Southeast
Wealthy car dealer paid ex-IDF, Marines to kill escort, blackmailer over threats they’d expose sex trysts
A married Texas businessman and father of two was entangled with a Nashville, Tennessee, escort and then blackmailed by her on-and-off-again lover.
Erik Charles Maund, the heir to a lucrative Austin-based car company, received anonymous, threatening texts about a month after his extramarital escapade with 33-year-old Holly Williams, demanding $25,000.
Over the next 11 days, the situation spiraled out of control. Maund’s privately funded investigation into who sent the extortion demands became a murder-for-hire plot involving a retired Israeli Defense Force (IDF) member and two retired U.S. Marines.
On March 12, 2020, a day after Maund was supposed to pay up, Williams and her then-boyfriend William Lanway, who sent the blackmail texts, were found dead in a Nashville construction site with bullet holes in their heads.
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Three years later, a federal jury found Maund guilty of orchestrating their murders after an 11-day trial. Maund’s lawyer did not return Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
The former Marines – Bryon Brockway and Adam Carey – were also convicted on Nov. 17 for their roles in the conspiracy. Former IDF member Gilad Peled pleaded guilty before the trial and became the prosecution’s star witness.
Peled’s lawyers declined to comment before sentencing, and Brockway’s and Carey’s lawyers didn’t return Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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“This investigation began with the discovery of two murder victims, Holly Williams and William Lanway, inside a vehicle off a construction road in West Nashville on Good Friday 2020,” Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake said in a statement after the conviction.
“Months of outstanding investigative work … provided multiple leads that drew our attention to other states. Realizing that this elaborate criminal case reached far outside of Nashville, our team enlisted the help of the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.”
Maund, Brockway and Carey each face life in prison or the death penalty and will be sentenced separately in 2024. The judge will take Peled’s cooperation into account when handing down his sentence.
The hookup: ‘I’ll meet you in the bar like last time’
Maund texted Williams that he was “looking forward” to seeing her when he reached Nashville in February 2020, according to court documents reviewed by Fox News Digital.
“Good day beautiful! Looking forward too [sic] later. I’m in Nashville. I’ll meet you in the bar like last time. Text me when you arrive,” he texted the escort on Feb. 5, 2020, the federal indictment says.
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Maund told his wife he was visiting their son in college, Peled said, according to the transcript of his testimony.
The two hooked up about a year earlier, according to court documents. Early February 2020 was round two.
When the calendar turned to March, the threatening texts started.
Maund ‘had no intention’ of paying $25,000 blackmail
Lanway “sent a series of texts” on March 1, 2020, demanding “monetary payment” or he was going to expose Maund’s relations with Williams, the indictment says.
The texts came from Williams’ phone, and Maund did not know the sender at the time.
The next morning, Maund called Peled and agreed to pay him $60,000 to “start an investigation” into who was sending the texts.
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“He told me that he went to visit his son in Nashville, Tennessee, where he goes to college, and while he was there, he was using escort services,” Peled testified, according to the transcripts.
“When he came back he got a text message – a text message that was demanding money … and if he would not pay them, they will contact his family and out the fact that he was using escort services.”
Peled said there were not any discussions about killing Lanway or Williams; it was an investigation into who sent the texts. Peled then told Maund that he wanted to bring the case to law enforcement.
The prosecutor asked what Maund’s reaction was.
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“He was reluctant (to go to the police),” Peled said, according to the transcript. “He didn’t want information to come out, says it’s going to hurt his marriage.
“He didn’t want his kids to know about it. He said it’s going to devastate him if his kids are going to find out.”
From there, Peled recruited a family friend, Brockway, who introduced Carey into the fold. Both are retired Marines.
They set up a team, including Peled, to go from Austin, Texas, to Nashville to trail and surveil Williams and Lanway while providing daily updates to Maund through an encrypted communication app, Peled testified.
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They did not have any success making contact with their targets after 10 days, according to Peled’s testimony, and Lanway “freaked out” when Lanway called Maund’s home during that time.
