PA: UNBURY — A judge sentenced a married couple to life in jail without the possibility of parole on Thursday after deciding that their "permanent removal" from society through a Craigslist ad was suitable.
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SALT LAKE CITY (TCN) -- The last surviving victim of a murder-suicide involving a mother and her four children died over the weekend after suffering traumatic brain injuries.
Olivia Blackmer’s family announced on GoFundMe that the 7-year-old died Saturday, Feb. 15, at a hospital in Salt Lake City after her mother, Tranyelle Harshman, fatally shot herself and her kids. Blackmer underwent brain surgery and other procedures in the days preceding her death.
The family wrote in an update, "She fought so so hard up til the last minute! Her body and her brain had been through too much, medication helped but we reached a point where medical options were exhausted and her body only continued to get worse. She kept fighting through it all though until her heart stopped."
On Feb. 10 at 1:30 p.m., the Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office Public Safety Communications Center received a call from a woman who said her daughters had been shot, and that two were in their cribs and the other two would be in a bedroom downstairs. The caller told the dispatcher she "could be found in her upstairs bedroom and that she was going to do the same to herself."
The sheriff’s office wrote in a news release that the dispatcher "pleaded with the female caller over the phone for the female caller to remain on the line until responding units arrived," but the caller "stated multiple times that she could not do that and that it was too late."
The line ultimately went dead.
Several law enforcement units responded to the home and entered, where they found a 2-year-old and 9-year-old deceased with gunshot wounds to the head and another 2-year-old and 7-year-old, Blackmer, still alive but with shots to the head. The 2-year-old died at the scene from her injuries. Officials located the caller, Harshman, with "signs of life" and began rendering aid.
Paramedics transported Blackmer and Harshman to nearby hospitals. Blackmer was air lifted to another hospital for advanced care, then taken to Salt Lake City. Harshman died from her injuries.
Harshman’s husband, Cliff Harshman, told Cowboy State Daily that Tranyelle Harshman was coping with postpartum depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and depression.
He shared, "My wife was not a monster."
Cliff Harshman said Tranyelle Harshman’s actions were "so out of character" because they had been getting her help, "and along the way, something didn’t work."
Cliff Harshman was the father of the two younger kids, while Quinn Blackmer was Olivia Blackmer and 9-year-old Brailey Blackmer’s father. Harshman’s daughters were identified as Brooke and Jordan.
The four kids were reportedly home from school that day because they had the flu.
Cliff Harshman told Cowboy State Daily, "As angry as I may be with her, I still love her — and I still lost her as well."
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Help Olivia Fight After Tragic Loss - GoFundMeTragic Shooting Incident - Big Horn County Sheriff's OfficeHusband Of Woman In Byron Murder-Suicide Says She Was Depressed, Struggling - Cowboy State DailyWyoming mother allegedly shot her 4 daughters, called 911, and then shot herself - TCNSULLIVAN COUNTY, Tenn. (TCN) -- A judge sentenced a 23-year-old woman to life in prison after she was convicted of killing her toddler daughter, leaving her body in a trash can, and covering her remains with foil.
Sullivan County court records show a jury convicted Megan Boswell of three counts of first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated child abuse, one count of tampering with evidence, 11 counts of false reports to officer, one count of abuse of corpse, and one count of refuse/neglect to comply death under suspicious circumstances in connection with the death of 15-month-old Evelyn Boswell. WJHL-TV reports Boswell was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole for the murder charges, but she will be sentenced in May for the others.
Evelyn Boswell was reported missing to the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office on Feb. 18, 2020, but family members said she had not been seen since Dec. 26, 2019. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) issued an Amber Alert the next day. On March 6, 2020, TBI detectives executed a warrant at one of Boswell’s family’s properties and discovered the girl’s remains.
TBI Agent Brian Fraley testified at a hearing in September 2022 about how Megan Boswell’s father reached out to the agency and requested they search a shed on his property. WJHL reports Fraley said the father "believed it may have been valuable for us to look in it," and when they did, they discovered the toddler’s remains in a trash can behind a playhouse.
Evelyn Boswell was placed in a trash bags and blankets underneath additional layers of bags.
The Tennessee Lookout reports forensic pathologist Dr. Darinka Mileusnic-Polchan described Evelyn Boswell as being "tightly wound" in a blanket and wrapped in aluminum foil. Mileusnic-Polchan said Evelyn Boswell was "sort of compressed in the can" and her facial features were "pretty much flattened."
Boswell reportedly claimed she was co-sleeping with her daughter and her boyfriend, and when they woke up, Evelyn Boswell was unresponsive.
The girl’s cause of death was listed as asphyxiation.
TBI Director David Rausch said in a statement following Boswell’s verdict, "Five years ago, we began working alongside the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI, and the Office of the 2nd Judicial District Attorney General to pursue justice for Baby Evelyn. Today, justice was finally served. Every single person who worked on this case should be commended. It was both challenging and heartbreaking, but they never wavered from their mission to ensure the person responsible for Evelyn’s death was held accountable."
