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Unsolved Murders comprise thousands of historically infamous cold cases and recent homicides that continue to baffle investigators. While modern DNA and genetic genealogy frequently solve decades-old cold cases, many prominent...
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Unsolved Murders comprise thousands of historically infamous cold cases and recent homicides that continue to baffle investigators. While modern DNA and genetic genealogy frequently solve decades-old cold cases, many prominent mysteries—such as the Zodiac Killer and the Setagaya family murders—remain unresolved.
This lists of Unsolved Murders include notable cases where victims were murdered in unknown circumstances.
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This lists of Unsolved Murders include notable cases where victims were murdered in unknown circumstances.
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27 JUL 2026 · Pedro Rodrigues Filho.
Pedro Rodrigues Filho (29 October 1954 – 5 March 2023), also known as Pedrinho Matador, Killer Lil' Pedro, Killer Killer Petey, or simply Killer Petey, was a Brazilian serial killer, spree killer, vigilante, and YouTuber known for pursuing and killing other criminals and suspected criminals. He committed most of his crimes as a teenager, when he was between 14 and 19 years old, and was officially sentenced for 71 murders, but claimed to have killed over 100 people, including drug dealers, rapists, and murderers, and served a total of 34 years in prison before his release in 2007. In 2011, Rodrigues was imprisoned again on charges of inciting riot and deprivation of liberty for crimes committed in prison; he was sentenced to eight years in prison, but was released again in 2018 after seven years on good behavior.
Following Rodrigues' initial planned 2003 release, author Jeff Lindsay began publishing a novel series about a fictional American serial killer of killers, inspired by Rodrigues, named Dexter Morgan. The series' success, along with that of its 2006 television adaptation and 2021 revival, led to widespread retrospective media attention being brought to Rodrigues, with him becoming internationally known alternately both as the "Brazilian Dexter" and the "South American Punisher" (after the Marvel Comics character of the same name).
After his second release from prison in 2018, Rodrigues declared himself to be reformed from his self-declared vigilantism as a youth and publicly vowed to commit no further crimes, becoming a Brazilian celebrity and YouTuber, maintaining a YouTube channel called "Pedrinho EX Matador" ("Ex-Killer Petey") on which he commented on modern crimes while educating the public that criminal acts are not something of which to be proud. In 2023, Rodrigues was killed in a drive-by shooting and stabbing by unidentified assailants.
Early life.
Rodrigues was born on a farm in Santa Rita do Sapucaí, south of Minas Gerais. His skull had been bruised as a result of his father kicking his very pregnant mother's belly during a fight. He claimed he felt the urge to kill for the first time at age 13—when in a fight with an older cousin, he was punched in the face. As Pedro laid there on the ground, he looked up at his cousin and said, "I'm going to kill you"; not knowing that he was serious, his cousin laughed it off. Later on, Pedro pushed the young man into a sugar cane press, almost ripping his whole arm off, and pulled a knife on him. When their family heard the cries, they came to the cousin's aid, leading to consequences for Pedro.
Crime spree.
At age 14, Rodrigues shot the deputy mayor of Santa Rita do Sapucaí in front of the city hall for having fired his father, a school guard, over accusations of stealing food from the school kitchen, putting him in jail, before shooting the security guard whom he suspected as the actual thief, using his grandfather's shotgun for both. On the run, Rodrigues took refuge in Mogi das Cruzes, Greater São Paulo, where he began robbing drug dens and killing drug traffickers, making him a celebrity in the news media as the vigilante "Pedrinho Matador" (Little Pedro the Killer).
Rodrigues soon met Maria Aparecida Olympia, nicknamed Botinha, and they began living together. Rodrigues took on the duties of Botinha's deceased husband, a local drug lord. Due to his new place in a local street gang, he was soon "forced" to eliminate some rivals, killing three ex-cronies. Botinha became pregnant with his child but was murdered shortly thereafter by a rival gang leader. Still underage, Rodrigues escaped, going on a revenge-killing spree by tracking down and killing every member of the rival gang.
Supposed patricide.
Rodrigues once claimed to have killed his own father inside prison at age 20 by stabbing him twenty two times and chewing a part of his heart, supposedly in retaliation for his father having killed his mother by stabbing her twenty one times: "He stabbed my mother twenty one times, so I stabbed him twenty two", said Rodrigues in an interview to journalist Marcelo Rezende on RecordTV. "People say I ate his heart. No, I simply cut it, because it was revenge, right? I cut and threw it away. I take a piece of it, chewed and threw it away", he explained. He would also have a revolver on his waist, but preferred to use the knife. When asked about how he got the revolver, he said he locked a policeman in a cell and took the gun from him.
According to criminal biographer and journalist Ullisses Campbell, this is not a true account. Despite having really killed his mother, Rodrigues's father died only years later, in prison, due to respiratory disease.
First prison sentence and release.
On 24 May 1973, at the age of 18, Rodrigues was arrested for the first time, and lived in prison most of his adult years. Police records show that he was once transported in a vehicle with another prisoner, both handcuffed. During transport, Rodrigues killed the other inmate without the police noticing. When they opened the car door and saw the other prisoner was dead, Rodrigues said he did it because the man was a rapist. Although he was sentenced to 126 years imprisonment, he was to be released in 2003 because Brazilian law at the time prohibited anyone from spending more than 30 years behind bars. After staying in prison for 34 years, Rodrigues was released on 24 April 2007, and he was reported to have moved to Fortaleza in Ceará.
Second prison sentence and release.
On 15 September 2011, Rodrigues was arrested at his rural home in Balneário Camboriú, where he worked as a caretaker. He was sentenced to eight years on charges of riot and deprivation of liberty, committed while he was detained in São Paulo. He was released for good behaviour on 10 December 2018, after seven years.
YouTube career.
Following his second release from prison in 2018 and after announcing himself to be retired from his self-declared vigilantism as a youth and officially committed not to commit any more crimes, Rodrigues became a YouTuber, maintaining a YouTube channel called "Pedrinho EX Matador" (literally: "Ex-Killer Petey"), on which he commented on modern crimes, campaigned against gang violence, and attempted to teach the public not to be proud of criminal acts.
Murder.
At about 10 a.m. on 5 March 2023 in Mogi das Cruzes, Rodrigues was shot by three unidentified men firing from a black car, after which one of the assailants came over and finished him off with a knife to the throat, in a near decapitation, and Rodrigues was already dead when police arrived. According to a witness, he was on a sidewalk carrying a child on his arms at the moment of the assault, but the child was not harmed, and one of the suspects fled in a second, white car. Police later found and searched the first car but no suspects have been identified or arrested.
In popular culture.
Following his initial planned 2003 release, Rodrigues was the principal inspiration for Dexter Morgan, the antihero protagonist of the 2004 Dexter book series written by Jeff Lindsay, as well as its 2006 television series adaptation of the same name by James Manos Jr., in which he is portrayed by Michael C. Hall, who won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Series or Drama and Television Critics Association Award for Individual Achievement in Drama and was nominated five times for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his portrayal of the character, before reprising his role as Dexter in the 2021–22 revival series Dexter: New Blood by Clyde Phillips. The success of the novel series and Showtime television franchise additionally led to Rodrigues acquiring the new international media nickname of "The Brazilian Dexter".
Because of the list of crimes and his behavior in jail, Rodrigues joined the list of killers quoted by writer Ilana Casoy in the book Serial Killers – Made in Brazil. The publication tells stories of murderers like Marcelo Costa de Andrade and Francisco da Costa Rocha. Wikipedia: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License.
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27 JUL 2026 · Marc Angelucci.
Marc Etienne Angelucci (March 30, 1968 – July 11, 2020) was an American attorney, men's rights activist, and the vice-president of the National Coalition for Men (NCFM). As a lawyer, he represented several cases related to men's rights issues, and the most prominently, National Coalition for Men v. Selective Service System, in which the federal judge declared the male-only selective-service system unconstitutional. He was found murdered at his home on July 11, 2020.
Biography.
Marc Angelucci graduated from Eagle Rock High School in Los Angeles in 1986 and UCLA School of Law sometime before 2001. He stated that he joined the National Coalition for Men while he was in law school after his friend had suffered from domestic violence, but was denied aid or support in 1997. He was admitted to the State Bar of California in 2000. He founded the Los Angeles chapter of the NCFM in 2001.
A 2001 article in the Los Angeles Times described Angelucci as "a Green Party member with socialist sympathies". He had an autistic brother.
