Steve Stephens Shoots Himself Dead After Pennsylvania Police Chase First and foremost, good riddance . According to CNN , Facebook live murderer Steve Stephens has been found dead inside his white Ford Focus in Erie, Pennsylvania. “After a brief pursuit, Stephens shot and killed himself,” Pennsylvania State Police said. Police are still investigating Stephens’ claim that he murdered 13 other people in addition to 74-year-old Robert Godwin, who many witnessed die on the disturbing Facebook live stream. Though some of you may cringe at this, Mr. Godwin’s children have already forgiven Stephens for taking their father from them: “Each one of us forgives the killer, the murderer,” Godwin’s daughter Tonya Godwin Baines said. “We want to wrap our arms around him.” Notice the brother didn’t say a word. Looks like the sisters are speaking for themselves. R.I.P. Robert Godwin. Burn in Hell, Steve Stephens. If he wanted to die so back he could have just killed himself from the jump and Mr. Godwin would still be alive. Image via Facebook
Steve Stephens Shoots Himself Dead After Pennsylvania Police Chase First and foremost, good riddance . According to CNN , Facebook live murderer Steve Stephens has been found dead inside his white Ford Focus in Erie, Pennsylvania. “After a brief pursuit, Stephens shot and killed himself,” Pennsylvania State Police said. Police are still investigating Stephens’ claim that he murdered 13 other people in addition to 74-year-old Robert Godwin, who many witnessed die on the disturbing Facebook live stream. Though some of you may cringe at this, Mr. Godwin’s children have already forgiven Stephens for taking their father from them: “Each one of us forgives the killer, the murderer,” Godwin’s daughter Tonya Godwin Baines said. “We want to wrap our arms around him.” Notice the brother didn’t say a word. Looks like the sisters are speaking for themselves. R.I.P. Robert Godwin. Burn in Hell, Steve Stephens. If he wanted to die so back he could have just killed himself from the jump and Mr. Godwin would still be alive. Image via Facebook
New Artist Garren Has A Great Message For Youth There’s a new voice out of the West Coast that has definitely caught our attention. His name is Garren and we are loving the positive message in his music. Garren’s video for his single “Wrong Way” just dropped and we wanted to share the visuals as well as the great lyrics, which are all about him avoiding the gang banging lifestyle that kept his father in and out of jail for many years. Garren recently sat his pops down for a conversation about how his absence affected him for years. It’s pretty much gone viral, but if you haven’t seen it yet, make sure to watch it below: Follow Garren on social media: IG: @garren Twitter & Facebook: @GarrenOfficial Photo Credit: Instagram
It’s been nearly two years since the world learned the shocking news that reality star Josh Duggar molested five young girls , four of whom were his sisters. In the months that followed, fans of Josh’s family would bear witness to a number of appalling revelations, including the fact that Josh’s parents helped cover up his crimes . Amazingly (and disconcertingly), Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar have recovered from the scandal and have even been granted a second chance at TV stardom with TLC’s Counting On. Obviously, Josh hasn’t been shown the same forgiveness. Of course, the fact that he was caught up in a second sex scandal later that same year certainly didn’t help his cause. Just three months after the world learned that Josh had molested his sisters, it was revealed that the 28-year-old father of four had cheated on his wife, Anna Duggar , using paid accounts on Ashley Madison, a website designed to facilitate affairs between married men and women. In all likelihood, audiences never would’ve forgiven Josh’s first round of indiscretions, but the second revelation put the nail in his reputation’s coffin. The cheating allegations confirmed that he’s a man with some very severe issues and that the his family made the right choice by excluding him from their their second-chance reality series. But while Josh will likely never return to television, he’s still doing quite well for himself these days. Josh’s sexual misconduct derailed his career as a D.C. lobbyist, but he’s landed on his feet back home in Arkansas. Josh has taken over the family business of repairing and re-selling used cars. If you watch Counting On online , you know that the side-business has been tremendously lucrative for several members of the Duggar clan. On Saturday, the Duggar Family News Facebook page confirmed that Josh has expanded his mini-empire with a second location. “Josh’s new car lot is up and running,” the source wrote. The proprietor the page reveled in Josh’s downfall (as we all