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Hi listeners, it's Vanessa Richardson. Real quick, before today's episode, I want to tell you about another show from Crime House that I know you'll love. America's Most Infamous Crimes. Hosted by Katie Ring. Each week Katie takes on one of the most notorious criminal cases in American history. Serial killers who terrorized cities, unsolved mysteries that keep detectives up at night, and investigations that change the way we think about justice. Listen to and follow America's Most infamous crimes Tuesday through Thursday on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music or wherever you listen to podcasts. This is Crime House. Good morning everyone. We have multiple breaking true crime cases this morning that you need to know about. And we're starting with the biggest one. A Bay Area man is dead, allegedly killed with a hatchet inside his own home. And weeks before it happened, a Facebook post appeared to name him as a target. This is crime house24.7, your non stop source for the biggest crime cases developing right now. Make sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Vanessa Richardson and we have quite a lineup for you today. Here's what you need to know.
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A man from Chico, California was arrested over the weekend on suspicion of brutally attacking and killing another man with a hatchet. The suspect, 35 year old David Swank Prince, officially been charged with murder in connection with the death of 34 year old Christopher Jaber. As of this recording, Prince was set to appear in court On Wednesday afternoon, March 25th at Prince's hearing, he could enter a plea to a murder charge and a sentencing enhancement for the use of a deadly weapon. The crime itself has left neighbors and investigators deeply unsettled. It all started on the morning of March 21st. At approximately 11:30 in the morning on a Saturday, a relative of Jaber called 911 to report something alarming. A suspicious person armed with a hatchet was in the backyard of their property on Westminster Place in Lafayette, California. The caller told dispatchers the individual appeared to be breaking into the accessory dwelling unit, a small separate structure behind the main house where Jaber lived. Lafayette police responded quickly. When officers arrived at the scene, they found Christopher Jaber inside the unit. He was dead. A short distance from the unit, officers located a man who would later be identified as Prince. Prince was eventually detained at the scene and subsequently arrested on suspicion of murder. According to the Contra Costa County District Attorney's office, which announced formal charges on March 24, Prince, quote, unlawfully and with malice aforethought took the life of Jaber with the use of a hatchet, end quote. He's been charged with murder along with a sentencing enhancement for the use of a deadly weapon. The killing sent shock waves through Lafayette, a city in the La Marinda area of the East Bay that's known for being one of the more affluent and low crime communities in the region. Homicides here are exceedingly rare, and neighbors described the scene as deeply jarring. One woman, Christina Coleridge, told KTVU she witnessed Prince being taken into custody. She described him as blonde, clean cut, with black glasses, and said he appeared entirely calm. She said, quote, he was handcuffed and he had plastic bags on his hands, end quote. Coleridge described Jabber as a friendly presence in the neighborhood who would ride his bike and go out of his way to make conversation. She said, he tries to make friends. Investigators believe the killing was a targeted act, meaning Prince did not randomly end up at Jaber's door. The investigation into whether the two men knew each other and what the motive may have been is ongoing. But a series of social media posts has emerged that is raising serious questions about premeditation. In February, approximately a month before the killing, a Facebook post surfaced on a page under a name matching the suspects. That post referenced Christopher Jaber by name and included his home home address. The message read, quote, if you need the chaos of the supernatural to end, Chris Jaber, 34, aka the Eye, resides at Westminster Place, Lafayette, California. Go with God. End quote. Then, approximately a week before the killing, someone responded to that original post on what appears to be the same account writing, quote, can someone please kill this man, end quote. That Facebook page has since been deleted. Authorities have not officially confirmed whether Prince authored those posts, but neighbor Coleridge summed up what many are thinking, quote, it seems like he was looking for him. Either he knew him or he had definitely targeted him based on that Facebook post we saw, end quote. Legal analysts are already weighing in on how those posts could factor into the case. According to KTVU legal analyst Michael Cardoza, prosecutors