Ten years ago, in 2014, a 14-year-old boy in the United States injected himself with mercury from a thermometer and intentionally allowed himself to be bitten by spiders in an attempt to develop superpowers similar to his favorite Marvel superheroes.

Inspired by his love of comic books and superhero movies, the unnamed boy believed the mercury injection would give him powers similar to the Marvel characters Mercury and Wolverine. Mercury is a mutant composed of a mercury-like material. She can melt and solidify herself at will. The more popular Wolverine famously has bones coated in the fictional indestructible alloy adamantium.

The young boy also exposed himself to multiple spider bites to gain powers similar to the iconic Spider-Man, who can climb walls and spin webs like an arachnid. Unsurprisingly, he didn’t manifest any superpowers and instead found himself in a tertiary care trauma center.

What effects did the boy’s reckless actions have?

While the spider bites had no significant impact on the boy, the mercury injections required treatment — although the effects could have been far worse.

He had multiple ulcers on his forearms (one is pictured above), which had been there for around two months. He also had elevated levels of mercury in his urine, and it was visible in X-rays.

Remarkably, the long-term damage was minimal, as the boy had only succeeded in injecting the metal under his skin instead of into his veins. He had some hemorrhaging and a significant amount of dead tissue but was otherwise unharmed.

Once the mercury and dead tissue were removed, the boy was allowed to leave the hospital — presumably after being told, in no uncertain terms, never to do anything so silly again.

In most cases of deliberate mercury injection, it is an attempt to self-harm. Other instances have included a young boxer’s belief that it would strengthen his sporting performance and several who thought mercury would enhance their sexual prowess.

This instance was rare in the sense that the boy was found to have an average IQ and no psychiatric problems. However, his decision to inject himself to gain superpowers was undoubtedly a peculiar one.

On Aug. 4, 2020, 12-year-old Jaylen Griffin went missing after last being seen leaving his home to take a new puppy for a walk in the Central Terminal area of Buffalo, New York.

For nearly four years, the young boy’s fate was unknown, though his family, friends, and authorities understandably feared the worst. His mother, 48-year-old Joann Ponzo, died from illness and a “broken heart” in September 2023 before finding out what happened to her son.

In 2021, Ponzo told People magazine about the type of boy her son was, saying, “We live near a few stores and he would carry people’s bags, and they’d give him change.”

Tragically, Griffin — whose 18-year-old brother was shot dead near his home just three months after he disappeared — was found dead on April 12, 2024, in the attic of a house in upstate New York after a three-and-a-half year search just five miles from where he went missing, one week before what would have been his 16th birthday. His body was severely decomposed, and he was only able to be identified from dental records.

Police commissioner Joseph Gramaglia says Griffin must have been “up there in the house” for a “significant amount of time” and described the discovery as “nothing short of a tragedy.”

How did Jaylen Griffin die?

The medical examiner working on the case has ruled Jaylen Griffin’s death as a homicide, but specific details on how it happened or who the culprit is have not been provided by police.

What is known is that the house in which the boy was found — 107 Sheffield Avenue in South Buffalo, New York — has a dark history.

According to WIVB, three other bodies have been found on the property over the last four years. A plethora of 911 logs reveal the address has been complained about more than 160 times since 2007, with the cases comprising everything from domestic violence and fire to wellness checks and the discovery of bodies.

The other three bodies, whose identities haven’t been revealed to the public, were found in June 2020, September 2022, and August 2023, respectively.

It has recently been revealed the address’ long history of troubled residents includes sex offenders and criminals out on parole. It isn’t officially classified as a halfway house, but it has housed people recently out of prison, and prison records indicate a sex offender had lived there until March 2024.

Jaylen Griffin’s remaining relatives will be desperately hoping to learn more about what happened to him in the coming weeks, and police are offering a $7,500 reward for any information leading to the arrest or indictment of the person or people responsible for his death.

