Tag: arson

Teens’ Google Search History Helped Detectives Solve Horrific Denver Arson Murder Case

A reverse keyword search warrant served to Google helped Denver police identify three teens responsible for an arson attack that killed five members of a family in 2020.

Wired reports that in August 2020, a horrific arson attack in Denver, Colorado, claimed the lives of five members of a Senegalese family, including two children. The case initially left investigators stumped, with little evidence pointing to the perpetrators. However, a breakthrough came when Denver Police Department (DPD) detectives Neil Baker and Ernest Sandoval decided to serve a reverse keyword search warrant to Google, requesting information on users who had searched for the address of the victims’ home in the days leading up to the fire.

The warrant, which was met with initial resistance from Google due to privacy concerns, ultimately revealed that three local teenagers—Kevin Bui, Gavin Seymour, and Dillon Siebert—had repeatedly searched for the address on Google in the two weeks prior to the arson. This information, combined with cell phone location data placing the teens near the scene of the crime, provided the key evidence needed to arrest and charge them.

The case highlights the growing use of reverse keyword search warrants by law enforcement. These warrants allow police to request information on all individuals who searched for specific keywords or phrases, potentially exposing innocent people to unwarranted scrutiny.

In this instance, the teens’ defense argued that the warrant violated their Fourth Amendment rights by conducting a broad “digital dragnet” without individualized probable cause. However, the judge ruled in favor of law enforcement, likening the search to looking for a needle in a haystack.

The Colorado Supreme Court later upheld the constitutionality of the warrant in a landmark ruling, potentially paving the way for wider use of this investigative technique. However, the court also acknowledged the lack of individualized probable cause, deeming the warrant “constitutionally defective” despite allowing the evidence to stand.

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Dating app killer whose cover-up of grisly crime led to one of the worst fires in California history thrown behind bars for life

An online date that led to murder, arson, deceit, more deaths and one of the worst fires in California’s history has finally ended with a guilty verdict and prison sentence.

Victor Serriteno, 33, was convicted Friday in the 2020 killing of a single mom he had met through a dating app — as well as the murders of two additional victims who burned to death in a fire he set to cover his tracks, according to KSW Action News.

Serriteno, of Vacaville, was found guilty of multiple counts of murder and arson in Solano County Superior Court and sentenced to 73 years-to-life in state prison, according to the district attorney’s office.

He had pleaded no contest.

The convicted killer met his victim, Priscilla Castro, a 32-year-old mother from Vallejo, on the evening of Aug. 16, 2020, after arranging a meeting through a dating app.

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Fire Breaks Out in British PM Starmer’s London House – Arson Suspected, Counterterrorism Police Investigating

On the very same day that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed to cut migration to the Kingdom, his North London home reportedly caught fire – or was set on fire.

The fire broke out in the early hours of the morning, and British police is now investigating the case.

GB News reported:

“The London Fire Brigade attended the property in north London after they received reports of a blaze at around 1.30am on Monday. The door to the four-bedroom property was damaged but nobody was injured.”

Met Police: “The fire is being investigated and cordons remain in place while enquiries continue.”

London Fire Brigade: “The [fire] brigade was called at 1.11am and the fire was under control by 1.33am. Two fire engines from Kentish Town fire station attended the scene.”

Downing Street spokesman: “The Prime Minister thanks the emergency services for their work.”

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Second teen accused of sparking NJ wildfire that has torched 15K acres in Pine Barrens

A second teenager is accused of sparking the massive wildfire in New Jersey’s Pine Barrens.

A 17 year-old boy was charged with aggravated arson and hindering apprehension Wednesday for helping to ignite the fire that has burned more than 15,000 acres, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office. He is not being identified because he is a minor.

Police say the teen helped Joseph Kling, 19, set wooden pallets on fire and that he lied to police about how the fire started.

Kling was arrested last week and charged with aggravated arson. He now faces an additional charge of hindering apprehension.

New Jersey firefighters battled the fierce blaze in the southern part of the state that took days to contain, and was thought to be the largest wildfire in the Garden State in the last 20 years.

