Florida Man kills 2 kids after sexually assaulting 1, sets mobile home on fire | Crime Alert Recap Saturday 11.15

Florida Man kills 2 kids after sexually assaulting 1, sets mobile home on fire 

Investigation underway in the death of 18-year-old Anna Kepner. 

Wisconsin investigators say they have uncovered one of the worst child-neglect cases the state has ever seen: a 14-year-old girl rescued from a trailer park home in the town of Oneida weighing just 35 pounds. The FBI continues the search for six people who vanished from a rental home in Missouri, in relation to an online cult. Drew Nelson reports.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Crime Alard hourly update, breaking crime.

Speaker 2 (00:03):
News Now I'm holding Zapple. A Florida man is facing
several charges after allegedly murdering two children is setting fire
to a trailer with the children inside. First Responders on
the scene battle flames at a trailer before going inside
to discover the bodies of two children, ages seven and nine,
and a dog after a mobile home fire in Pensacola.
The home was fully engulfed in flames when a Scambia

(00:24):
County fire rescue arrived on the scene just before one
am last Friday. John Henry Walston Junior, twenty seven, faces
a list of charges, including first three murder, arson, sexual assault,
and torturing an animal. A Scambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons
says investigators were able to determine both children were killed
before the fire was set, and one of them had

(00:45):
been sexually assaulted. Deputies said Walston escaped the fire and
was later located at a hospital receiving treatment. Witnesses say
the children's mother ran into the trailer when she saw
the flames to try to save her children. She was
taken to the hospital and treated for her injuries. Sheriff
Simmons says in an update Saturday, investigators determined Walston initially
set fire to the home after sexually assaulting one of

(01:07):
the children, than killing both. Walston ran to safety after
setting the fire. According to Simmons, Walston is in Escambia
County Jail without bond. His first court data is set
for November twenty sixth. More crime and justice news After this.

Speaker 1 (01:23):
I'm nicole pardoned. The investigation into the death of a
Florida teen on a carnival cruise ship continues and details
remain scarce. Anna Kepner, eighteen, of Titusville, died while on
a cruise on the Carnival Horizon. The ship returned to
Port Miami on November eighth after a trip to the Caribbean.
For more, here's crime story Sidney Sumner.

Speaker 3 (01:46):
A relaxing Caribbean cruise turns nightmare when crew members discover
a passenger dead just hours before the Carnival Horizon returns
to Miami. The FBI now investigating eighteen year old Anna
Kepner's mysterious death, not commenting on whether foul play is suspected. Titusville, Florida,
grieving the loss of the high school senior with a

(02:06):
bright future and looking for answers.

Speaker 1 (02:09):
Anna Kopner, affectionately known as Anna Banana by her family,
was a senior at Temple Christian, a private K through
twelfth school in Titusville. She was an a student and
a cheerleader, with plans to join the military after graduation
in May. She was the best child you could ever meet,
said family members. We always remember her for that, and

(02:29):
she was looking forward to this cruise to celebrate her graduation.
Crime Stories Holden Zapple tells us about the planned cruise.

Speaker 2 (02:38):
Anna's grandparents gift her a spring cruise has an eighteenth
birthday gift. Anna enjoys the experience so much she books
a six day trip with stops in Oto Rios, Jamaica,
the Grand Caymans, and Cosimmel, Mexico.

Speaker 1 (02:49):
Anna, posting her excitement about her upcoming cruise on social media,
left out of Titusville and headed to the port, expecting
the vacation of a Lifetimesigative reporter Dave.

Speaker 4 (03:01):
Mack Anna drives to Miami Sunday morning to catch the
Carnival Horizon. Ship leaves support that afternoon and guests spend
a day on the open ocean before arriving in Jamaica.
Its smooth sailing from Ojo Rios to the Grand Caymans
and Cosmeo. The Horizon is on its way back to
Miami when tragedy strikes.

Speaker 1 (03:19):
While information has been limited, some tourist on the cruise
ships said once they returned to the port, they were
hurried off at the deportation routes and they watched in
distress as corners removed Anna's body from.

Speaker 5 (03:34):
I'm Drew Nelson, Wisconsin. Out of Gamey County investigators say
they have uncovered one of the worst child neglect cases
the state has ever seen. A fourteen year old girl
rescued from a trailer park home in the town of Oneida,
weighing just thirty five pounds, a condition doctors described as
life threatening when she was airlifted to Children's Wisconsin in Wawatosa.

