Real estate tycoons the Alexander brothers arrested on federal charges

(NEW YORK) — When Cory Martin wanted to know how to cover up a grisly crime and dispose of a murder victim’s dismembered body, he turned to television, watching “The First 48” and “Dexter” for tips, according to federal prosecutors.

“The defendant directed Witness-1 to watch the television show Dexter with him in preparation for the murder. In Dexter, a serial killer murders and dismembers his victims, concealing forensic evidence by covering his ‘kill room’ from floor to ceiling with plastic,” prosecutors said.

On Thursday, Martin will be sentenced in Brooklyn federal court for murdering a sex worker, Brandy Odom, as part of a life insurance scam and then cutting up her body for disposal.

He faces a mandatory life sentence.

“It is fitting that that Martin faces a mandatory sentence to spend the rest of his life in prison for this ghastly, cold-blooded crime that was motivated by greed and executed after extensive planning,” United States Attorney Breon Peace said after Martin’s conviction. “Martin saw the victim as a moneymaker, trafficking her for commercial sex, then after killing her with his bare hands, tossing out her slaughtered body parts like trash so he could profit from her death.”

Odom’s mother is expected to address the court prior to sentencing.

Odom’s dismembered body was found in a Canarsie park in 2018, according to authorities. The 26-year-old’s head and naked torso were found among leaves and twigs. Her arms and legs were discovered nearby, officials said.

He was not arrested until November 2020.

Martin, 36, was convicted in March of murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire resulting in the death of Odom, as well as wire fraud conspiracy, aggravated identity theft and fraudulent use of identification.

“During the time Odom lived with the defendant, he acted as her pimp and controlled every aspect of her life, using the income from her commercial sex work to pay his bills and finance his lifestyle. The defendant then plotted to profit further off Odom by taking out life insurance policies in her name and murdering her to collect the proceeds,” prosecutors said.

Police said Anderson read several articles about the murder in the months after the killing, including one titled “Search area expands after dismembered body found in Canarsie Park in Brooklyn.”

Adelle Anderson, 32, who was also arrested as part of the crime, already pleaded guilty to murder-for-hire, identity theft and wire fraud. She has yet to be sentenced, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.

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(NEW YORK) — The jury has requested to receive two readbacks and several pieces of footage as they continue to deliberate in the subway chokehold death trial of Daniel Penny.

Little more than an hour into deliberations on Tuesday, the jury asked for a readback of a portion of the judge’s instructions on the law. The jury is interested in the part about justified use of force.

They also asked for several pieces of video on Wednesday, including police body camera footage, Penny’s interrogation video, and a bystander’s video.

The jury also asked for a readback of the cross-examination of the city medical examiner who concluded that Penny’s chokehold killed Neely.

The medical examiner, the final witness for the prosecution, found that Neely died from compression to the neck and never wavered from her view under intense cross-examination.

The defense countered her conclusion, suggesting public sentiment about the case had influenced her findings and that Neely died of other factors.

The jury — comprised of seven women and five men — is considering whether to convict Penny of manslaughter and negligent homicide in the death of Jordan Neely, a 30-year-old homeless man, on a New York City subway train.

To convict, prosecutors have told the jury that Penny’s use of lethal force must be considered unjustifiable and that Penny acted recklessly and consciously disregarded the substantial risk of putting Neely in the chokehold for so long. Defense attorneys told the jury that Penny was only trying to protect subway passengers.

Defense attorneys also said that Penny never intended to kill Neely, while prosecutors said they do not have to prove Penny intended to kill Neely to have the jury hand down a guilty verdict.

Read the key takeaways presented to the jury during the weekslong trial here.

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(SANTA MARIA, Calif.) — The man who allegedly threw an explosive device inside a California courthouse where he was set to be arraigned, which left five injured, has been federally charged, officials announced on Friday.

Santa Barbara resident Nathaniel James McGuire, 20, was charged with maliciously damaging a building by means of explosive, the U.S. District Attorney’s office announced.

McGuire allegedly lunged through the Santa Maria Courthouse doors on Wednesday, tossed a small bag past the weapons screening station, and the bag exploded as it hit the floor outside of the local arraignment room, according to the criminal complaint. When McGuire entered the courthouse, he yelled “Liberty or death,” according to the DA’s office.

McGuire left on foot after the explosion and was quickly detained by Santa Barbara County sheriff’s deputies while he was trying to access a red Ford Mustang car parked outside the building, according to police. McGuire allegedly yelled that the government had taken his guns and that everyone needed to fight, rise up, and rebel, the complaint said.

In a recorded interview with investigators, McGuire said he arrived at the courthouse with the intention to kill deputies working the security desk inside the courthouse, the complaint alleged.

McGuire allegedly told investigators he was going back to the car to get a shotgun, a lever action rifle, and Molotov cocktails and he planned on reentering the courthouse to kill a judge, the complaint said.

A search of the car revealed a shotgun, a rifle, more ammunition, a suspected bomb and 10 Molotov cocktails, according to the complaint. Law enforcement later rendered the bomb safe.

“This defendant’s alleged misconduct was chilling. Not only did he injure five people and traumatize many more, but he possessed a cache of weapons that would have allowed him to wreak even greater destruction had he not been stopped,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada.

The suspect’s alleged motivation in the explosion “appeared to have stemmed from a recent arrest” by the sheriff’s office, Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office Undersheriff Craig Bonner said during a press briefing Wednesday evening.

In that case, McGuire was arrested for alleged firearms violations on July 28, Bonner said. Deputies had seized a “loaded and concealed revolver that was in McGuire’s pants pocket and was not registered to him,” Bonner said.

If convicted on his federal charge, McGuire faces a minimum sentence of seven years in prison and a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison, according to the complaint.

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