May 3, 2025 • 9 mins
Breaking crime news as it happens throughout the day! Follow "Crime Alert Hourly Update" now on your favorite podcast app: https://link.chtbl.com/Crime_Alert
Here's three of our top stories this week:
An octogenarian arrested facing a felony.
Underground tunnels reveal horrendous family child abuse.
Father killed after confronting daughter's abuser.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Crime Art hourly update, breaking crime news Now.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
I'm Jackie Howard. An eighty eight year old woman arrested
for leaving the scene of a crash. Carolyn Segrest is
driving her Buick Vision in the parking lot of a
Clearwater Sam's Club when she hits Laverne Hampton's mobility scooter.
Hampton is hospitalized after being thrown from the scooter. Four
hours later, the retired off to Janarian is booked for
leaving the scene of a crash involving serious injury. That's
(00:27):
a felony.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
I'm Nicole Parking. Disturbing news out of New Mexico. A
mother faced arraignment this week on charges of child abuse
and allegations that she and her husband sexually assaulted their
sixteen year old daughter and her siblings while living in
extreme conditions on a sprawling thirty five acre plot of land,
which included living in underground tunnels. This according to prosecutors,
(00:54):
Valerie Cordell, forty one, from Demming, pleaded not guilty during
her arraignment in Luna County. As recorded in online court documents,
She faces sixteen counts of child abuse, one count of
criminal sexual penetration, and one count of conspiracy to commit
child abuse this following her arrest. According to prosecutors, Valerie
(01:15):
and her husband, Melvin Cordell, fifty, were involved in an
abusive treatment of their daughter, cohersing her into sexual acts
with her siblings in front of other adults. The six
Judicial District Attorney's Office reported in a press release that
during a four month investigation, authorities discovered that the family
of nine was residing in a semi rural area of
(01:38):
Luna County. Investigators described the living environment as inhumane like squalors,
detailing a rundown trailer, several unusable camping trailers, abandoned cars,
decaying food, heaps of trash buckets filled with human waste
scattered throughout the properties, while the children were living in
(01:58):
man made tunnels under Authorities became aware of the situation
in October and began their investigation after receiving tips from
New Mexico State police about the alleged sexual abuse occurring
at their residence. The couple's seven children, ages between six
months and sixteen years old, have been placed in protective
(02:20):
custody by the state. The DA's office indicated that authorities
were initially informed of a child who had been sexually
assaulted by her father since she was thirteen years old,
spanning four years. The children were reportedly found living in
filthy conditions, spending their nights on a mattress in a
semi underground cave tunnel, or trying to seek shelter in
(02:44):
a dilapidated vehicle. The sixteen year old victim allegedly told
authorities that she had been pregnant at least twice before,
with one pregnancy occurring when she was just sixteen years
old and another at fourteen. According to local news outlets
k r KAS, prosecutors described the Cordell property as resembling
a quote city trash landfill, with trash and spoiled food
(03:08):
scattered everywhere. Alongside the underground tunnels, the surrounding desert landscape
was said to be filled with rundown campers and cars.
Melvin Cordell is set to be arraigned on May five.
The couple is being held without bond.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
How could a beautiful, young first grade teacher be stabbed
twenty times, including in the back, allegedly die of suicide? Yes,
that was a medical examiner's official ruling. After a closed
door meeting. He first named it a homicide? Why what
Happened to Ellen Greenberg a huge American miscarriage of justice.
(03:48):
For an in depth look at the facts, see What
Happened to Ellen on Amazon. All proceeds to the National
Set for Missing Unexploited Children.
Speaker 4 (04:05):
I'm Drew Nelson, A bodybuilder father in New Jersey is
beaten to death in front of his teenage daughter after
confronting her alleged attacker. On Easter Sunday, fifty four year
old Lewis Gus Surbeck of Millville drove with his nineteen
year old daughter Brooke to a home on Leeming's Mill
Road and violin. Brooke had told him she was assaulted
there the day before by a seventeen year old boy.
(04:25):
Sirbek hoped to speak with the boy and his father,
fifty five year old Eric Hannah, who had been a
family friend for years. The meeting quickly turned violent. Prosecutors
said the teen punched Serbek in the face, then smashed
a window on his truck. When Sirbek tried to stop him,
the boy beat him in the head with a metal
baseball bat. Hannah then struck Sirbek in the skull with
a metal flashlight. Brooke was also hit in the head
(04:47):
during the fight. Police arrived to find Sirbek critically injured.
