The Murder of Ralisha Alexander

source: Henrico County Police

Ralisha Alexander was brutally murdered inside her own home on October 21st, 2007. The 26-year-old woman lived in Henrico County, Virginia at the time of her death. She had a young daughter and was close with her family members. 

Ralisha last spoke with her family members the morning before she was murdered. Around 6:00 PM that evening, Ralisha's family members went to her residence at the Essex Village apartment complex in the 100 block of Englewood Drive. Once Ralisha's family members entered her apartment, they made a tragic discovery: Ralisha was deceased, and it was clear that her death was not an accident.

Initial reports about the case stated that Ralisha's body had obvious signs of trauma. Henrico Police later confirmed that Ralisha had died from multiple stab wounds. Her death was subsequently classified as a murder. 

To this day, Ralisha's murder remains unsolved. There has been very minimal reporting on her case, and very few details about the investigation are known. It is unknown if there are any suspects or persons of interest. 

Comments on various online memorials for Ralisha indicate that she was loved by many and is dearly missed. However, there are otherwise little to no postings about Ralisha's murder. Henrico Police have labeled the investigation as a cold case.

If you have any information that could help solve Ralisha's case, please submit a tip or contact the Henrico County Police at hpdcoldcase@henrico.us.

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Sources:
Henrico County Cold Case Division
Legacy.com
March Funeral Homes
Richmond Times-Dispatch, (2)

The Murder of Melissa Peskey

 

Melissa Peskey was shot to death while on a road trip with her two children on December 13th, 2018. 

Missouri State Patrol troopers were alerted around 10:30 PM that evening about a single car crash into a median on Interstate 70 near Boonville. When the troopers arrived at the scene of the crash, they found the 40-year-old woman deceased in the driver's seat. Her two children, then aged 5 and 11, were not physically harmed in the crash. 

At first glance, it appeared that Melissa had been killed as a result of a car accident. Shortly thereafter, Melissa's autopsy confirmed that she actually "died of a gunshot wound, from a weapon fired from outside the vehicle." Melissa crashed her vehicle into the median after she had been struck by the bullet.

Melissa and her children were over 450 miles away from their home in Hartford, South Dakota at the time she was killed. Detectives initially thought she might have been the victim of a random shooting, but the investigation soon led them to believe that Melissa was targeted by her killer. 

Years have passed without justice for Melissa. In December 2023, five years after the murder, it was reported that police do not have any suspects or persons of interest in the case. However, there is a lot of speculation about one person in particular: Melissa's husband/father of her children, Ryan Peskey. 

As of today, police have never publicly labeled Ryan as a person of interest. Still, there are several occurrences involving Ryan, both before and after his wife's death, that have fueled the speculation about his potential involved in her death. 

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Information from Melissa's friend.

A friend of Melissa spoke to reporters at KELOLAND six weeks after Melissa's death. According to the friend, who opted to remain anonymous, Melissa was having several issues with her husband, Ryan Peskey. Melissa reportedly asked Ryan for a divorce shortly before he was deployed with the South Dakota National Guard. 

Melissa's friend told reporters, "She told me that she had asked for a divorce from Ryan right before he went for deployment. And there were all kinds of problems from the minute she asked for the divorce, including the kids being put into the middle."

The friend also stated that Melissa was afraid of Ryan. In fact, the friend provided text messages that Melissa had sent that expressed her fears for her husband.

source: keloland.com

Melissa's friend explained that she spoke to Melissa on the phone after this text exchange. During their conversation, Melissa told her friend that Ryan had threatened her life. She then told her friend, "If anything ever happens to me, you have to promise me that you will let the police know that Ryan did this."

Ryan denies involvement.

Ryan Peskey has denied involvement in Melissa's death. While police have not publicly confirmed this, Ryan told reporters at KELOLAND in January 2019 that authorities told him that he was a person of interest. He claimed that investigators labeled him as such because he did not answer the phone at 11:00 PM on the evening of the shooting, when investigators called him to inform him about his wife's death. Ryan said that he eventually did call them back around 2:00 AM.

Many reports state that Melissa and Ryan's children were taken into foster care after Melissa's death. This was only for a short period of time as Melissa was killed in the state of Missouri, where they had no nearby relatives. The children were eventually returned to South Dakota and Ryan's custody, where it appears they still remain today. 

