#Dayton Shooting Victims

[aggravateddurian]

Babe, Wake Up! New Chorus OC just dropped!

This is my last post of the day, I swear. I've just been putting a lot of hours into Chorus and new OCs at the moment.

You're probably already familiar with Val (seen here in her 2079 Chorus guise, per her new lore), but have a look at the cutie to the right. That's Chet Reid, and he's Val's boyfriend in this timeline.

Full Name: Chet DeShea Reid Date of Birth: 17 March 2048 Affiliation: NUSA (former), NUS Army (former), Afterlife Mercs

Quick Chet Facts:

Chet identifies as straight. Val is his third actual relationship.

Chet was born in Ohio and moved to Night City after leaving the NUS Army.

Chet served in the Unification War. He is not proud of his service with the NUS Army.

Chet holds a special emnity for Rosalind Myers, whom he blames for the death of his friends.

Chet trained as a sniper in the Army. He claims to be the best sniper of any living Afterlife Merc.

Chet and Val met when they were hired for the same gig.

Chet has a sister, Monique, who he hasn't heard from in five years.

Full lore below the Blackwall

Chet Lore:

Chet DeShea Reid was born in Dayton, Ohio, in March 2048. His parents served in the NUS Aerospace Force, and were stationed at Wright-Patterson AFB. Chet surprised his parents by enlisting in the NUS Army in 2066 as a 19D Cavalry Scout. He was assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division (The First Team) based in Oklahoma. He primarily did border enforcement work.

Specialist Reid fought during the Unification War in 2069-2070. He earned numerous commendations and was promoted to Sergeant. He was recommended for promotion to Staff Sergeant, but elected to leave the Army in 2072 and move to the only place he knew that the NUSA didn't have its grubby mitts was Night City. Chet entered the only occupation he knew the second he arrived in Night City - Solo.

He proclaims to be the best sniper of any Afterlife Merc, and to be fair, he may be right. He keeps his girlfriend covered from behind the scope of his Nekomata, while she goes in and turns the enemy from single homogenous entities to so much cauterised sashimi. With their optical sensors linked, Chet can literally shoot the enemy through walls, so long as either he, Val or his customised Wyvern drone have eyes on.

His relationship with Valerie Ocampo-Gonzalez began in 2074. The pair met when they were hired by Regina Jones to kill a notorious Maelstrom ganger who terrorised the wrong victim, kidnapping a rich corpo's daughter and borging her out, before releasing the borderline cyberpsychotic 19-year-old high school graduate into the middle of Japantown, naked, afraid and high on just about every drug Maelstrom had access to.

The pair hit it off, and soon they were living together in an apartment in Megabuilding H10, about a level above V's apartment. While Chet had passing contact with V, they never really spoke, let alone knew that the other was an edgerunner. By 2079, he and his girlfriend of five years (by that point) were fairly well-known in the Afterlife, and had fallen into the scopes of Nightowl, a mid-league fixer who primarily organised jobs in and around Santo Domingo, succeeding Muamar 'El Capitan' Reyes, who became a 'used' car salesman.

[dailyunsolvedmysteries]

‘The Downtown Posse’: The Christmas killing spree

In December 1992, the small town of Dayton in Ohio, US, was preparing for Christmas like any other year.  The bloodthirsty gang, called the Downtown Posse, were led by 19-year-old Marvallous Keene. Also in the gang were Keene's girlfriend Laura Taylor, who was just 16 at the time. The pair were accompanied by DeMarcus Maurice Smith, then 19, and his girlfriend at the time, 20-year-old Heather Nicole Matthews.

On 24 December, Laura Taylor and Heather Nicole Matthews caught the eye of 34-year-old Joseph Wilkerson. Charming him into believing they'd have sex with him, the girls lured the General Motors worker back to his home. But when they arrived, the gang shot and killed him in cold blood.

For the next three days, the entire gang partied in Joseph's house while his lifeless body lay inside - but they weren't finished with their sick game yet. On the same day, the gang sought out their second victim, seemingly at random.

Eighteen-year-old Danita Gullette, who had a two-year-old daughter waiting for her at home, was confronted by the gang at a phone booth in town that evening. Threatening to shoot her, they demanded she hand over her belongings. Although she did as they asked, the heartless gang shot her anyway. Danita was taken to hospital but pronounced dead when she arrived.

The man believed to be the third victim of the Downtown Posse was not random like the first two killings. Richard Maddox, 19, was found dead in his car on Christmas Day 1992, after he had been shot in the head. Maddox was the ex-boyfriend of Laura Taylor, who was now dating gang leader Marvallous Keene. When cops spoke to Maddox's family, they discovered the connection between him and Taylor - and they also learned that Taylor's family thought she'd disappeared and had no idea where their daughter was.

On the same day Maddox's body was discovered, the bloodthirsty gang targeted yet another victim - Jeffrey Wright. Wright was found with four gunshot wounds after being attacked outside a house. Miraculously, he survived. While cops were speaking to Richard Maddox's family to tell them of their son's death, the Downtown Posse's killing spree continued.

On Boxing Day, the gang went into the family-run Short Stop Mini Mart and shot 38-year-old mum Sarah Abraham, who later died of her injuries. Customer Jones Pettus also suffered gunshot wounds, but survived. Another staff member who was working at the time escaped injury by pretending to be dead.

At first, police didn't realise the murders were linked and had no idea who they were looking for. But after a carjacking by the posse in which their victim managed to escape, cops finally had a vehicle to look for. Later, a detective stopped the posse, with no idea they'd carried out the murders, driving the stolen car. Nearby was the car they'd abandoned, which had had the number plate swapped. Cops traced the number plate back to the house of Joseph Wilkerson, the posse's first victim. When they entered the house, they were hit with a foul smell and found Wilkerson's body tied to the bed with gunshot wounds. The grim discovery, along with an anonymous tip off, finally led to the arrests of the Downtown Posse.

Gang leader Marvallous Keene was given the death penalty for directing the Christmas killing spree, while his accomplices all received life sentences.

[conradscrime]

The Dayton Christmas Killings

December 12, 2022

In December 1992, a small town named Dayton, Ohio experienced a massacre that to this day haunts the town. A gang known as the Downtown Posse was led by a 19 year old man named Marvallous Keene. Marvallous’ girlfriend, Laura Taylor who was 16 at the time was also part of the gang. 

Also in the gang was 19 year old DeMarcus Maurice Smith and his girlfriend, 20 year old Heather Nicole Matthews who had just been released from prison shortly before. It is believed that all four gang members had been estranged from their families when they started the gang. 

On December 24, 1992, Laura and Heather noticed 34 year old Joseph Wilkerson. The pair lured Joseph into believing they would have sex with him and went back to his house hoping to rob him.

When they arrived at Joseph’s house, the Downtown Posse found a .32 Derringer and Marvallous shot and killed him and then the others looked around for valuables. It was said after he was shot, Laura had also shot him in the head. 

For the next three days the gang stayed in Joseph’s house and partied while his body was left inside. The gang soon found their next victim, on the same day, December 24, 18 year old Danita Gullette who was the mother of a two year old daughter. Danita was confronted by the Downtown Posse at a phone booth. 

