Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Crime Alert 10.25.23

Episode Date: October 25, 2023

Man savagely kills woman he mistook for his ex-girlfriend. The 'Pro-Life Spiderman' arrested again in Chicago.  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. Fatima Van Rojas, afraid to be alone after breaking up with her longtime boyfriend. Richard Montano's been spotted outside her home several times thanks to her doorbell camera. Fatima asked her best friend, Sylvia Abeke, to stay with her. But while Fatima's at work, Richard Montano breaks into the home, stabbing Sylvia Abeke at least 10 times. He then set her body on fire. Neighbors hear screams call 911, but Sylvia Abeke pronounced dead when cops arrived. Nancy authorities believe

Montano mistook Abeke for his ex-girlfriend, Via Rojas. Montano fled the home out of a back window but was apprehended later that day based on Via Rojas' doorbell footage and witness accounts. After Montano's arrest, Via Rojas told our friends at NBC that she feels guilty for Abakay's death, quote, because he came for me, not for her. Sylvia Kelly Abakay leaves behind her husband and two teenage children. Richard Montano, 48, now convicted of first-degree murder and arson. The self-proclaimed pro-life Spider-Man added again, this time, Maison Deschamps scales the outside of a Chicago high-rise to raise money for pregnant women who don't feel they have the means to raise a child.

The 42-story building is home to the Israeli Consulate General, plus other businesses and restaurants. Deschamps makes it to the roof where cops were waiting to greet him, busting him for trespass. Deschamps previously arrested in San Francisco, New York, Vegas, and Oklahoma City for similar stunts. Pro-life Spider-Man, oh what a tangled web we weave. I'll leave it at that. More crime and justice news after this. Now with the latest crime and justice breaking news,

Crime Online's John Limley. Authorities in Philadelphia have detained a suspect in a shooting incident that occurred in an airport parking garage, killing one police officer and injuring another. With more details, here's Sydney Sumner injuring another. With more details, here's Sydney Sumner with Crime Online. According to investigators, the incident occurred around 11 p.m. just as the officers were arriving for work at the Philadelphia

International Airport. That's when two policemen heard smashing glass and saw a number of individuals breaking into a car in one of the airport parking lots. Following a confrontation, one of the suspects and both of the officers were shot. Officer Richard Mendez was shot four times and declared dead at a hospital. He was a 50-year-old and had served for over 20 years in the force. After being wounded once in the arm, 20-year police veteran Officer Raul Ortiz was discharged from the hospital. 18-year-old Jesus German Madeira Duran was reportedly dropped off at a hospital by the suspects in an SUV that had been reported stolen a week prior. Authorities say Duran was thought to have been involved in the altercation with the officers. Later that night, Duran was declared

dead after suffering gunshot wounds to his left arm, chest, and abdomen. According to officials, it was unknown how many suspects fired guns or whether any other suspects were hurt in the incident. Overseas now, as Belgian police say a shooting in central Brussels has claimed the lives of two people. Amateur footage was broadcast by local media purportedly showing a man firing with a heavy weapon. Belgian networks say that the two casualties were Swedes. Later in the evening, the Swedish national soccer team was supposed to play Belgium at Hazel Stadium, which is around three miles from the scene of the shooting. According to a police spokesperson, officers quickly arrived at the scene and cordoned off the surrounding area.

The spokesperson refused to go into further detail about the shooting circumstances. According to data in the FBI's annual crime report, violent crime in the United States fell last year, reaching almost the same level as before the COVID-19 outbreak began, while property crime significantly increased. Once again, Crime Online's Sydney Sumner. The FBI says that the rate of violent crime fell by almost 2%, with a 6% decline in murder and non-negligent manslaughter. Robbery was up 1%, while rape and violent assault were down 5% and 1%, respectively. In 2021, there was a notable decline in violent crime, which was in stark contrast to 2020,

when the many disruptions of the pandemic caused a 29% increase in the U.S. murder rate. Emeritus Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, Richard Rosenfeld, noted that the stresses and strains brought on by the epidemic had subsided, which is primarily responsible for the decline in violence. Even though there was less violence, property crimes increased by 7%, with car car theft seeing the largest increase at 10 percent. According to the FBI, there was an 8 percent increase in carjackings in 2022, with the majority of those including a weapon-wielding attacker. More than 25 percent of carjackings resulted in injuries. It is worth noting that a significant number of policing

agencies across the U.S., including those in large cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Miami, did not participate in last year's FBI report. Marquis Burns, a brand new father, spends his day off with family. He visits his mom in Ypsilanti, Michigan, until she leaves for work at 1 p.m. Then he heads to his sister's home in the Detroit suburb of Inkster. He stays there until 3 p.m. From there, no one knows what happens. He never comes home that evening.

Family members report him missing. An acquaintance says he runs into Burns that day and they briefly speak near Rogue Park, but searches of the area turn up nothing. Burns dodged, never located. Marquis Burns now missing nearly three years. If you have info on Marquis Burns, contact Ypsilanti PD, 734-325-0566. For the latest crime and justice news, go to crimeonline.com.

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