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THIS JUST IN ~ CURRENT CRIME STORIES #2

ima.grandma said:

The next steps for two teens charged with murdering a popular Sunshine Coast soccer coach during an alleged home invasion have been revealed.​

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I got a pay wall.
 
ima.grandma said:
February 4th, 2007 – it’s a quiet Super Bowl Sunday in Abilene, Texas, where Charity Lee Bennett is working a busy shift at the local bar, but at around midnight, cops arrive at the bar, demanding to speak with Charity. Just hours earlier, a 911 dispatcher received a frantic call from her 13 year old son Paris, saying he just found his younger sister Ella, covered in blood – with the babysitter nowhere to be found. As Charity rushes back home to her kids, she has no idea that she will be thrown into the most unthinkable and disturbing betrayal: what really happened to Ella that night, and what does Paris have to do with it?

is working a busy shift at the local bar, but at around midnight, cops arrive at the bar, demanding to speak with Charity. Just hours earlier, a 911 dispatcher received a frantic call from her 13 year old son Paris, saying he just found his younger sister Ella, covered in blood – with the babysitter nowhere to be found. As Charity rushes back home to her kids, she has no idea that she will

be thrown into the most unthinkable and disturbing betrayal: what really happened to Ella that night, and what does Paris have to do with it?


In the true-crime case of the "Texas Family Babysitting Murders," Paris Bennett killed his younger sister, Ella, as an act of cold, calculated revenge against their mother, Charity Lee
.
Here is what happened that night:
  • The crime: On Super Bowl Sunday, February 4, 2007, 13-year-old Paris was at home in Abilene, Texas, with his 4-year-old sister, Ella. While their mother was working, Paris stabbed Ella 17 times. He then called 911, pretending to have just discovered the body, and claimed their babysitter was missing.
  • The motive: Paris later admitted that the murder was premeditated and that his true motive was to inflict emotional pain on his mother. He chose to kill Ella as a form of revenge, deliberately selecting a method that would leave no chance of survival.
  • The aftermath: Paris was charged as a juvenile and sentenced to 40 years in prison. His crime gained national attention due to its shocking nature, revealing a highly intelligent teen who had committed murder in cold blood.
This case is often cited in discussions about juvenile murderers and the psychology of teenage killers. In interviews, Paris has shown a chilling lack of remorse and signs of psychopathy. Their mother, Charity Lee, has since become an advocate for trauma survivors, sharing her story of grief and healing



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I've seen him interviewed. Nope!!! Let him stay caged.
 
Tresir said:
This case is known as the "baby found dead in a Lidl bag for life". They have finally been convicted. This case has been sub judice for more than a year but reporting restrictions have now been lifted. More details at BBC link.

(Previous reporting on this case from 2023 can be found in the first crime thread post numbers 5492, 5502, 5503 and 5508. Here's a link to post 5492.

Post in thread 'THIS JUST IN ~ CURRENT CRIME STORIES' THIS JUST IN ~ CURRENT CRIME STORIES

)


www.bbc.co.uk

Constance Marten and Mark Gordon guilty of gross negligence manslaughter over baby's death

Victoria's body was found in a shopping bag in a Brighton allotment shed in March 2023, two months after the couple went on the run.
www.bbc.co.uk www.bbc.co.uk


  1. Constance Marten and Mark Gordon's failures as parents are revealed by damning court papers, which have been released to BBC News.
    A years-long family court case ended in January 2022 when their four children were permanently placed into care.
    A turning point in the proceedings came when a family court judge ruled, "on the balance of probabilities", Gordon had caused Marten to fall from a first-floor window while she was pregnant - we'll bring you more on this shortly.
    Until recently, family court hearings have taken place in private and journalists have not been permitted to report on them.
    BBC News led a legal challenge which resulted in the publication of the documents.
    The family court judgments, made across five years, provide an important insight into the couple's chaotic life together and the danger judges decided that posed to their four children.
    Family court proceedings began in south Wales, where the couple's first baby was born, and continued in London, when Marten and Gordon moved there.
    The papers reveal:
    • Gordon did not call 999 after Marten fell from the window and he refused to let paramedics into their home to treat her
    • Afterwards, Marten, pregnant with their third child, fled to Ireland to avoid contact with social services
    • The couple put their children's health at risk by refusing standard antenatal and newborn healthcare
    • Once their older children were in care, they repeatedly missed contact sessions with them
    • Faced with permanently losing her children, Marten told a court she would separate from Gordon in a desperate bid to keep them - but the judge did not believe her
    Share

