Melissa Gilbert is standing resolutely by her husband, Timothy Busfield, as he confronts serious child sexual abuse allegations.
Tennessee man kills his mother, kills her cat, then pours himself a drink and settles in for some television time.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Crime alert imancy grace breaking crime is now allegations mount
against Emmy Award winner Timothy Busfield, the spouse of Little
House on the Prairie star Melissa Gilbert. His lawyer trying
to deflect, says the West Wing actor passed a voluntary
independent polygraph test, denying all claims crime stories.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Nicole Parton explains, Nancy Busfield was ordered held without bond
at his first court appearance on Wednesday, a day after
he turned himself in to face charges stemming from allegations
that he inappropriately touched a minor on the set of
a TV series he was directing in New Mexico. This
as new details emerge about a separate misconduct allegation against him.
(00:47):
In the seven page filing, New Mexico prosecutors said law
enforcement officers received a report Thursday from the alleged victim's father,
who said Busfield kissed his sixteen year old daughter and
inappropriately touched her quote several years ago. But Melissa Gilbert
is standing resolutely by her husband, Timothy Buzzfield, as he
(01:09):
confronts these serious sexual abuse allegations. The sixty one year
old actress, known for her role in Little House on
the Prairie has been named as a potential witness for
Busfield's defense, and a court document filed on Friday. The
filing contains Busfield's response to the stage request for pretrial attention,
(01:30):
listing thirteen people, including Melissa Gilbert, his wife, who may
testify on his behalf. In addition to her potential witness role,
Gilbert has written a heartfelt letter to the judge expressing
her unwavering support for her husband. This document also includes
seventy five letters from family and colleagues advocating for Busfield.
(01:53):
In her letter, Gilbert described her bond with her husband,
recalling their initial meeting in the nineteen eighties and their
sol subsequent reconnection years later. She mentioned that they fell
in love in twenty twelve, stating Tim Bussfield is my love,
my rock, my partner in business and life. His joy, humor,
and quick wit light up my days. He is the
(02:14):
heartbeat of our vibrant and loving extended family. She emphasized
Busfield's strong moral character, saying he possesses the most solid
moral compass I've ever encountered. His life is dedicated to
serving others, and he approaches each day with kindness and compassion.
Gilbert also praised her husband's mentorship of her youngest son, Michael,
(02:35):
describing his influence as profound. She credited his military experiences
for instilling values of honor, integrity, and compassion in him.
In closing her letter, Gilbert reflected on the emotional strain
of addressing the court, saying quote, as he is my protector,
I am his but I cannot protect him now, and
I think that, more than anything else, is what is
(02:56):
truly heartbreaking. I'm relying on you to protect him for me.
An arrest one for the acclaimed director and Emmy winning actor,
was issued on January nine. The investigation into the allegations
against Busfield began on November one, twenty twenty four, following
a report from a physician at the University of New
Mexico Hospital regarding suspected sexual abuse of twin boys who
(03:21):
were child actors and worked on set with Busfield.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
Nicole thank you. A preliminary hearing set January twenty nine.
More Crimate justice news after this.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
And to Tennessee. In a shocking incident, a son fatally
attacked his mother while she was watching television, killed her cat,
and then casually settled down with a drink to watch
the rest of the television program she was watching before
he headed off to bed. It was September eighth, twenty
twenty three deputies from the Blunt County Sheriff's Office were
(03:57):
alerted to a possible dead body at a resident. Upon arrival,
first responders found sixty three year old Kimberly Hayes dead
in her home, suffering from multiple stab wounds that indicated
foul play. Additionally, investigators found a cat inside the residence
that also died after being stabbed. Authorities quickly identified Kimberly's son,
(04:20):
Zachary Justin Hayes, twenty five, as the main suspect in
her murder. He was arrested and charged with multiple homicide
related charges, and a recorded pre booking interview was shown
in court on January thirty, twenty four to explain his
side of the story. He said, in part, I was
not looking forward to it, planning it. I just saw
(04:40):
her watching television and decided it's a good night to
kill my mother. Hayes told police that he did not
have much reason to stab his mother to death, which
he did while she was watching television in her living room.
Hayes said that after killing his mother, he poured himself
a drink and finished watching the television show she had on,
and when went to bed. Kimberly's body was found by
(05:03):
a worried coworker who arrived at her home to find
the grizzly scene after she didn't show up for work.
Now at age twenty seven, Hayes has pleaded guilty to
murder in the second degree, abuse of a corpse, aggravated
cruelty to animals, and intentional killing of an animal. On
January sixteen, he was sentenced to thirty seven years in prison.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
James Selait makes his dream of traveling across the country
on bicycle a reality his latest cross country ride from Saginaw, Michigan,
to Reading, Pennsylvania. He spends the winter exploring Pennsylvania and
sets out for Surf City, North Carolina, April one. April eight,
he sends a text to family saying he accidentally left
(05:45):
his backpack on the side of the road while changing
a tire. When he went back for it, it was gone.
His money, ID and maps were inside. He never makes
it to Serf City. His phone stops pinging after the
last text from Clarksville, Maryland, James Solac fifty nine five eleven,
one hundred and sixty five pounds, gray hair, blue eyes,
(06:09):
usually with mustache and goateee. He has the name Helen
tattooed on his upper left arm. If you have info
on James Solac, please call Central Burkes, Pennsylvania PD six'
one zero seven seventy nine eleven hundred. For the latest
crime Instice news, go to crime online dot com and
please join us for our daily podcast, Crime Stories, where
(06:32):
we do our best to find missing people, especially children,
and solve unsolved homicides. With this crime art, I'm Nancy Grace.
