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Man Kills Fellow Inmate At Sing Sing Prison, Convicted Nearly 30 Years Later Man Kills Fellow Inmate At Sing Sing Prison, Convicted Nearly 30 Years Later
Man Kills Fellow Inmate At Sing Sing Prison, Convicted Nearly 30 Years Later Nearly 30 years after fatally stabbing a fellow inmate at a Northern Westchester prison because he wore a cross, a 54-year-old New York man learned he will spend decades in prison for the killing.  Albany resident Allah-Son-Allah was sentenced to 20 years in state prison for his killing of 32-year-old Michael Jones on Christmas Eve 1995 while they were both incarcerated at Sing Sing Correctional Facility in Ossining, the Westchester County District Attorney's Office announced on Thursday, Oct. 10.  According to the DA's Office, at around 8 p.m. on Dec. 24, 1995, Allah-Son-All…

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by Ben Crnic
News
'Connected By Evil': Unsolved Murders Of Teens Found In NY Focus Of New Podcast 'Connected By Evil': Unsolved Murders Of Teens Found In NY Focus Of New Podcast
'Connected By Evil': Unsolved Murders Of Teens Found In NY Focus Of New Podcast An ex-cop turned podcaster is hoping to breathe new life into the cold case killings of two young women whose remains were discovered in upstate New York. On a recent episode of his true crime podcast, APB Cold Case, retired Costa Mesa, California police chief Mark Spawn discussed the murders of 18-year-old Jennifer Hammond and 19-year-old Christina White. The women disappeared in August 2003 and June 2005, respectively, and were last seen near mobile home parks in the Saratoga County town of Milton. According to New York State Police, Hammond, a native of Littleton, Colorado, was last see…

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by Michael Mashburn
Police & Fire
Man Charged In Murder Of Hudson Valley Man After 5 Years Man Charged In Murder Of Hudson Valley Man After 5 Years
Man Charged In Murder Of Hudson Valley Man After 5 Years Following a five-year investigation into the death of a Hudson Valley man, detectives, and the FBI Safe Streets Task Force have arrested a suspect in the case.  Dikion D. Constantine, age 23, of the Bronx, was charged on Thursday, April 11, with the murder of Sebastian Avilan-Medina, age 26, of Middletown, on Monday, March 11, 2019.  According to Lt. Jeffry Thoelen of the Middletown Police, the arrest culminates a highly intensive five-year investigation into the cold case homicide of Avilan-Medina, who was found shot to death in his Knapp Avenue home. "Despite thi…

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
15-Year-Old Girl Found Dead In Northern Westchester: Police Investigating Over 50 Years Later 15-Year-Old Girl Found Dead In Northern Westchester: Police Investigating Over 50 Years Later
15-Year-Old Girl Found Dead In Northern Westchester: Police Investigating Over 50 Years Later Authorities are continuing to investigate the murder of a 15-year-old girl whose remains were discovered in a sleeping bag at the bottom of a Northern Westchester cliff more than five decades ago.  More than 50 years after her murder, New York State Police are asking the public for help in solving the murder of 15-year-old New Jersey resident Alice Lezan of Franklin Township, whose remains were found in Cortlandt on Nov. 14, 1970.  On this date, authorities found Lezan's body bound with rope inside a red sleeping bag that was discovered at the bottom of a 60-foot drop ne…

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by Ben Crnic
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Suspect In Cold Case Killing Takes Own Life In Hudson Valley As Police Close In, DA Says Suspect In Cold Case Killing Takes Own Life In Hudson Valley As Police Close In, DA Says
Suspect In Cold Case Killing Takes Own Life In Hudson Valley As Police Close In, DA Says Nearly 30 years after an elderly New York woman was found bludgeoned to death inside her apartment, the cold case has finally been solved. The Rensselaer County District Attorney’s Office announced Thursday, Jan. 19, that Jeremiah James Guyette had been identified as the sole suspect in the murder of Wilomeana “Violet” Filkins. Filkins was found dead in the living room of her East Greenbush home on Aug. 19, 1994. New York State Police and the East Greenbush Police Department spent the next two decades following up on tips and re-submitting evidence to the state crime lab in an attempt to …

