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- This Week in Crime: August 3 - 9, 2024
This Week in Crime: August 3 - 9, 2024
Top Stories of the Week
Husband Arrested in 25-Year-Old Cold Case Murder of Young Mother
Atlanta, Georgia - Atlanta police have made a significant breakthrough in a 25-year-old cold case, arresting Christopher Wolfenbarger for the murder of his wife, Melissa Wolfenberger. Melissa, a 21-year-old mother of two, was found dismembered inside black trash bags in 1999, a crime that had remained unsolved for over two decades.
Terror Plot Foiled at Taylor Swift Concert in Vienna
Vienna, Austria - Austria’s authorities have apprehended a third suspect in connection with the thwarted terror plot aimed at Taylor Swift’s scheduled concerts in Vienna. Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner confirmed that the 18-year-old individual was taken into custody on Thursday night in Vienna. The suspect had been in contact with the primary 19-year-old suspect, who was arrested earlier this week. Both suspects had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group.
According to Karner, Investigations are underway to scrutinize the networks associated with the suspects. The third suspect, who was arrested on Thursday, is not directly linked to the attack plans but had taken an oath of allegiance to the Islamic State on August 6. Austrian officials revealed that the primary suspect, inspired by Al Qaeda and ISIS, had planned to carry out the attack during one of Swift’s concerts, aiming to cause mass casualties outside the venue.
Suspected Serial Killer Arrested in Ventura County Cold Case Murders
Ventura, California—Cold case investigators have apprehended a suspected serial killer responsible for the brutal murders of three women in Ventura County nearly five decades ago. Warren Luther Alexander, 73, was recently extradited from North Carolina, where he awaits prosecution for an unsolved murder from 1992. Alexander is now being held without bail in Ventura County Jail, as authorities believe there may be additional victims both locally and in other states.
The three victims, Kimberly Carol Fritz, Velvet Ann Sanchez, and Lorraine Ann Rodriguez, were all strangled to death in 1977. Fritz, an 18-year-old, was found deceased in a Port Hueneme motel on May 29, while Sanchez, 31, was discovered in an Oxnard motel on September 9 of the same year. Rodriguez, 21, was found dumped on Laguna Road in the Oxnard Plain area in late December. These unsolved cases have long haunted detectives, and the recent breakthrough has provided a glimmer of hope for justice.
In Other Crime News
Los Angeles, California - Suspects in Shooting Death of ‘General Hospital’ Actor Johnny Wactor Identified in Security Images. Read More.
Florida Keys - Over $1 Million Worth of Cocaine Washes Up on Florida Keys Beach After Hurricane Debby. Read More.
Sydney, Australia - Alleged Coin Bandit Charged with Stealing $600,000 Worth of Bluey Coins. Read More.
Joshua Tree, California - Trio of German Tourists Allegedly Vandalize Joshua Tree National Park with Paintballs. Read More.
Democratic Republic of the Congo - Congolese Military Court Sentences 26 to Death for Involvement in Armed Groups. Read More.
Crime History
August 4, 1935 - The Rattlesnake Murder
Mary Busch married Robert S. James in the spring of 1935. It was James’ fifth marriage. In June of the same year, James approached his friend Charles Hope with a sinister proposition. James asked Hope to help him kill Mary and offered Hope $100 from the life insurance settlement he would receive in return. Hope agreed to the plan.
On August 4, Hope arrived at James’ home with two rattlesnakes. James had already strapped Mary to the kitchen table and taped her eyes and mouth closed. Hope and James put Mary’s feet into a box containing the snakes. After Mary was bitten, the two men left the house.
James returned to the home drunk at 1:30 a.m. and found that Mary was still alive. He took his wife to the bathtub and drowned her before placing her face-down in the fish pond outside. A bartender later called in a tip to police after hearing Hope bragging about the murder at a bar. During questioning, Hope gave police details about the murder. Robert James was arrested for the crime in 1936.
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