The drama-thriller Baby Reindeer has been airing on Netflix for a couple of weeks, and it’s taken the entertainment world by storm. The series depicts the real-life experiences of Richard Gadd — a Scottish writer, actor, and comedian — who also wrote the story and stars in it.

Gadd, who’s now 34, was stalked and sexually assaulted in his twenties. In the show, he plays Donny Dunn, a fictionalized version of himself. Donny is stalked by Martha Scott (played brilliantly by Jessica Gunning), a former lawyer with a criminal past who becomes obsessed with the struggling comedian when he offers her a free cup of tea at his job working in a pub.

It’s a terrifying story that prompted iconic horror author Stephen King to post a frank two-word review on X (formerly Twitter). Those words were “Holy s**t,” which says everything you need to know about the brand-new Netflix offering.

However, in a recent interview with the Daily Mail, the self-proclaimed real-life Martha Scott — who remains anonymous — claims the tables have turned and that she’s now the victim, being bullied by Gadd in his pursuit of fame. She stressed that he is using the show to stalk her.

What is the woman saying?

The woman told the British newspaper, “He’s using Baby Reindeer to stalk me now. I’m the victim. He’s written a bloody show about me.”

She claims that aspects of the drama are inaccurate, saying, “I’ve never owned a toy baby reindeer and I wouldn’t have had any conversation with Richard Gadd about a childhood toy either.”

According to the woman, the fictionalized version of her isn’t representative of her appearance, either. She said, “She sort of looks like me after I put on four stone during lockdown, but I’m not actually unattractive.”

A decade ago, over a four-and-a-half-year period, the woman was said to have bombarded Gadd with 41,071 emails, 744 tweets, letters totaling 106 pages, and 350 hours of voicemail messages.

Gadd and Gunning have pleaded with Baby Reindeer fans not to conduct detective work to uncover the woman’s identity after several claimed to have found her on X. Gadd wrote in an Instagram story, “That’s not the point of the show.” He hasn’t addressed the accusations leveled against him by this “Martha” nor has she shared any further comments on the show currently making a killing on the streamer.

The Wendigo is a terrifying mythological creature, sometimes depicted as an evil spirit, originating in the folklore of the Algonquian people of North America. It can possess human beings — especially those tainted by greed or the sin of tasting human flesh — instilling in them an insatiable hunger, prompting them to kill other people and eat them, essentially turning them into wendigoes themselves.

It is often described as a lost hunter driven mad by hunger in the wilderness. However, some say it’s a relative of Bigfoot, and others say it’s reminiscent of a werewolf. Regardless, it’s not to be trifled with.

Get ready to be thoroughly weirded out because, in this piece, we’ll take you through ten of the creepiest facts about one of the most horrifying legendary creatures.

10. Its physical form is putrid

While the wendigo most often takes the form of an intangible evil spirit, it also manifests as a fully mortal being — and to say it’s not too pleasing to the eyes and nose would be an enormous understatement.

The skeletal creature has a stag’s skull for a head, haunting recessed eyes, and painfully tight skin stretched over its bones. It looks zombified, smells horrendous, and decomposes as it moves, making its appearance and mindless hunger similar to those of the walking dead. Despite its tremendous and imposing height (generally said to be around 15 feet), it seems fragile and sickly.

9. It’s impossible to escape from

Though the wendigo’s size and appearance make it seem slow and ungainly, it’s tremendously fast. It also possesses several other vital abilities that make it impossible for a human to escape.

For starters, it’s inhumanly strong. Once the wendigo gets a hold of its victims, they aren’t breaking free. But it also has supernatural levels of endurance and heightened senses, meaning it’s relentless in the hunt and knows precisely where its victims are at all times. Moreover, it can mimic human voices, meaning it can lure its victims in before doing as it pleases with them.

8. It often drives its victims mad before devouring them

The wendigo takes immense pleasure in frightening its victims, so its killing of them isn’t always instant. In many cases, it’s said to torment the poor individuals it targets for a prolonged period before ultimately devouring them, which terrifies them to the point of breaking their minds.

