Father learns his fate after pleading guilty to having sex with his daughter who months later took her own life



A Southern California father has learned his fate after pleading guilty to having sex with his daughter who months later took her own life.

The Ventura County District Attorney's Office said Stephen Vincent Chavez's 18-year-old biological daughter, Makayla, was staying with him at his residence in Moorpark last July. Moorpark is about an hour northwest of Los Angeles.

'Investigators and prosecutors performed additional interviews, obtained and reviewed the results of new forensic testing and medical evaluations, and carefully analyzed electronic evidence.'

"After a day of drinking at a family gathering, Chavez purchased additional alcohol for himself and his daughter to consume at home," the DA's Office added. "Chavez then engaged in sexual intercourse with her. Makayla tragically took her own life in December 2025."

Chavez, 41, pleaded guilty in May to felony incest and misdemeanor providing alcohol to a minor, officials said, adding that Chavez also "admitted he took advantage of a position of trust and that the victim was particularly vulnerable."

"Several members of Makayla's family addressed the court during sentencing and provided emotional victim impact statements describing the lasting trauma caused by the defendant's actions and the devastating loss of Makayla," the DA's Office said.

In addition, Deputy District Attorney Tessa McCarty said, “The people requested the maximum three-year state prison sentence because the defendant exploited his position as a father, violated his daughter’s trust, supplied her with alcohol, and engaged in criminal conduct that forever altered the course of her life."

McCarty added to KTLA-TV that Makayla had “placed her trust and well-being in [Chavez’s] care” by moving from North Carolina to California to start a new life with him.

The following video report aired prior to Chavez pleading guilty.

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But District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced Tuesday that Chavez was sentenced to one year in Ventura County Jail and three years of felony probation for incest and providing alcohol to his 18-year-old biological daughter, officials said.

Prosecutors objected to the court’s sentence, the DA's Office said.

Prior to Chavez entering guilty pleas, Nasarenko "directed the office’s most experienced prosecutors to conduct a comprehensive review of whether additional charges, including rape, could legally be filed. Investigators and prosecutors performed additional interviews, obtained and reviewed the results of new forensic testing and medical evaluations, and carefully analyzed electronic evidence," officials said.

The DA's Office added that 10 of its prosecutors reviewed the evidence and findings and that "experienced prosecutors and legal experts from another county" also were consulted.

However, following the "extensive review, all concluded that incest was the only felony charge supported by the law, facts, and admissible evidence," officials said.

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Victims' families roast 'demon' Gilgo Beach serial killer; judge's parting shot sparks courtroom cheers



New York serial killer Rex Heuermann will die in prison after being sentenced to multiple life terms without parole for killing seven women and admitting to murdering an eighth victim. The victims' heartbroken families appeared in court and castigated the serial killer as a "coward," a "monster," and an "ogre."

Heuermann in April pleaded guilty to three counts of murder in the first degree and four counts of murder in the second degree for the murders of seven women, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office.

'You're a disgusting, small man, if you're a man at all.'

The DA's office added that Heuermann admitted "publicly, as part of his allocution, to killing an eighth victim, Karen Vergata" in 1996.

Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney said in a statement that state Supreme Court Justice Timothy P. Mazzei sentenced 62-year-old Heuermann to three consecutive life sentences plus 100 years without the possibility of parole.

Tierney stated:

For the families of these eight young women who have waited decades for this day, your voices have been heard. Rex Heuermann will now serve the rest of his life in prison for taking the lives of your loved ones. None of the success of the Gilgo Beach Task Force would have been possible without your relentless dedication and assistance. You are the reason we do what we do. I also extend my heartfelt thanks to all the talented investigators from the partner agencies in our task force for their amazing work.

NBC News reported that Heuermann was charged with the deaths of 20-year-old Jessica Taylor, 22-year-old Megan Waterman, 24-year-old Melissa Barthelemy, 24-year-old Valerie Mack, 25-year-old Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 27-year-old Amber Costello, and 28-year-old Sandra Costilla.

Grieving family members confronted the serial killer and delivered gut-wrenching victim impact statements during the hearing.

The New York Post reported that Amanda Funderburg — whose sister, Melissa Barthelemy, was strangled to death by Heuermann in 2009 — told the convicted killer: "Look at me while I'm talking."

