Southwest
Texas influencer sentenced to 10 years in prison for murder-for-hire plot
A Dallas, Texas, woman who runs an online business was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison following her conviction in a murder-for-hire plot.
Ashley Grayson, 35, ran an internet-based business and gained notoriety from her online presence, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western District of Tennessee.
Grayson described herself on her Instagram account as a bestseller, eight-figure business coach, course creator and philanthropist.
In 2021, Grayson had a falling out with a woman from Southaven, Mississippi, who had an online business similar to her own. This woman was the target of the murder-for-hire plot.
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Ashley Grayson was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison following her conviction in a murder-for-hire plot, according to the DOJ. (iStock)
Grayson believed the woman had been creating fake online profiles that criticized her and her business, although the two women never met in person.
Then, in August 2022, Grayson asked a Memphis woman, whom she had worked with in the past, to fly to Dallas to discuss a “business opportunity.”
The Memphis woman and her husband arrived in Dallas the following month and met with Grayson and her husband, Joshua.
Grayson offered to pay the Memphis couple to kill the Southaven woman, Grayson’s former boyfriend and a Texas woman who had recently made social media posts criticizing Grayson. She offered to pay at least $20,000 for each killing.
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In 2021, Grayson had a falling out with a woman from Southaven, Mississippi, who had an online business similar to her own and who was the target of the murder-for-hire plot. (iStock)
On Sept. 10, 2022, the Memphis woman recorded a video call in which Grayson confirmed that she wanted the Southaven woman killed as soon as possible and even offered an additional $5,000 for the killing to be finished in the next week.
The Memphis couple later sent Grayson a picture of police lights from an unrelated incident in Memphis to make it appear as if they had unsuccessfully attempted to carry out the killings. The couple demanded $10,000, or half of the promised amount, from Grayson. The Memphis couple then went to Dallas and met with Grayson and her husband and collected $10,000 from them for the “attempt.”
In July 2023, a grand jury in Tennessee indicted Grayson and her husband for use of an interstate facility in commission of murder-for-hire. The case went to trial in March of this year, when a jury found Grayson guilty but acquitted her husband.
Grayson was sentenced to 120 months in prison and three years of supervised release. (iStock)
Last month, Grayson was sentenced to 120 months in prison, the maximum sentence permitted for her crime, and three years of supervised release. She will not be eligible for parole since this was a federal case.
“This was a twenty-first century crime where online feuds and senseless rivalries bled into the real world,” Acting U.S. Attorney Reagan Fondren said in a statement. “The defendant tried to hire someone to murder a woman over things that happened exclusively on the internet.”
“Fortunately, no one was physically hurt in this case, but the victim and her family still felt a severe and emotional impact as the result of the defendant’s actions,” the statement continued. “The proactive response from the investigating agencies and our prosecutors prevented an even more serious crime from occurring.”
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Los Angeles, Ca
LADWP begins long-term repairs after West Hollywood water main rupture
Crews worked overnight on what is expected to be a long-term effort to clean up and repair a broken water main that caused extensive damage in West Hollywood on Thursday.
Yellow tape remained in place Friday morning, blocking streets around Sunset Boulevard and Holloway Drive as crews continued pumping water out of the century-old trunk line.
Asphalt and soil were also being removed so crews could get a better look at the damaged 36-inch trunk line, a major feeder pipe serving the area.
“First and foremost is our crews’ safety,” a Los Angeles Department of Water and Power spokesperson said Thursday. “When we excavate, we are going to have to make sure the area is safe before we send crews in to proceed and start the actual repairs on the pipe.”
The water main ruptured around 3 a.m. Thursday, sending thousands of gallons of water rushing through West Hollywood streets, flooding dozens of garages and pushing parked cars into one another.
A Metro bus yard was also flooded, leaving several buses partially submerged.
The force of the water washed away dirt and gravel supporting the roadway, creating a massive sinkhole on Sunset Boulevard and a smaller one near Palm Avenue, where two people fell in.
“I’m astounded by the massive sinkhole that has just opened up before our eyes,” KTLA’s Annie Rose Ramos reported Thursday from Palm Avenue.
