Sheriff’s deputies responded to a home after workers saw bodies through a window when no one answered the door. Gene Hackman, 95, his wife, Betsy Arakawa, 65, and a dog were found dead.

Officers found the front door of Hackman’s two-story, green stucco home slightly ajar, but there were no signs of forced entry. During a search, deputies found all other buildings and the garage of the $3.8 million home locked and secured. The home did not appear to have been rummaged through, and no items were reported missing. An officer noted that nothing appeared "out of place."

According to a search warrant affidavit, officers entering the home saw a bathroom to the left of the front door. The bathroom door was open, and Betsy Arakawa was lying on her right side, deceased. Police said she was wearing dark gray sweatpants and a light-colored sweatshirt. A black space heater was near her head, but the report did not state whether it was on. Officers also saw an open orange prescription bottle with pills scattered on the countertop. A deputy reported obvious signs of death, including body decomposition, facial bloating, and mummification in her hands and feet.

Deputies then saw feet and legs near the kitchen area. They found Gene Hackman dead in the mudroom. He was wearing gray sweatpants, a blue long-sleeve T-shirt, and brown slippers. He had a walking cane and a pair of sunglasses. Hackman showed similar signs of death as his wife.

An autopsy was performed, but initial findings noted no external trauma to either individual. The manner and cause of death have not been determined. The official autopsy and toxicology results are pending.

Joining Nancy Grace:

• Joshua Ritter - Criminal Defense Attorney, Former Prosecutor ND Host of Courtroom Confidential on YouTube; X, Instagram & TikTok: @joshuaritteresq, YouTube: CRConfidential
• Dr. Bethany Marshall -  Psychoanalyst, Author: "Deal Breaker;" Featured in Hit Show: "Paris in Love" on Peacock; Instagram & TikTok: drbethanymarshall, X @DrBethanyLive
• Sheryl McCollum - Atlanta Cold Case Investigative Research Institute Founder; Host : Zone 7, X @149Zone7 
• Dr. William Morrone - Medical Examiner, Toxicologist, Pathologist, Opioid Treatment Expert, and Author: “American Narcan: Naloxone & Heroin-Fentanyl Associated Mortality” 
• Jessica Finn - Senior Investigative Reporter at The U.S. Sun, the-sun.com, jessicafinnnyc (Twitter/ IG) @jessicafinn.bsky.social 

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A trucker narrowly avoids hitting a missing girl who wandered away from her home. Cops argue with wanted suspect..on facebook!

For more crime and justice news go to crimeonline.com

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16-year-old Sophia Martin Franklin is still missing.  Sophia is 5’9”, 186 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. The teenager is believed to be travelling in a black 2014 Buick Lacrosse with Pennsylvania plate number KGW5186. The driver is 40-year-old abductor, Gary Day, the father of Sophia’s unborn child, but how did Franklin come to be with Day? 

The summer before Sophia’s junior year of high school, Sophia asks her parents if it would be okay if she stays with her best friend’s family. The girls have been close for years and do everything together. Sophia makes a lot of good points about saving time and gas, and promises to check in frequently, so her parents eventually agree, knowing how happy it would make their daughter. Sophia makes the move in late July and says she’s having the time of her life! 

Meanwhile, Gary Day is four years into a 6-year probation sentence and is used to surprise visits from his probation officer, but in December, the 40-year-old seems extremely nervous when the officer stops by. The supervisor also catches a glimpse of a woman running out the back door! He immediately chases her down and after an intense line of questioning—gets out that she is just 16-years-old and from Wisconsin! The teen admits she’s been with Day since August, and her family has no idea.  

Sophia Franklin is removed from Day’s home and taken for a medical examination while authorities contact her family. Her parents are shocked and horrified to learn their daughter has been three states away with a predator this whole time—and even more appalled to learn she’s pregnant. Sophia is returned to Wisconsin as quickly as possible, and her parents take every step possible to protect her from Day and help their daughter heal.  

Joining Nancy Grace today:

• Darryl Cohen  - Former Assistant District Attorney,  Former Assistant State Attorney, Defense Attorney, Cohen, Cooper, Estep, & Allen, LLC, CCEAlaw.com, Facebook: "Darryl B Cohen", Twitter: @DarrylBCohen
• Dr. Bethany Marshall - Psychoanalyst, Author: "Deal Breaker,"  featured in hit show: "Paris in Love" on Peacock www.drbethanymarshall.com/ , Instagram & TikTok: drbethanymarshall, Twitter: @DrBethanyLive
• Brian Fitzgibbons  -  Director of Operations for USPA Nationwide Security,  www.uspasecurity.com, Instagram: @uspa_nationwide_security, 
• Dr. Stacy Vaughan  -  Vice President of Growth and Prevention at Childhelp; website: www.childhelp.org; Instagram and Facebook: @childhelp; YouTube: @Childhelporg
• Alexis Tereszcuk  - Crime Online investigative reporter 

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Jamie Dickerson never believed her daughter, April Holt, committed suicide. Not because she is in denial, but because she knows her daughter was trying to leave her marriage and had told her husband two weeks before her death that she wants a divorce. Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack discuss the case, how 29-year-old April Holt is found unresponsive in the bathroom of the home she shares with her husband and son, with a plastic bag taped tightly around her neck. Why is her death ruled a suicide, and what does her mother do to catch the killer and see him go to trial for murder.  This episode discusses domestic abuse and suicide. If you are someone you know is living in a domestic violence situation, there is a toll free number to call:  1-800-799-3233. There is also a number if you are having thoughts of self-harm or even taking your own life, the suicide hotline and Crisis Lifeline - 988.

