Kentucky
Kentucky ‘spell-casting’ woman who allegedly cooked her mother’s severed head had alias as aspiring actor: report
The Kentucky woman accused of killing and dismembering her mother and then cooking her severed head and other body parts was an aspiring actor in California who went by a different name, according to a report.
Torilena May Fields, 32, was arrested on Oct. 9 following an 11-hour standoff with state police after a worker found a disemboweled human torso in the backyard of her mother’s home.
Fields has since been charged with the murder of her mother, Trudy Fields, after she emerged covered in blood from the Mount Olivet, Ky. home where investigators found a charred and severed head, hands, feet and forearm in a “still warm” pot in the oven, Fox56 reported.
Drag marks from the back door to the yard led police to the victim’s torso alongside a pile of hair and blood-soaked mattresses — one that covered human organs and other severed parts, according to police.
Fields first allegedly shot her mother in the head and also “intentionally tortured and killed” a dog, according to the indictment obtained by the local Fox station.
A worker hired by Trudy called 911 after he found the body in the yard and said that a confrontational Fields “was casting spells” on him, cops said.
Fields’ family members were shocked and devastated by the gruesome murder and told the news station she had recently moved back to her mother’s Kentucky house after living in California for several years while pursuing a career as an actor, model and singer.
Fields began going by the name Naomi Navarre while living in the Golden State. The alias was revealed in her indictment, obtained by Fox56.
An Instagram connected to the name shows a woman in a bright and long red wig with blunt bangs, posing for photos with editorialized makeup and clothes. The account’s last post was in September 2022.
“Navarre” aka Fields starred in two 2019 films, “The Desert Project” and “A Dance Story,” according to her IMDb page.
Fields had always dreamed of making it in Hollywood and was voted “biggest flirt” in her high school, according to her senior yearbook obtained by the Fox station.
She wrote in the Bracken County High School yearbook from 2011 that she hoped to become “a famous singer and shock the world.”
She appears to have completed one of those goals.
“Life is what it is. There are two types of people in the world… those who are forgotten and those who are remembered. I choose to be remembered,” Fields eerily wrote as her senior yearbook quote.
Her cousin Olivia Brock told Fox56 that the family is in complete shock.
“All of us have been experiencing shock for the first time, I guess you could say,” she said. “That’s a whole different – grief and shock are two different ballgames.”
A friend of Fields from college described her as outgoing and friendly.
“Just nothing really bothered her. She was very outgoing, energetic, though, funny,” Brandon Shankle, who went to Morehead State University with Fields, told the station. “I wouldn’t say we were best friends forever, but, you know, we were close enough that when I heard this news, I was just stunned. You know, that’s not the person I knew.”
Brock said Fields was in a bad motorcycle wreck in California and wonders if it was the catalyst of a mental break.
“She was an actress and doing her thing out there, and I guess we were told a couple of months ago that she was in a bad motorcycle accident and sustained a brain injury,” she told Fox. “And was, I guess, wandering around Cali. Didn’t know her name. Didn’t know where she belonged. I guess people were trying to get her help down there and couldn’t get it done, so that’s when Trudy stepped in to help.”
After the crash, she moved back home to Kentucky with her mother in August.
“It was a surprise to all of us that she was back here, and we think that Trudy was trying to help her with whatever she had going on mentally,” Brock said.
Fields’ uncle thinks his niece was out of her mind.
“I think somebody has lost control of their mind,” Todd Brock told FOX 56. “Satanism or something had her brainwashed, whatever witchcraft is? I heard she was into it, but the girl in the mug shot? That’s not the girl we know.”
The alleged killer was reportedly under the influence of drugs when police arrested her, according to investigators. The arrest report did not specify what kind of drugs.
Fields is charged with murder, abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, torture of a dog or cat, and obstructing governmental operations. She is being held at the Bourbon Count Detention Center on a $1.5 million bond.
Kentucky
3 Transfer Portal Moves: Former Kentucky QB Gavin Wimsatt Finds New Home
The snow has slowed the Commonwealth to a crawl, but the transfer portal is still moving and grooving. The dead period ended, allowing players to hit the road for another round of visits. Kentucky got a big recruiting win over the weekend when Washington State DL David Gusta signed with the Wildcats. Now a few other chips are falling in different places.
Gavin Wimsatt started his career at Rutgers. After three seasons in Piscataway, the Owensboro native moved back to his Old Kentucky Home. Now he’ll finish his college career in Conference-USA.
Wimsatt revealed on Instagram that he will spend his final year in college at Jacksonville State. He’ll be suiting up for Charles Kelly, the former Auburn defensive coordinator who was hired this offseason to replace Rich Rodriguez. I must say, the quarterback can pull off the cowboy hat.
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EDGE Target Commits to Auburn
Kentucky lost its top three EDGE players to the transfer portal this offseason. They’ve added a pair of players, Kameron Olds and Sam Greene, but they could use one more who could provide some pass-rush pop. Chris Murray was the first big fish on the list. He visited Kentucky and three other schools prior to the dead period. After the break, he made a few more visits before the All-C-USA performer from Sam Houston State selected Auburn.
The Cats missed on Murray, but it won’t be considered a miss if they can reel in Mi’Quise Humphrey-Grace. The FCS All-American was the Missouri Valley Defensive Player of the Year after tallying 17.0 TFLs and 9.5 sacks. He visited Kentucky on Friday. USC, Mississippi State, and Wisconsin are also in the hunt for the immediate impact EDGE. If Kentucky can seal the deal, this might be their biggest win of the entire transfer portal cycle.
