Category: News

August 12, 2023, New Haven, Indiana. Shortly before morning broke in the home he rented with his wife Alison, at the base of a steep stairway, Kevin Davis‘ blood seeped onto the floor.

OFFICER GARRETT SHANEBROOK | New Haven Police Department (bodycam video): Where’s that blood coming from?

CORPORAL CADE HETRICK | New Haven Police Department: His face and his nose.

Det. James Krueger: The amount of blood, it was alarming. It was — it was everywhere.

Alison Davis had already given lead Detective James Krueger of the New Haven Police Department permission to search the house.

DET. JAMES KRUEGER (bodycam video):  If you do agree to that, I need you to sign there saying that you understand …

But she warned them about the bedroom, where their pit bull mix, Willow, would sometimes growl at strangers who approached.

ALISON DAVIS (bodycam video): She’s up in the bedroom, and she’s a guard dog.

DET. JAMES KRUEGER: OK.

ALISON DAVIS: And I don’t know if she’d do anything, and I don’t want anything to happen to her.

DET. JAMES KRUEGER: Right now, what I won’t do is, I won’t go in that room.

ALISON DAVIS: OK.

AN ACCIDENTAL FALL?

Kevin had been rushed to Parkview Regional Medical Center in critical condition. After speaking with first responders and breaking the tragic news to her loved ones, Alison also headed to Parkview.

Peter Van Sant: So you go to the hospital?

Steve Krause: Yes.

Steve Krause watched his daughter try to will Kevin back to consciousness.

Steve Krause: Their favorite phrase for one another was “babe.” … And Alison’s up there, “Hey babe you’re gonna be OK. Hey babe, you know, I’m here with you. Hey babe, I love you.”

Kasey Klemm: She had like blood on her fingernail, cuticles, and on her phone. I could tell that she had been crying but she kind of just looked like in shock.

Alison’s best friend Kasey Klemm.

Kasey Klemm: They had her in like a little small waiting room with a chaplain. And I was trying to calm her down to ask questions, you know, like what was going on?

Back at the house, Krueger lifted restrictions and cleared the bloody scene. It was horrific. But at this point, he believed it was an accident.

Det. James Krueger: Well, maybe he took a head plant down the stairs. I don’t know. I wasn’t there.

Kasey Klemm: The detective said … I think we’re done here.

Alison stayed at the hospital. But back home, all that blood needed to be cleaned up.

Kasey Klemm: You don’t think about that right? … Like, who cleans it up?

Steve Krause: I said well, I will go do it.

Peter Van Sant: You had permission to do this?

Steve Krause: Correct.

Peter Van Sant: Permission from the lead detective in this case?

Steve Krause: Correct.

Peter Van Sant: How upsetting was this process of cleaning?

Steve Krause: Well it’s very upsetting. … sometimes I’d get — become overwhelmed and need to gather myself, um, to finish, um, what I’d come to do.

Including tending to Willow, who had been left upstairs in their bedroom with the door closed.

Steve Krause: Alison was concerned that this dog hadn’t been left out … They had no children, so the dog was … like a child.

Throughout that frantic morning, Alison and her family quietly prayed.

Steve Krause: I’m praying can we just, you know, wake up, you know, wake up. You look like you’re sleeping, just wake up.

Kevin and Alison were a part of a tight group of friends who were regulars at the East Haven Tavern where Jodi Espy and Jessica Eakright take care of the crowd.

Jessica Eakright: Our customers become our family around here.

The news that Kevin was in critical condition hit hard.

Jodi Espy: Everybody was just talking like, “Oh my gosh, he was just here. That’s so sad.”

Kevin and Alison had been at the Tavern just hours earlier.

Jessica Eakright: It was hard not to be a friend of Alison’s because she just made everybody feel like you mattered.

Kevin, a skilled landscaper, had a big personality that matched his big heart.

Todd Spessert: Kevin Davis was, uh, just a nice guy … always hard working … ready to help anybody out at any time.

Close friends Todd Spessert and Jason Young scrambled to see Kevin.

Jason Young: We all met at the hospital.

Todd Spessert: Yeah.

Jason Young: We talked to Alison and her parents.

Jason Young: … definitely she had been crying, but she was holding back.

Todd Spessert: She was —  she was a mess.

Peter Van Sant: She was devastated?

Jason Young and Todd Spessert: Yes.

The scene was overwhelming.

Todd Spessert: Yeah, he … he’s uh brain dead, there’s nothing left in there.

Peter Van Sant:  God, just a few hours earlier he was sitting right over here, right?

Todd Spessert: Correct.

Peter Van Sant: Do you say anything to Kevin?

Jason Young: Oh yeah, yup. … I told him it’s like … I feel really bad about this. And it shouldn’t have happened, and wish you were still here.

Peter Van Sant: And did you have a chance to say goodbye to your friend?

Jason Young: Yeah. I said goodbye there. Yep.

Todd Spessert: They were — yeah, then they were talking about, you know, donating his organs and stuff. And I was like — I was like, wow.

Peter Van Sant: He was an organ donor?

Kasey Klemm: Yes, yes. She was very proud of him for that, too.

His life support would be disconnected. Soon, 40-year-old Kevin Davis was gone. At 33, Alison was a widow.

Kasey Klemm: They were just happy type of couple that would dance in the kitchen to music together, just the two of them. Like that’s just who they were. They were great together.

It shook their friend Deontae Bristol.

Deontae Bristol: I was just holding back tears because we were just hanging out. Like I was just hanging out with this guy.

Jessica Eakright: It’s devastating. Not just because he’s no longer here, but because the circumstances surrounding it are traumatic.

Deontae Bristol: It had to be an accident.

Jodi Espy: Nobody ever thought it was anything but a fall.

And that’s what Krueger concluded, too.

Det. James Krueger: I just didn’t see any need in a small department to tie up all our resources and hold the house for an accident scene.

But the scene did raise questions. Despite a huge amount of blood, first responders didn’t see any lacerations on Kevin’s head.

Det. James Krueger: I was just told that he was bleeding out of his … nose and mouth … there was no obvious wound on the side of his head.

That same day, a doctor at Parkview treating Kevin felt compelled to speak up.

Det. James Krueger: One of the doctors of the ER staff … had some concerns with those injuries.

The CT scans showed internal wounds — multiple skull fractures. She also noted bruising to his face and scalp and concluded, “Kevin’s injuries were not consistent with a fall down a stairway.”

Det. James Krueger: That … definitely raised some red flags in my mind.

She alerted the coroner’s office, who ordered an autopsy.

Peter Van Sant: When did this accident scene become a crime scene?

Det. James Krueger: After the autopsy. … Once they told me that he had a crushed-in skull … definitely is not consistent with a fall from the stairs. … that’s when I started … to dig a lot … deeper into this case.

KEVIN DAVIS’ AUTOPSY RESULTS RAISE SUSPICIONS

Three days after Kevin’s death, the autopsy was completed and the provocative findings were turned over to police.

Det. James Krueger: I get the autopsy report … saying that his skull is crushed in, definitely is not consistent with a fall from the stairs.

But Krueger says it is consistent with a violent physical beating.

Peter Van Sant: And you now are going … we may have a homicide on our hands.

James Krueger: Right.

Peter Van Sant: Do you have a suspect in this case?

James Krueger: Yeah, Alison’s definitely our suspect. … You have two people in a house. One is murdered.

It seemed a routine step to launch the murder investigation of Alison Davis. But the New Haven Police Department had a huge challenge — created by its own decision.

Peter Van Sant: By releasing the scene that meant that family members could –

Det. James Krueger: That meant that anybody —

Peter Van Sant:  — reenter the house …

Det. James Krueger: — yeah, the house is back to her.

Peter Van Sant: But when people other than law enforcement enter a house once it’s been released there’s a problem right?

Det. James Krueger: There is.

Peter Van Sant: There can be contamination of a crime scene.

Det. James Krueger: Yeah.

The day after police received the autopsy, four days after Kevin’s death, Krueger got a search warrant. That same day and the next he returned to the house, a bodycam rolling.

