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Katherine Schaffstall

Katherine Schaffstall is a Senior Writer, True Crime for Us and joined the team in December 2025. She previously worked at McClatchy with the In Touch and Life & Style team as an Associate Editor, where she covered all things entertainment, reality TV, pop culture and true crime. Katherine has also written for publications including The Hollywood Reporter, The Sun and Parade. Originally from Buffalo, New York, she moved to New York City in 2014 to attend Marymount Manhattan College. She was a double major in Digital Journalism and Communication Arts and graduated in 2018. Katherine is currently based in New York City.

Mom Slams Ex After He Killed Their Kids in Murder-Suicide: ‘You Were Supposed to Be Their Protector’

Mom Slams Ex After He Killed Their Kids in Murder-Suicide: ‘I'm So Angry'

A heartbroken mother in Florida has spoken out after her ex killed their two children and himself in an apparent murder-suicide, claiming that he was “supposed to be their protector.” Olivia Piccolo slammed Joseph Dingwall just days after she found their daughter, Aria, 5, and their son, Remy, 7, dead at Dingwall’s home in Cocoa, […]

Did Lindsay Clancy Take the Stand Before Judge Declared Mistrial in Murder Case? Everything to Know

Did Lindsay Clancy Take the Stand Before Her Mistrial? Case Updates, Details

Lindsay Clancy’s murder trial in the deaths of her three young children ended without a verdict in September 2026 — and nearly a month later, a judge again rejected her defense team’s push to have the charges thrown out entirely. Judge William Sullivan denied a motion filed by Clancy’s lawyer, Kevin Reddington, seeking to have […]

Minnesota Man Fatally Shot Woman in Head After She Told Him She 'Wasn't Ready' for a Relationship

Minnesota Man Fatally Shot Woman in the Head After She Rejected Him

A Minnesota man was found guilty of murder after he killed a woman by shooting her in the head when she told him she “wasn’t ready” to be in a relationship with him. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced that a jury convicted Jose Luis Lopez Xique of first-degree premeditated murder, second-degree intentional murder and […]

Man Slashed Publix Shopper, 70, in Random Attack Because He Doesn’t Like People From the 1960s

Man Slashed Victim, 70, Because He Doesn’t Like People From the 1960s

A Florida man was arrested after he allegedly slashed a 70-year-old man across the face with a box cutter as she shopped at Publix because he “disliked” people born in the 1960s, authorities claim. Ramsey Thomas Lyons was arrested on Saturday, October 10, and charged with aggravated battery on a person 65 years or older. […]

Retired Police Sergeant Husband Kills Officer Wife and Daughter in Murder-Suicide

Retired Police Sergeant Husband Kills Officer Wife, Daughter in Murder-Suicide

A retired police sergeant in California killed his wife, who was also a former officer, and their daughter in an apparent murder-suicide. Ann Mannix, a former deputy chief of police, and their daughter Katie Mannix were fatally shot by family patriarch Kevin Mannix before he died by suicide on the night of Sunday, October 11. […]

Parents Charged With Neglect After Confining Child in Wooden Box and Keeping Other Kid in Playpen

Oklahoma Parents Charged With Neglect After Confining Child in Wooden Box

Two parents in Oklahoma were arrested after they were accused of child neglect, and it was revealed that they kept one of their children in a wooden box and placed another child in a playpen for 20 hours. The District 21 District Attorney’s Office in Oklahoma announced that Sara Tudor and Michael Brown were arrested […]

Suspect Charged for Killing Philadelphia Police Officer and Attempting to Murder of Other Officers Shane Seiber

Suspect Fatally Shot Philly Police Officer and Attempted to Murder Others

A suspect is in custody after he fatally shot a police officer in Philadelphia and tried to kill other officers. Philadelphia Police Department Commissioner Kevin Bethel announced during a press conference that Shane Seiber was killed in West Philadelphia on Saturday, October 10, after responding to a report of a man with a gun, per […]

Grandfather Killed 8 Victims, Including Pregnant Daughter, in Horrific Murder-Suicide

Grandfather Killed 8 Victims, Including Pregnant Daughter, in Murder-Suicide

A family tragedy took place when a grandfather in Pennsylvania fatally shot eight people before he died by suidice in an apparent murder-suicide. Police responded to reports of a shooting at a home in Erie, Pennsylvania, on Friday, October 9, around 5 p.m. Upon their arrival, officers found two women that had been fatally shot […]

Woman Accused of Child Neglect After Children Were Found Unsupervised in ‘Unlivable’ Home

Woman Arrested After 6 Kids Were Found in 'Unlivable' Home With Feces on Floor

A woman in Florida was accused of child neglect after authorities learned that she was living with six unsupervised children in “unlivable” conditions. Jamie Jakes was arrested in Tallahassee, Florida, and was charged with six counts of child neglect on Sunday, October 4. Authorities learned of the situation when they saw a car swerve into […]

Louisiana Teacher and Coach Arrested After He Was Accused of Sex Crimes With Minor

Louisiana Teacher and Coach Arrested for Alleged Sex Crimes With Minor

An elementary school teacher and coach in Louisiana was arrested after he was accused of being involved in sex crimes that involved a minor. Ponchatoula Police Chief Bry Layrisson announced in a statement via Facebook that Trey Sparks was arrested after a complaint was filed regarding messages that were allegedly exchanged between him and a […]

