Derek Medina Posts Photo Of Wife's Body, Murder Confession To Facebook

A horrifying crime scene in South Miami hit Facebook Thursday when a man posted a photo of his dead wife -- and a confession that he had killed her.
Derek Medina posted the photo some time around noon Thursday, with the words "Rip Jennifer Alfonso." The image shows his wife's leggings-clad body slumped backwards on the floor in what appears to be the couple's kitchen. Her face and left arm are covered in blood.
"You will see me in the news," reads a confessional status update posted minutes before the photo:

Im going to prison or death sentence for killing my wife love you guys miss you guys takecare Facebook people you will see me in the news" my wife was punching me and I am not going to stand anymore with the abuse so I did what I did I hope u understand me "

According to an arrest affidavit by Miami-Dade Police, Medina told investigators he and Alfonso had a verbal dispute around 10:00 a.m., during which he grabbed a gun from a closet and pointed it at his wife. She reportedly told Medina she was leaving him before the dispute moved downstairs.
There, Medina told police, Alfonso began punching him. He retrieved the gun from upstairs and again confronted his wife, prompting her to pick up a knife. He told detectives that when he took the knife away, his wife began hitting him again, at which point he shot her several times.
After first changing his clothes and making contact with relatives, according to investigators, Medina drove to the South Miami Police Department and turned himself in.
When officers responded to the home, they found Alfonso dead from apparent gunshot wounds.
They also found her 10-year-old daughter upstairs, physically unharmed. She was removed from the house covered in a blanket, according to WSVN.
Miami New Times reports Medina has authored a number of self-help e-books, including one titled "How I Saved Someone's Life and Marriage and Family Problems Thru Communication."
A neighbor told NBC6 that Medina "walks around with a concealed gun, so he tries to be the neighborhood watchguy."
"He's always there late night and he's weird to me," said Yoshi Dade. "He's always kind of looking around and trying to be a hero."
Medina's father told WSVN that the couple had a troubled relationship, and had remarried last year after previously getting a divorce.
Incredibly, Medina's grisly posts remained published on Facebook until just before 5 p.m. Thursday, when they appeared to have been removed.
"The content was reported to us," a Facebook spokeswoman told The Associated Press. "We took action on the profile -- removing the content and disabling the profile, and we reached out to law enforcement. We take action on all content that violates our terms, which are clearly laid out on our site."

Watch a semi-truck go airborne and explode on impact

Dash cams have caught some pretty amazing events on camera, as the unforgettable sights of the meteor that exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia proved in February. As another example, a trucker driving through Greensburg, Indiana, had his dash cam rolling when another semi truck caught major air over a freeway before crashing down in a ball of flames. (Some understandably foul language makes the video Not Safe For Work, so be sure to turn the volume down if you don't have headphones.) Fortunately, nobody died in the accident, and the crashed semi's occupants, 30-year-old Ryan Young and his seven-year-old son, were taken to the hospital with only minor injuries, ABC Action News reports.

According to the story, Young was about to cross under US 421 when another driver drifted into his lane, forcing him to make a quick decision. He swerved to avoid the car, ran up a hill and through a guardrail, and then caught enough Dukes Of Hazzard-style air to clear the freeway. When the semi hit the ground on the other side, the impact tore the fuel tank off and the fuel caught fire, causing the explosion. The accident remains under investigation.

While it's great news to hear nobody suffered major injuries, accidents that look this bad often have sad endings. Watch the video below, and consider it yet another reminder to drive safely.