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by Michael Mashburn
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Man Admits Strangling 25-Year-Old Woman To Death Nearly 20 Years Ago In Westchester: DA Man Admits Strangling 25-Year-Old Woman To Death Nearly 20 Years Ago In Westchester: DA
Man Admits Strangling 25-Year-Old Woman To Death Nearly 20 Years Ago In Westchester: DA A man has finally admitted to strangling a woman to death and leaving her body wrapped in a blanket alongside a parkway in Westchester County nearly 20 years ago.  Earlier Report - Suspect Charged With Murder Of Woman Found Wrapped In Blanket On Side Of Westchester Parkway Florida resident Christopher Gonzalez, age 41, pleaded guilty to the 2005 murder of Yonkers resident Angel Serbay on Wednesday, Jan. 18, according to Westchester County District Attorney Miriam Rocah.  Gonzalez murdered Serbay on Sept. 3, 2005, when he strangled the 25-year-old to death and left her body w…

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by Ben Crnic
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DNA Technology Leads To Arraignment Of Serial Killer For 1968 Murder Of Woman At NY Mall DNA Technology Leads To Arraignment Of Serial Killer For 1968 Murder Of Woman At NY Mall
DNA Technology Leads To Arraignment Of Serial Killer For 1968 Murder Of Woman At NY Mall A 75-year-old convicted serial killer has been charged with the 1968 murder of a woman on Long Island in the parking lot of a popular mall thanks to DNA technology. Richard Cottingham, of the South Woods State Prison in Bridgeton, New Jersey, was arraigned virtually on Wednesday, June 22, on a grand jury indictment, charging him with one count of murder, said Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly. According to the investigation, Diane Cusick, age 23, then a resident of New Hyde Park, was an instructor at a dancing school in Oceanside.  Diane CusickNassau County District Attorne…

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by Kathy Reakes
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Westchester Man Charged In 1999 Cold Case Murder Of Teen Girl Westchester Man Charged In 1999 Cold Case Murder Of Teen Girl
Westchester Man Charged In 1999 Cold Case Murder Of Teen Girl More than two decades after a 13-year-old girl was killed in New York, a suspect from Westchester has been apprehended and is facing murder charges, authorities announced. Joseph Martinez, age 49, of New Rochelle, was charged with two counts of second-degree murder for his role in the February 1999 slaying of 13-year-old Minerliz Soriano in the Bronx. Martinez was taken into custody by NYPD investigators on Monday, Nov. 29, 22 years after Soriano was found strangled to death in a Bronx dumpster after she was last seen leaving Bronxdale Middle School in 1999. Investigators said that So…

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by Zak Failla
News
Criminal Complaint Against Robert Durst For Wife's 1982 Murder Filed In Westchester Criminal Complaint Against Robert Durst For Wife's 1982 Murder Filed In Westchester
Criminal Complaint Against Robert Durst For Wife's 1982 Murder Filed In Westchester Robert Durst has been charged in Westchester with the murder of his former wife Kathie, who mysteriously disappeared in 1982, potentially providing solace for a family that’s been dealing with the unsolved death for decades. “The Westchester County District Attorney's Office can confirm that a complaint charging Robert Durst with the murder of Kathleen Durst was filed in Lewisboro Town Court on (Oct.) 19, 2021,” Westchester County District Attorney Mimi Rocah announced. "We have no further comment at this time.” The second-degree murder complaint comes after Kathie Durst’s family called fo…

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by Zak Failla
News
DA In New York To Pursue Charges Against Robert Durst For Missing First Wife DA In New York To Pursue Charges Against Robert Durst For Missing First Wife
DA In New York To Pursue Charges Against Robert Durst For Missing First Wife A district attorney in New York will be pursuing charges against convicted killer and real estate heir Robert Durst for the unsolved 1982 of his first wife. Westchester County District Attorney Mimi Rocah is planning to take the case to a grand jury, according to multiple reports, 39-years after Kathleen McCormack Durst suspiciously disappeared near the Connecticut border. According to News 12, which first reported the news, subpoenas are going out and a jury search could begin as soon as next week. Rocah’s office has not commented on the matter since the news broke. The move comes after …