should), writing: “Josh is back to his used car selling roots after a quick flirtation with politics and sex workers in DC. “I wonder how he is settling down to living a boring life in Arkansas after all the excitement he came to know in DC.” The writer adds: “I recall his Instagram photo taken from the balcony of John Boehner’s office overlooking the National Mall and think all he’s taking photos of now are 20 year old cars with high mileage.” Yes, it’s certainly been a precipitous fall from grace for Josh, but the sad fact is, he’s still doing much better than just about anyone in his hometown who doesn’t share his last name. Several sources close to the family have estimated Josh’s net worth at roughly $200,000. Now, that’s certainly a far cry from Jim Bob Duggar’s net worth , but Josh certainly isn’t struggling. Josh is facing a number of lawsuits, but in all likelihood, he’ll emerge from them unscathed. Consider this your daily reminder that the world is a deeply unfair place. View Slideshow: Josh Duggar Sex Scandal Timeline: How His Family’s Empire Crumbled
Louisiana Cop Guilty Of Manslaughter In Jeremy Mardis Shooting Death Back in 2015 we reported on the police-involved killing of a 6-year-old autistic boy named Jeremy Mardis . 18 bullets were fired and Jeremy was shot 5 times, including twice in the head and chest, by Louisiana cops when they tried to serve his father a warrant. The NYPost is reporting that Derrick Stafford, one of the trigger-happy officers who killed Jeremy , has been found guilty of manslaughter and attempted manslaughter. A dashcam video showed that Jeremy’s father had his hands raised in the air when the officers began unloading. Stafford said he was unaware that a child was in the vehicle. Stafford cried when a prosecutor showed him photographs of the slain first-grader. He said he didn’t know the boy was in the car when he fired and didn’t see his father’s hands in the air. “Never in a million years would I have fired my weapon if I knew a child was in that car. I would have called off the pursuit myself,” Stafford said. Of course this cop didn’t knowingly murder a special needs child, but that child is dead nonetheless and the cop is supposed to be equipped with training and the highest standard of judgement. Sad. R.I.P. Jeremy Mardis. Image via Facebook/AP
Robert Brian Clark, who appeared on a memorable episode of Season 2 of Catfish, has tragically died, MTV News confirms this week. He was just 33 years old. Clark, who went by “Brian” on Catfish , was reportedly killed in a motorcycle accident in his native Jefferson County, Alabama. Local news reports described a tragic, harrowing scene. It’s not clear exactly how, but Brian was thrown from his motorcycle after he “became airborne while crossing a set of railroad tracks.” He was then hit by a car after landing on the highway. When the motorcycle came landed after being airborne, it landed on its side and Clark was ejected from the bike before being struck. The crash happened at 5 p.m. local time, and Clark was pronounced dead on the scene less than a half an hour afterward, at 5:20 p.m. Simply awful. According to reports, Brian passed away in December, but it appears that MTV only learned about, and mourned, his death this week. In 2013, Brian appeared on Catfish with Jesse Bettinger, a pretty blonde who was worried that Brian was not who he appeared to be. You can see a photo of the couple above. He’d been portraying himself as a Southern gentleman, but Jesse, unsure of who she was dealing with online, enlisted the Catfish crew. As she told Nev Schulman , she had been stood up by Brian once before, after driving hundreds of miles to meet up with him no less. Brian later revealed that he missed their rendezvous because he was arrested for possessing a sawed-off shotgun that very same day. Nevertheless, the online relationship continued, and when Brian and Jesse eventually met on Catfish , well, he was who he said he was. That’s right, he was telling the truth all along. A catch-up special later revealed to fans that they did not end up together, though they continued dating one another after the episode. It’s not clear why they broke up, but Brian, a former U.S. Marine, had struggled with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) for years. Jesse, now the mother of a two-year-old son, posted a tribute to Brian on Facebook, along with the caption, “I’ll never forget our good times.” “Your struggle is finally over,” she said. View Slideshow: Celebrities Who Died in 2017: In Memoriam Sadly, Catfish Season 2 star Ashley Sawyer died within the last year as well (Mike Fortunato, the man she met on MTV, is also deceased). Wednesday night’s episode of Catfish contained a short tribute to Brian Clark, with the network sharing its condolences and memories.
