Cold Case in Ireland

Hello everyone! 

It's day 3 of True Crime Week and I had a request to cover a case from Ireland, so I did some research and decided on this one.

As always I would love to hear your thoughts about it. 

This is the murder of Raonaid Murray.

Raonaid (Irish name for Rachel) Murray was born on January 1, 1982 to Jim and Deirdre Murray, she had an older sister and brother, the family lived in Glenageary, South Dublin. She loved reading and poetry and hoped that one day she would be a professional writer. In 1999, she worked at a fashion boutique named Sally May, not to far from her home. She was known as a soft spoken, well mannered teenager who had an active social life.

On the night of September 3, 1999 Murray finished her shift at the boutique at 9:00 pm and then met up with a friend at Scotts pub on Georges Street, a place that she would go often. She left the pub around 11:20 pm telling her friend that she was going to go home to change her clothes so she could meet some other friends at a nearby dance club. She was on foot and started towards her house that was about a 15 minute walk. 

At 11:53 pm a female motorist witnesses a young man "hassling" Murray near an intersection. The witness also stated that Murray seemed to know the man and that the teenager seemed like she was trying to get away from him. The man was described as being 5'10" and around 22-25 years old. She described him as slender and "good-looking," with a haircut similar to that of Noel Gallagher from the band Oasis. 

At 12:02 am another witness saw Murray walking alone, but about 8 minutes later someone else claimed to hear a female shout, "Fuck off!" Followed by a scream.

What happened after that is not 100% known. 

What is known is that Murray was stabbed 4 times with a 6 inch kitchen knife, first into her chest, then in her left arm when she went to defend herself, lastly into her left side twice. Somehow even with these wounds she was able to make it along the remaining 100 yards out into Silchester Crescent where she died alone on the grass. There were no signs of sexual assault and she still had all of her belongings on her. The murder weapon never found. Investigators did not have much to go on, but regardless over the years they did hundreds of interviews, and made 14 arrests in pursuit of her killer, but none ever led to a conviction.

So let's discuss a couple of the leads investigators had.

One lead they had was a man that allegedly was acting strange when he got into a taxi that night near the crime scene. The taxi drivers said the man might have been wearing bloodstained clothing, he was trying to cover the stains on his pants and was also acting very agitated. When investigators looked into the area where the taxi driver had picked up the man they didn't find any evidence. That lead went cold. 

About 9 years after Murray's murder the Garda Serious Crime Review Team reportedly took a harder look at the case. Detective Superintendent Christy Mangan and the team allegedly found mistakes. Such as police not properly following up with potential witnesses and some tension between law enforcement units might have had a negative impact on communication. In the end they thought that Murray's killer might have known her and on top of that they also thought that investigators should look at the possibility that the killer was a woman. 

Charlotte and Linda

Fast forward to 2006, siblings Charlotte and Linda Mulhall were sent to prison by an Irish court, for the fatal stabbing and dismemberment of Farah Swaleh Noor. They were known to the press as the "Scissor Sisters," because of how the killing was carried out as you may have guessed.  Noor was a drifter that allegedly sought asylum in Ireland under false pretenses, it was said by police that he had reportedly been convicted of various crimes, but never served time and was facing rape allegations. He met the Mulhall family in 2001 and soon after started dating the girls mom, Kathleen Mulhall. By 2005 the relationship turned toxic, Kathleen told her daughters that Noor had been abusive towards her.  This claim led to Noor being stabbed dozens of times and his body being dismembered. According to police reports Kathleen told them that Noor had once threatened her by saying "I'm going to fucking kill you, just like I did with Raonaid Murray."  Investigators went diving in to see if they could find a possible connection between Noor and Murray, but they could not. 

Police still believe that this was not the work of a random killer, that Murray knew her killer. There's no records of a similar attack before or after her murder near the Dublin region.  Again the nature of her attack would also suggest that whoever killed her would have had some sort of personal grudge against her. Sadly, Raonaid's case is still unsolved and her family continues to hope that someone who saw or heard something will come forward and give them closure and Raonaid justice. 

