Stay ConnectedNancy Grace dives deep into the day’s most shocking crimes and asks the tough questions in her new daily podcast – Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Nancy Grace had a perfect conviction record during her decade as a prosecutor and used her TV show to find missing people, fugitives on the run and unseen clues. Now, she will use the power of her huge social media following and the immediacy of the internet to deliver daily bombshells!
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Iryna Zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee, came to the United States with her family to escape her war-torn country for a better life. Iryna took English classes, had a job and was making a productive life for herself, but all her aspirations were cut short by an unprovoked violent attack from a man with a criminal history.
Video shows Iryna getting on the train in Charlotte North Carolina, taking a seat and looking at her phone quietly. Video shows a passenger sitting directly behind Iryna, who we later came to know as Carlos Brown Jr. A close-up of Brown's hands can be seen opening and unfolding the knife in order to prepare to stand up to stab Iryna. Although Iryna's hat covers a lot of her face, the shock in her eyes, along with the terror she silently expressed during her final moments of life, bleeding out, surrounded by panic is heartbreaking to watch.
Video also shows Brown, in an orange hoodie, walking the aisles of the train with blood dripping on the floor. One passenger notices blood drops and avoids stepping in it, while another witness on the phone with 911 tells them a man just stabbed a woman for no reason and she needs help.
Moments after allegedly stabbing Iryna, Brown is captured on video non-chalantly walking the platform of the train station. On the train, Brown was wearing a hoodie, now he is wearing a black t-shirt, with the now bloody hoody, wrapped around his hands.
In reaction to the shocking and violent death of Iryna Zarutska, North Carolina Governor Josh Stein just signed "Iryna's Law" into effect increasing checks on criminals getting out on bail and prohibits cashless bail for some violent crimes and most repeat offender.
A Grand jury indicted Brown for murder of Iryna formally charging him with first-degree murder. Brown is being held without bond in the County jail, but an order was filed for him to be committed to Central Regional Hospital. Allegedly he has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and also has a lengthy rap sheet of criminal behavior.
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A silver lining for a paraplegic man in Oklahoma City, regaining his mobility after strangers step in to replace the medical gear stolen from him during two home break-ins. The chief meteorologist for New Orleans TV station WDSU is on leave after police say he attacked his girlfriend while her two children slept nearby. An Indiana woman is charged with animal cruelty after police say they found her dead dog stuffed in a plastic tote soaked with chemicals. Drew Nelson reports.
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Former Wall Street money manager Howard Rubin is busted by the feds at his Fairfield, Connecticut, home for a decade-long Manhattan sex-trafficking scheme. With the help of his assistant, Jennifer Powers, “Howie” Rubin is accused of luring women into BDSM sex sessions in exchange for cash, then exceeding their consent and torturing and raping his victims.
Rubin is accused of luring victims to BDSM sex sessions, first in luxury Manhattan hotels and later in his $18,000-per-month penthouse apartment, equipped with a soundproof “sex dungeon.” Women were bound on a bed or a cross, beaten, and electrocuted. The pleas of those who weren’t gagged went ignored, and the torture often continued even when a woman fell unconscious. Rubin allegedly paid the women several thousand dollars afterward, including for injuries that required medical attention, like a flipped breast implant.
10 Jane Does are listed as victims in the indictment, but prosecutors from the Eastern District of New York say there are dozens more and are asking the public for tips. Rubin is charged with 2 counts of sex trafficking, 6 counts of transporting women to engage in prostitution, and bank fraud.
Howard Rubin’s name becomes a Wall Street commodity in the 1980s while trading bonds at Salomon Brothers. Rubin is profiled in Michael Lewis’ 1989 book Liar’s Poker for his contributions to the development of a collateralized mortgage obligation market. Rubin goes on to hold senior positions at Merrill Lynch, Bear Stearns, and Soros Fund Management.
Rubin's successful life doesn't stop him from getting married to fellow financier, Mary Henry. After three children and 36 years of marriage, Henry divorces her husband when he is accused of sexual violence in a civil suit.
Rubin tasked Jennifer Powers, his “personal assistant,” with recruiting victims. Powers is arrested at her home in a Dallas-Fort Worth suburb, accused of running the “day-to-day” operations of Rubin’s sex-trafficking scheme and being paid handsomely. Powers arranged the victims’ travel and coerced them into signing NDAs. This evil empire these two created by victimizing so many is crumbling, and more victims are expected to speak out.
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After nearly six decades, authorities in central Minnesota have confirmed the identity of human remains found in the Mississippi River as Roy George Benn, who went missing in 1967.
Benn, then 59, was last seen at a café in Sartell early one September morning. He was reportedly carrying a large amount of cash, and his disappearance sparked a long-running investigation with no resolution—until now. On August 10, a fisherman using sonar near Sartell detected what appeared to be a submerged vehicle. Dive teams recovered a heavily deteriorated 1963 Buick Electra, registered to Benn, with human remains and personal items inside.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has confirmed the remains are Benn's. The investigation into how Benn and his vehicle ended up in the river continues.
