In 2024, The Root reported on tons of crimes ranging from small town horrors to nationally covered celebrity cases. Lawsuits, murders, suspected lynchings – you name it, we covered it.
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However, there are always a few stories from the typical daily feed that make you go, “Wait a minute, what?!” This year, we saw plenty of those peculiar cases that probably make even police officers furrow their brow whether it was a few homeowners accidentally finding the corpse of a missing man or a woman getting caught for hiding her baby in the freezer. Yes, these stories are that weird.
Keep scrolling to read up our roundup of some of the craziest crimes of 2024.
P. Diddy’s Sex Crime Case
On Monday, Sept. 16, the 55-year-old rap mogul was arrested in Manhattan by federal authorities, six months after they raided his two homes in Los Angeles and Miami – where they found thousands of bottles of baby oil (???). His indictment was unsealed the following morning, revealing charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and engaging in interstate transportation for prostitution. The allegations against Combs include sexual abuse, physical abuse, bribery and various drug offenses.
The most notable claims stem from his so-called “freak off” sex parties, where prosecutors allege women and men were drugged and forced to perform sexual acts at Combs’ pleasure. He was also accused of using video footage to blackmail the victims into compliance.
In addition to the charges, he faces a growing pile of lawsuits alleging similar offenses. While many of the suits since 2023 have been civil, this federal case has Combs facing criminal charges. He has pleaded not guilty, and was denied bail. His trial is scheduled for May 2025.
Tragic Death of Reality TV Star
Former reality TV star Tshey Bennett was last seen in Pensacola, Florida. Shortly after she was reported missing, her body was found was found 50 miles away in a pond in a random Alabama neighborhood, police say. The same day, active duty Marine Willie Ellington was arrested in connection to her death after police received a tip to his location at a local bus stop.
Ellington was charged with first degree murder as well as possession of child pornography.
Walmart Prank Gone Wrong
Charles Smith was caught on social media spraying a can of bed bug killer on fresh produce at a Walmart in Arizona, Mesa Police said. He even filmed himself in the act as if it was a funny prank. However, things got serious once he was forced to turn himself in. Smith was charged with introducing poison, criminal damage, endangerment, and theft.
Couple’s Argument Goes Left
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office said 18-year-old Zoe Cooper and 19-year-old Tadarius Massey were in an argument at Cooper’s home on the westside of the county just around Thanksgiving. Investigators say Cooper was upset after being denied access to Massey’s phone. Police say in the end, Massey was stabbed multiple times.
Police say he died after suffering a stab wound that struck his heart. He also had two healed stab wounds on his shoulder, the report says. After Massey died, Cooper was arrested for second-degree murder in connection to his death.
TV Star Turn Murder Suspect
On July 20, deputies from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office responded to a shooting that happened in the parking lot of an apartment complex at 13503 North Thorntree in Eats Harris County. There, they found 20-year-old Cesar Peralta with several gunshot wounds, police said he was pronounced dead on the scene and the suspects fled.
Sheriff Ed Gonzalez stated upon the investigation, 21-year-old Akili McDowell was arrested as one of the people involved in the shooting. He’s best known at the moment for his role in a Tarell Alvin McCraney-written drama series on OWN as well as ‘Billions.’ He was booked August 2 in the Harris County Jail on a $400,000 bond for a murder charge. According to jail records, he was charged on August 1 with theft for a bounty worth anywhere between $100 and $750.
Fatal Video Game Tantrum
On Nov. 5, a Milwaukee woman called 911 to report she came home noticing her child appeared seriously unwell. She told officers one of her son’s arms was twitching, his hands were turning different colors and one of his eyes was swollen shut, per CBS 58. Paramedics rushed the infant to Children’s Wisconsin Hospital where doctors discovered the baby suffered a large skull fracture and brain injury.
Police interrogated the baby’s father, 20-year-old Jalin White, given he was home with the child when he was found. After being given multiple versions of the story, investigators determined White was down 2 points int he fourth quarter of his NBA 2k video game when he got frustrated holding the infant and threw the babe against the wall.
White was charged with felony child abuse and neglecting a child. If his child passes, prosecutors say his charges may increase to homicide.
Nearly Fatal Sex on the Beach Scheme
Volusia County Sheriff’s deputies encountered the victim around 8:30 p.m. the night of October 30 by Ocean Shore Boulevard in Ormond by the Sea. Authorities said the man appeared “frantic” as he flagged down the police and was bleeding heavily from his leg and other areas of his body. Police said the man explained he was attacked by a woman and another man while on the beach.
Police later identified the woman as 18-year-old Alana Cagle. She allegedly agreed to meet with the victim at the beach where she promised to tie him up and have sex with him, according to an affidavit obtained by Law&Crime. Police said Cagle sat five feet away from the man, took out a yellow rope from her bag and begin binding him, authorities said. However, suddenly, the victim spotted another man approaching them: 24-year-old Wayne Streeter. Police said Streeter allegedly tackled the man and choked him while Cagle punched the man in the face. Authorities said the woman then pulled out a hatchet and struck the victim all over his body, the report says.
The victim survived. However, the dup was slammed with charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.
Mother Hides Child’s Corpse
Authorities from the Detroit Police Department say an anonymous tip made to Child Protectives Services in June 2022 led them to search the home of 33-year-old Azuradee France. Authorities say they discovered the remains of a 3-year-old boy located in a freezer in the basement. During an interview with France, Detroit Police Chief James White said she admitted the remains were that of her son, Chayse, and explained how he ended up there.