The gang demanded Danita to hand over her belongings, threatening to shoot her if she didn’t comply. Danita did what they asked of her, but they shot her anyway. According to Danita’s sister, Rhonda Gullette, Danita had said, “Don’t shoot me” to the gang before they shot her. It is believed that Danita was killed for her Fila tennis shoes. She had been shot 5 times. The gang had taken her coat, her backpack and 50 cents from her as well. 

Richard Maddox, who was 19 years old is believed to be the gang’s third victim. He was found dead in his car on Christmas Day, having been shot in the head. Richard Maddox did not appear to be a random victim, however, as he was the ex-boyfriend of gang member Laura Taylor. Laura had lured Richard from his parent’s house and the two got in his car, with the other three gang members trailing behind. After driving for a bit it was believed that Richard got suspicious of the car following behind them. It was then Laura shot him in the head and then jumped out of the car before it could crash. 

Authorities talked to Richard’s family, who discovered the connection between him and Laura Taylor. Richard’s family also told authorities that Laura’s family that she had disappeared and had no idea her whereabouts. 

On Christmas Day 1992 another victim was found, a man named Jeffrey Wright who had been Heather’s ex-boyfriend. Wright had been found with four gunshot wounds after being attached outside a house, however he survived. 

On December 26, 1992, the gang went inside Short Stop Mini Mart, a family owned store and shot 38 year old Sarah Abraham who died later from her injuries and Jonas Pettus, a customer, though he did survive. Another staff member had also been shot but survived by pretending to be dead. The gang only left the store with $44. 

At this point authorities still did not connect the murders together. It was not until the bullets were examined that the police realized the same weapon had been used in all of the shootings. 

The Downtown Posse decided to carjack a victim’s car, however their victim managed to escape alive and it was then the police had a car to look for. A police officer stopped the posse for driving a stolen car, having no idea they had been the ones responsible for the Dayton murders. 

Police found the car abandoned nearby with a swapped license plate on it. They then were able to trace the number plate back to Joseph Wilkerson, the first victim’s house. When police entered the house they found Joseph’s body tied to the bed with gunshot wounds. 

The Downtown Posse were finally arrested and 16 year old Laura Taylor admitted to more murders. Laura confessed that 16 year old Wendy Cottrill and 17 year old Marvin Washington were also victims, who had been found in a gravel pit. The two were killed by the posse because they thought they’d snitch to police. 

Marvallous Keene, the gang leader was given the death penalty for directing the killings, while the other three members received life sentences. Detectives believe that all gang members were willing participants and no one was forced to kill anyone.

On July 21, 2009, Marvallous Keene was executed by lethal injection at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville. He had no last words. 

It has been almost 30 years since the Dayton Ohio Christmas killings and they still haunt the town and the families of the victims. There was no real motive for the killings which is truly the most haunting part of all. 

[feministtraysh]

The man who shot nine people to death last weekend in Dayton, Ohio, seethed at female classmates and threatened them with violence.

The man who massacred 49 people in an Orlando nightclub in 2016 beat his wife while she was pregnant, she told authorities.

The man who killed 26 people in a church in Sutherland Springs, Tex., in 2017 had been convicted of domestic violence. His ex-wife said he once told her that he could bury her body where no one would ever find it.

The motivations of men who commit mass shootings are often muddled, complex or unknown. But one common thread that connects many of them — other than access to powerful firearms — is a history of hating women, assaulting wives, girlfriends and female family members, or sharing misogynistic views online, researchers say.

As the nation grapples with last weekend’s mass shootings and debates new red-flag laws and tighter background checks, some gun control advocates say the role of misogyny in these attacks should be considered in efforts to prevent them.

The fact that mass shootings are almost exclusively perpetrated by men is “missing from the national conversation,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom of California on Monday. “Why does it have to be, why is it men, dominantly, always?”

While a possible motive for the gunman who killed 22 people in El Paso has emerged — he posted a racist manifesto online saying the attack was in response to a “Hispanic invasion of Texas” — the authorities are still trying to determine what drove Connor Betts, 24, to murder nine people in Dayton, including his own sister.

Investigators are looking closely at his history of antagonism and threats toward women, and whether they may have played a role in the attacks.

Since the killings, people who knew Mr. Betts described a man who was offbeat and awkward; others recalled his dark rages and obsession with guns.

Those rages were frequently directed at female acquaintances. In high school, Mr. Betts made a list threatening violence or sexual violence against its targets, most of whom were girls, classmates have said. His threats were frightening enough that some girls altered their behavior: Try not to attract his attention, but don’t antagonize him, either.

“I remember we were all distant, like maybe we should just shy away from him,” said Shelby Emmert, 24, a former classmate. “My mom wanted me to just not associate. She said to stay away from Connor Betts.”

‘An Important Red Flag’

Shannon Watts, the founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, cited a statistic that belies the sense that mass shootings are usually random: In more than half of all mass shootings in the United States from 2009 to 2017, an intimate partner or family member of the perpetrator was among the victims.

(The study, by the gun control advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety, defined mass shootings as those in which four or more people died, not including the gunman.)

“Most mass shootings are rooted in domestic violence,” Ms. Watts said. “Most mass shooters have a history of domestic or family violence in their background. It’s an important red flag.”

Federal law prohibits people convicted of certain domestic violence crimes, and some abusers who are subject to protective orders, from buying or owning guns. But there are many loopholes, and women in relationships who are not married to, do not live with, or have children with their abusers receive no protection. Federal law also does not provide a mechanism for actually removing guns from abusers, and only some states have enacted such procedures.

Judges can consider an individual’s history of domestic abuse, for example, under red-flag laws adopted in at least 17 states. Such laws allow courts to issue a special type of protective order under which the police can take guns, temporarily, from people deemed dangerous.

The National Rifle Association, the nation’s largest gun lobby, has opposed efforts to expand the situations in which individuals accused of abuse can lose the right to own guns, saying that doing so would deny people due process and punish people for behavior that is not violent.

But Allison Anderman, senior counsel at Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, said measures that facilitate the removal of guns from abusers “are a critical step in saving the lives of abuse survivors.” And given the link between domestic abuse and mass shootings, she said, these laws may also help prevent massacres.

The plagues of domestic violence and mass shootings in the United States are closely intertwined. The University of Texas tower massacre in 1966, generally considered to be the beginning of the era of modern mass shootings in America, began with the gunman killing his mother and wife the night before.

Devin P. Kelley, who opened fire on parishioners at a Sunday service in Sutherland Springs, on Nov. 5, 2017, had been convicted of domestic violence by an Air Force general court-martial, for repeatedly beating his first wife and breaking the skull of his infant stepson. That conviction should have kept him from buying or owning guns, but the Air Force failed to enter the court-martial into a federal database.

In attacking the church, Mr. Kelley appeared to be targeting the family of his second wife.

In a case that highlights the so-called boyfriend loophole, in 2016, a man who had been convicted of stalking a girlfriend and had been arrested on a charge of battery against a household member shot Cheryl Mascareñas, whom he had briefly dated, and her three children, killing the children. Because the man had not been married to or had children with the woman he was convicted of stalking, his conviction did not prevent him from having or purchasing guns.

