Crime Wire Weekly 1/2/26 | Heated Pool Dispute, Christmas Crimes & Great Lobster Heists (Preview)

0:08 Hey, everyone, and welcome back to Crime Why Are Weekly? And look, I know that y'all are used to get in your topics and I have no excuse except for I'm gonna. I'm just gonna tell the truth, Kelly. The truth is always the best part. I left my papers here last night and I didn't have time to write the topics before we got on air today. So we're gonna this is gonna be a surprise episode of Crime Are Weekly. You just do not know what you're gonna get. We don't, but we'll give you two of them because they're on top I can see those and two things we're definitely covering today. Of course, we brought you in the past a story regarding Melody Buzzard, the nine year old who disappeared with her mother without a trace. Well, there's been an update. They sadly have found the body of missing girl Melody Buzzard, and we're going to tell you all about that and what has occurred.

1:06 And we're also going to talk about Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, where a woman was fatally stabbed at a Barnes and Noble while Christmas shopping. Like the most non dangerous place you would think ever, paper cuts. Would be the worst thing you could probably have. Yeah, and when we tell you why she was chosen you, it's really going to shock you. So we've got those stories for you, plus a ton more today on Crime War Weekly. I am Jim Chapman. And I'm Kelly Jennings and Jimothy. Guess what what A listener reached out to me and made something make total sense to me and I want to tell you about it. So remember when we covered the episode where the driver sprayed the food. The not uber the food delivery service, she spread the stuff and that made them sick. Well, a listener who is in a and does the door dashing or whatever, she said, I can tell you what probably happened, and it makes perfect sense. She said, you don't get your tip amount until after you submit the picture that you took the food and you actually deliver it. So she thinks that she got a bad tip or a tip that was less than she expected, and that's why she sprayed it in that moment. And of course that is note no, but doesn't it like make sense, Like we couldn't figure out why would someone randomly do that?

2:28 Well, I guess if you were pissy. Yeah about your tip. Well, I mean this one thing to maybe spit on somebody's feet, which I wouldn't encourage either wholeother thing to make it. I'm just saying thank you so much for reaching out and telling me that because I did. Hey, different strokes, different folks. I guess. I guess. All right, Well, let's get into today's episode. And as I mentioned, the remains of nine year old Melody Buzzard, who vanished from her southern California home. This was in early October. They remains were discovered earlier this month in a remote area of Utah. Her mother, Ashley Buzzard, who is forty, has been arrested on suspicion of first degree murder in connection with the girl's death, which investigators described as premeditated and cold blooded act of maternal philicide is what they call that. I thought it was familiar side, but it's philicide is a ternament. Melody is a residence of Vanderberg Village, and she was reported missing on October fourteenth, after officials from the school district flagged her prolonged absence from an independent study program. Surveillance footage later revealed if you'll remember that we talked about this that Melody and her mother embarked on a road trup from California to Nebraska in a rented Chevrolet Malibu that was in October, and the girl was lasting alive

3:58 on October ninth at a rod rest stop near the Utah Colorado border. She was unaccompanied by her mother in the footage. Ashley returned home alone on October tenth, and she had been uncooperative with law enforcement throughout the investigation, which I found very telling. Why would you not cooperate right? Melody's decomposing body, sadly was found by a man and a woman taking photographs along a roadside in rural Wayne County, Utah. An autopsy revealed she died from gunshot wounds to the head, with investigators estimating the time of death shortly after her last sighting on October ninth. The remains were positively identified on December twenty second through FBIDNA analysis that match samples to Ashley Buzzard. Ashley Buzzard was taken into custody at her home on the morning of December twenty third and is being held without bail. This is not her first brush with the law. She was arrested in November. If you'll remember, for felony false imprisonment in an unrelated case involving a man held against his will at her residence.