Transcribe Highlights

00:00.97 Introduction
NOTE - In this episode both domestic violence and suicide will be discussed

 05:09.61 Victim's mother solves the crime

09:50.94 Discussion of the "finder" and the "reporter"

14:11.21 Talk about framing of a story for the police on the scene

18:58.24 How cases are classified as "final exit" case

25:00.55 Discussion of broken blood vessels in the cheek

30:20.65 Claim of "sex play" gone too far and staging the scene

35:02.96 Killer sentenced to two-years in prison

39:29.59 Sentence is a "slap in the face to victims of domestic violence"

41:03.67 Conclusion Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-3233
                    Suicide Hotline and crisis lifeline - 988 

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Justice Nation: Crime Stops Here is presented with limited commercial interruption thanks to Lifelock. Join now and save up to 40% your first year. Call 1-800-LifeLock and use promo code NANCY or go to https://www.LifeLock.com/NANCY for 40% off. Terms apply.

Schools are supposed to be a safe place for children to grow and learn, but all too often terrifying crimes involving our children happen at school. 38% of child abductions occur when a child is going to and from school. Bullying in the classroom and fights in the school bathroom. And don’t forget teachers turned sexual predators, or unthinkable emergencies. How do you keep your kids safe when you’re not with them? Nancy Grace sits down with world class experts in child and school safety to tackle these important issues to prepare parents and kids about how to stay safe at school.

Schools are supposed to be a safe place for children to grow and learn, but all too often terrifying crimes involving our children happen at school.

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Susan Smith's ex-husband has revealed what she said to him after she killed their young boys. David Smith tells Dateline his ex-wife casually, said, ‘I’m sorry,' and that was about as far as it went."  

After high school, Susan Leigh Vaughan married David Smith. They had two sons, but the marriage faltered despite the children. The couple separated multiple times. During one separation, Susan began dating Tom Findlay, the single son of a wealthy mill owner. Smith imagined a future with Findlay until she received a "Dear John" letter from him, stating he did not want an instant family.

On the night of October 25, Susan Smith knocked on the door of a house near John D. Long Lake. Hysterical, she told the man who answered to call the police. She claimed an armed Black man had carjacked her at a red light, with her two boys—3-year-old Michael and 14-month-old Alex—still in the car. For days, Susan repeated increasingly inconsistent versions of the carjacking story.

Eventually, Smith confessed. There had been no carjacker. Feeling desperate, alone, and suicidal, she had taken her sons for a drive. At John D. Long Lake, she put the car in neutral, jumped out, and watched as the car sank. Scuba divers later found the vehicle with the boys still strapped in their seats.

Since her conviction and incarceration, tabloid reports have alleged that Smith told prison investigators about four sexual encounters with Lieutenant Houston Cagle, a supervisor at South Carolina’s Women’s Correctional Institution. C

Cagle admitted to having sex with Smith and another inmate. In August 2000, he was charged with the offenses, pleaded guilty, and served three months in jail. Captain Alfred Rowe also pleaded guilty to having sex with Smith and received five years of probation.

Thirty years after Susan Smith drove her car into a lake with her two sons strapped in their car seats, she sought parole. A parole board denied her request.

Joining Nancy Grace Today:

• Tara Malek – Boise, ID, Attorney & Co-owner of Smith + Malek; Former State and Federal Prosecutor; Twitter: @smith_malek
• Dr. Bethany Marshall – Psychoanalyst (Beverly Hills, CA); Instagram & TikTok: drbethanymarshall; Twitter: @DrBethanyLive 
• Chris McDonough – Director At the Cold Case Foundation, Former Homicide Detective; Host of YouTube channel: “The Interview Room”
• Joseph Morgan – Professor of Forensics: Jacksonville State University; Author, “Blood Beneath My Feet;” Host: “Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan;" Twitter: @JoScottForensic 
• Dave Mack - CrimeOnline Investigative Reporter

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Taylor Meyer plans a Valentine's Day dinner for his wife, Deborah, with the theme "Bring Paris to You." Pulling out all the stops, he has their children draw pictures of the Eiffel Tower to decorate the table, buys Deborah a beautiful new dress, and orders food from their favorite Japanese steakhouse. After a lovely dinner, he gives his wife a Valentine's Day card with a personal message, and they dance to their wedding song.