Inspiration From Incels

A professed hatred of women is frequent among suspects in the long history of mass shootings in America.

There was the massacre in 1991, when a man walked into Luby’s Cafeteria in Killeen, Tex., and fatally shot 22 people in what at the time was the worst mass shooting in modern United States history. The gunman had recently written a letter to his neighbors calling women in the area “vipers,” and eyewitnesses said he had passed over men in the cafeteria to shoot women at point blank range.

“Even some of the incidents that people don’t know about or aren’t really familiar with now or don’t come to mind, there definitely is a thread of this anger, and misogyny,” said James M. Silver, a professor of criminal justice at Worcester State University who has worked with the F.B.I. to study the motivations of mass gunmen.

In recent years, a number of these men have identified as so-called incels, short for involuntary celibates, an online subculture of men who express rage at women for denying them sex, and who frequently fantasize about violence and celebrate mass shooters in their online discussion groups.

Special reverence is reserved on these websites for Elliot O. Rodger, who killed six people in 2014 in Isla Vista, Calif., a day after posting a video titled “Elliot Rodger’s Retribution.” In it, he describes himself as being tortured by sexual deprivation and promises to punish women for rejecting him. Men on these sites often refer to him by his initials and joke about “going ER” — or a murderous rampage against “normies,” or non-incels.

Several mass killers have cited Mr. Rodger as an inspiration.

Alek Minassian, who drove a van onto a sidewalk in Toronto in 2018, killing 10 people, had posted a message on Facebook minutes before the attack praising Mr. Rodger. “The Incel rebellion has already begun!” he wrote. “All hail Supreme Gentleman Elliot Rodger!”

And Scott P. Beierle, who last year shot two women to death in a yoga studio in Tallahassee, had also expressed sympathy with Mr. Rodger in online videos in which he railed against women and minorities and told stories of romantic rejection. Mr. Beierle had twice been charged with battery after women accused him of groping them.

Federal law enforcement officials said the F.B.I. was looking at whether the gunman in Dayton had connections with incel groups, and considered incels a threat.

Experts say the same patterns that lead to the radicalization of white supremacists and other terrorists can apply to misogynists who turn to mass violence: a lonely, troubled individual who finds a community of like-minded individuals online, and an outlet for their anger.

“They’re angry and they’re suicidal and they’ve had traumatic childhoods and these hard lives, and they get to a point and they find something or someone to blame,” said Jillian Peterson, a psychologist and a founder of the Violence Project, a research organization that studies mass shootings. “For some people, that is women, and we are seeing that kind of take off.”

David Futrelle, a journalist who for years has tracked incel websites and other misogynistic online subcultures on a blog called “We Hunted the Mammoth,” described incel websites as a kind of echo chamber of despair, where anyone who says anything remotely hopeful quickly gets ostracized.

“You get a bunch of these guys who are just very angry and bitter, and feel helpless and in some cases suicidal, and that’s just absolutely a combination that’s going to produce more shooters in the future,” Mr. Futrelle said.

Psychiatrists, however, say that the attention on mental health generated by mass shootings, and the common argument that mental illness is the explanation for these massacres, cannot explain the link between misogyny and mass shootings. Misogyny — or other types of hatred — is not necessarily a diagnosable mental illness.

Instead, said Amy Barnhorst, the vice chair of community psychiatry at the University of California, Davis, who has studied mass shootings, what ties together many of the perpetrators is “this entitlement, this envy of others, this feeling that they deserve something that the world is not giving them. And they are angry at others that they see are getting it.”

© 2023 The New York Times Company

Psychiatrists, however, say that the attention on mental health generated by mass shootings, and the common argument that mental illness is the explanation for these massacres, cannot explain the link between misogyny and mass shootings. Misogyny — or other types of hatred — is not necessarily a diagnosable mental illness. Instead, said Amy Barnhorst, the vice chair of community psychiatry at the University of California, Davis, who has studied mass shootings, what ties together many of the perpetrators is “this entitlement, this envy of others, this feeling that they deserve something that the world is not giving them. And they are angry at others that they see are getting it.”

[geekgirles]

You know, it's very ironic, to the point where it becomes ridiculous, that a country so obsessed with big things (I kid you not, the standard American microwave is, like, for times mine), is so afraid of big changes.

[swemoswiftie]

Well in May it was devastating tornadoes that wiped out entire neighborhoods and severely damaged many others across our community in Dayton, Ohio. In the wake of that disaster we came together as a city and have been trying our best to recover. Some houses to this day still sit with missing roofs, some businesses still boarded up for repairs.  

Then, early this morning, 9 innocent lives were taken and 26 more injured by an active shooter in the popular entertainment district in downtown Dayton. Multiple shots fired, people injured, people killed on sidewalks I walk regularly, right outside of an arcade bar I sometimes visit with friends, ten minutes from my house and five minutes from my campus. Hundreds of people just out trying to enjoy a Saturday night, their lives changed forever over an act of senseless violence. Our community is shaken once again. And even though the citizens of our city are rising up together in solidarity, in sorrow, and in hope, my heart is heavy. 

You always think it can’t happen to you, it can’t happen here. And then it does. 

#DaytonStrong

[kalashni-cola]

@aridara

As usual, the most fervent opponents of gun control tend to be the least knowledgeable about gun laws. Unsurprising, considering that they believe that EVERY form of gun control is "they want to take away all our guns!", so they feel they have no need to actually read gun laws.

With regard to domestic violence offenses, federal law, as set forth at 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(9), prohibits a person from possessing a firearm or ammunition if they have been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of violence.  “Misdemeanor crime of violence” under 18 U.S.C. 921(a)(33) is:

A misdemeanor under Federal, State, or Tribal law; AND

Has an element that physical force was attempted or actually used, or a threat of use of a deadly weapon was made “by a current or former spouse, parent, or guardian of the victim, by a person with whom the victim shares a child in common, by a person who is cohabiting with or has cohabited with the victim as a spouse, parent, or guardian, or by a person similarly situated to a spouse, parent, or guardian of the victim.”

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/921 https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/922 So no "wife-beater" should be in possession of a firearm. Have a stupid PolitiFact's link as well.

It applies if the perpetrator in the domestic abuse has a child in common with the victim; lives or lived with the victim; or is "similarly situated to a spouse."

As for the "similarly situated" language, some courts have said live-in boyfriends would be covered by the law, said Jacob Charles, executive director of the Center for Firearms Law at Duke University. And a regulation promulgated by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives makes it clear that live-in partners are covered.

If your boyfriend is not living with you and is a psychopath get a restraining order or get them arrested for assault.

Better yet, defend yourself with a firearm.

[usafphantom2]

Ukraine claims to shoot down two Russian Il-76 planes amid fierce fighting

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 02/2622 - 09:33 AM in Military, War Zones

The Ukrainian government claims that its forces shot down two Russian strategic IL-76 'Candid' air transport jets on the outskirts of Kiev, capable of transporting more than 100 paratroopers each. No photograph or video evidence has yet appeared.

Russia did not recognize the loss of any of its Il-76 aircraft.