He died on the way to the hospital. The teen
and his father were arrested at the scene. Sirbek's brother
Christopher told w PVII, quote, he literally laid down his
life life for his daughter.
Speaker 5 (05:01):
He would do anything for anyone. He would take the
shirt off his back and give it to you just
because you needed it. You know, you call him, he'd
be there.
Speaker 4 (05:10):
Christopher says the family had known each other for decades.
Speaker 5 (05:13):
Who was a friend, no expectations of something like this
happening at all.
Speaker 4 (05:18):
Surbeck was a father of two daughters and a grandfather
of two boys. He had grown especially close to Brook
in recent years. They often spent time together shopping or
working on projects. Family members say he once even called
off work just to take her to get her nails done.
His obituary described him as quote a fierce protector who
laid down his life to do what he does best,
to protect his family, to protect his baby girl. The
(05:40):
oh Bit also says, quote he was never happier than
when he had one of his daughters in his arms,
sharing a big, smiling cheek to cheek hug defely will
be missed. A fundraiser created by a friend of the
family has raised over eleven thousand dollars. Both suspects were
charged with homicide and weapons offenses. The teen also faces
aggravated assault charges for allegedly hitting broke. He remains in
(06:02):
a juvenile facility while prosecutor's way whether to charge him
as an adult. Hannah is being held at Cumberland County Jail.
Speaker 6 (06:09):
I'm Jennifer Gould. A chilling declaration of misogyny permanently inked
across his chest allegedly foreshadowed a horrific crime spree that
has left a Florida community reeling. David Earl Gibson, forty,
a man bearing the words trust No Bitch as a tattoo,
is accused of a brutal rampage that ended the life
(06:30):
of a seventy four year old woman and subjected another
to a terrifying ordeal of savage beating, kidnapping, rape, and
ultimate confinement in a stifling toolbox. Washington County Sheriff Kevin
Cruz spoke to ABC thirteen News right after Gibson was
taken into custody.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
This man needed taken off the street, and it didn't
need to go another day.
Speaker 6 (06:55):
It needed to happen today. The nightmare erupted around ten
pm when Gibson, fueled by a twisted delusion that the
victim's relatives owed him money, allegedly stormed their home. Gibson
allegedly began ransacking the residence, his rage quickly escalating into
physical assault. He's accused of savagely beating the younger woman,
(07:15):
repeatedly striking her head and face. He then allegedly handcuffed
her and, in a further act of degradation, stripped her
of her clothing. Gibson's alleged fury then turned towards the
woman's elderly mother in law, seventy four year old Letty
Cooper Collins, whom he allegedly beat mercilessly. The younger woman's
(07:36):
last horrifying glimpse of Collins alive was of her face
drenched in blood, her eyes swollen shut from the brutal assault.
The terror escalated to unimaginable levels when Gibson allegedly kidnapped
the battered and naked younger woman. After duct taping her
mouth shut, he allegedly forced her into collins pt cruiser
(07:58):
and drove her to his own own home. There, in
the confines of his residence, he allegedly sexually assaulted her.
The ordeal continued as Gibson then shoved her into a
large toolbox into a shed on his property. Sheriff Cruz
chillingly described the scene at the news conference.
Speaker 4 (08:20):
Sun around there and underneath if you could vision at
all time.
Speaker 3 (08:29):
That's what he used.
Speaker 6 (08:30):
Gibson then allegedly secured the toolbox, effectively bearing her alive
under plywood and other debris. But driven by an indomitable
will to survive, she eventually found the strength to maneuver
her bound arms, pushing the heavy lid up the toolbox open,
and ran for her life towards a nearby road, where thankfully,
a passing motorist found her and called for help. Deputies
(08:54):
were then led back to the victim's home, where they
found Letty Cooper Collins's lifeless body. Gibson was finally apprehended
after an hour's long manhunt involving state, federal, and local authorities.
He is currently held without bond facing charges of kidnapping,
sexual assault, and aggravated battery. Charges related to the brutal
death of Letty Cooper Collins are pending as the investigation continues.