Chuck Berry, the long-time musician who many credit with popularizing the entire genre of rock ‘n roll, died Saturday in Missouri, the St. Charles County police has confirmed. He was 90 years old. “St. Charles County police responded to a medical emergency on Buckner Road at approximately 12:40 p.m. today (Saturday, March 18),” the department said via statement this afternoon. The statement continued as follows: “Inside the home, first responders observed an unresponsive man and immediately administered lifesaving techniques. Unfortunately, the 90-year-old man could not be revived and was pronounced deceased at 1:26 p.m. “The St. Charles County Police Department sadly confirms the death of Charles Edward Anderson Berry Sr., better known as legendary musician Chuck Berry.” Concludes the post, which was written on Facebook: “The family requests privacy during this time of bereavement.” The singing, guitar playing and general showmanship of Berry have often been credited as having enormous influence on Elvis Presley, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and the Beach Boys, among other legends. The latter group’s “Surfin’ USA,” for example, so overly copied Berry’s song “Sweet Little Sixteen” that the rock pioneer complained and was eventually given a co-writing credit on the track. Berry performed for over seven decades. His best known hits likely remain Roll Over Beethoven, My Ding-a-Ling, Maybelline (his first real hit, released in 1955) and Johnny B. Goode. The latter was immortalized by Michael J. Fox in Back to the Future, who basically emulated Berry’s moves on stage in that memorable movie. The veteran musician received a lifetime achievement Grammy Award in 1984 and was among the first inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. By the late 1970s, after years of success in the spotlight, Berry career took a nosedive. In 1979, was found guilty of tax evasion and sentenced to four months in prison. However, he remained a worshiped figure by the music icons he had inspired. When Keith Richards inducted Berry into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, saying at the time that he “lifted every lick” that Berry ever played for himself. Upon learning of his death, motown group The Jacksons Tweeted the following: “Chuck Berry merged blues & swing into the phenomenon of early rock’n’roll. In music, he cast one of the longest shadows. Thank You Chuck.” Added Bruce Springsteen: “Chuck Berry was rock’s greatest practitioner, guitarist, and the greatest pure rock ‘n’ roll writer who ever lived. “This is a tremendous loss of a giant for the ages.” Expect many more tributes to follow. Berry had announced in October that he would actually release a new studio album some time in 2017. We send our condolences to those who knew Chuck Berry best. What a legend. May he rest in peace. View Slideshow: Celebrities Who Died in 2017: In Memoriam
Toby Willis, the patriarch of a family who formerly starred in its own TLC series, has been arraigned on four counts of child rape on Monday in Tennessee. According to The Tennessean newspaper, Willis pleaded not guilty to the charges and his trial will begin on July 18. The ex-reality star was arrested in September after authorities completed their investigation into an alleged sexual encounter he had an underage girl a dozen years ago. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigations confirmed last fall that Willis fled his home in Ashland County to avoid arrest at the time and was eventually apprehended by the police in Greenville, Kentucky. The victim’s name has not yet been released, but The Daily Beast followed up initial reports by speculating that the individual may have been one of Willis’ own kids. The website wrote in September that a “child rape” charge only enters into the conversation in Tennessee if the alleged victim is between the ages of 3 and 12. Moreover, court documents obtained by FOX411 a few months back stated outright that the alleged victim is a female Willis family member. Toby and his wife are the parents to eight kids, although it remains possible the victim could have been an outside relative, such as a niece. Elsewhere, Nashville’s Newschannel 5 reported on other lewd details of the alleged incident back when this scandal was making major headlines in September. “The report stated she was removed by Willis from her bed and raped,” the station claimed, adding: “The reports added unlawful penetration by Willis took place when the child was older than 3 but younger than 13… “Authorities confirmed Willis was told he was not allowed to go around his biological children or his wife.” Toby Willis and his family previously starred on TLC’s The Willis Family, which ran for two seasons, after rising to fame while competing on season 9 of America’s Got Talent. Willis set to appear in court on May 31 after completing psychological testing requested by his attorney. However, the state chose to present its cause to the March grand jury, Circuit Court Clerk Julie Hibbs told the newspaper. Shortly after Toby’s arrest, wife Brenda issued the following statement: I was shocked and devastated by the revelation of events leading to Toby Willis’ arrest. As these are very trying times for the Willis family, I kindly ask all to respect our family’s privacy. As a mother of twelve, my first priority remains with my children and helping them through this traumatic event. We are cancelling all appearances for the foreseeable future to focus on the children and their well-being. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. We have, and will continue, to fully cooperate with law enforcement officials and ask that you direct all inquires regarding Toby Willis’ case to the District Attorney’s office who have our complete support. View Slideshow: 21 Celebrities You Probably Want to Keep Away From Your Children