DET. JAMES KRUEGER (bodycam video): I have a couple more search warrants here, OK? First one is I gotta take your phone from ya.

ALISON DAVIS: OK.

Police had been looking for more evidence — including a possible murder weapon or traces of blood. But by then, Alison’s dad had already straightened up as best he could.

Steve Krause: I basically cleaned up the area that I could visually see blood. And it was around where Kevin was on the floor. … It’s right there at the bottom of the steps.

DET. JAMES KRUEGER (bodycam video): So if I could gather the phone first?

ALISON DAVIS: Yes, let me grab that.

Alison shared with Klemm a growing unease she couldn’t shake.

Kasey Klemm: She was really upset that they took their phones …

DET. JAMES KRUEGER (bodycam video): Is that password protected?

ALISON DAVIS: Yes.

Kasey Klemm: … cause that was a lot of their memories. … pictures to … look back on.

Alison would say she initially spoke willingly to investigators, doing all police asked of her.

Peter Van Sant: She would talk to whomever wanted to speak with her, is that right?

Kasey Klemm: Yeah. She had nothing to hide. Why would she?

Steve Krause: There’s … nothing that suggests there was anything other than a fall down the stairs.

Peter Van Sant: And for you this was a tragic accident.

Steve Krause: Of course … It was!

And as the spotlight turned to Alison Davis, at the East Haven Tavern, there were plenty who voiced their support.

Jodi Espy: There’s no way.

Peter Van Sant: There’s no way what?

Jodi Epsy: That she could’ve done that, she could’ve killed him. There’s no way.

Jessica Eakright: I could not imagine in any world where she would be wanted for murder.

The tavern crowd tells the story of that night. Alison was working retail at Victoria’s Secret. When she finished, she headed over. As usual, Kevin was waiting for her.

Peter Van Sant: On that night … where was he sitting?

Jodi Espy: He was sitting over here at the bar.

Peter Van Sant: And his mood that night was?

Jodi Espy: Was good, he was happy, he was friendly.

Jason Young: I was here with him.

Peter Van Sant: You were here?

Jason Young: Mm-hmm.

It was around 9 p.m. when Alison walked in.

Jodi Espy: Typical night.

Jessica Eakright: There was nothing out of the ordinary in — in the slightest.

Kevin had a second, then a third beer and some vodka shots. Alison sipped on her usual — a sweet cocktail.

Jessica Eakright: It didn’t seem that she was drinking excessively at all.

The East Haven Tavern regulars carried on. Kevin could get a little loud, his friends say, but they knew, that was just Kevin being Kevin.

Jodi Espy: I mean, he was — he was just “a lot.”

Peter Van Sant: What does “a lot” mean?

Jodi Espy: He was very opinionated.

Jessica Eakright: But she — she loved him through it.

Soon it was after midnight; time to turn in.

Jessica Eakright: They were calling it a night, winding down.

Alison left the tavern first, with Kevin following shortly after.

Jessica Eakright: I think it was about one.

Kevin and his buddy Jason Young started texting.

Peter Van Sant:  Now those texts, do you still have them?

Jason Young: Mm-hmm.

Peter Van Sant: Can you show them to me?

Jason Young: Yeah. … You can just start here. You just start scrolling through. …

Peter Van Sant: So this starts at 1:11 a.m. …

Young asked, “You guys make it back?” Kevin responding, “Oh ya sry…. L O L.”  A moment later Kevin confides, “Ya we are good bro… I’m just listening to music… L O L.”

Jason Young: … just being funny, you know … all that was basically going on til … about 2:31.

But Klemm says, Alison told her it was late, and she had told Kevin to quiet down. She was tired, and all she wanted was to get some sleep.

Kasey Klemm: She said, Kevin, I have to get up early for work. … I’m gonna go downstairs and sleep if you don’t stop. I need to sleep.

Kevin sent Jason a seemingly innocent text.

Jason Young: He says …  “I’m putting my phone on silent, laugh my ass off, gotta go to bed. The wife.”

“The Wife.” After the autopsy results came back, and Krueger got Alison and Kevin’s phones. He  studied that text and the ones before it. He thought they didn’t seem innocent at all.

Det. James Krueger: He was obviously annoyed at her about something.

Remember, Alison had told first responders that they’d had a fight.

ALISON DAVIS (police bodycam): Just now, I woke up, I — we got in a fight last night …

Det. James Krueger: Who knows what was said. It obviously aggravated her.

Det. James Krueger: This is a wife that lost it and beat her husband to death.

Steve Krause: There’s nothing to suggest that Alison did anything. … This is just strictly an accident.

THE INVESTIGATION FOCUSES ON ALISON DAVIS

With evidence showing that Kevin Davis’s skull had multiple fractures, everything was being reexamined to determine if those injuries were accidental —or intentional.

911 DISPATCHER:  911. What’s the address of your emergency?

ALISON DAVIS: My husband just fell down the stairs and there’s blood everywhere …

ALISON DAVIS: … I don’t know if he’s alive or dead.

Detective Krueger’s team analyzed that 911 call and concluded Alison was acting.

Det. James Krueger: … this is rehearsed. … Because she wanted to listen to what the 911 dispatcher had to say and then she went into her whole rehearsal.

911 DISPATCHER: OK, and what happened to your husband?

ALISON DAVIS: Um, he fell down the stairs, just now. I was sleeping downstairs. All I heard — all of a sudden, I heard a loud noise.

Det. James Krueger: She never asked them to hurry up. Almost every 911 call you listened to, hey, hurry up, I need you now, you know?

Det. James Krueger: This call is about her. It’s not about Kevin.

And even as their bodycams rolled, police officers Hetrick and Shanebrook questioned if Alison was genuinely concerned, as Kevin lay dying.

Peter Van Sant: Typically, based on your experience, how is the spouse reacting in a situation like this?

Cpl. Cade Hetrick: Usually just absolute panic.

And when EMT’s lifted Kevin, brain-dead, into an emergency vehicle —

Peter Van Sant: Did she attempt to get into the ambulance?

Cpl. Cade Hetrick: Not once.

Peter Van Sant: Not once. Was she crying?

Cpl. Cade Hetrick: I — I don’t ever recall witnessing her cry.

But they say they did hear her laughing.

Officer Garrett Shanebrook: Uh, we both noticed it.

Cpl. Cade Hetrick: When she was also talking to the paramedics, my body camera captured her kinda laughing … with the paramedics.

CORPORAL CADE HETRICK (bodycam video): Is there somewhere we can get clothes for ya?

ALISON DAVIS: Um, cause you can’t. I’m not sure.

CORPORAL CADE HETRICK: Yeah. That’s the problem right now, like I said.

ALISON DAVIS:  I mean, it is what it is at this point.

CORPORAL CADE HETRICK: OK. OK.

Also strange, to these police officers, is what they observed at the bottom of the stairs.

CORPORAL CADE HETRICK (bodycam video): This just doesn’t look like a fall to me.

OFFICER GARRETT SHANEBROOK: No.

Officer Garrett Shanebrook: If he fell down the stairs why wasn’t he more either wedged up against the doorway … not laying perfectly flat in a horizontal position?

Det. James Krueger: It’s almost like he was laid down at that base of the stairs. It didn’t make sense.

Police would come to think they knew why.

Cpl. Cade Hetrick: It didn’t add up to a tumble down the stairs.

Peter Van Sant: What did it add up to you?

Cpl. Cade Hetrick: Blunt force trauma …

A beating, police say — several severe blows to the head until Kevin’s skull caved in.

CORPORAL CADE HETRICK (bodycam video): Right now, we’re treating this as a crime scene due to his condition, OK? Alright?

Police uncovered something else. Alison told different stories as to where she and Kevin were sleeping. Remember, first responders heard this story:

ALISON DAVIS (bodycam video): We got in a fight last night. And I was sleeping on the couch, and he was sleeping upstairs.

But that’s not what investigators say Alison told Kevin’s mother, Alta Beers.

Det. James Krueger: Alta tells me that, um, Alison told her that … they were in bed together … I said, OK, that’s interesting.

Peter Van Sant: But she had told you she was on a couch.

