cleveland Clinic that the risk of a sleep-related infant death while bed sharing is five to 10 times higher in the early stages of life.

"Bed sharing is connected to SIDS. There's no question about it," said Szugye. "We don't recommend it for babies of any age."

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