Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Crime Alert 06.21.24

Episode Date: June 21, 2024

Roommate kills man over purported stolen objects. Bass Pro Shop customer decides the aquarium is the perfect place for a swim.  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. One of Jackson Pierce's roommates, Dalton Coleman, is convinced one of his two roommates took some of his belongings. Pierce, roommate number one, says he knows nothing of what Coleman's saying and proposes they all talk about it when roommate number two gets home. But instead of

waiting, Dalton Coleman forces his way into Pierce's bedroom and the two exchange blows. Roommate one Pierce reaches for a gun, shoots Coleman 15 times, then wraps the body in an air mattress and shoves it in a closet. Nancy Pierce called the missing roommate twice during the alleged confrontation, wants to ask advice, and a second time to report he killed Coleman. The missing roommate immediately called 911, leading to the discovery of Coleman's body. Pierce had wrapped Coleman's head in a plastic bag and tied the air mattress around his body with a lamp cord. Coleman was shot over a dozen times. Pierce, now charged with murder too and tampering with evidence. A 42-year-old man walks

into a Leeds, Alabama Bass Pro Shop, strips naked and does a cannonball into the huge freshwater aquarium in the middle of the store. Cops are called, but the man will not come out swimming and splashing around butt naked and showering in the waterfall. The man eventually climbs over the edge of the aquarium and falls 10 feet to the floor. Well, he's facing public indecency, disorderly conduct, and criminal mischief charges. More crime and justice news after this. Now with the latest crime and justice breaking news, Crime Online's John Limley. In a new court filing, the defense team for the gunman who shot and killed 10 black people at a Buffalo, New York grocery store argued that their client should not be executed because at the age of 18, his brain was still maturing and more susceptible to outside influences.

We turn to Sydney Sumner of Crime Online for more. Since the 2005 Supreme Court decision declaring that the death penalty for those under the age of 18 was unconstitutional, Peyton Gendron's attorneys claim the science of brain development has advanced. They reference more recent studies suggesting that brain development might last until the early 20s. After entering a guilty plea to state charges of murder and hate-motivated terrorism for the May 2022 shooting at a store he said he picked because it was situated in a neighborhood with a high concentration of Black people, Gendron, now 20 years old, is currently serving 11 life sentences without the possibility of parole. If Gendron is found guilty in a different federal hate crimes

case scheduled for trial next year, the government has threatened to apply the death penalty. In a separate motion, Gendron's lawyers argued that the federal indictment should be dismissed, raising concerns about the validity of the hate crime statute and whether Congress was within its authority to enact the law. According to investigators, Gendron, a white man, described his assault plans in an online journal that included meticulous details of his attack plans, a thorough narrative of his March scouting trip to Buffalo, and hand-drawn maps of the targeted business. He used a camera mounted on a military helmet to webcast the assault. Using an AR-style rifle, he opened fire first in the parking area of the supermarket and then inside, killing 10 customers and injuring three staff members. Attorneys for Gendron contend that he and others like him should be granted the same immunity from the death penalty as the Supreme Court granted to those under the age of 18 in the

2005 case. Barbara Burns, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Buffalo, has so far issued no comment on the case. Now to Illinois, where in the deadly shooting of an off-duty Chicago police officer, a 22-year-old man has entered a plea of not guilty. Once again, In connection with the April 21st killing of Officer Louise Weska, Xavier L. Tate Jr. was charged with first-degree murder, aggravated vehicular hijacking, and possession of a stolen firearm. After finishing his shift at work, 30-year-old Weska was on the southwest side of the city and heading home when he was shot multiple times.

He was later pronounced dead at an area hospital. According to police superintendent Larry Snelling, but he had something covering it, as is common for officers who are not on duty. In part, Tate's identity was established by video footage gathered from over 90 locations following Weska's murder. Tate was apprehended on May 1st. Tate's pretrial release was later denied by a judge. Thanks, John.

Alec Fishman plans to spend several weeks with a friend, books a two-leg flight to San Fran. He makes it from Vegas to Denver, but misses the connecting flight to California. Instead of booking a new flight, he takes a Lyft to the Econo Lodge and spends the night. He checks out the next morning, leaves the hotel on foot, and that's the last time he's seen. His phone stays active two days but dies. A month later, his phone pops up in Oakland, California,

but the person using it is impersonating Alec and refuses to explain where he got the phone. Alec Fishman now missing four months. If you have info on Alec Fishman, call Vegas PD, 702-828-3111. 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.