Lanway set a deadline of 8 p.m., March 11, 2020, to deliver the $25,000, Peled testified.
The mission hit wall after wall. Peled described a panicking Maund, and Brockway went to Nashville himself “to solve the problem.”
“What was (Brockway’s) proposal?” the prosecutor asked Peled.
“He proposed to, in his words, to take Mr. Lanway out,” Peled testified.
He said that he expected Maund to reject the idea, but instead Maund “jumped on the offer.”
$100,000 each for Brockway and Carey to finish the job
Peled said Brockway was “shocked” when Maund agreed, according to the transcript.
After negotiating prices, Maund agreed to pay $100,000 each to Brockway and Carey. He also paid $550,000 to Peled, according to court documents.
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Peled testified that overnight March 12 and 13, Brockway told him to “get rid of your phone.” The prosecutor asked him what that meant.
“I understood that they killed them,” Peled answered, according to the transcript.
Brockway fatally shot Lanway in the parking lot of Williams’ apartment complex, and Carey killed Williams after driving to the construction site, court documents say.
That was where they left their bodies.
Guilty
After an 11-day jury trial, Maund was found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire. The jury cleared him of kidnapping-related charges.
Carey and Brockway each were convicted of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, kidnapping resulting in death and conspiracy to commit kidnapping.
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Each defendant faces mandatory life in prison or the death penalty.
“We are committed to aggressively prosecuting violent crime in Middle Tennessee, and I am very pleased that the men responsible for these murders have finally been held accountable for their deplorable actions,” U.S. Attorney Henry Leventis said in a statement.
Remembering the victims
Williams was working as a medical esthetician when she was killed. Friends and family told The Tennessean that she will be remembered as sweet and trusting.
“She was really good at what she did in medical esthetics,” her friend and fellow esthetician Marie Carroll told The Tennessean in December 2021.
“If you met her, she looked like a Kardashian and you didn’t know what to expect. But then she made you feel just involved immediately. She was very humble and like really quiet but just sweet.”
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Lanway reportedly grew up in a household of violence and lived a difficult life.
When he was a child, his father held him hostage at gunpoint. A week later, his father fatally stabbed his mother, The Tennessean reported.
He married and had a daughter, who was described as “the light of his life,” according to the local newspaper, but she died at the age of 5 from brain cancer.
Lanway and Williams’ relationship was volatile, friends and family told The Tennessean, which reported she called the police on him at least three times the year that she died.
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Southeast
Apalachee High School student arrested for allegedly bringing gun to campus months after deadly mass shooting
The Barrow County Sheriff’s Office said a 14-year-old student was arrested Wednesday after he allegedly brought a gun to Apalachee High School, the same Georgia school where two students and two teachers were killed in a mass shooting in September.
At approximately 2:02 p.m., school resource officers arrested the student without incident.
“The student was cooperative and compliant when encountered by law enforcement officers, and there have been no reports of the student threatening anyone with the gun,” the sheriff’s office said.
The boy, who was not named due to his age, has since been transported to a youth detention center.
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The boy was charged with theft, being a minor in possession of a gun and possessing a weapon on school grounds.
Officials didn’t say what type of gun was seized or how the child acquired the gun.
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In response to the incident, the Barrow County School System canceled Thursday’s classes at the high school and called for a meeting to discuss immediate safety enhancement options.
“We understand this brings up many different feelings in each of us,” the school system said. “We will update you all following the board meeting tomorrow with any changes regarding school procedures.”
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On Sept. 4, 14-year-old student Colt Gray allegedly opened fire at Apalachee High School, killing two teachers and two students.
Teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53, and students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14, were killed.
Gray has since been indicted on 55 counts as an adult, including 25 counts of aggravated assault. He has pleaded not guilty and faces a maximum penalty of life in prison without parole or life with the possibility of parole if convicted.
His father, Colin Gray, who was arrested and charged with buying the semiautomatic AR-15-style rifle used in the shooting and giving it to Colt for Christmas, is facing 29 counts, including two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of involuntary manslaughter. He has also pleaded not guilty.
