Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Crime Alert 01.09.24 | Inmate Kills Detention Officer in Random Attack

Episode Date: January 9, 2025

Inmate awaiting trial attacks and kills Texas detention officer. We've all heard, 'You'll shoot your eye out!' but what about, 'You'll lose your fingers?' For more crime and justice news go to crimeonline.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. Crime Alert, I'm Nancy Grace. Breaking crime news now. Ellis County, Texas detention officer Isaiah Bias escorts inmate Aaron Thompson back to a cell after an hour of yard time. Then Thompson, the inmate, suddenly attacks Bias, punching him, knocking him to the ground, gets on top of him and chokes him, continuing to hit and kick him in the head and face. When Bias stops struggling, Thompson sits at a nearby table, leaving Bias in a huge pool of blood. Isaiah Bias, just 28, rushed to the hospital but dies of his injuries. Nancy, Ellis County Sheriff Brad Norman said in a press conference that officers usually work with good people having bad days and occasionally see bad people. But what Bias encountered in Aaron Thompson was pure evil.

Thompson's original charges included three counts of assaulting a public servant and evading arrest. Bias was well liked byworkers and generally respected by inmates. He served as a detention officer for six years, previously interning with the sheriff's office until he came of age for the role. Inmate Aaron Thompson, 45, now charged with capital murder, as he should be. A Florida man rushed to a hospital after a mysterious explosion outside his U-Haul van. The man suffers a serious injury to his hand. Surgeons reportedly have to amputate two fingers. As police investigate the explosion, they find a stockpile of illegal, commercial-grade

fireworks in the van. Cops get the man's friend to admit he was selling them when the accident occurred. Some of the fireworks so dangerous the bomb squad has to come in and dispose of them. The man may face charges for illegal fireworks once he's released from the hospital. Well, he went out with a bang. More crime and justice news after this. Now with the latest crime and justice breaking news, Crime Online's John Lamley. The former U.S. Marine acquitted in the subway death of Jordan Neely is moving to dismiss a civil lawsuit filed by Neely's father. Let's get right to Crime Online's Sydney Sumner for more. Daniel Penny's legal team submitted the request, disputing claims that the 26-year-old Penny is liable for civil damages after putting Neely in a chokehold during a chaotic incident on a New York City subway last May.

The 30-year-old Neely had reportedly been shouting and acting erratically on the train when the confrontation occurred. The lawsuit, filed by Andre Zachary, accuses Penny of negligence, assault, and battery, saying his actions caused Neely's death. But Penny's attorney, Stephen Reiser, argues Neely's own behavior led to the incident. In a statement, Reiser defended Penny, describing the civil case as ill-conceived and reaffirming his client's innocence, citing last month's criminal acquittal as validation of Penny's right to act in self-defense. Zachary, who is seeking unspecified damages, has not publicly commented, though his attorneys have previously noted the lower burden of proof required in civil cases compared to criminal trials. The case has drawn national

attention and sparked fierce debate. Supporters of Penny see him as someone who acted to protect others, while critics label him a vigilante. Penny, a Long Island native and former Marine, did not testify during his trial, but has said he felt compelled to intervene that day. Penny was acquitted of criminally negligent homicide by a Manhattan... ExxonMobil has filed a federal defamation lawsuit against California Attorney General Rob Bonta and several environmental groups, including the Sierra Club and San Francisco Baykeeper. The lawsuit, submitted in Texas' Eastern District, accuses Bonta and the groups of

conspiring to damage the company's reputation by questioning the effectiveness of its plastic recycling technology. The legal action comes months after Bonta sued ExxonMobil, alleging the company misled the public for decades about the recyclability of its plastic products. Bonta's lawsuit claims that less than 5% of plastic in the U.S. is ever recycled, despite being labeled as such, contributing to a global pollution crisis. In response, a spokesperson for the California Department of Justice called ExxonMobil's defamation suit a distraction from its alleged deception and vowed to fight the case vigorously. ExxonMobil is seeking damages and retractions of what it describes as defamatory statements. Thanks, John. Fort Smith, Arkansas, firefighters respond to a huge house fire on North 37th around 3 a.m.

Homeowner Bill Parker's car is in the driveway and the front door of the home is locked from inside. Firefighters call out for Bill, no answer. By the time the flames are put out, the whole building is destroyed. Firefighters comb the wreckage for any sign of Bill. Don't find a body. According to his family, he followed strict routines. He was known as a homebody. Bill's beloved dog, who goes everywhere with him, also nowhere to be found, dead or alive. Fire marshals called the blaze suspicious. The home had no working utilities. Nothing obviously started the fire. Bill Parker, 56, 5'11", 160 pounds, long brown hair, usually in a ponytail, hazel eyes, a graying goatee. If you have info on Bill Parker, please call Fort Smith, Arkansas PD, 479-785-4221. 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 very best to find missing people, especially

children, and solve unsolved homicides. With this crime alert, I'm Nancy Grace. This is an iHeart Podcast.