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- This Week in Crime: August 10 - 16, 2024
This Week in Crime: August 10 - 16, 2024
Top Stories of the Week
Five Arrested in Connection with Matthew Perry’s Ketamine Overdose Death
Los Angeles, California - Five individuals have been arrested in connection with the ketamine overdose death of beloved actor Matthew Perry. U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada announced the charges against two doctors, Salvador Plasencia and Mark Chavez, along with drug dealer Jasveen Sangha, known as the “Ketamine Queen.” Perry’s assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, was also implicated in the case.
4 arrested in killing of former ‘General Hospital’ actor Johnny Wactor
Los Angeles, California - Los Angeles police have arrested four individuals in connection with the fatal shooting of General Hospital actor Johnny Wactor. Robert Barceleau, Leonel Gutierrez, and Sergio Estrada, all 18, were charged with murder, while 22-year-old Frank Olano faces an accessory charge. All four are being held on $2 million bail.
Wactor, 37, was shot and killed on May 25 after he confronted the suspects attempting to steal the catalytic converter from his car. After finishing a bartending shift in downtown Los Angeles, Wactor found the trio using a floor jack to hoist his vehicle. Without provocation, one of the suspects shot him, and they fled the scene, leaving him fatally wounded.
Massive Women’s March in West Bengal Protests Rape and Murder of Trainee Doctor
Kolkata, India—Tens of thousands of women took to the streets of Kolkata, West Bengal, on Wednesday night in a massive protest against the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College. The Reclaim the Night march, culminating in nearly a week of intense protests, saw women from all walks of life unite in their demand for justice.
Responding to calls on social media, women across Kolkata and throughout West Bengal braved the rain to participate in the peaceful protests. However, clashes between the police and a small group of unidentified men marred the demonstrations when the RG Kar Hospital, where the doctor was murdered, was ransacked. Tear gas was deployed by the police to disperse the unruly crowd, resulting in damage to some police vehicles.
The protests were sparked by the rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor who had fallen asleep in a seminar room after a grueling 36-hour shift. Her body was discovered the following day, bearing extensive injuries. A hospital volunteer worker has been arrested in connection with the case. Still, accusations of cover-up and negligence have led to the transfer of the investigation to the federal Central Bureau of Investigation.
In Other Crime News
Mataró, Spain- Father of Spanish Football Star Lamine Yamal Stabbed Multiple Times in Car Park. Read More.
Gulu, Uganda - Thomas Kwoyelo Found Guilty of Crimes Against Humanity in Landmark Ugandan Trial. Read More.
Crime History
August 10, 1969 - The LaBianca Murders
Charles Manson and several of his followers went for a drive on Aug. 10, 1969, the day after the brutal killing of Sharon Tate and four others. Manson was displeased by the panic his disciples had shown following the previous night’s murders and wanted to teach them a lesson. After riding in the car for three hours, Manson told Linda Kasabian to drive to 3301 Waverly Drive, where supermarket executive Leno LaBianca and his wife Rosemary lived.
Manson and Tex Watson entered the home through an unlocked back door. They woke the sleeping couple and tied them up in the living room. Manson told Watson to cover the LaBianca’s heads with pillowcases. Manson then sent Patricia Krenwinkel and Leslie Van Houten into the house. Watson stabbed the 44-year-old Leno in the throat with a chrome-plated bayonet before stabbing 39-year-old Rosemary several times. Krenwinkel and Van Houten also stabbed Rosemary. The scene they left behind was gruesome. On the walls “Rise,” “Death to Pigs,” and “Helter Skelter,” had been written in blood. The LaBiancas were discovered by Rosemary’s 15-year-old son about 19 hours after the murders.
Two days later the LAPD told the press they had ruled out a connection between the LaBianca and Tate homicides. Watson and Krenwinkel were arrested on Dec. 1, 1969, after a jailhouse informant reported Manson Family member Susan Atkins, who was being held on suspicion in another murder case, had confessed to being part of the Sharon Tate murders. Using another family member, Linda Kasabian, as their chief witness, the prosecution was able to secure convictions against Manson, Krenwinkel, Van Houten, and Watson. In 1971, each of them were sentenced to death. In 1972, California abolished the death penalty and the sentences were changed to life in prison. Manson died of a heart attack and colon cancer in 2017.
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