Resources: 

https://www.investigationdiscovery.com/crimefeed/crime-history/raonaid-murray-5-things-to-know-about-irelands-mysterious-unsolved-murder

https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/b588mj/the_unresolved_murder_of_raonaid_murray_almost_20/

Most Hated Mom in America Part 2

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Most Hated Mom in America Part 1

Caylee Anthony

Happy Day 1 of True Crime Week!

Today's story is the disappearance of 2 year old Caylee Anthony. This one is a bit longer than most, so I'm splitting it up into 2 parts, but don't worry you won't have to wait long, part 2 will be out tomorrow!  

This is one that I definitely want to hear what you all think. 

Casey Anthony 

So lets start off by going to the day of July 15, 2008. On this day a 911 call comes through, the person on the other end is Cindy Anthony, when asked what she is calling for she says that she is calling to report a vehicle stolen and wants her 22 year old daughter Casey Anthony arrested. Police respond to the residence of George and Cindy Anthony, here they come across Cindy and Casey arguing. While police are trying to piece together what is going on, a bomb was dropped on them. Cindy tells police she hasn't seen her daughter in weeks and that her granddaughter is missing. Her granddaughter being 2 year old Caylee Anthony. When asked how long she had been missing they were informed the last time that Caylee had been seen was on June 16th. 31 days prior! 

Casey told police that on the morning of the 16th she dropped her daughter off at Zenaida Fernandez-Lopez's apartment, or "Zanny the Nanny" as Casey referred to her as. Casey told police she was an event planner at Universal Studios and went to work that day. When Casey returned to pick Caylee up no one was at the apartment, she tried calling the nanny, but the calls wouldn't go through. She stayed at the apartment for awhile before going off and looking at places she thought they might be before ultimately going back to her boyfriends house when she found nothing.  

To give you a little background on the Anthony family, Casey Anthony was 19 years old when she became pregnant with Caylee. It was never known to her family who the father was, but it wasn't important to them, they supported her and she continued to live with her parents over the years, who helped her with Caylee. Her mom Cindy was a registered nurse and her dad George was a retired police officer. They seemed to be your average all American family. 

When police asked Casey why she hadn't reported her daughter missing she told them that it was out of fear of something happening to Caylee. They asked Casey to go with them to the Nanny's apartment. She brought them to an apartment complex and pointed out a specific unit to them, saying that's where she lives. When Police go up to the door and knock there is no answer, but soon they realize after peaking into the window that the apartment is vacant. Not a good sign. 

A large search is put on to find the missing 2 year old. While the search is on detectives continue to look into Casey's story. Detectives go back to the apartment complex to inquire more information about Zanny the Nanny. They discover that particular unit Casey pointed out to them had been vacant for months, and that they had no record of a Zenaida Fernandez-Lopez ever living in the complex. Surveillance video for the day Caylee went missing doesn't show Casey arriving or leaving the complex at all. 

 Casey also had told them that 2 of her co workers at Universal Studios were aware of what was going on, she gave them the names. When detectives went to question these people, they discovered that they didn't exist, on top of that they also discovered that Casey didn't actually work there. Police were left confused by these lies Casey had told them. They went to her and didn't disclose what they knew, they asked her to take them to Universal Studios. They go in and the guard up front tells her sorry we don't have an employee with your name, she then gives the name of her so called supervisor and their extension and is told again there is nobody by that name. Eventually a supervisor comes out and gives Casey and the officers the ok to enter. Casey walks down the hall leading detectives and waving at people as they pass by. Eventually they get to a dead end, Casey turns around and tells them that she doesn't actually work there. They tell her they already know and that it's time that they have a serious discussion. 

During her interrogation Casey's demeanor is odd. She continues to deny that she knows where Caylee is and is adiment that she left her with the Nanny that day. She shows no signs of emotion during this interview. In my opinion if my child was missing for over a month at this point and I thought someone had taken them I would be an emotional wreck. She wasn't even close to that. Frustrated by Casey's lies they arrest her for child neglect, hoping this would push her to start telling them more.   