could use the post to argue premeditation, one of the key elements needed to pursue a first degree murder charge. Defense attorney attorneys, on the other hand, may argue the posts reflect a state of diminished mental capacity rather than deliberate planning. KTVU also reported that court records indicate Jaber had previously been placed under a conservatorship. His family has declined to comment publicly. Prince is currently being held at the Martinez detention facility on $1,030,000 bail. On March 25, he's scheduled to appear in court at 1:30pm where he could enter a plea to the murder charge and the accompanying deadly weapon in enhancement. It's worth noting that the Lafayette police were able to make this arrest almost immediately. Surveillance from a neighbor's camera captured a man in the area around the time of the killing and officers located Prince still on foot nearby. That swift response has been one of the few things giving neighbors any comfort in a case that in nearly every other way remains troubling and deeply unsettled. Next, we're heading down south to Pasadena where a preliminary hearing is underway in the murder of the younger brother, Lakers legend Michael Cooper, who was shot and killed at a park where the two brothers grew up playing basketball. On March 25, 24 year old Aaron Miguel Connell of Pasadena is facing his preliminary hearing at 8:30am in Department H of the Pasadena Courthouse. The proceeding where a judge determines whether there's sufficient evidence to require him to stand trial on charges of murder, attempted murder and assault with a semi automatic firearm. He has pleaded not guilty to all three counts. The victim at the center of this case is 64 year old Mickey Cooper, the younger brother of NBA hall of Famer Michael Cooper, the Pasadena Rays defensive star who won five championships with the Los Angeles Lakers during the Showtime era of the 1980s. Mickey Cooper was found in the early morning hours of November 18, 2023 at Washington Park, a park in the 700 block of East Washington Boulevard that holds de significance for the Cooper family. The brothers grew up just 10 houses away from it and played basketball there as children. In the years since, Mickey had struggled with drug addiction and was known to sleep at the park. His brother Michael later described it as a place Mickey felt comfortable and Safe. At a November 2023 press conference, he said it was a safe haven for him, a place he felt he could be comfortable. And it had been up until that tragic night. End quote Pasadena police were alerted to the scene by their Shot Spotter gunshot detection system, which picked up gunshots at approximately 4:10am when officers arrived, they found Mickey Cooper with multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene with his cause of death determined to be a gunshot wound to the head. Connell was arrested the following day, less than 24 hours after the murder in an operation involving pasadena Police, the U.S. marshals Service, Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force, SWAT and canine units. He was initially booked on an unrelated assault with a firearm charge while detectives continued gathering evidence and murder was added to his booking charge. On Nov. 20, investigators recovered a loaded 9 millimeter semiautomatic firearm from Connell's vehicle, which they believe was used in all three of the alleged crimes he now faces. And those alleged crimes, according to prosecutors, form a pattern. Pasadena police have described the killing of Mickey Cooper as part of a series of apparently random violent acts attributed to Connell during the fall of 2023. The charges include an October 29, 2023 incident at Washington park, the same park where prosecutors allege Connell shot a man in the neck, causing life threatening injuries. Then, on November 5, 2023, roughly two weeks before Mickey Cooper's death, Connell allegedly walked up to a car at a Pasadena gas station and pointed a semi automatic firearm at a man seated INS Pasadena Police Lt. Keith Gomez was direct about what he believes drove the violence. Gomez said, quote, aaron Connell is diabolically evil. That's the only motive we've come up with so far, end quote. Investigators said there is no known connection between Connell and any of his alleged victims. Connell entered his not guilty plea on February 15, 2024. His bail has been set at $4.25 million. If convicted as charged, he faces up to 50 years to life in state prison. The case is being heard by Judge Rupa Goswami of the Pasadena Courthouse. The preliminary hearing is a significant milestone in a case that's been more than a year in the making and one that the Cooper family and the city of Pasadena has been waiting on since that early November morning when a park that was supposed to be a safe haven became a crime scene. From Pasadena, we're heading to the Midwest where an Indiana woman is accused of crossing state lines to carry out a triple homicide, then driving home like nothing happened.