5:12 How about that. You don't hear about that every day? Those charges were dismissed on November twentieth due to insufficient evidence. Search warrants were executed on Ashley's home, a storage locker, and the rental car. Uncovered key evidence, including an expended cartridge case in live AMMO. The matched items found near the body. The murder weapon has not yet been recovered, but authority say evidence points to a calculated, criminally sophisticated, premeditated crime. At a press conference, Santa Barbara County Sheriff corner Bill Brown expressed shock over the case. He said, maternal filicide is rare and difficult to comprehend, but this level of criminal activity is particularly shocking given the delated, cold blooded and premeditation that went into it. He added that Melanie had relied and trusted on her mother the most, making the betrayal even more heinous. And littles known about Melody's family life. Her father died when she was a baby, She was rarely seen by extended family members. Her half sister told reporters were all looking for answers, and her mother declined to comment when she was contacted. I'm sure she's absolutely mortified. The investigation remains, of course ongoing, and we will keep you updated. But sad ending not surprising ending for me.

6:36 Yeah, And that's what's really frustrating about it is that I think we all knew the writing was on the wall, just had. To find the poor little girl. But shout out to the schools for being the ones to first alert that she's not on the radar anywhere and that she's missing. If it weren't for that, I don't know that this would have ever even been really followed up one. Yeah, so many missing children even today in the world we live in, that have never been located, that have gone missing. So that's a I guess that's a positive in some in some fashion, but. Senseless. There's got to be a mental illness component to this. Yeah, and got your daughter in shooting shoes. You shoot a child. Have you looked at the photos of mom?

7:17 I know you have, like the still shots with that long, long, curly, curly hair. I thought it was a wig. Oh, it's a real hair, and I thought her hair was pretty, yeah. But then when she appeared in court, it's like chopped off. She looks like Annie. Yeah, it's like really really short, like a little helmet of curls around her head. And I'm wondering, like what was. That some sort of disguise maybe she was going to do after she committed. The martyr Yeah, like trying to change her appearance. Because the photos that they show of. Her prior to this arrest. And that footage in the in the bank or whatever it was, she actually the mother looks just like the daughter, just just they're identical. But for this photo of her post arrest, Like the face doesn't even look the same, right, There's something going on there. It's like a complete change in persona. That's why I'm screaming. There's got to be a mental illness.

8:11 Yeah, in that hair was so unique. Yeah, that if you're trying to go on the run, that's the first thing you need to get rid of it. I mean, it stood out. It would be like having a tattoo on your face. And it's lighter too. After she cut it. It's like she died at wond or something. It's weird. So I'm with you all right now, this is just unbelievable. You're sixty five years old, You're going to do some Christmas shopping when the unimaginable happens. A sixty five year old woman was stabbed to death inside a Barnes and Noble bookstore in Palm Beach Gardens on Monday evening and what authorities are investigating as a random act of violence. This was just before Christmas Day. The victim was identified as Rita locker Rich or Launcher Rich. I've heard it said both ways. She was shopping for Christmas presents and she was just sitting there reading a magazine when she was attacked shortly before eight pm at the which was on Legacy Avenue. Police responded to reports of a stabbing and they found her suffering from a stab wound to the back, and the officers did provide immediate aid and then she was transported to the Palm Beach Gardens Fire Rescue or by the fire rescue to a nearby hospital, but she later died from her injuries. Lockerich managed to call her husband on her cell phone moments after the attack and tell him that she had been stabbed. Her husband later told local media that police described the suspect as a homeless man from Alabama who may have been mentally ill you think, and only had been in Florida for about a week, but they had not confirmed those details when this article was first written, but now that seems to have been confirmed. The suspect was forty year

9:42 old Antonio Moore, and he allegedly fled the store after the stabbing, but he was quickly located in the nearby woods and he was taken into custody. Now, according to the arrest report, More confessed to the crime, stating he had no prior interaction with loncker Rich and no clear motive. He reportedly told the investigators that he was charging his phone inside the store when an internal this is a direct quote an internal build up led to a fight or flight response, prompting him to pull a fixed blade knife from his jacket and stab the victim. He's been I know. He's been charged with first degree premeditated murder and is being held without bond at the Palm Beach County Jail. He was scheduled to make his first appearance in court on Tuesday, and they have described the incident as isolated and their investigation to the motive is ongoing. Authorities say if you have any information, please reach out to the Palm Beach Garden's Police department. And I also in a follow up to that, found out too she has a daughter, This sixty five year old woman has a husband. Thank god she was able to call him, yeah and just have some final words out with him.

