Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Crime Alert 09.11.23

Episode Date: September 11, 2023

Man murders grandparents to 'start commune' on their land. Man busted for DUI while driving toddler Jeep.  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. Washington firefighters respond to an explosion at Ted Ralston and Joanna Gormley's home. Inside the burned home, cops find the couple's bodies, but they didn't die in the fire. Ralston was stabbed dead and Gormley's neck was broken. As police investigate, they learn the couple's grandson, Ezra Ralston, lived with them. A search of the younger Ralston's phone uncovers he and friends planned the murder so they could, quote, start a commune on his grandparents' waterfront property. Nancy, police found the couple's Nissan Sentra parked outside Ralston's girlfriend's house.

They spoke with Rebecca Neubauer's mother, who could not believe what had happened as her daughter had made a joke about killing Ralston's grandparents for their home earlier that evening. Ralston invited two friends to his grandparents' home to help him kill them and start the explosion. For their involvement, Sean Higgins received a life sentence, Spencer Klein received 45 years, and Neubauer received 33 years behind bars. Ezra Ralston, 29, now sentenced to life for aggravated murder, murder conspiracy, and arson. Now he can commune behind bars. Indiana State Police pull over John McKee on a busy roadway. McKee's vehicle, a Power Wheels toddler Jeep. The 51-year-old was enjoying an evening cruise in the toy car,

which has a top speed of five miles an hour, stickers for lights, and no license plate. Cops asked McKee to step out of the vehicle for a sobriety test, which he fails. Cops later confirmed McKee had pot and meth in his system at the time of the stop. John McKee, now charged with DUI and the Power Wheels Jeep, towed to impound. More crime and justice news after this. Now with the latest crime and justice breaking news, Crime Online's John Limley. The identities of four people discovered dead following a house fire in Seattle have been made public by the King County Medical Examiner's Office, which has classified three of the deaths as homicides. With the latest, here's Sydney Sumner with Crime Online.

According to the medical examiner's report, four-month-old Valentina Ragusa died from smoke inhalation, seven-year-old Sebastino Ragusa died from asphyxia caused by inhaling hazardous combustibles, and 40-year-old Lana A. Stewart died from numerous sharp force injuries. The medical examiner reported that 48-year-old Salvatore Ragusa committed suicide by smoke inhalation. According to our friends with the Seattle Times, police are looking into the fatalities as an arson homicide. Investigators say they are not seeking any suspects. Together with the Seattle Fire Department, the city's police arson and bomb unit is attempting to discover what caused the fire. Although Seattle police have not revealed the relationship between Ragusa and the victims, neighbors have described the two

as a couple who live with their children in the house where the fire took place. According to court records, Ragusa completed a county mental health program that was ordered by the court last year. For his part in a plan to firebomb a Black Lives Matter demonstration in Las Vegas in 2020, a man with ties to a far-right extremist group calling to overthrow the American government has been handed a life sentence with the possibility of parole. According to court documents, Stephen Parshall was sentenced by a state judge in Las Vegas as part of a plea bargain. Partial was allegedly one of three white men who planned to firebomb and harm federal buildings during demonstrations against racism and police brutality. They identified the group as being part of the informal far-right coalition known as the Boogaloo Movement,

which claims to be gearing up for a second American Civil War. Following allegations of prosecutorial misconduct, the felony convictions of four former Navy officers in one of the worst bribery cases in the Maritime Branch's history have been overturned. Once again, Crime Online's Sydney Sumner. This is the most recent setback to the government's years-long pursuit of numerous military officials linked to a defense contractor known as Fat Leonard. The misconduct was deemed outrageous by U.S. District Judge Janice Sammartino, who allowed the four men to enter a plea of guilty to a misdemeanor and each pay a $100 fine.

Sammartino said the chief federal prosecutor had engaged in, quote, flagrant misconduct by failing to provide material to the defense attorneys after the trial last year, but at the time he did not feel this was sufficient to throw out the case. The former captains David Newland, James Dolan, and David Lausman, as well as the former commander Mario Herrera, had already been found guilty on a number of offenses by a federal jury of receiving bribes from foreign military contractor Leonard Francis and his business, Glenn Military Marine Asia, also known as GDMA. Sentencing is scheduled for several others in October. It's unclear whether those cases could be jeopardized. Ricky Smith lives with his parents Jackie and Betty at their Texas home to help after Betty is diagnosed with dementia. Betty, 72, loves to spend time outside and sits on the porch

every evening. Ricky notices his mom head out to the porch and checks on her every so often. When he comes out to tell her to come to bed, Betty's gone. Betty has wandered short distances away from home before, but the family searches for hours with no trace of her. They turn to police. Ten agencies have assisted searching for Betty Kemp Smith, as well as search and rescue dog teams with no luck. Her son and husband of 55 years, desperate. If you have info on Betty Kemp Smith missing three years, please contact Panola County Sheriffs in Texas at 903-693-0333. For the latest crime and justice news, go to crimeonline.com. With this crime alert, I'm Nancy Grace. This is an iHeart Podcast.