Bomb cyclone hammers West Coast, 2 dead in Washington state

(SANTA MARIA, Calif.) — Six people suffered non-life-threatening injuries from an explosion at the Santa Maria Courthouse in California, officials said.

One person of interest — an adult male — was detained and is being interviewed, Santa Barbara County Sheriff public information officer Raquel Zick wrote on social media.

Authorities believe the explosion was the result of an “intentionally set improvised explosive device,” Zick said.

The suspect allegedly lunged through the courthouse doors and tossed a small bag past the weapons screening station, and the bag exploded as it hit the floor outside of the local arraignment room, the court executive officer told ABC News.

The suspect ran toward his car and was apprehended by a deputy, the officer said. The man also reportedly had weapons and ammunition in his car, the officer added.

The bomb team is processing the scene, Zick said.

Police don’t believe there are any outstanding suspects, she added.

A spokesperson for Marian Regional Medical Center told ABC News the hospital received six patients in the incident. Three are in fair condition and two are in good condition, the spokesperson said. The condition of the sixth person is unknown but is not believed to be serious.

The courthouse is closed for the day and city buildings within one block of the courthouse are temporarily closed, said Mark Van de Camp, spokesperson for the city of Santa Maria.

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(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.

Martin is set to 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.

His sentencing, which was originally scheduled for Thursday, has since been rescheduled for Nov. 6.

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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(GALLATIN COUNTY, MT) — Investigators are asking for help solving a “vicious” murder that was so brutal a 911 caller had reported it as a possible bear attack, according to the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office.

A friend found 35-year-old Dustin Kjersem dead in a tent on Saturday morning about 2.5 miles up Moose Creek Road, in a fairly remote camping area in Montana, according to Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer.

Kjersem was last heard from on Oct. 10 as he was leaving to go camping for the weekend. He had plans to meet with a friend on Friday afternoon, according to the sheriff’s office.

After he did not make it to the meetup location, Kjersem’s friend went looking for him and ultimately found him dead.

When investigators responded to the scene of the crime, a Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks agent with expertise in bear attacks did not find any signs of bear activity at the scene, prompting investigators to treat the incident as a murder, according to the sheriff’s office.

This was further confirmed through evidence gathered during an autopsy which determined multiple wounds led to his death.

Investigators are not sure what the murder weapon was, but the weapon was something “hard enough to cause significant damage to the skull as well as some flesh areas of the body,” Springer said at a press conference Wednesday. 

“This incident was a vicious attack, and detectives are working hard to develop and track down leads. A suspect has not been arrested at this time,” the sheriff’s department said in a statement.

It has not yet been determined what time he was killed and investigators have not identified any suspects in the murder.

Kjersem had lots of equipment at the campsite with him and it was “very well kept,” according to Springer.

The remote location of the murder makes it difficult for the investigation due to limited cellphone services, which typically can be very helpful to investigators, Springer said.

“If you are out in the woods, I need you to be paying attention, you need to remain vigilant. Please, just call us,” Sheriff Dan Springer said at a press conference Wednesday.

The sheriff’s office said people have reached out to them already, giving them multiple leads that they will explore as the investigation into what happened continues.

“If you were in the Moose Creek area, or anywhere in Gallatin Canyon, between Thursday afternoon and early Saturday morning and noticed anything unusual — whether you saw Dustin, Dustin’s truck, noticed suspicious activity, have footage from game cameras or in-vehicle cameras from the area or observed something out of place — please come forward. Even the smallest detail could be crucial to the investigation,” the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement on Facebook.

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