Mother poisoned children with medication, authorities said

Patricia Becht, 42, of Minnesota, has been charged with murder and attempted murder for allegedly poisoning her two children with a drug used to treat mental illness.

She told police that the three had planned to commit suicide together.

Becht was charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder in the July 6 death of her 10-year-old son, Michael Becht, and the attempted killing of her 11-year-old daughter, Erica.

| Bob Cronkleton

Three men wanted for questioning concerning murder of parents of 16 children

Police in Beulah, Fla., are looking to question three men about the home-invasion slayings of the mother and father of 16 children.

The men were seen leaving the home of Byrd and Melanie Billings in a red full-size van. The couple were found shot to death in the bedroom of their home.

Authorities said the men might have been involved in the killings of the parents, who had adopted 12 of their 16 children.

| Bob Cronkleton

Wow, child's murder solved after 21 years

The man who killed Amber Swartz-Garcia, a 7-year-old Northern California girl in 1988, admitted to killing her a month before he died of "natural causes" in prison.

Curtis Dean Anderson was in prison for similar crimes toward two other girls. He confessed in 2007 but investigators have been corroborating the story for the past few months.

From the Associated Press story:

He was sentenced to 251 years for the 2000 abduction and sexual assault of an 8-year-old Vallejo girl and was sentenced to another 50 years to life after pleading guilty to the 1999 kidnapping, molestation and murder of a 7-year-old girl, also from Vallejo.

At a Monday news conference announcing the case was closed, police distributed copies of Anderson's brief handwritten statement that read, "If there is no pursuit of the death penalty, I will freely admit my role in being responsible for the death of Amber Swartz-Garcia."

|Meredith Rodriguez

Sailor shot while standing sentry

His family believes it was a hate crime because of the sailor's race and sexual orientation, but the investigation continues.

This happened Tuesday at Camp Pendleton. He was shot execution style, and whoever did it burned the surrounding area to cover up any evidence.

|Meredith Rodriguez

Grim reminder that recession is global

A man in Spain, afraid of losing his job, hires a hit man to kill his boss. He was arrested last week. Sadly, the boss was killed in February.

|Meredith Rodriguez

Fifth victim of serial killer dies

A 15-year-old South Carolina girl, believed to be the fifth victim of a serial killer, died Saturday. She is the fifth victim near Gaffney, South Carolina in a week, police believe.

Police said the killer may be driving a light gray or champagne tan 1991-94 two-door Ford Explorer. Here's a second sketch.

Over 100 investigators from North and South Carolina are working the case. They're asking people to be vigilant but not paranoid.

|Meredith Rodriguez

McNair's death ruled a homicide

Police did not go so far as to say if it was a murder-suicide by the former NFL quarterback's girlfriend, who was found dead by his side, the Associated Press reports.

 

|Meredith Rodriguez

Midget wrestlers die after night of hookers, booze, Mexican police say

Police think they died because somebody dosed their drinks with eye drops.

Hat Tip: Many thanks, Jewwells P!

To save his job, Spanish man hired hitman to kill his boss, police say

"So, can you tell us why you left your last place of employment?"

Homicide suspect had blog about "getting even," FL police say

Dianne Parker, a Florida massage therapist, is accused of carving up a client -- a former policeman -- who owed her money.(Horseback riders found his torso, sans head and limbs, in February.)

Police are making a lot of the fact that Parker had her own blog, howtogetevenwithyourfavoriteperp.com, wherein she talked about getting even with people who wrong you -- though the site was NOT about planning crimes, she noted. It's not clear what physical evidence links Parker to the crime.