Ukrainian authorities claim that both jets - which are comparable ?? in size and capacity to U.S. C-17s - would be carrying cargo of paratroopers in combat. If both planes were full, the shot downs could easily mean the death of more than 300 Russian soldiers.

On Friday, the Ukrainian military said they shot down a Russian military transport plane with paratroopers on board.

In a Facebook post, Ukrainian Air Force commander Lieutenant General Zaluzhny Valery Fedorovich said: “Our forces overthrew IL-76 with enemy paratroopers in the Vasilkova area. This is revenge for Lugansk in 2014.”

Russian military forces are currently involved with Ukrainian military and territorial defense forces in fierce combat on the outskirts of Kiev. Russian forces have been fighting to maintain the airports necessary for refueling and strengthening troops. Citizens received rifles and were advised to make Molotov cocktails.

“Tonight, they are going to launch an attack. We should all understand what awaits us. We must resist tonight," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a video posted on social networks. "The fate of Ukraine is being decided now."

In the early hours of Saturday, it was reported that a second IL-76 aircraft was shot down south of Kiev, near Bila Tserkva, citing Ukraine's State Special Communications Agency as a source.

The information originated from the Special Communications Agency of the Ukrainian State. Early reports did not suggest what mission this aircraft may be carrying out and no specific reports of victims or survivors have been provided until this time. Both reports were later confirmed by PC:

The IL-76 aircraft is capable of transporting more than 100 paratroopers. The Soviet Air Force began using the first variation of the aircraft in 1974, and saw heavy use during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.

Tags: Military AviationIl-76RFSAF - Russian Federation Aerospace ForceWar Zones - Russia/Ukraine

Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, he has participated in several air events and operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Dayton Airshow and FIDAE. He has works published in specialized aviation magazines in Brazil and abroad. Uses Canon equipment during his photographic work in the world of aviation

Cavok Brazil - Digital Tchê Web Creation

[rachelkaser]

Masonry Monday: The Case of the Moth-Eaten Mink

A restauranteur friend of Perry’s asks for help when one of his waitresses is attacked and a gangster at the scene is murdered. A tattered mink coat holds a vital clue, tying the current case to the murder of a police officer.

Who’s Who

Perry Mason’s client: Morey Allen, a steakhouse owner, who unwittingly gets involved in a complex murder to help his brother

The victim: George Fayette, a.k.a. Herbert Sidney Granton, a gangster putting pressure on Morey over a year-old crime

Suspects: Dixie Dayton, a waitress in Morey’s restaurant who is run over while fleeing gunshots, only to disappear from the hospital the next day Tom Sedgewick, Morey’s half-brother, who is wanted in connection with the murder of a rookie cop and who recently returned to California Frank Hoxie, the night clerk at the Fairmont Hotel, where the murder took place, who knows where everyone was on the murder night Mae Nolan, another waitress in Morey’s restaurant, who tells the cops all about Dixie’s suspicious possession of a mink coat Sgt. Jaffrey, a police officer in Vice Squad, the superior of the murdered cop, who will do anything to catch the culprit

Enter Perry Mason, Attorney at Law

It’s a booming night at Morey’s Steakhouse restaurant, and proprietor Morey Allen greets Perry and Della when they arrive. He seats them in a booth, already knowing their order by heart. He hands the ticket to the waitress, Dixie Dayton. Just as he does, a hard-looking man walks into the restaurant and locks eyes with Dixie. She stumbles out of the restaurant’s back door and into an alleyway, where a car chases her, the driver firing two gunshots at her. She flees into the road, where she’s hit by another car. Several people rush to her side, including the parking attendant from Morey’s restaurant.

Back in the restaurant, Morey apologizes to Perry and Della about the wait, saying Dixie never gave the ticket to the chef and has vanished. Meanwhile, the hard-looking man is seated at a table, alone. The parking attendant pulls Morey aside and tells him what happened. As Perry and Della get their food, Morey goes into a side room and opens a locker, pulling out a mink coat. He returns to Perry and Della and asks to speak to them -- Della immediately zeroes in on the mink.

Morey explains what happened to Dixie, who is being taken to the hospital, and says the coat is hers. It’s a bit worse for wear, having been chewed by moths, but it’s still a bit ritzy for a waitress. He says that Dixie showed up for a job 10 days ago, and he took pity on her. Now the police are on their way, and Morey is concerned that the police will let this particular item slip to the newspapers, who will infer that his waitresses “mingle” with his rich clientele. Two cops walk in, and Perry tells Morey to leave the coat in their booth.

As Morey goes to talk to the police, Perry takes a closer look at the coat, and notes the label is loose. Behind it is a pawn ticket from Portland for $18. Perry ponders another mystery: Why is Morey Allen so out of sorts over a waitress he’s known for 10 days? Della notes that the other patrons are very curious about the policemen, but Perry sees the mean-looking mug, who is calmly sipping soup and not curious at all.

When Morey returns, he’s even more upset and asks Perry to represent him -- for what, he won’t say. Perry asks Morey about the mean-looking mug, and says the circumstances look very bizarre. He goes to the payphone, and calls first Lt. Tragg. He tells Tragg about the shooting and says he has a bad feeling about Dixie’s safety. He asks Tragg to put Dixie in a private room as a favor. Next, he calls Paul, telling him about the pawn ticket and asking him to send a man to Portland to look into it.

The Setup

The next morning, Perry enters the office and prepares to work on a memorandum. Della says that Morey Allen sent $1000 as a retainer, and also found out the name of the mug: George Fayette. Perry says Morey must have already known the name -- clients don’t willingly send in $1000 retainers unless they need the goodwill. He tells Della to call Morey and ask him to come in immediately. The memorandum will have to wait.

Paul arrives with the news on the pawn ticket -- and a surprise. The police found a second ticket in Dixie’s purse. The second ticket was for an engagement ring. The ticket from the coat was for a gun, more specifically a Smith & Wesson .38, and likely a cop’s gun. The pawnbroker told the police about both items, which they confiscated. Perry is wondering why Dixie would have hid one ticket so carefully, but not the other. Paul also says that the police are astir over the gun, and they were swarming the restaurant. One of the waitresses, a woman named Mae Nolan, told the cops about Perry and Della taking the mink coat.

Figuring Perry would want to question her himself, Paul brought her back to the office. Perry asks Della to send Mae in. He then puts Paul to the task of finding out about George Fayette. Mae Nolan struts into the office and butters Perry up. With just a little bit of prodding, Mae spills that Dixie was not an experienced waitress, and she got the job because she knew Morey -- in fact he was the one who gave Dixie the coat, having stored it for her (forgetting the mothballs). Perry thanks Mae for her help, and she leaves. Paul goes to check out Fayette, and Perry heads to the hospital to see Dixie.

At the hospital, Perry reaches Dixie’s room, only to be waylaid by Tragg. Tragg genially questions why Perry is spending so much time and effort on Dixie when she isn’t his client. Perry says he’s representing Dixie’s employer, Morey Allen, but won’t tell Tragg anything else. Tragg is a bit put out, given he did Perry a favor, and demands he turn over the mink coat as evidence. As Perry tries to enter Dixie’s room, Tragg finally tells him that she’s not there. She disappeared the night before.