(09:18):
For the latest crime and justice news, follow the Crime
Alert hourly update on your favorite podcast app with this
crime Alert. I'm Jennifer Grud
Crime Art hourly update, breaking crime news Now.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
I'm Jackie Howard. An eighty eight year old woman arrested
for leaving the scene of a crash. Carolyn Segrest is
driving her Buick Vision in the parking lot of a
Clearwater Sam's Club when she hits Laverne Hampton's mobility scooter.
Hampton is hospitalized after being thrown from the scooter. Four
hours later, the retired off to Janarian is booked for
leaving the scene of a crash involving serious injury. That's
(00:27):
a felony.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
I'm Nicole Parking. Disturbing news out of New Mexico. A
mother faced arraignment this week on charges of child abuse
and allegations that she and her husband sexually assaulted their
sixteen year old daughter and her siblings while living in
extreme conditions on a sprawling thirty five acre plot of land,
which included living in underground tunnels. This according to prosecutors,
(00:54):
Valerie Cordell, forty one, from Demming, pleaded not guilty during
her arraignment in Luna County. As recorded in online court documents,
She faces sixteen counts of child abuse, one count of
criminal sexual penetration, and one count of conspiracy to commit
child abuse this following her arrest. According to prosecutors, Valerie
(01:15):
and her husband, Melvin Cordell, fifty, were involved in an
abusive treatment of their daughter, cohersing her into sexual acts
with her siblings in front of other adults. The six
Judicial District Attorney's Office reported in a press release that
during a four month investigation, authorities discovered that the family
of nine was residing in a semi rural area of
(01:38):
Luna County. Investigators described the living environment as inhumane like squalors,
detailing a rundown trailer, several unusable camping trailers, abandoned cars,
decaying food, heaps of trash buckets filled with human waste
scattered throughout the properties, while the children were living in
(01:58):
man made tunnels under Authorities became aware of the situation
in October and began their investigation after receiving tips from
New Mexico State police about the alleged sexual abuse occurring
at their residence. The couple's seven children, ages between six
months and sixteen years old, have been placed in protective
(02:20):
custody by the state. The DA's office indicated that authorities
were initially informed of a child who had been sexually
assaulted by her father since she was thirteen years old,
spanning four years. The children were reportedly found living in
filthy conditions, spending their nights on a mattress in a
semi underground cave tunnel, or trying to seek shelter in
(02:44):
a dilapidated vehicle. The sixteen year old victim allegedly told
authorities that she had been pregnant at least twice before,
with one pregnancy occurring when she was just sixteen years
old and another at fourteen. According to local news outlets
k r KAS, prosecutors described the Cordell property as resembling
a quote city trash landfill, with trash and spoiled food
(03:08):
scattered everywhere. Alongside the underground tunnels, the surrounding desert landscape
was said to be filled with rundown campers and cars.
Melvin Cordell is set to be arraigned on May five.
The couple is being held without bond.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
How could a beautiful, young first grade teacher be stabbed
twenty times, including in the back, allegedly die of suicide? Yes,
that was a medical examiner's official ruling. After a closed
door meeting. He first named it a homicide? Why what
Happened to Ellen Greenberg a huge American miscarriage of justice.
(03:48):
For an in depth look at the facts, see What
Happened to Ellen on Amazon. All proceeds to the National
Set for Missing Unexploited Children.
Speaker 4 (04:05):
I'm Drew Nelson, A bodybuilder father in New Jersey is
beaten to death in front of his teenage daughter after
confronting her alleged attacker. On Easter Sunday, fifty four year
old Lewis Gus Surbeck of Millville drove with his nineteen
year old daughter Brooke to a home on Leeming's Mill
Road and violin. Brooke had told him she was assaulted
there the day before by a seventeen year old boy.
(04:25):
Sirbek hoped to speak with the boy and his father,
fifty five year old Eric Hannah, who had been a
family friend for years. The meeting quickly turned violent. Prosecutors
said the teen punched Serbek in the face, then smashed
a window on his truck. When Sirbek tried to stop him,
the boy beat him in the head with a metal
baseball bat. Hannah then struck Sirbek in the skull with
a metal flashlight. Brooke was also hit in the head
(04:47):
during the fight. Police arrived to find Sirbek critically injured.