Melissa's life insurance money.

In 2020, it was reported that Ryan was seeking the money from Melissa's life insurance policy. Melissa reportedly had two taken out two life insurance policies years earlier, in 2003 and 2008 respectively. Both policies totaled in listed Ryan Peskey as the primary beneficiary. The two combined totaled in $550,000. 

The insurance company, New York Life, filed a complaint against Ryan Peskey on March 9th, 2020. According to the lawsuit, "South Dakota and Missouri have statutes that disqualify a beneficiary who willfully and unlawfully causes or participates with another in causing the death of the owner, or the insured individual under a life insurance policy or certificate.”

While Ryan has not been charged with anything related to Melissa's death, he has also not been ruled out completely. New York Life reportedly feared the company would be sued due to "possible conflicts of interest due to Ryan Peskey being named as the administrator of Melissa Peskey’s estate."

The judge ultimately decided to have the money paid to the U.S. District Court Clerks Office of South Dakota. 

The investigation.

As previously mentioned, investigators have never publicly named any suspects in the murder of Melissa Peskey. Hundreds of leads have been followed, but nothing has led to an arrest. There were reportedly "little to no" witnesses to the crime, which has made it even more difficult to solve. 

While there are numerous suspicions about Ryan Peskey, investigators do not appear to have any direct evidence that would warrant an arrest. It does not appear that there are any strong leads on any other potential suspects either. Investigators are still hoping that somebody with information about the murder will come forward.

Know something? Please report.

There is a monetary reward available for anyone with information that could lead to the arrest of the person(s) responsible for Melissa's death. If you have any information that could help the investigation, please contact the Missouri Highway Patrol at 573-751-1000.

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Sources:
Dakota News Now
KELOLAND
NWest Iowa

Oxygen

The Disappearance of Colin Arey

source: Facebook

Colin Arey has been missing since January 25th, 2017. The then-26-year-old man was last seen in Brewer, Maine. According to reports, Colin's stepfather dropped him off at the Brewer Civic Center on the day of his disappearance. He has never been seen by his loved ones again.

That same day, Colin reportedly spoke to a co-worker via Facebook Messenger. This is the last known reported contact from him; he has also never been heard from again. Since then, Colin's social media accounts, bank accounts, and credit cards have all been inactive. 

Prior to disappearing, Colin was an art student in New York City. He eventually moved to Bucksport, Maine, where his stepfather and siblings reside. For some time period, Colin reportedly worked as a substitute teacher and education technician at the G. Herbert Jewett School in Bucksport.

Colin was not reported missing until June 25th, 2018 - nearly a year and a half after his disappearance. An article about his disappearance from August 2018 states it took some time for his family to realize he was missing. The report states, "Colin Arey's family members were talking recently, and it was determined that the last confirmed sighting was in January of 2017, when a family member gave him a ride to the Brewer area. Family members told Bucksport Police, when they called recently to report him missing, that they're close, but that they don't have regular, daily contact with each other."

There has been very little media reporting on his case. However, there has been a bit of online speculation. Friends of Colin's have made various postings on different platforms to help spread awareness about his disappearance, which has sparked discussion about what might have happened to him. 

In 2021, a friend of Colin's made a post on Reddit about his disappearance. The friend commented, "He lived with his stepfather and siblings, his mother is deceased. He didn’t drive so his stepfather would drive him to work and wherever he needed to go. I’ve spoken with his relatives, and they seem to think that he is dead at the hands of his stepfather. The local police haven’t done a whole lot to bring attention to the case. He was also a gay man and was in the online dating scene in the area. This is all I really know about the case and as time goes on it bothers me more and more."

It is easy to see how some might suspect the stepfather. Reports state that he was the last known person to have seen Colin. It also appears that Colin lived with the stepfather at the time of his disappearance, yet the stepfather never reported him missing. It seems impossible that the stepfather/siblings would not notice that Colin was missing for over a year. 

Still, the stepfather has never been publicly named as a person of interest or suspect in the case - nor has anybody. Colin's disappearance has now become a cold case. The Bucksport Police are in charge of the investigation.

