Midwest
Jealous teen's 'plan to kill' adoptive parents with birth mom's blessing exposed by detective with close ties
Detective Gregory Pollock didn’t want to tell his wife that their pals, Roger and Melissa Bluml, had been shot in the head outside their Kansas home.
“I was at home when I got the phone call and immediately recognized their address,” Pollock told Fox News Digital. “I was sitting there with my wife, and I didn’t want to tell her anything because I wanted to go out onto the scene first. But let me tell you, it was overwhelming. I knew this would be a tough case.”
The 2013 execution-style murders were explored on Oxygen’s true-crime series, “A Plan to Kill.” It examines the true tales of disturbed killers who spend weeks, months or even years plotting the demise of their victims.
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The true-crime series “A Plan to Kill,” examines the true tales of disturbed killers who spend weeks, months or even years plotting the demise of their victims. (Oxygen)
The show features new interviews with investigators who worked on the cases, as well as the loved ones of those slain.
“This is a case that did not go to trial, so there are still bits and pieces that the community doesn’t know about,” said Pollock. “There was work done by law enforcement that people had no idea had taken place. There were actions committed by the suspects that people weren’t aware of. I felt it was a good time to talk about what happened.”
The Blumls were described as a “loving couple” who yearned to be parents. That dream came true when they adopted brothers Anthony “Tony” and Christopher “Chris” Bluml as young children.
When Melissa and Roger Bluml were shot, police began focusing on their adopted son, Anthony “Tony” Bluml. (Kansas Department of Corrections)
“Roger and Melissa were pillars of the community,” Pollock explained. “They had a lot of compassion for each other, and they were fun to be around.
“I have known Roger for several years. He loved to tell jokes and stories. He was the kind of guy whose laugh you could hear from across the room. And Melissa had a heart of gold. She would help out wherever help was needed. These were two great people who watched our families grow.”
As Tony and Chris grew older, they appeared to be thriving with the Blumls. In high school, they excelled at wrestling and football.
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Roger and Melissa Bluml were shot inside their car. (Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office)
“We were there when they first got adopted,” said Pollock. “I still remember to this day the conversation they had with Roger and Melissa. They were excited about the fact that there was food on the table and that they were going to eat all the time. As the boys got older, there was respect for Roger and Melissa. They played sports and understood the rules of the household. They seemed to be doing well.”
That all changed during Tony’s senior year when he got involved with “the wrong crowd of friends,” said Pollock. According to Oxygen, Tony was caught smoking marijuana and fought with his parents.
The 18-year-old, who, according to court documents, was exhibiting “violent behavior,” was eventually kicked out of the house. The Ark Valley News reported he supported himself by working at fast-food restaurants, staying with friends and selling marijuana.
According to reports, Tony Bluml reconnected with his biological mother, Kisha Schaberg, on Facebook. (Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office)
He then decided to reconnect with his birth mother, Kisha Schaberg, on Facebook. Court documents revealed that Tony and his friend, Braden Smith, traveled to California to stay with Schaberg. According to reports, the trio often spent their days “in a drug-induced haze.”
When the group ran out of money, they moved back to Wichita, Kansas, according to court documents.
On the way, Schaberg reportedly said several times that the Blumls should be killed so that she, Tony and Chris could be reunited as a family. It is believed that Schaberg was upset that Chris wanted “nothing to do with her.” She blamed the Blumls for supposedly turning her son against her.
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Police learned that Tony Bluml was the last known person to see his adoptive parents alive. (Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office)
“I think Kisha is a skilled manipulator, a master manipulator,” said Pollock. “I think she was able to manipulate not only Tony but anyone else that became involved. A lot of very skilled manipulation techniques were used by her, and she was successful. She got all the young men to believe in whatever she sold them… She’s pure evil.”
Tony, who, according to the episode, desired his mother’s approval, often complained to Schaberg about the Blumls and how strict they were. He described resenting them for kicking him out of their home while his younger brother was seemingly doted on.
Court documents revealed that by the time they arrived in Kansas, they had already devised a plan to kill the Blumls. But Smith, who reportedly got cold feet, allegedly recruited his pal Andrew Ellington to take his place.