  2. Baby Victoria was found in bag in shed on allotment sitepublished at 16:08
    16:08​

    After Marten and Gordon were arrested, police began a frantic search to find their baby. At that point, it was not known whether she was alive or dead.
    Investigators asked the parents where she was - but both refused to say. Gordon repeatedly asked for food instead, police say.
    Hundreds of officers searched the area around where the couple were arrested. On 1 March, Victoria's remains were found in a Lidl bag for life inside a shed on an allotment site.
Continued at BBC link above.
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Sentencing happening now for the pair convicted in the "Lidl bag for life" baby death.

www.bbc.co.uk

Constance Marten and Mark Gordon jailed for 14 years over death of their baby

The judge says the couple have not shown any "genuine expression of remorse", after baby Victoria's death in a tent in 2023.
www.bbc.co.uk www.bbc.co.uk
 
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Tresir said:
Sentencing happening now for the pair convicted in the "Lidl bag for life" baby death.

www.bbc.co.uk

Constance Marten and Mark Gordon jailed for 14 years over death of their baby

The judge says the couple have not shown any "genuine expression of remorse", after baby Victoria's death in a tent in 2023.
www.bbc.co.uk www.bbc.co.uk
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Too bad the jury didn't know the prior history as I'd say they are likely guilty of more than manslaughter. Have to have a fair trial though.

And he pushed her out a window when she was pregnant? SMH.

Bad news they are.

That poor baby.
 
GrandmaBear said:
Too bad the jury didn't know the prior history as I'd say they are likely guilty of more than manslaughter. Have to have a fair trial though.

And he pushed her out a window when she was pregnant? SMH.

Bad news they are.

That poor baby.
Click to expand...
They got 14 years.
Link below.

news.sky.com

Constance Marten and Mark Gordon jailed for 14 years each after killing their newborn daughter

Constance Marten, 38, and her partner Mark Gordon, 51, went on the run with their daughter Victoria to get away from social services after their four other children were taken into care. Victoria's body was later found inside a shopping bag.
news.sky.com news.sky.com
Sky News: Breaking, UK & World



Constance Marten, 38, and her partner Mark Gordon, 51, went on the run with their daughter Victoria to get away from social services after their four other children were taken into care. Victoria's body was later found inside a shopping bag.
Monday 15 September 2025 15:37, UK
skynews-constance-marten-mark-gordon_6585473.jpg
2:55

Play Video - Couple sentenced over death of baby
Couple sentenced over death of baby
Why you can trust Sky News
Constance Marten and Mark Gordon have been jailed for a total of 28 years after they were convicted of killing their baby.
Marten, 38, who is from a wealthy family, and her partner Gordon, 51, were each handed sentences of 14 years at the Old Bailey on Monday.
Latest updates from the sentencing
They went on the run with their newborn daughter, Victoria, to get away from social services after their four other children were taken into care.
Victoria's body was found with rubbish inside a Lidl shopping bag in the corner of an allotment in Brighton on 1 March 2023.
The pair had been the subject of a nationwide manhunt for 54 days.
Read more:
Why did Constance Marten and Mark Gordon go on the run?
How the runaway couple killed their baby
Constance Marten and Mark Gordon. Pic: Met Police/PA

Image:Constance Marten and Mark Gordon. Pic: Met Police/PA
'No genuine expression of remorse'
Judge Mark Lucraft told the pair during sentencing that "neither of you gave much or any thought to the care or welfare of your baby".
"Your focus was on yourselves," he said, before adding: "There has been no genuine expression of remorse from either of you.
"Whilst there have been expressions of sorrow about the death throughout, you've adopted the stance of seeking to blame everyone else other than yourselves for what happened."
Sky's home affairs reporter Henry Vaughan reported that neither showed much emotion during sentencing, and that after they stood up, Gordon stared at Marten as she left the dock.
They were both convicted of manslaughter by gross negligence following a second trial at the Old Bailey.