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Best friends Maria Niotis and Isabella Salas ride their bikes in front of Maria’s home.
The speed limit is just 25, so the girls feel comfortable riding in the street, but with no warning, a black Jeep Compass barrels down Burnside Avenue at nearly three times the speed limit. The driver never braked, running Maria and Isabella down, and then sped off without stopping to check on the two girls.
The hit-and-run driver doesn’t get far. Police find the suspect vehicle, a black 2021 Jeep.Compass, broken down from damage sustained in the crash just blocks away on Lincoln Avenue, with a bike still lodged in the front bumper. The 17-year-old boy behind the wheel is briefly detained and ultimately released to his family with 15 traffic tickets while police continue to investigate the crash.
Meanwhile, at the crash site, witnesses call 911 and rush to the girls’ aid; one is declared dead on the scene, while the other passes away minutes later at a hospital.
The day after teens Maria and Isabella are killed in a hit-and-run, officers arrest the 17-year-old driver, now charged as a minor with 2 counts of first-degree murder.
Union County prosecutors keep the driver’s identity private; however, traffic summons records reveal his name: Vincent P. Battiloro.
Battiloro is familiar with law enforcement, his father being an officer with Chatham PD, and his uncle, Chief of Westfield PD. The teen was also under investigation for harassing and stalking his classmate and ex-girlfriend Maria Niotis.
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A tragic mass shooting in downtown Montgomery resulted in the deaths of two individuals, including a teenager, and left a dozen others injured.
High school runner finds clothed skeleton near school.
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Sean 'Diddy' Combs, disgraced music mogul, 55, was convicted of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution over the summer and sentenced today to 50 months, 4 years, and 2 months in prison for those convictions.
Judge Arun Subramanian tells Diddy there is “light at the end of the tunnel” for him and his family. He acknowledges the mogul is in a “dark place” right now, but he will pull through with the support of his loved ones.
“This is a hard time in prison, away from your family, friends, and community, but you will have a life afterward,” Subramanian states.
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Content Warning: This episode contains graphic descriptions of autopsy findings, decomposition, and animal predation. If you’re sensitive to these topics, this episode may not be for you.
A fisherman’s disappearance, his empty boat, and circling alligators lead to a grim discovery. In a separate case, a family Labrador retriever trots home with her latest find, a human head. In this episode of Mayhem in the Morgue, Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Kendall Crowns investigates two extraordinary cases of scientific identification, showing that forensic science can reveal the truth in the strangest circumstances.
Highlights
About the Host: Dr. Kendall Crowns
Dr. Crowns is the Chief Medical Examiner for Travis County, Texas, and a nationally recognized forensic pathologist. He las led death investigations in Travis County, Fort Worth, Chicago, and Kansas. Over his career, he has performed thousands of autopsies and testified in court hundreds of times as an expert witness. A frequent contributor to Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, Dr. Crowns brings unparalleled insight into the strange, grisly, and sometimes absurd realities of forensic pathology.
About the Show
Mayhem in the Morgue takes listeners inside the bloody, bizarre, and often unbelievable world of forensic pathology. Hosted by Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Kendall Crowns, each episode delivers real-life cases from the morgue, the crime scene, and the courtroom. Expect gallows humor, hard truths, and unforgettable investigations, ranging from courtroom drama to deaths that even seasoned pathologists struggle to explain.
Connect and Learn More
Learn more about Dr. Kendall Crowns on Linkedin, catch him regularly on Crime Stories with Nancy Grace and follow Mayhem in the Morgue where you get your podcasts.
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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:
An woman gets fiery revenge after ex skips a concert together.
Family & friends say a stalker's ignored warnings have ended in the bloody E-bike carnage of two, innocent New Jersey girls.
A man is accused of killing his wife just days after police had a transported him back to her home following an arrest related to a violent domestic altercation.
Stay informed, stay safe, and stay ahead with "Crime Alert Hourly Update.”
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Fake German heiress Anna Sorokin conned her way into Manhattan society.
Posing as Anna Delvey, a German heiress, she swindled banks, hotels, and friends out of more than $200,000. She forged checks to get money from banks and charmed people into paying for extravagant meals and travel.
Sorokin was convicted on a handful of grand larceny and theft of services charges. After serving her time, the 31-year-old was released from prison and is now fighting against deportation, but once again, Sorokin has managed to land on her feet.
First, she landed a deal with Netflix for the rights to her life story, then began selling her artwork, and then Sorokin said her home confinement and social media ban are “more restrictive” than jail.
Sorokin is back in the headlines, saying the weight she gained in prison is "embarrassing." Delvey tells Page Six the food in prison is the worst.
Delvey's ankle monitor radius had been extended now to 75 miles, which allows her roaming room for the long series of beauty treatments she's indulging in, paid for by her income from Dancing With The Stars.
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