Braden Smith was a known friend of Tony Bluml from school. (Kansas Department of Corrections)
Smith claimed it was Tony who picked a date – Nov. 15, 2013. That evening, Chris would be away at a wrestling match. The plan was for Tony to go out to dinner with the Blumls and get them out of the house. When they returned, the Blumls would be killed, appearing like a burglary gone wrong.
According to reports, Tony believed that upon their deaths, he would receive a substantial inheritance and could finally be with his biological mother for good.
“Throughout all of 2013, we talked to Melissa and Roger about all the problems they were having with Tony,” said Pollock. “They were looking for help and solutions. We even talked about different things that they could try. Right down to the last week… they believed he was too much of a threat because of the drugs he was bringing to the house.”
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According to Oxygen, when police questioned Braden Smith, he broke down. He claimed that the plan to murder Melissa and Roger Bluml started when they met up with Tony Bluml’s biological mother in California. (Sedgwick County Sheriffs Office)
“Melissa stopped by to talk to us about Tony being in town,” Pollock continued. “She was still leery of what was going to happen after they met. But he wanted to meet them and go to dinner. He also needed a copy of his birth certificate. We talked to her that evening for about an hour, both me and my wife. Melissa said she’d let us know how the dinner turned out.”
On the evening of Nov. 15, Tony went out to eat with the Blumls. Meanwhile, Schaberg and Ellington entered the house. They opened up the dresser drawers and removed small items, hoping to make it look like a robbery.
Court documents revealed that Tony texted Ellington and told him that the Blumls had dropped him off at his hotel and were on their way back. When the Blumls arrived, Schaberg shot the couple from the passenger side of their vehicle. Schaberg gave Ellington Melissa’s purse and cellphone to dispose of them.
Braden Smith claimed he got cold feet and backed out. Instead, his friend Andrew Ellington (pictured here) was recruited to help with the murders. (Kansas Department of Corrections)
Chris, 16, returned home just after 9 p.m. and discovered the bodies. Melissa died the following day. She was 53. Roger passed away five weeks later at age 48.
“Through our investigation, we believed that Kisha wanted to reunite her family,” said Pollock. “The only conclusion that she reached was killing Roger and Melissa so that the boys could be all hers again. That’s what she believed. That’s what she told us… That was her motivation.”
“There was a lot of planning the suspects did to try to disguise and hide from law enforcement,” said Pollock. “But in the end, all their planning failed, and we were able to see right through it. In fact, it helped us to uncover a lot… and bring the case to the point where nobody wanted to go to trial because they knew what the outcome was going to be if they went to trial.”
Gregory Pollock was friends with Roger and Melissa Bluml. (Oxygen)
According to Oxygen, police got a tip from a man who identified himself as a schoolmate of Tony’s.
“He had received a text message a couple of days before the Blumls were shot, by a friend of his, another 18-year-old named Braden Smith, saying he needed a gun for a job,” said Amy Renee Leiker, a reporter for the Wichita Eagle.
Investigators identified Schaberg, Smith, Ellington and Tony as suspects. While Schaberg denied any involvement in the slayings, the boys admitted to their roles and provided information that led to evidence.
Roger and Melissa Bluml. (Oxygen)
In 2015, Schaberg and Tony pleaded no contest to aggravated robbery and capital murder charges to avoid the death penalty. They were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Ellington was sentenced to life in prison but has eligibility for parole after 25 years, said Oxygen. Smith pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 24.5 years in prison.
“Roger and Melissa did everything they could to set the boys up for success,” said Pollock. “That was always the thing they wanted – to make sure that their lives were going to be better than anything that they currently had. They wanted the boys to be successful and contribute to society.”
“… if you were to look up the word ‘evil,’ I think you would find Kisha’s picture in that description,” he said. “… She’s where she belongs right now.”
“A Plan to Kill” airs Sundays at 7 p.m. on Oxygen.
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A violent repeat offender with a documented history of firing at law enforcement and cycling through arrests across two states killed two Missouri deputies before being shot dead by police, authorities said.
Richard Dean Bird, 45, had a criminal record spanning more than a decade in Kansas and Missouri before Monday’s deadly encounter in Christian County, officials and court records show.
Bird was killed following a 30-minute shoot-out with deputies after authorities say he fatally shot Deputy Gabriel Ramirez, 30, during a traffic stop south of Highlandville just after 4 p.m. Monday. Deputy Michael Hislope, 40, was later killed during the overnight manhunt, according to Christian County Sheriff Brad Cole.
