Kentucky sheriff who was accused of fatally shooting judge in his chambers indicted for murder



A Kentucky sheriff who was accused of fatally shooting a district judge in his chambers two months ago was indicted for murder Thursday.

Prosecuting attorney Jackie Steele said after a grand jury returned the indictment that he couldn't comment on an alleged motive, although police previously said Shawn “Mickey” Stines — then-sheriff of Letcher County — and Judge Kevin Mullins had argued just before the Sept. 19 shooting, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported.

'Everything seemed fine between them. There was no clue that anything was wrong at all. You wouldn't have guessed there was the slightest problem.'

Judge Julia H. Adams received the indictment and set Stines’ arraignment for next Monday, the paper said.

Stines turned himself in after the shooting and was charged with first-degree murder, the New York Times reported, citing police. He retired as sheriff less than two weeks after the shooting.

Stines — who's accused of shooting Mullins eight times — pleaded not guilty to the murder charge.

The shooting was captured on surveillance video. You can view the surveillance clip here; it omits the actual shots being fired, and it's included in a larger video report about the shooting. Spectators cried out in the Morgan County courtroom as the video played during a hearing last month, WDKY-TV reported.

Kentucky State Police Detective Clayton Stamper testified that the full video of the shooting shows Stines using his own phone to make multiple calls, then using the judge’s phone to make a call, the Louisville Courier Journal reported, adding that the shooting followed.

Stamper testified that the calls were to Stines’ daughter, the Courier Journal noted, and he said the phone number of Stines' daughter had been saved in the judge's phone and was called before the shooting. Stamper also said Stines stood up from his chair in the judge’s office after looking at Mullins’ phone and shot him seconds later, the Herald-Leader said.

The shooting is particularly curious since Stines and Mullins reportedly had been decades-long friends.

Image source: Letcher County Sheriff's Office Facebook page (left); letchercounty.ky.gov (right)

What's more, the pair went to lunch at the Streetside Grill & Bar on Main Street just hours before the shooting, the Daily Mail reported. A restaurant employee told the outlet that Stines and Mullins ordered their usual lunch — both having chicken wings with salad.

"Everything seemed fine between them. There was no clue that anything was wrong at all," an employee said. "You wouldn't have guessed there was the slightest problem."

A woman who reportedly works for the Letcher County Sheriff’s Office also gave her phone to investigators for examination, WDKY said, adding that Stamper testified that she was one of Stines’ employees and believed she’d received text messages from Stines that noted what occurred at lunch and led to the shooting.

Under cross-examination, Stamper said that when Stines "was taken into custody, I was told by one of the other officers that were there that he made the comment, ‘They’re trying to kidnap my wife and kid,'" WDKY added.

More from the Herald-Leader:

The crime could be eligible for the death penalty if Stines is convicted because Mullins was a public official. Steele, who is prosecuting the case with Attorney General Russell Coleman’s office, said there had been no decision yet on whether to seek the death penalty against Stines if he is convicted. However, Stines’ attorney, Jeremy Bartley, has said that he does not think the murder is the appropriate charge in the case.

Bartley said at the Oct. 1 hearing that the evidence offered there pointed to the shooting as being an act of “extreme emotional disturbance” in reaction to something Stines had seen on Mullins’ phone.

There was no information at the hearing about what was on the phone. If a jury decided Stines acted out of extreme emotional disturbance, he couldn’t be convicted of murder, but rather first-degree manslaughter or a lesser crime. The death penalty would not be an option in that case.

You can view a video report here about Thursday's murder indictment.

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Laken Riley’s Murderer Was Sentenced — But Justice Isn’t Served While Mayorkas Gets To Walk Free

On Wednesday, the illegal immigrant who brutally murdered Laken Riley was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. But justice is far from served because the bureaucrats, politicians, and officials who deliberately let Jose Ibarra into this country illegally are still sitting comfortably at swanky Washington, D.C., dinners, sipping their cocktails while […]

Laken Riley’s Murderer Was Sentenced — But Justice Isn’t Served While Mayorkas Gets To Walk Free

On Wednesday, the illegal immigrant who brutally murdered Laken Riley was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. But justice is far from served because the bureaucrats, politicians, and officials who deliberately let Jose Ibarra into this country illegally are still sitting comfortably at swanky Washington, D.C., dinners, sipping their cocktails while […]

Laken Riley Needed A Daniel Penny

[rebelmouse-proxy-image https://thefederalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Screenshot-2024-11-20-at-2.04.12 PM-1200x675.png crop_info="%7B%22image%22%3A%20%22https%3A//thefederalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Screenshot-2024-11-20-at-2.04.12%5Cu202fPM-1200x675.png%22%7D" expand=1]If you don't want your daughter to meet Laken Riley's fate, raise your sons to be like Daniel Penny.

