Real Crime Stories | Domestic Violence Case Archive

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A memorial case file anchored in the verified record

Resolved case Riceboro, Georgia • 2022-11-23

Mindi Kassotis

In November 2022, Nicholas James Kassotis, a former Navy Judge Advocate General (JAG) officer, murdered and dismemberment-disposed his 40-year-old wife, Mindi Mebane Kassotis, in their Savannah, Georgia home. In early December 2022, hunters found Mindi's dismembered remains scattered across timberland in Riceboro, Georgia, spanning Liberty and McIntosh Counties. She remained an unidentified "Jane Doe" for five months. During this time, Nicholas told Mindi's family and friends she had died of a sudden stroke at a hospital and was cremated, avoiding any memorial services. Meanwhile, Nicholas fled to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where he adopted the alias "Nicholas Killian James Stark" and married a horror writer, Samantha Kolesnik, in April 2023. Investigators identified Mindi's remains in May 2023 through genetic genealogy DNA testing and a crucial tip from Nicholas's first wife, Heather Thomas, who recognized Mindi's composite sketch. Nicholas was arrested on May 12, 2023, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. During his trial in August 2025, Nicholas claimed he and Mindi were fleeing from a mysterious figure named "Jim McIntyre" who controlled their lives, but the judge dismissed this as a fictional construct. On August 14, 2025, a jury found Nicholas guilty on all 12 counts, including malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and tampering with evidence. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole, plus an additional 25 years.

Why this case matters

This case shows how far a dangerous person will go to hide what they did and keep controlling everything. It is heartbreaking that Mindi’s family could not even say goodbye because they were told a massive lie about her dying in a hospital. No family should ever have to go through the pain of finding out their loved one was murdered months after they were told she died of natural causes.

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Ongoing case

Jefferson City, Missouri • 2026-02-23

Kevaughn Jermaine Goldson

Kevaughn Jermaine Goldson, 23, a Lincoln University student-athlete from Jamaica, died after being stabbed during a domestic dispute at an off-campus home in Jefferson City, Missouri, on February 23, 2026. Police arrested Denita Atiyah Jackson, 27, Goldson's girlfriend and a fellow university sprinter, after she called 911. Investigators say Jackson described a volatile, yearslong relationship marked by domestic violence before the fatal encounter. Court records allege Goldson was stabbed in the back and chest during a struggle inside a roommate's bedroom. Jackson has been charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action, is being held without bond in Cole County, and is also subject to a federal immigration detainer.

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Ongoing case

San Diego, California • 2026-05-30

Jariah Edwards

On May 30, 2026, 17-year-old Jariah Edwards of Phoenix, Arizona, was vacationing with her family at an Airbnb on Gardena Avenue in San Diego, California. Edwards, who was 32 weeks pregnant, was attempting to separate from her ex-boyfriend, 21-year-old Trevon Williams. She had blocked his phone number, and her family was actively preparing to file a restraining order against him due to a history of domestic violence. Williams allegedly tracked Edwards to San Diego, took a Lyft from Phoenix to the vacation home, and had the driver drop him off down the street to remain unseen. He then used the DoorDash app to send flowers to the house. When Edwards retrieved them with a family member, Williams did not act. He then placed a second DoorDash order for a vase, and when Edwards went outside alone to pick it up, Williams emerged and shot her in the head. Williams fled the scene and was arrested by police about two hours later near September Street with the firearm in his possession. Edwards died from her injuries, but doctors delivered her baby girl, Riyary Edwards, through an emergency C-section. Riyary suffered severe brain damage from a lack of oxygen during the shooting and passed away in the hospital on June 7, 2026. Williams has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder of a fetus, and carrying an illegal extended magazine. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and is being held without bail.

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Memorial case

Port St. Lucie, Florida • 2026-05-11

Ketsy Alexis

Ketsy Alexis, 30, was found shot to death inside her Port St. Lucie, Florida home on May 12, 2026, alongside her husband, Jimsley Estime, 31, in what police are investigating as a domestic violence murder-suicide. Detectives said the couple had been married about seven years and were in the process of divorcing. Investigators also documented prior domestic incidents, including an earlier Port St. Lucie Police case involving alleged written threats to kill. Estime was arrested on a warrant on January 26, 2026, and Alexis later filed a non-prosecution affidavit asking that the case not move forward. The couple's 6-year-old child returned home from school, found two younger siblings distressed inside the house, and then discovered both parents dead in the kitchen before alerting a family member who called 911.

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Memorial case

Houston, Texas • 2026-05-04

Thy Mitchell

Thy Mitchell, 39, was killed alongside her children, Maya, 8, and Max, 4, inside the family's River Oaks home in Houston, Texas, on May 4, 2026. Houston police identified Thy's husband, Matthew Mitchell, 52, as the suspect and said he was found dead at the scene from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Investigators believe Matthew Mitchell fatally shot his wife and children before taking his own life. The deaths shocked Houston's business and restaurant community, where the family was widely known through Traveler's Table and Traveler's Cart.

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Memorial case

Hanford, California • 2026-05-03

Adrian Valdovinos

On May 3, 2026, 25 year old Adrian Valdovinos was shot and killed in a murder-suicide at a residence in Hanford, California. The suspect, 33-year old Vincent Diaz, forced entry into a home on University Avenue where his ex-wife and Valdovinos were located. Following a 911 call reporting an argument and shots fired, police arrived to find Valdovinos deceased in a bedroom and Diaz dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Records indicate that the suspect's ex-wife had gotten a restraining order in March 2026 following their separation the previous year.