If you have any information that could lead to Colin's whereabouts, please contact Bucksport Police Department at 207-469-7951.

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Sources:
Charley Project
Fox Bangor

Q 106.5 FM
Reddit
Uncovered

The Disappearance and Murder of Leah Hickman

source: Herald-Dispatch

Leah Hickman had her whole life ahead of her during December 2007. The then-21-year-old lived in Huntington, West Virginia, and she was a student at Marshall University. Leah was pursuing a degree in journalism and was looking forward to her future. Unfortunately, that future was cut short when Leah vanished on December 14th, 2007. Her body was found a week later. 

Before her untimely death, Leah shared an apartment with her half-sister, Jessica Vickers, on 8th Avenue in Huntington. On the day of her disappearance, Leah accessed her Myspace page from a computer at the apartment. She later spoke to a friend on the phone and said she was going to go to McDonald's for some food. 

A receipt later found in the apartment seemingly confirms that Leah did, in fact, go to McDonald's. What happened after that remains a mystery to this day. Leah's sister Jessica stated that when she returned to their apartment the following day, Leah was nowhere to be found. However, her car, purse, and cell phone were all left behind. 

Leah's family was later notified that she did not show up to a scheduled work shift at Dress Barn. This immediately worried her loved ones, who subsequently attempted to search for her themselves to no avail. Her family then reported her missing to police on December 16th, 2007. 

On December 21st, 2007, a team of investigators found Leah's body in a crawl space in her apartment building. She had been strangled to death and her body was wrapped in plastic. It appears that her killer(s) placed her in the crawl space in attempt to hide her body. 

Several years have passed, and Leah's murder remains unsolved. Investigators have never publicly announced any suspects of persons of interest in case. However, there has been a lot of both local and online speculation about who might be responsible for Leah's death.

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Who killed Leah?

After Leah's body was found, locals in Huntington immediately began speculating - both online and offline - about the identity of her killer(s). There are many factors that play into said speculation. Some of the speculation comes from known information about Leah's case, while other speculation comes from rumors heard around town. 

The apartment building/crawl space.

The building where Leah lived/was found murdered. (source: Herald-Dispatch)

In 2007, there were four units inside the apartment building where Leah lived with her sister Jessica. One unit was obviously occupied by Leah and Jessica. Two of the other units were vacant. A single man lived in the remaining unit; however, he was out of town at the time of Leah's disappearance and murder. 

The crawlspace where Leah's body was found is part of the building's laundry room. The laundry room was a common area used by all tenants, located in the building's basement. 

source: YouTube

It seems likely that whoever placed Leah's body in the crawl space was, at the very least, familiar with Leah's apartment building. Various discussion about this case online seems to indicate that the crawl space could easily go unnoticed unless one already knew it was there. 

Speculation about the sister's ex-boyfriend.

Over the years, there has been an abundance of speculation about Leah's sister/roommate Jessica, and Jessica's ex-boyfriend. Much of that speculation has been posted online on various forums. Certain posts state that the ex-boyfriend lived with Jessica in the 8th Avenue apartment for 2 years. 

In fact, some posts also indicate that there was overlap between Leah and the ex-boyfriend in the apartment as well - meaning that at some point, Leah, Jessica, and Jessica's ex-boyfriend all lived there together. A statement that consistently seems to come up across all the online speculation is that Leah and Jessica's ex-boyfriend did not get along. 

Another statement amongst locals that has popped up more than once is that Jessica and the ex-boyfriend broke up while he was deployed to Iraq. Jessica and Leah then reportedly removed all of his things from the apartment. 

One specific post from Mydeathspace states: "The rumor is: he used to live in the apt with Jessica before he shipped off to Iraq. They broke up while he was gone, and Leah/Jessica threw all his crap away. It was stored in the basement." 

If there is any truth to the rumor in this post, this raises a bunch of suspicions. If the "basement" being referred to in this post is the basement of Leah and Jessica's apartment building, that means it's the same basement where Leah's body was found in a crawl space. Is it possible that Jessica's ex-boyfriend showed up at the apartment demanding his items? If so, did Leah bring him down the basement, where he strangled her and then hid her body in the crawl space?

