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TRUE CRIME TUESDAY #2

Melanie Jane Smith

Crime took place: October 2012 Location: Prestatyn, Denbighshire, Wales, United Kingdom. Number of victims: 5

The victims of this murder were Lee-Anna Shiers (20), her partner Liam Timbrell (23), their baby charlie (15 months), Shiers’s nephew Bailey (4), and niece Skye (2). They were all killed by a fire which was started by Smith on a pushchair left in a shared corridor. While not all of them died actually in the fire Timbrell and his son Charlie died later in hospital. Before Timbrell died while on the phone to 999 he told them it was arson and that it was “Mel from downstairs”.

Smith was arrested the same day and sentenced to life in prison with a minimum 30 year sentence.

The reason for Smith to start the fire was because of a pushchair being left in a shared corridor, obviously Smith had enough of it. Smith was an alcoholic and had been known to make viscous threats when drunk (specifically threats of arson).

Below is an excerpt of an article from the DailyMail April 30th 2013 by Liz Hull detailing the previous threats from Smith leading up to the event.

“Killer’s history of crazed arson threats ahead of murderSelf-confessed alcohol ‘binger’ Melanie Smith had a 'propensity’ to make drunken threats to burn people’s houses down 'with their children inside’.Mold Crown Court was told of numerous occasions when Smith threatened to set fire to property and how in the six weeks before the fire she stepped up her campaign of threats against Lee-Anna Shiers.In late 2007, Smith was barred from the Victoria Hotel in Prestatyn for being 'loud and argumentative’, the court was told.In April 2008 Smith and her boyfriend Steven Clarkson were again refused service at the pub by the landlady.Smith’s response was to say: 'I’m going to f****** torch this place’, and to storm out of the door in a temper, the court heard.The court heard Smith 'hated’ Samantha Schofield, whom she claimed had been having an affair with Clarkson.In August 2012 Smith 'trashed’ Mr Clarkson’s car while it was parked outside Ms Schofield’s house.The windscreen wipers were bent back, the wing mirrors kicked out of position and pink milkshake thrown at the windscreen.Around 20 matches were also strewn around the road outside Ms Schofield’s house and a matchbox was found beneath Mr Clarkson’s car.Smith then had two conversations with Ms Schofield’s sister, Amy, in which she said she was 'going to set fire to Sam’s house’.Smith said that she had nearly set fire to the house but was 'too drunk to ignite the matches’.When it was pointed out to her that Ms Schofield had children living with her who 'had done nothing wrong’, Smith replied: 'I’m not finished with Sammy yet and I can’t make any promises.'On September 1 2012, Smith told Ms Shiers’s friend Stacey Brady that she was going to 'make Lee-Anna’s life hell’.The court heard Smith was 'ranting’ about her throwing cigarette butts and shouted up at Ms Shiers: 'I am going to set your house on fire with you and your kids in it.'On September 5 Ms Shiers’ brother, Michael, called to see his sister and she told him that when the defendant was drunk she made threats to burn her house down, saying: 'I have threatened to burn someone else’s house down and I will do the same to you.'The manager of the Vegas Bar in Rhyl, Yvette Giblin, told police that on October 13 she heard the defendant rowing with Clarkson.She claims Smith said in a raised voice: 'You’re shagging the woman upstairs. I will burn the house down with her and the kids in it.'On October 18 2012, Smith told her friend Pamela Handley she was going to 'torch or bomb’ her landlord’s flat and that he was not going to get any money from her rent.On the morning of October 19, Smith went to Chantelle’s hair salon where hairdresser Sophie Griffiths noticed she smelled of alcohol and was complaining about her flat.She said it was too small and that she did not like her neighbours or landlord, adding: 'To be honest, I wish they’d burn it to the ground because the council would have to put me up then.“OH MY GOD, WE’RE GOING TO DIE’: VICTIM’S HARROWING 999 CALLOne of Melanie Smith’s victims made a harrowing 999 call from the burning building and was heard shouting: 'Oh my God, oh my God, we’re going to die.'The jury in her murder trial heard a recording of Liam Timbrell’s call to emergency services, in which he said: 'Help, help. Someone has put it on purpose. We’re inside the flat.'Mr Timbrell, the only person from inside the flat who could give an account of the fire, later told rescuing paramedics that 'it was arson’ and 'it was Mel from downstairs’.He was very badly burned but became alert and awake, and said: 'Babies, are the babies okay?'He then added: 'I heard a woman shouting in the street.'Asked by the paramedics what he meant, he replied: ’"I’m going to set fire to the house” - yes, yes I heard this woman shouting she was going to set fire to the house.'Mr Timbrell repeatedly said 'Mel did it,’ and told a police community support officer: 'She was shouting through the letterbox, “I’m going to burn your house down.”'Asked if he recognised the voice, Mr Timbrell said 'Yes’, adding: 'It was Mel from the downstairs flat.’