"I was forced to live with crippling anxiety, depression, PTSD, and destroyed nervous system constantly staring at my phone," Funderburg said in court.

According to court documents, Heuermann called and taunted Funderburg's family with grisly details of Barthelemy's murder.

Funderburg told the Gilgo Beach serial killer that "several times you had called me from my sister’s phone telling me she was a whore."

At the time of the murder, Funderburg was only 15 years old.

"I was robbed of my youth, I was robbed of my young adulthood, and I still feel robbed today," Funderburg said, according to People magazine.

"Do me a favor — save me a spot in hell, because I'll see you there," Funderburg proclaimed.

According to NBC News, Funderburg blasted Heuermann as an "ogre," a "repulsive monster," and a "demon inside and out."

Melissa Cann — whose sister Maureen Brainard-Barnes was slain by Heuermann — ripped the killer as a "coward."

"Rex, I noticed a slight smile,” Cann said in court. "There is no honor in this. You're a coward who hid behind a mask. You hunted and murdered to satisfy the darkness within you."

"You are a coward who preyed on vulnerable, innocent women behind a mask, a man without empathy, without a soul, who hunted, tortured, and murdered women,” Cann continued.

Nicolette Brainard-Barnes — Maureen's daughter — was only 7 years old when her mother was murdered.

“I was a little girl, and I needed my mom," the distraught daughter said. "Like every sex worker, my mother was an entire human being. You make me sick, and I don't forgive you."

PBS noted that Heuermann said he strangled his victims — a number of whom were sex workers — and dismembered some of their bodies.

JoAnn Mack — the adoptive mother of Valerie Mack — said at the hearing, "Justice has been done, but it can't replace what has been taken. She had dreams, and you took them all away from her."

Jasmine Robinson — the cousin of Jessica Taylor — said of Heuermann's sentence, "A million years isn't enough. Nothing will ever make this right."

Elizabeth Meserve — the aunt of Megan Waterman — blasted those who profited off "The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets," a Peacock documentary about the murders that haunted Long Island for more than three decades.

The Post reported that the series featured exclusive interviews with Heuermann’s ex-wife, Asa Ellerup, and daughter, Victoria Heuermann — and added that they both "were reportedly compensated for participating."

"These individuals profited from the monstrous acts committed against our loved ones by the demon sitting in this courtroom,” Meserve declared.

"This is the kind of world we live in," Meserve noted. "A demon tortures and kills our loved ones, and his family gets filthy rich off his crimes."

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Heuermann told the court, "There are no words that I can say. The words I would say have no meaning."

Judge Mazzei slammed the serial killer, "You're a disgusting, small man, if you're a man at all. And you're a coward."

The judge then ordered, "Get him out of here," which elicited cheers from the distraught family members.

The Guardian reported that Heuermann’s ex-wife, Asa Ellerup, did not attend the sentencing hearing "out of respect for those who endured unimaginable loss and suffering."

Her attorney said, "She does not wish her presence to distract from the purpose of these proceedings."

Court documents said the gruesome murders took place between 1993 and 2010, but authorities didn't get their big break in the case until several years later.

NBC News reported that Heuermann was arrested in 2023 "based on a trove of evidence, including DNA traces from a discarded pizza crust found in a midtown Manhattan garbage can."

PBS reported that investigators gathered cellphone and tracking data showing Heuermann arranged meetings with some victims shortly before their disappearances. After Heuermann's arrest, PBS said prosecutors recovered a "blueprint" for the killings from his computer files.

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19-year-old thug who shot a dad defending his daughter from bullies is sentenced



A 19-year-old male who last year shot a father defending his daughter from bullies was sentenced Wednesday, WBRZ-TV reported.

Jerry Huggins initially was charged with attempted first-degree murder and illegal use of a weapon in connection with the March 2025 shooting of Corey Breaux, who said he went outside to protect his daughter from a group of teenagers who were bullying her, the station said.

'At the very least the individual should have received life.'

Video shows Breaux approaching the group when Huggins pulled a gun and opened fire.

Breaux was shot three times, leaving him with significant injuries, WBRZ added.

