Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Seven-Year-Old Locked in Dog Cage for Christmas | Crime Alert Recap Saturday 05.15.25

Episode Date: May 17, 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: Man killed over sister's stolen car.  Cassie Ventura testified at Sean Combs trial  Stabbing victim plays dead while sleepy perp steals his big lottery win  Mom busted for arming son for school massacre in bizarre babysitting deal Stay informed, stay safe, and stay ahead with "Crime Alert Hourly Update.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Crime Alert, hourly update, breaking crime news now. I'm Jackie Howard, 2.58 a.m., Austin, Texas. Two young men are breaking into cars. Mama, my car is gone. And I was like, you know what? We were just out there putting stuff in the car for you to go home. Anthony Salas at home in DeValley packing his sister's car, helping her get ready to leave.

Fox 7 Austin spoke with Salas' mother, Robin Alba. He, of course, heard it and like, what? Where? Oh, and he's ready to go. And I told him, Anthony, don't, y'all don't go, don't go. Stay here. Just call the police, please. I know what I'm doing. And, you know, and they went. Salas didn't come home. A 911 call comes in to police. Someone has been hit near DeValley Elementary. Anthony Salas, along with his family, tracked the stolen car, finding it near Ross Road. During a confrontation, Salas is shot, then run over by the car.

He's gone. He's not coming back. And over what? Police arrest two, a 12-year-old and a 13-year-old. Cops say the boys had been targeting vehicles throughout the night and are now facing capital murder by terrorist threat. Austin police say they are looking for other suspects. More crime and justice news after this. I'm Nicole Parton Cassie Ventura the former partner of Sean Diddy Combs and one of his accusers has spent two days delivering compelling testimony in his federal trial concerning sex trafficking during her statements she recounted the physical abuse she claims to have suffered

at Combs hands and discussed the so-called freak-offs, which she described as drug-fueled sexual performances that he orchestrated. The jury was presented with explicit images and videos that Combs allegedly kept for leverage. The defense is set to begin cross-examination of Ventura today with the expectation that that will extend into Friday. Combs has pleaded not guilty to a range of charges including racketeering, conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation for prostitution. If found guilty on all charges, he faces a potential life sentence. Cassie Ventura has continued her testimony with prosecutors honing in on issues related to coercion. The jury was shown several pieces of evidence as Ventura detailed the alleged instances of physical violence she

experienced. Multiple photographs showing her injuries, including black eyes, a swollen lip, a forehead gash, and various bruises. Approximately seven steals from the freak-off videos depicting her alongside several escorts, which were shown exclusively to the jury and not the public. Ventura identified the individuals in the images to the jury, saying she in fact knew them and had helped book them as escorts. For more, here's Crime Online's Jackie Howard. She was tasked with finding escorts for the freak-offs, but Combs always demanded to approve them. She typically handed the escorts their cash, but the money came from Combs, the cash delivered by staff members. Combs always double-checked that Cassie had verified the escorts weren't undercover cops, and that's when

it hit her that the situation was not legal. Her mother is anticipated to take the stand soon. Blood from the top of his head all the way down. I'm Drew Nelson. A man in Oregon is sentenced to nearly six years in prison for stabbing another man 15 times after following him home from a bar where he won $2,000 in the lottery. An attack the victim survived by playing dead until his attacker fell asleep. It happened on the night of August 17th of 2024. The victim had just won on a video lottery machine at Montana's bar in southeast Portland. As he left, 62-year-old Pablo Figueroa followed him to the Y East Plaza Apartments on southeast Ash Street. Figueroa

slipped through the building's security gate, shadowed the man up to his apartment, and burst in as he opened the door. Surveillance video later showed Figueroa just a few paces behind. Inside, he tackled the man and demanded the winnings. The victim handed over $624, but Figueroa wanted more. He pulled a pocket knife and stabbed the man 15 times in the arms, chest, and face. The victim later told police he began to black out and decided to play dead. The victim said in court, quote, Mr. Figueroa had the money and could have left my apartment, but instead decided to sit at my kitchen table and watch me die. He fell asleep and eventually began to snore. When the

victim heard that, he opened his eyes and escaped. And we heard banging, and we heard furniture, we heard yelling, some type of argument. So I decided to go smoke a cigarette, and then on my second cigarette, the stabbing had happened. The neighbor speaking to KPNX. Blood all over his head, his ear, his throat, his arms, his stomach, and his legs. He did not look like a good friend of mine. Police reviewed surveillance footage and realized Figueroa had never exited the building. They found him hiding in the trash room and used mace to arrest him. Officers later found the knife hidden in a cat litter box inside the apartment.

Figueroa was carrying blood-stained pants and $624 cash. He pleaded no contest to assault and burglary. A judge sentenced him to five years, 10 months in prison. He's currently being held at Coffee Creek Correctional Institution, awaiting his permanent prison placement. Figueroa has a long criminal history. He is a registered sex offender with prior convictions in California, Arkansas, and Arizona, including a cold case capital murder in Texas for which he received three life sentences. He also has pending identity theft charges and a past of stealing cars using shaved keys. I'm Jennifer Gould. A Texas mom is facing chilling charges after allegedly turning her own home into an armory for her son's twisted dream,

becoming famous through mass targeted violence at his middle school. Ashley Pardo is seen in her mugshot sporting purple hair and multiple face tattoos. The 33-year-old was busted for allegedly buying ammo and tactical gear for her child, even brushing off his alarming, violent expressions to school officials, according to a bombshell San Antonio Police Department affidavit. This parent spoke to Ken's 5 News. For a mother to do that, it makes me feel like, what kind of mother is she to be supplying her children with that? The terrifying plot began to unravel when school officials at Jeremiah Rhodes Middle School raised red flags about the students' disturbing behavior, including explicit threats of a mass attack. alleged Pardo was not just aware of her son's dark intentions. She actively fueled them, purchasing ammunition magazines, a tactical vest, a helmet, and even army clothing to aid his scheme.

The affidavit reveals that Pardo bought the gear in exchange for her son babysitting his younger siblings. The grandmother of the boy stumbled upon a horrifying discovery, the child hitting a live bullet with a hammer. When she questioned him, he allegedly confessed his mom had given it to him, boasting about the guns and ammo at her house. A subsequent search of his room unearthed a makeshift IED, a mortar-style firework wrapped in duct tape, along with a rifle and magazines loaded with live rounds. Even more disturbing was a handwritten note referencing

past mass shootings, their perpetrators and victim counts, including a nod to the New Zealand Christchurch mosque shooter and white supremacist symbols. Adding to the awful picture, the boy allegedly told his granny he was going to be famous just before Pardo arrived to take him to school. On the very morning his arsenal was found, he arrived at the school that day wearing a mask, camouflage jacket and tactical pants. School officials, unable to find him, immediately called the cops out of fear of an imminent attack. SAPD's investigation revealed a disturbing pattern. As early as January, school officials had concerns about the boy's violent drawings,

including a map labeled, quote, suicide route, end quote, and the school's name next to a rifle. He admitted also to a fascination with past mass shooters. In April, he was suspended for researching the Christchurch shooting on a school-issued laptop, followed by a suicide attempt with a straight razor that required over 100 stitches. Despite this alarming history, Pardo allegedly dismissed her son's behavior, even defending his quote-unquote violent expressions and drawings to authorities.

Unbelievable. Pardo was arrested and charged with aiding in the commission of terrorism. She posted a $75,000 bond and was released. Her next court hearing is set for July 17th. The child is still in custody. 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.

This is an iHeart Podcast.