He died on the way to the hospital. The teen
and his father were arrested at the scene. Sirbek's brother
Christopher told w PVII, quote, he literally laid down his
life life for his daughter.
Speaker 5 (05:01):
He would do anything for anyone. He would take the
shirt off his back and give it to you just
because you needed it. You know, you call him, he'd
be there.
Speaker 4 (05:10):
Christopher says the family had known each other for decades.
Speaker 5 (05:13):
Who was a friend, no expectations of something like this
happening at all.
Speaker 4 (05:18):
Surbeck was a father of two daughters and a grandfather
of two boys. He had grown especially close to Brook
in recent years. They often spent time together shopping or
working on projects. Family members say he once even called
off work just to take her to get her nails done.
His obituary described him as quote a fierce protector who
laid down his life to do what he does best,
to protect his family, to protect his baby girl. The
(05:40):
oh Bit also says, quote he was never happier than
when he had one of his daughters in his arms,
sharing a big, smiling cheek to cheek hug defely will
be missed. A fundraiser created by a friend of the
family has raised over eleven thousand dollars. Both suspects were
charged with homicide and weapons offenses. The teen also faces
aggravated assault charges for allegedly hitting broke. He remains in
(06:02):
a juvenile facility while prosecutor's way whether to charge him
as an adult. Hannah is being held at Cumberland County Jail.
Speaker 6 (06:09):
I'm Jennifer Gould. A chilling declaration of misogyny permanently inked
across his chest allegedly foreshadowed a horrific crime spree that
has left a Florida community reeling. David Earl Gibson, forty,
a man bearing the words trust No Bitch as a tattoo,
is accused of a brutal rampage that ended the life
(06:30):
of a seventy four year old woman and subjected another
to a terrifying ordeal of savage beating, kidnapping, rape, and
ultimate confinement in a stifling toolbox. Washington County Sheriff Kevin
Cruz spoke to ABC thirteen News right after Gibson was
taken into custody.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
This man needed taken off the street, and it didn't
need to go another day.
Speaker 6 (06:55):
It needed to happen today. The nightmare erupted around ten
pm when Gibson, fueled by a twisted delusion that the
victim's relatives owed him money, allegedly stormed their home. Gibson
allegedly began ransacking the residence, his rage quickly escalating into
physical assault. He's accused of savagely beating the younger woman,
(07:15):
repeatedly striking her head and face. He then allegedly handcuffed
her and, in a further act of degradation, stripped her
of her clothing. Gibson's alleged fury then turned towards the
woman's elderly mother in law, seventy four year old Letty
Cooper Collins, whom he allegedly beat mercilessly. The younger woman's
(07:36):
last horrifying glimpse of Collins alive was of her face
drenched in blood, her eyes swollen shut from the brutal assault.
The terror escalated to unimaginable levels when Gibson allegedly kidnapped
the battered and naked younger woman. After duct taping her
mouth shut, he allegedly forced her into collins pt cruiser
(07:58):
and drove her to his own own home. There, in
the confines of his residence, he allegedly sexually assaulted her.
The ordeal continued as Gibson then shoved her into a
large toolbox into a shed on his property. Sheriff Cruz
chillingly described the scene at the news conference.
Speaker 4 (08:20):
Sun around there and underneath if you could vision at
all time.
Speaker 3 (08:29):
That's what he used.
Speaker 6 (08:30):
Gibson then allegedly secured the toolbox, effectively bearing her alive
under plywood and other debris. But driven by an indomitable
will to survive, she eventually found the strength to maneuver
her bound arms, pushing the heavy lid up the toolbox open,
and ran for her life towards a nearby road, where thankfully,
a passing motorist found her and called for help. Deputies
(08:54):
were then led back to the victim's home, where they
found Letty Cooper Collins's lifeless body. Gibson was finally apprehended
after an hour's long manhunt involving state, federal, and local authorities.
He is currently held without bond facing charges of kidnapping,
sexual assault, and aggravated battery. Charges related to the brutal
death of Letty Cooper Collins are pending as the investigation continues.
(09:18):
For the latest crime and justice news, follow the Crime
Alert hourly update on your favorite podcast app with this
crime Alert. I'm Jennifer Grud
Host
Nancy Grace
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