The Investigation

Paul gives Perry the rundown on Fayette: He was arrested for bookmaking, but the case never went to trial. Paul also tells Perry that Morey may be in a lot more trouble. He reminds Perry that, a year before, a young detective named Robert Claremont was murdered with his own gun. The last person seen with Claremont was a bookie named Tom Sedgewick, who vanished. The police now have the gun: It’s the same one Dixie pawned. Paul begs Perry not to get involved in a cop killing, but Perry won’t give up on Morey yet. Della calls: Tragg is in the office. Perry tells her to give Tragg the mink coat.

Late at night, Perry is woken from sleep by a phone call. His answering service says Morey is on the line. Perry takes the call, and Morey frantically whispers that he needs help immediately. He can’t call the police. Perry asks if Dixie is with him, and she is. They’re at the Keymont Hotel, room 721. Perry agrees to meet them there as soon as possible. He then calls Paul, who was also asleep, and asks him to meet with him at the Keymont, as it may be a trap.

Perry arrives at the Keymont and breezes past the hotel clerk, who glares suspiciously after him. He takes the elevator to the 7th floor and enters room 721. The door is open and the room is empty. He starts checking around the room, and comes upon a tube of lipstick on the floor: The end is smushed and ragged. He begins looking under surfaces, finally coming across a message, written in lipstick, on the bottom of a small table. It reads, “262 V3 L15 MASON HELP.”

Paul enters, and Perry fills him in on the situation, showing him the note as well. Paul at first presumes that the message was left by someone writing in a hurry, but Perry points out a flaw by asking Paul to recreate it: Writing on the underside of a table while sitting at it would produce a mirror of the message, not a legible sentence. Which means the message was faked. But Perry still wants to know what they were trying to convey. Paul deduces that “V3″ means volume 3, and  there are three volumes of the phone book next to the table.

They find the line in question, and it’s the address of Herbert Sidney Granton. Paul remembers Granton lives at the address Fayette gave at his arrest, meaning Fayette and Granton are likely the same person. On a hunch, Perry tells Paul to call the Keymont and ask for Fayette. Paul goes to the payphone in the hall and calls the desk, pretending to be an airline. The clerk offers to ring Fayette, who doesn’t answer. Paul does get the room number: 815.

The Murder

When Perry and Paul arrive at room 815, they find Fayette, dead from a gunshot wound on the bed. Paul wants to call the police, as he doesn’t have Perry’s legal protections. Suddenly the door opens and Tragg walks in, completely unsurprised to see Perry. With him is Lt. Jaffrey, a Vice Squad officer who almost immediately gets aggressive with Perry and Paul -- especially when Tragg reveals they believe Fayette’s murder is tied in with Claremont’s, and that the latter was one of Jaffrey’s boys.

Tragg tells Mason that the next-door neighbor heard an argument and a shot, and called the police before Mason got there. Those cops summoned homicide, and Tragg arrived just as the clerk told Jaffrey that Mason was in room 721. So they left the crime scene as is to see if Mason would enter it. Mason promises to answer Tragg’s question, but asks to leave the dead man’s room out of respect. Jaffrey says they can use 721 to talk, as they know it’s empty. Back in 721, Jaffrey tries to pressure Paul into answering his questions.

Seeing that Tragg isn’t on his side, Mason relents and tells Tragg about Morey calling him, and the message that led him up to room 815. Tragg asks where Morey and Dixie are, and Mason says he doesn’t know (Jaffrey doesn’t believe him and thinks he’s helping Morey cover up). Tragg demands he produce the two by the end of the day. Mason is an officer of the court, so he must produce them, or Tragg will ask Burger to start disbarment proceedings against him. The next morning, Paul rushes into Della’s office and tells her to wake Perry: The police found Morey and Dixie.

While Perry visits Morey at the jail, Morey asks Perry to represent Dixie, too. He finally tells Perry the whole truth: Dixie is engaged to Tom Sedgewick, Morey’s small-time crook half-brother. He says that Sedgewick was planning to play stool pigeon for Officer Claremont, but panicked and fled to Portland with Dixie after Claremont was murdered. Perry asks if Morey thinks Tom killed him, and Morey is positive he didn’t . . . until Perry hits him with the fact that Dixie and Tom pawned the murder weapon in Portland. Morey is shocked and realizes Tom likely is the killer and now he’s really in a mess.

Perry asks for more details about Tom. Morey says Tom came back because he has tuberculosis, but Fayette, Tom’s contact, threatened to kill both Tom and Dixie if they ever returned. Dixie saw Fayette in the restaurant, and fled because she’s the only one who knows where Tom is hiding. Dixie later left the hospital when an anonymous caller told her to check into the Keymont Hotel to find out who killed Claremont. She asked Morey to come with. After he called Perry, two thugs came in and took his gun. Perry asks if Morey killed Fayette, and Morey swears he didn’t. In Perry’s office, he tells Paul to dig up  everything on the Keymont’s night clerk, Frank Hoxie. He wants to know how Hoxie knew they’d be in room 721.

The Trial

Burger opens the hearing with a statement. He’s proceeding against both Dixie and Morey for the murder of George Fayette, and says their motive stems from the murder of a police officer. The judge reminds him that the defendants can only face one accusation in court, but Burger promises it’s justified. Burger’s first witness is Frank Hoxie. Hoxie testifies that Dixie and Morey entered the hotel at 9:30 pm, registering under phony names. Morey also asked if anyone checked into 815, and Frank told him (Morey) that Fayette had.

On cross, Mason asks how long Hoxie has worked for the Keymont. Hoxie says three years. The only time he wasn’t working the night desk was during a month the hotel paid for him to fly to Mexico City to collect a bill. That was a year ago, on September 17. Mason asks if Hoxie has ever been convicted of a felony. Burger objects, and it’s overruled. Hoxie admits he was convicted of armed robbery, for which he served five years in San Quentin. But he’s been straight for 10 years. He had trouble staying employed, until a sympathetic cop got him the job at the Keymont Hotel, which would overlook his record. The cop still checks up on him.

Next, Mason questions Hoxie’s memory for faces. He shows Hoxie a picture of Officer Claremont and asks if he’s seen him. Hoxie says yes: He saw Claremont on September 17, the night he left for Mexico. Claremont was visiting George Fayette, the murder victim. Mason submits the picture as evidence, and says that this testimony has uncovered a new avenue of investigation, and asks for a recess to gather evidence. The judge grants it. Perry tells Paul to look more closely into the Keymont Hotel. As he’s leaving the courtroom, Mason takes Tragg aside and confides to him his suspicions about who actually killed both George Fayette and Officer Robert Claremont...

In Summation

I’m sure you can find this bit of trivia on any cache of info about the show, but this was actually the pilot episode and the first one filmed. It’s amazing to think, actually, because even though this was the first time Raymond Burr, William Hopper, and Barbara Hale acted together, they were all excellent together and had great chemistry. If you didn’t know this was the pilot then you’d probably assume they’ve been working together for years, especially in the final scene, in which they all feast at Morey’s steakhouse while discussing the case.