What Did David Grodnick Do? Man Accused of Killing Daughter and Wife in Murder-Suicide

What Did David Grodnick Do? Man Accused of Killing Family in Murder-Suicide

A New Jersey family’s picture-perfect life ended in unimaginable tragedy in October 2026 when authorities discovered that David Grodnick had fatally shot his wife and adult daughter inside their $1.7 million Montgomery Township mansion before his apparent suicide. The deaths of David, 61, his wife Lora, 62, and their daughter, Sloane, 24, have shocked the […]

Mom Finds Her Daughter and Son, 5 and 7, Dead After Their Dad Killed Them in Apparent Murder-Suicide

Mom Finds 2 Kids Dead After Their Dad Killed Them in Apparent Murder-Suicide

A mother’s worst nightmare came true when she found her two young kids dead after their dad killed them in an apparent murder-suicide. The Cocoa Police Department confirmed to Us that the children, who have been identified as 5-year-old Aria Dingwall and 7-year-old Remy Dingwall, were found dead at their home in Cocoa, Florida, just […]

New Jersey Family Killed in Murder-Suicide Had ‘Unusual’ Behavior Before Deaths, Says Neighbor

NJ Family Killed in Murder-Suicide Had ‘Unusual’ Behavior Before Deaths

A neighbor revealed that he noticed “unusual” behavior from a family before a father killed his wife and daughter in a murder-suicide at their New Jersey home. “I thought the house was No. 1 in the [neighborhood for] maintaining their lawn. I think a couple of months or more they were not maintaining it. It […]

Husband Wants to Remarry Ex-Wife Who Cut His Penis Off With Razor

Man Wants to Remarry Ex-Wife After She Cut Off His Penis With Razor

A man in Brazil revealed that he wants to remarry his ex-wife after she was arrested for cutting off his penis with a razor and flushing it down the toilet after she learned he cheated on her. The initial incident took place in 2023 when Daiane dos Santos Farias learned on her birthday that her […]

Christa Pike Is Experiencing ‘Profound Psychological Trauma’ After Surviving Failed Execution

Christa Pike Has ‘Profound Psychological Trauma’ After Failed Execution

Christa Pike is experiencing “profound psychological trauma” more than one week after she survived two lethal injections during her failed execution. Pike’s attorneys told People on Thursday, October 8, that there are still “significant questions” about the possible “long-term effects” of her botched execution that took place on September 30. “Christa is dealing with the […]

Police Officer Arrested After Blocking Boyfriend From Leaving Home and Biting Him During Breakup

Police Officer Bites Boyfriend, Blocks Him From Leaving Home During Breakup

A police officer in Florida was arrested after she allegedly blocked her boyfriend from the door and bit him when he tried to break up with her. Marcia Sangronis was arrested on Tuesday, October 6, and was charged with one count of aggravated battery causing great bodily harm following the incident. The investigation into the […]

Mystery Caller Expressed Concern for Family Before Murder Suicide

Mystery Caller Expressed Concern Before Murder-Suicide at $1.7 Million Mansion

Shortly before it was discovered that a family in New Jersey died in an apparent murder-suicide, a mystery caller phoned police to report that something was awry at the family’s $1.7 million home. The Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office said that the caller – who has not been identified – reported something was off at the […]

What Prison Is Chris Watts In? Inside His Life Today After Pleading Guilty to Family's Murders

What Prison Is Chris Watts In? Inside His Life Today After Family's Murders

Eight years after Chris Watts killed his pregnant wife, Shanann Watts, and their two young daughters, the convicted murderer is serving five consecutive life sentences at Dodge Correctional Institution (DCI) in Waupun, Wisconsin. He also seems to have started over again and found love behind bars, and he may soon be married. Meanwhile, Chris’ family […]

Mom Arrested for Neglect After Delaying Taking 2-Month-Old With Brain Injury, Broken Ribs to Hospital

Mom Arrested After 2-Month-Old Son Suffered Brain Injury and Broken Ribs

A Florida mom was arrested after she ignored concerns about her 2-month-old son’s health, including her friend’s claim that he was losing “a lot of blood.” Juanisha Johnson was arrested on Wednesday, October 7, and charged with child neglect with great bodily harm, child neglect without great bodily harm, attempting to tamper with evidence and […]

Former Teacher in Alabama Arrested for Alleged Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material

Former Teacher Arrested for Alleged Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material

A former teacher in Alabama was arrested after he was accused of having child sex abuse materials in his possession. The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office announced in a press release that Justin Daniel MacMahon-Sessions was arrested on Wednesday, October 7, and has been charged with 16 counts of possession with intent to disseminate child sexual […]

Chris Watts' Mom Insists He Didn’t Kill His Daughters Despite Pleading Guilty to Wife, Kids’ Murders

Chris Watts' Mom Insists He Didn't Kill His Daughters Despite Guilty Plea

Chris Watts’ mother insisted that he did not kill his daughters eight years after he pleaded guilty to killing his wife Shanann Watts, and their two daughters in 2018. “Christopher is a good person, I know him,” Chris’ mother, Cindy Watts, told The Daily Mail on Tuesday, October 6. “Nobody in his past or even […]

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