10:45 You know, but they never even spoke, Jim, No. They never spoke. And there was actually a short follow up that I came across somewhere on that article, and the guy was pressed a little further about why you know why this lady and he literally said because she was the closest one to the door, so he wanted to be able to make a quick getaway, but he couldn't help it. He had to kill somebody, and she just so happened to be sitting in the chair closest to the door where he could get away. It could have been anyone. It sounds to me like me could have been you could have been a kid. Yeah, he was going to kill someone in that barn's a noble that day, and you know he kneled it at the beginning.

11:26 That's not the place you think any of that's going to go down. And I mean, look, I'm not tellingybody don't get to Barnes and Noble. It may I'm sure this is a once in a million, thank God incident, but just terrible. Yeah, you just. It's got schizophrenia written all over it. To me that you would somehow think that when he says the build up that he had to try to get out, well maybe in his psychotic mind, which I'm not justifying it, but maybe in his mind he thought she was blocking the door, or she was between him and his exit, and so he panicked because of his which is not an excuse. But again we say this over and over again. Mental illness is a problem in this society. You know, we see people if what has happened? I am curious what has happened that we now live in a world where we see people some voluntarily, some because they can't make better choices due to mental illness. But just walking around we have people living in tents.

12:20 We have. You know, like and we we just go, oh, well, it's it is what it is, and then things like this happen. Yeah. Yeah, it makes. You wonder where where do we draw the line? You know, in a free country. Where do we draw the line. You're allowed to walk and live in a tent, I guess. But when you now have a knife and you're stabbing grandma's you know? Yeah, I mean if you know, and I got no answer for it. Yeah, there isn't one, right, I feel that. All right, let's go into the well, we're going to stay in Florida. Uh, we're going to Bradington, Florida. Bradington, Braddington. Yeah, I think that's how you say it. I never heard of b R A D E N T O N.

13:04 Yeah, I've really never heard. Hey, if you're from there, Hey, I'm waving at you. Well it is in Tampa area. Okay, you've heard of Tampa. Yeah, Okay, let's get into it. Cut me at the I'm just going to use the state. Next time, we're going to go to the US. We're here in the US, all right. A fifty year old fifty one year old woman has been arrested in charged with the murder of her ex husband, Okay, one ex husband, while authorities investigate her alleged involvement in the killing of another ex husband on the same day. No, we're making the ship up Susan Avalon, a resident of Citrus County, is accused of carrying out a brazen two brazen attacks in separate counties, prompting law enforcement to describe the events as targeted and calculated acts of dollins. On Wednesday, December seventeenth, beginning in Tampa, which is in Hillsborough County.

14:05 That's where Avalon allegedly shot and killed her first ex husband at his residence now Tampa Police Department officers, alerted by counterparts in Manatee County, conducted a welfare check and discovered the victim's body with gunshot wounds. The exact time of that shooting remained unclear, but investigators believe it preceded the second incident by several hours. Later that same afternoon, around two fifty five pm, Avalon reportedly arrived at the Brandonton home of her second ex husband. This was within the Heritage Harbor community in Manatee County. She disguised herself as a food delivery driver adore dash driver based I heard after allegedly stealing items from a nearby Panair Bread Panair Bread's awesome.