"This gentleman was doing nothing wrong," Baton Rouge Police Information Officer Saundra Watts told the station following the shooting. "He was trying to defend his daughter against a bunch of bullies who were out there terrorizing his daughter, so he stood up. He did the right thing, but unfortunately this teen took it upon himself to shoot this man in front of his daughter."

However, Huggins on Monday pleaded guilty to lesser charges — aggravated second-degree battery and illegal use of weapons, WBRZ said.

On Wednesday, Huggins was sentenced to 13 years in prison, the station reported.

Huggins received 11 years for the aggravated battery charge and two years for the illegal use of weapons charge, and he was credited for time served, WBRZ said.

The following video report aired prior to Huggins' sentence.

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A number of people responding to WBRZ's Facebook post about the sentence and reduced charges were none too pleased:

  • "Only 13 years not even close to being enough time," one commenter said.
  • "This slap on the wrist about to cause more problems in the BIG RAGGEDY!" another user wrote. "You can't whoop your kids — if you do, you go to jail; now you can shoot a man defending his daughter three times and only get 13 years. R.I.D.I.C.U.L.O.U.S. ..."
  • "Shot an unarmed man point blank 3-4 times trying to kill him and only got 13 years," another commenter observed. "That's (F) up."
  • "There is no way this individual should have gotten 13 years," another user said. "At the very least the individual should have received life."

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Adult accused of telling 13-year-old he likes 'little boys and girls' before shoving, holding victim against wall learns fate



A 33-year-old Chicago male who's accused of telling a 13-year-old he likes "little boys and girls" before shoving and holding the victim against a wall has been sentenced, CWB Chicago reported.

Devontay Kenny on February 24, 2025, followed the 13-year-old boy down West Division Street in Humboldt Park, the outlet said.

Court records indicate Kenny has several felony convictions for narcotics-related charges as well as a 2017 conviction for aggravated robbery, the outlet said.

Kenny repeatedly tried to get the victim's attention, saying he likes "little boys and girls," the outlet added, citing court filings.

But when the boy refused to stop, prosecutors said Kenny grabbed the boy by the sweater with both hands and pushed him against a brick wall to keep him from moving away, the outlet said.

After a struggle, the victim broke free and ran to a nearby convenience store for help, the outlet said.

When witnesses confronted Kenny, officials said he tried to convince them he was the boy’s uncle, the outlet said.

RELATED: Thug carjacks a grandmother as her 6-year-old grandson looks on. But crook soon gets his comeuppance.

Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune

Kenny pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful restraint in connection with the incident, the outlet said, adding that prosecutors dropped child abduction and aggravated battery charges.

On Monday, Judge John Lyke handed down Kenny’s sentence: six years in prison, the outlet said.

As you might imagine, Kenny has had other run-ins with the law.

In fact, just one week before the incident with the 13-year-old boy, Kenny was placed on a nighttime curfew with an electronic monitoring bracelet after police said he was distributing heroin and cocaine, the outlet said, citing court records.

However, prosecutors dropped those drug charges three weeks after Kenny was charged with assaulting the 13-year-old boy, the outlet said.

What's more, court records indicate Kenny has several felony convictions for narcotics-related charges as well as a 2017 conviction for aggravated robbery, the outlet noted.

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Ex-teacher accused of paying students for sex, loading them up with booze and drugs finds out her fate



A Missouri woman who was accused of paying students for sex and giving them alcohol and drugs while she was a substitute teacher just learned where she'll be spending the next decade.

Carissa Smith, 31, was arrested last November and indicted on a host of charges including two counts of sexual trafficking of a child under the age of 18, nine counts of statutory rape, two counts of statutory sodomy, three counts of sexual contact with a student, and one count of patronizing prostitution from a victim 14 years and younger.

'Very disturbing and distressing information.'

Investigators indicated the incidents occurred from August 2023 to September 2024.

According to the Pulaski County Sheriff's Office, victims alleged that Smith — who began regularly working as a substitute teacher at Dixon Middle School in August 2022 then worked at Dixon High School from 2023 until her resignation in August 2024 — "would offer money, marijuana and/or alcohol to students in return for sex or to allow her to perform oral sex."

The probable cause statement indicated that Smith paid one victim at least $100 to engage in sexual activities with her. Authorities noted further that Smith urged one minor victim not to discuss their encounters with anyone else.