It plagues them with hideous odors only they can smell, inflicts nightmarish visions on them, keeps them awake for inhumanly long spells, imposes a powerful burning sensation on their bodies, and infects them slowly with “wendigo fever” until they’re driven insane.

7. Its hunger is never satisfied

It’s bad enough that the wendigo eats humans, but it’s even scarier that its hunger is neverending. It’s seen as the embodiment of gluttony, and legend says that when it consumes a human, it grows proportionately to that person, meaning it’s impossible ever to be sated.

So, if you’re part of a large group and one or even two members of the group fall victim to a wendigo, don’t feel safe in the knowledge that it’s been fed and feels satisfied — that foul beast is undoubtedly still coming to devour you.

6. It grows stronger as it ages

Wendigo lore suggests that the creature strengthens and gains more powers as it ages. Therefore, any hope of it naturally dying or becoming feebler as it ages is futile.

As well as becoming physically stronger, faster, more robust, and better at healing, some of the powers it’s said to develop as it ages include bringing darkness to the area it inhabits before the sun sets, controlling and manipulating the weather, and controlling other creatures in the forest, meaning it can tell other predators to attack targets on command.

5. There have been real examples of wendigo possession

It’s all well and good telling stories about the wendigo’s mythology, but there have been real-life instances of (supposed) wendigo possession. The most notable example is probably that of a Cree man in 1878.

His name was Swift Runner, and one bleak day, near a Hudson Bay Company’s supply post, he was overcome with the need to murder and eat his whole family. Authorities found the mutilated remains of his wife and their five children. He confessed to the foul deed but blamed the incident on being possessed by a wendigo. Regardless, he was sentenced to execution at Fort Saskatchewan for his actions.

4. Tribes held ceremonies to ward off the wendigo

Fear of the wendigo is genuine and dates back centuries. Several North American tribes lived in terror at the prospect of facing the creature and had plans in place to deal with said prospect.

One such plan was for the tribes to perform a ceremonial dance to ward off the wendigo. Another purpose of the ritual was to drive home the potential threat of the formidable supernatural creature into the minds of the tribe’s people during harsh winters. Additionally, the dances encouraged cooperation and moderation during difficult periods.

3. It appears prominently in popular culture

While this isn’t a creepy fact, it will direct you to some media that will scare you silly. The wendigo has been a staple of popular culture for many years, appearing in books, comics, television, movies, and more.

Perhaps most famously, in Marvel’s comic books, the wendigo isn’t one specific person but instead a manifestation of a curse that befalls anyone who commits a cannibalistic act in the Canadian North Woods. Marvel’s versions of the creature have fought the likes of the Hulk and Wolverine. Scary movies you should check out featuring the wendigo include 2001’s Wendigo and 2022’s The Wendigo.

2. It has a heart made of ice

The wendigo is strongly associated with winter and is often described as the personification of cold and hunger. One of the things that epitomizes this description is that the creature is said to have a heart made of ice.

That literal physical coldness also manifests in the environment, as victims of the wendigo are said to experience unseasonal chills — even on a scorching hot day — when the creature begins to approach them with malicious intentions.

1. There’s an actual condition called “Wendigo psychosis”

Such is the prominence of the creature in contemporary culture that modern psychiatry has identified a condition and named it “Wendigo psychosis” after the legend of the wendigo.

Described as a culture-bound syndrome due to it only being recognized in certain areas (North America being an obvious example), wendigo psychosis comes with a combination of psychiatric and somatic symptoms, including an overwhelming craving for human flesh, insatiable greed, destroying the environment, and a crippling phobia of becoming a cannibal.

Even if you didn’t know the creature’s name, there’s no doubt you’ve seen a blobfish — unless you’ve lived under a rock since the internet became a thing.

Blobfish are hideous, perennially sad-looking creatures that have been featured in many memes over the years (“How I feel on Mondays,” “Blobfish is my spirit animal,” “Sad blobfish is sad,” “Go home evolution, you’re drunk,” and so forth).