The same post on Mydeathspace also mentions something else that raises suspicions about the ex-boyfriend. The post, in part, states "Rumor is his arm was injured right after Leah came up “missing” and he refused to take any lie detector tests."

It's worth noting that these rumors originated all the way back in 2007, when the crime first occurred, and they have never been publicly substantiated by investigators. Still, these rumors have never been publicly ruled out, either. 

Speculation about the sister.

Most speculation about Leah's murder mentions Jessica's ex-boyfriend as a probable suspect. Much of the speculation also mentions Jessica herself possibly being involved in Leah's murder as well. As previously stated, Leah allegedly never got along with Jessica's ex-boyfriend. There are various online postings that Leah and Jessica were also fighting a lot before Leah's disappearance and murder as well.

It's not unusual for sisters to fight from time to time, but rarely does sibling drama escalate to murder. The extent of the fights between Leah and Jessica do not appear to be discussed super in-depth online, but many seem to agree that they fought quite a bit. 

In 2018, a commenter on a Reddit post about Leah's case wrote the following: "Lifelong Huntington resident here. The general consensus is it was her sister's boyfriend and the sister helped cover for him. A smaller percentage of people think the reverse, that it was the sister and the boyfriend covered for her. Personal belief is that it was both. The sisters were known to fight a lot over anything and everything. Most people that knew them believe the sister was involved in some way if not the actual perpetrator."

What do investigators think?

Again, it's worth noting that Jessica and her ex-boyfriend have not been charged with anything related Leah's murder. Investigators have never publicly labeled either of them as suspects. Investigators have also not labeled anyone as a suspect or person of interest; they have mostly remained tight-lipped about the case.

In September 2008, Huntington Police Capt. Steve Hall told reporters, "There is an individual that we believe was involved. It is an individual that we have contacted and have spoken to. However, this individual keeps coming to the forefront of someone we’re particularly interested in."

To this day, investigators have not disclosed the identity of this individual. There has been inevitable speculation that this person is Leah's sister's ex-boyfriend. It seems that detectives have still been unable to collect evidence that could lead to a prosecution. 

DNA evidence.

Investigators collected various evidence from the area where Leah's body was found. The evidence was sent for DNA testing, but the results were reportedly not conclusive. Leah's father reportedly requested that the DNA be retested by Parabon NanoLabs. Investigators working the case stated that the DNA sample was so small that they feared new tests would destroy it.

The lead detective on the case told reporters that they were hesitant to retest due to "the fear that it would lead nowhere, and the remaining evidence would be lost."

A cold case.

As of 2024, the murder of Leah Hickman remains unsolved and is considered a cold case. It has been years since investigators have provided any substantial updates in the case. 

In 2014, someone spray painted "Who Killed Leah Hickman?" on the outside brick wall of the apartment where Leah lived. Police reportedly do not know the identity of the spray painter.

source: Herald-Dispatch

Since then, there have not been any updates on Leah's case. However, the online speculation remains somewhat active. Investigators still encourage anyone with information that could help solve Leah's case to call the Huntington Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Bureau, at (304) 696-4420 or the tip line at (304) 696-4444.

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Sources:
Herald-Dispatch
Killer Crawl Space
Me Aww
NBC News

Reddit
True Crime Society
WSAZ

The Murders of Duong and America Nguyen

Duong and America Nguyen. (source: nguyenmurders.com)

Duong Nguyen (61) and his son America Nguyen (22) were shot to death inside their family's Bealeton, Virginia home during the early morning hours of November 8th, 2018. 

At the time of the murders, Duong's wife and daughter were in Vietnam, taking care of a sick relative. The two spoke with Duong and America every day during their trip - but on November 8th, Duong and America abruptly stopped communicating. On November 9th, Duong's wife asked a friend to go check on them. Said friend subsequently called the Fauquier County Sheriff’s to request a welfare check. 

Police arrived to conduct the welfare check around 9:30 AM. Officers were able to enter the Nguyen's house through an unlocked door. Once inside, they found the bodies of Duong and America. The father and son both had suffered several gunshot wounds to their upper torsos. 

This double homicide case has been baffling for both investigators and loved ones of Duong and America. There were reportedly no signs of forced entry, nor were there are signs of robbery at the Nguyen home. Additionally, reports state that Duong and America did not have any known enemies or people that they had been at odds with prior to their deaths. Investigators reportedly do not know if the father and son were targeted, or if their murders were completely random. 

