Tag: murder

Violent altercation on Florida golf course leaves one man dead, another facing murder charges

Investigators say a 36-year-old killed a 65-year-old using his own golf clubs to attack him.

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Florida — A violent altercation at a public golf course this week in Palm Beach Gardens left one man dead and another facing a first-degree murder charge.

Investigators say Junior Boucher, 36, of The Acreage, killed 65-year-old Brian Hiltebeitel, using Hiltebeitel’s own golf clubs to attack him Monday afternoon at Sandhill Crane Golf Club, a city-owned course along Northlake Boulevard west of Florida’s Turnpike. Boucher also choked Hiltebeitel.

During a news conference Tuesday, Palm Beach Gardens Police Chief Dominick Pape said investigators are still attempting to determine a motive for the attack. Pape said Boucher did not appear to have a purpose for being at the golf course and there is no known connection between the two men.

“We’re still looking through the leads,” he said. “We’re still interviewing people at the scene. We don’t know (the motive) yet.”

During a court hearing Tuesday at the Palm Beach County Jail, county Judge Ted Booras assigned Boucher a public defender and ordered that he be held without bail. As a policy, the county Public Defender’s Office does not comment on open cases.

Palm Beach Gardens Police Chief Dominick Pape addresses reporters on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, during a news conference regarding a homicide at Sandhill Crane Golf Club. One person was arrested on a first-degree murder charge.

Police: Man facing murder charge tried to flee after golf-club attack

Pape said Boucher’s family had reported him missing to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office about an hour before the attack, which occurred shortly before 1:30 p.m. Court records show the attack occurred on the same day that a relative filed an eviction notice against Boucher.

According to Boucher’s arrest report, officers responded to multiple 911 calls regarding a man attacking another with a golf club. Upon arriving, officers found Hiltebeitel’s body next to a pond at the golf course and made contact with a partially clothed Boucher as he attempted to flee.

The arrest report did not list a place of residence for Hiltebeitel.

Witnesses told police Boucher began hitting Hiltebeitel with a golf club near the first hole, then retrieved another club and chased Hiltebeitel to the pond. He continued to strike Hiltebeitel until both men were in the water.

Then Boucher jumped on top of Hiltebeitel and appeared to choke him, witnesses told police. A short time later, Boucher got out of the water, stripped his clothes off and began to walk away toward a nearby wooded area, according to the arrest report. Officers said they used an “electronic control device” to detain him.

First responders pulled Hiltebeitel to the banks of the pond and attempted lifesaving care. Fire Rescue medics pronounced him dead.

Authorities took Boucher to Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center for evaluation. He declined to speak to investigators without an attorney present.

Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @JuliusWhigham.

Aqib Talib steps aside from Amazon’s ‘Thursday Night Football’ coverage

Aqib Talib won’t be part of Amazon’s ‘Thursday Night Football’ coverage this season.

Aqib Talib won’t be part of Amazon’s Thursday Night Football coverage this season, the former cornerback told NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Talib is stepping aside from his role on TNF after his brother, Yaqub, was charged with felony first-degree murder after a man was killed at a youth football game in Dallas on Aug. 13. Yaqub turned himself in last week.

Aqib and Yaqub are both coaches for the North Dallas United Bobcats. The shooting happened after arguments about a call during a game between the Bobcats and D.E.A. Dragons. The argument turned physical and then one of the Dragons’ coaches, 43-year-old Michael Hickmon, was shot multiple times and later died. Yaqub allegedly shot Hickmon.

Aqib has not faced any charges. He told Rapoport that he’s is stepping “aside from his broadcasting duties at Amazon to spend time with his family.” Talib had previously signed on with Amazon earlier this year to contribute to pre-game, halftime and post-game coverage of TNF in 2023.

Talib had a 12-year career in the NFL and he won Super Bowl 50 with the Denver Broncos following the 2015 season.

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Former prized Notre Dame recruit charged with murder

This is awful

Former Notre Dame wide receiver DaVonte Neal has been charged with first-degree murder.

Neal, a four-star recruit in Notre Dame’s 2012 recruiting class, played just one season for the Fighting Irish before transferring to Arizona.  Neal had been working as an assistant football coach at Idaho State.

According to the Idaho State Journal:

Pocatello police say Neal has been charged with one count of first-degree murder, a class one felony; one count of drive by shooting, a class two felony; and one count of discharging a firearm at a structure; a class two felony. The alleged incident occurred on Nov. 11, 2017, police said. The victim, according to the Associated Press and identified in an ABC 15 story, was Bryan Burns.

The Idaho State Journal reached Idaho State athletic director Pauline Thiros via text message, who offered the following comment:

“I have been in constant contact with (ISU head coach Charlie Ragle) who has known DaVonte’ for many years and never had any knowledge or suspicion of a possible crime of any kind,” ISU Athletic Director Pauline Thiros told the Journal via text. “The news of DaVonte’ Neal’s arrest and charges in Arizona was a great shock. Going forward, we will cooperate in every way possible, safeguard our program and culture, support each other and our students, and allow the legal process to work. The news is devastating and we hope for resolution for all involved.”

Neal has been placed on administrative leave by Idaho State as the school has initiated proceedings to terminate his contract.

Neal played one season at Notre Dame, recording one reception for a loss of five yards and one rush for seven yards.  He then spent three years at Arizona after transferring.

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Ex-Broncos DL Justin Bannan pleads not guilty by reason of insanity for attempted murder

Former Broncos defensive lineman Justin Bannan has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity for attempted murder and other charges.