In 2008, he won the Woods v. Horton case in a California appellate court, which ruled that the California State Legislature had improperly excluded men from domestic violence victim protection programs.
National Coalition for Men v. Selective Service System.
In 2013, Angelucci sued the Selective Service System on behalf of the NCFM on the basis that there is no reason to exclude women from the draft. Federal judge Gray H. Miller ruled that the male-only draft is unconstitutional in February 2019, stating that "historical restrictions on women in the military may have justified past discrimination" but that the rationale does not apply anymore as women serve in combat roles as well. In August 2020, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit upheld the constitutionality of the male-only draft, invoking stare decisis with respect to the earlier and precedential Supreme Court decision Rostker v. Goldberg.
Angelucci appeared in the 2016 documentary The Red Pill, which detailed the men's rights movement.
Assassination.
Angelucci was fatally shot at his front door in Cedarpines Park, California, on July 11, 2020. A man posing as a deliveryman rang the doorbell and, when someone else from the house opened the door, the assailant claimed to have a package for Angelucci. After Angelucci came to the door to sign for it, he was shot, and the shooter sped away in a car. Angelucci was pronounced dead at the scene after paramedics arrived.
Investigation.
The FBI investigated the murder and its possible links to Roy Den Hollander, the suspect in the shooting of district judge Esther Salas' son and husband in New Jersey. In this later attack, eight days after the murder of Angelucci, the murderer had also posed as a package deliveryman. Den Hollander had, according to Harry Crouch, the president of the NCFM, been kicked out of the organization 5–6 years prior because Den Hollander was a "nut job". According to Crouch, Den Hollander had also been removed from the coalition board for threatening Crouch. Den Hollander had a vendetta against Esther Salas because he felt that she had taken too long to rule on his discrimination lawsuit, leading Angelucci to win in a similar case in Texas before Den Hollander's case could be decided, and thus costing Den Hollander a victorious precedent. Den Hollander was later found to have taken his life in his car, where papers mentioning Angelucci were also found. Wikipedia: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License.
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27 JUL 2026 · Killing of Brendin Horner.
Brendin 'Choppie' Horner (c. 1999 – 1 October 2020) was a 21-year-old South African farm manager for the Bloukruin Estate at Paul Roux, Free State, who was killed by a suspected stock thief or thieves. His body was recovered at DeRots farm outside Paul Roux, and two suspects were taken into custody. Horner's death heightened tensions in South Africa's ongoing farm attacks situation, and the first appearances of the two suspects at Senekal's Magistrate's Court was accompanied by protest action by political and civil rights groups, as well as far right groups that alleged Horner's murder was an example of so-called “white genocide”.
Murder.
Horner was reported missing on 1 October 2020 by his girlfriend. After searching throughout the night he was found after daybreak on the 2nd of October by his father, Robbie, and colleague Jaco Kleingeld. A knife placed on top of Horner's cap led them to his body, which was found some 400 metres from his home on the DeRots farm outside Paul Roux. Horner was found tied to a metal fence post with a girdle and a woven, black rope around his neck. He had stab wounds to his head, face, shoulder, arm and hands, and appeared to have been tortured and strangled. Horner had injuries to his fists, which suggested that he fought back, and scrape marks on his body which suggested that he was dragged on the ground. The police were then called to the scene. The autopsy indicated strangulation as the cause of death.
At 19:45 on Thursday evening, when Horner was likely dead, security camera footage spotted his Toyota Hilux pickup truck in Fateng Tse Ntsho township in Paul Roux. The next morning the pickup truck was found 15 km away at Duikfontein farm, along the N5 route to Bethlehem. Blood stains believed to be that of two different men were found in the vehicle. The morning after the murder, witnesses noticed three men with blood-stained clothes arriving from a mountain in the vicinity of the murder scene. On the 3rd of October police arrested two suspects, Sekwetje Isaiah Mahlamba (32) and Sekola Piet Matlaletsa (44) at Fateng tse Ntsho, a township outside Paul Roux. Their clothes and shoes were bloodstained and were sent for forensic tests.
Court proceedings.
Judge Deon van Rooyen found that a prima facie case existed against Mahlamba, who was not released on bail. Matlaletsa, who has a long list of previous convictions, was released on bail as the state did not have a strong case against him. He was hardly out of custody however, before he was arrested again on an unrelated stock theft charge. Magistrate Buti Mlangeni denied bail to André Pienaar (51) who allegedly incited unrest when proceedings commenced on 6 October, finding that Pienaar would likely interfere with witnesses and jeopardise the administration of justice. The Free State High Court overturned the ruling however, and set Pienaar's bail at R15,000.
In November 2021, the court ruled that, allegedly, the DNA samples taken from the murder victim did not match the accused, and the two were acquitted on the grounds that the evidence could not link them to Horner's murder.
Reactions.
Horner's killing was condemned by agricultural groups. The Freedom Front Plus released a statement in which they condemned the killing of Horner. The Democratic Alliance welcomed the arrests of the two suspects. Lobby group AfriForum called farm attacks a "form of terrorism". Horner's killing was also used as propaganda to fuel the White genocide conspiracy theory in regard to South African farm attacks, with attempts by alt right groups to claim the attack was an anti-white hate crime opposed to a non-racial violent crime.
Protests in Senekal.
On 6 October 2020, agricultural leaders and community members protested outside the Senekal Magistrate Court, where Mahlamba and Matlaletsa appeared before Magistrate Mlangeni. Unrest broke out when André Pienaar and a group of protesters stormed the court buildings in an attempt to get to Mahlamba and Matlaletsa. A police vehicle was overturned and set on fire, as the protesters forced their way towards the holding cells, which they damaged or tried to set on fire. As the protesters entered the court buildings, two gunshots allegedly went off and stun grenades were fired. Various groups and public figures, including Police Minister Bheki Cele, Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola, Free State Premier Sisi Ntombela and POPCRU condemned the occurrences.
When the two accused applied for bail on the 16th there were brief clashes between the Economic Freedom Fighters and farmers, when the EFF sang "Kill the boer, kill the farmer" at the court house, but the police separated them. Representatives from various organizations, including Unite Against Farm Murders and Attacks, AfriForum, the ANC Youth League and the Institute of Race Relations had also assembled outside the court.
Later in October 2020, President Cyril Ramaphosa called the murder "an appalling act of cruelty" but denounced the claim it was an anti-white hate crime, as well as the claim white farmers are being targeted by black people with mention of South Africa's problems with violent crimes and stating, "the majority of victims … are black and poor." In a later statement in November 2020, the President denounced the racial rhetoric and polarization that characterized the protests at Senekal, and subsequently at Brackenfell High School in the Western Cape. Wikipedia: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License.
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27 JUL 2026 · Killing of Shanquella Robinson.
Shanquella Brenada Robinson (January 9, 1997 – October 29, 2022) was an American businesswoman, founder of a women's fashion clothing line, hairstylist, and social media personality from North Carolina, United States, who was murdered while on vacation in Mexico.
She died on October 29, 2022, shortly after travelling with a friend and a group of loose acquaintances to the Mexican resort town of Cabo San Lucas.
There was considerable public interest and intrigue surrounding the cause of her death. In addition, substantial collaborative efforts of citizen journalism and amateur news bloggers played an important role in bringing attention to Robinson's death, to the point of Mexican authorities facing enhanced scrutiny, particularly because the municipal Police Department initially treated the death as a case of conventional tourist alcohol intoxication.
A video subsequently emerged depicting Shanquella being assaulted in a rental villa before her death.
The events surrounding her death, along with the medical care provided, the police report, and forensic investigations into the cause, have resulted in a prominent, ongoing transnational criminal inquiry involving both the United States and Mexico.
Background.
Shanquella graduated from Winston-Salem State University, a historically black college. In her hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina, she operated multiple boutique beauty and children's hair-braiding businesses under the brands 'Exquisite Kids' and 'Exquisite Boutique'.
On October 28, 2022, Shanquella embarked on a brief vacation to Mexico accompanied by a friend and five other travelers, consisting of three women and three men. Among them were Khalil Cooke, Malik St Patrick Dyer, Wenter Essence Donovan, Alysse Michelle Hyatt, Daejhanae Jackson (now E’mani Green), and Nazeer Wiggins, collectively referred to as the 'Cabo Six'.