14:56 By the way, the autumn squash suit not to go off task here, but I'm definitely promoting that for them free of charge. Well, she went and got some food from there, she approaches the door. The fifty four year old victim answers the door and she opens fire, striking him multiple times. He gets rushed to a hospital, but sadly succumbed to his injuries. So the Manatee County Sheriff Rick Wells detailed the victim's final moments during a press conference, noting that deputies asked the winded man who might be responsible, and he responded, possibly my ex wife. What Wells recounted, the victim's fifteen year old daughter, who was inside the home at the time, heard the gunfire but did not witness the sheeting. She provided a description of a silver Honda Odyssey flying the scene, which matched Avalon's vehicle. Using license plate reader technology, they catch them a lot. We're using that these days. Investigators tracked that Odyssey south across the Sunshine Skyway Bridge towards Citrus County. Upon a r at Avalon's home, detectives observed her attempting to destroy evidence by wiping down the vehicle with bleach. And if you ever see someone wiping down their vehicle with bleach that might that would be a clue. When confronted about her ex husband, Avalon reportedly responded with a startling question, which one, I mean, I'm not laughing, but I mean, this is just crazy.

16:25 This remark immediately raised suspicions of a broader crimes free, leading to the discovery of the Tampa victim's body. Her other ex husband, now Avalon shared five children with the two victims. She had a history of contentious relationships, to say the least, marked by custody battles and financial disputes. She divorced the brand into Victim approximately ten to eleven years ago and owed him around four thousand dollars in child support, with a cord hearing looming that could have resulted in the suspension of her driver license. Records also showed prior rests related to child abuse dating back to two thousand and four in Virginia. The other cases in Tampa and Pasco County were dropped. Authorities have not specified and motive for the killing in Tampa, but the Bradington attack appears to be tied to those ongoing conflets. Now Avaline did have a living boyfriend who provided additional insights to investigators. He recalled her unusual behavior that day. She reportedly told him quote, I love you in case something happens to me. Now when someone tells you that, you need to be concerned before leaving the house, and that was an out of character statement, he said. Upon returning, she showered, fully clothed while wearing a gray sweatshirt, and made derogatory remarks about her ex husbands without confessing to the crimes. Sheriff Wells condemned the attacks as brazen, emphasizing

17:59 the rest to the post public. He said, it doesn't get any more brazen than this. This was a very active neighborhood. Three o'clock in the afternoon on a Wednesday, kids are coming home from school, and she didn't seem to care. And the Manatee County Sheriff's Office, as Charles show, was second degree murder in the Bradington case. They're seeking the death penalty on that case with plans to upgrade the charge, and charges for the Tampa homicide are pending. Uh. And there you have it. Is literally smirking in her mugshot too, like, yeah, well pull it up. She's got a bit of a smirk. You know and your daughter, your daughter lives with her dad, which tells me everything I need to know, because good batter indifferent. You know that mothers tend to get the upper hand when it comes to custody of children. And I know some people will argue with me on that, but just.

18:53 As oh, I would say, I would say, it's these days, it's more it's getting what custody it is. But mothers to to be. Yeah, you're a daughter. She's paying him child support. Something's up right. Either she was the moneymaker and he didn't have a job or something, or the. Courts just said you know what, and there was child abuse claims too, prior cases you said. Of abuse, So this is this has. Been a stewing pot for a while, and she flipped her lid. But your daughter now has no father and now she has no mother, So keep smiling. But I hope you're happy. I hope you're happy of what you did to your children, because if you thought.

19:35 That you I did freak. You're a bitch you show. Yeah, I know, but I don't know. I respect for her daughter almost in a weird way now that she'll listen to this. But that little girl is fifteen years old. She needs her mama and she needs her daddy, and now she has neither one. And the trauma of it all is just disgusting. And it appears one of those is ever four thousand dollars. Over four grand God bless all right now, this one, this one's wild, okay. A sixty nine year old man lost his life in what police are calling a freak accident at a McDonald's drive through. This happened on Tuesday morning, just one day before Christmas Eve. The incident occurred right before ten thirty am, and this was the McDonald's on Second Street in Grand Island. Authorities identified the victim of Grand Island, Nebraska.

