Free Republic

Ann Widdecombe was bludgeoned 21 times over the head with a hammer in a 'ferocious' two-minute attack captured on camera, a court heard today. The 78-year-old former minister was ambushed in her own kitchen by a hammer-wielding intruder while she was having her lunch, it was said. Disturbing details of her brutal murder emerged today as her alleged killer Joshua Kerry appeared in court for the first time. The 28-year-old is alleged to have walked into the former MP's kitchen through an unlocked front door asking, 'Don't suppose you have bank cards and ID?' as he held a hammer out...

Mon Jul 20, 2026 - 12:56 pm EDT OMAHA, Nebraska (LifeSiteNews) — A Nebraska man was arrested for threatening to commit a mass shooting at a Catholic school with the specific intention of killing nuns and the children of Nebraska’s devout Catholic Governor Jim Pillen. Ean Halstead, 32, was taken into custody after a standoff with law enforcement on Friday. Halstead reportedly has a history of violent threats and was previously convicted of threatening an “ex-boyfriend” and setting his bedroom on fire, according to local news outlet KFOR. On June 26, Halstead posted a message on the Facebook page for...

Body camera footage depicting a disturbing encounter between a Florida college student and police officers has gone viral after a cop appeared to misgender her. Jarrett Vick, 27, was arrested and charged with battery on law enforcement, resisting arrest, and disorderly conduct on February 5 last year, according to the Orange County court docket. However, the student pleaded not guilty, and the case appeared to be dismissed. A year and a half later, Inside the Blue TV, a YouTube account that shares police body camera footage, posted the shocking encounter between Vick and officers. Officers were responding to reports of...

A self-described transgender Florida student freaking out on a campus police officer for “misgendering” him. The footage shows a blue-haired University of Central Florida student, identified as 27-year-old Jarrett Vick, screaming at a police officer after the cop arrived on campus for an unrelated call. “Why do you let those pigs get away with this? They are not supposed to be here,” says Vick at the start of the video, which was filmed in February 2025 — but released Friday by Inside The Blue TV. The officer tells him to lower his voice, or he will be put in handcuffs,...

HINESVILE, Ga. — A former Georgia housing authority executive director and a Savannah man have been indicted on federal fraud charges stemming from what prosecutors say is a yearslong scheme that allegedly cost a public housing agency more than $2.5 million. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia, Melanie S. Thompson, 55, of Savannah, is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, 19 counts of wire fraud, and two counts of making false, fictitious, or fraudulent claims. Toriono L. Byrd, 52, of Savannah, is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Federal prosecutors say the...

A Canadian woman living in New Jersey who allegedly slapped a teenage girl for wearing patriotic MAGA-branded clothing is set to be deported. Kaitlyn Tracey, 33, allegedly filmed herself confronting the teenager and her friends during Fourth of July celebrations on the Jersey Shore. According to court documents, the group of friends were walking on the boardwalk when Tracey berated them for wearing 'patriotic colored' sweatpants, before slapping one of the girls across her face and body, per NJ.com. The sweatpants were reportedly emblazoned with the words 'Trump' and 'ICE', sparking fury from the leftist. The victim was not injured...

A kiosk worker at a Utah mall suffered a total of 15 knife wounds after being attacked over his religion, police said. During his shift at a West Valley City mall kiosk on July 13, Syed Sohail Uddin was approached by a stranger who intended to kill him simply because he is Muslim, authorities said. The attacker, identified as Peter Michael Larsen, 48, was arrested after stabbing the worker more than a dozen times. He now faces charges of attempted murder and carrying a prohibited weapon. The West Valley City Police Department said Larsen had a brief interaction with Uddin...

A Washington teacher has admitted having sex with a 16-year-old boy in a sweetheart deal that drastically cuts any time behind bars — as it emerged she is divorcing her husband, who first exposed her twisted behavior. Mackenzie Naught, 25, had faced five years in prison after being charged with sexual misconduct with a minor for romping with the teen from a neighboring school in her truck — soon after she started her job teaching first grade at St. John Elementary School. But the now-fired teacher pleaded guilty Friday in a deal that means she now faces a maximum of...

A leftist Canadian woman allegedly slapped a teen who was wearing President Trump-branded clothing on the Jersey Shore over the Fourth of July weekend — before she was arrested and detained by immigration officials. Kaitlyn E. Tracey, 33, allegedly recorded herself confronting a group of four girls on the Point Pleasant Beach boardwalk when she became violent on July 3, according to court documents obtained by NJ.com. Tracey took issue with two of the beachgoers — who are minors — wearing “patriotic colored” sweatpants with the words “Trump” and “ICE” before she struck one of them across the face and...

A former political candidate for state and federal races in Arizona was recently arrested for an alleged disturbance reported last Friday in the Valley. Brianna Westbrook, 41, was arrested on July 10 after her former partner contacted police following an incident at a Phoenix residence, court records show. The reporting party told police Westbrook allegedly "pushed her way" into the residence holding a knife and duct tape. The two then allegedly "wrestled" until Westbrook pushed the other person onto the couch. The victim then screamed out and asked Westbrook "to stop" before Westbrook allegedly "took off running," records show. Officers...