The group arrived at a luxury rental apartment located in the Puerto Los Cabos resort, situated in the resort town of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Death.
On October 29, 2022, shortly after the group's arrival, at approximately 2:13 pm, a physician from the American Medical Centre in Cabo San Lucas was called to attend to a resort resident who was experiencing health issues.
Approximately at the same time, Salamondra Robinson, Shanquella's mother, received a call from one of her daughter's travel companions informing her that Shanquella had fallen ill and that a doctor was en route to assist her.
Dr. Karolina Beatriz Ornelas-Gutiérrez from the American Medical Centre arrived within an hour and found "a female in stable condition, but dehydrated, disorientated, verbally unresponsive, unable to communicate, and appearing to be intoxicated".
The explanation given to the doctor was that Robinson "drank a lot of alcohol". The doctor recommended that Robinson be admitted into the hospital, but her travel companions insisted she be treated in the apartment room.
During medical treatment, the doctor attempted to administer an IV-drip. However, Robinson's condition worsened when she suffered a tonic–clonic seizure (a stiffening of the body, arms, and legs) around 4:13 pm, about one hour after the doctor's arrival. An ambulance was called around 4:20 pm after Robinson began having trouble breathing, with her pulse dropping as well. Robinson then suffered a cardiac arrest.
Ambulant paramedics called to the scene around 4:49 pm tried to resuscitate Robinson, administering fourteen CPR rounds of cardiac-vascular compressions and intrathoracic pressure to her chest, in an attempt to (re)establish venous blood-oxygen saturation and blood flow, as well as injecting five doses of adrenaline and six electrical discharges from a defibrillator. However, they were unable to revive any return of heartbeat, pulse, blood flow, pupillary reflexes, or other human vital signs.
Shanquella Robinson was declared clinically dead at 5:57 pm, according to the police report.
Police report.
Police officers "Omar" and "David" of the Los Cabos Municipal Police Department were the first responding officers at the scene around 5:25 pm. They were briefed by Dr. Ornelas-Gutiérrez, who informed the officers that medical treatment was requested for a young lady who had ingested "too much alcohol". She briefed the officers that she had found a female in stable but unresponsive condition, and that she had planned to admit her to hospital, but her travel companions objected, claiming they instead requested that the young lady be treated in the hotel room. Paramedics arrived and her condition worsened.
After Robinson was declared dead, the investigating police officers notified the General Prosecutor's Office (attorney general) in the state of Baja California Sur, reaching the state's attorney, Julio Daniel, around 6:35 pm and informing him of the death of a foreign citizen. They were instructed to file reports and investigation forms before handing the case to ministerial police.
Based on eyewitness accounts and consultation with Dr. Ornelas-Gutiérrez, the police report concluded that a "person had died of alcohol poisoning, and that she died two hours and 45 minutes after the doctor was called to the residence. There was no observation of internal or external injuries in the police report.
Based on this police report and the investigations of the Mexican authorities, the US State Department initially released a statement reporting that "Mexican authorities claimed there was no clear evidence Robinson was murdered".
Coroner's report.
On November 5, a notarized English translation of Robinson's death certificate, based on an autopsy report from forensic doctor Rene A. Galvan-Oseguera from the Secretariat Of Health, Baja California Sur, dated November 4, 2022, was released. The autopsy report described Robinson's death had occurred 15 minutes after suffering a severe spinal cord injury. and an atlas luxation, which is a dislocation or separation at the skull base from the atlas bone, (which is the first bone of the neck and spinal column).
The forensic doctor made the following forensic observations in the official autopsy report:
Date and time of death: October 29, 2022 – 15:00 pm.
Cause of death: Severe Spinal Cord Injury and Atlas Luxation.
Approximate time between injury and death: 15 minutes.
Situation, circumstance or reason in which the injury occurred: Person found unconscious in her living room.
Was it accidental or violent death? Yes.
The autopsy report mentioned neither cardiac arrest nor alcohol poisoning.
Investigation.
U.S. Department of State.
On November 16, the U.S. Department of State responded that they were aware of the incident, releasing the following statement:
"We are aware of these reports. Protecting the welfare of U.S. citizens overseas is among our top priorities. Out of respect for the privacy of those involved, we have no further comment at this time."
Family's doubts of conflicting accounts.
As Salamondra Robinson, Shanquella's mother, disclosed during an ABC News Good Morning America interview, her family became suspicious of the claims of her daughter's travel companions after each one of them had different and inconsistent stories.
Some of her travel companions claimed a maid had found her unconscious. Some also reported that they had called a doctor. And some said the concierge called the doctor. They at first claimed Shanquella had died of alcohol poisoning and a few days later admitted that "there had been a fight and that she was fighting and she had also been jumped."
Regarding the location where Robinson was found unconscious, her travel associates raised further confusion and skepticism when one told her mother they found Shanquella unconscious on the floor. Yet another person claimed they found her in a bed, and another travel companion told her father, Bernard Robinson, that they had found her in a chair.
Shanquella's mother told CBS News during an interview that her daughter's loose acquaintances initially suggested her daughter had fallen ill from alcohol poisoning, which surprised her. She was also told that a doctor was just on the way to their apartment. She insisted that her daughter be taken to an emergency room, but her daughter's travel companions lied to her, claiming her daughter's travel insurance was of no use in Mexico and that the emergency room required $5,000 in cash for her daughter to be seen.
She recalled how further doubts began to surface, when the autopsy report emerged, showing the cause of death a broken neck, instead of alcohol poisoning. During an interview with Queen City News, Ms. Robinson also said her daughter's body showed obvious signs of trauma (a contusion and swelling of her head, a bruised face, swollen eye, and a busted lip). Her body was sent back to the United States on November 12. Shanquella Robinson's funeral took place on November 19 which was held at the Macedonia Baptist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.
For more than two weeks, the family attempted to convince authorities in the United States and Mexico that their daughter's death was suspicious and needed further investigation.
In a statement by Robinson's family published to GoFundMe (a crowdfunding page raising funds for the family's legal fees), Robinson's sister, Quilla Long, announced the family will continue to investigate what happened. "The United States State Department released a statement claiming 'no clear evidence of foul play,' yet there is a video circulating of a woman violently attacking Shanquella," Long said. "This statement is unacceptable, and we are beyond devastated. We continue to fight for the truth.".... Wikipedia: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License.
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27 JUL 2026 · Murder of Michalis Katsouris.
Michalis Katsouris (1994 – 7 August 2023) was murdered during hooligan riots between a joint coalition of Bad Blue Boys of Dinamo Zagreb and Gate 13 of Panathinaikos who engaged in conflict with AEK Athens supporters.
Background.
The murder occurred during riots in which a group of Dinamo Zagreb's supporters, Bad Blue Boys, arrived to Nea Filadelphia, Greece, in spite of UEFA's ban and attacked AEK Athens fans with the help of local Gate 13 supporters with whom they share friendly relations. Bad Blue Boys managed to enter Greece despite warnings sent to the Greek authorities by the Croatian, Montenegrin and Albanian police. Once in Athens, some 150 Bad Blue Boys met with Gate 13 supporters and proceeded to AEK Athens stadium where the clash with AEK supporters took place. The Greek police chased down the hooligans suspected for participating in the riots and eventually managed to arrest 105 individuals, most of whom were Croatian nationals. Due to the events which unfolded, the planned third qualifying round match of UEFA Champions League between Dinamo Zagreb and AEK Athens was postponed.
Investigation.
The Greek police eventually established 5 individuals whom they considered the main suspects for the murder. Out of these, there was one Croatian, one Albanian and three Greeks citizens. According to the Greek news site Newsita, knives were found with suspected Croat and Albanian citizen. On 11 August, the first group of detainees was brought before a local judge, and the court hearings continued throughout the weekend. All of the detainees were kept in custody and by Sunday, 13 August were distributed throughout sixteen different prisons in Greece. The treatment of detainees by the Greek state was criticized by the human rights activist Žarko Puhovski who claimed their human rights were brought into question. The case has attracted criticism from Dinamo Zagreb supporters and Croatians alike as Bad Blue Boys are known for not carrying knives. Additionally, Greek journalist Yannis Kemmos published the photos of a colleague which showed Athens city employees power washing the crime scene before the police were called in to do their investigation and forensic analysis. According to the Croatian news site Gol.hr, referring to the information published by Greek site News 24/7, some 24 hours after the hooligan clash, Greek police received a tip about a weapons stash hidden near AEK stadium. The police soon confiscated these objects which included various clubs. On 14 August, a video was published showing CCTV footage of the clash. The footage shows a moment when Katsouris was hit by an unknown hooligan in his right arm, using a club-like object. On the same day, Croatian weekly Nacional referring to the Greek police report, wrote that the clash between two parties was arranged in advance. According to the same report, Bad Blue Boys were led by their two senior leaders who managed to escape, leaving younger group members on their own. Panathinaikos fans, deceptively, theorized that the death of Michalis was from an accidental stabbing by a fellow AEK fan a few days following the event, since Michalis was wearing a blue T-shirt (color of Dinamo Zagreb). On 20 October, an 81 page document showing exactly where Michalis was attacked was published. On 22 December, all arrested suspects were let free. Croatian media reported that one of the bbb hooligans, who is also the son of a Dinamo Zagreb board member, was smuggled out of Athens by joining Dinamo's flight back to Zagreb.