When the song ends, Deborah does not react as Taylor hopes, and they begin to argue. She leaves the house for about 20 minutes. When she returns, Taylor accuses her of cheating with a coworker and claims she visited her boyfriend, who had just gotten off work. He demands to see the messages on her watch and check her phone. When she refuses, a physical fight breaks out. Taylor pins her to the ground, sits on her back, and chokes her while grabbing the phone.

He finds a number saved as "My Best Friend Emily" and calls it. A man answers. Taylor tells him, "It's your... fault."

Deborah continues to struggle and challenges her husband, asking, "What are you going to do, kill me? You're going to hurt me and leave our kids with no parents?" She hits Taylor in the head with a water bottle. He responds by striking her in the head with a wine bottle.

Deborah screams for help, calling for her children and the police. The person on the other end of the call hears her cries. When Deborah becomes unresponsive, Taylor goes to the kitchen, grabs "a big-ass knife," and stabs her 40 times.

Joining Nancy Grace today:

• Greg Morse - Partner at the law firm of King Morse; current CJA counsel (Southern District of Florida); Former West Palm Beach Public Defender’s Office; Author: “The Untested” found on Amazon; website: kingmorse.com
• Dr. Bethany Marshall -  Psychoanalyst, Author: “Deal Breaker;"  featured in hit show “Paris in Love” on Peacock; IG & TicTok: @drbethanymarshall; X: @DrBethanyLive
• Barry Hutchison -  Owner & Chief Investigator for Barry & Associates Investigative Services [located in Kansas & Missouri]
• Dr. Kendall Crowns -  Chief Medical Examiner Tarrant County (Ft Worth); New Podcast: "DOA - Dead On Arrival," LAUNCHING April 7th; Lecturer: Burnett School of Medicine at TCU (Texas Christian University)
• Shannon Henry  -  President & Founder of SASS Go, (Surviving Assault Standing Strong) a nonprofit on a mission to eradicate abuse, trafficking and violence against women and girls globally, Case Consultant, Adjunct Professor at the University of South Carolina in the Department of Education, www.sassgo.org,  FB, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok: @sassgoglobal
• Christina Aguayo  - National News Anchor, Salem News Channel; Facebook: @ChristinaAguayoNews, Instagram: @Christina.AguayoNews

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Mom who refuses to accept suicide ruling for her daughter gets her son-in-law to confess to her murder. Woman stopped at the border with a giant load of bologna!

For more crime and justice news go to crimeonline.com

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11:16 p.m. Saturday. Princeton police respond to a 911 call about a dead body and a fire in an apartment building. The caller remains cryptic, refusing to answer the dispatcher’s questions about who is dead, why they are dead, or who owns the apartment.

Police and first responders surround the building, but nothing prepares them for what they find inside.

Matthew Hertgen, 31, answers the door. Inside, officers see a bloody, unresponsive young man with blunt force and laceration injuries covering his body. He is pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators note that one of his eyes has been removed. Nearby, they find a bloody plate, fork, and knife. Officers also discover a bloody golf club and what appears to be the charred remains of a cat. The victim is identified as 26-year-old Joseph Hertgen.

Matthew Hertgen is immediately arrested for the murder of his younger brother. The discovery of the bloody plate leads police to believe that, in addition to beating Joseph to death, Hertgen ate his eye. Princeton police have not disclosed a possible motive for the attack. Hertgen is also charged with animal cruelty and possession of a weapon during a violent crime.

The Princeton community is stunned. Residents describe Joseph’s death as devastating and tragic. A police source says no one could have foreseen such violence. Matthew Hertgen, they say, came from what appeared to be a stable, all-American family, with no signs he was capable of such brutality—especially against his own brother.

Joining Nancy Grace today:

• Sam Bassett - Criminal Defense Attorney at Minton, Bassett, Flores & Carsey, Former President of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Educational Institute, Long-Time Faculty member of the Texas Criminal Trial College (Huntsville, TX),  MBFC.com, Facebook: MintonBassett, Instagram: @MBFC_Law
• Dr. Jeff Kieliszewski - Forensic Psychologist, Author: “Darksides;" YouTube: "Dr. Jeff Kieliszewski, Forensic Psychologist"
• Fil Waters - Former homicide detective for the Houston Police Department, President & CEO of Kindred spirits Investigations & Security, Inc.
• Dr. Jan Gorniak  -  Former Medical Examiner, Clark County Office of the Coroner/Medical Examiner (Las Vegas, NV), Board Certified Forensic Pathologist, World Peace Forensic Consulting, LLC
• Karen Wall - Senior Local Editor at Patch Media [covering the Jersey Shore region], Website: patch.com; X: @karenwall1966, Facebook: karen.e.wall,

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Teen son accidentally kills his father in a drunken fight. Memphis food truck customers don't react after witnessing a shooting. 

For more crime and justice news go to crimeonline.com

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