Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Crime Alert 07.10.24

Episode Date: July 10, 2024

Mom drowns daughters, 1 and 3, for "religious purposes." Kilt-wearing antique shopper does more than a little browsing! 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. Naomi Elkins, 27, spends the night praying about her concerning thoughts. Her words, not mine. After work the next day, she brings her top daughters back to their New Jersey home and kills them. She stabs her one-year-old daughter in the stomach and drowns her in the bathtub. She finds her three-year-old hiding in another bathroom, draws a second bath, then drowns the oldest daughter, which is three. Nancy Elkins worked at a daycare where both of her daughters were enrolled. Elkins' attorney, Mitchell Ansell, says his client has a well-documented history of mental illness and has postponed her detention hearing twice so that Elkins may receive a psychological evaluation before her bail if any is decided. Naomi Elkins,

charged with two counts murder. Mitchell Vest, 60, visits antique stores Spring, Texas to beat the heat. He wears a kilt paired with a tank top. As he browses one shop, the owner notices him pick items off the shelf, stick them under his kilt, and then return the items. Upon closer inspection, the items have feces on them. Cops are called. He's charged with criminal mischief, to which he pleads guilty. The soiled items were all disposed. More crime and justice news after this. Now with the latest crime and justice breaking news, Crime Online's John Limley. We begin in Rhode Island where a police chase ends in the death of a man wanted for the murder of his wife.

We hear details now from Sydney Sumner of Crime Online. Joseph Francis, sought by authorities for the alleged shooting of his wife, Stephanie Francis, was pronounced dead after his vehicle overturned during a high-speed pursuit. Stephanie Francis was found with a fatal gunshot wound inside their Hopkinton, Rhode Island home, prompting a statewide manhunt. On Saturday, Westerly police first attempted to apprehend Joseph Francis, but were unsuccessful. Later that day, officers from Richmond and Charlestown took up the chase. The pursuit ended dramatically when Francis failed to navigate a turn, causing his vehicle to roll multiple times before coming to a stop near a wooded area.

Authorities found Francis dead inside the wreckage. Joseph Francis faced severe charges, including domestic violence murder and violating a no-contact order. This followed a previous incident in May in which he was charged with disorderly conduct, domestic violence, and assault for allegedly attacking Stephanie Francis. Additionally, he was charged with violating state law by possessing high-capacity magazines, with police seizing two handguns and several loaded magazines from Francis. A court order had also barred Francis from contacting his wife.

A Massachusetts judge has declared a mistrial in the high-profile case of Karen Reed, accused of killing her Boston police officer boyfriend. Once again, Crime Online's Sydney Sumner. Jurors unanimously found Reed not guilty of murder and leaving the scene of a deadly accident, but were deadlocked on a manslaughter charge. The mistrial was declared by Judge Beverly Cannon on the fifth day of deliberations. Reed's defense team revealed those details in a motion filed Monday, arguing that retrying Reed on the acquitted charges would violate double jeopardy protections. The defense also called for a post-verdict inquiry to confirm the jury's unanimous decisions on the two charges. Attorney Alan Jackson submitted an affidavit stating he was contacted by a juror,

while attorney David Yannetti reported receiving information from two sources connected to distinct jurors. Judge Cannon has ordered the names of the jurors to remain confidential, citing the risk of immediate and irreparable injury. She noted that individuals associated with the case have faced intimidation charges. Karen Reed, a former adjunct professor at Bentley College, was accused of hitting her boyfriend, Officer John O'Keefe, with her SUV and leaving him to die in a snowstorm in January 2022. O'Keefe, a 16-year veteran of the Boston Police, was found outside a fellow officer's home in Canton. An autopsy revealed he died from hypothermia and blunt force trauma. At trial, the defense argued that O'Keefe was killed inside the home after Reed dropped him off and that she was framed by other officers as a, quote, convenient outsider. Thanks, John. Veronica Reyes Diaz, 23,

has a girls' night out Dover, Florida. A friend drops her off at her home where her husband and little child are sleeping. Veronica gets into her car to pick up her two older children from her sisters. She tucks the children in. Evidence suggests she planned to go out again. Her Chevy Yukon is parked outside the family home. Keys and wallet inside. Veronica has not been seen since. Her cell phone shut down or dies before it can be located. Veronica Reyes Diaz, 23, 4'10", 145 pounds, brown hair, brown eyes. She has a dark mole under her left eye, now missing four years. If you have info on Veronica Reyes-Diaz, call Hillsborough County, Florida Sheriffs, 813-247-8200. For the latest crime and justice news, go to CrimeOnline.com.

With this crime alert, I'm Nancy Grace. This is an iHeart Podcast.