Investigators said France admitted she was angry with her child because he wouldn’t eat. She told the detective she whipped him a belt and eventually kicked him in the chest. He then went to lay down but when she went to check on him the following morning, she told police he was unresponsive.
The mother pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. The other charges of first-degree child abuse, torture and concealing a death were dismissed, per The Detroit News.
NY Pulls Up on Stabbing Suspect
The NYPD alleges 30-year-old Shaquan Cummings slashed an 11-year-old girl near her ear by the Lexington and 116th Ave subway station Friday afternoon. The girl’s mother told The New York Post that her daughter felt something on the back of her head when the two turned around and saw Cummings with a box cutter.
Witnesses told The Post it looked like her head had been sliced in half. The girl’s mother told reporters she tried to chase Cummings down but he fled into the subway and the train took off. When the NYPD located Cummings, he was met with an angry mob of Harlem residents who wanted to take justice into their own hands, according to a viral video that’s circulated on social media.
About half a dozen NYPD cops had to keep the crowd from mangling him. Authorities charged him with assault, criminal possession of a weapon and endangering the welfare of a child.
Zombie-Looking Suspect Snatches Child
On the afternoon of April 19, a phone call alert went out from Black Forest Hill Elementary school officials to parents that reported an unidentified man had walked onto school property, “engaged” with students and left, per CBS News. In response to the incident, the school cut recess short and parents were also given the option to pick their children up from from school early as school security and local police investigated.
Aurora police identified 33-year-old Solomon Galligan as the mysterious individual who walked onto school grounds. They said he approached several children before investigating police said he “attempted to grab a young boy,” and then eventually left the area. Galligan, who was previously registered as a sex offender, was charged with second-degree kidnapping.
Disappearance and Alleged Dismembering of Sade Robinson
A series of body parts mysteriously found floating along the shores of Lake Michigan were determined to belong to 19-year-old Sade Robinson, a Black girl who was allegedly killed and butchered by 33-year-old Maxwell Anderson, whom she had gone on a date with in April, per NBC News.
Authorities launched a sonar detection boat to search the lake for anything else that may connect to Robinson Other evidence suggests foul play on Anderson’s part, including blood stains in his bedroom on his sheets and walls leading to the basement. Police also said they found several gasoline containers in his garage which may have been connected to her charred vehicle found near the lake.
Anderson was charged with first-degree intentional homicide, mutilating a corpse and arson.
Innocent Uber Driver Gunned Down
On the morning of March 25, 61-year-old Lo-Letha Hall arrived at a home on South Charleston-Clifton Rd. to pick up a package for delivery as a part of her Uber job, according to the Clark County, Ohio Sheriff’s Office. Dash camera footage shows her approaching the front door but seconds later, retreating toward her car while 81-year-old William Brock followed her closely with a handgun and eventually shot her.
The sheriff’s office said Brock received a threatening scam call that morning. Brock told investigators he received a notification from the contact or possible accomplice that said they’d be coming to his home to pick up a package.
Hall succumbed to her injuries later during surgery. Police said only after he shot Hall did Brock call the police to report the incident. He was charged with murder.
8-Year-Old Boy Drives Drunken Mother Home
St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department said in a statement around 4 a.m. Monday morning, 8-year-old Latonya Mayes-Gale’s child was seen driving a car in the wrong direction of traffic driving near the corner of 4th and Walnut Street. Police documents say the boy took control of the wheel when Mayes-Gale couldn’t drive because she was too drunk to drive herself. A nearby security officer got the boy to stop the car and then contacted the police.
Officers found Mayes-Gale passed out cold in the back of the vehicle with her second child, a 3-year-old, who rode in the car without a carseat. The investigation confirmed Mayes-Gale was under the influence of alcohol which led her to ask her child to finish driving her and his sibling the rest of the way home. It’s unclear how far they were from their destination.
Mayes-Gale was charged with two counts of felony child endangerment.
Eclipse Hysteria Gone Wayyy Too Far
Police said in the early hours of Monday morning, the 34-year-old mother of two got in an argument with 29-year-old Jaelen Chaney, a man whom she lived with, and attacked him with a knife around 3:30 a.m. Chaney succumbed to his injuries on the scene.
Around 4:30 a.m., the SUV was located driving down the Freeway when the two children were “expelled” from the vehicle while it was moving. They were found alongside the highway near Howard Hughes Parkway. The 9-year-old girl sustained moderate injuries from the fall and was transferred to the hospital. However, the infant did not survive the incident. Johnson then continued down the highway in her vehicle at 100 miles per hour through Redondo Beach when she crashed into a tree, police said.
According to her social media, her actions were a result of serious hysteria revolving around the October eclipse.
“WAKE UP! THE APOCALYPSE IS HERE,” she wrote days before the incident.
Corpse Found in Homeowner’s Yard
Deputies from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office responded to a home in Magnolia Gardens. The homeowner told CBS 47 News the residence had been under renovation for about three weeks after the departure of one renter and a few squatters. While attempting to make the home presentable for the market again, the homeowner noticed something that didn’t seem to belong there: decayed toes from a human foot sticking out of the ground.
The homeowner said he immediately called 911. When the police dug into the ground they discovered the body of a young Black man. The police identified him as 23-year-old Sabeion Dowell, who went missing in February.
Results from the autopsy are still pending from the Medical Examiner’s Office. It remains unclear how Dowell ended up buried in the backyard of someone else’s home.
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