The Tristaney Baker and Jayla Wyatt case is a high-profile Zanesville, Ohio true crime story centered on the April 27, 2021 death of Jayla Wyatt (23), who was found in an apartment on South 6th Street after police were called to the scene; investigators alleged Tristaney Baker (20, Columbus) traveled to Zanesville after prior conflict and that a firearm was involved, with authorities also focusing on Baker’s boyfriend, Devin McKnelly (Thornville), as the driver who helped her leave the area, leading to both suspects being taken into custody in Columbus within about a day of the incident. Court records show Baker later entered a guilty plea to major charges including aggravated murder and related offenses, and on June 28, 2021 she received a sentence of life in prison without parole (plus additional time tied to firearm specifications), while McKnelly accepted a negotiated plea to aggravated murder with parole eligibility after 20 years as part of the resolution.

According to the Wichita Police case report, in the early morning of June 17, 2020, David Leddy was found fatally shot at 1214 N. Pinecrest after an escalating dispute tied to Xavier Ahrens (Amber Ahrens’ son)—witnesses and Xavier described an earlier confrontation at the house in which David allegedly struck Xavier with a wooden object/baseball bat, after which Amber (also known as “Odyssey”) became angry and said she was going to fight David when she returned. After coming back from the casino and searching for Xavier, an argument occurred near the front porch/front door; Amber later told detectives she had a revolver in her purse for protection, feared David would beat her with bats kept in the home, and shot him in the head as he was by the front porch/front door, then left in a vehicle with a witness and later discarded the gun near Central & Oliver, where police ultimately recovered it. Amber was later located and arrested on July 7, 2020, and the report states she was booked/charged with second-degree intentional murder and criminal possession of a firearm.

In Minnesota’s Crow Wing County, Michael Lee LaFlex (46) faced prosecution after 23-year-old Bryce Brogle—his daughter’s boyfriend—vanished in October 2022 following a visit to LaFlex’s storage unit; investigators alleged LaFlex confronted Brogle because he believed Brogle had been mistreating his daughter, and that the confrontation ended in a fatal incident involving a firearm, after which LaFlex tried to clean up evidence and conceal Brogle’s remains on rural/public land near Merrifield/Mission Township. The case began when LaFlex’s daughter reported Brogle missing, and search efforts later led authorities to a concealed site tied to the disappearance; court filings and testimony also described statements attributed to LaFlex that prosecutors argued showed advance planning, including remarks that a place to hide Brogle had already been prepared. At trial in April 2024, a jury in Crow Wing County District Court convicted LaFlex on premeditated first-degree and second-degree counts tied to Brogle’s death. In June 2024, the judge imposed the mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of release, with family members providing impact statements, and the case drew wider attention because it centered on an intra-family relationship and the prosecution’s claim that LaFlex acted as a self-appointed protector rather than turning to lawful options

Tynesha Evans was a 45-year-old mother of four from Alpharetta, Georgia, whose case drew attention after she died in a violent incident on March 16, 2019, outside a Wells Fargo branch on North Main Street; police responded late that morning, and investigators said the confrontation happened during an argument in the parking lot. Authorities identified Othniel (Othniel Nathan) Inniss as the suspect and reported that he and Evans had been in an on-and-off relationship, with public records and family statements pointing to a troubled history between them. The story spread widely because Evans’ children spoke publicly about the sudden loss of their mother and the financial instability that followed, and multiple outlets reported that Tyler Perry stepped in to assist the family with major expenses as they tried to regroup. After several years of court delays, the case concluded in February 2025 when Inniss entered a guilty plea; the court imposed a multi-year prison sentence, and Evans’ family described a mix of relief that the long legal process had finally ended and grief that no outcome could undo the harm their family experienced.

Cynthia Berendzen was at the center of a Las Cruces, New Mexico case that began after neighbors reported not seeing her for weeks, prompting a welfare check at her home. When officers entered the residence, they found signs that the scene had been cleaned and later confirmed she had died. The investigation led to charges against her son, and the case moved through the New Mexico court system over the following months.

Court coverage reported that a jury found Dillon Alexander Waller guilty of first-degree murder and tampering with evidence in connection with Cynthia Berendzen’s death. Multiple reports also noted that prosecutors sought consecutive penalties, and the judge ultimately imposed a life sentence plus an additional three years on the tampering count.

Reporting on the investigation says Waller initially denied involvement when questioned, but later admitted responsibility. News accounts also describe efforts to clean the home and conceal what had happened, which became part of the evidence discussed in the case. By February 2025, local coverage described the sentencing as the final major step in the prosecution. Dillon Alexander Waller was ultimately convicted and sentenced to life in prison, with additional time added for tampering with evidence.

In Battle Creek, Michigan, two men (Fred Bissel, 62, and Jason Dush, 41) were found unresponsive in an apartment at Silver Star Apartments on April 12, 2020.

Investigators said there were signs of a struggle and worked from witness accounts, security video, and scene evidence to identify Kenneth Hoskins (56, from South Bend, Indiana) as the suspect; police also said he had been staying in the same apartment.

Later that same day, Hoskins was taken into custody in Kalamazoo County after a separate incident on I-94 involving a truck/vehicle, and authorities subsequently filed two “open” counts in connection with the two deaths. Officials said a clear reason for what happened wasn’t established in the early reporting.

The Donovan Barfield case was a tragic 2018 incident in Lansing, Michigan, in which 28-year-old Donovan Barfield was found in his apartment after what investigators described as a targeted act rather than a random event.

Police later connected Neal Prince to the case, and in 2019 he was convicted and sentenced to life without parole; reports also said another person was charged in connection with it. The case drew attention because investigators used witness accounts and surveillance evidence to piece together what happened.

On July 18, 2008, Genai Coleman, a 40-year-old schoolteacher and Navy reservist, was waiting in her car near Gwinnett Place Mall in Georgia to pick up her daughter. A man approached her vehicle, demanded she exit, and during the confrontation, she was fatally shot. The assailant then drove away in her car, which was later found abandoned about 40 miles away.

Investigation and Arrest Investigators collected a cigarette butt from the recovered vehicle, which contained DNA matching Donald Smith, a man with a prior criminal record. Surveillance footage also showed a man purchasing the same brand of cigarettes near the crime scene. However, when confronted, Donald insisted he was not the person in the footage and revealed he had an identical twin brother, Ronald Smith.

Further investigation, including fingerprint analysis, confirmed that Ronald's prints matched those found on the victim's car, while Donald's did not. Faced with this evidence, Ronald confessed to the crime, stating that the shooting was accidental during an attempted car theft.

Legal Proceedings Ronald Smith was charged with multiple offenses, including felony murder, carjacking, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. In October 2012, he was convicted on all counts and sentenced to life in prison plus 25 years.