Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Crime Alert 11.21.23

Episode Date: November 21, 2023

Man drugs spouse, breaks his neck, then stages a crime scene trying to collect insurance.  Imposter cop pulls over a driver, only to find it's an undercover police car. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. Crime Alert, I'm Nancy Grace. Breaking crime news now. Herbert Swilley learns his husband is planning to leave him and drugs him with 30 times the recommended dose of Benadryl. Swilley then chokes him so hard his neck breaks. He then drives his boyfriend's body to an apartment across town and stages a crime scene, returning home to clean up, driving the boyfriend's car to the apartment, then deleting all their ring camera footage. He then goes on to brazenly try and collect $300,000 life insurance. Nancy, we're learning that Swilley's husband, Timothy Smith,

was planning to leave Swilley while he slept. Police interviewed Swilley shortly after Smith's death and asked for a second interview after Swilley gave contradictory information. At that point, Swilley lawyered up and refused to give another interview unless he was granted immunity from prosecution. While cops built their case against Swilley, he made several Facebook posts about Smith's death, even writing, quote, It's hard not having you to talk to, but I still talk to you. Herbert Swilley, 55, now charged with murder one. Timothy Husley, 60, installs blue lights on his car and tries to impersonate a police officer,

flipping his lights on to pull over a driver. But as he gets closer, he realizes it's an unmarked cop car. He takes off with a real cop hot on his tail. The undercover cruiser eventually loses Husley, but he's located a short time later and booked on impersonating an officer. More crime and justice news after this. Now with the latest crime and justice breaking news, Crime Online's John Limley. Nevada authorities say that a planned altercation erupted over a vape pen and a pair of headphones, leading to the death of a 17-year-old

Las Vegas high school student in an alleyway near campus. The perpetrators, 10 of the boys' classmates, ages 13 to 17. With details, here's Sydney Sumner with Crime Online. Police homicide detectives believe the victim was not supposed to be a part of the brawl, which the students agreed would take place after classes ended for the day

at Rancho High School in eastern Las Vegas. According to Johansson, Jonathan Lewis Jr. and a friend, whose vape pen and headphones had been taken earlier in the day, walked into the alleyway. The brutal assault that occurred on November 1st was documented on camera by a cell phone and shared widely on social media. The video, according to Johansson, is, quote, very devoid of humanity. In the cell phone footage, the victim can be seen getting ready for the fight by pulling off his shirt. Johansson says at that point, the 10 students, quote, immediately swarm him, pull him to the ground, and begin kicking, punching, and stomping on him. On suspicion of murder, eight of the students were taken into custody by the FBI and Las Vegas

police. Since they are under 18, their identities were not released. Las Vegas police say the two remaining teens will also be charged with murder, but have not yet been positively identified. Photos of the teenage suspects were made public by the police as they requested assistance from the public in identifying them. Attorneys for the creator of Truckmaker, Nicola Corporation, argue that their client should not be imprisoned following his fraud conviction and that the case is not like the

one that put Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes behind bars for defrauding investors in her blood testing company. In an issued brief, the attorneys inform the Manhattan federal court judge that Trevor Milton never behaved in a, quote, greedy or mean-spirited way while establishing a trailblazing business aimed at revolutionizing the battery and hydrogen electric trucking industries. 41-year-old Milton was found guilty of fraud last year after misleading investors about his company's ability to produce trucks with zero emissions. Milton's sentencing is set for November 28th. Now to Maine, where a state judge has ordered two white males sentenced to federal prison for breaking the jaw of a black man in a random attack to pay $1.25 million in damages.

Once again, Crime Online's Sydney Sumner. Both Maurice Diggins and Dusty Leo of Bidford, Maine, are in federal custody and were not represented by counsel during the proceedings. The judge rendered a default judgment against them. According to Allison Knowles, the victim's attorney, the decision, quote, demonstrates that this kind of conduct is abhorrent and won't be tolerated, even though she assumes Damon McCollum may never receive the damages. The two white men made threats and yelled racial slurs from their vehicle before attacking McCollum may never receive the damages. The two white men made threats and yelled racial slurs from their vehicle before attacking McCollum in April of 2018. It was during the

altercation that McCollum was hit in the jaw. Knowles stated that a default judgment was issued last month by Justice Richard Mulhern of the Superior Court. Knowles stated that after initially contributing letters to the proceedings, Leo and Diggins ceased communication. The judge ruled on November 9th, ordering the man to pay $500,000 in compensatory damages and $750,000 in punitive damages. Thanks, John. Amanda Ward-Romine spends a few weeks with her sister and then gets to ride back to her husband's Springfield, Ohio home. The couple has a rocky relationship. They often spend time apart. The day after she's dropped off, Amanda calls to ask her to pick her up again, but when the sister shows up, Amanda's gone. A neighbor reports seeing Amanda outside her home earlier that day, but

didn't see her leave. Amanda's family hosts several large search parties, but husband Daniel Romine does not participate. Romine is considered a person of interest in Amanda's disappearance, but two years later, Romine dies of an apparent overdose. Amanda Ward Romine, now missing over 10 years. If you have info on Amanda Ward Romine, contact Springfield PD 937-324-7680. For the latest crime and justice news, go to CrimeOnline.com. With this crime alert, I'm Nancy Grace. This is an iHeart Podcast.