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What is known?

Investigators have been able to establish somewhat of a timeline of events surrounding the murders of Duong and America. Reports state that the father and son's last known communication occurred on the evening of November 7th, 2018 - when America spoke to a relative via social media. 

It's believed that the father and son were killed just hours later. More specifically, investigators believe that Duong and America were killed at some point between 12:00 AM and 6:00 AM on November 8th. At some point within that six-hour span, the killer(s) entered the Nguyen's home and shot both men several times.

The residence.

The Nguyen's residence, located in Bealeton, was built in a rural area an approximate 30-minute drive south of Manassas, Virginia. At the time of the murders, the subdivision where the Nguyen's lived was so new that it did not yet appear on Google Maps. Therefore, it seems likely that the killer(s) were familiar with the Nguyens and the location of the residence. 

Although Bealeton is small, major highways are located nearby. VA Rt. 17, Rt. 28, and Rt. 29 all intersect in Bealeton's downtown area. Investigators believe the killer(s) traveled along Rt. 28 on the night of the murders. In 2019, an official working the case told reporters, "We have strong reason to believe that whoever is responsible for this crime traveled this corridor Route 28 from the Nguyen residence to the Prince William County, Nokesville, Manassas area."

A website dedicated to solving the murders provides a map marking the highways and other areas around Bealeton and the Nguyen household:

source: nguyenmurders.com

Why Duong and America?

As previously noted, a motive for the murders of Duong and America remains unknown. Neither man had any known enemies or any associations with drugs. By all accounts, it appears that the Nguyen family lived a quiet, happy life in Bealeton.

Duong emigrated to the United States from Vietnam decades before his death. He loved living in the U.S. and subsequently named his children after his new home: a son named America and a daughter named Virginia. Duong also loved his family's residence in Bealeton and often spent time doing work on their 1.18 acres of land.

America enjoyed helping his father with such projects, and he also enjoyed playing guitar. He was employed at a local Wal-Mart prior to his death and was known as a reliable employee with a positive attitude. Friends of both America and Duong described both men as hard-working and kind people. 

An unsolved case.

The murders of Duong and America remain unsolved. Investigators have not publicly announced any suspects or persons of interest. Details of the investigation remain unknown. 

The FBI is involved in this case. There is a $20,000 reward in place for anyone with information that could lead to the killer(s). If you have any information that could help solve the case, please submit a tip. 

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Sources:
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Medium
NBC 4 Washington
Nguyen Murders Cold Case

The Murder of Priscilla Pimentel

Priscilla Pimentel. (source: NYtimes.com)

Priscilla Pimentel was only 24 years-old when she was murdered inside her own apartment during November 2006. The young woman was originally from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, but she was living in Queens, New York at the time of her death. Most of Priscilla's family members still lived in Pennsylvania, and she kept in touch with them often.

In fact, Priscilla was expected to join her family in Bethlehem for the Thanksgiving holiday. When she did not show up as planned, Priscilla's loved ones immediately began to worry. The following day - on November 24th, 2006 - Priscilla's four siblings traveled to her apartment in Queens to check on her. Upon their arrival, they discovered their worst fears: Priscilla was dead. She had been brutally stabbed to death. 

The scene in Priscilla's apartment was nothing short of horrific. Her bedroom and bathroom walls were streaked with blood. Priscilla herself was found in her bathtub with her hands bound behind her back. Her beloved Jack Russell terrier, Gucci, was found stabbed to death by her side. Both of their bodies were covered in green paint - which Priscilla had recently used to paint her walls. 

There were no signs of forced entry in the apartment. The only item that had been taken from the place was Priscilla's cell phone. Due to this, it's believed that Priscilla was killed by somebody she knew. Still, several years have passed without any arrests in the case. 

Many reports state that Priscilla identified as a lesbian. Shortly after her murder, Priscilla's stepfather Raoul Laracuente stated that he believed that she moved to New York because she was afraid her sexuality would hurt her family. Laracuente told reporters, "I truly believe in my heart that she moved away just so she wouldn’t hurt her mother’s feelings. This (Bethlehem) is a small town; everybody knows your business. She said she’d go to New York so that her mother wouldn’t be hurt."