A phone call is placed by Casey, she calls her mom. Her mom asks her why she's lying and that they can't help find Caylee if she continues to be dishonest. Casey gets frustrated with her and she continues to ask for her boyfriend Tony's phone number. A family friend gets on the phone and asks Casey why she was showing no emotion or concern over her missing daughter, Casey tells them she has to remain composed for Caylee's sake and can't cry like she wants to. 

Police hear this phone call and track down Tony the boyfriend. Him and his roommate were surprised to hear that Caylee was missing. When being interviewed they said that Caylee came over with her mother at least 3 times a week, but then it became not at all. When they would ask where she was Casey told them she was either with the nanny or her parents. In the month that she was staying at their home she never once mentioned that her daughter was missing.

Police decided to go back and review the 911 tape, that's when they discovered there was more than one phone call made to 911 from the Anthony household. One from earlier in the day of July 15, again from Cindy, that police found very interesting. She reported that they just got their vehicle back from a tow yard and that it smells like "A dead body in the damn car."  The car was in their name, but Casey was the driver of the car. 

Police took in the 1998 Pontiac Sun fire and immediately smelled decomposition. They brought in a cadaver dog that led them straight to the trunk, where they found positive evidence of decomp. In addition to the smell they found hairs and a stain that looked to be the size of a small child. Apparently Casey's car had run out of gas, was towed and a notice was mailed to her parents. It had been in the tow yard for weeks. 

When they went to question Cindy about the 911 call she made, she changed her story and said that when they got the car back they found a bag of garbage in the trunk, in it was a pizza box that contained maggots. Police knew those smells are not at all the same. They tried to get more out of her, but got no where. Casey's father George asked to speak with detectives alone, he told them that when they got the car back it had "bad vibes." 

Police soon find a Zenaida Fernandez-Lopez, who lives about 20 miles away. She is not young like Casey described and when they ask her if she knows Casey or Caylee she tells them no, when they ask if she ever was their nanny, she tells them no. Police were able to verify she was telling the truth about who she was. Casey gets a lawyer, Jose Baez and after that police aren't able to speak with her anymore. All while Casey's parents continue to put together massive searches to find Caylee. 

In August she makes bond and is put on house arrest, at this point she becomes the most hated mom in America and people start to protest on the lawn of her parents house. 

With the evidence they have they arrest Casey Anthony in October, 2008 for murder. 

On December 11, 2008 the case takes another turn. A utility worker came across something odd when he pulled off to the side of the road to relieve himself in a wooded area. He started poking it with a stick when he realized it was a human skull. He called police, at the crime scene garbage bags were found, a canvas bag with bones inside, a Winnie the Pooh blanket and a small skull. Soon they were identified as little Caylee Anthony. A cause of death could not be determined, no flesh was left on the bones and on the bones themselves there were no markings. There was a piece of duct tape that was across the bottom half of the skull, the medical examiner found that this duct tape had held the upper and lower jaw together, even through decomposition. Due to the circumstances of how the remains were found it was listed as an undetermined homicide. Oh let me just mention one other thing about this wooded location she was discovered in...it was only 1/4 mile away from the Anthony's homes, basically in their backyard. 

Police obtain a warrant to search the Anthony home, here they discover some pretty interesting things. Little Caylee's bedroom was Winnie and the Pooh themed. The canvas bag she was found in was apart of a laundry hamper set, the other canvas bag was found in the home, they added this information to their list of evidence. Next step was taking her to trail. 

It wasn't until May 24, 2011 that this trial began for Casey Anthony.  This is what we will cover tomorrow in part 2 of "Most hated mom in America." 

Resources: 
"Casey Anthony, An American Murder Mystery." 

Held Hostage

Happy True Crime Thursday!

For this weeks case I want to talk about 3 women who went through the same ordeal and all had the same outcome. 