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by Zak Failla
News
Robert Durst Testifies He Lied To Police Night Wife Kathie Disappeared In Northern Westchester Robert Durst Testifies He Lied To Police Night Wife Kathie Disappeared In Northern Westchester
Robert Durst Testifies He Lied To Police Night Wife Kathie Disappeared In Northern Westchester Hudson Valley real estate heir Robert Durst testified this week that he lied to police when probed about the disappearance of his wife Kathie in the suburban New York City area nearly 40 years ago. Durst was back on the stand this week, where he reportedly testified that he waffled many times about whether or not he saw his wife get onto a commuter train heading toward Manhattan on the night she went missing in 1982. During his testimony, Durst also stated that he lied to police in saying that he later spoke to her on the phone following her disappearance from the hamlet of South Salem in t…

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by Zak Failla
News
Northern Westchester Disappearance Of Kathie Durst Reopened As Cold Case, DA Says Northern Westchester Disappearance Of Kathie Durst Reopened As Cold Case, DA Says
Northern Westchester Disappearance Of Kathie Durst Reopened As Cold Case, DA Says The Westchester County District Attorney has reopened the investigation into the disappearance of accused serial killer Robert Durst’s former wife, Kathie Durst as she hopes to bring the family “closure.” District Attorney Mimi Rocah said that she has assigned her top investigators in the recently formed cold case unit to investigate the alleged slaying of Durst's first wife, who hasn’t been seen in decades. Related story - Accused Serial Killer Robert Durst's Family Helped Cover Up Murder Of Wife, Attorney Says Durst - whose life and case was made famous by the HBO miniseries “The Jinx” …

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
UPDATE: Bergen Cold Case Unit Probes Bag Of Bones Found At State Line Lookout On Palisades UPDATE: Bergen Cold Case Unit Probes Bag Of Bones Found At State Line Lookout On Palisades
Update: Bergen Cold Case Unit Probes Bag Of Bones Found At State Line Lookout On Palisades UPDATE: Bones found in a bag tied to a snack stand at the State Line Lookout atop the Palisades in Alpine were identified as human remains -- as well as those found along with some personal items nearby, authorities said Wednesday. "The remains will be submitted to a lab for identification and will be compared to missing persons records," Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Employees arriving for work at the stand on Monday found the bones in a bag tied to the door. "The individual who left the bag of remains on the snack stand door was located and directed law enforcement officers…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Cold Case: 16-Year-Old Area Homicide Remains A Mystery Cold Case: 16-Year-Old Area Homicide Remains A Mystery
Cold Case: 16-Year-Old Area Homicide Remains A Mystery New York State Police are seeking any tips into their investigation of a 16-year cold case involving the 2003 murder of Megan McDonald. McDonald’s body was discovered on March 15, 2003, in a field off of Bowser Road in Wallkill in Orange County. She was 20 years old at the time of her death. The cause of McDonald’s death was determined to be blunt force trauma. At the time of her homicide, McDonald worked at the Galleria Mall in Middletown. She was also attending SUNY Orange County Community College. Anybody with information regarding this case is urged to contact SP Middletown Bureau of C…

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by Valerie Musson
News
Missing Westchester Woman Identified In North Carolina Cold Case After 23 Years Missing Westchester Woman Identified In North Carolina Cold Case After 23 Years
Missing Westchester Woman Identified In North Carolina Cold Case After 23 Years The body of a woman found 23 years ago in North Carolina has been identified as being a Westchester resident who was reported missing by her family. Stacey Boothe-Wilson, was 33 years old when she was reported missing in October 1995 to Greenburgh Police.  Years later, it would be a small DNA sample from a postage stamp provided by Greenburgh police that led the Jacksonville Police Department in North Carolina to identify her remains found all those years ago. The missing person story of Boothe-Wilson, a former Marine who lived in Greenburgh, began after she separated from her husband in …

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Westchester Man Nabbed In Cold-Case La Cosa Nostra Mob Hit Westchester Man Nabbed In Cold-Case La Cosa Nostra Mob Hit
Westchester Man Nabbed In Cold-Case La Cosa Nostra Mob Hit A member of the La Cosa Nostra organized crime family is facing murder charges in the cold-case fatal stabbing of a Westchester man, prosecutors announced. John Tortora Jr., known as "Johnny T," a member of the Genovese Crime Family, was arrested by FBI agents and Yonkers Police in connection with the 1997 death of 29-year-old Richard Ortiz in Yonkers. “The arrest of John Tortora should remind everyone that justice delayed is not justice denied," FBI Assistant Director William F. Sweeney Jr. said. "Whether a crime was allegedly committed decades ago or just days ago, the…

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by Joe Lombardi