True Crime News Roundup: Pregnant Woman Fatally Shot Two Weeks Before Her Due Date

Plus: Brian Laundrie’s father joins the search for his fugitive son; a group of investigators believe they’ve identified the Zodiac Killer; and a convicted con man on the run for decades is possibly spotted at a Dodgers game.

October 08, 2021
Felicia Jones

Felicia Jones

Felicia Jones

Photo by: Dawn White/First Coast News via Twitter

Dawn White/First Coast News via Twitter

Felicia Jones

By: Aaron Rasmussen

A pregnant woman in Florida is found shot to death in a park.

An expectant mother in Florida weeks away from her due date was fatally shot, and her unborn baby’s father is now accused of murder. On Sept. 25, a person out for an early morning walk in Riverview Park in Jacksonville discovered the body of 21-year-old Felicia Jones. Authorities later identified Reginald Perry, Jr., 19, as a suspect and he turned himself in. “Perry was subsequently arrested for two counts of murder for his involvement in the shooting death of the victim and for the unborn child she was carrying,” the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said. A GoFundMe set up by Jones’ aunt states the death of her niece and unborn nephew, who was to be named Ma’kailand, was a “major loss” for loved ones. “This is an unexpected tragedy for our family and can’t believe we lost Felicia and her unborn child,” the page reads. “He was set to be here in just two weeks.”

Brian Laundrie’s father joins the search for the fugitive in Florida.

The manhunt continues for Brian Laundrie, who authorities have named a person of interest in connection to the death of Gabby Petito in Wyoming. Laundrie, 23, vanished on Sept. 13 — two days after his 22-year-old fiancée was reported missing and 11 days after he returned to Florida alone from the couple’s cross-country road trip. According to People, authorities now refute a report that police found remnants of a recently abandoned campsite in Carlton Reserve, the nearly 25,000-acre wildlife area in Sarasota County Laundrie reportedly headed to before he vanished. In a development in the case, the fugitive’s father was recently actively involved in trying to locate his son. “Chris Laundrie is assisting Law Enforcement today in the search for Brian,” family attorney Steven Bertolino said in a statement. “Chris was asked to point out any favorite trails or spots that Brian may have used in the preserve.” According to Bertolino, “the preserve has been closed to the public and the Laundries as well, but the parents have been cooperating since the search began” and officials now think “that on-site assistance may be better.”

Could the mystery of the Zodiac serial killer’s identity finally be solved?

A group of over 40 former investigators who have formed an independent cold case national task force believe they have figured out the identity of the Zodiac Killer, the infamous murderer who slayed multiple victims over 50 years ago in Northern California. Known as The Case Breakers, the group identified Gary Francis Poste as the Zodiac Killer, citing new forensic and photographic evidence as well as observations including scars on Poste’s forehead that are a match with those on a sketch of the serial killer. Poste died in 2018. “We are unable to speak to potential suspects as this is still an open investigation,” the San Francisco Police Department told CNN of The Case Breakers’ claims. The Zodiac Killer is connected to the murders of at least five people between 1968 and 1969. He taunted police and media with letters and ciphers for years and claimed he took the lives of dozens more victims than were linked to him.

A fugitive on the lam for decades may have been spotted at a baseball game.

A con man on the FBI’s “15 Most Wanted” and on the run for almost 23 years may have attended a Dodger’s baseball game in 2016, according to the U.S. Marshals Service. John Ruffo, who was 33 when he vanished in November 1998, was convicted of a $350 million bank fraud scheme and sentenced to spend 210 months behind bars. He was released on $10 million bail, and the last image of Ruffo was snapped at an ATM in New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport the day he was set to go to prison in New Jersey. Almost 18 years later, in September 2016, authorities received a tip that Ruffo, who would now be 66, was just at a Dodgers vs. Red Sox game in Los Angeles on Aug. 5 of that year. Investigators believe a person wearing a blue shirt that was spotted in Section 1 Dugout Club, Row EE, Seat 10, strongly resembles Ruffo, KNBC reported. While they know who purchased the seat’s ticket, officials haven’t identified the man seen in video from the game. The U.S. Marshals Service is now asking for the public’s help naming the person in video stills released on Oct. 5. There is up to a $25,000 reward for information leading to Ruffo’s arrest. “He is known to be computer savvy and enjoys fine wines, gambling, and nice hotels. He is reportedly lactose-intolerant,” the U.S. Marshals Service said. “Ruffo was known to be a storyteller, someone who liked to stretch the truth, and had a desire to impress others. He has been called a master manipulator.”