A column of smoke was first spotted from the Cedar Bridge Fire Tower in Barnegat Township on April 22, and the fire quickly spread out of control, forcing the evacuation of 5,000 residents, and cutting electricity to 25,000 Garden Staters.

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Silent On Tesla Attacks, Shapiro Calls For ‘Moral Clarity’ On Arson At His Mansion

When a man threw two Molotov cocktails into the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion April 13, torching several rooms as Gov. Josh Shapiro and family slept upstairs, it set off a nonstop parade of national media appearances where Shapiro admonished the general public about political violence.  

“This type of violence has no place in our society,” Shapiro said in a piece for The New York Times this week. He has repeated that sentiment almost verbatim in interviews and press conferences.  

He called for “this type of violence” to be “universally condemned,” during a sit-down interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos filmed in the charred mansion’s dining room. “I think every single leader has a responsibility to speak and act with moral clarity and condemn this kind of violence,” Shapiro told Stephanopoulos.

But moral clarity gets fuzzy for Shapiro and the left when victims are on the right, or the criminals are loved by the left.

Who on the left has condemned the attacks on Tesla vehicles and dealerships? Not Shapiro, even as protest rhetoric gets more fervent and participation curtails business operations. The left has either participated in such events or cheered it on.  

Where is the condemnation of the February incident at Pennsylvania state Rep. Alec Ryncavage’s office? A man was caught on a surveillance camera throwing two “firebomb-like devices,” at the Republican’s legislative district office. A spokeswoman for Ryncavage’s office confirmed Shapiro never reached out to him over the incident.

Shapiro likes to remind everyone that he condemned violence when President Donald Trump was shot in the head while on the campaign trail in Butler. And he did.

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Democrats Normalized The Same Political Violence That Torched PA Governor’s Mansion

Political violence flared again in Pennsylvania on Sunday in another troubling example of an apparent nutjob who seemingly imbibed the leftist paradigm that legitimizes the use of force.

Cody Balmer — the Harrisburg man accused of torching the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion while Gov. Josh Shapiro, his family, and some guests slept inside — was charged Sunday with terrorism, attempted homicide, aggravated arson, and other related charges, according to a Pennsylvania State Police criminal complaint.

State police say Balmer was captured on several security cameras, and a woman contacted police and said that “her ex-paramour, Cody Balmer [38] was the individual responsible for setting the fire.” She told police he confessed to her and “wanted her to call police to turn him in.” Soon, he was outside police headquarters where he approached a state trooper and turned himself in, the complaint said.

Balmer told police he put gasoline from his lawnmower into two beer bottles and carried these homemade Molotov cocktails and a sledgehammer from his house, on a nearly four-mile walk through Harrisburg, to the mansion. Security cameras show he scaled the fence, broke a window, threw one bottle into the piano room, then broke another window, went inside, and deployed the second one to burn the dining room.

Balmer told police he knew it was possible Shapiro could be inside the mansion and might get injured, and when asked what he would have done if Shapiro had caught Balmer inside the home, Balmer “advised he would have beaten him with his hammer,” the complaint said. “During the interview, Balmer admitted to harboring hatred towards Governor Shapiro.”

“This type of violence is not OK,” Shapiro said in a press conference on Sunday, and he is right. But this type of violence is celebrated by Democrats and their left-wing media.   

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Media Working Overtime to Distort the Politics of Alleged Arsonist Who Burned Pennsylvania Governor’s Mansion

Cody Balmer, the suspect who allegedly burned the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion, while Governor Josh Shapiro and his family were in it, is now known to be a far left socialist and BLM supporter.

That is not how the media is reporting on him.

A memo must have gone out because at least two liberal media outlets are emphasizing the fact that Balmer was ‘critical of the Democrats.’

What might a person infer from that last part? That he’s a right winger? Is that why they media is doing this? Or are they trying to imply that Democrats are dealing with threats just like Republicans? Either way, it’s completely dishonest.

See this report from ABC News (emphasis is ours):

Arson at Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s residence was ‘domestic terrorism’: Fire chief

Cody Balmer, who is suspected of starting a fire on Sunday at Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s residence, was denied bail at his arraignment on Monday.