Det. James Krueger: Yeah. Completely different.

Krueger says Alison didn’t share with Kevin’s family just how critically he was hurt.

Det. James Krueger: She is minimizing this entire situation, especially to Kevin’s family.

Peter Van Sant: Why do you suppose Alison minimized his injuries –

Det. James Krueger: Because she caused the injuries. That’s why she minimized them. … She’s caught lying …

The detective’s theories: the 911 call — faked.

ALISON DAVIS (to 911): My husband just fell down the stairs and there’s blood everywhere, and I can’t flip him over.

Alison’s behavior — unnatural. Kevin’s body — it had been moved.

Tesa Helge: It looks to me like he’s been positioned in a way that does not consistent with falling down the stairs.

Prosecutor Tesa Helge teamed with Krueger and the doctors who had treated and examined Kevin.

Peter Van Sant: So your experts are looking at a man they believed basically was beaten to death.

Tesa Helge: That’s exactly what they believe.

Peter Van Sant: Beaten by someone.

Tesa Helge: Right.

Peter Van Sant: And that someone you believe was?

Tesa Helge: Alison Davis.

But the prosecutor sensed the investigation faced some serious challenges.

Peter Van Sant: Where’s the murder weapon?

Tesa Helge: It’s a great question.

Peter Van Sant: And what triggered this?

Tesa Helge: Between them? I don’t know. I wish I knew.

But Helge and Krueger became convinced, they had learned something important about Alison and Kevin’s marriage that could suggest a motive.

Det. James Krueger: I spoke with Kevin’s mother, Alta, and she had informed me that there were having some marital issues.

Tesa Helge: You know a domestic relationship that has gone bad … It is on the rocks.

And remember these texts from the final hours of his life between Kevin and his friend Jason Young?

Jason Young: He said, “I’m putting my phone on silent, laughin’ my ass off, gotta go to bed. The wife.”

Peter Van Sant: Gotta go, the wife.

Det. James Krueger: The wife.

Investigators suggested that message reflected tensions in the marriage. Young believes that’s ridiculous.

Peter Van Sant: Did he ever say to you my marriage is in trouble.

Jason Young: No.

Kasey Klemm: She would’ve told me if there was something going on and never was that hinted.

Alison’s supporters say she was just being honest with investigators when she mentioned the argument. But, with detectives bearing down on her, Alison had stopped talking to them about her marriage or anything else.

Det. James Krueger: She went completely silent after that and uh.

Peter Van Sant: The cooperation stopped.

Det. James Krueger: Over with, yep, yep.

On Oct. 17, 2023, after two months of investigation, police declared Kevin’s death a homicide. And two months after that, a warrant was issued for Alison’s arrest for the murder of her husband.

Steve Krause: I mean that — this is unbelievable … So we get a recommendation for criminal defense team in Indianapolis.

Steve Krause: Andrew Baldwin and Max Wiley.

Andrew Baldwin: I spent quite a bit of time with her, and she’s just a wonderful person …

Three days before Christmas, Alison Davis walked into the Allen County Jail with her parents.

Steve Krause: She said … I’m Alison Davis, and I’m here to turn myself in.

Peter Van Sant: Did they handcuff her right in front of you?

Steve Krause: Yes.

Peter Van Sant: Do you believe Alison Davis had anything to do with her husband’s death?

Max Wiley: No.

Wiley and Baldwin thought they knew exactly why cops hadn’t found a murder weapon: because there was no murder.

Peter Van Sant: What was the instrument that you believe caused Kevin’s death?

Max Wiley: The banister at the bottom of the stairs.

ALISON DAVIS ARRESTED

Indiana rarely allows bail on a murder charge. Alison Davis was locked up in the Allen County Jail. She pleaded not guilty.

Steve Krause: We know Alison. … and we know she isn’t capable of what they accused her of.

Peter Van Sant: Does she have a temper?

Steve Krause: No, she’s never has a temper.

Peter Van Sant: Does she have a criminal record?

Steve Krause: No, she does not have a criminal record.

Her father, Steve, hoped he’d given Alison tools to survive behind bars and face the anxious wait until her trial.

Steve Krause: Our family is faith-based, and Alison leaned on that faith.

Kasey Klemm: It was so hard.

Kasey Klemm searched desperately for a way to help her friend.

Kasey Klemm: It’s like there’s nothing I can do for her, except pretend to be strong and remind her that I’m here.

While loved ones missed Alison, she told them that she missed Kevin.

Kasey Klemm: You know she would say, I haven’t been sleeping because I just keep seeing it in my head and … I just miss him and I want him. … and you know she would just talk about how all she wants more than anything in the world is just to hear him call her babe again and hold her.

Friends and family were denied any direct contact.

Steve Krause: No visitation.

Peter Van Sant: Were you able to see her on a video, Facetime kind of situation?

Steve Krause: No, we were not.

Only her attorneys, Max Wiley and Andrew Baldwin, could see Alison. Through plexiglass, they got to know their client and developed a sense of her relationship with Kevin.

Peter Van Sant: Do you buy into this notion that it was a troubled marriage, headed toward a cliff?

Max Wiley: Not at all. … No one is coming to the detectives, you know, right after this happened and saying there was a problem in the marriage, you need to investigate this. Nobody.

But remember, four weeks after Kevin died, Krueger spoke with Kevin’s mother, Alta. He says she told him Kevin and Alison were having marital problems.

Det. James Krueger: It was looking like it was leaning towards a separation.

Tesa Helge: I think it’s fair to say that he was concerned about the marriage, and that he had shared those concerns with his family.

As Helge prepared, she believed she had a compelling story to share with a jury. It wasn’t about love and marriage —

Tesa Helge: This case is going to boil down to a lot of science …

Dr. Bill Smock: I’m Dr. Bill Smock. I’m a consultant to the Allen County District Attorney’s Office in the death of Mister Davis.

Tesa Helge: When I brought Dr. Smock in, and I provided him all our materials … I did not tell him what anyone else thought.

The defense retained a medical expert of its own: Dr. L. J. Dragovic, a forensic pathologist and neuropathologist.

Max Wiley: He studies brains. He studies brain injuries. He’s passionate about it.

The two experts would come to radically different conclusions.

Dr. Bill Smock: Mr. Davis was beaten to death.

Dr. L.J. Dragovic: Kevin Davis died as a result of falling and striking his head … on a bottom post of the stairway banister …

They worked to make sense of a tragedy that started with a phone call.

Steve Krause: I have not heard the call.

Peter Van Sant: Would you like to hear it?

Steve Krause: Sure.

Peter Van Sant: You ready?

Steve Krause: I’m ready.

ALISON DAVIS (to 911): My husband just fell down the stairs and there’s blood everywhere, and I can’t flip him over. I don’t know if he’s alive or dead.

Steve Krause: Listen to her.

Steve Krause: And I can’t believe they did this to her. It’s unbelievable. Such injustice!

At the East Haven Tavern, the regulars were torn.

Jodi Espy: A lot of people think she’s guilty. A lot of people think she’s innocent.

Jessica Eakright: There’s just not a bone in my body that thinks she could have done this.

Jodi Espy: I believe that she’s not guilty.

Peter Van Sant: What do you believe happened that night?

Todd Spessert: I have no idea.

Peter Van Sant: In your mind, is Alison Davis a killer?

Todd Spessert: I don’t know.

May 5, 2025. Alison has been locked up for 17 months.

Jessica Eakright: The, um, trial starts tomorrow.

On the morning of May 6,  former Det. James Krueger — now Police Chief Krueger after a promotion — heads to court.

Chief James Krueger (driving to court): I’m anxious. … What’s at stake today is either Kevin Davis gets justice for what was done to him, or we let a — a murderer walk free.

Max Wiley: I just, you know, kept thinking … what evidence do they have to say that Alison murdered him and there just … wasn’t anything.

Krueger admits the investigation was flawed, but he isn’t making any excuses.

James Krueger: So, I was responsible for gathering the evidence, making sure everything was completed … if something got messed up or if I missed something, that — that falls on my responsibility … That’s my baby.

He knows there are challenges — starting with a most basic issue.