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Ongoing case

Covington, Washington • 2026-05-01

Jodi Cathcart

On the morning of May 5, 2026, in Covington, Washington, Kyle Cathcart called 911 claiming an intruder had broken into his home and stabbed him and his wife, Jodi Cathcart. Responding deputies found Jodi deceased in a bedroom from dozens of stab wounds. Investigations, including Ring camera footage that showed no one entering the home, led police to doubt Kyle’s story. Kyle eventually confessed to stabbing his wife while wearing her clothes to stage a robbery. He cited overwhelming pressure from job loss and a long-running lie about a non-existent $6 million lawsuit settlement as the stressors that led to the incident.

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What we document

Fatality case files built from memorial storytelling and the record trail left behind

Domestic violence fatalities

The archive centers victims whose deaths are tied to intimate partner violence, coercive control, stalking, separation, or documented domestic abuse patterns.

Warning signs and escalation

Each case can show how threats, prior police contact, protection orders, stalking, or isolation appeared before the fatal incident.

Court and public records

Court filings, police reports, dispatch logs, body-camera records, and other public documents help separate what is confirmed from what is still unresolved.

Timelines and aftermath

We track what happened before, during, and after the homicide so families and readers can see the documented sequence more clearly.

Memorial storytelling

The reporting aims to preserve the victim’s life, voice, and significance rather than reducing the case to a headline or spectacle.

Why it matters

Education, warning signs, system failures, and remembrance belong in the same frame

What readers can learn

These case files are meant to help readers recognize how violence escalates, how institutions respond, and what the public record reveals after a life is lost.

Where systems failed

Many cases raise difficult questions about prior reports, missed interventions, protection order enforcement, charging decisions, or gaps in emergency response.

Why remembrance matters

A memorial-centered archive helps keep victims visible as people with families, histories, and communities, not just subjects of a crime brief.

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Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee • Trial underway (opened June 23, 2026)

TN v. Blaise Taylor

Jury trial underway. Taylor has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and felony murder charges tied to the deaths of Jade Benning and her unborn daughter. · A poisoning case built around disputed intent, forensic toxicology, the victim's final statements, and whether prosecutors can prove homicide rather than accidental or voluntary drug ingestion.

Prosecutors allege former football staffer Blaise Taylor poisoned his pregnant girlfriend, Jade Benning, in February 2023, causing both Benning and the baby she was carrying to die. The defense has pushed back on the state's theory and challenged how the cocaine entered Benning's system. The trial has drawn heavy attention because of Taylor's football background, the unborn-child count, and the central fight over medical and forensic proof.

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Miami, Miami-Dade County, Florida • 2026-08-17

State of Florida v. Courtney Clenney

Awaiting trial; defendant is currently held without bond. · The physical escalation of a toxic domestic relationship, defense claims of self-defense, and high-profile domestic abuse directed at a male partner.

Courtney Clenney, a high-profile social media model, is accused of fatally stabbing her boyfriend, Christian Obumseli, inside their luxury high-rise apartment in Miami on April 3, 2022. Clenney has maintained she acted in self-defense, but prosecutors allege a long history of physical abuse, coercive control, and escalation directed at Obumseli.

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Jacksonville Beach, Duval County, Florida • 2026-08-03

State of Florida v. Shanna Gardner & Mario Fernandez Saldana

Awaiting trial; both defendants are held without bond. · Murder-for-hire conspiracy, extreme family court warfare, and institutional abuse where custody battles escalate to coordinated contract killing.

Shanna Gardner and her estranged husband, Mario Fernandez Saldana, are accused of orchestrating a cold-blooded murder-for-hire plot targeting Gardner's ex-husband, Jared Bridegan. Bridegan was ambushed and shot to death in the middle of a road after stopping to move a tire left as a decoy, with his 2-year-old daughter sitting in the back seat of his vehicle.

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The podcast extends the archive into documentary-style episodes built from memorial context, verified facts, and public-record reporting.

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Episode • 2026-06-14

S3E2 Four Minutes | The Murder of Mariah Rosanna Samuels

In August 2025, 34-year-old mother and small business owner Mariah Rosanna Samuels took critical steps to secure her safety by ending her relationship with David Eugene Wright and obtaining an Order for Protection. But...

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Episode • 2026-06-13

S3E1: She Thought It Was Over | The Murders of Spencer & Monique Tepe

Season 3 of Real Crime Stories examines domestic violence homicides through the lives of the victims, the warning signs that preceded the violence, and the investigations that followed.Monique Tepe's marriage to Michael...

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Episode • 2026-05-31

S2E5: The Playbook | Part V: The Jurisdictional Chess Match (Season Finale)

In the multi-state aftermath of an execution, the legal system is forced to confront its darkest technicalities. In the season finale of "The Playbook," Real Crime Stories pulls back the curtain on the extraordinary...

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Editorial mission

Every victim deserves to be remembered with dignity, and every documented warning sign matters.

Real Crime Stories exists to preserve lives, document the public record carefully, and give families, readers, and communities a place to understand what happened without reducing victims to entertainment.