It’s probably fair to assume you don’t know much about them other than they look like a pile of slime with a frown drawn on. But fear not — this piece is here to change that. When you’re done reading, you’ll be clued up with some of the most interesting facts about the world’s ugliest living thing. Get ready to amaze everyone at your next social gathering. Here are ten facts about the blobfish.

10. They’re part of a large family of fish

Blobfish belong to the Psychrolutidae fish family, which comprises 35 recognized species in eight genera. The specimen in the most famous photo of a blobfish (in this article’s featured image) has the scientific name Psychrolutes microporos.

Every member of the Psychrolutidae family is a bottom-dwelling marine sculpin. They’re tadpole-like in shape, with large heads and bodies that taper back into small, flat tails. Loose skin covers a gelatinous layer of flesh, and eyes are high on their heads. Most species have pectoral fins resembling leaves and lack scales, while others are covered in soft spines.

9. They’re not quite as hideous as the famous photo suggests

Blobfish aren’t going to win any beauty pageants anytime soon, but they aren’t quite as sad-looking or ugly as that famous photo suggests. That specimen is obviously out of water and, most importantly, dead, so it isn’t looking its best.

When blobfish are removed from the water, they expand due to decompression, their skin relaxes, and their features distort, resulting in a big nose and frowning mouth. Placing them on a solid surface worsens matters, as their gelatinous tissue loses its structure, causing the creature to transform into a shapeless mass of mushy flesh, hence the appearance of our famous friend.

8. They live in three oceans

For such cumbersome-looking creatures, blobfish sure do get around. They frequent no less than three oceans in different parts of the world.

Various species of blobfish are found in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. While most blobfish reside in the waters around Australia and New Zealand, others can be found deep in the sea between the United States and Europe.

7. You won’t find them near the surface

If you’re planning on fishing for blobfish with a standard rod, don’t bother. While many fish species can be found swimming near the surface of the waters they inhabit, blobfish are strictly deep-sea fish.

To find a blobfish in its natural habitat, you’d typically have to head to depths between 300 and 1,700 meters. They’ve been seen as close to the surface as 100 meters down and as deep as 2,800 meters.

6. They have no swim bladder

A significant factor in why blobfish don’t hang near the surface is that, unlike most fish species, they lack a swim bladder. This makes their swim style lazy and lacking anything resembling effort. A swim bladder is an organ resembling an air sac that helps fish swim near the surface to control their buoyancy.

If blobfish had one, they’d be crushed under the immense pressure at the depths they live at. Instead, the blobfish’s fatty body composition, less dense than the water it lives in, keeps them safe.

5. They eat whatever comes their way

As we’ve already established, blobfish are incredibly lazy. Therefore, it should be no surprise that they’re far from aggressive predators. Their modus operandi regarding sustenance is to eat whatever comes their way.

Their neutral buoyancy means they float around randomly. So, rather than hunting, if they float near something edible, or if something edible swims or floats near them, they’ll pounce on it and consume it. They’ll eat sea snails, sea urchins, bacteria, crabs, and lobsters, amongst other things.

4. They lay thousands of eggs

Not much is known about blobfish reproductive habits, as observing them when they live so far beneath the surface is challenging. It’s presumed that once blobfish find a mate, they cling to them for life due to their chronic laziness and lack of movement.

However, what is known about them is that they lay thousands of eggs at a time. They’ve been observed laying them on rocks and patrolling the area from nearby. It’s also believed that expectant blobfish mothers will gather and make nests near each other as a protection method.

3. They have no known predators

The blobfish should consider itself quite lucky because it has no known predators, but that doesn’t mean there are no threats to its survival.