Chief James Krueger: He was a big guy. You know, the jurors may have a hard time believing that she was even capable of causing this injury to him.

And if the chief was a betting man?

Chief James Krueger: I give this one a 50-50 … I believe there’s a very good possibility that this jury will hang and there won’t be a verdict.

At the Allen County Courthouse, both sides are set to go.

Andrew Baldwin: The prosecution has no murder weapon. … The prosecution has nowhere to hide from the paltry evidence that it’s about to present to you.

Tesa Helge: There’s no doubt that Kevin was murdered.

And like Krueger, Helge knows this case is a tough one. So many people think Alison Davis simply could not be a killer.

Deontae Bristol: That’s not Alison. That’s not who she is. … She had no reason … Kevin was her world.

Peter Van Sant: Are you convinced that Alison Davis murdered her husband?

Chief James Krueger:  I’m 100 percent convinced. Yes.

A DRAMATIC VERDICT

Inside Fort Wayne’s historic courthouse, no cameras are allowed. “48 Hours” is allowed a sketch artist. Investigators, doctors and loved ones testify. But all eyes are on Alison.

Peter Van Sant: And what do you see on her face?

Steve Krause: I see love.

But it isn’t love, it’s forensics that define this trial. Doctors Smock and Dragovic, and their radically opposing theories.

Dr. Bill Smock: Mr. Davis sustained blows to the head … not just on one side, but on the back and on the left side as well.

At trial, Smock presents a CT scan highlighting Kevin’s injuries, the multiple fractures to his head.

Dr. Bill Smock: What that says is that Mr. Davis sustained multiple blows to multiple areas of his head.

Dr. Bill Smock: I told the jury that Mr. Davis was the victim of a homicide … He did not fall down those stairs.

He believes Alison wielded a weapon that was never found.

Dr. Bill Smock: For example, a kettle bell, a weight … It certainly could be the end of a baseball bat.

Dr. L.J. Dragovic: Kevin Davis was not killed as a result of impacts by baseball bat.

Dr. L.J. Dragovic: He suffered only one — one impact to the head as his head slammed into that — that post of the banister.

That one impact, Dragovic says, led to multiple fractures. He says the same impact then caused Kevin’s brain to ricochet inside his skull.

The shattered bone fragments acted like shrapnel, tearing Kevin’s brain.

Dr. L.J. Dragovic: They claim that Kevin was beaten. … they got it wrong.

Dr. Bill Smock: I would say Dr. Dragovic got it wrong.

Doctor Smock says just look at the police bodycam video. The banister post appears clean. There’s no evidence Kevin’s head struck it.

Dr. Bill Smock: There was no blood, no tissue, no hair on the top of that banister.

But remember, Dragovic argues the post is clean because Kevin’s injuries were internal.

Dr. L.J. Dragovic: Kevin never had any open wound anywhere on his body.

Blood that was found by first responders was on the floor, beneath Kevin’s body. It came from his nose and mouth.

Chief James Krueger (at staircase banister): According to the defense, his skull hit this.

Chief Krueger tells “48 Hours” what he believes happened to Kevin.

Chief. James Krueger: I believe that he made some comments to Alison who was laying down here on the couch.

Peter Van Sant: And he’s walking away from her?

Chief James Krueger: … he’s walking away from her … and Alison grabs an object … he takes that blow to the back of the head.

Legally intoxicated and immobilized by more blows –

Chief James Krueger: … and somewhere in this area is where he loses it and falls.

Investigators believe Alison dragged 219-pound Kevin across a portion of the floor.

Chief James Krueger: Mrs. Davis sees these stairs and says, well this is my scapegoat. I can make it look like this is an accident.

Chief James Krueger: And he was pulled just enough to make it look like he fell down the stairs.

And Krueger says there’s more evidence of Alison’s guilt: Kevin’s cold body temperature.

Chief James Krueger: Core body temperature was 91 degrees.

Doctor Smock says he knows why.

DR. BILL SMOCK: Kevin Davis was lying there for at least two hours before 911 was called.

But in his testimony, Dragovic counters Kevin’s low temperature is due to something else: the impact with the post destroyed a key part of Kevin’s brain called the hypothalamus.

Dr. L.J. Dragovic: … that part of the brain is the actual thermostat for the body.

The result:

Dr. L.J. Dragovic: Your body temperature is out of control. … It’s, uh, kaput.

Dr. Bill Smock: There are so many inconsistencies with that theory.

Krueger took “48 Hours” upstairs to that bedroom Willow the pit bull mix shared with Kevin and Alison. Alison had warned Krueger, Willow might attack.

ALISON DAVIS (bodycam video): She’s up in the bedroom, and she’s a guard dog.

DET. JAMES KRUEGER: Right now, what I won’t do is I won’t go in that room.

ALISON DAVIS: OK.

Peter Van Sant:  Did you ever get into this room?

Chief James Krueger: I never did. Not on that morning. … I 100 percent wish I would’ve gotten into this room on the morning of the 12th.

Peter Van Sant: Because?

Chief James Krueger: The murder weapon could have been in there.

Chief Krueger has been at the house several times. This is the first time Alison’s lawyers were able to get inside.

Andrew Baldwin: Wow.

Max Wiley: Oh my goodness.

Andrew Baldwin: That’s the staircase right there. … And there’s the post … So, you hit that and you —you end up, yeah your feet over here.

Max Wiley: Let’s see how steep these stairs are, they are really steep. Aren’t they?

Peter Van Sant: And narrow.

Max Wiley: Yeah. And narrow.

Andrew Baldwin: It’s powerful to be in this house.

And to picture what they believe were the final, fatal steps of Kevin Davis.

Andrew Baldwin: … it’s an intoxicated guy that fell down the stairs and hit his head on that post right there …

The trial lasts four days. Alison does not take the stand.

MARCUS TRUSCIO | WANE Reporter: The jury is now out … they just heard closing arguments for about two hours.

Which story will the jury believe?

The courthouse is dark except for the jury room. Some 21 grueling months have passed since the heartbreaking death of Kevin Davis. If convicted of his murder, Alison Davis could spend the rest of her life in prison. At 11 p.m., word comes of a verdict. Alison’s family and attorneys emerge.

Max Wiley: Not guilty.

Meghan Hodge | Family member:  Oh my God she’s coming home! Oh my God! Oh!

Alison Davis is found not guilty.

Just moments before, Steve had locked eyes with his daughter as her verdict came down.

Steve Krause (outside courthouse): She was crying with joy, and it was a wonderful moment.

Andrew Baldwin (outside courthouse): That family over there — that’s why we do this work. That’s exactly why we do this work.

Kevin’s mother Alta doesn’t want Kevin to be forgotten.

Alta Beers: He’s my son. I’ve always loved him and always will.

She accepts the verdict.

Alta Beers: I’m OK. I’m dealing with it. She’s still my daughter-in-law, no matter what.

But where is Alison? Back in jail — waiting for her release paperwork. A cold but joyous crowd stands vigil. Then, at 2:12 a.m., the jailhouse door cracks open.

Steve Krause: Alison comes out and everybody just erupts with joy.

Peter Van Sant: It was the group hug of the ages.

Steve Krause: Yes … tears and saying Alison we missed you so much. It’s so good to have you in our arms again.

Alison Davis: It’s a lot of emotions, really.

There is no joy for those who believe the jury got it wrong.

Chief James Krueger: I was like ugh, unbelievable, unbelievable.

Peter Van Sant: You were stunned by that?

Chief James Krueger: I was, yeah.

“48 Hours” spoke with a juror who asked us not to show her face or use her name.

Juror: Well the prosecution didn’t have a strong case, like there was no weapon, there was no this is where she did it, and how she did it.

Juror: The — the prosecution’s theory had a lot of holes.

And the jury believed the theories of Dr. Dragovic.

Juror: He explained everything in very clear terms that we could understand, and it just made sense. It made sense to the injuries.

Peter Van Sant: And for Kevin’s family, what would you have to say them?

Jodi Espy: Just that I’m so sorry for your loss. It’s — it’s so devastating.

Peter Van Sant: What do you hope for her?