The mystery is a much more complex, investigation-heavy affair than is typical for Perry Mason. But I think that’s to its benefit -- even a law procedural can be a detective show for one episode, and that’s what makes it one of my favorites. Some the cinematography and shot composition is a bit less polished than previous (or I should say, subsequent) episodes, but it still got a noirish vibe that I enjoy.

As I say, this is probably the episode where Perry is the closest to a detective, rather than a lawyer. He frequently makes deductions with the evidence, especially in the hotel room, when he swiftly determines, with one glance, that the message supposedly left for him is a trap. He even makes small, pointed deductions: For example, he punctures the old chestnut of gunshots vs car backfiring by noting that the person reporting it, a parking attendant, would know the difference between the two sounds. Paul is no slouch either, putting on a great act on the phone to get information about the victim. The only reason it doesn’t work is because Hoxie is aware of who he is.

MASON: It’s Perry Mason, Lieutenant. Will you do me a favor? TRAGG: I doubt it, but go ahead. [...] MASON: You know I never discuss my clients’ affairs. TRAGG: Last night I did you a favor. Today I ask you a question, you get cozy with me. You must ask me a favor again sometime. [...] TRAGG: *completely unsurprised to see Perry at the crime scene* Funny thing -- you don’t see a fella for several weeks, and then all of a sudden you run into him twice in one day.

On Perry Mason’s spectrum of clients, which range from savvy to boneheaded, Morey falls somewhere in the middle. He tries his best, but he’s involved in a problem that’s miles over his head. I don’t want to judge, because I’m not sure how I would react under that kind of pressure, but he could not really have made it easier for the crime syndicate to frame him if he’d tried. It doesn’t even occur to him that his brother and Dixie might be holding out on him until Perry gives him the facts, and only then does it hit him what a mess he’s in.

It’s a pity that Dixie doesn’t get any chance to speak in her own defense -- in fact, she barely speaks at all. Still, actress Kay Faylen manages to do a lot of non-verbal acting in the opening, when this seemingly nondescript waitress is menaced by a gangster, chased by a car, and finally run over in the street. And, as my husband pointed out while watching this episode, she’s a trooper for managed to outrun a car in heels.

The other characters also turn in good performances. Mae Nolan is a ray of comedy in this otherwise bleak episode, kissing up to Perry because, as Paul guesses, she’s made him for a big tipper. Frank Hoxie initially comes off a bit smug, but slowly becomes terrified as it becomes clearer how deep he’s in. Even Jaffrey plays his role as the aggressive cop as hard as he can, hassling Paul because he knows the detective doesn’t have Mason’s lawyerly duty to protect Morey and Dixie.

But the standout star of the episode, in my opinion, is Ray Collins. He makes this case extra personal, playing up Tragg’s intense dedication to his job and his anger that Perry may be, even inadvertently, helping to cover up the murder of a cop. I’m going to dip into slight spoiler territory, but the episode’s climax involves a shoot-out between him and the culprit in Perry’s office, about the closest thing to an action scene this series has. In the book this episode is based on, Tragg kills the culprit, but here he merely wounds them. This is even better, because when Perry goes to call an ambulance for the wounded party, Tragg stares down at them with absolute contempt and says, “Don’t hurry.”

From a series’ fan perspective, this is also one of the few times we get a glimpse into Perry’s and Paul’s apartments, with Perry getting a late night call and immediately waking Paul up as well. It’s also one of the broadest glimpses yet of the Perry Mason legal office, as Perry greets several employees when he arrives in the morning. Usually we only see Della and sometimes Gertie, but this is a reminder that yes, Perry Mason does have a proper legal team at his disposal and multiple cases on his plate at any given time.

The Verdict

Judgement: ⚖⚖⚖⚖ (four scales out of four) Perry gets himself mixed up in organized crime, playing both lawyer and detective for two clients in this most noir-inspired of Mason episodes.

[spiritsanddemonspodcast]

12/21/2021 - The Dayton Christmas Killings

 The Scariest Monsters of All

The horror began on December 24, 1992. Sixteen year old Laura Taylor, nineteen year old Marvallous Keene, and twenty year old Heather Nicole Matthews (who had only been released from prison a few months prior), called thirty four year old Joseph Wilkerson and offered him an orgy in exchange for money. 

Wilkerson invited the three over to his place. Once there, the three tied Wilkerson to the headboard with electrical cords. They proceeded to ransack the house looking for valuables. They apparently found a .32 caliber Derringer. Keene used the gun to shoot and kill Wilkerson. It was said that Taylor then shot Wilkerson in the head with a .25 caliber gun. 

Then, the trio stole the man's car and picked up Heather Matthew's seventeen year old boyfriend, DeMarcus Maurice Smith, and went out to Neal Avenue to hunt for more victims. They stalked a Salem Avenue ATM looking for their first victim, their plan being to rob the person then kill them. Apparently no one showed up to the ATM and the trio moved on.

They found Danita Gullette, an 18 year old Senior at Patterson Cooperative High School and mother of a 2 year old, talking on a payphone. Keene rolled up next to her, pointed the gun at her, and stated "Merry Christmas, bitch" and shot her five times. Her last words were "Please don't shoot me". They stole her coat, shoes, and her backpack which contained a grand total of $0.50. 

Danita Gullette

The grouped (dubbed the "Downtown Posse") attempted to kill Matthews ex-boyfriend. Jeffrey Wright was shot four times in the legs by Smith, Matthews' new boyfriend. Wright survived and escaped to a neighbor's house. 

The posse then returned to Wilkerson's residence and "partied". They ate his food, used his house, etc, as their "home base". 

Christmas day Laura Taylor called her ex-boyfriend and convinced him to to head out in his car. Richmond Maddox quickly realized Keene was tailing them and gunned it. But Taylor pulled out the Derringer they stole from their first victim, shot Maddox in the temple, and jumped out of the moving vehicle. Maddox's car crashed on Benton Ave. 

The next day, December 26th, Taylor walked into Short Stop mini-mart on W. 5th St. Sarah Abraham (38 and a mother) was working behind the counter and Taylor attempted to buy a soft drink but was "short" and a customer named Jimmy Thompson offered her a nickel for the remaining balance, telling police later that he had thought she looked "innocent" and he wanted to help. Keen and Smith then walked in and demanded all the cash in the register ($44). Keene shot Abraham in the face and head, then turned and shot another store customer, Jones Pettus, in the stomach and hand. Thompson escaped any kind of injury by feigning being shot. Abraham suffered for 5 days in the hospital before she passed away. 

By this point, the group was starting to get paranoid. They were switching out license plates to avoid getting caught and realized that two acquaintances of theirs had witnessed the shooting of Matthews' ex, Wright, and may report them to police. So the four set out, picked Wendy Cottrill and Marvin Washington (16 and 19 years old respectively), bought them beer and wine, and drove into a gravel yard on Richley Drive.

Keene

Keene and Smith marked the two out to a dirt pile and shot them execution style. 

All in all, these four monsters killed 6 people, wounded two, and traumatized countless others all for 3 days in a house that wasn't theirs, food in that fridge, a car they didn't even get to keep, $44.50, and maybe an old TV. 