'PRAISE GOD!' Florida defeats radicals' attempt to enshrine nearly limitless abortion as a right



A coalition comprising the ACLU of Florida, Planned Parenthood, Florida Women's Freedom Coalition, and various other radical outfits campaigned to scrap legal protections for the unborn and effectively legalize late-term abortion through a constitutional amendment to Florida's Declaration of Rights.

They failed.

The voters had their say Tuesday and said "no" to Amendment 4.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who campaigned against the amendment, announced its defeat just after 8 p.m., prompting a flood of appreciative comments online as well as a meme from his press secretary depicting DeSantis lording over the Florida Democratic Party's symbolic grave.

At the time of publication, 88% of votes were in, and the amendment had netted less than 57.2% of the vote. 42.9% of voters opposed the amendment. 60% of the vote was needed for passage.

"Thank you, Florida!" tweeted Florida's first lady Casey DeSantis. "And God bless @GovRonDesantis!"

Christina Pushaw, an aide to DeSantis, wrote, "Florida makes history again. We have defeated the Soros-backed abortion amendment and the corporate-backed weed amendment."

'Amendment 4 is a radical, gruesome abortion policy that would allow abortion up to the moment of birth.'

It appears that the rest of the state was not nearly as keen on stripping unborn children of legal protections as the residents of Broward, Leon, Orange, and Palm Beach Counties.

Had the ballot measure secured the 60% of the vote needed to pass, the people's democratically elected representatives would be prohibited from passing any law banning, penalizing, delaying, or restricting abortion "before viability or when necessary to protect the patient's health, as determined by the patient's healthcare provider."

Critics noted that the wording of the amendment was intentionally vague, setting the stage for virtually unrestricted abortion in the Sunshine State.

Taryn Fenske, a spokeswoman for the group that fought the amendment to the end, Vote No on Amendment 4, previously told Blaze News that the reason for the amendment's "misleading language" was "because the Soros-backed radicals pushing Amendment 4 know that they need to conceal the shocking reality of how their scheme would endanger women and children in Florida."

Amendment 4 would also have undone the Heartbeat Protection Act, which bans the slaying of unborn babies after six weeks of pregnancy, unless the mother is a victim of rape, incest, or human trafficking; the mother's life is in danger; or the baby has a fatal fetal abnormality.

Since the amendment has failed, the Heartbeat Protection Act remains the law of the land.

Liz Wheeler, host of BlazeTV's "The Liz Wheeler Show," previously told Blaze News, "Amendment 4 is a radical, gruesome abortion policy that would allow abortion up to the moment of birth. This means big, healthy, full-term babies would be aborted for any reason."

"Amendment 4 is dishonestly presented as allowing abortion 'just' until viability — but what is viability?" continued Wheeler. "The term viability is not defined in the legislation, and viability is not a scientific or ethical concept about when a human life begins anyway, but simply a term that defines, on a moving scale as medical knowledge advances, our capacity to keep that baby alive outside the womb before the baby reaches full term."

'Tens of thousands of babies will now be saved.'

DeSantis said in August, "If you care about building a culture of life in this state or this country, them winning in Florida, I think, really represents the end of the pro-life movement."

The Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops condemned the amendment, calling it "an extreme proposal that legalizes full-term abortion with no protections for the preborn child."

"We urge all Floridians of goodwill to stand against the legalization of late-term abortion and oppose the abortion amendment," continued the bishops' statement. "In doing so, we will not only protect the weakest, most innocent, and defenseless of human life among us but also countless women throughout the state from the harms of abortion."

As it became clear early on Tuesday that Amendment 4 would fail, CatholicVote noted on X, "Huge win for Ron DeSantis. Huge win for life."