Let's take a trip to Cleveland, Ohio. 

Here we meet Michelle Knight, born April 23, 1981. Michelle had a rough childhood, she was sexually abused by a family member for years. When she was 17 she got pregnant, and although terrified to have a baby decided to keep him. On August 23, 2002 she was scheduled to meet with a social worker to prep her for a custody hearing coming up, but she never made it. No one heard from her. When she was reported missing authorities believed that she had run away and they pushed her case to the side. Truly her disappearance was not taken seriously enough and did not get the attention that it should have. 

Next we meet Amanda Berry, born April 22, 1986. On the day before her 17th birthday she disappeared. She was last heard from around 8pm. she had called her sister to let her know that she was getting a ride home from her job at Burger King. Again, police considered her to be a run away. That was until a week after she went missing, her mother received a phone call from Amanda's phone. It was an unknown male on the other end "I have Mandy." "She wants to be with me." That was the last they heard. 

Lastly is Gina DeJesus, born February 13, 1990. She went missing on April 2, 2004 at the age of 14. She was last seen making a call at a payphone around 3pm that day on her way home from school. Surprisingly an AMBER Alert wasn't issued, this made Gina's father furious. "The AMBER Alert should work for any missing child...whether it's an abduction or a runaway, a child needs to be found. We need to change this law." About a year after her disappearance the FBI did release a composite sketch and description of a male suspect. He was described as "Latino, 25 to 35 years of age, 5 feet 10 inches, 165-185 pounds, with green eyes, a goatee, and possibly a pencil thin beard."

Her case was linked to Amanda Berry's and the two of them were featured on America's Most Wanted and received regular media attention into 2012.

On May 6, 2013 a man by the name of Angel Cordero heard screaming and saw a woman yelling for help through a homes screen door. The man came over, but spoke very little English so it was hard for him to communicate with the woman. Soon another neighbor joined him, Charles Ramsey. They kicked a hole though the bottom of the door and the woman crawled out along with a young child. The woman was Amanda Berry.
 Charles said that Amanda told him that she and her child were being kept inside the house against her will. Upon being freed, she went to the house of another neighbor where she called 9-1-1. "Help me, I've been kidnapped, and I've been missing for ten years. And I'm here. I'm free now. 



Police arrived and entered the home of one Ariel Castro. They walked though an upstairs hallway with their guns drawn, not knowing what they were going to come across. Michelle Knight was in the home and heard "Cleveland Police Department" she entered the hallway and leaped into an officer's arms saying "You saved me." over and over. Following after her Gina DeJesus, she entered the hallway from another room. All 3 women and the child were taken to the hospital. Gina and Michelle were release the next day while Amanda was discharged 4 days later. Her daughter was Ariel's. 

Who was Ariel Castro? He was born July 10, 1960 in Puerto Rico. He had a childhood of abuse by his parents as well as sexually abused when he was younger by a 9 year old boy.

As a child his mother found out that not only was his father having an affair, but also had children with this other woman. The pair divorced, and she immigrated to the United States. Ariel lived with his grandmother, after a couple years his mother sent for her children. They eventually ended up in Cleveland, Ohio after Ariel's father moved to that area. 

He met his girlfriend Grimilda Figueroa when his family moved into the house across the street from hers in the 1980's. They had 4 children together and it wasn't until 1992 that they were able to buy a house of their own, on 2207 Seymour Ave. The home was 2 stories and had a 1,400 sq. foot unfinished basement. Grimilda's sister said that when the couple moved in together all alone that's when "all hell started breaking loose." They claimed that Ariel would beat Grimilda, breaking her nose, ribs, and arms and even caused a blood clot on her brain that resulted in an inoperable tumor. He threw her down a flight of stairs, cracking her skull. Ariel was arrested in 1993 for domestic violence, but was not indicted by a grand jury because Grimilda wouldn't testify. Grimilda moved out of the house and gained custody of her 4 children in 1996. The harassment didn't end there for Grimilda, Ariel continued to threaten and attack her. She filed charges against him in 2005, accusing him of inflicting multiple severe injuries to her and he would "frequently" abduct their daughters. The court granted a temporary restraining order against Ariel, but a few months later it was dismissed. Sadly, Grimilda died due to complications from her brain tumor in 2012. 

