Top Stories of the Week

Oregon Man Convicted in 1980 Cold Case Murder of College Student

Portland, Oregon- In a significant breakthrough in a cold case dating back to 1980, Robert Plympton, 60, has been found guilty of first-degree murder in the death of 19-year-old college student Barbara Mae Tucker. The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office announced the conviction following a Friday decision by Multnomah County Circuit Judge Amy Baggio.

Barbara Mae Tucker, a student at Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham, Oregon, was expected to attend a night class on January 15, 1980. Disturbingly, she never made it. Witnesses reported seeing her emerge from a bushy, wooded area on campus, appearing to be running before a man emerged and led her back toward the area. Tucker’s body was discovered near a campus parking lot the following day, sparking an investigation that would remain unresolved for decades. A medical examiner determined that Tucker had been sexually assaulted and beaten to death.

Shohei Ohtani’s Representatives Seek Investigation into Alleged Massive Theft

Los Angeles, California - Baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani representatives have contacted law enforcement to investigate an alleged “massive theft” of the player’s money. The specific law enforcement agency involved has not been disclosed.

The incident unfolded earlier this week when the Los Angeles Dodgers terminated the employment of Ohtani’s longtime interpreter and close friend, Ippei Mizuhara. It was alleged that Ohtani had wired $4.5 million to Mathew Bowyer, an alleged illegal bookmaker, to cover Mizuhara’s gambling debts. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has since confirmed that Bowyer and Mizuhara are under criminal investigation.

Former Yoozoo Games Executive Sentenced to Death for Poisoning Founder

Shanghai, China - A former executive at Yoozoo Games, Xu Yao, has been sentenced to death by the Shanghai First Intermediate People’s Court for the poisoning of the company’s founder, Lin Qi. The incident occurred in December 2020 and stemmed from a dispute over the management of the business. Lin, aged 39, tragically passed away approximately ten days after consuming the poisoned food.

Xu Yao’s actions extended beyond the poisoning of Lin Qi. The court revealed that between September and December 2020, Xu also poisoned beverages in the office, resulting in the illness of four other individuals. Fortunately, these individuals survived the poisoning. The motive behind these additional poisonings was Xu’s disputes with two of the affected individuals.

Yoozoo Games, also known as Youzu Interactive, holds the film rights to the popular Chinese science fiction trilogy The Three-Body Problem. Xu Yao was in charge of a subsidiary responsible for business related to this trilogy. As reported by Chinese state media, in September 2020, the company granted Netflix the rights to produce an adaptation of the trilogy.

In Other Crime News

• Brooklyn, New York - Kevin James has been charged with murder and assault in the tragic death of his 3-year-old neighbor, Denim Brown. Read More.

• Los Angeles, California - LAPD homicide detectives are intensifying their efforts to gather leads in two separate fatal shootings of women engaged in sex work in South Los Angeles. Read More.

• Port-au-Prince, Haiti - Attacks and shootings escalate as political groups moved closer to finalizing a transition council to assume power in the absence of a functioning government. Read More.

• Portland, Oregon- Passengers aboard Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 that experienced a midair blowout in January have recently received letters from the FBI indicating that they may be victims of a crime. Read More.

Crime History

March 20, 1979 - The Templeton Woods Murders

At 7:50 p.m. on March 20, 1979, Carol Lannen stepped into a red Ford Cortina on the corner of Exchange Street and Commercial Street in Dundee, Scotland. It was the last time the 18-year-old was seen alive. The next day her naked body was found in Templeton Woods. She had been strangled to death. Less than a year later, on Feb. 26, 1980, 20-year-old Elizabeth McCabe’s body was discovered in Templeton Woods by a person walking their dog. She was just 150 yards from where Lannen had been found. She was also naked and had been strangled.

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