Court documents reviewed by USA Today indicated that Smith also involved her husband, informing him that one victim had a compromising video and was blackmailing her. The husband allegedly threatened more than one minor with a baseball bat.

The affidavit reviewed by People magazine indicated that after hearing a rumor about a video circulating in the community that allegedly showed the substitute teacher performing a sexual act with one of her students, Smith's brother-in-law caught her in bed with an underage student.

RELATED: Former teacher sentenced to 132 years in prison for horrific abuse of her two stepsons

Photo by Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun Staff

Victims claimed that Smith would have sex with them at her house as well as other locations, including on roadsides.

The day after Smith's Nov. 12, 2024, arrest, Dixon R-I School District Superintendent Travis Bohrer revealed to parents that the district had received a report of possible misconduct by Smith earlier in the year from at least one student and had notified the relevant authorities.

Bohrer noted, "This is very disturbing and distressing information for everyone in our school community."

While out on bond, Smith was arrested again in September and charged with tampering with a witness after court documents say she was caught at the home of one of her victims, the sheriff's office confirmed to USA Today.

The former teacher's $250,000 bond was revoked on Sept. 10.

"The defendant was ordered to have no contact with any victim in this case," noted prosecuting attorney Jeffrey Thomas. "The defendant has failed to follow a course of good conduct."

Smith pleaded guilty to lesser charges of two counts of sexual contact with a student and one count of first degree endangering the welfare of a child/sexual conduct on Sept. 17, reported KRCG-TV, and faced as many as 12 years in prison.

Smith instead received a sentence Wednesday of 10 years behind bars, the station said in a separate story.

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Thug who jumped over courtroom bench, physically attacked judge in viral video is sentenced



A Las Vegas trial defendant who earlier this year jumped over a courtroom bench and physically attacked a judge was sentenced this week to at least 26 years in prison for his actions, KLAS-TV reported. You can view video here of attack.

What's the background?

On Jan. 3, Deobra Redden — who already was a convicted felon with a long history of violent crime — stood before Las Vegas District Court Judge Mary Kay Holthus for sentencing over a charge of attempted battery with substantial bodily harm, KSNV-TV reported.

'I’m not a bad person, I’m not an evil guy. I’m not making excuses for my actions, but I’m saying I’m not a bad person, and I know that I did not intend to kill Mary Kay Holthus. I know I cared about her wellbeing.'

Holthus indicated she disagreed with a request from Redden's attorney to keep him out of prison, and that's when Redden cursed at Holthus, rushed the bench, jumped over it, and physically attacked the judge. A man next to the judge and a court officer both tried to hold Redden back and subdue him, KSNV said, adding that multiple punches were thrown at Redden. An alarm was activated, Holthus stood up after a few minutes, and officers escorted her out of the courtroom, the station said.

A week later, Redden again stood in front of Holthus, and she sentenced him to up to four years in prison, completing the hearing that was cut short due to Redden's attack.

What happened next?

Redden pleaded guilty but mentally ill in September during his trial for attempted murder in relation to his attack against the judge, KLAS reported.

At Redden's sentencing hearing Tuesday, the station said prosecutors read the following statement from Judge Holthus: “He made a conscious decision to kill me and made every effort to succeed. If he had his way, he’d be facing a sentence of life without the possibility of parole for murder.”

Redden tried to convince District Court Judge Susan Johnson that he wasn't trying to kill Holthus.

"I’m not a bad person, I’m not an evil guy," Redden told the judge, according to KLAS. "I’m not making excuses for my actions, but I’m saying I’m not a bad person, and I know that I did not intend to kill Mary Kay Holthus. I know I cared about her wellbeing.”

Redden's entreaties were not enough. Johnson sentenced Redden to a prison term of 26 to 65 years, the station said.

“It was not just retaliation or an attack on Judge Holthus,” Johnson said, according to KLAS. “It was also an attack on the judiciary.”

Johnson added that doctors who evaluated Redden determined that he knew the difference between “right and wrong," the station said.

With credit for time served, KLAS said Redden would be eligible for parole in the 2050s.

You can view video here of the sentencing hearing.

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Reversal of FATE: Steve Baker’s update on January 6 prisoners is ‘a good sign’



January 6 started as a chance for Trump supporters to innocently protest and quickly turned into a day that would change their lives forever.