Court and booking records show Bird was arrested in Stone County, Missouri, on Feb. 20, 2026, just days before the shooting. He was booked on charges of second-degree burglary, unlawful possession of a firearm and stealing property valued at $750 or more, according to Stone County jail records.
A booking photo of Richard Dean Bird, identified by authorities as the suspect in the fatal shooting of two Christian County deputies in southwest Missouri. (Missouri State Highway Patrol Facebook)
According to court records cited by The New York Times, Bird had also recently been charged with receiving stolen property. In that case, police found him with collectible coins, including Indian-head pennies valued at about $2,000, that had been inside a safe reported stolen. Officers also discovered documents he allegedly attempted to burn, according to the warrant. Bird had posted $50,000 bond on Friday, the Times reported.
Bird’s violent record dates back to 2014.
In September of that year, he was arrested after allegedly firing multiple shots from a rifle at a Johnson County, Kansas, sheriff’s deputy investigating a theft at a construction site near 191st Street and State Line Road, according to The Kansas City Star.
The outlet reported Bird fired “multiple shots from a rifle at the deputy, who was not hit.” He was initially charged with attempted first-degree murder and theft, and his bond was set at $1 million.
Bird later pleaded guilty to reduced charges and was sentenced in 2016 on five counts stemming from that case, according to court records. Kansas Department of Corrections records show he was released in April 2023.
Court filings over the years show Bird faced multiple additional charges, including burglary, tampering, trespassing, theft and unlawful possession of a firearm.
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Richard Dean Bird had a lengthy criminal history before he killed two deputies, police said. (Missouri State Highway Patrol)
During a press conference Tuesday, Sheriff Cole confirmed Bird had a “lengthy” criminal record and multiple prior arrests.
The initial traffic stop that led to the deputies’ deaths happened just after 4 p.m. Monday, officials said. Authorities have not disclosed what prompted the stop.
Deputy Ramirez was killed during the initial encounter, Cole said.
Bird fled, triggering a massive manhunt involving approximately 150 officers from local, state and federal agencies, including the FBI, U.S. Marshals and ATF.
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The Missouri State Highway Patrol issued a Blue Alert for a white 2001 Chevrolet Silverado extended cab pickup truck, Missouri license plate 9MGX36, after a Christian County deputy was fatally shot near Highlandville. (Missouri State Highway Patrol Facebook)
Early Tuesday morning, deputies tracked Bird into wooded terrain near Reeds Spring. Cole said officers attempted communication but “received no response other than shooting at us.”
Deputy Hislope was killed during the exchange. Deputies Josh Wahl and Austin McCall were wounded but are recovering from injuries that are not considered life-threatening.
Bird was shot and killed during the gunfight, authorities said.
The loss has shaken the Christian County Sheriff’s Office, which has about 30 patrol officers and roughly 140 employees overall, according to Kathy Thimesch, an executive administrator with the agency who spoke to The New York Times. Thimesch told the outlet she was not aware of another officer from the department ever having been killed in the line of duty.
In a Facebook post, Cole offered a tribute to the fallen deputies.
“It is with the heaviest of hearts that we mourn the loss of two of our own — Deputy Gabriel Ramirez and Deputy Michael Hislope — who gave their lives in the line of duty,” Cole wrote.
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Christian County Sheriff’s Office Deputies Gabriel Ramirez and Michael Hislope were killed during a deadly encounter in southwest Missouri. Authorities said the suspect was killed following a manhunt and gun battle in wooded terrain near Highlandville. (Christian County Sheriff’s Office Facebook)
Ramirez joined the department on March 14, 2025, and though his time with the agency was brief, Cole said “his commitment to serving others and protecting this community was clear from the very beginning.”
Hislope had served since October 28, 2019, and was described by Cole as “a dedicated deputy, a trusted colleague, and a valued member of our sheriff’s office family.”
“These men answered the call to serve, putting the safety of others before their own, including serving our nation in the U.S. Army,” Cole wrote. “Their courage, sacrifice, and unwavering commitment to Christian County will never be forgotten.”
The case also drew reaction from national and state leaders.
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Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., condemned the killings and pointed to Bird’s criminal history.
“Two heroic deputies in my home state of Missouri were senselessly murdered by a thug with a long history of violence toward law enforcement,” Hawley said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “We need accountability for these soft-on-crime policies destroying our communities.”