Jessica Eakright: I hope that she can … find her place … to get back to that smiling happy person that she was.

Jessica Eakright:  She didn’t deserve a year and a half of her life taken away sitting in jail. … So, I was really happy for her.

Alison Davis has left New Haven and is living with her parents and her dog Willow.

---

Produced by James Stolz. Kat Teurfs is the field producer. Rebecca LaFlam is the associate producer. Michelle Sigona is the development producer. Richard Barber, Michael Vele and Gregory McLaughlin are the editors. Peter Schweitzer is the senior producer. Nancy Kramer is the executive story editor. Judy Tygard is the executive producer.

Afghanistan’s Taliban government said on Sunday that its forces had killed 58 Pakistani soldiers and injured 30 others in nighttime border operations. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid during a press conference in Kabul said that “certain elements of the Pakistani security system want to destabilize Afghanistan.”

Mujahid said the operations took place at several border posts. He added, according to a report by Afghanistan’s TOLO news agency, that the situation on the border with Pakistan was under control. “Total control and illegal activities were largely avoided.”

There was no immediate confirmation from Islamabad about the reported casualties. Pakistani state media outlets said on Sunday that the country’s military had captured 19 Afghan posts from where attacks were being launched on Saturday night. A video broadcast on Pakistani Television (PTV) showed Afghan posts on fire and Taliban soldiers allegedly surrendering in Kurram.

Radio Pakistan reported, citing security sources, that the Pakistani army also completely destroyed the Taliban’s Manojba camp battalion headquarters, Jandusar post, Turkmenzai camp and Kharchar fort.

Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi classified attacks in Afghanistan “unprovoked” and accused Afghan forces of shooting at civilians. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned what he described as a “Afghanistan’s provocation in Pakistan’s border areas.” He added, “There will be no compromise in the defense of Pakistan and every provocation will be met with a strong and effective response.”

The fighting occurred days after explosions rocked the Afghan capital, Kabul, in an air attack that the Taliban blamed on Pakistan. Islamabad neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for the attack, but said it would do whatever was necessary to protect its citizens. Pakistan has seen a rise in terrorism in recent months, blamed on the illegal group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

In recent years, cross-border tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan have intensified, with both sides accusing each other of harboring militants. On Friday, Islamabad accused the Afghan Taliban of harboring fighters with the support of Pakistan’s regional rival India. Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, head of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), stated that “Indian Proxies” operated from Afghan territory to reach Pakistan.

The escalation coincided with Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s visit to Delhi as the two nations normalized ties. During a press conference in the Indian capital on Sunday, Muttaqi denied the presence of TTP fighters in his country.

“If Pakistan wants peace, they have a bigger army and better intelligence – why don’t they control it? This fight is within Pakistan. Instead of blaming us, they should control the issues on their territory,” he said. he stated. The official added that Kabul wants “good relations and peace” but is ready to firmly protect its interests and sovereignty.

Former Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau faced vicious trolling after the Daily Mail published an enlarged photo of a shirtless Trudeau killing Katy Perry aboard Katy Perry’s 80-foot yacht, the Caravelle, off the coast of Santa Barbara, California. Social media users have questioned whether Trudeau left Canada like he left his family and spends most of his time in the US now, as he is said to have been dating Katy Perry for months. “What kind of guy is @JustinTrudeau? He’s not even honest with his wife and kids. Leave the country he left in shambles. Shameless,” one wrote. “Justin Trudeau and Katy Perry. One pretended to be an astronaut. One pretended to be Prime Minister,” wrote another, taking a look at Katy Perry’s space trip on Blur Origin. “For all of you who voted Liberal, how are you feeling now? He doesn’t give a shit about Canada,” one commented about Trudeau. Trudeau left office earlier this year and has been away from politics since. In 2023, Trudeau separated from his wife Sophie, ending their 18-year marriage. They have two sons, Xavier, 18, and Hadrien, 11, and a daughter, Ella-Grace, 16.Trudeau and Katy Perry were spotted together in Montreal in July when they were having an intimate dinner at Le Violon restaurant. Katie Perry has a five-year-old daughter, Daisy Dove Bloom, with Pirates of the Caribbean star Orlando Bloom. She was married to comedian Russell Brand from 2010 to 2012.

About the yacht photo:

The Daily Mail reported that the exclusively published photos were taken by a passenger on a passing tourist boat in September when Katy Perry was enjoying a brief break from her Lifetimes world tour. The witness said: “She stopped her boat next to a small public whale watching boat, then they started kissing. I didn’t realize who she was with until I saw the tattoo on the guy’s arm and immediately realized it was Justin Trudeau.”Trudeau has a ‘Haida Crow’ tattoo on his upper left arm. The distinctive tattoo pays homage to an indigenous Canadian people famous for their nautical and artistic skill.

We spend so much time online that how we connect to the Internet has become almost as important as the devices we use. Most people never think twice. They connect their computer to Wi-Fi, enter a password, and go about their day. But if you’ve ever wondered whether connecting an Ethernet cable is safer than using a wireless network, you’re asking the right question. The way you connect can have real consequences for your privacy and security. Recently, Kathleen came to me with the same question.

“Is it safer to use the Ethernet connection at home for my computer, or is it safer to use my cable provider’s Wi-Fi?”

That’s a great question, Kathleen, because both options seem similar on the surface but work very differently behind the scenes. These differences can mean the difference between a private, secure connection and one that is more vulnerable to attackers.

BEWARE OF FAKE WI-FI NETWORKS THAT STEAL YOUR DATA WHEN TRAVELING

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How Ethernet and Wi-Fi Differ When It Comes to Security

Ethernet and Wi-Fi get you online, but they do it in completely different ways. Ethernet uses a physical cable that connects your computer directly to the router. Because it is a wired connection, data travels directly through this cable, making it much more difficult to intercept. There’s no wireless signal to hijack, no radio waves to listen to.

Wi-Fi, on the other hand, is based on convenience. It sends your data over the air to and from your router, which makes it so easy to connect from anywhere in your home. But this convenience comes with more risks. Anyone within range of your signal can try to break into the network. If your Wi-Fi is protected by a weak password or uses outdated encryption, a skilled attacker could gain access without ever entering your home.

At home, this risk is lower than in a cafe or hotel, but it is not zero. Even a poorly secured smart device on your network can provide attackers with an entry. Ethernet eliminates many of these risks simply because it is more difficult to access a connection that requires physical access to a cable. Check out our steps to set up a home network like a pro here.

DO NOT USE YOUR HOME WI-FI UNTIL YOU FIX CERTAIN SECURITY RISKS

Why one connection may be more secure than the other

It’s easy to think that Ethernet is automatically more secure, but that’s not all. Your actual security depends on how your entire network is configured. For example, a Wi-Fi network with a strong password, updated router firmware, and WPA3 encryption will be much more secure than a poorly configured Ethernet setup connected to an outdated router.

There’s also the question of who uses your network the most. If it’s just you and a few devices, the risk is low. But if you live in a shared space or use smart home devices, this changes the equation. Every device connected to Wi-Fi is a potential entry point. Ethernet reduces the number of devices that can be connected, which limits the attack surface.

Ultimately, connection type is one piece of the puzzle. The biggest factors are how your router is configured, how often you update your software, and how careful you are with the devices you connect.

6 ways to make your internet more secure

Whether you opt for Wi-Fi or switch to Ethernet, there are several practical steps you can take to protect your devices and data. Each step adds an extra layer of security to your network.

IS YOUR HOME’S WI-FI REALLY SAFE? THINK AGAIN

1) Use a strong network password

Choose a long and unique password for your Wi-Fi. Avoid obvious choices like name, address or simple strings. A strong password makes it much more difficult for attackers to guess or break into your network. A password manager helps you create and store strong, unique passwords for each account, reducing the chances of a hacker gaining access through weak or duplicate credentials.

Next, see if your email has been exposed in previous breaches. Our #1 password manager (see Cyberguy.com/Passwords) includes a built-in breach scanner that checks whether your email address or passwords have appeared in known breaches. If you discover a match, immediately change any reused passwords and secure these accounts with new, unique credentials.