Ariel Castro worked as a bus driver for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District until he was fired. He had made an illegal U-turn with children on the bus, left a child on the bus while he went for lunch, used his bus to go grocery shopping and also left the bus unattended while he took a nap at home. At the time the women were rescued from the home, his house was in foreclosure due to 3 years of unpaid taxes. 

So let's get into how these women (girls at the time) were put into captivity. 

Michelle Knight was flustered the day she went missing, she had an appointment with a social worker and originally was supposed to get a ride. When that fell through she decided she would walk as she had no car and no money, but she became lost. So she stopped by a store to ask for directions. She then heard a male voice that she recognized, the father of a friend of hers, his name, Ariel Castro. He offered Michelle a ride and she graciously accepted. On the way he told her that he was going to swing by his home to pick up his daughter. He then told her that he had a litter of puppies and said she could have one for her son if she wanted. When she walked through the doors of the home little did she know she wouldn't be walking out for a very long time. Her friend definitely wasn't there...and there weren't any puppies. She became the 1st prisoner.  

For Amanda she was walking home from work when a vehicle started to follow her down the street, the man inside asked if she needed a ride home. The man was Ariel Castro and she recognized him as the father of her friend and classmate from middle school. This is when she got into the car and told her sister she was getting a ride. Amanda recalled "He's like, 'Well she's at my house. Would you like to go see her?" Ariel said of his daughter, who in fact was not at his home. Amanda said yes and as they entered the home Ariel told her that his daughter might be taking a bath. "So he said, 'We'll just wait." "So he started showing me around the house. And I never got back out." 

Ariel took her upstairs and that's where she saw a woman sleeping in a bedroom, later she would learn that this woman was Michelle Knight who had been abducted and held by Ariel for almost a year. "He took me to the next bedroom, and it was just really dark in there, and he didn't turn on the lights, and there was a little, like, a little room off of the bigger bedroom, kind of a big closet," Amanda said. "And he took me in there, and he told me to pull down my pants. And from there i knew, like, this was not going to be good." She then became Ariel's 2nd prisoner.

Gina DeJesus was close friends with Ariel's daughter, Arlene. Ariel was also close friends with Gina's dad. Arlene and Gina were actually heading home together that day when they went their separate ways. A maroon vehicle pulled up alongside a curb, and there in the drivers seat was...you guessed it, Ariel Castro.
He asked Gina "You seen my daughter?" "Yeah, she's right around the corner." Gina told him. Then he asked her if she could help find her and she agreed. Instead Gina was taken to the house, he asked if she could help him move a stereo. When they got inside Gina immediately recognized bizarre behavior from Ariel. Gina later recalled, "He's like, starts like, to, like touch me and stuff, and then I'm like, 'What are you doing? You could go to jail.' He just switches up like, 'Well, OK, we're going to, you're going to go home now.' He said, 'But you can't go through the same door you came in." That when he led her to the basement, attacked her and chained her up. Gina became prisoner number 3. 

Excuse my language here, but what a sick Bastard to use his daughters as a way to lure in these young women. I won't go into the details, but these women went through hell and were tormented by Ariel Castro everyday for years on end. 

Castro being the coward that he was killed himself in 2013 while serving a life sentence plus 1,000 years after he pled guilty to 937 counts including kidnapping and rape. The home on Seymour Ave was torn down, in its place is now a garden. 

The women have all done their best to move on from their horrific experiences and to lead a normal happy life free from their captor.  

Resources:
https://abcnews.go.com/US/cleveland-kidnapping-survivors-amanda-berry-gina-dejesus-journey/story?id=67858538
https://people.com/crime/michelle-knight-2020-interview-ariel-castro/