While Priscilla's loved ones were worried about her living in a city by herself, they never imagined she'd meet such a tragic demise. Unfortunately, Priscilla's murder remains unsolved today. The investigation is classified as a cold case.

If you have any information that could help solve Priscilla's murder, please submit a tip.

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Sources:
New York Times
Queens Chronicle
Queens District Attorney

The Murder of Alexxandra Morris

source: kansascity.com

Alexxandra Morris was only 23 years-old when she was found murdered in Kansas City, Missouri on December 11th, 2017. Around 1:00 AM that day, Kansas City police were called to East 70th and Kensington near Swope Park. Once there, they found the body of a young woman near the road. She had been shot several times. 

Shortly thereafter, the deceased young woman was identified as Alexxandra Morris. It was clear that her death had been a brutal murder. Unfortunately, many questions still remain, such as: who killed Alexxandra? And why?

Alexxandra - who is sometimes referred to as Alexx, Lexi, or Sonny in other reports - was last seen by her family members on Thanksgiving Day. The family had gathered at Alexxandra's brother's house to celebrate the holiday. According to Alexxandra's mother, it was a good Thanksgiving. The family could have never predicted that it would be the last time they'd see Alexxandra alive. 

Very little information has been revealed about the investigation into Alexxandra's murder. A year after her death, Alexxandra's mother told reporters that she believed her daughter was killed elsewhere before being dumped at the intersection where she was found. Other than that, though, very few other details about Alexxandra's case are known.

There is a monetary reward available for anyone with information that could help solve Alexxandra's murder. If you have any information that could help the investigation, please submit a tip.

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Sources:
FOX 4 KC
Kansas City Police Department
Kansas City Star
KMBC

The Murder of Michaela MacVilla

source: Facebook

Michaela MacVilla was tragically murdered at the age of 21 on September 25th, 2018. The young woman seemingly vanished after leaving her job at a Stewart's Shop on West Main Street in St. Johnsville, New York shortly after midnight. Michaela unfortunately never returned home and was never seen alive by her loved ones again.

Two days later, on September 27th, Michaela's cell phone was found on Mill Road - and it appeared as if the phone had been thrown from a vehicle. Data from the cell phone led authorities to a 45-year-old local, Daniel Nellis. Michaela's final phone call was made to Nellis' phone number shortly after she left her job at Stewart's. 

Police initially spoke to Nellis on September 28th. During said interview, the officers noticed that Nellis had scratches on his forearms. Nellis told police that he picked Michaela up on the morning of her disappearance. He admitted to bringing Michaela to his home in Oppenheim that morning. Nellis explained that when he was driving her back home later that day, they got into an argument and Michaela asked to be let out of the car. He claims that he never saw her again after that. 

On October 2nd, 2018, Michaela's body was found under some brush on an access road near Kringsbush Road in Oppenheim. She had been shot to death. Her pants had also been pulled down, which indicated a potential sexual assault.

A few days after Michaela's body was found, Nellis was arrested on unrelated weapons charges. While already behind bars on those charges, Nellis was charged with the murder of Michaela MacVilla just a few weeks later. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Daniel Nellis. (source: The Times Telegram)

During the trial, the prosecution presented evidence from both Michaela's Fitbit - which was found near her body - and from local surveillance footage. Cameras near Nellis's home in Oppenheim captured Michaela and Nellis entering his house around 12:45 AM on the morning of September 25th. Approximately 12 hours later, they are captured leaving the house together. 

Data from Michaela's FitBit showed that Michaela's heart rate spiked at 12:24 PM before stopping altogether just six minutes later. Just minutes later, surveillance cameras captured Nellis's car driving down the access road where Michaela's body was later found. 

Despite all of this evidence, Nellis continued to maintain his innocence and even testified in his defense at trial. However, the jury did not buy his story and ultimately convicted him for the murder of Michaela MacVilla. He was sentenced to 40 years in prison. 

However, in 2023, Daniel Nellis's conviction was overturned. It was reported that on June 8th, 2023, "a four-judge panel of the Appellate Division of the New York State Supreme Court issued a unanimous ruling overturning [the murder] conviction, finding that it was the result of 'prosecutorial misconduct' that went unchecked by the trial judge."