[IMG width="360px" height="202.5px" alt="Constance Marten being interviewed by police.
Pic: Met Police/PA"]

https://e3.365dm.com/25/07/768x432/...-mark-gordon_6964751.jpg?20250714144858[/IMG]

Image:Constance Marten being interviewed by police. Pic: Met Police/PA

They had previously been found guilty of perverting the course of justice, concealing the birth of a child, and child cruelty after an Old Bailey trial lasting almost five months.
A second trial was ordered after the first jury failed to reach a verdict on the manslaughter charges.
Marten is now seeking permission to appeal against her conviction for manslaughter. A previous application to appeal her conviction of cruelty to a child was rejected in February this year.
Both trials were hampered by disruption and delays, taking up more than 33 weeks of court time, which - at an estimated £30,000 per defendant a day - could have cost in the region of £10m.
A search for Marten and Gordon was launched after a placenta was found in the couple's burnt-out car on a motorway in Bolton in January 2023.
Marten said they went on the run so their fifth child would not be removed from them after her other children were "stolen by the state".
The couple spent vast sums of cash from her family trust fund on taxi journeys as they travelled from Bolton, to Liverpool, to Harwich in Essex, to London and then to Newhaven on the south coast.
Constance Marten and Mark Gordon were captured on CCTV with their baby

Image:Constance Marten and Mark Gordon were captured on CCTV with their baby
Baby's clothing inadequate, judge says
Prosecutors said the baby was inadequately clothed in a babygrow and that Marten had got wet as she carried the infant underneath her coat, alleging Victoria died from hypothermia or was smothered while co-sleeping.
Judge Lucraft said that while Marten and Gordon claimed they wanted dignity for Victoria's body, their "conduct showed the opposite".
He also said the baby had died by 12 January 2023, and that the couple then concealed her and perverted the course of justice before her "decomposed body" was found.
"When you were arrested," the court heard, "neither of you was willing to give any assistance to the police about the whereabouts of your daughter's body.
"Your silence at that stage of events is highly significant."
Police at the allotment where Victoria's body was found

Image police at the allotment where Victoria's body was found
Met Police Detective Chief Inspector Joanna Yorke, who led the investigation, said the couple's "selfish actions" resulted in the death of Victoria, "who would have recently had her second birthday and should have had the rest of her life ahead of her".
She added: "We know today's sentencing won't bring Victoria back, but I am pleased our investigation has resulted in the couple who caused her death finally being brought to justice."

​

© 2025 Sky UK
 
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Cousin Dupree said:
Sussing out what's true and false about the Hyundai ICE raid:

www.snopes.com

Unpacking claims Hyundai is closing Georgia plant following ICE raid

An operation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained 475 workers at a Hyundai "megasite" in Georgia in early September 2025.
www.snopes.com www.snopes.com
Click to expand...

Well this seems to be the main effect of the raid. Korean customers fell from 10 to 3. Hardly jaw dropping news.

A local business owner cited an "overnight" drop in business for his Viet Huong Supermarket in Ellabell following the raid, telling CNN he "only had three Korean customers come into the store, compared with the usual 10 to 15."
 
Tresir said:
They got 14 years.
Link below.

news.sky.com

Constance Marten and Mark Gordon jailed for 14 years each after killing their newborn daughter

Constance Marten, 38, and her partner Mark Gordon, 51, went on the run with their daughter Victoria to get away from social services after their four other children were taken into care. Victoria's body was later found inside a shopping bag.
news.sky.com news.sky.com
Sky News: Breaking, UK & World



Constance Marten, 38, and her partner Mark Gordon, 51, went on the run with their daughter Victoria to get away from social services after their four other children were taken into care. Victoria's body was later found inside a shopping bag.
Monday 15 September 2025 15:37, UK
skynews-constance-marten-mark-gordon_6585473.jpg
2:55