A former Arizona congressional candidate and ex-Democratic Party leader was arrested last week on charges of felony burglary at an ex-partner’s home. The suspect, Brianna Westbrook, has run for federal and state offices, including a failed 2018 bid for US Congress and losses in Democratic primaries for the Arizona State Senate and Arizona House of Representatives in 2018 and 2022. According to ballotready.org, Westbrook’s professional experience includes serving as the Southwest Regional Co-Chair of the Democratic Socialists of America Immigrant Rights National Working Group from 2019 to the present, and a past stint as Arizona Democratic Party Vice Chair from...

A naked man was arrested over the weekend in Portland, Oregon, after he attempted to kidnap a 7-year-old girl from her mother at a waterfront park, according to police. Shortly before 7 p.m. on Saturday, Portland Police received reports of a naked man running around Tom McCall Waterfront Park, with one of the callers saying the man had attempted to punch them in the head. But police said all officers were busy responding to other calls and were not available at the time. About 12 minutes later, another caller reported that the suspect had grabbed a young girl and attempted...

A Kansas couple allegedly left their six children, including two infants, in a hot car while they dined at a fast food chain on one of the most scorching days of the year, according to reports and authorities. Temperatures climbed near the triple digits in the city on Wednesday, with a heat index of over 100 degrees. Emergency responders evaluated the children on the scene. It’s unclear if any of them suffered heat-related illnesses. The kids were later brought into protective custody, the outlet reported. Chad Scoville from the Salina Fire Department warned that children are more vulnerable to the...

Five people were killed and two others were injured in what Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly described as a targeted mass shooting against one family over the weekend in East St. Louis. Two suspects, ages 15 and 16, have been arrested in connection with the investigation. Authorities said the suspects were taken into custody at Holten State Park. As of Sunday evening, their names had not been released. The shootings took place at three different places in the city — Jones Park, a residence in the area of 39th and Summit and the Samuel Gompers Homes. “The picture is...

The blaze, which broke out around 6 p.m. on July 7, quickly engulfed the historic structure, causing the roof to collapse. ALERT: Pittsburgh Fire is battling a 3-alarm fire in a vacant church on Grandview Ave. & Kearsarge on Mount Washington. There are no reports of injuries at this time. Please watch this space for updates. A PIO is on scene. pic.twitter.com/actU6tJjMC — Pittsburgh Public Safety (@PghPublicSafety) July 7, 2026 Allegheny County dispatchers received a call about the fire at approximately 6:05 p.m. Firefighters arrived within four minutes and upgraded the response to a three-alarm fire, according to a WPXI...

A chaotic fan fight broke out during the Giants-Rockies game at Oracle Park on July 9, turning a lower-level seating section into a messy scene that quickly spread across multiple rows. The fan video shows several fans already tangled up, with punches thrown and people shoving near the stairs. The situation escalated when a man wearing a black Raiders No. 52 jersey jumped into the scrum and appeared to strike multiple women, including people who were already knocked down or being pulled away. Other fans tried to separate the group, including a man in a white Giants jersey, but the...

A white male suspect has been arrested by police investigating the murder of Ann Widdecombe. Police found the former Conservative prisons minister with 'serious injuries' after an ambulance crew called them to her house in Haytor, Dartmoor at 11.40am yesterday. In an update this afternoon, Devon and Cornwall Police said officers had begun a murder inquiry and were hunting a 'white male' who they 'believe is responsible'. Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman has now told a press conference that a 26-year-old white British man has been arrested at an address in Newton Abbot, around a 30-minute drive from the former...

PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — A 30-year-old woman is accused of biting two people and punching a security guard during a violent altercation at a Northwest Portland bar. For the third time in recent months, Portland police have made an arrest at the River Pig Saloon. The latest incident happened on July 2, when police were contacted about a woman who had been detained by security at the bar. According to court documents, a woman told officers she was dancing with friends when the suspect bumped into one of them and pulled her by the hair. When the suspect, later...

The Gwinnett County Police Department said a series of burglaries at Urban Air Adventure locations led to the arrests of 11 people, all under the age of 21. Police said there were seven incidents at Urban Air Adventure Park locations under investigation since June 4. They believe they are connected to a social media trend encouraging people to break into businesses after hours to play arcade games and damage property. Another four juveniles connected to the burglaries were also taken into custody for a total of 15 suspects.Amaury Armas Alvarez, 17 Andy Colunga Castillo, 17 John Stringer, 17 Angel Candelaria...

A justifiably angry Florida man is winning nationwide attention after delivering some vigilante justice to an evil thug who sexually assaulted his innocent daughter. According to an arrest report uncovered by WCJB, a father discovered Snapchat messages between his underage daughter and 25-year-old Anthony Groves of Ocklawaha. After confirming the messages were also on Groves’ phone, the father beat the h*ll out of him. WCJB reports Groves was punched several times before he finally vacated the property. Per reports, the incident occurred at home in Marion County on the Fourth of July. WCJB reports that police arrested Groves was arrested...