Check out the best expert-reviewed password managers of 2025 at Cyberguy.com/Passwords

2) Enable the latest encryption on your router

Most modern routers support WPA3, which is much more secure than older standards like WPA2. Check your router settings to enable the latest encryption to ensure your network traffic is more difficult to intercept.

3) Keep your router’s firmware up to date

Router manufacturers regularly release updates that fix security vulnerabilities. Log in to your router’s admin panel occasionally to check for updates and install them as soon as they become available. This prevents attackers from exploiting known flaws.

10 WAYS TO PROTECT YOUR OLD MAC AGAINST THREATS AND MALWARE

4) Review connected devices

Regularly check which devices are connected to your network and disconnect anything you no longer use. Every connected device is a potential entry point for attackers, so keeping the list limited reduces your network’s exposure.

5) Install strong antivirus software

Even on a secure network, malware can infiltrate through downloads, phishing attacks, or compromised websites. A strong antivirus program will detect and block malicious activity, protecting your computer before damage occurs.

The best way to protect yourself against malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have strong antivirus software installed on all your devices. This protection can also alert you to phishing emails and ransomware scams, keeping your personal information and digital assets safe.

Get my picks for 2025’s best antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS devices at Cyberguy.com/LockUpYourTech

6) Use a VPN for sensitive tasks

A virtual private network encrypts your Internet traffic, making it unreadable to outsiders. This is especially useful if you use Wi-Fi in public or need an extra layer of privacy at home. A reliable VPN is essential for protecting your online privacy and ensuring a secure, high-speed connection.

For the best VPN software, see my expert review of the best VPNs for browsing the web privately on your computer. Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices node Cyberguy.com/VPN

Kurt’s main lesson

So which is more secure, Ethernet or Wi-Fi? Ethernet wins in raw security because it eliminates many of the risks associated with wireless connections. But on a well-protected home network, the difference is often smaller than most people think. What matters most is how you manage your devices, passwords, software, and online habits.

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Would you trade the flexibility of wireless for the peace of mind of a wired connection? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com/Contato

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Tens of thousands of people gathered across Australia in pro-Palestinian demonstrations, with organizers vowing to continue protesting after Donald Trump brokered a ceasefire deal in Gaza that initially appeared to be holding.

In Sydney, the Palestine Action Group said 30,000 people marched from Hyde Park to Belmore Park in the central business district after a planned rally at the Opera House was banned by the New South Wales Court of Appeal last week.

NSW Police estimated 8,000 people attended the Sydney protest, with a spokesperson saying there were “no significant incidents”.

Demonstrations were also held in Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth on Sunday to mark two years of killings in Gaza, after Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023, killed around 1,200 people in Israel.

Palestine Action Group organizer Josh Lees told Guardian Australia at Sunday’s rally: “In terms of the movement, we will absolutely continue to protest for a free Palestine… for self-determination in Gaza, for aid to be allowed and for Palestinians to be able to rebuild Gaza.”

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But fellow organizer Amal Naser said that next week the organization would be among groups taking part in a United Against Racism rally in Belmore Park, in response to anti-immigration rallies and the presence of neo-Nazis in Australia.

Separately, thousands of people took part in a Jewish community celebration on Sunday night in Sydney’s eastern suburbs to mark the second anniversary of October 7. Geoffrey Majzner, brother of Galit Carbone, an Australian citizen who was killed during the attacks, was scheduled to speak.

There were prayers for the imminent repatriation of the remaining 20 hostages in Gaza and those killed on 7 October. Israeli Ambassador Amir Maimon paid tribute to the survivors’ determination. The crowd booed when he mentioned Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong.

On Sunday, many pro-Palestine protesters expressed hope that the ceasefire would lead to lasting peace. Others were skeptical of Trump’s involvement and urged his supporters to continue to pressure the Australian government to sanction Israel and end trade in military goods.

Shamikh Badra, a Palestinian Australian living in Sydney, said he hopes the agreement will allow him to bring his elderly mother, who is still in Gaza without access to medical care, to Australia, and find and bury his brother, sister-in-law and their four children, who have been missing since 2023.

“We support efforts to end genocide, but I am still concerned… Trump’s plan [was] imposed on the Palestinians,” he said. “They didn’t consult the Palestinians at the beginning.”

The Sydney rally heard speakers including four Australians released from Israeli detention following the interception of the Sumud flotilla this month.

Surya McEwen, with his arm in a sling after allegedly being displaced in an Israeli prison, told Guardian Australia that not enough was known about the ceasefire agreement. International aid organizations, including Unrwa and Unicef, were preparing to enter Gaza.

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McEwen said flotilla activists would continue to try to deliver aid by sea “as long as there is a situation where there is a brutal and illegal blockade of Gaza.”

Abubakir Rafiq, who returned to Sydney on Friday, gave an emotional speech describing his detention with 83 other men in Israel’s Ketziot prison.

“I was released,” he said. “But what about those two Palestinians I saw at the same time I was taken to prison… and the 10,000 Palestinian hostages who are being held in prison?”

NSW Greens MP Jenny Leong told the crowd: “We cannot allow a world where Trump determines the future of the Palestinian people to be the kind of world we live in.”

Naser, who submitted the original request to march on the Opera House, maintained that the protesters could have safely gone to the famous port site. NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Peter McKenna told the Court of Appeal last week the plan had “doom written all over it”.

Naser said on Sunday: “Every time the police try to oppose our demonstrations or take us to the Supreme Court, many people wake up… to the need to mobilize and stand up against them.”

– Additional reporting by Australian Associated Press

Former BBC presenter Richard Bacon criticized Britons who fly Union Jack flags in the streets – suggesting that those who do so “would prefer Britain to be whiter”.

Bacon, who was previously a Blue Peter presenter and later a BBC Radio 5 Live presenter, spoke following comments from ‘champagne socialist’ football commentator Gary Neville.

There was controversy following Neville’s comments attacking ‘angry middle-aged men’ who placed Union flags in the streets while revealing he had torn one down.

Neville this monthnth filmed and shared online a complaint about Brits pinning St George and Union Jack flags to lampposts as part of the recent campaign known as ‘Operation Raise The Colours’.

Opposition to the display of Union Jack flags has now been reinforced by broadcaster Bacon, 49, speaking on BBC2’s Newsnight.

Bacon, who moved to the US in 2016, agreed with the use of the Union Jack flag design in the 1990s – including when then Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, now Geri Horner, wore a dress patterned with it at the Brits.

But it contrasted with the recent move to fly Union Jack and St George flags on British streets, with some local authorities sparking fresh criticism by taking them down in response.

Bacon told Newsnight: “There are times when it’s nice and celebratory when Geri Halliwell wore Union Jack trousers in the late 90s – that was really fun and fun.

‘Right now, if you put a lamppost and a Union Jack in front of your house tomorrow, I think you’re making a statement.

‘I think that statement is that you would probably prefer Britain to be whiter.’

He was met with anger in response, with offended posters objecting to any suggestion of racism.

Bacon doubled down on his stance, sharing with his 1.1 million X followers a clip from the Newsnight broadcast and adding the comment: “I agree with me.”

His appearance on Newsnight came alongside former Brexit Party MEP Alex Phillips, who challenged Bacon’s position.

She said: ‘Context has been curated and invented by politicians – that’s the problem.

“This myth that the flag is somehow racist, this whole idea that nationalism is somehow toxic, has been imposed on society and doesn’t sit well with ordinary people.

‘I don’t think it’s ethnic or nationalistic, I don’t think skin color has anything to do with it.

‘I think it’s nationalist? Yes. I think being proud of your nation and identifying with it is a negative thing? No.’

Bacon responded by saying: ‘I don’t think so either. I’m not saying it’s always like that – I’m just saying that at certain times, when the subject is very hot, in that context, I think you could be making a statement.’

The Daily Mail has approached Bacon’s representatives for further comment.

There was a flood of responses online to his comments.

One poster responded: ‘For flying the country’s flag? I mean, I’m Welsh and Irish, so I despise that flag, but surely people should be able to fly it as patriots and not racists.