Now, however, things might be taking a turn for the better.

“One J-sixer is seeing a reversal of fate,” Jill Savage of “Blaze New Tonight” explains.

“John Strand is actually one of the more, let’s call it, infamous stories, certainly one of the more high-profile cases of all the January 6 defendants,” Steve Baker tells Savage.

Strand was friend and bodyguard of Simone Gold — a doctor and attorney who was the deplatformed founder of the Frontline American Doctors. Gold had been accused of “disinformation” for recommending alternative therapies that were not part of what Baker calls the “approved narrative” regarding COVID-19.

Gold was scheduled to speak on January 6 at one of the six legally permitted events scheduled on the Capitol property that day.

“By the time they got to the Capitol, everything had gone to hell in a handbasket, and so there was nothing but chaos by the time they arrived. The breaches had already taken place. John Strand and Simone Gold did not participate in violence, they did not participate in breaching the Capitol building whatsoever,” Baker explains.

However, their fatal flaw was going inside the Capitol peacefully.

“She actually decided to deliver her prepared remarks there in the Rotunda. She climbed up on the Eisenhower statue, with John standing guard beside her, she delivered her remarks there in the great Rotunda of the Capitol, and then they peacefully left, just as so many other hundreds and thousands of people did,” Baker says.

Both Strand and Gold were “handed that infamous 1512 obstruction of an official proceeding felony.”

The felony carried up to 20 years of imprisonment.

Gold ended up taking a plea deal and pled down to a single misdemeanor. Judge Christopher Cooper sentenced her to 60 days in prison.

“John Strand decided he was not going to take this lying down, that he was going to be a warrior, and he, despite the odds being horribly stacked against him, he was going to go to trial and he did that,” Baker explains.

He was convicted on all counts, and he was sentenced to 32 months in prison.

“Now what’s happening is that because of the Supreme Court’s overturning the 1512 obstruction of an official proceeding charge against 355 defendants, him being one of those,” Baker says, “they’re shortening their sentences or letting them go.”

If they haven’t gone to trial yet, they’re not charging them with it.

“It’s especially a good sign because the Department of Justice has already announced that they want to figure out how to continue with that charge,” Baker explains. “But the point being, is it appears that the judges are pushing back against the DOJ.”

“We’ll take this as a good sign,” he adds.


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Colorado Gov. Jared Polis decreases man's massive 110-year prison sentence down to 10 years



Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) has dramatically decreased the sentence of a man convicted in connection with a 2019 crash that left four people dead and others injured, reducing the man's whopping 110-year prison sentence down to just 10 years.

Jefferson County District Judge Bruce Jones had previously noted that state law obligated him to give the mandatory minimum sentences for every count on which Rogel Lazaro Aguilera-Mederos was convicted, according to Reuters. But the judge noted that the lengthy sentence would not have been his choice if he had discretion in the matter.

The trucker testified that the brakes of his semitrailer failed as he was heading downhill, according to the Associated Press. The outlet said that prosecutors contended that the man could have utilized a runaway truck ramp. Reuters reported that prosecutors said he went past at least one such ramp, while an AP story said that prosecutors said he could have utilized any of several ramps.

"I am writing to inform you that I am granting your application for a commutation," Polis noted in letter to Aguilera-Mederos. "After learning about the highly atypical and unjust sentence in your case, I am commuting your sentence to 10 years and granting you parole eligibility on December 30, 2026."

"You were sentenced to 110 years in prison, effectively more than a life sentence, for a tragic but unintentional act. While you are not blameless, your sentence is disproportionate compared with many other inmates in our criminal justice system who committed intentional, premeditated, or violent crimes," the governor said.

"Your highly unusual sentence highlights the lack of uniformity between sentences for similarly situated crimes, which is particularly true when individuals are charged with offenses that require mandatory minimum sentences. This case will hopefully spur an important conversation about sentencing laws, but any subsequent changes to the law would not retroactively impact your sentence, which is why I am granting you this limited commutation," Polis said.

Seagram's heir for sex trafficking as part of NXIVM cult

Clare Bronfman, child of the Seagram family, has received a sentence of 81 months and has also been fined $6.5 million for patricipating in a sex cult.