Husband of murdered Instagram star kills himself when authorities attempt to arrest him.

Last November, Instagram influencer Alexis Sharkey was discovered nude and strangled to death on the side of a road outside Houston, Texas. After a lengthy investigation, authorities formally named the 26-year-old victim’s husband, Tom Sharkey, 50, a suspect in her murder and issued a warrant for his arrest. On Oct. 6, U.S. Marshals located Sharkey at his daughter’s home in Fort Myers, Florida. When authorities entered the residence, television station KHOU reported, Sharkey ran upstairs and fatally shot himself in the head. “The investigation determined that Thomas Sharkey, her husband, is the only person who had the means, motive and opportunity to have committed the murder,” police said.

Next Up

True Crime News Roundup: Gabby Petito’s Body Found, Boyfriend Remains Missing

A 16-year-old boy pleads guilty to murdering NYC college student Tessa Majors; Britney Spears gets closer to ending her conservatorship; and the Elizabeth Holmes federal Theranos fraud trial continues.

True Crime News Roundup: 1964 Cold Case Rape And Murder Of 9-Year-Old Girl Solved, Police Say

Plus: Navarro Cheer star accepts plea deal; and Parkland killer claims he has multiple personalities.

Convicted Killer Robert Durst Faces Murder Trial In Connection To His Wife’s 1982 Disappearance

One-time Manhattan real estate heir Robert Durst was found guilty in California of the first-degree murder of his best friend and confidante, Susan Berman.

True Crime News Roundup: ‘Considerable Doubt’ Remains In Emmett Till Murder Case Despite DOJ Closing File

Plus: The body of a missing Florida woman is found near her boyfriend’s home; Scott Peterson is resentenced for his wife Laci Peterson’s 2002 murder; and former Empire actor Jussie Smollett found guilty for falsely reporting a hate crime.

True Crime News Roundup: Nurse Attacked At Bus Stop Dies In L.A. Hospital Where She Worked For Nearly 4 Decades

Plus: Police arrest the alleged killer of a furniture store employee; a gunman holds four people hostage at a Texas synagogue; the last of three NYC teens is sentenced for an 18-year-old student’s stabbing death; and Miami rapper Wavy Navy Pooh is murdered in a drive-by shooting.

True Crime News Roundup: Father Fatally Shoots Ex-Football Player Son During Dog Bite Argument

Plus: The remains of Wisconsin mother Ashley Carlson were found in Minnesota; An arrest has been made in connection to the deadly home invasion of music legend Clarence Avant’s California home; and a Las Vegas college student died from injuries he sustained during a “school-sanctioned amateur fight.”

True Crime News Roundup: Inquiry Into Death Of Woman Found Dead After Bumble Date Now An Active Investigation, Police Say

Plus: A Chicago teacher and her state trooper husband are found dead in a car; the search continues for the killer of a teenager whose body was dumped near a Los Angeles freeway; Cardi B wins her defamation lawsuit against a YouTube vlogger; and a California court grants Apple CEO Tim Cook a restraining order after he’s allegedly targeted by a stalker.

True Crime News Roundup: George Floyd’s 4-Year-Old Grandniece Shot While Sleeping In Bed

Plus: Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes is found guilty of fraud; investigators crack the 1995 cold case murder of a Georgia schoolgirl; police name a suspect in the shooting death of Memphis rapper Young Dolph; and a judge overturns a Pennsylvania man’s murder conviction after 37 years.

True Crime News Roundup: Florida Toddler Shoots Mom Dead, Dad Arrested For Manslaughter

Plus: Gabby Petito’s autopsy results are revealed; the search for a missing woman turns up human remains in the California desert; the rapper Tyga is accused of felony domestic violence in L.A.; and an Indiana cop allegedly kicks a handcuffed man in the head.

True Crime News Roundup: Arrest Made In Fatal Shooting Of A Military Mother Visiting Her Son’s Grave

Plus: Woman accused of using kiss to pass drugs to inmate boyfriend who overdosed; authorities limit search for California teen who went missing after graduation party; Salman Rushdie attacker pleads not guilty; and ex-cop in Kansas suspected of 10-year sex-assault spree, police say.