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State of Tennessee vs Megan BoswellJury hands Megan Boswell life sentence after guilty verdict - WJHLMissing toddler was reportedly wrapped in blanket and tinfoil, placed upside-down in trash can, 9/27/2022 - TCNMom pleads not guilty to killing daughter who was suffocated by foil, placed upside-down in trash, 6/21/2024 - TCNAMBER Alert: Evelyn Mae Boswell, 2/22/2020 - Tennessee Bureau of InvestigationTBI agent describes finding Evelyn Boswell’s body, 9/23/2022 - WJHLTestimony reveals Sullivan County toddler died after being placed in trash can, 9/23/2022 - Tennessee LookoutBENSALEM, Pa. (TCN) -- A 21-year-old man faces multiple charges of attempted homicide and arson for allegedly driving from Michigan to Pennsylvania and lighting a house on fire because his ex-girlfriend was supposed to go on a date with the resident.
On Feb. 10 at 5:22 a.m., Bensalem Police Department officers and the Bensalem Volunteer Fire Department responded to a house fire on Merganser Way and made contact with six people who evacuated the home, some of whom reportedly needed to jump out of a second-story window. Bensalem Police said two dogs died as a result of the fire, which caused a "total loss" of the home. The six residents were taken to a hospital for treatment.
Investigators determined that the fire "appeared to be intentionally set and incendiary in nature." Video footage reportedly showed a black Volkswagen Passat drive by the home at 5:01 a.m., and a man got out of the car and walked to the home. About 15 minutes later, he was reportedly seen running back to his car. At the same time, smoke "could be seen billowing up from the rear yard of the home, and within 30 seconds, a large explosion was observed, and the house became engulfed in flames."
Investigators initially only had a blurry image from a neighbor’s surveillance system, but they managed to track the vehicle and its owner to a residence in Michigan. One of the victims, a 21-year-old male, told police that he had been talking to a woman online who lived in Michigan. They reportedly made plans for her to travel to Bensalem to meet for the first time. The woman’s ex-boyfriend, Harrison Jones, lives at the same address as the owner of the Volkswagen.
Bensalem Police worked with the Kent County Sheriff’s Office in Michigan, who obtained a search warrant for Jones' house. Detectives located lock-picking devices, a phone, and a computer. Jones reportedly had burn marks on his skin as well.
Deputies took him into custody, and the Bensalem Police Department issued an arrest warrant for six counts of attempted criminal homicide, six counts of recklessly endangering another person, four counts of arson, one count of reckless burning or exploding, one count of criminal mischief, and one count of possession an instrument of crime with intent.
Bensalem Police allege Jones traveled over 700 miles and 11 hours in each direction "to commit crimes that nearly cost six people their lives."
Jones is still awaiting extradition from Michigan to Pennsylvania.
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Arson Arrest - 6 Counts of Attempted Homicide - Bensalem Police DepartmentCommonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Harrison JonesBENSALEM, Pa. (TCN) -- A 21-year-old man faces multiple charges of attempted homicide and arson for allegedly driving from Michigan to Pennsylvania and lighting a house on fire because his ex-girlfriend was supposed to go on a date with the resident.
On Feb. 10 at 5:22 a.m., Bensalem Police Department officers and the Bensalem Volunteer Fire Department responded to a house fire on Merganser Way and made contact with six people who evacuated the home, some of whom reportedly needed to jump out of a second-story window. Bensalem Police said two dogs died as a result of the fire, which caused a "total loss" of the home. The six residents were taken to a hospital for treatment.
Investigators determined that the fire "appeared to be intentionally set and incendiary in nature." Video footage reportedly showed a black Volkswagen Passat drive by the home at 5:01 a.m., and a man got out of the car and walked to the home. About 15 minutes later, he was reportedly seen running back to his car. At the same time, smoke "could be seen billowing up from the rear yard of the home, and within 30 seconds, a large explosion was observed, and the house became engulfed in flames."
Investigators initially only had a blurry image from a neighbor’s surveillance system, but they managed to track the vehicle and its owner to a residence in Michigan. One of the victims, a 21-year-old male, told police that he had been talking to a woman online who lived in Michigan. They reportedly made plans for her to travel to Bensalem to meet for the first time. The woman’s ex-boyfriend, Harrison Jones, lives at the same address as the owner of the Volkswagen.
Bensalem Police worked with the Kent County Sheriff’s Office in Michigan, who obtained a search warrant for Jones' house. Detectives located lock-picking devices, a phone, and a computer. Jones reportedly had burn marks on his skin as well.
Deputies took him into custody, and the Bensalem Police Department issued an arrest warrant for six counts of attempted criminal homicide, six counts of recklessly endangering another person, four counts of arson, one count of reckless burning or exploding, one count of criminal mischief, and one count of possession an instrument of crime with intent.
Bensalem Police allege Jones traveled over 700 miles and 11 hours in each direction "to commit crimes that nearly cost six people their lives."
Jones is still awaiting extradition from Michigan to Pennsylvania.
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Arson Arrest - 6 Counts of Attempted Homicide - Bensalem Police DepartmentCommonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Harrison JonesTrue Crime News Safety Deals: Personal Travel Safety Bundle | Wedge Alarm + AccuFire 2
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