The jury ends its first full day of deliberations in the federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial of Sean Combs without reaching a complete verdict, but they've decided on everything but the RICO charge. Barry Morphew is back in Colorado to face a murder charge in the animal tranquilizer death of his wife, Suzanne, whose remains were found last year after she vanished on Mother’s Day 2020. A Queens, New York man is sentenced to 25 years to life for the 2022 random stabbing murder of a 9/11 first responder. More than a year after three Kansas City Chiefs fans were found dead of an overdose after a watch football party, two men have been charged with murder. Drew Nelson reports.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Crime Alert. I'm Nancy Grays breaking crime news. Now. The
jury deliberates a third day in the Shawncombe sex trafficking trial.
Shout out to Drew Nelson for the latest in the courtroom. Drew,
What's happening, Nancy. The jury ending its first full day
of deliberations in the federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial
without reaching a final verdict, but they're getting closer after
(00:22):
more than twelve hours across two days. Jurors sent a
note to Judge Arun Subermanian late Tuesday saying they had
reached a decision on four counts but remained deadlocked on
the racketeering conspiracy charge. They wrote that they were unanimous
on counts two through five, two sex trafficking charges and
two counts of transporting women for prostitution, but they said
(00:42):
there were quote unpersuadable opinions on both sides about count one.
The judge declined to take a partial verdict and staid
he instructed the panel to keep going. Both the prosecution
and defense supported SUPERMANI and telling them, quote, discuss and
weigh your respective opinions dispatchly. No juror should surrender his
(01:02):
or her conscientious beliefs for the purpose of returning a
unanimous verdict. Combs fifty five, faces life in prison if
convicted of racketeering. The charge requires jurors to find that
he joined a criminal enterprise, committed at least two qualifying crimes,
and that those crimes affected interstate or foreign commerce. Earlier
in the day, jurors sent multiple notes. One asked if
(01:24):
giving someone drugs when they asked for them counted as distribution.
Supermanian answered by pointing to the jury instructions, which said
that quote distribution does not require a sale. The defense objected,
but the judge denied their request to revise the wording.
Jurors also requested part of Cassie Ventura's testimony, including the
twenty sixteen assault at the Intercontinental Hotel in Los Angeles,
(01:48):
the twenty thirteen trip to can and her interactions with
Mael Escort. Daniel Phillip Venturea testifying that Combs beat her,
threatened her, and forced her into sex acts during the
so called freak cous Phillips describing similar events, saying he
was paid to have sex with Ventura while Comb's watched, directed,
and filmed. He said that during one encounter at the
Essex Hotel in New York. He heard venture A crying
(02:10):
and Comb's slapping her. Outside the courthouse, Comb's family members
could be seen coming and going. Supporters were handing out
t shirts that read quote, A freeco is not a
reco Inside the court room, Comb's appearing anxious, at one point,
leaning toward his mother and whispering quote, just relax, It's
going to be all right. Outside of federal court, a
new civil suit has been filed against Comb's A man
(02:33):
accuses him of drugging and raping him at a party
in twenty twenty one. The man claims he drank champagne
at the party and blacked out. When he woke up,
someone was unbuttoning his pants. A voice said, quote, you're
about to get that. Did he love?
Speaker 2 (02:46):
The suit alleged that Combs sexually assaulted him despite his protests.
The jury was dismissed just before five pm. They are
set to return at nine am. If they don't reach
a verdict by the end of the day, court will
recess for the July fourth holiday.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
Thanks Drew. More crime and justice news after this.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
Barry Morfew is back in Colorado to face a murder
charge in the death of his wife, Suzanne, whose remains
were found last year after she'd vanished Mother's Day of
twenty twenty. He was arrested in Arizona. A hearing was
set for today. Suzanne disappeared after reportedly going for a
bike ride. Her bike later found down a ravine. Barry
suggested she may have been kidnapped, but friends told police
(03:29):
the couple was having trouble and that Suzanne may have
had a boyfriend in another state. A drug used to
sedate large animals was found in her system. Records showed
that Barry, as a big game hunter, was one of
the only individuals not a veterinarian to have access to
the drug. New information in the case of fourteen year
old Emily Pike the Pinal County Medical Examiners as her
(03:51):
autopsy indicates she died from blunt force trauma to the
head before her body was dismembered and dumped in garbage
bags along a remote stretch of Highway Sixtyth, Arizona. The
full report remained sealed. Emily was a member of the
San Carlos Apache tribe. She vanished January twenty seventh of
twenty twenty four after slipping out a window of a
group home in Mesa on February fourteenth. Workers found her
(04:13):
remains north of Globe, nearly one hundred miles from where
she was last seen. Her torso and head were inside
one bag, her legs were inside another. Her arms and
hands have never been recovered. A Queen's New York man
is sentenced to twenty five years to life for the
twenty twenty two stabbing murder of FDN y EMS Captain
Allison Russo, who was a nine to eleven first responder.