Joe Gamaldi, national vice president of the Fraternal Order of Police, called the killings “horrific news out of Missouri” and urged Americans to keep the deputies’ families in their thoughts and prayers as they face “unimaginable grief.”
“History will not be kind to our nation for its treatment of our protectors… sickening!” Gamaldi wrote.
The conservative social media account Libs of TikTok described Bird as a “career criminal” and questioned how someone with a lengthy record was back on the streets. In a post on X, the account cited Bird’s prior charges, including burglary, unlawful possession of a firearm and the 2014 attempted first-degree murder case, and asked, “Why does this keep happening?”
Missouri leaders also weighed in and honored the fallen officers.
Rep. Eric Burlison honored the fallen deputies on the House floor, noting both were U.S. Army veterans who “continued their service as deputies in southwest Missouri.”
“We remember their sacrifice and pray for their families, fellow officers, and the entire law enforcement community,” Burlison said.
Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., called the incident “a devastating loss in Christian County.”
“As local law enforcement works to bring the suspect to justice, my prayers are with the deputy’s loved ones and those who served shoulder to shoulder with him to keep Missouri safe,” Schmitt wrote on X.
The FBI also issued a statement offering condolences to the deputies’ families and colleagues, noting Ramirez had served nearly a year with the department and Hislope more than six years.
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Missouri officials described the killings as a devastating loss for the state’s law enforcement community.
Sheriff Cole called it one of the “darkest days” in county history and said the department’s focus now is planning two funerals and supporting injured deputies.
Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send story tips to stepheny.price@fox.com.
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A teenage male is recovering and police are investigating after a shooting near a school on the east side of Detroit on Friday night.
According to police, the incident happened at 8:28 p.m. on the 3400 block of St. Aubin Street, the same area where the Detroit Edison Public School Academy’s Early College of Excellence is located.
Officials said an altercation ensued inside a building on the block and continued outside. An individual then fired shots that struck the male, whose age has yet to be disclosed, according to police. He was taken to the hospital where he was in stable condition on Saturday.
According to The Detroit News, the altercation was a fight that broke out during Detroit Edison’s boys basketball game against Detroit University Prep.
As of Saturday afternoon, police haven’t shared whether any arrests have been made.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Duluth Police Department at 313-596-5740 or Crime Stoppers of Michigan at 1-800-773-2587.
The Milwaukee Brewers were one of the more active teams in the league this offseason and it was one of the more shocking storylines to follow all winter.
They opted to trade Freddy Peralta to the New York Mets, which was a blockbuster deal, but it was expected. Peralta was on an expiring contract, and the Brewers were unlikely to be able to land a long-term deal with him. Milwaukee would much rather have control of Brandon Sproat and Jett Williams for the next five to seven years rather than a singular year of Peralta.
But they also traded Isaac Collins to the Kansas City Royals and Caleb Durbin to the Boston Red Sox. The Collins deal was a head scratcher, but the Durbin deal was the most shocking move of Milwaukee’s offseason.
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The Brewers traded Durbin and two other infielders to Boston in exchange for Kyle Harrison, David Hamilton, and Shane Drohan. Harrison is the biggest addition of the trade. Drohan has already flashed dominant potential this spring. Hamilton, who struggled last season, seemingly has the full belief of Brewers manager Pat Murphy.
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“He’s got so much ability in there, and he’s got experience, and he might be a utility player but I think he can be really good for us. I think he can take his offensive game to a whole other level,” Murphy said when talking about Hamilton, per Brewers beat writer Adam McCalvy.
Last season, Hamilton slashed .198/.257/.333 with a .590 OPS and a 63 OPS+. It was his third year in the big leagues and his second full year at the level and he’s yet to post an OPS+ over 100. But he’s still been worth 3.6 WAR over the last two years because of his defense and baserunning. The issue has been his bat. Even when he hit .248 in 2024, his OPS was under .700.
But Murphy seemingly believes Hamilton could take the next step at the plate, which would set him up to be a very good platoon infielder and versatile bat. He has the chance to quietly develop into a star with the Brewers if he can get his OPS over .700 and closer to .750. Obviously, this isn’t going to be easy, but Murphy seems to believe he’s closer to this breakout than many fans assume.
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