Such instances of alleged prosecutorial misconduct included the State eliciting testimony from three separate witnesses that had not been included in the pretrial motions. The testimony was regarding a prior shooting in which Nellis had allegedly been involved. The judge panel also found that certain questions asked by the prosecution during Nellis' trial were "'plainly improper,' as they didn’t relate to Nellis’ credibility but instead to his criminal propensity in such a way that it was prejudicial against his defense." 

Additionally, the judge panel noted that the trial judge did not intervene upon these instances of misconduct. The panel admonished said judge, stating that "County Court certainly must have been aware that some of the evidence introduced by the prosecutor, both on the People’s direct case and upon cross-examination of defendant, fell outside the scope of the court’s pretrial evidentiary rulings." Due to these circumstances, the judge panel ruled on overturning Nellis' murder conviction. A new trial has been ordered. At this time, it is unclear when the new trial will take place. 

Michaela's loved ones are inevitably devastated by this news. In a June 2023 interview with CBS 6, Michaela's grandmother told reporters that she is "livid, angry, to the point of beyond reason that this man gets a second chance at life and my granddaughter is dead."

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Sources:
Appellate court documents
CBS 6
The Daily Gazette
Law and Crime
Spectrum Local News
The Times Telegram

The Murder of Baleigh Bagshaw

15-year-old Baleigh Bashaw was brutally murdered inside her own home May 7th, 2018. That day began as a typical day for the teenager; she went to school that morning and then returned to her Salt Lake City, Utah home around 3:00 PM. Upon Baleigh’s return home, she called her mother at work to check-in.

At some point during that phone conversation, Baleigh was attacked as her mother listened. Baleigh’s frantic mother then called a neighbor, who went to the home and found Baleigh dead. The attacker had already fled the scene.

Baleigh’s mother immediately had a gut feeling about the killer’s identity: 24-year-old Shaun French. French had lived in the home with Baleigh and her mother for six months during the previous year, until Baleigh’s mother kicked him out in July 2017. Baleigh and French still kept in touch after this, but Baleigh’s mother was unaware of the extent of their relationship until May 2nd, 2018—just 5 days before Baleigh was murdered.

That day, Baleigh confessed to her mother that she had been in a sexual relationship with French that began when she was 14 years old. Baleigh had recently ended the relationship, and French was not taking it well. It was clear at this point that French is a dangerous person. It was established that he had raped Baleigh, who was too young to consent to a sexual relationship. The events that followed proved exactly how dangerous French is - and it unfortunately cost Baleigh her life. 

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May 2nd, 2018: Baleigh's admission and the social media harassment. 

As previously stated, 15-year-old Baleigh confessed to her mother that she had been in an inappropriate sexual relationship with French, who was nearly a decade older than her, on May 2nd, 2018. Baleigh also explained that French was threatening to send her nude photographs to her mother and to post them on social media. 

In fact, as Baleigh and her mother were having this conversation, Baleigh’s mother received a nude picture of her daughter from a social media account that she did not recognize. The mother and daughter then decided to contact police and to secure a restraining order against French.

May 3rd, 2018: police confirm French is behind the social media accounts. 

The following day, police located the people behind the social media account who sent the explicit photos. Two people were involved, and they told police that they had created the social media account at French’s request and then had given him the password. One of the associates told police that French was obsessed with Baleigh and wanted to marry her. 

Police also contacted French that day, and he became aware that he was likely to get in trouble for statutory rape. From there, the situation seemingly escalated to murder. 

May 6th - 7th, 2018.

French and a male friend spent the days of May 6th and 7th in a park near Baleigh’s home in Salt Lake City. The male friend would later tell police that he dropped French off at Baleigh’s house on the 7th. When French returned, he was covered in blood and said he had to leave the state because he had killed a girl while she was talking on the phone. 

French allegedly told his friend, “I damn near cut her head off.” Following this admission, both French and the friend fled the area.

May 11th, 2018: French is apprehended.

Police ultimately located French and his male friend on May 11th, 2018, in Colorado. It was then that the friend told police his version of events. He also led them to a dumpster where they had discarded French’s knife and bloody clothes.

