Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Crime Alert 05.02.23

Episode Date: May 2, 2023

Special education teacher is heading to trial for child abuse. Elderly woman kills husband at the hospital in 'suicide pact.' 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. Allegations of child abuse leads to the arrest of a South Carolina special ed teacher. A witness tells cops Grace McGulgin leaves her class alone for hours at a time, hits students in the back of the head, has dumped a student out of a chair, and has rubbed hand sanitizer into one student's open wound. McCaulgan, 60, caught on video punching a little girl in class. Crime Online's John Lindley.

Nancy, in the teacher's preliminary hearing, her lawyers argued McCaulgan has a right to defend herself in some circumstances, and as there is no evidence that any child involved sustained injuries or cried in pain, that McCulkin's charges should be reduced to misdemeanors. The Horry County judge hearing the case did not agree and ruled the case will move forward to a grand jury. McCulkin is currently on administrative leave from the district and the school board has suspended her teaching license. McGulkin now facing six counts of child abuse and several lawsuits from parents. Ellen Gillen smuggles a gun into a Florida hospital where her husband's getting treatment.

Gillen shoots her terminally ill husband once, killing him, and barricades herself in his room. Cops finally use a flashbang and taser to get her to drop the gun. We're now learning, Nancy, that terminally ill 77-year-old Jerry Gilland and his wife had made a suicide pact, but Ellen Gilland could not bring herself to follow through after shooting her husband. Gilland sat in bed with her husband and pointed a gun at any staff member that tried to enter the room. Her charges have now been reduced to assisting self-murder and aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer. Gillen charged with murder. More crime and justice news after this. Now with the latest crime and justice breaking news, Crime Online's John Limley.

The search for a Texas man who allegedly shot his neighbors after they asked him to stop firing his gun in his yard, has now extended into a fourth day. Authorities now say the suspect could be anywhere. With more, here's Sydney Sumner with Crime Online. 38-year-old Francisco Oropesa fled after the shooting that left five people dead. Among the dead, an 8-year-old boy. The San Jacinto County Sheriff's Office says that detectives have now expanded their search to as far as 20 miles from the scene of Saturday's shooting. Investigators

found clothes and a phone while searching a rural area that includes some densely wooded areas, but tracking dogs lost the scent. Police have recovered the AR-15-style rifle that Orgepeza allegedly used in the shootings, but the sheriff's department is not certain if he was carrying another weapon. The attack happened near the town of Cleveland, north of Houston. Residents who live on the street where the shootings occurred say neighbors often fire their guns as a form of recreation. According to the San Jacinto Sheriff's Office, the victims were between the ages of 8 and 31 and are believed to be from Honduras. Authorities in California are investigating the shooting deaths of four in a small Mojave desert community.

When officers responded late Sunday, they found four people suffering from traumatic assault injuries. The incident occurred in the unincorporated community of Mojave. The Kern County Sheriff's Office says three of the people died at the scene, with one pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. No information was immediately released related to identities or other details. Mojave is in the high desert country roughly 70 miles north of Los Angeles. Now to Pennsylvania, where two teens have been charged with firearms and related offenses

after the killing of three people and wounding of a fourth at a home in northeast Philadelphia. Once again, Crime Online's Sidney Sumner. Philadelphia police say officers were called to a residence in the Longcrest neighborhood shortly after 3.30 p.m. Friday. Detectives discovered one shooting victim on the sidewalk, another on the porch of the house, and a third person shot inside. All three were pronounced dead at the scene. Police say another victim, a 16-year-old male, arrived in a car at Jefferson Frankfurt Hospital. A gun was recovered from the vehicle and at least two people were taken into custody. According to police, 17-year-old Malik Ballard was identified as the slain youth found on the sidewalk, while 18-year-old Kalief Freski was discovered dead on the front porch. The other victim, 14-year-old Sala Fleming, was found just inside the doorway

of the house. At last report, two other teens are facing firearms charges and related crimes. The investigation remains active. Our friends at WPVI-TV have told us that officials from the Philadelphia School District have confirmed that at least two of the dead teens were students, one in the eighth grade, the other a junior in high school. A former student at the Maine Maritime Academy who killed four fellow students in an SUV crash has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter and other charges. During his first court appearance since December's fiery crash, 20-year-old Joshua Gonsalves Ratting of New York was silent except when answering not guilty 17 times once for each charge.

Bail was set at $5,000. According to the indictment, prosecutors believe Gonsalves Ratting was under the influence of alcohol when he drove at speeds between 106 and 111 miles per hour before the SUV ultimately struck a tree and caught fire. Officials say four young men were killed in the crash, 20-year-old Brian Keneally and 21-year-old Chase Fawcett, both of Maine, along with 22-year-old Luke Simpson and 20-year-old Riley Ignatius Cameron of Massachusetts. Two other students survived the collision. The indictment includes charges of manslaughter, aggravated operating under the influence, reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon, driving to endanger, and one

count each of criminal speeding, forgery, and unlawful use of a license. Elizabeth Sherlock Mason begs her boyfriend to go to a strip club for a fun night out. The boyfriend agrees but suggests dinner first. Sherlock Mason drinks heavily during the meal and the boyfriend suggests they just go home. But she wants to stay out so she strangles the man and kicks him in the groin. Florida cops arrest a drunken Sherlock Mason for battery on a senior citizen. That's right, he's 69. Why didn't she just settle for dinner? For the latest crime and justice news, go to crimeonline.com. With this crime alert, I'm Nancy Grace. You're listening to an iHeart Podcast.