Reactions.
Upon learning about what happened to her son, mother of Michalis Katsouris suffered a heart attack. Seven high ranking officials of Greek police were subsequently sacked for failing to act. Greek minister Ioannis Oikonomou stated that "although police quickly apprehended the hooligans, they failed to prevent the attack and proved that they are not capable for challenges such as this". Greek police syndicate representative further criticized the police action and claimed that police services had attackers licence plates and were tipped about their arrival, but some people did not even open the documents delivered to them.
One day after the event, on 8 August, AEK Athens issued a press release in which they claimed that their fan was killed by “professional killers, organised criminals who crossed the country and arrived in New Philadelphia from Zagreb to join forces here with Greek criminal accomplices with the sole purpose of killing”. Dinamo Zagreb also "condemned the incident and expressed their condolences to the family of a fan who lost his life". They also wrote that: “Such events are not in line with the values and ethics we promote as a club and community”. Next day, AEK asked UEFA to kick Dinamo Zagreb out of the competition by saying: "How is it possible that after barbaric murder of Michalis Katsuris done by a band of Criminals from Croatia, we can go on the field and play against this particular team?" They went on by claiming: "those who came here to kill", make integral part of the organization against which AEK Athens needs to play. In response, Dinamo Zagreb issued their own press release in which they described AEK's demand as inappropriate, claiming that "AEK rises the tensions by using inappropriate, aggressive and mongering language with goal of pressuring UEFA." They further wrote that: "[AEK is trying] to use a human tragedy [...] for its own promotion which shows lack of elementary decency, piety and empathy towards the victim." On 11 August, UEFA announced that their president Aleksandar Čeferin will visit Athens in order to consult with Greek prime minister and representatives of AEK, Olympiakos, PAOK and Panathinaikos. During his visit to Athens, Čeferin described hooligans as "cancer of the football".
On 9 August, both the mayor of Athens, Kostas Bakoyannis, and his Zagreb counterpart, Tomislav Tomašević, issued a joint statement in which they said that they "strongly condemn this terrible crime which culminated in a loss of young life and a sad episode of hooliganism which compromised lives of innocent citizens and kids." They concluded that: "violence has no nationality" and "its only homeland is hate".
On 14 August, Dinamo Zagreb manager, Igor Bišćan, expressed his condolences to the family of deceased fan.
Ramifications.
One day after the murder, on 8 August, Greek journalist Giorgos Mazias issued a warning to Croatian tourists in Greece. He said that media, social networks and public are about to create the climate of intolerance towards Dinamo, their fans and Croatians in general. He therefore called all Croatians in Greece to camouflage themselves and not reveal their origin. On the same day Nova TV's news team in Athens got attacked by angry locals. Upon realising that the reporters were Croatian, locals surrounded them and demanded them to hand over their camera, eventually taking only their memory card. On 11 August, Croatian actor Rene Bitorajac published on Instagram that Greek news wrongly portrayed him as a football hooligan by showing scenes from Croatian feature film Metastases in their news. Few days later, Bitorajac published vulgar threats he started to receive from angry Greeks as a result. Wikipedia: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License.
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27 JUL 2026 · Darya Dugina.
Darya Aleksandrovna Dugina (15 December 1992 – 20 August 2022), also known under the pen name Daria Platonova, was a Russian journalist, political scientist, and activist. She was the daughter of Aleksandr Dugin, a far-right political philosopher, whose political views and support for Vladimir Putin she shared.
She was killed in August 2022 in a car bombing on the outskirts of Moscow. Later, Vasyl Malyuk, the head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), indirectly confirmed Ukraine's involvement in the assassination.
Early life and education.
Darya Dugina was born on 15 December 1992 in Moscow, Russia. She was the daughter of Aleksandr Dugin and his second wife, philosopher Natalya Melentyeva. In 2012/2013, while studying at Moscow State University, she was an intern at Bordeaux Montaigne University, specializing in Ancient Greek philosophy. Her MSU degree "focused on the political philosophy of late Neo-Platonism". She was in a PhD program, but she left the university before completing her degree.
Career and activism.
After university, she worked as a journalist, writing for the state-controlled media outlet RT and the pro-Kremlin conservative channel Tsargrad, using the pen name Daria Platonova. She was affiliated with the International Eurasian Movement, and worked for them as a political commentator.
According to the United States Department of the Treasury, which added her to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List on 3 March 2022, she was the chief editor of a disinformation website called United World International which states it was owned by Putin ally Yevgeny Prigozhin, who also controlled the state-backed Wagner Group. At the same time, she served as a press secretary of her father.
Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Dugina was an outspoken supporter of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In particular, she claimed that the war crimes against Ukrainian civilians by the Russian army during the invasion were staged. She mentioned that the war in Ukraine "serves to break the bridges of interaction between Russia and Europe, a struggle between two worldviews." In June 2022, she visited occupied Donetsk and Mariupol.
Dugina visited the Azovstal plant in Mariupol, where she collaborated with British journalist Graham Phillips, who also worked for Russian state media. On 4 July 2022, she was sanctioned by the British government, which accused her of being a "frequent and high-profile contributor of disinformation in relation to Ukraine and the Russian invasion of Ukraine on various online platforms." She responded by saying that she is an ordinary journalist and should not have been sanctioned.
Killing.
Dugina was killed on 20 August 2022, when her car exploded on Mozhayskoye Highway in the settlement of Bolshiye Vyazyomy outside Moscow around 21:45 local time. She was driving to Moscow after attending the annual festival "Tradition," which describes itself as a family festival for art lovers.
The "Tradition" festival is held at the Zakharovo estate, approximately one kilometre (1⁄2 mi) north of Bolshiye Vyazyomy. Investigators said an explosive device was attached to the underside of the car. It is unclear whether she was targeted deliberately, or whether her father, who had been expected to travel with her but switched to another car at the last minute, was the intended target, or whether the intention might have been to kill both.
Investigation.
On 22 August, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) claimed that Ukrainian special services were behind the killing, alleging that their primary suspect was Natalia Vovk, a middle-aged female Ukrainian national who escaped to Estonia after the explosion. The suspect's relatives said that she was a former clerk in the National Guard of Ukraine. According to the FSB, after arriving with her daughter in Russia the previous month the Ukrainian rented an apartment in the building where Dugina lived, and she was at the festival which Dugina attended before being killed. The FSB also released surveillance footage from cameras at the entrance of the apartment building and at the border crossing points, purportedly showing the suspect, and said that she drove a Mini Cooper. The FSB allege she used a license plate from the Donetsk People's Republic, then switched to a plate from Kazakhstan and then used a plate from Ukraine to cross the border to Estonia.
Interfax later reported that the FSB named an accomplice, a middle-aged male Ukrainian national, as providing logistical assistance to the primary assassin. Specifically, the FSB alleged that the accomplice provided the primary suspect with their false license plates and a Kazakhstani passport, and assisted in bomb assembly while in Russia. The FSB further alleged that the accomplice had also escaped to Estonia. The name of the alleged accomplice was released by FSB on 29 August 2022.
The later Interfax report elaborated the FSB assertion, that the primary assassin tailed Dugina in the parking lot for guests at the "Tradition," followed Dugina's Land Cruiser in her own Mini Cooper, and detonated the bomb via remote control. It has been impossible to independently verify any of the claims made by the FSB, as Russia has partially criminalized disagreement with the official narrative of the killing and the war in Ukraine in general, and has made independent verification more difficult.