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old Jenna Struble of St. John, Indiana is being held at the Lake County Jail awaiting extradition back to Illinois where she faces nine counts of first degree murder in connection with a triple homicide. It started with a welfare check. At approximately 2am on March 23, a concerned family member called the Will County Sheriff's Office asking deputies to check on a home in the 3400 block of East Norway Trail in unincorporated Crete Township, Will county when deputies arrived, they found the bodies of three adults, all residents of the home. 32 year old Jacob Lambert was found shot to death inside a car in the Driveway. His parents, 54 year old Stacy Ford and 55 year old Patrick Ford were also found shot to death just inside the front door on the first floor. Neighbors told reporters they'd heard gunfire in the area before the bodies were discovered. According to investigators, Struble had an on again off again romantic relationship with Lambert and the two had children together, a four year old daughter named Ella and a three year old son named Rhett, according to a church group connected to the family. The Will County Sheriff's Office described the killings as a targeted incident. Struble allegedly traveled from Indiana into Illinois to shoot Lambert and his parents. She was seen fleeing the scene before deputies even arrived. Investigators say she then drove all the way back to her home in Indiana, where local police took her into custody later that morning. The case against Strubel rests on multiple pieces of evidence. During interviews with detectives following the homicides, she gave what the Sheriff's office described as incriminating statements. Investigators also recovered a firearm and confirmed it matched the weapon used in all all three killings. The shock hit the neighborhood hard. One neighbor who spoke with Shaw local while walking her dog near the scene described the Ford family as warm, welcoming and deeply community minded. She recalled seeing them just recently outside with their grandchildren and their dog and she said the block had never known them to have any domestic issues. However, this was not the first time law enforcement had been to this address. Records show deputies were called to the same Norway trail home in January 2025, roughly 14 months before the killings, for a domestic battery call and a mental health intervention. According to the sheriff's office. Struble was involuntarily committed during that incident. Autopsies were performed on March 24, though Final Cause and manner of death determinations remain pending. Toxicology results Struble will remain in Indiana custody until her extradition to Illinois is complet from one disturbing case to another. Our next story today is out of Utah, where what one mother is accused of doing to a child has resulted in felony charges. On March 23, 40 year old Shannon Marie Tufuga of Provo, Utah was formally charged in 4th District Court with child kidnapping and intentional or knowing aggravated child abuse, both second degree felonies. According to prosecutors, Tuga was driving around the Provo area looking for an 11 year old boy she believed had been bullying her son. When she found him riding his bike, she allegedly stopped her car in front of him and made him get in. She then transported the child without his parents knowledge or consent to her home in Orem where she kept him until he apologized to her son. But the apology wasn't where it ended. According to the charging documents, Tuga then threatened to have her husband physically assault the boy and told him he was, quote, lucky she did not run over his bike, end quote. The boy was eventually driven back to his home, but the damage prosecutors say was done. Court records indicate the child suffered serious emotional distress as a result of the incident. He now experiences high anxiety and has significantly altered his daily routines. Reports indicate Touga's son has autism, and Touga has said publicly that she felt little was done when she reported the bullying to school officials. Her attorney has denied the allegations in the charging documents. It's also worth noting that Tfuga was working as a crossing guard for Provo City at the time of the incident. She is no longer employed there. The charges filed are typically first degree felonies, but the Utah County Attorney's Office reduced them to second degree felonies, stating the reduction was in the interests of justice. A second degree felony in Utah can carry a sentence of one to 15 years in prison. Tuga is not currently in custody, but a summons has been issued and she is scheduled to appear at the Utah county jail by April 30 for processing. To Figa's case is a reminder that no matter the circumstances, the law draws a clear line and taking matters into your own hands, especially with someone else's child, will have consequences.
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Zootopia 2 has come home to Disney Plus. Let's go get ready for a new case.
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We're the greatest partners of all time. New friends Gary the Snake and your last name the Snake Dream Team New Habitats Zootopia has a secret reptile population.
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You can watch the record breaking phenomenon at home. Zootopia 2 now available on Disney Plus. Rated PG and right now you can get Disney plus and Hulu for just 4.99amonth for three months with a special limited time off. Offer ends March 24th. After three months, Plan Auto renews at $12.99 a month. Terms apply.