Archbishop Thomas Wenski of the Archdiocese of Miami told Blaze News in advance that the defeat of Amendment 4 "would be a tremendous victory for Life and the rights of the unborn."

"Tens of thousands of babies will now be saved because Florida's Amendment 4 failed," tweeted Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life. "PRAISE GOD!"

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Cause of death revealed for 2 moms found in freezer in cow pasture; 5 members of 'God's Misfits' group charged with murder



Two Kansas mothers were found dead inside a chest freezer in a cow pasture in rural Oklahoma in April.

Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39, went on a road trip to Oklahoma earlier this year. However, they went missing March 30 after driving to the Oklahoma panhandle to pick up Butler's children — ages 6 and 8. They didn't make it that far.

The group's initial plan was to 'throw an anvil through Butler's windshield while driving, making it look like an accident because anvils regularly fall off work vehicles.'

Authorities found their car abandoned near the Oklahoma-Kansas border.

Law enforcement suspected foul play after allegedly finding "evidence of a severe injury" and several puddles of blood near the abandoned vehicle in the desolate Oklahoma panhandle.

On April 13, investigators discovered Butler and Kelley's remains inside a chest freezer that had been buried in a cow pasture, according to affidavits. The freezer reportedly was inside a hole filled with dirt and concrete.

The Daily Mail reported that the mothers were found dead in "pools of blood" inside the freezer.

Investigators discovered that the farming property had ties to the grandmother of one of the women's children, court documents say.

The property owner told authorities that 43-year-old Tad Bert Cullum — who reportedly rented time on the cow pasture for cattle grazing — asked him on March 28 "if he could cut a tree down, remove a stump, [and] bury some concrete" in an area below the dam where a concrete pile had been sitting above ground. The property owner said Cullum completed the project in the next day or two.

Cullum was the boyfriend of 54-year-old Tifany Adams — the paternal grandmother of Butler's children.

Court records revealed that Adams' son — Wrangler Rickman — had been in a custody battle with Butler over their children. The couple also allegedly were going through a divorce. At the time, Rickman reportedly was in an Oklahoma rehabilitation center.

The Daily Mail reported that Butler had court-mandated, supervised visits every Saturday with her children, and Kelley was one of four people listed to supervise the visits.

The outlet added that Butler filed a petition in court March 20 that would grant her more time with her children, with her goal being receiving full custody.

“Adams hated and despised Butler and wanted her dead,” court documents said.

In April, Callum, Adams, 31-year-old Paul Grice, 44-year-old Cora Twombly, and 50-year-old Cole Twombly were arrested in connection with the deaths of the two mothers.

All five suspects are facing two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of kidnapping, and one count of conspiracy to commit murder in the first degree.

The filing said Adams allegedly purchased three burner phones, stun devices, yellow straps found around the freezer, and the pants that Cullum wore and buried with the victims.

CNN reported that Cora Twombly told her 16-year-old daughter that she was going on a “mission" with Cole Twombly, the girl's stepfather. The teen said her mother and stepfather told her they would "not have to worry about [Butler] again," according to Fox News.

The group's initial plan was to "throw an anvil through Butler's windshield while driving, making it look like an accident because anvils regularly fall off work vehicles," Cora Twombly allegedly told her daughter.

'God’s Misfits is about spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, not about hate and murder.'

Citing court documents, KSNT-TV reported that the Twomblys "served as lookouts on the day of the murder."

Court documents accuse Grice of stabbing Butler to death while Cullum allegedly killed Kelley — the wife of a pastor.

Grice severely cut his hand in the process of killing Butler, the documents state.

Grice reportedly tossed a stun device and the murder weapon into the grave, along with the clothing he was wearing when he killed Butler. Investigators said the clothing recovered from the grave contained DNA evidence from Grice and Butler.

A preliminary autopsy report was released this week that revealed the cause of death of the two mothers.

The report from the Oklahoma Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said Butler and Kelley were killed from multiple sharp-force trauma, which could be caused by a knife, glass, or anything with a cutting edge.

The Oklahoma Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is expected to release the full report on Nov. 15.

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said the five suspects were members of a group called God’s Misfits — reportedly a self-proclaimed anti-government group with a religious affiliation.

In April, the supposed founder of God's Misfits distanced himself from the suspects.