On 23 October 2023, The Washington Post reported that the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) had carried out dozens of assassinations in Russia since the invasion began, including the bomb attack that killed Darya Dugina, which Ukraine had previously denied. Ukrainian Natalia Vovk, whose name appeared in the reports of Russian law enforcement officers, imported components of an explosive device into Russia in a cat carrier. The CIA did not comment on the article. The head of the SBU, Vasyl Malyuk, said that all the objectives of his department's operations were completely legitimate.
Unofficial versions.
Claim of responsibility from National Republican Army.
Ilya Ponomarev, a former member of Russia's State Duma living in exile in Ukraine, said that a Russian partisan group was responsible for the attack, and that the hitherto unknown group calls itself the National Republican Army (NRA).
Ponomarev's statements about NRA involvement.
Ponomarev said the NRA is an underground group working inside Russia, dedicated to removing Putin from power. He later said it is a "network" of clandestine cells. Ponomarev told the Kyiv Post the group previously carried out anonymous arson attacks on military induction centers, then shifted to targeting Dugin and Dugina as "something high-profile for which they could become well known." He said that a contact in the group told him a week before the assassination to expect "something big," followed by instructions on the day of the event to "watch the news." Following news coverage of the assassination, Ponomarev said that he was provided evidence of the group's responsibility.
Ponomarev added that his sources believed two persons (i.e., both Dugin and Dugina) were in the targeted car. From Ponomarev's statement, it is unclear whether she was targeted deliberately, or whether her father was the intended target, or whether the intention might have been to kill both. Ponomarev gave a similar account to Radio NV (Ukrainia), adding that his contacts "sent certain photos to prove their involvement."
Along with the claim of responsibility for the assassination, Ponomarev aired the organization's manifesto on his media outlet "February Morning" and hailed it as "a new page in Russian resistance to Putinism. New—but not the last." Later confronted with the news of the FSB's accusation of Ukrainian involvement, Ilya Ponomarev told the Meduza news outlet that his purported sources in the National Republican Army deny the claimed Ukrainian being the perpetrator while leaving ambiguous whether she may have had a role. In both Meduza and a message to his Telegram channel "Rospartisan", Ponomarev appeared to take credit for her exfiltration from Russia at the request of unnamed "friends". Following his announcement of support for the assassination and the NRA, Ponomarev said that he was disinvited from a planned meeting of Russian dissidents.
Scepticism about NRA involvement.
As of 21 August 2022, Associated Press and The Guardian articles concerning the death of Dugina and its aftermath state that the claim of a National Republican Army responsibility cannot be confirmed. A 22 August 2022 report from Reuters says that "Ponomarev's assertion and the group's existence could not be independently verified."
In an interview with Ponomarev for Meduza, both the interviewer Svetlana Reiter and the editor note skepticism about his claims about the Russian NRA, his accommodations of Putin in his Duma career, and the source of his wealth. Separately, Meduza managing editor Kevin Rothrock questioned Ponomarev's integrity, the existence of the NRA, and implied that both Dugin and Dugina were civilians who should not have been targeted. Citing the livestream of Yulia Latynina, Cathy Young discussed the possibility that Ponomarev is a "a grifter trying to sell a good story", but said that the NRA manifesto's appeal to patriotism is not suggestive of black propaganda.
Sergey S. Radchenko, a professor at the Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global Affairs at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, told Deutsche Welle he found the claim of responsibility and manifesto to both be "dodgy." Deutsche Welle's reporter in Kyiv Roman Goncharenko said, "there are more questions than answers" about the group, and noted that the group's purported..... Wikipedia: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License.
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26 JUL 2026 · John P. Wheeler III.
John Parsons Wheeler III (December 14, 1944 – c. December 30, 2010), known as Jack Wheeler, was an American veteran, businessman, and activist, who held multiple positions in the U.S. government for five decades and helped create the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. He was murdered by an unknown person in or around Wilmington, Delaware in 2010.
In the 1960s, Wheeler served in a non-combat position in Vietnam during the Vietnam War, and worked for the Pentagon as a staffer and systems analyst. In the 1970s, he was a senior planner for Amtrak, an official of the Securities and Exchange Commission, and chairman of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. In the 1980s, he was the CEO of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and an aide to the Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush administrations. In the 1990s, he was an activist for the deaf and for environmental concerns, and in the 2000s, he was an aide to the George W. Bush administration and consultant to the Mitre Corporation.
Wheeler had homes in New Castle, Delaware, and New York City. On December 28, 2010, a man matching his description threw smoke bombs into a house neighboring Wheeler's in New Castle. Wheeler was last seen alive in Wilmington on December 30; he was acting unusually, though this may have resulted from his bipolar disorder. On the 31st, his corpse was found while being dumped from a garbage truck into a nearby landfill. The truck had received its contents from a commercial trash bin in Newark, Delaware, earlier that day. Police labeled the death a homicide, but it is unknown whether it was politically motivated.
Early life.
Wheeler was descended from a family of military professionals including Joseph Wheeler, who had served as a general both in the Confederate Army, and later with the United States Army. Wheeler III was born in Laredo, Texas, where his mother, Janet Conly Wheeler, was staying with her mother while his father was in Europe. Five days after his birth, the family received a telegram that his father was missing in action in the Battle of the Bulge. His father was later found to be alive. Wheeler had one younger brother, Robert Conly Wheeler, and one younger sister, Janet Wheeler Gilani.
Military career.
Wheeler was a member of the United States Military Academy (West Point) class of 1966 which lost 30 of its members in the Vietnam War.
After graduation from West Point, he was a fire control platoon leader at a MIM-14 Nike-Hercules base at Franklin Lakes, New Jersey from 1966 to 1967. From 1967 to 1969, he was a graduate student at Harvard Business School spending the summer of 1968 as a systems analyst for the Office of Secretary of Defense in Washington, D.C. From 1969 to 1970, he served in a non-combat position at Long Binh in Vietnam. From 1970 to 1971, he served on the General Staff at the Pentagon.
Wheeler's West Point and later years are featured prominently in Rick Atkinson's book, The Long Gray Line: The American Journey of West Point's Class of 1966.
Law career.
After leaving the military he was a senior planner for Amtrak in 1971 and 1972. From 1972 to 1975 he attended law school at Yale University becoming a clerk for George E. MacKinnon in 1975–76 and an associate for Shea & Gardner in 1976–1978. From 1978 to 1986, he was assistant general counsel, special counsel to the chairman, and the secretary of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
From 1979 to 1989, Wheeler was chairman of Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund which built the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, opening in 1982. Working with Jan Scruggs, Robert W. Doubek and Sandie Fauriol, he supported the controversial Maya Lin design, which was opposed by Ross Perot and Jim Webb, who both tried to oust him as chairman of the memorial. Wheeler worked to address their issues by adding The Three Soldiers sculpture by Frederick Hart to the memorial.
In 1983, Carlton Sherwood ran a four-part series on WDVM-TV (now WUSA) "Vietnam Memorial: A Broken Promise?" which focused on Wheeler's handling of the Memorial Fund, claiming that most of the $9 million raised for the memorial was improperly accounted for. Sherwood cast aspersions on Wheeler's career, questioning his decision not to go directly to Vietnam out of West Point and noting he had been disciplined shortly after arriving there in 1969 for "misappropriation" of government property. A General Accounting Office audit spurred by the television report cleared Wheeler. WDVM officials made an on-air apology and donated $50,000 to the memorial.
In 1984, Wheeler published a memoir, Touched with Fire: The Future of the Vietnam Generation. He later founded the Project on the Vietnam Generation, an initiative based at the National Museum of American History that supported teaching and research on the Vietnam era and its social and cultural impact; its director of research was Stephen Sonnenberg.
In the 1988 television film To Heal a Nation about the construction of the Vietnam Memorial, Wheeler was played by Marshall Colt, four years his junior and the former co-star with James Arness in the crime drama McClain's Law. Eric Roberts portrayed Jan Scruggs; Glynnis O'Connor, Becky Scruggs', Jan's wife.
Other service.
In 1988–1989, Wheeler worked with President George H. W. Bush to establish the Earth Conservation Corps. From 1997 to 2001, he was president and CEO of the Deafness Research Foundation. He was consultant to acting Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics from 2001 to 2005, special assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force from 2005 to 2008. From 2008 to 2009, he was special assistant to the acting assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Installations, Logistics and Energy. From 1983 to 1987, he was chairman and CEO of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and from 1993 until his death, he was the founding CEO of the Vietnam Children's Fund.
