The Mad Bomber's Wife

On the morning of January 6, 1960, winter held New York City in its grip. A cold wind ripped across the ramps at LaGuardia Airport as ground crews worked around a National Airlines Douglas DC-6B, a four-engine piston-powered airliner that had become a familiar sight on America's growing network of commercial routes. The aircraft, operating as National Airlines Flight 2511, was scheduled to carry passengers to Miami, with planned stops along the East Coast.

In the cockpit, the experienced flight crew prepared the aircraft with the practiced precision that came from thousands of hours in the air. Weather reports, navigation charts, engine checks, and radio communications were completed one by one. The Douglas DC-6B had earned a reputation as a dependable long-range airliner, and nothing during the preflight inspection suggested the trip would become one of the most infamous crimes in American aviation history.

Inside the cabin, passengers settled into their seats, each carrying private plans that had nothing to do with tragedy. Some were business travelers. Others were vacationers bound for Florida's warmer climate, grateful to be leaving the bitter northeastern winter behind. A few quietly read newspapers while waiting for departure. Flight attendants greeted passengers, helped stow coats and luggage, and performed the familiar routines that made commercial flying seem almost ordinary.

Shortly before departure, the DC-6B rolled away from the terminal. One after another, its four Pratt & Whitney radial engines roared to life, their deep, unmistakable sound echoing across the airport. The aircraft taxied into position, accelerated down the runway, and climbed steadily into the gray January sky, leaving New York behind.

As the hours passed, the weather gradually changed. The farther south Flight 2511 traveled, the clearer the skies became. The airliner cruised over the eastern United States, crossing Virginia before continuing toward the Carolinas. From the cabin windows, passengers could see scattered clouds drifting beneath them while the winter landscape stretched across the countryside below.

At approximately 12:40 p.m., the aircraft was flying over Bolivia, North Carolina, halfway between Wilmington and Myrtle Beach. But without warning, a powerful blast tore through the aircraft while it was still in flight. The explosion inflicted catastrophic structural damage and the Douglas DC-6B broke apart in midair, scattering wreckage over miles of rural Brunswick County. Pieces of the aircraft, as well as bodies, fell into forests, open fields, and swampland. There was no opportunity for the pilots to regain control and no chance for anyone aboard to survive. All 34 passengers and crew members lost their lives.

The tragedy in the sky was only the beginning. A massive manhunt followed, involving complex forensic analysis and a difficult search for justice in a system that repeatedly failed to curb the violence of the perpetrators. The investigation eventually laid bare the truth behind why an airframe was targeted for the sake of a monetary payout.

Read the complete reconstruction of The Mad Bomber's Wife, along with 11 other true murder investigations in our new book, Killers Among Us: Volume 6, available now in Paperback, eBook, Audible, and FREE with your Kindle Unlimited Subscription at Amazon.

Shootout at Sam's Place

Illegal Alien Learns a Hard Lesson

By Robert A. Waters

At 7:49 p.m., on December 3, 2024, Teony Umanzor-Juarez (pictured) and his cohort, Cecil Batiz, sauntered into a modest New Orleans convenience store. Sam's Meat Market was located in the 8400 block of the South I-10 Service Road. In just a few seconds, surveillance video captured a gun battle.

Juarez and Batiz both carried handguns. One, a Glock semiautomatic, had been stolen from the trunk of a NOPD officer's car.

The video shows the robbers pointing a gun at the face of the clerk who was seated in front of the cash register. The clerk opens the cash drawer and lays money on the counter. Catiz stuffs the cash into his pocket. Juarez, also armed, provides lookout near the front of the counter. Store manager Diaa Hamed, who provided footage to Fox 8 News, said, "They came in and like, 'money, money, money, money.' That's all they say."

After obtaining the cash, the robbers begin to walk toward the door. Then they turn back and move closer to the clerk. At that time, the unnamed clerk lays out a barrage of fire at the intruders. Cadiz, mere feet from the clerk, falls as Juarez turns and fires one round at the clerk. Juarez, hit in the forearm, races outside.

Cadiz, lying on the floor, seems to be trying to manipulate his gun so he can shoot it, but the clerk is quicker and fires two more rounds, killing him. There had been one customer in the store--he was unhurt.

 

Hamed told Fox 8 that the clerk "was really scared, that's why they use their guns. We all carry guns but we hope not to use it, But in this situation, we have to."

Several of the news outlets reporting on the shooting claimed the robbers were leaving the store. It's plain to see them start toward the door, then turn back around and face the clerk. That is when the clerk opens fire.

Juarez was quickly captured. After being treated at the hospital, he was booked and initially charged with four counts: armed robbery, armed robbery with a gun, aggravated assault with a firearm, and illegal use of a weapon. A few hours later, he was also charged with manslaughter.

Gabriella Killet wrote, "On his booking paperwork, Juarez told authorities he was a U. S. citizen. An ICE spokesperson said earlier that Juarez is a Honduran national who illegally crossed the U. S. border in Texas in April of 2023 when he was a minor." The exact date and place of Juarez's illegal entry was Eagle Pass on April 14, 2023.

During his tenure here in the states, he was a busy boy. He will be charged with additional crimes he allegedly committed in Louisiana and Texas. He also has an outstanding warrant in New York. After serving his time in the U.S., he will be deported. Louisiana Attorney General Liz said, "Multiple crimes in multiple states. It shouldn't take TV coverage for ICE to decide they're going to do their job. He never should have been in this country."

The store clerk was not charged with any crime. 

FBI Releases Photos and Videos of Suspect in Nancy Guthrie Abduction

 Nancy Guthrie Kidnapping Suspect

Earlier today, the FBI released videos and photos of the suspect in the Nancy Guthrie case. He seems to be an amateur. Look at how he carries his gun. Nobody carries a gun like that. He picked flowers to cover the camera while he removed it. He obviously thought he'd covered his tracks. He was wrong.

Let's pray that Nancy is still alive and that she is returned home soon. Let's pray for the whole Guthrie family. If you think you know this suspect, please call 1-800-CALL-FBI.