Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Crime Alert 01.03.25 | USPS Worker Shot Dead at Houston Mail Facility

Episode Date: January 3, 2025

Man shoots co-worker at Houston USPS facility. Joy-ride in luxury stolen car extremely short-lived.  For more crime and justice news go to crimeonline.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to an iHeart Podcast. Crime Alert, I'm Nancy Grace. Breaking crime news now. 10 p.m., Texas cops speed to a USPS facility after reports shots fired in the building. They find contractor Kevin Hines dead, shot execution style in the back of the head. Employees who witnessed the shooting say co-worker Derek Lott Jr. was behind the gun. Lott tries to blend in with dozens of evacuating employees. When he's cuffed, Lott refuses to admit why he killed Hines.

Nancy, many details of the shooting are unclear, including what led up to it and where in the building it occurred. Reportedly, Lott Jr. was not scheduled to be working at the time of the attack. The facility was shut down into the morning after the shooting, and work resumed that afternoon. Kevin Hines leaves behind a beloved son, who says he felt it when his dad passed away. Marquise Hines says his father always pushed him to be better, and he will continue living by his dad's example. Derek Lott Jr., 24, now charged with murder. A Florida Hilton employee calls police to report an SUV stolen from the valet, but not just any SUV. It's a Rolls Royce.

Police spot the stolen SUV a few miles away, but the thief, not willing to give up his prize, takes off. Six miles from the Hilton, he crashes the $400,000 car into a Checkers restaurant. Malik Patterson tries to flee on foot, but cannot outrun the K-9 unit. Patterson, 21, charged with grand theft and resisting without violence, now facing 30 years behind bars for a very short-lived joyride, but oh, he went in style. More crime and justice news after this. Now with the latest crime and justice breaking news, Crime Online's John Limley. A Connecticut man is facing charges in a shocking drive-by shooting

that claimed the lives of a 20-year-old mother and her 4-month-old baby. 23-year-old Lance Morales appeared in Hartford Court, where bail was set at $5 million. If convicted, he could face life without parole. Police allege Morales opened fire on Jessica Mercado and her son, Messiah Diaz, on November 19 in Hartford. A third passenger was injured, while a fourth escaped harm. According to an arrest warrant, the attack followed a dispute over $400 Mercado reportedly owed Morales for renting his SUV. Morales, arrested in Puerto Rico after the shooting, was extradited back to Connecticut over the weekend. Witness accounts cited in the warrant claim Mercado pleaded for her child's safety before Morales allegedly replied,

I don't care, and began shooting. Authorities believe the firearm used was fully automatic. Court records show Morales has a prior attempted assault conviction and additional pending cases. His attorney said he cannot afford bail. Morales is due back in court January 8th. In a chilling conclusion to a decades-old mystery, authorities have confirmed that James Van Est, a man recently killed during a federal arrest attempt, was responsible for the brutal 1981 murder of 18-year-old Deborah Lee Miller in Mansfield, Ohio. For more, we turn to Sydney Sumner of Crime Online. Deborah Lee Miller, a young waitress, was found beaten to death with an oven grate in her apartment on April 29, 1981. Mansfield Police Chief Jason Baman announced that advances

in DNA technology reopened the cold case in 2021, leading to a breakthrough. Investigators uncovered a definitive DNA link connecting Van Nist, then Miller's 26-year-old upstairs neighbor, to the crime scene. James Van Nist, questioned but never 26-year-old upstairs neighbor, to the crime scene. James Van Nist, questioned but never named a suspect in the original investigation, had a shadowy history. Allegations of police misconduct in the 1980s cast doubt on the integrity of several local homicide investigations, including Miller's. A special inquiry later cleared officers of wrongdoing but raised troubling questions about the handling of her case. By 2024, prosecutors were preparing charges against him for Miller's murder. However, Van Ness evaded accountability. After fleeing Ohio amid mounting legal troubles, he was indicted on

federal firearms charges. Authorities tracked him to a motel in North Canton in November. A standoff ensued, during which Van Ness allegedly opened fire, injuring one SWAT officer before being fatally shot. Detective Terry Butler, who pursued the case with personal ties—his great-uncle was one of the first officers at the scene in 1981—said the outcome underscores law enforcement's commitment to justice, no matter how much time has passed. Chief Baman declared the case closed, expressing hope that this resolution provides long-awaited solace to Miller's family. Thanks, John. Ann Kipp makes deliveries nationwide for RxO. Kipp does not have a permanent address, but has her mail

delivered to Decatur, Alabama. October 10, she makes a delivery, Corinth, Mississippi. A week later, she asks for a few days off, says she's not feeling well. October 20, she's scheduled to make a pickup in Scottsburg, Indiana. It appears she checked into a hotel there, but she doesn't show for the pickup and doesn't answer calls or texts. None of her family members can reach her. Ann drives a 2018 Ford Transit with a white RXO decal on the driver and passenger side doors. Michigan license plate 8Q Queen D Delta B Brother 91. Ann Kipp, 5'8", strawberry blonde hair, blue eyes. If you have info on Ann Kipp or the van, please call Decatur, Alabama PD 256-341-4614. For the latest crime and justice news, go to crimeonline.com and please join us

for our daily podcast, Crime Stories, where we do our best to find missing people, especially children, and solve unsolved homicides. With this crime alert, I'm Nancy Grace. You're listening to an iHeart Podcast.