Family.
Wheeler was twice married. He had two children from his first marriage, twins John Parsons Wheeler, IV, and Katherine Marie Wheeler. He met Katherine Klyce in 1993 and married her in 1997. They had two stepdaughters together, Byrd Schas Chaskes and Meriwether Klyce Schas. His younger brother Robert predeceased him. In 1995, Klyce's sister was murdered, and the case was solved years later.
Murder.
Background.
Discussion over Wheeler's death—likely in Delaware—on December 30, 2010, is complicated by his diagnosis of bipolar disorder, which may explain his unusual actions in the preceding days. He was prone to "quirky habits and forgetfulness", and was hospitalized for a manic phase in 2004. He acted disoriented, in what could be a psychotic episode caused by "heart problems, stroke, stress, past mental illness, or a problem with medication." Authorities have labeled his death a homicide, though it is unknown if he was killed spontaneously by a stranger, or if he was the target of a political assassination. Wheeler was 66 at the time.
Wheeler had homes in New Castle, Delaware; and Harlem in New York City. Around December 24, Wheeler left the New Castle home to spend time with family at the Harlem home on Christmas. Wheeler's New Castle neighbor, Ron Roark, claimed that between the 24th and 31st, he (Roark) and his family heard, from outside the Wheelers' home, a loud television inside that was constantly on, though no one appeared to be home. Klyce said that Wheeler did not seem to have emotional problems during their stay in New York. They were scheduled to attend a wedding in Boston at some point after the 30th. The two talked for the last time on the 27th. On the morning of the 28th, Wheeler left as Klyce was sleeping. He had previously told her he was going to Washington, D.C. to give gifts to a few people, probably spending time with his political acquaintances. She did not contact him after he left, as she expected him to return within a few days for the wedding. He had lunch at the Metropolitan Cafe in downtown D.C. On the 28th, Wheeler was scheduled to take an Amtrak train from D.C. to Wilmington, and police are unsure if he ever got on this train.
Strange behavior and occurrences.
December 28 and 29.
On the 28th, in New Castle, a man matching Wheeler's description threw smoke bombs "typically used to exterminate rodents" into a house under construction across the street from his house. For the last three years, Wheeler had filed lawsuits challenging the zoning approval for the house in a lawsuit, because the building blocked the Wheelers' view of the Delaware River. Police questioned if this was an attempt at arson on the house by Wheeler. According to a Philadelphia TV station and the Radio Times, Wheeler's phone was found inside the new house in January 2011, though police would not confirm this. The last email from Wheeler to his family was sent on the morning of the 29th, from a different phone than Wheeler's usual device.
Wheeler was sighted on the 29th in Delaware, at the New Castle County courthouse parking garage. He was disoriented and wearing only one shoe, as the other was ripped. While he attempted to gain access to the parking garage on foot, Wheeler claimed that he wanted to warm up before paying a parking fee (police later determined that his car was actually in a different parking garage at the train station, blocks away). Wheeler explained to the parking garage attendant that his briefcase had been stolen and assured her he was not intoxicated. He was also going up and down the garage stairs in a manner that, Klyce said, suggests he was being cautious. The parking lot attendant said he "knew something wasn't right" with Wheeler. At 6 p.m., Wheeler asked his pharmacist in New Castle for a ride to the Wilmington train station. He "looked upset"...... Wikipedia: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License.
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26 JUL 2026 · Killing of Scott Guy.
In July 2010, Scott Guy, a New Zealand farmer, was shot dead at the gate of his family farm in Feilding, Manawatū-Whanganui, at age 31. Six months later, his brother-in-law, Ewen Macdonald, was charged with murder. Macdonald was married to Guy's sister, Anna, and Guy had been best man at their wedding. Both men managed the Guys' family farm and surrounding properties on Aorangi Road, just outside of Feilding. At the trial, it was disclosed that Guy and Macdonald had different priorities and a competitive relationship. In 2008, two years before he was killed, Guy announced at a family meeting that he expected to inherit the farm. The defence claimed that by the time of the murder, difficulties between the two had settled down and they were getting on well.
The case captured the attention of the New Zealand media and public for two years prior to the trial, at which Macdonald was acquitted. He was defended by lawyer Greg King, who committed suicide four months after the end of the trial. Guy's killer has never been brought to justice. However, the police are treating it as a closed case and are not looking for anyone else.
Background.
Scott Guy was a farmer who grew up on Byreburn, his family's farm, near Feilding, Manawatū-Whanganui, New Zealand. Ewen Macdonald had worked at the farm since leaving school at 16. Macdonald ran the dairy operation, was married to Guy's sister Anna, and had four children together with her. Guy was responsible for raising the calves and growing crops for the cows. Guy and Macdonald both earned around $100,000 a year working as farm managers for Guy's parents, who owned the property. The court was told that at a family meeting in 2008, Guy said he expected to inherit the family farm, and that this led to tension between him and his brother in law. In May 2008, Scott Guy's parents, Bryan and Jo, transferred 400 shares, representing 20 per cent of the business, to Scott, Macdonald and each of their wives.
Bryan Guy testified at the trial that he explained to his son, Scott, that he was not going to inherit the farm and that to own it, he would have to buy everyone else out. The tension appeared to have subsided and Bryan reported that in the previous 12 months "everyone seemed to be getting along really well". Two weeks before Scott Guy died, he and MacDonald travelled to Invercargill together for a dairying conference. Nikki Guy, Scott's other sister, said the pair had a "fantastic time".
One of the Guys' former farm workers, Callum Boe, told police that he and Macdonald had gone on night time trips that they called 'missions' in which they trespassed, poached deer, and took revenge on farmers who had caught them by secretly returning to destroy valuable livestock and property. He told police that on one "mission" in October 2008, they torched an old home on Guy's section. In January 2009, about 18 months before the shooting, they vandalised a home being built by Guy and his wife Kylee, causing $14,000 worth of damage. At the time, no one but Boe and Macdonald knew who was responsible.
Shooting.
Scott Guy was shot dead at the end of his driveway after he stopped to open a farm gate somewhere between 4:43 am and 5:00 am on 8 July 2010. He died from shotgun wounds to his neck, face and arm. His body was discovered by David Berry, a truck driver, at about 7:00 am. Berry called the police at 7:08 am and then called his landlord, Bruce Johnstone. When Johnstone arrived, he took a quick look at the body and phoned Macdonald at 7:16 am. Two police cars soon arrived and Macdonald arrived on his quadbike shortly after. Macdonald immediately rang Guy's father at 7:21 am sounding distressed and incoherent.
Adding to the mystery, three chocolate coloured Labrador puppies also disappeared from the farm at the time of Guy's death. The police claimed, Macdonald stole the puppies to make it look like a burglary gone wrong.
Trial.
Prosecution.
At the trial, the Crown alleged Guy still wanted to take control of the farm and two years earlier had gone to a family meeting explaining that he expected to inherit the farm. There had been tension between Guy and Macdonald and the prosecutor claimed "this (demand) might as well have been his death warrant". Crown prosecutor Ben Vanderkolk alleged Macdonald closed the farm gates which forced Guy to stop and get out of his vehicle. Vanderkolk said when Guy got out, Macdonald shot him in the throat and then in the face. Police believe the killing occurred at about 4:43 am.
Vanderkolk alleged Macdonald used the farm shotgun and was wearing size 9 Proline dive boots while committing the crime. The boot prints found at the scene were the only forensic evidence police had potentially linking Macdonald to the scene. Macdonald allegedly then rode his bicycle back to the farm which was 1.46 km away, arriving just after 5 am where he was milking the cows. Vanderkolk claimed Macdonald tried to make it look like a robbery by killing the Labrador puppies which were missing. Police excavated some of the property where Macdonald lived looking for the dive boots, dead puppies and the shotgun cartridges - but found nothing.
Defence.
Defence lawyer Greg King said there were four fatal flaws in the Crown case. The prosecution claimed Guy was killed by two blasts from the farm shotgun which occurred at 4:43 am. Four nearby residents testified they heard three shots in quick succession at about 5:00 am. King called witnesses who said that Macdonald was seen on the farm at about 5:00 am so he could not have been the killer. King also called an American shooting champion as an expert witness. The witness said the farm shotgun had to be reloaded after two shots so it was not possible for three shots to be fired that quickly. In his summing up at the end of the trial, King added that if there were three shots, the murder weapon could not be the farm's double-barrel shotgun. The expert witness suggested that a semi-automatic weapon had been used.
