The TWITCH (3/3)
This Week In True Crime Happenings...
This is our third installment of a new true crime weekly roundup, one we hope those of you who follow true crime already, or who gravitate to crime novels, mysteries, and thrillers will find interesting. The truth really can be stranger than fiction, as it were.
This isn’t all the true crime news there is, just the cases that we’ve been paying attention to this week.
If this isn’t your cup of tea, feel free to skip it. (It’s true crime, so trigger warnings abound!)
Stamford, Connecticut: Michelle Troconis was found guilty on all charges! We were more than a little surprised at this verdict, as even esteemed legal commentators had expressed doubt that a guilty verdict was possible. When the jury stayed out for days, it looked even less likely. But lo and behold, she was found guilty and is being held on a $6 million bond as she awaits sentencing. Troconis sobbed throughout the reading of the verdict and the polling of the jury as her attorneys tried to comfort her. She is scheduled to be sentenced on May 31.
Livingston, Texas: Audrii Cunningham’s funeral was held yesterday, and was live-streamed for the many who wanted to pay their respects. This little girl’s life and story has touched so many people. We hope her legacy is to make legal changes that will protect other children from predators in the future. This week, her father’s family made a statement for the first time since she disappeared, stating that they will be granting select interviews in the coming week, in order to defend themselves against the backlash from the public for allowing the man who is accused of killing her access to her. We look forward to hearing what they have to say and will be back with an update next week if that does happen.
Manitowoc, Wisconsin: Three-year-old Elijah Vue is still missing, even as his mother and her boyfriend have been arrested on suspicion of child neglect and obstructing an officer. The little boy was left in the care of his mother’s boyfriend for what has been described as a period of “discipline” to curb the child’s behavior. When initially questioned, the boyfriend, Jesse Vang, openly described his methods to police, which were notably extreme, especially for a three-year-old. (One method involved ice water, which you will see repeated in a story below. What is wrong with people??) Vang stated that the morning he disappeared, Elijah had been told to stand at the end of Jesse’s bed and pray and that he, Vang, fell asleep during that time. But when he awoke, Elijah wasn’t there, which led to him calling police to report Elijah missing. Vang’s story is sketchy, he and the mother were both caught in lies via their cell phone records, and many people are wondering what really happened to this child. We hope Elijah is found and the truth comes out soon.
Orange County, Florida: The body of another missing child, 13-year-old Madeline Soto, was found on Friday after her mother reported her missing on Monday. Her stepfather, Stephan Sterns, gave a television interview the day after she was reported missing saying that it was “hard not to blame myself,” but claiming he had dropped the girl off at school that Monday morning, which was later disproved. He was arrested on Wednesday for possession of child pornography. At the time of this writing, he has not been charged with her murder, but is obviously a person of interest. We will keep watching for developments as we await justice for Madeline, who had just celebrated her 13th birthday.
Spartansburg, Pennsylvania: A pregnant Amish woman, Rebekah Byler, age 23, was found murdered in her home on Monday. Her two young children were in the home at the time and her husband found her body when he arrived home. Witnesses reported seeing a red Jeep in the driveway the morning of the murder. A suspect, 52 year old Shawn Cranston, was arrested on Saturday morning and faces several charges, including homicide, burglary and criminal trespass. The Amish live a simple life apart from the mainstream culture, and crimes like this are extremely rare, but no less tragic.
Muskegon County, Minnesota: The older son of Shanda Vander Ark— who was sentenced in January for the murder of her younger son, Timothy Ferguson— was sentenced this week for his part in what happened to his brother. Paul Ferguson had pled guilty and testified against his mother in her trial as to what the pair did to 15-year-old Timothy, who had autism and was speech and motor-impaired. The pair withheld food from the boy, who weighed just 69 pounds at the time of his death, used extreme hot sauce and ice baths as a form of punishment, and made the boy sleep in a closet under the stairs on a tarp, among other things. Paul was sentenced Monday to a minimum of 30 years and maximum of 100 years in prison.
Latah County, Idaho: Bryan Kohberger, the accused killer of the four University of Idaho students, was in court Wednesday for a hearing. At the hearing, both the prosecution and the defense requested more time to prepare for trial. The prosecution asked for March of 2025 and the defense asked for June of 2025. Either way, it doesn’t look like there will be a trial in 2024, which was not good news to the families of Kaylee, Madison, Xana, and Ethan, who wanted a timely trial, according to a statement that was issued. We can understand their frustration.
Hampton, Virginia: An American couple, Kathy Brandel and Ralph Hendry, are feared dead after the yacht they were sailing on was found ransacked in the Caribbean, with evidence of violence, this week. Three escaped fugitives were arrested in connection with the couple’s disappearance. There is strong suspicion that the fugitives hijacked the boat and threw the couple overboard. The search for them continues as their family and friends hold out hope for a miracle.
Woodstock, Georgia: The funeral for murdered college student, Laken Hope Riley, was held Friday at Woodstock City Church. Though her death has resulted in a public outcry about open borders, we just want to wrap up this week’s coverage by extending our condolences to all who love and miss her and to not diminish the huge hole she has left behind.
We hope that if you’re like us and seek truth and justice in these and other cases, this is a post you’ll come back to each week, and that we can find each other in the comments. What did we miss? What should we be following? What are your thoughts about these cases or others? Let’s talk about it— but let’s keep our comments honoring to each other, and the people involved.
«Disclaimer: We want to be very careful to say that, while these stories are interesting and compelling, they are also, in almost every case, tragic and heartbreaking. We will never make light of this (though we might have to remark on the stupidity of some criminals). We will always, always respect the victims and their families. At the same time we are highlighting news that involves them, we are also thinking of and praying for them. This is news to us, but it’s their very lives. And we always want to respect that.»