Crime alert imancy grace breaking crime is now allegations mount
against Emmy Award winner Timothy Busfield, the spouse of Little
House on the Prairie star Melissa Gilbert. His lawyer trying
to deflect, says the West Wing actor passed a voluntary
independent polygraph test, denying all claims crime stories.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Nicole Parton explains, Nancy Busfield was ordered held without bond
at his first court appearance on Wednesday, a day after
he turned himself in to face charges stemming from allegations
that he inappropriately touched a minor on the set of
a TV series he was directing in New Mexico. This
as new details emerge about a separate misconduct allegation against him.
(00:47):
In the seven page filing, New Mexico prosecutors said law
enforcement officers received a report Thursday from the alleged victim's father,
who said Busfield kissed his sixteen year old daughter and
inappropriately touched her quote several years ago. But Melissa Gilbert
is standing resolutely by her husband, Timothy Buzzfield, as he
(01:09):
confronts these serious sexual abuse allegations. The sixty one year
old actress, known for her role in Little House on
the Prairie has been named as a potential witness for
Busfield's defense, and a court document filed on Friday. The
filing contains Busfield's response to the stage request for pretrial attention,
(01:30):
listing thirteen people, including Melissa Gilbert, his wife, who may
testify on his behalf. In addition to her potential witness role,
Gilbert has written a heartfelt letter to the judge expressing
her unwavering support for her husband. This document also includes
seventy five letters from family and colleagues advocating for Busfield.
(01:53):
In her letter, Gilbert described her bond with her husband,
recalling their initial meeting in the nineteen eighties and their
sol subsequent reconnection years later. She mentioned that they fell
in love in twenty twelve, stating Tim Bussfield is my love,
my rock, my partner in business and life. His joy, humor,
and quick wit light up my days. He is the
(02:14):
heartbeat of our vibrant and loving extended family. She emphasized
Busfield's strong moral character, saying he possesses the most solid
moral compass I've ever encountered. His life is dedicated to
serving others, and he approaches each day with kindness and compassion.
Gilbert also praised her husband's mentorship of her youngest son, Michael,
(02:35):
describing his influence as profound. She credited his military experiences
for instilling values of honor, integrity, and compassion in him.
In closing her letter, Gilbert reflected on the emotional strain
of addressing the court, saying quote, as he is my protector,
I am his but I cannot protect him now, and
I think that, more than anything else, is what is
(02:56):
truly heartbreaking. I'm relying on you to protect him for me.
An arrest one for the acclaimed director and Emmy winning actor,
was issued on January nine. The investigation into the allegations
against Busfield began on November one, twenty twenty four, following
a report from a physician at the University of New
Mexico Hospital regarding suspected sexual abuse of twin boys who
(03:21):
were child actors and worked on set with Busfield.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
Nicole thank you. A preliminary hearing set January twenty nine.
More Crimate justice news after this.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
And to Tennessee. In a shocking incident, a son fatally
attacked his mother while she was watching television, killed her cat,
and then casually settled down with a drink to watch
the rest of the television program she was watching before
he headed off to bed. It was September eighth, twenty
twenty three deputies from the Blunt County Sheriff's Office were
(03:57):
alerted to a possible dead body at a resident. Upon arrival,
first responders found sixty three year old Kimberly Hayes dead
in her home, suffering from multiple stab wounds that indicated
foul play. Additionally, investigators found a cat inside the residence
that also died after being stabbed. Authorities quickly identified Kimberly's son,
(04:20):
Zachary Justin Hayes, twenty five, as the main suspect in
her murder. He was arrested and charged with multiple homicide
related charges, and a recorded pre booking interview was shown
in court on January thirty, twenty four to explain his
side of the story. He said, in part, I was
not looking forward to it, planning it. I just saw
(04:40):
her watching television and decided it's a good night to
kill my mother. Hayes told police that he did not
have much reason to stab his mother to death, which
he did while she was watching television in her living room.
Hayes said that after killing his mother, he poured himself
a drink and finished watching the television show she had on,
and when went to bed. Kimberly's body was found by
(05:03):
a worried coworker who arrived at her home to find
the grizzly scene after she didn't show up for work.
Now at age twenty seven, Hayes has pleaded guilty to
murder in the second degree, abuse of a corpse, aggravated
cruelty to animals, and intentional killing of an animal. On
January sixteen, he was sentenced to thirty seven years in prison.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
James Selait makes his dream of traveling across the country
on bicycle a reality his latest cross country ride from Saginaw, Michigan,
to Reading, Pennsylvania. He spends the winter exploring Pennsylvania and
sets out for Surf City, North Carolina, April one. April eight,
he sends a text to family saying he accidentally left
(05:45):
his backpack on the side of the road while changing
a tire. When he went back for it, it was gone.
His money, ID and maps were inside. He never makes
it to Serf City. His phone stops pinging after the
last text from Clarksville, Maryland, James Solac fifty nine five eleven,
one hundred and sixty five pounds, gray hair, blue eyes,
(06:09):
usually with mustache and goateee. He has the name Helen
tattooed on his upper left arm. If you have info
on James Solac, please call Central Burkes, Pennsylvania PD six'
one zero seven seventy nine eleven hundred. For the latest
crime Instice news, go to crime online dot com and
please join us for our daily podcast, Crime Stories, where
(06:32):
we do our best to find missing people, especially children,
and solve unsolved homicides. With this crime art, I'm Nancy Grace.
Host
Nancy Grace
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