Destructive human activities, such as deep-sea fishing and bottom trawling (when a weighted fishing net is dragged along the sea floor), can put blobfish at risk. Moreover, as a creature that thrives in colder waters, blobfish are at serious risk of being negatively impacted by the world’s warming oceans (organizations like the Ugly Animal Preservation Society are doing their best to raise awareness of the dangers to blobfish wellbeing, which is nice).

2. They were first discovered as recently as 2003

The first blobfish was found in 2003 when a New Zealand research vessel crew member snapped a photo of a funny-looking creature during the NORFANZ expedition. It was hauled up from the depths of the Norfolk Ridge, north-west of mainland Aotearoa.

Due to its appearance, that first-known specimen was immediately given its name. Scientists nicknamed it “Mr. Blobby” after the round, pink British novelty television character of the same name. Since then, many more have been found and split into different genera.

1. It’s assumed they live long lives

As with many aspects of the blobfish’s existence, the finer details of their lifespan aren’t known. However, given what is known about most deepwater fish, it’s assumed they live incredibly long lives.

Fish that live so far down tend to grow slowly and take an extended period to mature fully. Take the rougheye rockfish, for example; it lives around 150 to 450 meters beneath the surface and can live for more than 200 years. Whether or not blobfish last that long is unclear, but there’s a strong chance they’ll outlive most humans.

Anyone reading this article is looking forward to Deadpool & Wolverine; that’s a given. The movie, set for a July 2024 release, will see the two most iconic superheroes from the Fox movie universe make the leap to the MCU, and that’s undoubtedly a fascinating prospect.

However, even the most ardent fans of all things Marvel have probably allowed a particular television series to sneak under their radars. That series is Hit-Monkey, and make no mistake: If you’re looking forward to Deadpool & Wolverine, it’s the kind of series that is right up your street.

So, who or what is Hit-Monkey?

Before you go any further, check out the trailer for Hit-Monkey above. Awesome, right?!

Although he is, admittedly, little-known in mainstream circles, Hit-Monkey is indeed a Marvel property based on a comic book character of the same name. He first appeared in April 2010 as the eponymous character in Hit-Monkey #1 and has been on many weird and wonderful adventures since then.

Inspired by Agent 47 from the Hitman video game franchise, he’s a Japanese macaque who learned his lethal skills by watching an assassin train and imitating him. After witnessing his troop of fellow macaques murdered by another cold-blooded group of killers, he decides to dedicate his life to eliminating assassins under the guise of Hit-Monkey.

Like many other Marvel characters, Hit-Monkey finds his way to New York City. It’ll surprise nobody that such a wacky character crosses paths with the famously funny duo Deadpool and Spider-Man — specifically because Deadpool is on the deadly primate’s hit list, prompting Spidey to reluctantly team up with the Merc with a Mouth to stop him.

The first ten-episode series of Hit-Monkey was released on Hulu in November 2021. Tragically, it went under the radar of Marvel fans.

However, the series did receive critical acclaim for its brilliant animation. Its humor and violent action, strikingly similar to those of the Deadpool movies, were also praised. This is precisely why any fan of those films should check it out.

Rather intriguingly, a second series is scheduled for release on July 15, 2024 — conveniently 11 days before Deadpool & Wolverine hits theaters on July 26.

Hopefully, given Deadpool’s switch to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Ryan Reynolds’ character will appear in Hit-Monkey going forward. If their interactions in the comic books are anything to go by, that would be wildly entertaining in an animated series. Although, given the series was initially pitched to Marvel as a movie, there’s just as much of a chance Hit-Monkey could appear in live-action first.

The official trailer for Marvel Studios’ Deadpool & Wolverine was bulging more than Logan’s biceps with endless exciting X-Men and MCU cameos. One such cameo was that of the villainous mutant Azazel, and his inclusion could spell trouble for the eponymous duo.

Azazel previously appeared in Fox’s brilliant 2011 movie X-Men: First Class, as played by Jason Flemyng played him. It’s understood Flemyng will indeed reprise his role as the devilish red-skinned character in Deadpool and Wolverine.