Ariel Castro Will Be Proven A Monster At Sentencing, Prosecutor Says

CLEVELAND — Three women held captive in a run-down home for a decade kept diaries documenting the horrific physical and sexual abuse they suffered on a daily basis, prosecutors said Wednesday.
The women's kidnapper, Ariel Castro, lured one of them into his Cleveland home with the promise of a puppy for her son and later locked all of them in a vehicle in his garage for three days when someone visited him, prosecutors said. Castro, a former school bus driver, claimed he didn't have an exit strategy from his complicated double life and finally gave the women a chance to escape by leaving a door unlocked, they said in a court document.
One of the women broke free in May and called for help, frantically telling an emergency dispatcher, "I've been kidnapped, and I've been missing for 10 years, and I'm, I'm here. I'm free now."
Castro has pleaded guilty to 937 counts, including kidnapping, rape, assault and aggravated murder. He's being sentenced Thursday.
Cuyahoga County prosecutor Tim McGinty said in a sentencing memorandum filed Wednesday that Castro, who chained his captives by their ankles and fed them only one meal a day, "admits his disgusting and inhuman conduct" but "remains remorseless for his actions." The memorandum says many of the charges in Castro's indictment reflect conduct documented by one of the women in her diary.
In the memorandum, prosecutors describe the horrific conditions the women endured at Castro's hands. The women's diaries, they say, "document abuse and life as a captive."
"The entries speak of forced sexual conduct, of being locked in a dark room, of anticipating the next session of abuse, of the dreams of someday escaping and being reunited with family, of being chained to a wall, of being held like a prisoner of war," the memorandum says.
When Castro was arrested, his attorneys said evidence would show he wasn't a monster. The county prosecutor says the facts he'll present Thursday at Castro's sentencing, at which Castro faces life in prison plus 1,000 years, will prove the lawyers wrong.
"You'll make the same logical judgment when you see the facts," McGinty said last week after Castro pleaded guilty. "You have not seen the evidence yet."
The legal team representing the women's interests declined to comment on whether they would testify or send statements to the court. Castro's defense team had no immediate comment Wednesday.
The women disappeared separately between 2002 and 2004, when they were 14, 16 and 20 years old.
Many horrific details of the women's ordeal had already emerged, with one woman forced to wear a motorcycle helmet while chained in the basement and, after she tried to escape, having a vacuum cord wrapped around her neck.
Castro repeatedly starved and beat one of the victims each time she was pregnant, forcing her to miscarry five times.
He forced that woman on threat of death to safely deliver the child he fathered with another victim on Christmas Day 2006. That day, prosecutors say, Castro raped the woman who helped deliver his daughter.
Prosecutors will ask the judge to prohibit Castro from ever seeing his daughter, now 6.
McGinty says experts also will discuss the Stockholm syndrome to explain how Castro was able to keep the women captive for so long. The syndrome describes situations in which hostages and victims of abduction begin to sympathize with their captors and even defend them. It was named for a 1973 bank hostage situation in Stockholm, Sweden.
Castro so terrified the women that the day they were rescued, two of them were initially afraid to emerge even with five police officers in the house, McGinty said. When they did, they clung to police so tightly the officers couldn't use their flashlights, he said.
"That told me what fear this man put into these women and how much courage it took to survive this ordeal," McGinty said.
He also referred to the "mental and physical bond and barrier" that the first woman who escaped, Amanda Berry, had the courage to break.
Berry, 27, made a surprise onstage appearance at a rap concert last weekend, and a second victim, Gina DeJesus, 23, made a few televised comments as a privacy fence was erected around her house. The third victim, Michelle Knight, 32, appeared with Berry and DeJesus in a video in early July thanking the community for its support.
___
Welsh-Huggins reported from Columbus.

Is Your iPad Causing Your Chronic Pain? Can't live without your tablet, laptop, or smartphone? These gadgets may be convenient, but for many, they may also be the source of chronic pain.

