Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Michigan Mom Calls in false bomb threats to Daughter's School Over Play | Crime Alert Recap Saturday

Episode Date: January 17, 2026

Breaking crime news as it happens throughout the day! Follow "Crime Alert Hourly Update" now on your favorite podcast app: https://link.chtbl.com/Crime_Alert Here's some of our top stories this week: An 18-year-old daycare worker who was supposed to care for kids, instead hurt & killed them...all to "play the hero" in a twisted plot to get "attention."   A couple pulls into a driveway to turn around and are confronted at gunpoint. Now, a wife is grieving her husband's death, and the homeowner is behind bars. A Milwaukee jury convicts a father of child neglect after prosecutors say he locked his six children inside a storage unit while he slept in a nearby truck. Stay informed, stay safe, and stay ahead with "Crime Alert Hourly Update.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Crime Alert, hourly update. Breaking Crime News Now. I'm Jackie Howard. Jail time and probation. That's what's ahead for a Michigan mom. Crystal Royster, 42,

twice called in false bomb threats to her daughter's Detroit School after the girl wasn't allowed to take part in a school play. Authorities say the daughter could not participate due to school policy after being sick and going home earlier that day. Over 700 people had to be evacuated from Lakeshore High School as St. Clair Shore's police and other distinctions rolled in to respond.

Charges of a false report or threat of a bomb is a four-year felony, and Royster pleaded guilty. She will serve probation for 18 months after spending 14 days in the Macomb County Jail. As part of her probation, Royster is not allowed to contact the victims of the incident and must notify the school before heading onto the grounds. She also has to take part in a Class A impulse control classes. More crime and justice news after this. I'm Jennifer Gould. A teenage daycare worker entrusted with the lives of helpless infants transformed a Minnesota nursery into a personal death trap, intentionally suffocating babies.

just to satisfy a sick craving for attention. Thea Ludemia Russell, 18, was hauled off to jail after delivering a bone-chilling confession to cops. She spent weeks smothering children until they turned, quote-unquote, white-purple, and sprayed blood-tinged foam from their mouths, all so she could play hero when paramedics arrived. Here's Savage Police Chief Brady Jewel,

at the news conference. This murder, an attempted murder of another child, deeply affected our community. This person should never, ever again be free to harm another child. The three-month investigation into the Rocking Horse Ranch child care in Savage, Minnesota revealed that Russell's twisted bid for sympathy ended in the senseless murder of 11-month-old, Harvey mucklebust, who was slaughtered just five days before he was set to celebrate his first birthday. The nightmare began on September 19th, 2025, when Russell allegedly targeted a four-month-old

girl twice in a single shift. During a routine burping session, the teen reportedly smothered the infant until the baby vomited a, quote, blood-like substance, end quote, and stopped breathing. Russell dialed 911, feeding off the emergency she had just manufactured. Hours later, she did it again to the same child, but her blood lust wasn't sated. On September 22nd, she cornered Little Harvey in the infant room. She crushed that boy's chest and covered his face until he was unresponsive with blood pooling around his little nose. staff performed CPR, but Harvey was pronounced dead at the hospital, his tiny body, unable to survive Russell's depraved quest for validation, an autopsy ruled out trauma or toxins, pointing investigators towards foul play.

Chief Jewel branded the teen, quote, the common denominator in the carnage, end quote, uncovering a dark history of false 911 calls and fire, setting at a church camp, classic markers, they say, of Munchausen syndrome by proxy. It is the ultimate fake tragedy sickness where a caregiver intentionally injures, mutilates, or smothers a victim just to soak up pity and play the hero. In a crisis, they secretly sparked. Prosecutors confirmed Russell faces second-degree murder for Harvey's death and attempted murder charges for that little girl. She remains held in Scott County Jail. The daycare's license was suspended immediately after Harvey's death,

and it closed permanently amid the probe. I'm Nicole Parton. A grieving widow is sharing her experience after her husband was tragically shot and killed when they mistakenly entered a stranger's driveway. Sheila Booker recounted, if the police hadn't got there when they did, I would probably be dead too. Take a listen. He pulled a gun up in my face and this when my husband got out. When my husband got out trying to protect me, he don't he? And that's when he shot my husband right in front of the room.

The police, they came so fast if it won for them. I think I'd be dead to. But they saved my life. The circumstances surrounding the investigation are evident on the windshield of Booker's Chevy Spark. She witnessed the chilling murder of her husband, Rodriguez Poplar, on Friday morning. Booker explained that as they noticed flashing lights ahead, an officer in the area on North Traverson Street, her husband suggested they'd pull into the driveway of a home and turn around as their headlight was broken and they were afraid of being ticketed. However, when they did so, the homeowner emerged from the house, brandishing a firearm and demanding they'd leave immediately. She said in part, he pointed the gun at me. My husband got out to protect me, and that's when he shot my husband right in front of my eyes. The police, whom Booker hoped to evade, arrived within moments to make an arrest.

The officers found the suspect Tommy Applewhite still in possession of the firearm he had used in the crime. Applewhite is now facing multiple charges, including second-degree murder. A review of court records revealed that Applewhite has a lengthy criminal history in Shelby County, in a sea dating back to 2001. His most serious offense occurred in 2007 when he shot a man twice. Applewhite ultimately pleaded guilty to attempted murder and was sentenced to just three years in prison. Further court documents indicate a series of other illegal issues related to drug and firearm charges. At the time of the 26th shooting, Applewhite was reportedly on active probation after pleading guilty to a gun violation in 22,

this according to records from the Tennessee Department of Corrections. For now, the woman is planning the funeral service of her husband and father of her children. The suspect remains behind bars. I'm Drew Nelson. A Milwaukee jury convicts a father of child neglect after prosecutors say he locked his six children inside a storage unit while he slept in a truck nearby. The verdict came late Wednesday after jurors delivered. liberated for less than 90 minutes. They found Charles Dupriest guilty of neglecting a child

following a trial in Milwaukee County Circuit Court. DuPrice took the stand in his own defense and told jurors he and his partner were struggling with homelessness and they were relying on shelters and relatives. He described feeling overwhelmed and unable to provide. As a person, I felt slightly inadequate. I was hurt, but at the same time, I needed to help. DuPrice testified, that on the night of September 15th, the family went to a storage facility. We arrived at the storage unit. Asia goes in with the children, and 15 minutes later, I fall asleep. Next thing that I can remember is being woken up to the police knocking on my window. Prosecutors showed jurors' body camera video from the moment police cut the lock and opened the unit.

Inside, six children, ranging in age from nine to just two months old, were found alone. in the dark. Prosecutors said the children had no electricity, no running water, and used a bucket to do things that one would normally do in the bathroom. They argued the parents had no other options that night. Assistant District Attorney Thomas Hassel told the jury the case was not about financial hardship. These charges are not about poverty. They are about responsibility. And the evidence shows that these children did not have to be locked inside that storage unit that Dupreece remains in custody and is scheduled to be sentenced in April. Zelensky pleaded guilty last week to misdemeanor counts of child neglect as part of a plea deal.

Four felony counts against her were dropped and she is set to be sentenced in March. For the latest crime and justice news, follow Crime Alert hourly update on your favorite podcast app. With this crime alert, I'm Drew Nelson. This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human.