“Someway, people think they are part of us. Nothing could be more wrong,” the founder posted on Facebook. “God’s Misfits is about spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, not about hate and murder.”

The preliminary hearings are scheduled to begin Dec. 17.

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'Distressed' 911 caller told police he fell off a cliff during a bear attack. Now he's wanted for murder.



A Tennessee man called police saying he'd fallen off a cliff while a bear was chasing him. However, law enforcement is now saying the 911 caller murdered a hiker and then attempted to stage the victim's death as a bear attack.

A man called 911 dispatch at 11:34 p.m. Oct. 18 to inform authorities that he was "injured and partially in water," according to a news release from the Monroe County Sheriff's Office.

A manhunt is under way for Hamlett, and police said he should be considered armed and dangerous.

The "distressed hiker" told police he had fallen off a cliff while running away from a bear. The hiker told law enforcement that his name was Brandon Andrade. The call was pinged in the area of the Charles Hall Bridge on the Cherohala Skyway in Tellico Plains — a small mountain town in east Tennessee.

When first responders arrived, they searched the area and discovered a bloody corpse at the bottom of a cliff. The dead man had Brandon Andrade's identification.

But law enforcement determined that the victim was not Andrade. Investigators said the ID had been stolen and used multiple times.

Detectives with the Monroe County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigation Division and the Monroe County Violent Crimes Unit identified Nicholas Wayne Hamlett, 45, as the suspect who had been using Andrade's stolen identification.

“Mr. Hamlett had used a false name when speaking with law enforcement in Knox County, TN after the distressed hiker call. Before his real identity had been verified, Mr. Hamlett is believed to have fled from his Tennessee residence,” the sheriff's office said.

Investigators said the man who was found dead at the bottom of the cliff was murdered. Police did not identify him; they referred to him as John Doe.

An arrest warrant has been issued for Hamlett for first-degree murder. A manhunt is under way for Hamlett, and police said he should be considered armed and dangerous.

Hamlett is 5'7" tall, weighs 170 pounds, and has brown hair and blue eyes.

Authorities said if you see Hamlett, call 911 or Monroe County Dispatch at 423-442-4357.

Apparently, this isn't the first time Hamlett has been accused of an incident like this.

In 2009, Hamlett was accused of holding a man at gunpoint, trying to hit him with a baseball bat, and attempting to bury him alive, according to AL.com. He was charged with attempted murder and kidnapping before pleading to a lesser offense of felony assault. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison for his crimes in 2012. In that case, Hamlett used the alias Joshua Jones. Hamlett also was wanted in Alabama on a parole violation.

As Blaze News reported earlier this month, a Montana father was so brutally mangled to death while camping that his friends thought he was mauled in a bear attack. However, detectives said the "loving" dad was not killed by a bear – but rather he was the victim of a grisly homicide.

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Boy, 15, claims brother killed 'whole family' before killing himself. But sister, 11, survives — and tells different story.



Five members of a family were found fatally shot in their Seattle-area home earlier this week. A 15-year-old boy is accused of murdering his parents and three siblings, but he claimed his brother carried out the murders before committing suicide.

However, the boy's 11-year-old sister who survived the massacre refuted her brother's murder-suicide story and declared that her 15-year-old brother is the killer.

The sister said she survived because she played dead and exited the house through a window.

Shortly before 5 a.m. Monday, two adults and three children were found dead inside their waterfront home in Fall City — approximately 25 miles east of Seattle.

WAPT reported that the King County Medical Examiner's Office identified the victims as Mark Humiston, 43; Sarah Humiston, 42; and their children Benjamin Humiston, 13; Joshua Humiston, 9; and Katheryn Humiston, 7.

The family’s father was shot four times and the mother was shot twice, the probable cause statement says.

The family's only survivors are an 11-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy.

The 15-year-old boy notified the King County Sheriff's Office of the murders. He told police his 13-year-old brother "just shot my whole family and committed suicide, too," a sheriff's detective wrote in a probable cause statement, according to NBC News.

According to an affidavit of probable cause, the 15-year-old told a 911 operator that his brother did the shooting because he had gotten in trouble for looking at pornography.

However, the 11-year-old sister survived the mass shooting and contradicted her brother's account of the murders.

The girl told investigators that her 15-year-old brother shot her and her family with a Glock handgun that belonged to their father, according to the probable cause statement.