Former Kentucky WR to the Big Ten
Chauncey Magwood flashed during his brief stint at Kentucky. The class of 2021 signee appeared in all but one game over his two seasons in Lexington. The mid-three-star prospect from Georgia was a physical wide receiver who could play inside or outside, catching 8 passes for 121 yards, and a touchdown.
Without much playing time on the horizon, Magwood hit the transfer portal and landed at UCF. The Gus Malzahn era was regrettable for all parties involved, including Magwood. He caught just 9 passes for 142 yards in two seasons.
Rather than lingering in Orlando limbo, Magoowd hit the transfer portal again. West Lafayette is going to look a lot different than Central Florida. He’s transferring to Purdue to help Barry Odom rebuild the dilapidated Boilermakers program.
Kentucky
Kentucky State Police trooper injured in crash during winter storm
HART COUNTY, Ky. (WKYT) – Kentucky State Police say one of their troopers was injured Sunday morning in a crash during the ongoing winter storm.
Police say the crash happened along Interstate 65 in Hart County, north of Bowling Green. Snow was falling at the time of the crash.
State Police say the trooper is receiving treatment for non-life-threatening injuries. No other details about the crash have been released.
Law enforcement agencies across Kentucky have been asking people to stay home Sunday, as snow and ice have made many roads around the state dangerous for travel.
Copyright 2025 WKYT. All rights reserved.
Kentucky
5 bills Kentucky lawmakers plan to introduce in the 2025 legislative session
Facts About the Kentucky General Assembly
Discover key facts about the Kentucky General Assembly, including its history, structure, and state government functions.
Kentucky lawmakers won’t be able to file proposed bills until the next legislative session starts Jan. 7. But that hasn’t stopped them from saying what they plan to submit.
During the 2024 interim, several legislators shared draft bills they plan to file during in the 2025 legislative session. While some are bills that have been filed in previous years, others are new ideas.
The only way to view pre-filed bills publicly is if lawmakers share their drafts on their own social media accounts, websites or as part of meeting materials for interim committees. That’s because legislation passed in 2022 removed the process of posting pre-filed bills on the Legislative Research Commission’s website.
Here’s a look at some of the bills lawmakers have shared or said are expected to appear during session.
Requiring bathrooms by ‘biological sex’
In August, Republican Rep. Matt Lockett shared draft language of a bill that would require more than a majority of restrooms in public schools be designated for a specific biological sex.
At an Interim Joint Committee on Education meeting, Lockett said the bill is a response to Fayette County Public Schools building gender-neutral restrooms with individual private floor-to-ceiling stalls at Britton Middle School.
His draft bill would require at least 90% of restroom facilities in school buildings that serve more than 100 students be designated for “a specific sex.”
Lockett said the bill’s goal is to protect children and provide “a facility for learning where they won’t feel threatened, embarrassed or be afraid to use the restroom.”
Prohibiting some sex offenders from Halloween activities
Rep. Chad Aull, D-Lexington, announced in October he plans to file a bill that would prohibit many people on Kentucky’s sex offender registry from participating in Halloween activities involving minors.
In the draft copy of the bill, registrants who have committed criminal offenses against minors would be prohibited from engaging in Halloween-related activities. That would include trick-or-treating, costume parties where children are present or events involving the distribution of candy to kids.
The bill would apply to 14 days before and after Oct. 31 of each year. Violating the restrictions would result in a Class A misdemeanor for the first offense and a Class D felony for subsequent offenses.
Making fluoridation in water optional
Rep. Mark Hart, R-Falmouth, is renewing the push to make fluoridation in water optional for local districts.
The bill Hart said he plans to file again next session would eliminate the state’s water fluoridation mandate. Last year’s legislative session was the first time Hart’s bill received a committee hearing, but it didn’t make it across the finish line.
Hart said the bill wouldn’t ban the use of fluoride but would protect the state from liability related to “risks” stemming from fluoride exposure, citing data from a report released by the National Toxicology Program.
Meanwhile, prominent health organizations, including the Centers for Disease Control and American Academy of Pediatrics, say adding small amounts of fluoride to public drinking water helps strengthen teeth, with research showing fluoridated water reduces tooth decay by 25% in children and adults.
Holding parents accountable for gun violence involving minors
Republican Rep. Kim Banta, with Democratic Rep. Tina Bojanowski as co-sponsor, plans to file a bill that would hold parents and guardians accountable for gun violence carried out by a minor in their care.
The Kentucky Lantern reported that Banta’s bill would let individuals who are hurt or threatened by a minor using a gun sue the minor’s parents or guardians. Besides killing a person, that could also include threatening someone with a gun and shooting a neighbor’s dog.
Requiring licenses for tobacco retailers
Sen. Jimmy Higdon, R-Lebanon, is working on a bill he believes would help keep tobacco products away from minors.
At an interim committee meeting, Higdon said his bill would require licensing for all sellers of vape or tobacco products, allowing for enforcement by the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.
The bill also would implement stricter fines and penalties for retailers who violate the law and allow ABC officers to inspect businesses without a warrant.
Reach reporter Hannah Pinski at @hpinski@courier-journal.com or follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @hannahpinski.
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