Georgia is one of 42 states in the U.S. that holds parents criminally responsible for their children.
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Southeast
I know Pam Bondi personally and she will make an amazing attorney general
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
As someone deeply invested in the safety of our communities – as someone who’s lost a baby brother to senseless murder – I’m asking you to join me in full support of Pam Bondi as our next attorney general of the United States.
For the past four years, the U.S. Attorney General’s Office has been plagued by partisanship, inconsistent justice enforcement and prioritizing political agendas over public good. From selective prosecutions to eroding public trust, its failure to act independently has undermined the rule of law, creating a perception of bias and deepening divisions within the country.
With Bondi at the helm, I have no doubt the Department of Justice will usher in a new period of genuine integrity and rise to meet our time’s challenges. Admittedly, one of the reasons I’m so enthusiastic about Bondi’s potential as our next attorney general is her work with the Caldwell Institute for Public Safety.
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Bondi, who’s been on our advisory board since our launch, has been an active mentor and ally of mine. So, I’ve gotten a front-row seat to how she’ll handle the challenges America faces in combating violent crime and gang violence, addressing the opioid epidemic and safeguarding victims of human trafficking.
Our organization is focused on reducing violent crime through innovative strategies and evidence-based policies, and Bondi’s expertise and commitment to real solutions, and real justice, have made her an invaluable advisor in this effort.
Bondi’s record speaks for itself. During her tenure as Florida’s attorney general from 2011 to 2019, she transformed the office into a powerhouse for consumer protection, crime prevention and justice reform. She took on powerful interests, negotiating billions of dollars for the economic damages suffered by the State of Florida due to the BP oil spill, including lost tax revenues. In addition, she negotiated settlements to hold pharmaceutical companies accountable for the opioid crisis and worked tirelessly to dismantle human trafficking networks.
For example, Bondi’s leadership in holding pharmaceutical companies accountable was groundbreaking as she secured significant financial settlements that funded treatment and prevention programs, saving lives and giving hope to those struggling with addiction. Bondi also pushed for stronger laws to curb the spread of synthetic opioids, ensuring that Florida was at the forefront of the fight against this deadly scourge. Imagine what she could achieve on a national level with the resources of the Department of Justice at her disposal.
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She’s been a relentless advocate for crime victims, championing measures like Marsy’s Law to ensure their voices are heard, and their rights are protected. And under her leadership, Florida became a national leader in anti-trafficking efforts, setting an example for other states to follow. Her experience tackling complex issues — from gang violence to synthetic drugs — aligns perfectly with our mission to address the root causes of crime and foster safer communities.
With Bondi at the helm, I have no doubt the Department of Justice will usher in a new period of genuine integrity and rise to meet our time’s challenges. Admittedly, one of the reasons I’m so enthusiastic about Bondi’s potential as our next attorney general is her work with the Caldwell Institute for Public Safety.
What really sets Bondi apart may be her ability to now lead on a national stage. As a former president of the National Association of Attorneys General, she’s already demonstrated her skill in building coalitions and working across state lines to address pressing issues like cybercrime and drug trafficking. She has consistently defended state sovereignty while respecting the balance of power between state and federal governments. This collaborative approach to governance is exactly what we need in an attorney general.
As someone who has worked closely with her through the Caldwell Institute, I can attest to her passion for justice and her relentless drive to make our communities safer.
America stands at a crossroads. The challenges we face are immense, but they are not insurmountable. We need leaders who are not only qualified but who also possess the moral clarity and determination to guide us forward. The Honorable Pam Bondi is such a leader.
Join me in urging the Senate to confirm Bondi without delay. Our nation needs her leadership, experience and unwavering commitment to the principles of justice. We deserve, and clearly require, no less.
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Southeast
Neighborhood rocked by homeless camp triple murder as former police officer calls for government to intervene
A triple homicide at a Louisiana homeless camp, allegedly spurred by a stolen bicycle, emphasizes the inherent dangers of these encampments – not just for their inhabitants, but for those in surrounding communities, an expert told Fox News Digital.