Michele Rouse, a 30-something billing manager in Rockville, Md., isn't all that different from a lot of people fond of electronic gadgets. She loves her smartphone, adores her ipad, worships her laptop and seems to spend almost all of her waking hours on one or another of them.
But about two years ago, her chronic use of electronic devices turned into another type of chronic problem — pain. "It started out as headaches that became more and more severe over time," Rouse recalls. "Eventually, it turned into shoulder pain that became so bad that I had trouble using my arm."
Rouse is one of a growing number of Americans who have developed chronic pain as a result of using smartphones, iPads, and other trendy electronic devices. "Surprise! Your keyboard may be the most dangerous part of your office," notes Moshe Lewis, MD, a pain management specialist in private practice in Redwood City, Calif. "Computer use is one of the leading causes of office-related repetitive strain injuries (RSIs)."
Fortunately, Rouse was able to get a handle on her computer- and smartphone-related pain. By modifying the way she uses her electronic devices, Rouse has kept her pain at bay.
If you experience similar pain while using smartphones, iPads, or computers, take a look at the specific problems these devices can cause and how you too, can solve them.
Desktop Computers: Shoulder and Neck Pain
If your desktop computer is causing you pain, then it is probably set up in a way that strains your muscles, explains Jacob Teitelbaum, MD, director of the Fibromyalgia and Fatigue Centers, Inc., and author of Pain Free 1-2-3 — A Proven Program for Eliminating Chronic Pain Now. "Classically, shoulder and neck pain are especially problematic if people are not keeping their wrists and elbows resting on a stable surface," he says. "Because of this, it is important to have a proper wrist support, and it is helpful to use a chair where your elbows are on the armrests." Other steps to help prevent pain while working at a desktop computer include use of an ergonomic keyboard and placing the monitor slightly below eye level to prevent neck strain.
Laptops: Stress on Your Wrists and Neck
You may have noticed that the term "laptop" is slowly being phased out in favor of "notebook." That, explains Dr. Lewis, might help eliminate part of the problem with these handy portable computers. "Your lap is a terrible surface for a portable computer," he says. "Not only does your lap overheat a computer, but the hip-height keyboard and screen puts strain on your wrists and your neck. Your lap is less steady than a table, which also makes for high-stress typing."
In addition to using a table instead of your lap, Lewis has these suggestions to help eliminate problems with portables. "To reduce risks for repetitive strain injury, try elevating the computer to eye-level and connecting an external keyboard to your laptop," he says. "This will allow you to use the computer as comfortably and ergonomically as you might use a desktop." Lewis also warns that if you are at risk for RSIs, it may be best to avoid buying an ultra-compact netbook. "Netbooks have keyboards that are smaller than regular laptops, and this can increase the likelihood of typing with incorrect posture."
Tablets: Strain on Fingers and Hands
Tablets like Apple's iPad are all the rage, but these cool new toys are not without their chronic pain risks. "Prolonged use of tablet computers can cause different forms of repetitive strain injuries to the fingers and hands," notes John L. Pappas, MD, the medical director for the Beaumont Centers for Pain Medicine in Royal Oak, Mich. "Good posture and frequent, short breaks can help minimize these symptoms."
If you are using your iPad or other tablet like a little computer, Lewis says you can avoid problems by following the same protocols suggested for a laptop: Buy the right accessories to set the screen at a comfortable working height and use an external keyboard.
Smartphones: Thumb and Finger Injuries
Smartphones are arguably the most widespread phenomenon of recent years and a potential cause of chronic pain. "Texting and phone browsing have become key parts of professional communication, and they have simultaneously become a frequent source of repetitive strain injuries," says Lewis. "Smartphones tend to be heavier than regular cell phones. This extra weight can reduce blood flow to the thumbs when using the phone, causing thumb injuries and aggravating carpal tunnel syndrome. Android phones and iPhones increase your risk for the very reasons they make such enticing gadgets — the touchscreen and added functionality makes them more useful, and thus they tend to keep your fingers active when you might otherwise be still."
Lewis suggests a few simple solutions to curb the chronic pain related to smartphones. "You should use both thumbs when texting, and take breaks in between writing messages," he says. And Lewis has a radical suggestion for those who just can't stop texting and emailing from their smartphones: "If you find your hands truly in need of a rest, try an old-fashioned remedy: Use your phone to talk instead of type."

By Wyatt Myers

Medically reviewed by Niya Jones, MD, MPH

Lake County, Florida Explosions Reported At Blue Rhino Gas Plant

Video, News, Florida Explosions, Lake County, Lake County Florida Explosions, Florida Explosion, Lake County Explosion, Rhino Explosion, Rhino Explosions, Rhino Propane, Green News

Explosions at a gas plant in Lake County, Fla., were reported on Monday night.
The series of fiery blasts began in the town of Tavares around 11 p.m. at Blue Rhino, a company that describes itself as "America's #1 propane tank exchange brand."
There were no reports of fatalities, but seven people were taken to area hospitals. Two workers escaped the plant unharmed.
Arial footage of the scene showed fires burning over a large area, and shooting large flames and plumes of smoke into the night sky, The Associated Press reported.
Resident Norma Haygood told Orlando's WESH 2, "It sounds like bombs are going off."
Instagram user megzrenee posted:

Residents within a 1-mile radius of the plant were evacuated, The Orlando Sentinel reported, but that order was lifted at 3 a.m. on Tuesday after the fire was contained.
Blue Rhino is a subsidiary of Ferrellgas Partners, the second-largest distributor of propane in the U.S., NBC News reported.
In a news conference, Lake County Sheriff's Office spokesman John Herrell said the plant had about 53,000 20-pound propane cylinders on site. It is unknown at this time what started the fire and explosions.
Here's the latest news from The Associated Press:
TAVARES, Fla. — A series of explosions rocked a central Florida propane gas plant and sent "boom after boom after boom" through the neighborhood around it. Several people were injured, with at least three critically injured.
All the workers at the plant were accounted for early Tuesday after officials initially could not account for more than a dozen employees.
John Herrell of the Lake County Sheriff's Office said there were no fatalities despite massive blasts that ripped through the Blue Rhino propane plant late Monday night.
"Management is comfortable saying all of those they knew were there tonight have been accounted for," he said.
One person injured in the explosion was listed in critical condition at University of Florida Health Shands Hospital. Two others were listed in critical condition at Orlando Regional Medical Center and a spokeswoman there said a third patient was en route, also listed as critical.
Herrell said some others drove themselves to area hospitals.
The Blue Rhino plant, which is northwest of Orlando, refilled propane tanks typically used for barbecues and other uses.
Herrell said a crew of 24 to 26 people was working at the plant on an overnight shift when the explosions occurred around 11 p.m.
Video footage on WESH-TV in Orlando showed fires burning through trucks used to transport propane tanks, which were parked at the plant. The fire was sending plumes of smoke into the air hours after the blast. Emergency crews could also be seen massing nearby.
Herrell said an evacuation zone was initially a one-mile radius but had been reduced to a half-mile radius. No injuries have been reported from residents in the neighborhood and residents were later allowed to return to their homes.
Marni Whitehead, 33, who lives less than a mile from the plant, said she was in bed ready to go to sleep when she heard a loud boom.
"It was like a car had run into my house, is what I thought had happened," she said.
She ran outside and saw other neighbors outside and then they saw the explosions.
"We knew right away it was the plant, the propane plant," Whitehead said. "After that, it was just sort of panic."
Whitehead likened the explosions to Fourth of July fireworks. "And it was just boom after boom after boom," she said.
Herrell said officials believe the fire was contained and wouldn't spread to another part of the plant but they could not guarantee that.
Herrell said the plant usually has 53,000 20-pound propane tanks.
According to the Leesburg Daily Commercial, the plant was built in 2004 and employs fewer than 50 people.

