Man arrested after alleged Florida golf course murder: Police
Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office
(WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.) — A suspect is in custody after allegedly killing a man on a Florida golf course with his own golf clubs on Monday in what police said appeared to be a “random act of violence.”
Junior Boucher, 36, faces first-degree murder charges for the death of the man, identified by police as 65-year-old Brian Hiltebeitel, at Sandhill Crane Golf Club in West Palm Beach.
A witness said he heard the victim yelling “he’s trying to kill me” while running away from Boucher, who was allegedly brandishing a golf club, according to a Palm Beach Gardens Police Department affidavit.
Boucher allegedly began beating Hiltebeitel with the golf club, striking him in the head, and then chased him toward a pond on the golf course’s first hole, according to police.
He allegedly continued beating Hiltebeitel in the pond, and while in the water, “jumped on top of Hiltebeitel and appeared to be choking him,” the police report stated.
After Hiltebeitel was no longer moving, Boucher allegedly struck him several more times in the head, police said in the affidavit, then got out of the water and “stripped his clothes off.”
Officers pulled Hiltebeitel out of the pond, where he was observed with “multiple deep lacerations to the back of his head and on his person.”
He was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
Palm Beach Gardens Police Chief Dominick Pape said Boucher was taken into custody “after a short foot pursuit,” and was found “unclothed.” According to the affidavit, Boucher attempted to flee from police and was arrested “only after the use of an electronic control weapon.”
Pape said police are not currently aware of any connection between the suspect and victim, and are still working to determine a motive.
“At this time, it does not appear that Boucher had any legitimate purpose for being at the golf course. This appears to be a random act of violence where Boucher used the victims’ golf clubs as weapons and viciously attacked the victim, ultimately killing him,” Pape said.
About an hour before the incident, police said Boucher’s family reported him missing.
Boucher has an extensive criminal history, including arrests on drug charges and domestic battery.
(NEW YORK) — Snow is headed to the Midwest and the West ahead of Thanksgiving, while rain will target the East Coast on Thanksgiving Day.
Here’s your weather forecast for the holiday week:
Monday
Snow is headed to Minnesota, northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan on Monday, while rain is possible from Chicago to Detroit to Indianapolis.
In the West, lots of snow will accumulate in the California mountains. Parts of the southern Sierra Nevada mountain range below the snow line could see 4 to 8 inches of rain through Monday night.
Throughout the South, temperatures will be above average — in the 70s or 80s — on Monday.
Tuesday
Rain is headed to the Northeast on Tuesday, potentially causing flight delays during this busy travel week.
In the West, snow will continue in the Sierra Nevadas and will target the Rockies.
Rain showers are possible from Los Angeles to the San Francisco Bay area.
Wednesday
The Midwest, including Chicago, will see a mix of rain and snow on Wednesday.
In the West, snow totals will reach 3 to 5 feet for parts of the southern Sierra Nevadas in California. Up to 7 feet of snow is possible at the highest elevations.
The Rocky Mountains in Colorado are forecast to get 1 to 3 feet of snow. Wind gusts may reach 35 to 50 mph.
Temperatures on Wednesday will return to potentially record-breaking highs for Houston and Austin, Texas, with highs in the mid-80s.
Thanksgiving
A storm is expected to bring rain to most of the East Coast on Thanksgiving.
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City will be rainy and chilly, with temperatures in the 40s.
Snow is possible in upstate New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and northern Maine.
Temperatures will be average or below average for most of the country on Thanksgiving. But temperatures will be above average for Phoenix; New Orleans; Jacksonville, Florida; and Raleigh, North Carolina.
(NEW ORLEANS) — A young mother teaching her son to read. A former college football player “on top of the world” living in New York City. An 18-year-old aspiring nurse. A father of two remembered as the “life of the party.”
Family members and friends have begun identifying the 15 people who died in the truck-ramming attack early Wednesday morning on Bourbon Street in New Orleans.
The suspect, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, was allegedly “hell-bent” on killing as many people as possible when he steered a pickup truck around barricades and plowed into a crowd of people ringing in the New Year, according to New Orleans Superintendent of Police Anne Kirkpatrick.
Here’s what we know about the victims so far:
Kareem Badawi
Kareem Badawi was identified as one of the victims killed in Wednesday’s attack in a statement from the Episcopal School of Baton Rouge, from which he graduated last year.
A fellow alumnus was critically injured and is hospitalized, the school said.
Badawi was attending the University of Alabama, according to a statement from the university president.
Tiger Bech, 27
Tiger Bech’s death was confirmed to ABC News by his mother, Michelle Bech.
Michelle Bech said her son, 27, played football at Princeton University and moved to New York City after graduating in 2021 to work for Seaport Global, a capital markets firm.
She told ABC News that her son lived life to the fullest and was “on top of the world.”
She said her son was in Louisiana for a long weekend of hunting and fishing, two of his favorite activities, with college friends from Princeton. He was scheduled to fly back to New York City Wednesday afternoon.
His younger brother, Jack Bech, is a wide receiver for Texas Christian University Football. Michelle Bech said Tiger Bech frequently flew down from New York City over the past two years to attend his brother’s games.
In a statement to ABC News, Princeton’s football coach Bob Surace described Tiger Bech as “a ferocious competitor with endless energy, a beloved teammate and a caring friend.”
Nikyra Cheyenne Dedeaux, 18
Nikyra Cheyenne Dedeaux’s death was confirmed to ABC News by her mother, Melissa Dedeaux.