Do you have a story you want to hear? Message me your suggestions and I will endeavour to work through all of them.

Yours Sleuthfully,

online-sleuth

SOURCES

http://murderpedia.org/female.S/s/smith-melanie.htm

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2317149/Prestatyn-Fire–Ex-husbands-fury-arsonist-wiped-family-convicted-murders.html

[online-sleuth]

“Gun Control doesn’t work”

Comparing US gun violence to that of countries that have better gun control show that gun control does improve the situation (gosh who would’ve thunk it🙄). So stop bullshitting, if you want America to be great IMPROVE IT.

[online-sleuth]

The Disturbing Murders at Keddie Cabin

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Australian mass shooter Martin Bryant being interviewed following the Port Arthur massacre

On April 28th 1996 Martin Bryant opened fire at the Port Arthur historic site, a popular tourist destination in Tasmania, Australia. He was armed with a .223 calibre Colt AR-15 SP1 Carbine and a .308 calibre L1A1 SLR battle rifle. Bryant murdered 35 people and injured a further 23 others making it Australia’s deadliest mass shooting to this day.

The massacre caused a national outcry and Prime Minister John Howard introduced new gun control legislation. The National Firearms Programme Implementation Act of 1996 was passed the same year restricting private ownership of high capacity semi-automatic rifles and shotguns as well as pump-action shotguns. Uniform firearms licensing was also introduced. These measures passed with bipartisan support from the entire Commonwealth and Australian states and territories.

The people killed by Martin Bryant were Winifred Aplin (58), Walter Bennett (66), Nicole Burgess (17), Sou Leng Chung (32), Elva Gaylard (48), Zoe Ann Hall (28), Elizabeth Howard (26), Mary Howard (57), Mervyn Howard (55), Ronald Noel Jary (71), Tony Kistan (51), Leslie Lever (53), Sarah Kate Loughton (15), David Martin (72), Noelene Joyce Martin (69), Pauline Masters (49), Alannah Louise Mikac (6), Madeline Grace Mikac (3), Nanette Patricia Mikac (36), Andrew Bruce Mills (39), Peter Brenton Nash (32), Gwenda Joan Neander (67), Moh Yee William Ng (48), Anthony Nightingale (44), Mary Rouse Nixon (60), Glenn Pears (35), Russell James Pollard (72), Janette Quin (50), Helene Salzmann (50), Robert Salzmann (57), Kate Elizabeth Scott (21), Kevin Sharp (68), Raymond Sharp (67), Royce William Thompson (59) and Jason Bernard Winter (29).

Although his true motive remains largely unknown, it is claimed by his lawyer that Bryant was fuelled by a desire for notoriety and infamy having been inspired by international media reports of the Dunblane school massacre in Scotland, United Kingdom. Following his capture Bryant was fixated on finding out how many people he killed and was reportedly impressed and pleased with the number.

A monument and memorial garden were constructed in Port Arthur to be opened on the fourth anniversary of the massacre in April, 2000. Bryant remains in prison today age 50 in the Wilfred Lopes Centre near the Risdon Prison Complex.

[online-sleuth]

Ohhhh, baby!

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true crime infographics part 1

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me two hours after i should have gone to bed: time to solve the jonbenet ramsey case

[online-sleuth]

TRUE CRIME TUESDAY #1

Phillip Carl Jablonski

Crimes taking place: 1978-1991.

Location(s): California, USA. Utah, USA.

Number of victims: 5 (all female).

His first victim was Linda Kimball (1978) who was his first wife. He murdered her after an incident caused her to leave him with their baby. What was the incident you ask, well on July 6th he went to Kimballs mothers house woke her up in the middle of the night with the intention of raping her. However, he did not go through with it. Kimballs mother escaped to a neighbours house. Kimball was murdered in their apartment when picking up some things for the baby. Jablonski served 12 years for the murder of Linda Kimball.