King also challenged the forensic expert David Neale about the size of the footprints found at the scene. Neale told the Court there were more than 50 footprints next to Guy's body, and they were all made by size 9 Proline boots. King said the 33 wavy rows on the plaster impressions of the boots presented by the police were not compatible with size 9. He said the prints came from a size 11 or 12 boot. Macdonald's wife, Anna, confirmed that Macdonald's size 9 boots had been thrown out two years earlier.
King also said the police ignored other possible suspects and failed to investigate car tyre marks at the scene of the crime and the sighting of a mystery sedan on Aorangi Rd. He said Police also failed to investigate an offender who had a history of shotgun crimes and had committed a string of local burglaries. A cigarette packet found outside the house matched one stolen by the burglar with a history of shotgun crimes. Concerns were also raised about another man who came looking for Guy at his home a few days before his death.
Verdict.
In July 2012, after 11 hours deliberation, the jury found Macdonald not guilty. After a short break, Justice Simon France remanded Macdonald for a sentencing date on other charges. A year later, Guy's father Bryan insisted that justice had prevailed. He said that he did not want the case to drag on for years without being solved and made a plea to his son's killer to give himself up.
Kylee Guy's response.
Scott's wife, Kylee Guy subsequently tried to track down her husband's killer and enlisted a private investigator, Mike Crawford, to conduct the investigation. After 18 months, the investigation was called off due to financial issues. Although it was called off, Crawford said Scott Guy received a number of phone calls the day before he died, and another on the day of his murder. However, there was no information about these calls, such as cell-site data and subscriber details, in the police file on Guy's murder. Crawford thought these calls might have shed some light on who the killer was.
Other suspects.
At the start of the investigation, police said there were nearly 60 people they looked at as possible suspects. One of them was a man who committed an aggravated robbery four days before Scott was killed. He stole a carton of Winfield Gold cigarettes and police found a cigarette of that brand on Scott's driveway near the murder site. Police stopped investigating him after his girlfriend, who was a methamphetamine addict, told police he came home "maybe around 4am" but admitted she was "pretty wrecked" on meth herself. A number of people told police this man, who has name suppression, was involved in the murder.
Farmworker Matthew Ireland testified that he saw a car coming from the direction of Scott Guy's house, as he arrived at the farm – almost exactly at the time the police believe Scott was murdered. Ireland also said there was a second car coming from the same direction, just after 5am, as they rode towards the milking shed. The police have never identified either of these cars. Peter Coles, one of Macdonald's lawyers, said "The only way you'd be on that road is if you knew of its existence and had some reason to be there – it's not State Highway 1. The failure to find either of those cars, despite it being publicised throughout New Zealand, just defies belief, unless that car is connected with the murder." Coles is convinced the police disregarded suspects who were more likely to have been involved.
Another suspect was suggested by Dave Berry, who was the first to come across Guy's body. Two weeks before Guy was shot he recalled a "tall, unshaven man with dark hair" smelling of alcohol and cigarettes. The man banged on his door looking for Scott.
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26 JUL 2026 · Eamon Dunne.
Eamon Dunne (17 February 1976 – 23 April 2010) was an Irish crime boss from Finglas in North Dublin. Nicknamed "the Don" by media outlets, Dunne led a gang based in Finglas, Cabra, and Ballymun, who were involved in drug dealing, armed robbery, extortion and murder. Linked to at least a dozen murders during his life, he was described by Garda sources as "the worst" they had ever seen by number of murders, and was considered Ireland's "public enemy number one" at the time of his death in 2010.
Originally a member of a gang led by Martin "Marlo" Hyland, Dunne filled the power vacuum after Hyland was shot dead in December 2006, in an assassination Dunne was believed to be the getaway driver for. Dunne was suspected to have ordered at least a dozen gangland murders over the next three years, as he consolidated his position by having rivals and suspected Garda informers killed. Increased Garda attention brought on by his frequent murders and increasingly erratic behaviour, fuelled by his heavy cocaine usage, led to his own associates organising his death. On 23 April 2010, Dunne was shot dead at a birthday party in Cabra, in front of his seventeen-year-old daughter.
Early life.
The son of Eamon and Margaret Dunne, Eamon Dunne was born on 17 February 1976, and grew up in Cabra. Unlike many of his criminal contemporaries, he came from a stable family background and completed his Leaving Certificate examinations, attending St Declan's College in Cabra West. Prior to becoming a criminal, he first worked in meat wholesale, later becoming a taxi driver. He ran a motor business, which he used as a front for his criminal activities.
Dunne was believed by Gardaí to have had a long history of violence against women, including assaulting his girlfriend, who had made a complaint to Gardaí about it but withdrew it in fear. According to crime journalist Paul Williams in his 2011 book Badfellas, Dunne had frequent affairs with girlfriends and wives of his own associates and other gangland criminals. Gardaí had repeatedly found Viagra tablets in his BMW car when he had been stopped for searches.
Criminal activities.
A member of Martin "Marlo" Hyland's crime gang, Dunne was one of Hyland's closest lieutenants. He first came to Garda attention in 2002 after being caught at a house during a raid with a large quantity of cocaine and ecstasy; at the time of his death, he was due to stand trial for this in the Supreme Court. Several months later, Dunne was stopped while driving a car and a man was found bound and gagged in the boot; the kidnap victim never filed a complaint and Dunne faced no punishment for this.
Following Operation Oak, a large number of seizures were made against Hyland's gang, and a number of Hyland's associates, including ones awaiting payment for carrying out murders he had ordered, were facing serious charges. As Hyland's empire began to crumble, Dunne made a move to kill his former boss. In 2006, Hyland was shot dead at the home of a relative in Finglas, along with innocent plumber Anthony Campbell; it is suspected that Dunne drove the getaway car for the killers. Following Hyland's murder, Dunne quickly filled the power vacuum and took control of the drug trade in Dublin.
Dunne forged links with a number of other criminal groups, including the Kinahan Organised Crime Group, "Fat" Freddie Thompson's criminal gang in Dublin and the McCarthy-Dundon gang in Limerick, the latter of whom his former boss Hyland had organised the murder of Latvian woman Baiba Saulite for in 2007; Dunne was alleged to have been involved in this murder. Through his connections with Declan Duffy, he had links to the INLA; during a 2007 raid by the Special Detective Unit on a house in Tallaght, Duffy and Dunne were found torturing a drug dealer, though no complaint was forthcoming and they were not charged as a result. Dunne had reportedly also been a protegé of Dublin criminal godfather and drug trafficker Eamon Kelly.
Up until his death, newspapers were not able to name Dunne in their reports for legal reasons, instead dubbing him "The Don". Dunne sent several unsuccessful legal letters to newspapers, claiming that their reports placed his life in jeopardy. He was reported to have engaged in intimidation, arriving to court hearings accompanied by two henchmen and frequently threatening press photographers. At the time of his death, Dunne was on bail and awaiting trial in connection with a €900,000 robbery of a cash-in-transit van in Celbridge in 2007. The Irish Independent reported that he was expected to face a number of criminal charges under gangland legislation should he not have been murdered.
Victims.
Dunne was noted for his extreme propensity for murder, including his own associates. While usually not pulling the trigger himself, Dunne was suspected of being involved in at least a dozen gangland murders in the years before his death.
The victims included:
- Andrew "Chicore" Dillon (26), a drug dealer from Finglas, shot dead on 17 August 2005. Formerly a member of the Westies crime gang, Dillon had stolen from a drug-trafficker ally of Hyland. On Hyland's orders, Dunne and two other gangsters lured Dillon into a trap, before shooting him three times and dumping his body in a ditch.
- Baiba Saulite (26), shot dead outside her home on 19 November 2006. Saulite was shot dead on the orders of John Dundon of the McCarthy-Dundon crime family, who was sharing a cell with Saulite's ex-husband, Lebanese crime boss Hassan Hassan. According to crime journalist Paul Williams, Hyland recruited Dunne, gangland killer Paddy Doyle and three other members to murder Saulite.
- Martin "Marlo" Hyland (37), the leader of the gang Dunne was a member of, shot dead in Finglas on 12 December 2006.
- Anthony Campbell (20), an innocent plumber, shot dead during the assassination of Hyland.