French was subsequently arrested, extradited back to Utah, and charged with aggravated murder, obstruction of justice, and sexual exploitation. He was held behind bars without bail.

source: Otero County Sheriff's Office

A guilty plea and sentencing.

In July 2020, Shaun French has pleaded guilty to the murder of Baleigh Bagshaw. While in court, French said he agreed to plead guilty so he would not face the death penalty. He told the judge, "Your honor, to be honest, it’s either this or the death penalty. This is the only thing to do. Yeah. It's either this or die."

On August 25th, 2020, French was sentenced to life in prison. During the court proceeding, Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill expressed that this sentencing is the outcome both Baleigh's family and society needed to move forward. Gill explained, "This was a very horrific, very terrible crime of the murder of a young woman who had her entire life to look forward to. While we will never be able to replace her, we’ll never be able to give that kind of measure of justice. But the family can move on knowing society is safe and this person will never ever be free and he is going to die in prison."

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Sources:
ABC 4
CBS News
The Deseret Sun, (2)
The Salt Lake Tribune

The Disappearance of Diana Alejandre

source: Facebook

Diana Rose Alejandre vanished under suspicious circumstances during the spring of 2020. The then-31-year-old woman was living in Winterhaven, California at the time of her disappearance. Diana last contacted her family members on April 29th, 2020. Various reports state that it is believed she disappeared a few days later, on May 4th. She has never been seen or heard from again. 

Diana lived with her girlfriend, Danielle 'Danny' Meeden, at the time of her disappearance. She was reportedly last seen at their home, where she left behind several personal items, including her wallet and cell phone. Diana also has five children, and it is uncharacteristic for her to be out of touch with them and her other family members. 

In June of 2020, Diana's mother began contacting relatives to see if any of them had heard from Diana. It was then realized that nobody had heard from her since April 29th. On June 30th, Diana's aunt Jenny Espino filed a missing persons report with the Imperial County Sheriff’s Office.

Where is Diana?

Various reports about Diana's case state that she was known to travel back and forth between Winterhaven, California, Yuma, Arizona, and Mexico. For those unfamiliar with these areas: Winterhaven and Yuma are located very close to each other on the California/Arizona border. Both are also located close to the Mexican border. 

source: The Road blog

Detectives from both Imperial County - where Winterhaven is located - and the Yuma Police Department have been involved in the search for Diana. However, reports state that there have not been any sightings of her in either place. It does not appear that there have been any sightings of her in Mexico either. 

The search for Diana.

In September of 2020, it was reported that a massive search for Diana in Winterhaven was planned to occur on October 17th, 2020. Unfortunately, the search ended unsuccessfully. It's unknown if any items of significance were found, but it appears that the search did not provide Diana's loved ones with any answers.  

Detectives have reportedly interviewed several people, but details of their investigation have not been shared. During that same September 2020 report, Investigator J. Hurtado with the Imperial County's Sheriff Office told reporters, "There are many stories and rumors around this case right now, so it’s hard to say at this time if foul play is involved."

Suspicions about the girlfriend. 

There has been inevitably suspicion against Diana's girlfriend Danielle 'Danny' Meeden, who was the last known person to have seen her before her disappearance. Meeden has a criminal history. According to records, she has been arrested for inflicting a corporal injury on a spouse/cohabitant on more than one occasion. 

In November 2021, Diana's family members started a petition to have her case investigated by the FBI. The petition's description states Meeden was violent with Diana and that there was "an attempted murder charge on Danielle from when she tried to murder Diana." 

Despite these allegations, Meeden has not been charged with anything related to Diana's case. Investigators have not commented on whether or not they believe Meeden is involved in Diana's disappearance. 

Where the case stands today.

The FBI was eventually contacted in regard to Diana's disappearance, and they are now involved in the case. Still, nobody has been charged with anything related to her disappearance. Additional details about the investigation are unknown. 

Diana remains missing today. The FBI is offering a $10,000 reward for anyone with information that could lead to her whereabouts. If you have any information that could help the investigation, please submit a tip. 

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Sources:
Arrest records
Change.org petition
Charley Project
Dateline: Missing in America
Disappeared Blog
Facebook page for Diana
FBI
KYMA
NBC News