The girl informed investigators that the 15-year-old shot her and left the room; she then heard someone shouting "stop" and "help" before she escaped, the detective wrote.

The sister said she survived because she played dead and exited the house through a window. She then ran to a neighbor's home.

The girl was hospitalized and has since been discharged, a spokesperson for Harborview Medical Center in Seattle stated.

The girl told police the handgun was kept in a lockbox, and her 15-year-old brother was the only sibling who knew the combination, the probable cause statement says.

A few minutes after the 15-year-old called police, the neighbor called 911 to report that the 11-year-old had just survived a shooting by her teen brother, according to the affidavit.

The judge ordered the teenager — who's being held in a detention facility for juveniles — to have no contact with his surviving sibling.

Detectives determined that the 15-year-old attempted to frame his deceased brother for the murder of his parents and siblings and arrested him when they arrived at the crime scene.

The 15-year-old "staged the scene prior to the arrival of first responders" to make it appear that the 13-year-old brother committed the murders and then died by suicide, a detective wrote.

King County Detective Aaron Thompson wrote in the probable cause statement that the suspect "systematically murdered his mother, father, two brothers, and sister, and attempted to murder his other sister."

On Thursday, the 15-year-old was charged with five counts of murder and one count of attempted murder in juvenile court. All six criminal counts were filed with a designation that they were acts of domestic violence, according to the prosecuting attorney's office. The attempted murder count has a firearms enhancement, which allows for a more severe sentence if the suspect is convicted.

However, prosecutors filed a motion seeking a “discretionary decline hearing,” in which they would make the case that juvenile court should decline jurisdiction and have the case transferred to adult court — a process that could take months, according to the Seattle Times.

The outlet noted that 16-year-olds and 17-year-olds accused of murder and other serious violent crimes automatically can be charged as adults. However, a discretionary decline hearing is required to charge suspects 15 years old and younger as adults.

The teen's defense attorneys — Molly Campera and Amy Parker — said during a Tuesday hearing that "our client is a 15-year-old boy who enjoys mountain biking and fishing and has no criminal history. ... The law says our client is presumed innocent of these charges, and we are grateful for a judicial process that requires proof and evidence before there is a judgment."

The judge ordered the teenager — who's being held in a detention facility for juveniles — to have no contact with his surviving sibling.

The father worked as an electrical engineer for Hargis Engineers.

“We are blindsided and saddened by the tragic events that have led to the loss of a respected colleague, mentor, and friend, as well as the loss of immediate family members,” the company said in a statement. The man’s “leadership and vision were integral within our firm, and he will be greatly missed. Our thoughts are with his surviving family, friends, and colleagues during this difficult time.”

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Woman allegedly sicced 103-pound rottweiler on 9-year-old girl who then died; prosecutors want death penalty for suspect



A Florida woman allegedly sicced a 103-pound Rottweiler on her boyfriend's 9-year-old daughter. The vicious dog attack was fatal. Now, prosecutors are calling for the death penalty against the suspect.

Tyshael Elise Martin, 34, was arrested in August in connection with the death of the girl, Jamaria Sessions. Martin was charged with first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, and child neglect, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

'I’m fixing to kill her.'

The young girl was found dead June 17 at a home in Montverde — about 25 miles west of Orlando.

Shortly before 5 a.m., officials answered a call regarding an unresponsive child and found Jamaria naked with “a significant number of abrasions, small punctures, burns, possible bite marks, and bruising covering her body, all in various stages of healing,” according to the probable cause arrest affidavit.

According to the sheriff's office, the girl's injuries were “consistent with physical abuse.”

The girl had suffered "superficial lacerations indicative of being pinched with significant force, her face was swollen, some of her teeth were broken, she had blood in her left ear along with a penetration wound behind her ear, and contusions all over her body," the affidavit stated.

The document also said "the medical examiner noted the number of superficial injuries covering the majority of her body, and advised it appeared to be torture inflicted by fingernails and injuries consistent with being struck by something, possibly wire."

Sheriff's detectives obtained more than 2,800 surveillance videos from inside and outside the home. Six videos from the night of June 15 show a large dog attacking the girl.