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Hi listeners, it's Vanessa Richardson. I wanted to take a brief moment to tell you about another show from Crime House that I know you'll love. America's Most Infamous Crimes. Hosted by Katie Ring. Each week Katie takes on a notorious crime, whether unfolding now or etched into American history. Revealing not just what happened happened, but how it forever changed our society. Serial killers who terrorized cities unsolved mysteries that keep detectives up at night, and investigations that change the way we think about justice. Each case unfolds across multiple episodes, released every Tuesday through Thursday, from the first sign that something was wrong to the moment the truth came out or didn't. These are the stories behind the headlines. Listen to and follow America's most infamous crimes Tuesday through Thursday on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Before you go, let me tell you what else is happening at Crime House today. On Murder True Crime Stories we examined the killing of Veronica Guerin, an Irish journalist whose reporting didn't just describe crime, it disrupted it. Garon focused on Dublin's drug trade at a time when many of the people involved operated with relative confidence that they wouldn't be named publicly. She changed that. She connected individuals to networks, networks to money, and money to influence. And in doing so, she crossed a line that exists in many investigations but isn't always visible, because there's a difference between reporting on crime and interfering with the people behind it. Some investigations stay at the surface. Others go deeper into finances, relationships and systems of power. And when they do, do they stop being informational and start becoming threatening? Here are five investigations that made powerful enemies Daphne Caruana Galicia Daphne Caruana Galicia spent years investigating corruption in Malta, a country where political and business interests often overlap in ways that can be difficult to untangle. Her reporting focused heavily on financial misconduct, offshore accounts, shell companies, and the movement of money through systems designed to obscure its origins. When the PAN papers were released, Galicia used them not as a standalone story but as a framework. She connected international financial data to specific individuals within Malta, including high ranking political figures. That shift from abstract corruption to named involvement significantly raised the stakes of her work. Her blog became one of the most widely read sources of investigative reporting in the country, but it also became a focal point for criticism, legal pressure and threats. At the time of her death, she was facing dozens of libel suits, a tactic often used to financially and legally burden journalists who pursue sensitive topics. In October 2017, Galicia was killed by a car bomb placed in her vehicle. The investigation into her murder exposed a network that extended beyond the individuals who carried out the attack. Allegations reached into business circles and potentially political structures. Her death did not end the questions she raised, it intensified them. What made her dangerous wasn't just just that she reported on corruption, it was that she traced it in a way that made it actionable, visible, and difficult to ignore. Robert Saviano When Robert Saviano published Gamora in 2006, he did something that many investigative works struggle to achieve. He made the internal operations of an organized crime syndicate understandable to the general public. The Camorra had long operated through a combination of violence, economic control and secrecy. Its influence extended in construction, waste management, fashion and international trade. But for many people it remained abstract, known, but not fully understood. Saviano changed that by focusing on structure. He wrote about how the organization functioned, how it made money and how deeply it was embedded in legitimate industries. He described specific practices and patterns, giving readers a clearer picture of a system that had previously been difficult to grasp. That clarity came at a cost. Shortly after publication, Saviano began receiving credible death threats. Intelligence reports indicated that elements within the Camorra had discussed plans to assassinate him. He was placed under police protection, where he has remained ever since. His life became defined by restriction. Movement had to be coordinated. Public appearances were limited. Even daily routines required planning and security oversight. The investigation Investigation didn't end when the book was published. It became ongoing, not in terms of research, but in terms of consequence. Saviano's work permanently altered his relationship to the world he exposed. Gary Webb Gary Webb's Dark alliance series, published in the 1990s, explored alleged connections between US intelligence linked operations and drug trafficking networks that contributed to the crack cocaine epidemic. The reporting suggested that individuals associated with U. S. Backed efforts America had played a role in facilitating or benefiting from these networks. The story immediately drew national attention. It also drew intense criticism. Major media outlets questioned Webb's conclusions, dissecting the reporting and highlighting areas they argued were overstated or insufficiently supported. The backlash was swift and sustained, and it had a significant impact on Webb's career. What made Webb's investigation notable is not just the controversy, but what he was attempting to examine. He wasn't investigating