Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Public Speculation on a Serial Killer in New England Rises | Crime Alert Recap Saturday 04.19.25

Episode Date: April 19, 2025

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: Public speculation that there is a serial killer in New England grows after 6 bodies found within a month.  An active shooter situation in Florida.  A teen boy stabbed his grandmother over a computer.    Stay informed, stay safe, and stay ahead with "Crime Alert Hourly Update.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to an iHeart Podcast. Crime Alert, hourly update, breaking crime news now. I'm Jackie Howard. Is there a serial killer in New England? At least six bodies have been found in just over a month's time. Four in Connecticut, one in Massachusetts, and one in Rhode Island.

All are within a couple of hours of each other and on the Atlantic coast. Two bodies were found on March 6th in Connecticut and Massachusetts. The body of Paige Fannin, 35, was recovered by the Norwalk Police Scuba Team and Fire Rescue Team. She had been reported missing out of West Islip on Long Island. The next day, she was reportedly seen in New Haven. Her clothes and personal items were found on the bank of the Norwalk River. There's little information on the body found in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Unnamed, no information on gender or age. The remains were found by a hunter. Realizing the bones looked human, authorities were notified.

Officials determined the bone was the top half of a human skull and its jaw and nasal area missing. The body of a nun named female, 40 to 60 years old, was recovered inside a suitcase near a cemetery March 16th in Groton, Connecticut. Groton is 80 miles east of Norwalk. The body of Denise Leary, 59, was found March 20th in New Haven, Connecticut. She went missing last September. The remains were found in a wooded area in an advanced state of decay. New Haven is about 50 miles west of Groton. Michelle Romano, 56, was found March 26th, eight months after she disappeared.

Her remains were also found in a wooded area of Foster, Rhode Island. Another unidentified body was found April 9th in Killingly, Connecticut. So far, police say there is no information connecting these crimes, but public speculation continues. More crime and justice news after this. I'm Nicole Parton. A tragic update from Florida State University's Tallahassee campus where two people have died and six others have been injured following a mass shooting. The alleged shooter, 20-year-old student Phoenix Eichner, opened fire near the student union during lunchtime on Thursday. According to authorities, Eichner is the son of a Leon County Sheriff's deputy

and reportedly used his mother's former service weapon in the attack. Eichner is a political scientist major at FSU. Law enforcement responded swiftly and officers shot Eichner after he did not follow their commands. Unfortunately, two men who were not students were killed in the shooting. Five others were injured by gunfire while a sixth individual was hurt while fleeing the scene. The injured victims are currently reported to be in fair condition at Tallahassee Memorial Health Care. Police confirmed that Eichner, who was hospitalized with injuries that are non-life-threatening, used his mother's former service firearm, which she had retained

for personal use after the department transitioned to new equipment. Leon County Sheriff Walt McNeil expressed his sorrow over the incident. This is obviously a heinous crime. Our deepest condolences go out to the FSU family, the families of the students who are here, and we understand that you all have been devastated because of this person's actions. The question as it relates to who is the shooter, the shooter is 20-year-old Phoenix Eichner.

Eichner. And he's the son of a Leon County Sheriff deputy. Our deputy, Deputy Eichner, has been with the Leon County Sheriff's Office for over 18 years. She has a tremendous job that she's done. Her service to this community has been exceptional. Unfortunately, her son had access to one of her weapons, and that was one of the weapons that was found at the scene. No motive on the shooting has been given at this time, but the investigation is certainly ongoing. I'm Drew Nelson. An 80-year-old man in South Carolina opens fire inside a neighbor's home,

killing an 11-year-old girl that admits to killing his wife earlier that same night. Wednesday night, deputies rushed to Floyd Drive in Sumter County after reports of gunfire. They found a child shot dead and an elderly man, Reuben Arthur Leonard, being held down by the girl's family members. The child was later identified as Ashley McFarlane, a fifth grade student at Kingsbury Elementary School. She was shot in the front room and died instantly. I was in shock last night, in shock. I couldn't believe it.

A neighbor of the victim speaking to WIS, Chief Deputy Hampton Gardner says Leonard used an assault rifle and fired at everyone he saw. Unprovoked, senseless, something like this should never occur. About 10 people were inside the home. Leonard had walked roughly 100 yards through the woods from his own house. He had long complained about target shooting in the backyard of the Floyd Drive home. Deputies had responded several times. Days earlier, Leonard had been charged with breach of peace for an argument at that address. Nowhere near his yard.

Again, he's through a wood line on another street. So he'd been going over and talking to them about the shooting. Although the shooting practice was legal, Leonard threatened to end it, quote, one way or another. On Wednesday, just hours before the killings, the sheriff had warned Leonard to call law enforcement instead of taking matters into his own hands. After his arrest, Leonard told deputies he had already killed his wife. Officers checked his home on Saltwood Road. They found 76-year-old Felicia Leonard shot to death in the garage.

Police have not found a clear reason for her murder. He did not deserve to die, neither one of them. He was a sick man and we kept trying to tell him he needed help. Gardner said Leonard had both an AR-style rifle and a handgun. He was injured during the incident and is still in the hospital. When he is released, he will be taken to the county jail, facing two murder charges. I'm Jennifer Gould. A Long Island family's home became a scene of unimaginable horror when a seemingly ordinary punishment over a computer

allegedly triggers a brutal and deadly attack. A 15-year-old boy enraged after his mom and grandmother discussed taking away his beloved computer as a consequence for missing school unleashed a violent fury that left his grandmother dead and his mother fighting for her life, playing dead to escape the teen's rage, authorities say. Defense Attorney Pete Mayer spoke to the media at the courthouse.

This is a 15-year-old child here, okay? And he is presumed innocent. We have a presumption of innocence in America. The deadly confrontation erupted on the night of April 7th in the family's Selden residence, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office. The 36-year-old mom, Vanessa Chandami, had confronted her son about skipping classes, a disciplinary measure that her 56-year-old mom, Conchita Chandami, supported.

But the mere suggestion of taking away his device allegedly sent the 15-year-old into a murderous tantrum. The irate teen, whose identity has not been released due to his age, reportedly grabbed a knife and first turned his rage on his granny, stabbing her multiple times. He then allegedly turned the weapon on his own mom. According to the DA's office, after being stabbed, Vanessa Chandemi fell to the ground, instinctively playing dead in a desperate attempt to survive the onslaught. Undeterred,

the still-armed teen allegedly continued his vicious assault on his grandmother, stabbing her more than 35 times in total before fleeing the scene. Neighbor DJ Cortez spoke to CBS New York. How could you possibly hurt your grandmother and your mother like that? Like, obviously, I'm assuming he just wasn't in the right state, like, mentally. Miraculously, the injured mom managed to stumble outside her home and flagged down a passing driver. That good Samaritan allowed her inside their car and called 911. When police arrived at the Old Town Road residence,

they found the lifeless body of Conchita riddled with multiple stab wounds. Vanessa was rushed to a local hospital where she continues to recover from the injuries she sustained in that brutal attack. The 15-year-old boy was caught later that night and charged with second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder. He was arraigned before a judge and ordered to be held without bail as the legal proceedings unfold. If convicted, the teen could face a sentence of 15 years to life behind bars. The teen is due back in court on May 21st. For the latest crime and justice news, follow the Crime Alert hourly update

on your favorite podcast app. With this Crime Alert, I'm Jennifer Gould. You're listening to an iHeart Podcast. I'm Jennifer Gould.