The Dayton police didn't even connect the cases at first because they were so random. The first and really only clue they were able to find was the bullet casings. Then a detective noticed a stollen Dodge Shadow (belonging to a woman who had ran when the group stole her vehicle at gun point), and ran a plate check. The plates didn't come back to the Dodge, and that is when the the police closed in on the group.

According to some reports, Taylor had told Keene to shoot the arresting officer, but Keene refused. All four were taken into custody the night of December 26, 1992. The four of them were arrested without incident. 

Once behind bars, Taylor confessed to a local minister about the final two victims, whom the police still hadn't known about. 

Keene confessed to everything and was sentenced to death by lethal injection. He was the 1,000th prisoner in Ohio to be executed since 1976. His life was ended on July 21st, 2009. The other three were sentenced to life in prison. All three remain there to this day.

Matthews, Taylor, and Smith

The reason they gave for this murder spree? They wanted some "drama" and "fun" in their lives. Four people who had literally nothing else to do on Christmas murdered six people and injured two others "for the fun of it". 

That's what a true monster looks like. Fuck them. I wish them nothing but discomfort for the rest of their lives. I hope their socks are always sliding down their shoes and the seam is always right on their pinky toe in the most uncomfortable way. I hope their coffee is always the bottom of the pot and full of fine grounds and room temperature. I hope they step on legos in prison. I hope their cell mates snore so loud they can't sleep. I hope their toilet always smells like diarrhea no matter how many times it's cleaned. I hope they only ever get mushy grapes. I could go on, but Ryan is looking at me like I need therapy.

The Christmas Killings: 40 Hours to Justice by Stephen C. Grismer, Judith M. Monseur, and Dennis A. Murphy

[dailyvideovault]

New video posted on: https://dailyvideovault.com/trump-on-mass-shootings-hate-has-no-place-in-our-country/

Trump on mass shootings: "Hate has no place in our country"

[maribabyart]

Do you have any Demon Martha headcanons? How do you think her reunion with Mrs. Mayberry (The teacher who paid for her assassination) in hell would go?

 OK YES I HAVE HEADCANONS FOR THIS HERE WE GO --

MARTHA HEADCANONS <3

So, I’m gonna start with her before she died so I can fully get into why every part of her is the way she is as a demon.

Martha is light skinned Latina woman with family coming from Venezuela. Her mother has a much darker skin tone than her, but her father is far more light-skinned, where she gets her complexion from. While she was raised in America, her parents were immigrants. She was born at home, and she didn’t get a birth certificate until she was four, the year before she started schooling.

She has three older brothers. They were very rambunctious with Martha as a child, pulling pranks on her/with her, taking her hunting, etc.

She was raised out on a farm in the middle of a forested area in Kentucky. They raised cattle, sheep, chickens, and horses. Martha’s main job on the farm was to groom/ride horses and feed chickens.

She learned her sharp-shooter skills in a more intense version of something like 4H unique to her area. She was fantastic with a bow and arrow, and even better with her firearms.

Cannibalism was normalized in Martha’s life from a young age. She knew that it must be kept secret from the outside world, and that it wasn’t accepted. However, it wasn’t something she found to be horrid.

Her family -- and their close friends -- came from a long lineage of Satanic cultists that practiced cannibalism to purge any bit of, “soul” remaining in the corpses of their sacrifices. Due to this, Martha had evolved to be able to be immune to the ill side effects of cannibalism, along with the ability to not feel repulsed by the idea of eating human meat.

Her favorite part of the body growing up was the brain, and it still is to this day. She loves the frontal lobe slathered in spices and hot sauce.

She began her cultish killings at age fourteen, when she officially joined the cult of her family’s descent -- Compañerismo de la Fruta Prohibida (Fellowship of the Forbidden Fruit, a refrence to their following of Lucifer)

Martha didn’t love Raphael Peterson, or, “Ralphie”. She was married of to him at age sixteen, when she became a, “Woman” in the cult’s eyes. They were both meant to appear as an ideal couple so that people wouldn’t suspect them, as their parents before them have.

Ralph and Martha always saw each other as friends with benefits.

They moved to Dayton, Tennessee to start their family when they turned eighteen.

In Nashville, Martha started singing to music her husband played in Taverns. Think Dolly Parton style music. She sounded a lot like that.

Their first child was born when Martha was eighteen: Their daughter, Jolene Peterson. Two years later, they had their son, Beau Peterson.

Martha was always really involved with her kids’ school activities, and she was always volunteering to work events, and her kids were in every activity they could be.

She used her physical attractiveness to seduce and kill men.

While sex favorable, Martha is on the aspec -- greysexual (sexual pleasure is irrelevant to her, and she only engages in it to appease her partner generally. She only finds sexual attraction in people while in the act.) Because of this fact, Martha only has affairs for the sake of gaining trust to bring the men home so they can be killed and eaten.

When Martha was shot, the community villainized Mrs. Mayberry because the town darling, Martha Jane Nunez Robles-Peterson, would NEVER cheat, right? The situation was misread: Martha was just talking to Jarold Mayberry that night about t-ball-related things, right? He WAS the the little league captain for her 6-year-old-son’s league, wasn’t he?

Martha was gifted millions by the community, and people were insanely supportive of her. They wanted the sweet Martha they, “knew” to get better soon. They loved her so -- such a darling woman!

Her music became more well known, and soon, Martha was all over TV. Her big musical break came from when she auditioned for American Idol and made it. Her sob-story propelled her, and she eventually won.

Martha was a hero to everyone around her -- surviving a traumatic event that was uncalled for, while also being so damn chipper and kind.

Hell, did you guys see the background in one of those scenes?! Martha was canonly proclaimed a SAINT! People loved her that much.

She used the public trust to lure in more victims and never be suspected.

Martha was 28 when she died. Ralphie was 28 as well. Jolene was 10, and Beau was 8.

Ralphie managed to survive the explosion, albeit he was completely paralyzed, and the two children went to heaven. Ralphie repented during his last month alive, and confessed to his crimes. He was sent to heaven as well.

Martha and the children were declared to have died in a bear attack, as Compañerismo de la Fruta Prohibida covered up their true demise with ease.

People were heart broken -- Martha’s music was used in sad collages on Youtube, Tik Toks had Martha’s face in them for memorials.

No one ever realized her crimes.

Now! As a demon....

In hell, Martha picked up the alias Hero -- it’s what she was in life, right? I’ll be calling her Hero from now on.

Hero is both different and similar to how she was when she was alive. She’s still the got her kind-hearted, southern mama vibe going for her: She tends to be able to fit into any demonic crowd well, either by attractiveness or by sheer, overwhelming allure -- she’s a very magnetic personality.

As far as powers go, Hero’s are mostly related to firearms. She’s acquired these powers through deal making and soul dealing, as most demons do. Her charming aura very quickly lure people into thinking she’s naive or really just being honest with them.

Her nails can peel back to allow her to shoot from, “finger guns”. Each finger is a different gun, besides her middle and index fingers. They are both shotguns. Together, they make a double barrel shotgun.