a single criminal organization. He was examining the intersection of intelligence, operations, foreign policy and domestic drug distribution. Areas where documentation is limited and narratives are tightly controlled. In the years that followed, government reports acknowledged certain elements related to the broader context of Webb's work. Though debate continues over the interpretation and scope of those findings, Webb's investigation illustrates a different kind of risk. Not direct violence, but institutional resistance. The kind that can isolate, discredit and ultimately sideline a journalist. In challenging a powerful narrative, he became part of it. Anna Politkovskaya Anna Politkovskaya's work focused on the war in Chechnya, a conflict marked by complex political dynamics and widespread allegations of human rights abuses. Her reporting often centered on civilian experience. Experiences, detentions, disappearances and violence carried out in areas with limited oversight. She traveled to the region repeatedly, gathering firsthand accounts and documenting incidents that contradicted official statements. Her work was published both in Russia and internationally, bringing attention to aspects of the conflict that were not widely covered in state aligned media. Politkovskaya faced escalating pressure as her reporting continued. She was determined, detained, threatened, and at one point fell seriously ill after an apparent poisoning attempt while on route to cover a developing crisis. Despite this, she continued her work. In 2006, she was shot and killed in her apartment building in Moscow. Her death highlighted the risks associated with reporting on state linked conflict, particularly in environments where dissecting narratives are viewed as a threat. While several individuals were later convicted in connection with the killing, question, who ultimately ordered it have remained unresolved. Politkovskaya's investigation didn't just document a war, it challenged how that war was being presented and who controlled that presentation. Don Bowles. Don BS was not investigating a single crime when he was killed in 1976. He was investigating a network. As a reporter for the Arizona Republic, Bowles focused on landfill fraud, organized crime and political corruption in Phoenix. His work explored how these elements intersected how business deals, political influence and criminal activity could operate together in ways that were difficult to separate. This kind of investigation requires a different approach. It's not about a single incident or suspect. It's about patterns, connections, repeated interactions that suggest a larger structure. Bowles was following those patterns when he received a call about a potential story. He went to meet a source at a hotel. Shortly after arriving, a bomb placed in his car exploded. He died days later. His death prompted a response from journalists across the United States who came together to continue the work he had started. The Arizona Project expanded on his reporting, publishing findings that further exposed corruption in the region. What made Bull's investigation dangerous was scope. It didn't threaten one person. It threatened multiple overlapping interests. And in doing so, it created multiple potential enemies. Why these investigations become dangerous? These cases don't just involve crime. They involve systems. Organized crime networks, political structures, financial systems, institutional narratives. Each operates on a degree of control over information, over perception, over who is allowed to know what. Investigations that stay at the surface can exist within those systems. They describe them without disrupting them. But investigations that go deeper, that identify individuals, trace money and connect actions across different areas, begin to interfere with that control. That's when the risk changes. Because at that point, the investigation is no longer just about what happened, it's about who is being exposed. Veronica Guerin's reporting forced attention onto people who had operated without it. She didn't just describe a problem, she identified the individuals behind it and in doing so, made them visible in a way they hadn't been before. For the full story behind her investigation and the consequences that followed, listen to today's episode of Murder True Crime Stories. Because sometimes the most dangerous part of a crime is the person who refuses to look away. Way you've been listening to crime house 247 bringing you breaking crime news. I'm Vanessa Richardson. We'll be back tomorrow morning with more developing stories. Stay safe and thanks for listening.
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The Bleacher Report app is your destination for sports right now. The NBA is heating up, March Madness is here, and MLB is almost back. Every day there's a new headline, a new highlight, a new moment you've got to see for yourself. That's why I stay locked in with the Bleacher Report app. For me, it's about staying connected to my sports. I can follow the teams I care about, get real time scores, breaking news and highlights all in one place. Download the Bleacher Report app today so you never miss a moment.
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Thanks for listening to today's episode. Not sure what to listen to now. Next, check out America's Most Infamous Crimes, hosted by Katie Ring. From serial killers to unsolved mysteries and game changing investigations, each week Katie takes on a notorious criminal case in American history. Listen to and follow America's Most Infamous Crimes now. Wherever you listen to podcasts.