Another said: ‘Well, the British people certainly DO NOT agree with you’, while they were also asked: ‘Eh? What kind of logic is this? I have a Union Jack on my desk because it is my national flag.’

A separate commenter on X, formerly Twitter, said: “When people start to feel embarrassed by their own country’s flag, it’s a sign that those trying to undermine national pride are having an impact.

‘Fortunately, many of us still feel proud to drive it. My wife, who is of Indian descent but was born in Manchester, wants us to install ours.

Another response said: ‘Anyone who flies the Union flag does so because they are proud to be British. Don’t you understand the difference between nationality and ethnicity?’

The furore follows Neville directing his ire at flag-wavers 24 hours after two Jewish worshipers were killed on Yom Kippur in a Manchester synagogue.

In his video, which he posted to LinkedIn on Friday last week, Neville said: “As I drove home last night, I kept thinking we were all turned on by each other.

“And the division that’s being created is absolutely disgusting — created mostly by angry, middle-aged white men who know exactly what they’re doing.”

League Two Salford City co-owner, who has built a vast property empire in Manchester since retiring from football, has told how he “instantly” removed a Union Jack flag that was flying near one of his construction sites.

His comments came in the wake of the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation tragedy, where Syrian-born terrorist Jihad Al-Shamie launched a deadly knife and car attack.

Neville began his video by saying: ‘Seeing last night’s news and this morning’s news dominated by the horrific attacks within the Jewish community, just a mile away.’

He then turned his attention to flag-raising – a movement called ‘Operation Raise the Colours’.

The ‘Operation Raise The Colours’ movement was co-founded by Andrew Currien, also known as Andy Saxon.

Saxon, who claims links to the English Defense League and Britain First, is an ally of Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon.

The campaign also accepted a donation of flags from Britain First, which has denied repeated accusations of being a fascist and far-right organization.

Neville continued: ‘When I was driving into Salford City last night, coming down Littleton Road, I saw probably 50 or 60 Union Jack flags.

“And on the way back I took the parallel road, Bury New Road, which has the Jewish community right at its heart and they are in the streets, defiant, not hiding or afraid.

‘Interestingly enough, on one of my development sites last week there was a Union Jack flag flying and I took it down instantly.’

Critics of his latest flag comments have included reformist UK MP Lee Anderson, who labeled Neville ‘completely out of touch’.

The former Labor councilor and former Conservative MP added: “I believe in freedom of speech, but on this occasion keep quiet.”

He told the former footballer: ‘You had no problem playing in front of the English flag – and the middle-aged Englishmen you speak of are the same sort of men who paid your wages.’

Nick Buckley, an award-winning charity boss who was sacked for criticizing Black Lives Matter, wrote on X: ‘Gary is an idiot. A campaign [sic] socialist who through indoctrination appears to hate his country and its citizens.’

And Reform UK’s Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire, Dame Andrea Jenkyns, nicknamed Neville ‘Gary Lineker Mark Two’ – a tribute to the former England captain and former Match Of The Day presenter, who also faced a backlash from the right for his political interventions.

But Neville was supported by a Government minister, with Faith and Communities Minister Miatta Fahnbulleh attacking people who were “trying to stoke tension”.

She told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: ‘I think he’s really right, that there are people who are trying to divide us at the moment.

‘We’ve seen this manual before. Life is really hard for people in our communities. I spent a lot of time moving around our communities, talking to people – people are oppressed.

“We have had a decade and a half where living standards have not changed and people have seen their communities subjugated – and we will have people trying to fuel division, trying to blame others, trying to fuel tension.”

And Neville, who won 85 caps for the Three Lions, including a few caps as captain, responded to taunts about being unpatriotic, saying: ‘I played for my country 85 times, I love my country.

‘I love Manchester and I love England, but I’ve been building in this city for 15 to 20 years and no one has put up a Union Jack flag in the last 15 to 20 years, so why do you have to put one up now?

“Clearly it’s sending a message to everyone that there’s something you don’t like.

‘The Union Jack flag being used in a negative way is not right and I am a proud supporter of England, of Great Britain, of our country, and I will defend it anywhere in the world as one of the best places to live.

“But I think we need to get a grip, get back to a neutral point, because we’re being pulled left and right and we don’t need to be, at all.”

Premier Mark Carney says the fate of the emissions cap for oil and gas producers depends on other efforts to reduce emissions.

Carney’s comment, coming in response to a reporter’s question at an event in Ottawa today, appears to be a change from his position before the election, when he pledged to keep the emissions cap in place.

Carney was asked if he was considering lifting the cap and ban on tankers along B.C.’s coast — both measures the oil and gas industry and the Alberta government are calling on Ottawa to revoke.

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He said “it depends” before saying that his government’s goal is to reduce emissions from the energy, mining and industrial sectors to make their products more competitive globally.

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In March, Carney told reporters he would maintain the emissions cap, although he also said he intended to find other ways to reduce emissions.

The emissions cap, set to take effect in 2030, requires upstream oil and gas operations to reduce their emissions to 35 percent below where they were in 2019.

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Smiling sweetly for the camera in their smart school blazers these two sisters look the picture of childhood innocence and future promise.

But nothing could be further from the truth: the pair were already dabbling in drink and drugs, skipping school, staying out until the early hours – and would soon be attacking random strangers for kicks.

Because, within three years of this picture having been taken, the rapidly escalating criminality of the two sisters would see them kill a stranger – in a gratuitous street attack that has horrified even veteran police officers.

When one sister was first picked up on suspicion of murder, her response to police was: ‘My New Year’s resolution was not to get arrested this year. It’s already done and it’s not even f****** March.’

She was 16 years old.

Now a Daily Mail investigation has uncovered disturbing, or perhaps even horrifying details of the two girls’ childhoods – and how the malign influence of a terrifyingly violent drug addict father set them on the path to the Old Bailey.

It was at that London court last Friday that the pair – along with another schoolgirl friend – appeared in the dock to plead guilty to having killed frail, cancer-suffering pensioner Fredi Rivero for no reason.

Aged 14 and 16, the sisters, together with a 17-year-old friend, hounded Mr Rivero as he waited for a bus home this February.

The girls pushed and kicked at the 75-year-old retired hotel worker, taking his glasses to render him more defenceless, ignoring his repeatedly desperate requests for them to leave him alone.

In a horrible note of irony, Mr Rivero, a practising Buddhist, at one point even made a peace sign – the very same gesture the sisters make in the photo above – in an attempt to calm them down before he was punched unconscious to the floor.

It did nothing to stop the violence.

Mr Rivero was rushed to hospital following the sickening attack on the Seven Sisters Road in North London but died the following day from a head injury.

The incomprehension at how girls this young could become so out of control, was perhaps best summed up by their victim’s daughter.

‘They assaulted my dad at 11.30pm,’ she said. ‘My question is – how can girls their age be out at that time?’

Last Friday were jailed for a total of nine years, with the 17-year-old given four years detention, the 16-year-old – who has now turned 17- three-and-a-half years’ and her younger sister two-and-a-half years.

The sentence could – and most will perhaps think should – have been considerably longer.

But Her Honour Judge Judy Khan KC said she was taking into account their guilty plea and noted all three – who cannot be identified because of their age – had ‘unusually traumatic upbringings’.

The Crown had accepted a guilty plea to a manslaughter charge rather than prosecute them for the much more serious offence of murder – and an order was imposed on the media prohibiting the girls being identified.

The only photograph in the Met Police announcement of their conviction was of a generic ‘scales of justice’.

But today the Daily Mail is able – insofar as those legal constraints allow us – to publish pictures of the sisters for the first time.

And we have pieced together details of their escalating criminal careers in the months leading up to that killing.

So how did their lives go so wrong so quickly – and what was the nature of this ‘unusually traumatic upbringing?

The pair grew up a short distance from the notorious women’s prison at Holloway – where they may even be transferred once they reach adulthood and become too old for youth custody.

In their infancy they lived with both parents and brother in maisonette in North London – a home life that was initially relatively stable compared to what was to come.

This stability was underpinned by the full time job that their father held as an ancillary worker at an airport.