Balmer — a mechanic who had previously expressed disdain for Democrats on social media — was arrested in connection with the fire early Sunday, sources familiar with the suspected arsonist told ABC News.

Way down at the bottom of the article is this part:

“The attacker was not a fan of Trump I understand just from what I’ve read and from what I’ve been told,” said Trump, adding that he was not informed of the motive in the incident. “The attacker basically wasn’t a fan of anybody’s. Probably just a whack job. And certainly a thing like that cannot be allowed to happen.”

Sources familiar with Balmer said his public grievances with the Democratic party were primarily related to financial issues.

Absolutely nowhere does the article describe the suspect as left or far left.

Over at CNN, same thing. This guy expressed disdain for Democrats.

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DOJ charges 3 in connection with domestic terrorism attacks targeting Tesla

The Department of Justice has announced that it has filed charges against three suspects for “domestic terrorism” attacks targeting Tesla. The charges come after there have been a slew of violent attacks targeting the company amid left-wing backlash against Elon Musk for working with the Trump administration. 

According to a press release, Attorney General Pam Bondi said, “The days of committing crimes without consequence have ended. Let this be a warning: if you join this wave of domestic terrorism against Tesla properties, the Department of Justice will put you behind bars.”  

One defendant “was arrested after throwing approximately eight Molotov cocktails at a Tesla dealership located in Salem, Oregon,” the release said. “Another was arrested in Loveland, Colorado after attempting to light Teslas on fire with Molotov cocktails,” it adds, later saying, “a third defendant wrote profane messages against President Trump around Tesla charging stations before lighting the charging stations on fire with Molotov cocktails” in South Carolina. 

Each is facing up to 20 years in prison and a minimum of five years. 


According to Fox News, the suspect in Salem, Oregon is Adam Matthew Lansky, 41, who was arrested and charged after allegedly shooting up a Tesla dealership in Salem as well as throwing Molotov cocktails that “struck a dealership building and several vehicles.” 

In the case of Charleston, South Carolina, the defendant is Daniel Clarke-Pounder, 24, who was arrested and charged in connection to setting fire to Tesla charging stations. He reportedly ended up lighting himself on fire as well. Clarke-Pounder was granted bond on Monday while in federal court, according to ABC4 News. 

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AG Bondi Declares “Swarm Of Violent Attacks” On Tesla As Domestic Terrorism

US Attorney General Pam Bondi released a statement overnight, calling the “violent attacks” on Tesla showrooms, service centers, Supercharger networks, and vehicles “nothing short of domestic terrorism.” 

“The swarm of violent attacks on Tesla property is nothing short of domestic terrorism. The Department of Justice has already charged several perpetrators with that in mind, including in cases that involve charges with five-year mandatory minimum sentences,” Bondi stated in a press release.

She continued: “We will continue investigations that impose severe consequences on those involved in these attacks, including those operating behind the scenes to coordinate and fund these crimes.”

The latest domestic terrorism attack on Tesla occurred at a service center in Las Vegas early Tuesday morning. Below, we provide readers with dramatic footage (previous post), along with images of the crime scene—featuring one key indication suggesting far-left groups were behind the arson attack.

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Trans Tesla vandal — who allegedly threw Molotov cocktails at cars — lives with mom and calls herself ‘baby’: sources

A 42-year-old transgender woman who allegedly threw Molotov cocktails at vehicles and spray-painted “Nazi cars” at a Colorado Tesla dealership lives with her mother due to “emotional problems” and calls herself “baby” online. 

Lucy Grace Nelson, also known as Justin Thomas Nelson, is accused of hurling incendiary devices at a Tesla dealership in Loveland, Northern Colorado, and vandalizing the business and vehicles on multiple occasions with graffiti “offensive and hateful in nature,” police said.

In one incident, the suspect allegedly took aim at Tesla CEO Elon Musk — who has previously been accused of antisemitism — scrawling “f—k Musk” with red paint on the front windows of the establishment and in another, sprayed “Nazi” on a company sign.

Nelson was arrested on February 24 upon returning to the Tesla dealership, allegedly in possession of additional incendiary devices and “materials attributed to vandalism,” police said at the time.

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