20:29 Yeah, Nebraska. It almost sounded like I said, grand Isle, like Louisiana or your fishing, you know. But authorities identified the victim as Michael Dickinson, who was the sole occupant of his vehicle. According to the police chief Dean Elliott, Dickinson opened his car door to reach further out of the window for payment purposes. When the vehicle apparently lurched forward, it caused him to become trapped and pinched between the door frame and the drive through window counter. It was described as a freak accident, and they're not sure if the vehicle lurched forward or what happened, but he got pinched between the doorframe and that drive through window. Dickinson was transported to a nearby hospital's emergency room, but he was pronounced dead.

21:11 In an attempt to assist, a. McDonald's employee entered the vehicle through the passenger side and did sustain injuries as well, but that employee was taken to the hospital by ambulance and is expected to fully recover. The accident reconstruction team is aiding in an ongoing investigation to determine the exact circumstances, and the scene was cleared by twelve thirty five. The restaurant remained open after the incident, but I don't know. It sounds to me like he may have actually hit the gas whenever he opened it. Yeah, and you know, I can see. I can see that happening, because I don't not everybody throws their car and park when they're getting their food. And I have a sports car and it's really low to the ground.

21:52 You will hurt your vertebrae getting in and out of that thing. But it's so comfortable when you're in it so fast? Yes, wait, and how many charity plates of food can we fit in it? Did we find at least twelve? At least twelve because we have a photo of us stacking them. Yes, we did one top of me. Yeah, that's right, So I can see that happening if you don't throw your vehicle in park, and a lot of people don't. I have went to the bank before in my car sits led to the ground, and you've got to reach out and get that can to put your money in through the draw through. And I actually did not have my corn pork. I have my foot on the brake and when I grabbed the can, somehow my foot slipped off and I was ripped my arm off. Yeah, I mean literally, Yeah, So I get it in a way.

22:44 But that's believe it or not. That happens more often than people think. I would bet. Yeah. And another it pinned real quick. There's reaching for that big Mac. There's now a safety feature in my vehicle, specifically that if the door opens, the car automatically stops itself. Right, and for instances like this, I'm assuming, but I learned that the hard way because I opened the door when I was backing out in the driveway and didn't know the cars. It looked like I almost like I was an idiot, which I was. But also some people drive you're not supposed to. But I have family members that drive with both feet. Oh my gosh, I couldn't imagine. Yeah, and I can see how. I can see how that. With both feet.

23:25 No kid, yep, I'm not going to call him out, but he knows who he is. Wow. Yeah, So you know you're leaning forward trying to put the money out, and then you accidentally hit the gas instead of the brake, and then you're rolling and then the car pinches. To me, I could see it happening very easily. So uh, thoughts and prayers though to that family? What a what a what a tragic man? Just a freak caps. Yeah, all right, let's go to Canton, Ohio. And you know what's in Canton, Ohia. Well, can you say, guess what's the only thing you can think of from Canton, Ohio? The Hall of Fame? Then Hall of Fame is in camp Oh. Well, no, you know what my brain was doing. I was doing Canton, Mississippi. Where we go when you can get all the plants for half off.

24:08 Oh, there's that, as there's that, and then there's the Canton that has the Hall of Fame. Started thinking about plants. We're not going to talk about the Hall of Fame today, but we are going to talk about Canton, Ohio, and we're going to go to a local Walmart store where routine shoplifting arrests nearly turned deadly when a suspect attempted to shoot an officer. The incident was. Captured on body shot during a theft at Walmart. Yeah, you're willing to shoot over the shit at Walmart? Yeah, for the love of. God, all right. The incident captured on body camera footage highlights the dangers obviously faced by law enforcement during everyday calls. Camp police responded to shoplifting reports at that Walmart. Officers encountered two suspects, a twenty one year old by the name of Shane and a twenty three year old by the name of Katrina and Jeffrey. They were allegedly involved in stealing items from the store and the pair gets taken to the loss prevention office inside of that Walmart for processing. Now, according to police reports and the body camera footage that I saw while in the office. Newman suddenly pulled out a handgun and pointed at one of the officers. He was attempting to fire now as sure miracles would have it, the gun malfunctions.