Commuting daily from north London to the airport must have been gruelling and their father wasn’t able to sustain his commitment for long – and he began taking drugs.

Inevitably he soon lost that job as he became hopelessly to crack cocaine and his downward spiral was rapid from this point.

He was soon lying, stealing from friends, begging from neighbours to feed his addiction – which began to take over his and the family’s life.

When he resorted to stealing his children’s Christmas presents from under the tree to sell to raise cash to feed his habit, one would think he had reached a nadir.

He hadn’t.

In 2018 he decided to rob a friend and near neighbour he had known for more than 20-years.

He knocked on the friend’s door ostensibly for an impromptu social visit but as soon as that friend’s back was turned he hit him over the head with a truncheon before grabbing a knife from the kitchen drawer and stabbing him repeatedly in the back.

As his victim lay sprawled on the floor, he stabbed him in the throat and grabbed what he had come for – his victim’s life-savings, amounting to more than 10,000 in cash.

His friend, who had been stabbed eight times, feigned death to stop the attack and it was only for this reason that he survived – but he was left paralysed.

The girl’s father was sentenced to 20 years for wounding with intent to be served concurrently with a nine year and six months sentence for robbery, four months for possession of an imitation firearm and seven days for possession of class A drugs.

Criminologists often grapple whether it is ‘nature or nurture’ which sees people become offenders – but these sisters were disadvantaged on both fronts, the daughters of a violent monster and a mother who struggled to cope.

The absence of any father-figure from the time when they were respectively in Year 3 and Year 5 of primary school – together with the lack of a competent mother – played a pivotal role in the girls turning to crime and anti-social behaviour, it seems.

They quickly went from exuberant and cheerful girls into vodka-swilling and cannabis-smoking yobs who enjoyed violence as a passtime.

One former friend remembered: ‘I grew up nearby and used to see them playing in a park behind the flats.

‘In those days they were nice kids and the family seemed decent enough.

The school they went to is rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted – but its influence was not to arrest their gravitation towards serious crime.

Their childhood friend continued; ‘They changed as they got older and as their house became ravaged with alcohol and hard-drugs.

‘Their dad would go round to people who lived nearby and ask to borrow money – saying he needed help in feeding his family.

‘It was a lie of course, he needed it for drugs and he never paid anyone back.

‘When he went to prison for nearly stabbing his friend to death, I noticed an even bigger change in the girls – they became much more aggressive.

‘Despite being only young teenagers they were drinking alcohol and openly smoking weed outside their house.

‘Their mum didn’t seem to care one bit as the flat by then had become something of a drugs den.

‘The family would have loud parties that used to go until the early hours of the morning, even during the week when they should have been getting up for school.

‘And the two girls became hostile and threatening to people they saw in the street when previously they’d got on well with everyone.’

It was against this backdrop of drug and alcohol abuse interspersed with routine violence that the two sisters would soon run amok in the streets, beating up rough-sleepers, trashing local shops and restaurants and taunting passers-by, recording much of their ‘hijinks’ on a mobile phone.

And joining them on many of their escapades was the 17-year-old friend of the older sister.

She too came from a dysfunctional background and had been placed in care in Kent – but returned regularly to the area to see her father in London and to hang out with the two sisters.

And matters came to a head in a chance encounter which was to prove fatal on February 27 this year.

At 11.17pm that night, the two sisters and their friend were getting off a bus on the Seven Sisters Road where Bolivia-born Mr Rivero stood waiting.

The younger sister was clutching an open, half-drunk bottle of vodka as her older sibling deliberately bared into their chosen victim’s right shoulder.

What followed was a sickening assault caught on CCTV that left the country horrified that three teenage girls could inflict such ferocity on an older man.

The footage – played in court – showed Mr Rivero backing away and flashing the peace sign to try to break the tension.

However the 17-year-old girl is seen shoving him towards a nearby shop front and pulling his glasses off his face while the older of the two sisters started filming on her phone.

Mr Rivero retrieved his glasses from the floor but was pushed backwards and kicked by both sisters who follow him until their friend, who turns 18 next month, punched him to the floor.

The girls hovered around him as he lay unconscious in a pool of blood on the floor pleading self-defence to those who had run to his aid, falsely accusing their victim of touching one of them inappropriately.

They fled the scene but were later picked up by police. The 17-year-old girl was arrested at her father’s flat.

The two sisters, meanwhile, were picked up at a children’s playground near the Seven Sisters Road and were both quick to blame their older friend for the death – and to further blaime the victim himself.

In interview, the elder of the two, who has previous convictions for assault, told detectives: ‘I’ll be so real, that’s his fault, he started on us, (the eldest girl) pushed him, and he lost his balance and he fell.’

It was while making these feeble excuses that she let slip that she had broken that New Year’s resolution by being arrested – just nine weeks into the new year.

Her younger sister told police as she was arrested: ‘It wasn’t me. I promise I know who it was, it was my sister’s friend.’

Prosecutor Louise Oakley said former Mayfair hotel worker Mr Rivero was an innocent victim who did nothing to provoke the attack and ‘simply wanted to get home’.

She added: ‘The violence and humiliation they inflicted on him was gratuitous.’

Videos later seized from the girls’ mobile phones showed a string of violent incidents against other members of the public previously.

The Daily Mail can reveal that these included one clip showing the younger sister holding a bottle of vodka while assaulting a young homeless woman outside a shop.

Another showed an incident where both sisters and their older friend were drunk and were filmed hitting a man outside a restaurant where tables had been overturned.

There were also videos of the older sister grabbing a woman in the street and hurling her to the ground and chasing after another woman calling her a ‘fat f****** b***h’

The 17-year-old girl was also found to have recorded a video where she confronted a man calling him a ‘paedophile’ and threatening to hit him.

Their attack on Mr Rivero was captured in a 1.52 minute mobile phone clip in which he was heard begging the girls ‘I want to go home, I want to go home’

They responded by laughing and mocking him.

The older of the two sisters drunkenly slurred ‘Don’t f****** touch me, bitch’.

Detective Inspector Devan Taylor, who led the Metropolitan Police investigation, said: ‘This was a completely unprovoked attack by three teenage girls, on an elderly man who was just going about his day.

‘The fact they filmed the attack and found it funny is even more sickening.’

Mr Rivero’s family have been left heartbroken by his death.

In her victim impact speech -which was given from behind a screen so that she did not have to look at or be seen by her father’s killers – Mr Rivero’s daughter tried to convey her incredulity that such young girls were out so late at night in the first place.

She continued: ‘I will never forgive these three offenders for cruelly and maliciously killing my dad.

‘He was an ill, elderly person who would never hurt anyone. His death makes the crime irreversible.’

‘We should be living in a society where we can have a conversation and even disagree without resorting to violence.’

There is one more person to hear from in this sorry tale – and that is the victim of the girls’ father’s equally horrifying violence.

Now confined to a wheelchair, the victim of that attack and robbery says his former friend destroyed four lives the day he stabbed him.

He told The Mail: ‘I’ve heard about what happened with his daughters and I’m not surprised at all.

‘They were lovely girls once – but what chance did they have with a worthless piece of s*** for a dad?

‘I’ll tell you – absolutely none. Not with that crack-addict scumbag.

‘What kind of man robs his own children’s Christmas presents to sell for drugs?

‘Their mum didn’t give them much of an upbringing either – she was all over the place herself and not a fit parent.

‘I’d known their dad for over 20-years when he left me for dead. He was after my savings – because he owed a lot of money to Albanian drug dealers.

‘But what did he achieve?

‘He left me paralysed down one side and in need of a wheelchair, he got himself banged up on a 20-year-stretch and he set his daughters on the same path as him.

‘They killed a defenceless old man and are now locked up like him. If you ask me they didn’t get nearly a long enough sentence – but with an upbringing like that it’s no surprise they’ve ended behind bars.’

The sort of attack which killed Mr Rivero – in which gratuitous violence is meted out by being filmed – were once widely known as ‘happy slappings’.

This was a misnomer as they brought nothing but misery for all involved.

Rarely has this been truer than in this disturbing case.