When in full demonic form, Hero’s bandages become sentient. They peel away from her wound, revealing a minigun like weapon in the hole in her head. This can rapid fire while the bandages can grab onto things or hoist Hero up. She can make this last for five minutes -- ten at the longest -- before she gives out to sheer exhaustion and needs to eat demon meat to replenish herself.

Within her first week in hell, she was known to be powerful. Not quite an overlord, but powerful enough to hang around overlords. 

She hit overlord status three months later, during the terf war seen in Hazbin Hotel’s pilot: She took several areas of land, and was seen to have several lesser demons flocking to be on her good side.

Hero used her land to build up a bar and grill that serves strictly demon meat and blood, where demons can play music and dance. It’s like a fucked up country dinner. It’s an insanely popular addition to Cannibal Colony, where she lives.

The place is called La Cocina de la Calle Kuru (The Kuru Street Kitchen)

Hero REALLY wants to get her hands on exterminator tools, but she’s not really a fan of black market deals -- it’s too “trashy” for her.

Hero knows Alastor pretty well, as he’s came in for meat and to watch the music. They’ve had pretty decent conversations while she was on break, seeing as they were both influential  southern, cannibalistic serial killers. It’s a running gag between them where they jokingly talk about who was more iconic -- “I bet I took out more belles in a lifetime than you could in your entire afterlife!” “Well hon, at least I could eat the brains without gettin’ Kuru!”

She talks to Rosie a lot about business, and has met Niffty and Mimzy before. (Al hooked a bitch up with some friends lmao)

She REALLY likes Mimzy. She reminds her of Ralphie, and they became super fast friends. 

Vox and Hero have a confusing sort of friendship, as neither really wants to be seen with the other -- In his case, because she’s much lower on the overlord spectrum than him, and in her case, because she’s no stranger to Alastor and Vox’s hatred for one another. However, she often finds herself consoling Vox on sleepless nights after closing up the bar, trying to convince him that Valentino is NOT worth his time. Beyond that and him occasionally paying her back in tech at random hours of the morning, they don’t talk often.

Hero LOVES dancing! Like, a lot.

She’s seen Charlie’s ad for the Happy Hotel. Her and Mimzy watched it, and they both thought it was the stupidest damn thing they’d ever seen. However, Hero said she was happy Charlie got up there, because she was just, “Cute as a button, that lil’ sweatpea was!”

Hero’s best friends are Mimzy and an unnamed demon who specializes in black market, extermination tool selling (the one seen in in Addict -- Cherri Bomb’s former lover).

These two people, and these two people alone, can call her “Martha”

Hero cooks whenever she’s stressed. She also adores sewing and binging soap operas and reality shows on Voxflix.

Hero’s Instagram would be, “HeroicMelodies” in reference to her music career and name.

Hero gets hit on A LOT, and she despises it. She doesn’t need to seduce people anymore to get away with murder, and she doesn’t want to. She dresses the way she does because she LIKES that clothing. People can fuck off.

The reason Hero is white and pink is to show how innocent she looks. Her pitch-black eyes show her dark soul.

Hero sings in Spanish to herself when cleaning up.

Sometimes, Hero and Rosie spend holidays going around with ground demon meat to throw to the hell crows and other critters. They find it peaceful.

Hero, shockingly, holds no hatred for I.M.P., and commonly jokes about how the I.M.P.’s, “Did her a favor” by sending her somewhere she can actually be her. She has no idea who called for the hit, though. 

Hero finds Blitzo’s Instagram posts being poorly spelled to be, “Damn near precious”.

She thinks he’s a teenager, and probably would think it less adorable if she knew he was a grown man with a grown kid.

Hero doesn’t care about Mrs. Mayberry at all. Like, at all. She honestly assumes the woman is in heaven. She knew Mayberry wasn’t bad -- she probably wouldn’t care if she was in hell, though. Oh well. Sucks to suck, bitch.

Husk frequents La Cocina de la Calle Kuru to drink and engage in the gambling scene. Hero finds him trashy, but can’t say she hates him. She finds him funny as hell, and enjoys the business. Just not someone she’d personally hang out with.

[naturalbornworldshakers]

“This 1955 Mercedes 300SL Gullwing was Gable's car, from that happy delivery day in 1955 until the star's sudden death of a heart attack on November 16, 1960. He'd finished the grueling shoot of Arthur Miller's Western "The Misfits," costarring Marilyn Monroe and Montgomery Clift, just two weeks earlier. The Benz had been with him on the Nevada set. Cinematographer Doc Kaminsky, hired to make a behind-the-scenes documentary, remembers racing Gable and the Gullwing across the desert floor. "He had a Gullwing Mercedes and I had a brand-new Austin-Healey at the time," Kaminsky told the Reno News & Review. "Clark was an excellent driver, and we'd go blasting off over the Geiger Grade. And this was in the 1960s, remember, so no speed limits." Gable and the Gullwing helped Kaminsky bust limits with the ladies, too. "One day, I was going with a girl downtown and I pulled up to a traffic light," Kaminsky told the paper. "Clark Gable pulls up next to me in his Gullwing and says, 'Hi, Doc. How's it going?' And the girl I was with, her teeth fell out. She says, 'Was that Clark Cable?' 'Oh, yeah. I'm working with him on a project. '" Only weeks later Gable was gone—the victim, many said, of having overtaxed his hard-living, 59-year-old body by doing his own stunts in that final film ("How do you find your way back in the dark?" asks Monroe's Roslyn Taber at the movie's close. "Just head for that big star straight on," Gable's Gay Langland replies. "It'll take us right home"). Gable's body was laid to rest alongside that of his beloved third wife, actress Carole Lombard, killed in a 1942 plane crash while returning home from a war-bond campaign. Four months later, Gable's widow, Kay, gave birth to his one and only child, son John Clark. (at Dayton, Nevada) https://www.instagram.com/p/CPtQxrxlEv5/?utm_medium=tumblr

[13thpythagoras]

real talk -- "No civilian needs a 100-round magazine. It's only useful for the military or mass shootings." Mass shootings when it’s a white shooter right? Terrorism when it’s a brown shooter, right? 

[the-ross-winchester]

Yes! That is in the plan as well. I want it to become personal. Show their names and faces and who they were as a person.

And as said, the more people who do it on their own as well, the more numbers we have the greater impact it will have. My voice alone is quiet, I need a choir of voices with me to make progress.

It's not much, but I finally had to do something. Due to the Dayton shooting (which is my hometown) have had enough. I have created a twitter where everyday I will @ Donald Trump with the names and faces of mass shooting victims under his presidency. I alone won't cause a difference, but if enough people join me I think we can cause some traction. I don't expect this to fix the issue by far. But with strength in numbers and persistence I think it may gain attention and put pressure to cause change.

The Twitter handle is @VictimsEveryday

Please spread the word and join me if you would. Not everyone is able to do big things to try to change the world but everyone can do little things.

[catrapng]

It hasn’t even been 24 hours since we the El Paso shooting and there are reports of 7 victims in a shooting in Dayton, Ohio (no confirmed number yet). Something has to change. This can’t be our new normal. We can’t live in a world where we barely register one shooting to have another in less than 24 hours. i love yall, please stay safe.