Melissa Dedeaux remembered her 18-year-old daughter as a kind and outgoing young woman who was excited to attend nursing school this year.
“She was a sweet person. She was outgoing, she was very loved,” said Melissa Dedeaux, who said goodbye to her daughter for the final time Tuesday night.
Melissa Dedeaux said she begged her daughter not to go to Bourbon Street for New Years’ Eve like she had done the year prior.
Melissa Dedeaux said she was worried about the danger of the area, and she needed her daughter to pick her up from her overnight shift at work at 7:30 a.m.
When another family member picked her up from work, she said she sensed something was wrong. She said her brother-in-law broke the news to her once she got home.
Melissa Dedeaux said she hopes others remember her daughter as a kind person.
“She was a good person, and even though she was loved by many, it can happen to anybody,” she said.
Hubert Gauthreaux, 21
Huber Gauthreaux, 21, was identified as a victim in Wednesday’s attack in a statement from the Archbishop Shaw High School in Marrero, Louisiana, from which he graduated in 2021.
“It is with great sorrow that we share that alum Hubert Gauthreaux, Class of 2021, was tragically killed in the senseless act of violence that occurred early this morning in the French Quarter,” a statement from the school said. “He was 21 years old.”
Reggie Hunter, 37
Reggie Hunter’s death was confirmed by his first cousin, Shirell Jackson.
“He did not deserve this,” she told ABC News’ Diane Macedo. “It’s senseless; it’s cruel. …I wish none of this had ever happened.”
Jackson said Hunter, 37, leaves behind two sons, 11-year-old Landon Hunter and 18-month-old Christian Hunter. She described her cousin as the “life of the party” with a big heart who was funny, loving and caring.
“This is hurting all of us differently and on so many levels,” she said. “We were expecting so much life to live with our cousin … Just a beautiful person who did not deserve this and had so much more life to live.”
Nicole Perez, 27
Nicole Perez, 27 was confirmed as one of the victims by Kimberly Usher-Fall, her employer and family friend.
Usher-Fall said Perez had recently been promoted to a manager at one of her stores and she was really excited about the position.
She said Perez brought her 4-year-old son, Melo (Melvin), with her to work and she was helping him learn how to read.
“She was a great mother,” Usher-Fall told ABC News’ Diane Macedo. “She just was a really exciting little young lady and she was getting herself together.”
Usher-Fall said Perez was out with her friends for New Year’s Eve when she was struck by the truck. She was taken to University Hospital but succumbed to her injuries.
Usher-Fall has previously shared the news of Perez’s passing Wednesday morning on a GoFundMe page.
“She was so beautiful and full of life. Her son Melo is now without his momma, and we are without our friend and dedicated employee. I’m hoping to get some help for her burial expenses and to help her son with expenses he will need to transition into a new living situation.”
Matthew Tenedorio, 25
The death of Matthew Tenedorio, 25, was confirmed to ABC News by his parents, Louis and Cathy Tenedorio.
Tenedorio worked as a fiber optics and video professional at the Superdome and Smoothie King Center, according to his parents, who said they felt he had a boundless future.
Cathy Tenedorio described her son as the “life of the room” whose warmth and humor was treasured by his friends. Asked what she would miss about her son, she answered, “Everything. His beautiful face, laugh. ‘I love you mom.’ You know he was just a wonderful son.”
The Tenedorios last saw their son at dinner on New Year’s Eve before he departed for a night out with friends on Bourbon Street.
They both qualms about him staying out late on New Year’s Eve.
“But all I did was just hug him and tell him, ‘I love you. Happy New Year. Please text me when you get home.’ And that text never came,” Cathy Tenedorio said.
The Tenedorios began trying to contact their son Wednesday morning, attempting to piece together his last steps by asking his friends. They described a scene of chaos and carnage that caused the group to split up. By the time the shooting stopped, they couldn’t find Matthew, his parents said.
“By noon, I had a good idea that something terrible happened to my son,” Louis said.
Louis and Cathy recounted calling hospitals and reporting their son missing and then eventually going to a family reunification center at the University Medical Center hospital.
“I heard parents screaming and crying this afternoon. It just broke my heart,” Cathy Tenedorio said, describing the agony of waiting to learn their son’s fate.
L-R” John and Patsy Ramsey, the parents of JonBenet Ramsey/Helen H. Richardson/ The Denver Post
(BOULDER, Colo.) — Progress is being made in the investigation into the unsolved murder of 6-year-old beauty queen JonBenét Ramsey, those briefed on the investigation told ABC News.
JonBenét was killed in her home in Boulder, Colorado, in December 1996.
In the last years, a multi-disciplinary team of experts has been assembled to go through the remaining evidence and apply the most modern scientific and cold-case techniques to try to solve the crime, the sources said. The team has consulted with top experts in their fields, the sources said.
It remains to be seen whether there will ever be enough provable information and evidence to support charges.
On the morning of Dec. 26, 1996, John and Patsy Ramsey woke up to find their daughter missing and a handwritten ransom note left on the stairs. Hours later, John Ramsey discovered his daughter dead in their basement.
JonBenet’s autopsy determined she was sexually assaulted and strangled, and her skull was fractured. Unknown DNA was found under her fingernails and in her underwear.
John Ramsey believes new DNA technology could aid police in re-investigating JonBenét’s murder.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