25:29 I love it. The bolt gets stuck, it doesn't discharge in a quick thinking Walmart asset protection associate who ought to be he ought to get a raise for this. Yeah, there ain't no doubt about that. He jumps on Newman to prevent further attempts. The officer then tackled Newman to the ground after he gave him the best flying knee I've ever seen in my life, tackles into the ground and subdues him without firing his own weapon to avoid risking injury to the employee that had intervened and was on top of him. Body camera footage later released by the police department showed the officer explaining his decision not the sheep.

26:09 He said he was prioritizing the safety of bystanders. No injuries were reported during the altercation, and following the arrest, officers discovered fifty blue pills identified as molly, which is a form of MDMA, on Newman. That added charges already charges to him. He's already got attempted murder now right. Newman faces serious charges including contempted murder, fellonous assault on the peace officer, robbery, just a ton of charges. Both individuals were in court on Friday, December twentieth, when Newman was given a one million dollars bond and Jeffrey at five hundred thousand dollars bond. Campton Police Chief John Gabberd commented on the incident, saying it was a reminder that ever present threat of violence against police officers. Thank you for all you do and regularly pray with me for our officers and our community. Walmart, of course, issued a statement saying the safety of the officers are always their top priority. And look, when you watch this footage, it's shocking.

27:16 First of all, febag little white boy with a humongous neck tattoo that goes all the way around his neck. Someone you'll definitely bring him to mom. Yeah, do you. Want your daughters to date him? No? I bet you can't wait for that to show up like he said. No, Wow, oh gosh, I couldn't imagine. But regardless of all that, the fact of the matter is, if it wasn't for that Walmart employee. That guy could have gotten that bolt unstuck. And really this would have been tragic because that officer at that point was the sitting dug. There's no doubt about that. Look up the footage, y'all or I may have some time to post it on the Facebook where the entire incident took place on body gam It's absolutely shocking.

28:03 And yeah, and they just don't look And I know we say this all the time, and this is why officers train. You know, you can't get complacent, you can't get complacent. But he they look. Like dorks like this, This couple does not look like this guy's about to pull a gun out and fricking try to pop you. You know, he's a skinny little dude. Uh, he's got a baseball cap on and like sweatpants. She's kind of a little chunkier thing with long hair almost down to her waist. They don't look like people. And to know that they were just walking around Walmart, around all of us, you know, around average people. And he's got fifty fricking peels of Molly on him. So you're gonna shoot a cop over? What a distribution charge? And yes, shoplifting just turned you just turned a couple of years into life.

28:47 Yeah. So literally just unbelievable, unbelievable, and I'm hey, kudos to Walmart shout out, and kudos to that cop that they were able to do this and not lose a life, you know, in the process. All right now, speaking of almost losing a life here kissing me, Florida. I know you have heard this story. I know I've seen it all over social media. But a thirty six kiss me kissing me? I thought it was it. Is kissimy, But I say kissing me. Sorry, maybe I should. That's a family thing because when I drive, we drive through, I tell my uh, I tell my kids we're in kissing mere. So do you want to boom that out?

29:28 We're gonna let them know what you call it. It's a kissing me, all right, kiss me whatever, all right. Thirty six year old woman from Fort Myers has been arrested and charged with aggravated child abuse after allegedly holding a six year old boy underwater during. A heated dispute at a. Popular Florida resort pool. The incident cap how do you get in a heated dispute? What a six year old I'm gonna let you know. No, I know, I just like for the geez. All right, so it's captured on surveys. Well, no, I know what happened, but I'm I'm saying I don't get any heated disputes with six year olds. I'm an adult. Hey everyone, Crime Wire Weekly has moved to its own new channel.

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