The affidavit stated, “Jamaria Sessions being viciously attacked by the family pet, a 103-pound male Rottweiler as Jamaria was just out of frame, however, Tyshael Martin could be seen holding the leash of the dog and is heard encouraging the dog to bite Jamaria Sessions as Jamaria laid on the floor, ending with Jamaria Sessions attempting to stand up in the doorway coming into frame."

Authorities said the video shows the dog biting Jamaria's head "at the command of Tyshael Martin."

Martin allegedly ordered the "staggering, nude, and disheveled" Sessions to stand in the room with her arms up.

"This prompted Tyshael Martin to deliver a kick to the rear of the child causing her to collapse to the floor," according to the arrest affidavit. "The child lay motionless, moaning in pain, as Tyshael Martin continued to kick her hip and eventually her stomach area at full force."

Martin reportedly grabbed Sessions by her hair and dragged her across the floor and continued to command Jamaria to stand up, but the girl "physically could not comply."

The affidavit said, "The next video clip begins with Tyshael Martin stating what sounds like, ‘I’m fixing to kill her.’”

Sheriff's detectives said the girl had previously been hit with objects, kicked, punched, and pinched.

According to Law & Crime, state attorneys in Florida’s Fifth Judicial Circuit filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty against Tyshael Martin.

Jamaria’s father – 27-year-old LoJuan Sessions – also was arrested in August and has been charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child.

Martin and Sessions are both in Lake County Jail without bond

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Male tortured girlfriend for days, tattooed 'degrading words' on her chest before murdering her on Christmas Eve: Officials



A California man was convicted Tuesday of nine felony counts in connection with the 2021 murder and torture of his girlfriend.

A jury found Saul C. Nava, 24, guilty of first-degree murder, torture, kidnapping, aggravated mayhem, assault with a deadly weapon, inflicting corporal injury to current/former spouse/cohabitant/fiancé, and possession of child pornography.

'I'm scared. I'm really scared. I'm terrified.'

Senior Deputy District Attorney David Russell stated, "Although this result cannot erase the immeasurable pain the defendant inflicted on the victims and their families, we hope that this brings some measure of closure to see him held accountable for his horrific crimes."

Officials said Nava tortured his girlfriend for days and murdered her on Christmas Eve. Then he called 911.

Police responded to the call and found a gruesome crime scene at Nava's studio apartment in Thousand Oaks.

Nava tortured Alisen Takacs-Escobar, 24, for days, she and had injuries over her entire body. She suffered from extensive bruising and the top of her head also showed a large laceration.

The Ventura County District Attorney's Office said "degrading words" were newly tattooed on the center of her chest.

Police said Nava had used tattoo equipment, baseball bats, a hammer, a belt, and a screwdriver to torture his girlfriend.

Nava’s cellphone was found in the apartment. In the hours leading up to her death, Nava had recorded videos with the phone that showed him "taunting her and displaying no concern for her worsening condition."

The Ventura County Star reported that there were four videos on Nava's phone that showed blood streaming across a large portion of Takacs-Escobar's face.

"Express yourself," a male voice is heard saying in one of the videos.

Takacs-Escobar replies: "I'm scared. I'm really scared. I'm terrified."

The male asks, "Is what you did worth it?" She answers no.

Nava was arrested at the apartment.

Ventura County Medical Examiner's Office found that Takacs-Escobar died of blunt force injuries and ruled her death a homicide.

The fatal attack purportedly occurred a few weeks after Nava noticed a phone message between Takacs-Escobar and a former boyfriend.

A police witness described the message as "flirtatious" and had discussed their former sexual relations.

The prosecution said they were not having a sexual relationship at the time.

Nava indicated he was aware that the pair were not having physical contact but said he considered flirting to be cheating.

An ex-girlfriend of Nava's told authorities he had physically abused her and confined her in a closet when they were teenagers.

At one point in the relationship, the ex-girlfriend said she attempted to flee, but Nava allegedly found her and threatened her with a knife until she got into his vehicle.

The ex-girlfriend got pregnant when she was 17 and said Nava punched her in the stomach and forced her to get an abortion. She said Nava punched her in the face, choked her, and secretly filmed their sex life.

Sophia Nuno, a high school friend of Takacs-Escobar, testified that her friend “was super friendly, bubbly, happy and outgoing” before she started dating Nava and that her behavior changed after she started dating him.

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