Play Video - Couple sentenced over death of baby
Couple sentenced over death of baby
Why you can trust Sky News
Constance Marten and Mark Gordon have been jailed for a total of 28 years after they were convicted of killing their baby.
Marten, 38, who is from a wealthy family, and her partner Gordon, 51, were each handed sentences of 14 years at the Old Bailey on Monday.
Latest updates from the sentencing
They went on the run with their newborn daughter, Victoria, to get away from social services after their four other children were taken into care.
Victoria's body was found with rubbish inside a Lidl shopping bag in the corner of an allotment in Brighton on 1 March 2023.
The pair had been the subject of a nationwide manhunt for 54 days.
Read more:
Why did Constance Marten and Mark Gordon go on the run?
How the runaway couple killed their baby
Constance Marten and Mark Gordon. Pic: Met Police/PA

Image:Constance Marten and Mark Gordon. Pic: Met Police/PA
'No genuine expression of remorse'
Judge Mark Lucraft told the pair during sentencing that "neither of you gave much or any thought to the care or welfare of your baby".
"Your focus was on yourselves," he said, before adding: "There has been no genuine expression of remorse from either of you.
"Whilst there have been expressions of sorrow about the death throughout, you've adopted the stance of seeking to blame everyone else other than yourselves for what happened."
Sky's home affairs reporter Henry Vaughan reported that neither showed much emotion during sentencing, and that after they stood up, Gordon stared at Marten as she left the dock.
They were both convicted of manslaughter by gross negligence following a second trial at the Old Bailey.

[IMG width="360px" height="202.5px" alt="Constance Marten being interviewed by police.
Pic: Met Police/PA"]

https://e3.365dm.com/25/07/768x432/...-mark-gordon_6964751.jpg?20250714144858[/IMG]

Image:Constance Marten being interviewed by police. Pic: Met Police/PA

They had previously been found guilty of perverting the course of justice, concealing the birth of a child, and child cruelty after an Old Bailey trial lasting almost five months.
A second trial was ordered after the first jury failed to reach a verdict on the manslaughter charges.
Marten is now seeking permission to appeal against her conviction for manslaughter. A previous application to appeal her conviction of cruelty to a child was rejected in February this year.
Both trials were hampered by disruption and delays, taking up more than 33 weeks of court time, which - at an estimated £30,000 per defendant a day - could have cost in the region of £10m.
A search for Marten and Gordon was launched after a placenta was found in the couple's burnt-out car on a motorway in Bolton in January 2023.
Marten said they went on the run so their fifth child would not be removed from them after her other children were "stolen by the state".
The couple spent vast sums of cash from her family trust fund on taxi journeys as they travelled from Bolton, to Liverpool, to Harwich in Essex, to London and then to Newhaven on the south coast.
Constance Marten and Mark Gordon were captured on CCTV with their baby

Image:Constance Marten and Mark Gordon were captured on CCTV with their baby
Baby's clothing inadequate, judge says
Prosecutors said the baby was inadequately clothed in a babygrow and that Marten had got wet as she carried the infant underneath her coat, alleging Victoria died from hypothermia or was smothered while co-sleeping.
Judge Lucraft said that while Marten and Gordon claimed they wanted dignity for Victoria's body, their "conduct showed the opposite".
He also said the baby had died by 12 January 2023, and that the couple then concealed her and perverted the course of justice before her "decomposed body" was found.
"When you were arrested," the court heard, "neither of you was willing to give any assistance to the police about the whereabouts of your daughter's body.
"Your silence at that stage of events is highly significant."
Police at the allotment where Victoria's body was found's body was found

Image police at the allotment where Victoria's body was found
Met Police Detective Chief Inspector Joanna Yorke, who led the investigation, said the couple's "selfish actions" resulted in the death of Victoria, "who would have recently had her second birthday and should have had the rest of her life ahead of her".
She added: "We know today's sentencing won't bring Victoria back, but I am pleased our investigation has resulted in the couple who caused her death finally being brought to justice."

​

© 2025 Sky UK
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I do remember that.
 
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