On April 3, 44-year-old Mindy Ann Robert, 33-year-old Marcey Vincent and 53-year-old Warren Fairley were found dead, all shot multiple times, in a makeshift campsite, hidden from view by brush on a vacant lot in Jefferson Parish, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office said.
Crime in these camps is a growing concern across the country, which has seen an 18.1% increase in homelessness in 2024, according to a December report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Federal officials cited a rising number of asylum seekers, lack of affordable housing and natural disasters as reasons for the increase in homelessness.
“These homeless encampments pose a health threat and a safety threat to the general public,” Mark Powell, a former reserve police officer in San Diego who oversaw the city’s Monarch School for Homeless Youth while on the city’s school board, told Fox News Digital. “It’s the duty, it’s the obligation of our city leaders, our elected politicians, to do everything they can within the law to eradicate these camps and provide the people living in the camps with the dignity they deserve through some type of shelter program.”
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In the Louisiana case, Noel Marine, who was known to visit the victims at the campsite, was arrested and faces three counts of first-degree murder and obstruction of justice in their deaths. He is currently being held on $100,000 bail, according to court records.
Investigators believe Vincent and Robert were homeless and lived at the campsite, while Fairley lived in a home nearby. Robert’s family assumed that she was living in the area because they recently saw her panhandling at a nearby street corner, NOLA.com reported.
“Periodically, other people would stay [at the campsite] and use narcotics,” Det. Ryan Vaught testified during a Nov. 19 hearing in Jefferson Parish Magistrate Court.
A man who was dating one of the female victims allegedly dialed 911 around 9:40 a.m. when he found the three bodies.
Marine, 55, became the prime suspect after his fingerprint was also found on a metal folding chair at the site. His fingerprints were in the national Combined DNA Index System due to previous convictions, including four counts of possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute and other drug charges.
He was sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty in April 2005, court records show. At the time of the shooting, he was wanted for missing court in a misdemeanor theft case after allegedly stealing from a Walmart in February of this year, according to court records.
Marine allegedly claimed that he was staying at a friend’s house in Metairie at the time of the shooting, but his alibi was torn open after the friend told detectives that Marine was not there.
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Although a gunshot was heard in the area around 1 or 2 a.m., according to Vaught, no one saw the killings take place. However, Marine’s friend gave a statement to police after he allegedly confessed to the killings, Vaught testified.
After he was brought in for a second round of questioning, Marine claimed that another man shot the three victims. He said that he was talking to the man who confronted him at the encampment after Marine stole his bicycle. The other man brandished a gun, and Marine walked into the campsite to retrieve the stolen property, according to Marine, who said he then heard gunfire.
However, police have not named the man Marine accused, and no one else has been arrested in the homicides.
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Powell said that the incident is the latest example of why the government has an obligation to regulate homeless encampments.
“In this instance, three people were murdered. That’s not to say somebody jogging through the park or jogging near the homeless encampment could also become a victim just as easily as this,” Powell told Fox News Digital.
“It’s the duty of the city. If they’re going to allow homeless camps like this, it’s their duty to make sure that they’re cleaned, that they’re regulated, that there’s some type of law enforcement presence that frequents that homeless camp on a regular basis,” Powell said.
“Not once a month or when they get a call, but they have to have some type of security in there,” he continued. “[Otherwise] you’re going to end up with more of these incidences where there are rapes, murders, there’s assault, there are batteries, there’s a theft, there’s rampant drug dealing – this is what you’ll find in these homeless encampments.”
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“Many people don’t even want to jog through the park because they know there’s a homeless encampment in there, and they’re scared – the people who are committing the crimes are the ones who are controlling the property,” Powell said. “They’re not paying taxes, they’re not doing anything yet. [But] the people who do pay the taxes who do not commit crimes, they’re the ones who are impacted.”
Fox News Digital’s Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.
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