The two men appeared to be uninjured.
As for the larger trunk line that burst beneath Sunset Boulevard, KTLA’s Carlos Herrera reported it was scheduled for replacement in 2031.
LADWP officials now hope to establish a repair timeline after getting a closer look at the damage Friday. For now, the intersection is expected to remain closed for anywhere from several days to several weeks.
The cause of the rupture remains under investigation.
Los Angeles, Ca
Arrest made in deadly shooting at 4th of July gathering in Compton; search for 2nd suspect continues
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna gave an update Thursday on several shootings over the Fourth of July weekend that left three people dead and several others injured.
Police arrested Antoine Jones, a 50-year-old man from the Los Angeles area, who they believe is responsible for the murder of a 19-year-old woman and the attempted murder of two additional surviving female victims who were attending a large community block party in Compton.
On July 4 at approximately 11:40 p.m., deputies from the Compton station responded to an apartment complex on the 700 block of West Laurel Street following reports of multiple people being shot.
Meah Bordenave-Jenkins, a 19-year-old nursing student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, was killed when gunfire broke out at the party.
Deputies located Bordenave-Jenkins and the two other women suffering from gunshot wounds outside of the apartment complex.
“While today’s announcement represents an important step towards justice for Meah and her family, our work is very far from being over,” said LASD Sheriff Robert Luna.
The LASD is also seeking the public’s help in identifying those responsible for the murder of Eric Washington, 37, a beloved community activist and former government staffer, and the attempted murder of another surviving man injured that same night at the same party.
Washington was reportedly killed while trying to deescalate a conflict at the party, his family said. Deputies found victim Washington suffering from a gunshot wound inside the complex.
Investigators later learned that another man had also been shot at some point during the incident.
Bordenave-Jenkins and Washington both died from their injuries. The remaining victims, two women and a man, sustained non-life-threatening injuries and have been released from the hospital. They have not been identified by police.
Detectives determined the two shootings happened moments apart at the party but appear to be separate and unrelated.
Detectives identified Jones as the suspect responsible for Bordenave-Jenkins’ death and the attempted murder of the two surviving women. Authorities located Jones on July 14 in Los Angeles and took him into custody.
The LASD is still searching for the suspect or suspects responsible for the murder of Washington and the attempted murder of the surviving male victim.
“Although today’s arrest is significant, this investigation remains extremely active,” Luna said.
“There were hundreds of people at this gathering,” Luna said. “Somebody knows, somebody saw or somebody heard what happened.”
The LASD also announced they’re searching for a suspect in a separate shooting at a different Fourth of July gathering that occurred in the early morning of July 5.
At approximately 12:10 a.m., Compton deputies responded to the 2100 block of North Grandee Avenue, where they located a 30-year-old victim, Thaddeus Clark, and a second victim suffering from gunshot wounds at the gathering.
Clark, a father of three, did not survive his injuries, Luna said.
The LASD is urging anyone with information about Clark’s murder and the attempted murder of the surviving victim to contact the LASD Homicide Bureau.
Although these shooting incidents occurred at gatherings less than an hour apart, investigators found no evidence that the two were connected, Luna said.
Luna also announced three suspects have been arrested in connection with a shooting in East L.A. on July 5. It happened as crowds crossed the intersection near Whittier Boulevard and Leonard Avenue during a World Cup match.
Four people were hit by gunfire, including two men, one woman and a boy. None of the injuries were life-threatening.
The sheriff said the alleged shooter, a 15-year-old known gang member, was arrested. Two female suspects, ages 21 and 38, have been arrested in the Lancaster and Palmdale areas for their alleged roles in luring the primary victim to the location and assisting the shooting suspect in evading arrest.
They’re all facing four counts of attempted murder.
Los Angeles, Ca
Water main break floods West Hollywood streets, traps cars
A broken water main sent water gushing from an apartment building and turned nearby streets into rivers in West Hollywood early Thursday morning. The break was reported around 3 a.m. near Holloway Drive and Sunset Boulevard. “It’s a rupture of one of the significant mains that goes through here. West Hollywood, as it turns out, […]
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