Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Crime Alert 07.18.24

Episode Date: July 18, 2024

Attempted car thief doesn't expect a fight from the owner. Make sure to keep your receipts! 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. A Florida homeowner, 66, calls 911 to report noise outside his home. He finds Blake Robinson trying to break into the homeowner's car. The man sneaks back inside to call 911 but can't find his phone, then decides to take matters into his own hands. He confronts Robinson, who then attacks him. Robinson's not prepared for the 66-year-old homeowner to fight back. Robinson knocked to the ground where arriving cops find him. They get Robinson back on his feet and straight into handcuffs. Nancy, according to Brevard County Sheriff's deputies, Robinson was taken to the

hospital for injuries he sustained while, quote, getting his butt whipped by the victim. Robinson punched the homeowner in the head, threw him to the ground, and kicked him before the homeowner got up and retaliated. The homeowner required less medical treatment than Robinson and is said to be in good condition. Blake Robinson, 29, now charged with attempted burglary and battery on a senior who gets the best of him. Christina Merrild prepares to fly back to the U.S. with her family from Costa Rica, but gets held up in the customs line. Costa Rican authorities question Merrild over a piece of pottery she bought as a souvenir. Authorities claim it's a priceless pre-Columbian artifact Merrild must have stolen.

But Merrild has the receipt to prove it's a $40 replica she got at a gift shop. She manages to resolve the miscommunication and make it back home on a later flight. Hey, hold on to your receipts, everybody. More crime and justice news after this.

Now with the latest crime and justice breaking news, Crime Online's John Limley. A Texas judge has authorized the demolition of the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, the site of the deadliest church shooting in U.S. history, where a gunman killed more than two dozen worshipers in 2017. We turn to Sydney Sumner of Crime Online for details. Following the massacre, the church transformed the structure into a memorial. In 2021, the congregation voted to tear down the building,

although church leaders have not announced when the demolition will occur. A new church was completed about a year and a half after the shooting. Earlier this month, State District Judge Jennifer Dillingham granted a temporary restraining order sought by some families to halt the planned demolition. However, on Monday, State District Judge Russell Wilson denied an extension of that order, making it likely that the church could soon be demolished. Attorneys for the church argued that they have the right to demolish the memorial. Sam Fugate II, representing the attendees who sought the restraining order, said their goal was to secure a new vote on the building's fate. The lawsuit alleged that some members were wrongfully removed from the church

roster before the vote. Visitors to the memorial expressed that it brought them solace, but the church has stated that the structure serves as a, quote, constant and very painful reminder of the tragedy. The congregation voted in 2021 to replace it with an open-air memorial. On November 5, 2017, Devin Patrick Kelly opened fire at the church, killing 26 people, including a pregnant woman and her unborn baby. Kelly died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after being chased by bystanders and crashing his car. Investigators believe the shooting stemmed from a domestic dispute involving Kelly and his mother-in-law, who occasionally attended the church but was not present on that day. The church has denied the allegations in the lawsuit and maintains that

the decision to demolish the building was made in the best interest of its members. Thanks, John. Fern Baird takes a weekend road trip to Ketchum, Idaho from her home, Park City, Utah. 1 17 p.m. Fern signs the Prairie Creek Trailhead logbook writing, To the lake and back. That's a 10-mile loop. When she misses checkout the next day, Fern's hotel reports her missing. Her car is found still parked at the trailhead. Blaine County Sheriff searched the trail for six days.

They come up empty-handed. Her family says while she's an experienced hiker, she usually doesn't leave the trail or try shortcuts. There's been no activity on her bank account, credit cards, or cell phone since she left for the hike. Fern Baird, 63, 5'5", 115 pounds, grayish brown hair, brown eyes. Last seen wearing a light gray jacket, dark pants, with a dark colored bandana face mask and fanny pack. If you have info on Fern Baird, now missing four years, call Blaine County, Idaho Sheriff's 208-788-5555. For the latest crime and justice news, go to CrimeOnline.com. With this crime alert, I'm Nancy Grace.

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