Former Denver Broncos defensive lineman Justin Bannan has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity for attempted murder and other charges.

Bannan, 41, shot a co-worker, Ashley Marie, in the right shoulder last October. He has been charged with “attempted first-degree murder, first-degree assault (extreme indifference), first-degree assault (intent to cause serious bodily injury) and first-degree burglary,” according to KDVR-TV’s Dara Bitler.

Bannan told police after he was arrested that he has hydrocephalus. The ex-defensive lineman also said the Russian mafia was following him. Bannan said he accidentally shot Marie and did not mean to hit her. Bannan will “undergo a mental health evaluation at a state hospital,” according to KDVR.

Bannan played college football at Colorado and was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the fifth round of the 2002 NFL draft. He went on to spend time with the Baltimore Ravens before spending a season in Denver in 2010. He then played one season with the St. Louis Rams, another season with the Broncos, and one season with the Detroit Lions before retiring.

In 32 games with Denver, Bannan totaled 67 tackles and one sack.

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Rivera: ‘It doesn’t get said enough, so I’ll say it again: Black Lives do matter’

Rivera opened up his press conference on Wednesday with a statement about the murder of George Floyd, and his intention to fight for justice for all going forward.

If you had any questions about where the Washington Redskins or head coach Ron Rivera stand on the protests of racial injustice and police brutality that have swept the nation over the past couple of weeks, there should be little doubt going forward. Rivera stands with those who wish to make their voices heard, and he wants to help in any way he can going forward.

When talking to the media on Wednesday morning, before the topic of football was even breached, Rivera spoke up about the murder of George Floyd that sparked worldwide protests of police brutality, calling for sweeping reform of the police departments in America.

In support of this, not only has Rivera stated that he is in support of any player who wishes to kneel during the national anthem in order to protest and make their voice heard, but he and Redskins team owner Dan Snyder are looking to further push the conversation forward by creating a task-force to implement plans to affect change. Rivera also said that he had a team meeting with players only on Zoom, looking to discuss the topic and find ways to use their platform for change going forward.

It’s unclear what exactly the future holds on several fronts, but there should be no questions about which side of history Rivera and the players in Washington stand. In a fight for liberty and justice for all, they stand with the people.

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Former Jets RB Chris Johnson denies murder-for-hire allegations

Police say former NFL running back Chris Johnson paid a suspected Florida gang member to kill two men in 2016.

A TMZ report on Wednesday said that former Jets running back Chris Johnson has been accused of paying someone to allegedly kill two people in 2016. 

Johnson hasn’t been arrested or charged with any crimes related to these allegations, and he tweeted “False news!!!!!” soon after the story came out. One of Johnson’s representatives also told TMZ that “there’s no validity to any of these accusations.”

The report alleges that Johnson paid Dominic Bolden, a suspected Florida gang member, with money and a narcotics supply connection after he shot and killed two men in 2016. The men killed were believed to be responsible for a drive-by shooting in Orlando, Florida on March 8, 2015, that killed Johnson’s friend, Dreekius Johnson, and left Johnson and another friend wounded. 

Police believe the 2015 shooting was a “gang-related murder attempt” on Johnson, according to court documents obtained by TMZ, and that the two murders in 2016 were allegedly carried out by Bolden as retribution. In return, police say Johnson helped Bolden become the leader of a large drug trafficking organization in Florida.

The 2015 shooting occurred less than a month after the Jets released Johnson following a lone season in New York in 2014. Johnson, who suffered a shoulder injury during the shooting, recovered and played three more seasons for the Cardinals before officially retiring as a member of the Titans in 2019. 

Johnson, who said this week that he regretted joining the Jets, holds the record for the most scrimmage yards in a single season with 2,509 after breaking Marshall Faulk’s total in 2009. 

Twin brother charged in fatal shooting of Philadelphia HS football star

Fayaadh Gillard has been charged with fatally shooting his twin, Suhail. The brothers played HS football in Philadelphia.

A tragic story out of Philadelphia as a brother has been charged with fatally shooting his twin to death Sunday. The twins played for Mastery Charter School.

The shooting took place when the twins’ father was showing them how to use a gun, Philly.com reported.

High school students, some wearing blue and white football jerseys, gathered around Fayaadh Gillard at Penn’s Landing, literally holding him up so he did not collapse to the ground.

Before breaking into sobs, Fayaadh, 18, led the group of students and faculty from Mastery Charter School Lenfest Campus in chanting “Long live Su, long live Su, long live Su.” Then they released blue balloons into the cloudy sky above the bank of the Delaware River.

The vigil Wednesday afternoon, which drew close to 100 members of the senior class and their teachers, was for Suhail Gillard, Fayaadh’s twin brother, whom police say he shot to death Sunday in an Overbrook apartment.

Fayaadh was charged with murder, possession of an instrument of crime, unsworn falsification to authorities, and obstructing justice. He was granted bail of $125,000, and was released after paying 10% of that amount.

The Mastery football coach told Philly.com Suhail excelled as a running back. A three-time All-Public League running back for the Pumas, Suhail Gillard had committed to attend West Virginia State University in the fall fall.

“No one at the age of 18 should lose their life. That’s too young. There are things he had yet to experience the pleasure of — being a young man and college athlete. There’s really no words,” John Davidson said.

This is the second tragic around high school football in the Delaware Valley in recent months. A 10-year-old died after shooting broke out at a Camden-Pleasantville playoff game in November.