Teresa And Joe Giudice Charged With Fraud In 39-Count Indictment

"Real Housewives of new Jersey" couple Teresa and Giuseppe "Joe" Giudice have been indicted on federal charges of bank and bankruptcy fraud, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
The Giudices were charged Monday in a 39-count indictment with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, bank fraud, making false statements on loan applications and bankruptcy fraud, according to the indictment.
The fraud was allegedly committed between September 2001 and September 2008. During that time, Teresa and Joe, of Towaco, N.J., allegedly submitted fraudulent mortgage and loan applications. For example, in September 2001 she applied for a $121,500 mortgage loan by falsely claiming she was an executive assistant and submitted fake W-2 forms and fake paystubs.
Teresa and Joe are also accused of hiding their assets during their 2009 bankruptcy petition. They filed for Chapter 7 in October 2009 and allegedly failed to disclose accurate information about their businesses, rental properties and Teresa's "Real Housewives" salary.
In addition, Joe failed to file tax returns from 2004 through 2008, even though his income topped $990,000.
“The privilege of living well in the United States carries certain real responsibilities, including filing tax returns when required and paying the correct amount of tax,” said Shantelle P. Kitchen, special agent in charge of the IRS-Criminal Investigation's Newark Field Office. “Today’s indictment alleges the Giudices did not live up to their responsibilities by failing to file tax returns, falsifying loan applications and concealing assets in their bankruptcy petition. The reality is that this type of criminal conduct will not go undetected and individuals who engage in this type of financial fraud should know they will be held accountable.”
Combined, the charges carry a maximum sentence of more than 50 years in prison.
This is not the only legal woe the New Jersey fam has had to deal with recently.
Joe is still awaiting trial for wrongfully using identifying information of another and impersonation. He was arrested more than two years ago, NJ.com notes. He faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted. The former developer allegedly used his brother's information to obtain a driver's license, People magazine previously reported. Joe has denied any wrongdoing.
The Giudices have been featured on "Real Housewives of New Jersey" since the series premiered in 2009. OK! Magazine reported Teresa rakes in more than $650,000 per season from Bravo.
UPDATE: Teresa sent a statement to "Entertainment Online" regarding the charges.
"Today is a most difficult day for our family. I support Joe and, as a wonderful husband and father, I know he wants only the best for our lovely daughters and me," she said. "I am committed to my family and intend to maintain our lives in the best way possible, which includes continuing my career. As a result, I am hopeful that we will resolve this matter with the Government as quickly as possible."

Victor Castillo, Walmart Employee, Fired Over $106,000 Scam

A 23-year-old walmart employee in Hobbs, N.M., has been fired after police arrested him for allegedly stealing more than $106,000 worth of fake money orders, company spokesperson Kayla Whaling told The Huffington Post Monday.
Police estimate the employee, Victor Castillo, began running the scam as early as April, and would take about $1,000 with each order, according to New Mexico News.
Walmart discovered the money was missing after a company audit in July, Hobbs police Capt. Michael Walker told local TV news station KRQE, and Walmart's loss-prevention team subsequently began monitoring video surveillance of the store.
“The way he was doing it they were almost untrackable," Walker told KRQE. Castillo would apparently input the money order into Walmart's MoneyGram system, then turn off the computer at just the right moment so that the valid order would still print out but there was no documentation of it on the screen.
But once video caught Castillo in the act, Walmart was able to go into the computer and track records of his orders -- 111 of them to be exact. Just before his arrest on Thursday, Castillo had printed out $11,000 worth of fake orders.