His second victim was Carol Spladoni (1991) she was his second wife they met when she answered an ad he placed in a newspaper while serving time for the first murder. Spladoni was shot, suffocated and then stabbed.

His third victim was Eva Petersen (1991) who was Carol Spladoni’s mother; she was sexually assaulted and then shot.

The fourth victim was Fathyma Vann (1991) a fellow community college student. Jablonski attended community college as a condition of his parole. Vann was shot in the head and sexually assaulted. Vann’s body was found naked in a shallow ditch with ‘I love Jesus’ carved into her back and other mutilations (specifically the removal of her eyes and her ears).

His final victim was Margie Rodgers (1991) he was also charged with robbery of this victim.

Jablonski was apprehended in Kansas the day after the final murder. He was sentenced to death in 1994 and in 2006 the Supreme Court upheld the death sentence. He is still alive today.

Now apparently (as it seems with most serial killers) he had an unpleasant childhood, his father was supposedly an alcoholic and beat his mother and sisters also sodomising them. Again he apparently attacked one of his sisters when he was sixteen putting a rope around her neck and sexually abusing her. But then again I couldn’t find much on these last bits of information so take them with a pinch of salt although they do help give us some sort of explanation of his behaviour but by no means does this excuse it.

Also if this guy wasn’t any creepier read this ad he placed for a pen pal:

I ask your indulgence male and female and promise to be brief as possible, allow me to introduce myself myself as Death Row Teddy.

I am 58 years old. My DOB is January 3rd 1946.

I have been on death row for 11 years. (Aug.1994)

I am seeking for a female/male Teddy Bear.

I lost once my heart scarcely used by one careless owner.

As I saw it last it was thubbing in your direction.

Caucasian male - seeking an open minded male/female for unconditional correspondence on mature and honest level, that has a caring heart to create a special friendship build from the heart.

Why choose me?

I am a professional artist, photography, amateur poet, writer, masseur, college educated, not a rude person, like to party, travel. My home town is Joshua Tree, CA. I am very understanding and loving. I believe in giving a second chance. People describe me as a gentle giant.

I love cats, dogs, parrots, horses and teddy bears.

What I like in a friend? I like it if you like to travel, party. Someone who is mature and wants a honest friendship. Someone who is able to discuss personal issues on a mature level and is not scared of Frank discussion.

What I miss the most: Traveling, photography male and female company, giving massages, partying, walking in the rain, romantic walks on the beach, romantic candle light dinners, cuddling in front of a roaring fire, soft music.

Lets share our thoughts and feelings (good or bad) lets learn about one another freely and watch our friendship bloom like a rose and be strong as a castle wall which can’t be broken.

A loving heart is worse more then a mountain of gold.

Love communicates on any subject or issue.

Write me please you won’t be disappointed.

Don’t let my situation stop you from writing me. Pick up your pen and pay me a visit.

Guaranteed response.

Sincerely,

Phillip

Do you have a story you want to hear? Message me your suggestions and I will endeavour to work through all of them.

Yours Sleuthfully,

online-sleuth

SOURCES:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phillip_Carl_Jablonski

http://murderpedia.org/male.J/j/jablonski-philip.htm

http://www.crimezzz.net/serialkillers/J/JABLONSKI_phillip_carl.php

[online-sleuth]

These are the things that somebody’s gotta know.

oh my christ

[online-sleuth]

[online-sleuth]

forensic files narrator: ... and he left his finger prints on the door knob...

me eating my 5th mozzarella stick: you absolute fucking idiot

[online-sleuth]

[online-sleuth]

me two hours after i should have gone to bed: time to solve the jonbenet ramsey case

[online-sleuth]

True Crime Podcasts

Here is a list of the few true crime podcasts I have been listening to.

- ‘My Favorite Murder’ Hosted by Georgia Hardstark and Karen Kilgariff

- ‘Criminal’ Hosted by Phoebe Judge

- ‘Sword and Scale’ Hosted by Mike Boudet

- ‘Serial’ Hosted by Sarah Koenig

- ‘Unsolved Murders’ Hosted by Carter Roy and Wenndy Mackenzie

There are going to be many, many, many more podcasts that I haven’t listed so help your fellow true crime lovers out and list your favourites or just any that you know of below.

Yours Sleuthfully,

online-sleuth