Teen Mom 2 star Jenelle Evans has a warning for her drug-addicted convict ex-husband Courtland Rogers when he gets out of prison: You’re dead to me, bruh. After serving two years of a three-year prison sentence following a drug conviction, Courtland Rogers is set to walk free on March 18. He’s indicated, according to reports, that he plans on getting in touch with his Teen Mom 2 star ex-wife once he’s finally a free man. This has obviously sparked concerns about how Jenelle, who just welcomed her third child by her third different guy, might respond. Fortunately, whatever you think of her life decisions and antics over the years, the 25-year-old seems to have her head on straight lately. “Hell no,” Evans said when asked if she planned to reconnect with Courtland, with whom Evans had an abortion after getting pregnant. “I’m staying far away from him.” “And he better do the same,” Evans added of her plan to stay as far away from Rogers as she possibly can, next week and forevermore. The two were only married 18 months, but that felt like a lifetime for Evans, who suffered a miscarriage, then became pregnant again. In 2013, both Jenelle and Courtland were arrested on charges of possession of heroin and drug paraphernalia in a domestic dispute. After that, she aborted the child. Ironically, Jenelle is engaged to David Eason , the father of her new baby girl, and Rogers is quite familiar with him for unsavory reasons. Both served time together in North Carolina at the Nuese Correctional Institution, where Eason was held on drug and larceny charges. An officer from the Tabor City Correctional Institution in North Carolina where Rogers is now being held confirmed his imminent release. Part of Rogers’ November 2015 sentence for heroin possession was for being deemed a repeat offender, a habitual felon by the state. However, “there is an advanced supervised release program,” the officer remarked when asked how Rogers is being released early. “They have to meet a certain criteria and not get certain infractions and be in classes to have a reduced sentence,” which he has done. After a video of him injecting himself with heroin in 2014 surfaced online, Courtland confirmed, “I did relapse, see all my track marks?” He was then jailed in the fall of 2015 after he failed to show up for a court date on charges of speeding (seriously) and reckless driving. Rogers also starred in the documentary In the Vein: Hooked on Heroin , which was produced by a local North Carolina TV news station. He and Jenelle divorced in June 2014, after spending a year separated as required by North Carolina state law before making it official. Evans and Eason seem to be doing well, but she’s involved in a nasty custody battle with mom Barbara Evans over her first son Jace. “My mother is ruining our relationship as mother and daughter,” she tweetd recently in response to that conflict. “It’s only getting worse.” “If you guys only saw the texts messages between my mother and I. Shows a lot of truth to why I freak out on her so suddenly.” “My feelings are extremely hurt and this is why I do not attend the live shows. My mentality is very important for my three children.” Jace’s father, Andrew Lewis, is MIA. Jenelle’s second baby daddy, Nathan Griffith, was engaged to her briefly, and now sort of hates her as they frequently spar in court. Like Rogers, Griffith has been arrested following a domestic situation where he allegedly got physical with the Teen Mom 2 cast member. She and Nathan share custody, contentiously, of son Kaiser; Jenelle and David welcomed daughter Ensley to her brood back in January. It’s a lot to keep track of, we know.
Jill Smokler is best known for writing about her children. But the blogger behind wildly popular website Scary Mommy made news over the weekend for a heartfelt message she shared with readers about her marriage. Specifically, about the surprising reason why her marriage is coming to an end. Via an emotional post on Facebook, Smokler said on Satuday her husband is gay. The soon-to-be former couple has three kids and has been involved romantically for over two decades. “Yesterday, Jeff and I told our children that we are divorcing, after more than 17 years of marriage and 23 years of togetherness,” Smokler wrote. “We also told them that the impetus for the divorce is the fact that Jeff is gay. “Without getting into too much personal detail, this is a reality which we have faced together for many years.” She added: “For a very long time, the deep love we had for one another sustained us through the more difficult moments that our increasingly diverging sexuality created. “We have spent more than half of our lives inseparable, and we are very proud of the life and family we have built together. We have been true partners and friends; we are a kickass team. “And while we will no longer love each other as husband and as wife, we remain deeply committed to one another as partners and co-parents to the three most incredible kids we could ask for. “It’s our greatest hope that this experience translates into raising empathetic, caring and open-minded children who learn to embrace their differences… and respect and appreciate that which makes others different, too.” Jeff, meanwhile, went ahead and shared his side of this story on Scary Mommy. Explaining that he knew he was gay for about the last “four or five years,” he wrote the following: “I always knew I was different, but when you meet your soulmate when you’re 18 years old – only five years older than my own daughter is now – and that person is a woman, you simply think ‘thank God then, I can’t be gay.” Jeff and Jill are parents to a nine-year old, an 11-year old and a 13-year old. “One thing I’ll say about my own journey is this: What should have been an easy choice — a no brainer — was the hardest decision I’ve ever made,” Jeff also wrote . “Once I came to terms with the fact that I was gay, I figured I had two options: I could die — either from my intentional neglect of my health and well-being, or perhaps from something even more tragic — leaving my children fatherless, or I could come out and hope that I remained surrounded by the love of my friends, family, wife and children.” During an interview with the Today show on Friday, Jill talked about breaking the news to the kids. She said her and Jeff’s 13-year-old daughter reacted with sympathy and even offered to hug her father, while their boys had more trouble with the announcement. Jill said they have “weepy moments” but have still been “incredibly mature” given the situation. “I have had probably 70 people message me or email me privately who are in the same situation,” she said on Today, adding: “This has been really good for me. For as many nasty comments as we get on the internet, every time I have put something out there that has made me feel super vulnerable or that was painfully honest, the response has always been amazing.” Scary Mommy has over 2.8 million Likes on Facebook. It is a go-to website for parenting tales and advice. Added Jeff in his Scary Mommy entry, focusing on what’s most important: Our children are amazing. They are all digesting the information in their own ways, but, boy, are they all also showing their true colors. Brush away all of the worst characteristics and idiosyncrasies one would expect from kids their ages, and we’re left with compassionate, thoughtful, wonderful children.