(03:55):
Prosecutors say the teen had been kept isolated inside a
small room the bear mattress on the floor, denied food,
denied medical care, and forced to ask permission to use
the bathroom. In court, outi Gamey County Court Commissioner Brian
Figge said the abuse defied comprehension and it's alleged that
the minor child was quite frankly living in a house

(04:17):
of borders, but for the grace of God, she did
not die. Four adults are now charged with five felony
counts of chronic child neglects. The girl's father, forty seven
year old Walter Goodman, his wife Melissa Goodman, Melissa's daughter
Savannah Lea Fever, and Lefever's romantic partner, Caylas Stemler. Prosecutors
said all four adults participated in or enabled the prolonged mistreatment.

(04:40):
The investigation began in August when Goodman called nine to one
one to report his daughter was vomiting, lethargic and quote
not eating much. First responders immediately realized the severity of
her condition. The girl appeared to be the size of
a six to eight year old, unable to stand and
called to the touch. Inside the home, investigators found condition

(05:00):
that pointed to years of neglect, no medical visits since
twenty twenty, no schooling since the pandemic, and a pattern
of emotional and physical deprivation. Messages recovered from the adult's
phone showed them calling the child dummy and stupid, discussing
when they would allow her to eat and complaining about
her asking for food. Two of the women, Melissa Goodman

(05:21):
and Savannah Lea Fever, were described in the complaint as
so obese that they were quote nearly bedbound. Prosecutors say
this case stands apart in its severity without a Gamy
County's Assistant District Attorney Julia du Quaine, calling it unprecedented
in her time handling child abuse cases.

Speaker 1 (05:38):
This is the most egregious case of child neglect I
think I have ever personally seen in my nearly twenty
five year career.

Speaker 5 (05:48):
Doctors at Children's Wisconsin diagnosed the girl with severe malnutrition,
organ dysfunction, and hypothermia. Within days of receiving regular food
and sleep, medical staff said she improved. According to the complaint,
the girl's quote eyes lit up when she was told
she would receive three meals a day. Staff noted she

(06:08):
could eat normally and function quote largely within expected parameters
for her age, contradicting her family's claims that she refused
food because she was autistic. As the criminal cases move forward,
officials say that scene is recovering with proper care and support,
but the shock of the discovery still reverberates. Through the community.
The four defendants faced decades in prison if convicted. More

(06:32):
Crime and Justice news. After this, six people vanished from
a rental home in Missouri and no one has seen
them since August of twenty twenty three. Mikayla Denise Wickerson,
her three year old daughter, Maliah, Mikayla Thompson, Jerry L.
Jerman German's three year old son, Ashton Mitchell, and Niman

(06:55):
Williams were all last seen on August sixth at the
Quality Inn on Dunroad in floress And, Missouri. All four
adults had been living with the children inside Wickerson's rented
home in Berkeley, near Saint Louis Lambert International Airport. They
are unrelated adults who moved in together months before they vanished.
Berkeley police found the home empty on August twelfth during

(07:16):
a welfare check. There was no sign of forced entry.
Officers saw science that the group left in a rush,
Their IDs left behind. The FBI and Berkeley Police say
the group was last known to be together at the hotel.
They were later confirmed on surveillance cameras inside the building.
No one has seen or heard from them since that day.
Family members say the trouble began months earlier. Wickerson's mother,

(07:38):
Cartesia Morgan, said her daughter cut off contact in March
of twenty three. She said Wickerson suddenly quit her job,
maxed out her credit cards, and stopped speaking with her family.
Morgan said she tried to report concerns to child services
and asked police for welfare checks. Wickerson spoke to officers
at that time and told them she was fine. Investigators

(07:59):
say the group had fallen online teachings from Rashad Jamal White,
who calls his work the University of Cosmic Intelligence. Police
described the online movement as a spiritual cult. Jamal has
tens of thousands of followers on the Internet and is
now serving an eighteen year sentence in Georgia for child molestation.
Three of the missing adults had adopted new names linked

(08:20):
with that group. Neighbors told police the adults often acted
in strange ways before they vanished. Police saw them outside
quote worshiping the sun. Some described them running naked in
the yard during rainstorms. Others saw them digging holes in
their yard. Police say this group believed in polygamy, rejected
the government, and tried to live off the grid. No

(08:42):
one has answered calls or messages. Social media activity has stopped,
and their bank card use ceased. Berkeley Police say there
is no direct sign of violence. The FBI Saint Louis
Field Office is involved with both agencies, saying they need
the public's help. Anyone with information is asked to contact
eight hundred, call FBI Tips, Do FBI dot gov for

(09:02):
the latest crime injustice news. Follow crime alerts hourly update
on your favorite podcast app with this crime alert. I'm
Drew Nelson.