(04:35):
A jury found Peter Zasopolis guilty of second degree murder
and weapons charges. Russo, aged sixty one, was in uniform
and on duty in Astoria when she stepped out of
her station house to grab some lunch. Zazopolis rushed her,
shoved her to the ground, and stabbed her twenty times.
She died at Mount Sinai. Queen's surveillance footage captured the stabbing.
A bloody knife was found in Zazopola's pocket. DNA on
(04:58):
the weapon matched both him and Russo. Russo was posthumously
promoted to captain. She had served twenty four years and
helped with recovery efforts after the nine to eleven attacks,
A section of forty second Street is now named Captain
Allison Russo Way. More than a year after three Kansas
City Chiefs fans were found dead of an overdose in
the backyard of a home after a football watch party,
(05:20):
two men have been charged with murder. Jordan Willis and
co defendant Ivory Blade Carson now faced three counts of
second degree felony murder and one count of drug distribution.
The victims, Clayton mcguiney thirty six, David Harrington thirty seven,
and Ricky Johnson thirty eight, were found dead in Willis's
backyard on January ninth of twenty twenty four. They had
(05:41):
gathered at his home to watch the Chiefs play The
Chargers January seventh. Family members were understandably worried when they
did not come home. Mcguinea's fiance found their bodies two
days later. A medical examiner ruled all three died from
a mix of fentil and cocaine. Prosecutors say Willis supplied
some and Carson supplied more in the days leading up
(06:01):
to the deaths. Under Missouri law, someone can face murder
charges if a death happens during a felony crime like
drug dealing, even if there was no intent to kill.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
Thanks Drew for the latest crime in justice. To use,
go to crimeonline dot com and please join us for
our daily podcast, Crime Stories, where we do our best
to find missing people, especially children, and help solve unsolved homicides.
With this crime alart, i'm esy Grace,
Crime Alert. I'm Nancy Grays breaking crime news. Now. The
jury deliberates a third day in the Shawncombe sex trafficking trial.
Shout out to Drew Nelson for the latest in the courtroom. Drew,
What's happening, Nancy. The jury ending its first full day
of deliberations in the federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial
without reaching a final verdict, but they're getting closer after
(00:22):
more than twelve hours across two days. Jurors sent a
note to Judge Arun Subermanian late Tuesday saying they had
reached a decision on four counts but remained deadlocked on
the racketeering conspiracy charge. They wrote that they were unanimous
on counts two through five, two sex trafficking charges and
two counts of transporting women for prostitution, but they said
(00:42):
there were quote unpersuadable opinions on both sides about count one.
The judge declined to take a partial verdict and staid
he instructed the panel to keep going. Both the prosecution
and defense supported SUPERMANI and telling them, quote, discuss and
weigh your respective opinions dispatchly. No juror should surrender his
(01:02):
or her conscientious beliefs for the purpose of returning a
unanimous verdict. Combs fifty five, faces life in prison if
convicted of racketeering. The charge requires jurors to find that
he joined a criminal enterprise, committed at least two qualifying crimes,
and that those crimes affected interstate or foreign commerce. Earlier
in the day, jurors sent multiple notes. One asked if
(01:24):
giving someone drugs when they asked for them counted as distribution.
Supermanian answered by pointing to the jury instructions, which said
that quote distribution does not require a sale. The defense objected,
but the judge denied their request to revise the wording.