- John Daly (27), shot dead as he sat in a taxi in Finglas on 22 October 2007. Daly had been released from prison in August of that year, after serving a nine-year sentence for armed robbery. A former member of Marlo Hyland's gang, he reportedly demanded money that Hyland owed him from Dunne; after threatening to kill Dunne, he was shot dead.
- Trevor Walsh (33), shot dead at Kippure Park, Finglas, two days after he was released from prison, on 20 July 2008.
- Paul 'Farmer' Martin (39), a convicted armed robber, shot dead in the Jolly Toper pub in Finglas on 23 August 2008. An ally of both Hyland and Daly, Martin had reportedly refused to stop selling drugs in Dunne's territory.
- Michael 'Roly' Cronin (35), a major drug dealer, and James Maloney (26), his driver, shot dead in Dublin city centre, January 2009. A former associate of Hyland, Dunne had conspired with Cronin to have Hyland killed after Cronin incurred a drug debt to Hyland. A feud between the two later erupted. In 2008, Cronin attempted to attack Dunne with a grenade, but was spotted by Garda surveillance. Dunne hired heroin addict Christy Gilroy, who had bought drugs off Cronin previously, to lure him into a trap; Gilroy shot both men twice.
- Graham McNally (34), shot dead in Finglas, 20 January 2009. One of Dunne's closest allies, McNally was killed because Dunne believed he was plotting against him. Dunne himself was believed to have been the gunman in this murder.
- Christopher "Christy" Gilroy (36), disappeared in Spain, February 2009. A heroin addict hired to kill Michael "Roly" Cronin and James Maloney, he had left the murder weapon and clothing linking him to the murder close to the crime scene. Gilroy fled to Spain, where Dunne paid for him to enter a detox clinic. Paranoid about Gilroy potentially becoming a Garda informer, Dunne hired hitman Eric "Lucky" Wilson to kill Gilroy and ensure the body was never found.
- Michael Murray (41), shot dead in Finglas, 2 March 2009. Having accepted a contract from associates of John Daly to kill Dunne, Murray had survived a murder attempt in 2008 after Dunne ordered Gilroy to kill him; Murray survived after being shot in the shoulder. He was shot three times in the head on a second attempt, in a killing ordered by Dunne.
- Paul Smyth (34), from Finglas, body found in Balbriggan, 12 June 2009. A former member of Hyland's gang and the brother-in-law of Paul "Farmer" Martin, he had been approached by associates of both Martin and John Daly to kill Dunne.
- David Thomas (43), shot dead outside the Drake Inn pub in Finglas, 11 October 2009. Not involved in serious crime, Thomas has been acquitted of killing a man in a pub in 2001; Dunne was believed to have organised the murder for a friend.
- John Paul Joyce (30), a drug trafficker, body found near Dublin Airport on 9 January 2010. The man tasked with disposing of the weapon used to kill Paul "Farmer" Martin, Joyce had instead given it to the police in the hope of a lighter sentence for an assault charge. After Dunne discovered this, he had Joyce shot in the head.
Downfall and death.
For several years, Dunne had suffered from anxiety and paranoia; it was reported that in 2001 he had expressed suicidal thoughts to his GP, and two years later he was reportedly drinking eight cans of alcohol a night; at the time of his death, he had reportedly been using over five grams of cocaine a day. Dunne was also reportedly in financial difficulty before his death, having walked onto a halting site the weekend before his murder and demanded €20,000 from two men. Dunne also demanded €150,000 from a major gangland criminal, threatening to have the INLA kill him if he did not pay.
Dunne's increasing paranoia and unstable behaviour eventually led to his own gang members turning against him. Due to the increased Garda attention brought on by Dunne's repeated murders, Gardaí believe..... Wikipedia: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License.
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Transcribed
26 JUL 2026 · Murder of Elisabeth Mandala.
On May 1, 2010 an American woman named Elisabeth Mandala (Spring 1992 – April/May 2010) was found dead in a truck in Nuevo León, Mexico. Her murder is unsolved.
Life.
Mandala lived on a ranch, located in a section of Houston near the City of Sugar Land. Her father was an Italian American and her mother immigrated from Mexico to the US; they later divorced and the father moved out of her house. Mandala had an older sister, an older brother, and a younger sister. She was a 12th grade student at Kempner High School in Sugar Land.
Mandala worked at a Pappadeaux restaurant in Sugar Land as a waitress and later as a secretary at her father's company. She also worked as an exotic dancer at the Moments Cabaret nightclub in Pasadena, Texas, something her friends were unaware of, and paid money into an apparent online scam.
On April 27, 2010, she traveled to Mexico after getting into a car in north Houston. A group of her friends were aware of her travel plans. Her mother found that she was absent from school and text messages and Facebook messages saying that she was in Mexico and would be back. Her mother did not give her permission to travel abroad. Mandala was in contact with her father via text message, and he warned her about traveling in Mexico. On May 1 her mother reported her missing. Her body had been found in Mexico hours earlier. She died at age 18.
Carl Franzen wrote in AOL News that "details have emerged about [Mandala's] life that invite comparisons to" that of Laura Palmer, a teenage girl character in the television series Twin Peaks. Marilyn D. McShane and Ming-Li Hsieh, authors of Women and Criminal Justice, stated that Mandala wanted more excitement in her life despite her comfortable upbringing.
Death.
At 6:00 a.m. on May 1, 2010, Mandala was found dead in a Texas-registered Dodge Dakota pickup truck, along a Mexican federal highway, near the town of Mina in Nuevo León. Mandala was in the truck's back bench. Two men, a 44-year-old taxicab driver named Luis Angel Estrella Mondragón and a 38-year-old businessman named Dante Ruiz Siller, were in the same truck; they were Mexican citizens from Cuautitlán, State of Mexico, near Mexico City. Nuevo León authorities did not know why Estrella and Ruiz were in the state. One of the men had a lengthy criminal record and the two men had false identification. Authorities were unable to determine the relationship between Mandala and the men, Estrella and Ruiz.
The truck was discovered after it collided with another truck; the driver of the second truck did not sustain injuries. Nuevo León authorities found all three occupants died from beatings, while sustaining blows to their heads and bodies, in a period of at least ten hours prior to the collision, which Nuevo León authorities believe was engineered by the perpetrators. A rock was affixed to the accelerator of the truck. Nuevo León authorities stated the crash could not have caused the deaths as it was not strong enough.
Aftermath.
After the case came to national media attention, speculation in the outlets stated that she came to Mexico since she wanted to become a coyote and traffic persons along the U.S.-Mexico border. Her family stated that Mandala was joking when she said she wanted to smuggle illegal immigrants, and that in fact Mandala was not trying to smuggle people. Her parents turned away reporters who traveled to their residence. After several months the media attention died down.
The Houston Police Department (HPD) and federal government authorities stated that since she was found dead in Mexico, they will not investigate the case since they lack jurisdiction. Upon the identification of Mandala's body, HPD closed its case on Mandala. Mexican authorities did not turn up any leads. The family declined to pay a private investigator funds to investigate the case since the family members had already exhausted their savings to repatriate Mandala's body.
Mandala's funeral was held at St. Theresa Catholic Church in Sugar Land, and she was buried at Forest Park Westheimer Cemetery in Houston.
McShane and Hsieh noted that this case, along with that of Ashley Paige Benton, was an example of a teenage girl who ended up in "statistical groups" atypical for that sex and age group and more typical for juvenile males, due to "perhaps bad choices" and "unpredictable behavior" despite Mandala having normalcy "in so many ways". Wikipedia: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License.
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Unsolved Murders comprise thousands of historically infamous cold cases and recent homicides that continue to baffle investigators. While modern DNA and genetic genealogy frequently solve decades-old cold cases, many prominent...
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Unsolved Murders comprise thousands of historically infamous cold cases and recent homicides that continue to baffle investigators. While modern DNA and genetic genealogy frequently solve decades-old cold cases, many prominent mysteries—such as the Zodiac Killer and the Setagaya family murders—remain unresolved.
This lists of Unsolved Murders include notable cases where victims were murdered in unknown circumstances.
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This lists of Unsolved Murders include notable cases where victims were murdered in unknown circumstances.
Information
| Author | Popular Culture and Religion. |
| Organization | Popular Culture and Religion. |
| Categories | True Crime , News , History |
| Website | euram-radio.blogspot.com |
| luciamty002@gmail.com |
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