Jurors also requested part of Cassie Ventura's testimony, including the
twenty sixteen assault at the Intercontinental Hotel in Los Angeles,
(01:48):
the twenty thirteen trip to can and her interactions with
Mael Escort. Daniel Phillip Venturea testifying that Combs beat her,
threatened her, and forced her into sex acts during the
so called freak cous Phillips describing similar events, saying he
was paid to have sex with Ventura while Comb's watched, directed,
and filmed. He said that during one encounter at the
Essex Hotel in New York. He heard venture A crying
(02:10):
and Comb's slapping her. Outside the courthouse, Comb's family members
could be seen coming and going. Supporters were handing out
t shirts that read quote, A freeco is not a
reco Inside the court room, Comb's appearing anxious, at one point,
leaning toward his mother and whispering quote, just relax, It's
going to be all right. Outside of federal court, a
new civil suit has been filed against Comb's A man
(02:33):
accuses him of drugging and raping him at a party
in twenty twenty one. The man claims he drank champagne
at the party and blacked out. When he woke up,
someone was unbuttoning his pants. A voice said, quote, you're
about to get that. Did he love?
Speaker 2 (02:46):
The suit alleged that Combs sexually assaulted him despite his protests.
The jury was dismissed just before five pm. They are
set to return at nine am. If they don't reach
a verdict by the end of the day, court will
recess for the July fourth holiday.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
Thanks Drew. More crime and justice news after this.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
Barry Morfew is back in Colorado to face a murder
charge in the death of his wife, Suzanne, whose remains
were found last year after she'd vanished Mother's Day of
twenty twenty. He was arrested in Arizona. A hearing was
set for today. Suzanne disappeared after reportedly going for a
bike ride. Her bike later found down a ravine. Barry
suggested she may have been kidnapped, but friends told police
(03:29):
the couple was having trouble and that Suzanne may have
had a boyfriend in another state. A drug used to
sedate large animals was found in her system. Records showed
that Barry, as a big game hunter, was one of
the only individuals not a veterinarian to have access to
the drug. New information in the case of fourteen year
old Emily Pike the Pinal County Medical Examiners as her
(03:51):
autopsy indicates she died from blunt force trauma to the
head before her body was dismembered and dumped in garbage
bags along a remote stretch of Highway Sixtyth, Arizona. The
full report remained sealed. Emily was a member of the
San Carlos Apache tribe. She vanished January twenty seventh of
twenty twenty four after slipping out a window of a
group home in Mesa on February fourteenth. Workers found her
(04:13):
remains north of Globe, nearly one hundred miles from where
she was last seen. Her torso and head were inside
one bag, her legs were inside another. Her arms and
hands have never been recovered. A Queen's New York man
is sentenced to twenty five years to life for the
twenty twenty two stabbing murder of FDN y EMS Captain
Allison Russo, who was a nine to eleven first responder.
(04:35):
A jury found Peter Zasopolis guilty of second degree murder
and weapons charges. Russo, aged sixty one, was in uniform
and on duty in Astoria when she stepped out of
her station house to grab some lunch. Zazopolis rushed her,
shoved her to the ground, and stabbed her twenty times.
She died at Mount Sinai. Queen's surveillance footage captured the stabbing.
A bloody knife was found in Zazopola's pocket. DNA on
(04:58):
the weapon matched both him and Russo. Russo was posthumously
promoted to captain. She had served twenty four years and
helped with recovery efforts after the nine to eleven attacks,
A section of forty second Street is now named Captain
Allison Russo Way. More than a year after three Kansas
City Chiefs fans were found dead of an overdose in
the backyard of a home after a football watch party,
(05:20):
two men have been charged with murder. Jordan Willis and
co defendant Ivory Blade Carson now faced three counts of
second degree felony murder and one count of drug distribution.
The victims, Clayton mcguiney thirty six, David Harrington thirty seven,
and Ricky Johnson thirty eight, were found dead in Willis's
backyard on January ninth of twenty twenty four. They had
(05:41):
gathered at his home to watch the Chiefs play The
Chargers January seventh. Family members were understandably worried when they
did not come home. Mcguinea's fiance found their bodies two
days later. A medical examiner ruled all three died from
a mix of fentil and cocaine. Prosecutors say Willis supplied
some and Carson supplied more in the days leading up
(06:01):
to the deaths. Under Missouri law, someone can face murder
charges if a death happens during a felony crime like
drug dealing, even if there was no intent to kill.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
Thanks Drew for the latest crime in justice. To use,
go to crimeonline dot com and please join us for
our daily podcast, Crime Stories, where we do our best
to find missing people, especially children, and help solve unsolved homicides.
With this crime alart, i'm esy Grace,
Host
Nancy Grace
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