In the trailer, Azazel can be seen among a group of mutants outside Cassandra Nova’s base, presumably in the Void, which appears to be made from the equipment and skeleton of a deceased variant of Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man, aka Scott Lang.

Other mutants in the scene (as seen in the image below) include Toad, Lady Deathstrike, Callisto, and Pyro. They all previously appeared in various movies in Fox’s X-Men franchise. Interestingly, it also looks like a variant of the Punisher villain the Russian is present — professional wrestler Kevin Nash previously played the character in 2004’s The Punisher.

But what does Azazel bring to the table?

Who is Azazel?

Anyone whose familiarity with Azazal ends with X-Men: First Class could be forgiven for thinking his powers are a little limited. That iteration of the character boasted his classic demonic appearance, could teleport, had a prehensile tail, and was a competent close-quarters fighter. However, there’s so much more to the character than that in Marvel’s comic books.

The comic version of Azazel is the father of X-Men superhero Nightcrawler (or used to be, anyway) and can do everything his First Class counterpart could do — teleport (across dimensions, no less), use his tail in various valuable and offensive ways, and fight to a decent standard — but he also has many additional abilities.

Perhaps most pertinently, Azazel has an abundance of psionic abilities. Not only can he read the minds of others, enabling him to predict their next moves and extract information from them, but he can also mind-control his opponents. Although these telepathic powers aren’t up to the standards of fellow mutants like Professor X or Emma Frost, they’re still handy.

Azazel also possesses the ability to shapeshift, project powerful bolts of paralyzing energy, and see clearly in the dark. He also has an extended lifespan to the point of being nigh-immortal.

His most surprising ability, however, is his ability to cast magic spells. His connection to the mysterious Brimstone Dimension and demonic blood give him mystical abilities. These abilities are greatly enhanced when he’s in the Brimstone Dimension, which he can manipulate the very fabric of.

Given the multiversal nature of the current MCU, Azazel could play a big part in traversing himself and other characters across realities — taking Cassandra Nova to the prime MCU timeline could give the Avengers themselves a powerful new foe, for example. Given his versatile powerset, he could also prove to be a real handful for Deadpool and Wolverine.

We only have to wait until July 26 for the world to see the MCU’s potentially lethal version of Azazel in action. How very exciting!

Marvin Heemeyer, born on Oct. 28, 1951, in Castlewood, South Dakota, owned an Automobile muffler repair shop and was known “Marv the Muffler Man.” On June 4, 2004, he took his own life after going on a rampage in what’s come to be dubbed the “Killdozer”. So, how did Heemeyer end up dead inside an armor-plated deathmobile?

Heemeyer’s grievances with the people of Granby began in 1992. He attended an auction and spent $42,000 on two acres of land on which he planned to build a new repair shop. Heemeyer claimed that Cody Docheff, a businessman who previously owned the property and was upset at losing it, insulted him for several minutes.

The property’s rudimentary sewage system needed an update. Heemeyer was told the update would cost almost double what he paid for the land. The fact that the government wouldn’t pay for the update angered him, and he described the refusal as “extortion by government fiat.”

More issues arose over the years, including Heemeyer’s launch of a public campaign against the Docheff family’s plans to build a concrete batch plant in Granby in 1997. In 2000, he filed a lawsuit to block the project.

After initially garnering good support for his opposition to the plant’s construction, most of his allies abandoned him in early 2001, and the plans were officially and unanimously approved. Only Heemeyer was left standing against them, and he attempted an appeal based on the premise that the building would obstruct access to his shop, which was denied.

Several attempts to appease and barter with Heemeyer failed, and in one instance, he hung up the phone during a conversation with Joe Docheff.

In 2001, almost a decade after he purchased the land with the faulty sewage system, Heemeyer was found in contempt of town code by the municipal court and ordered to update it before he could inhabit or use the property for business purposes again. After initially agreeing to do so, he quickly decided against it and described the demands as a “form of terrorism.” One of the judgment’s attorneys reportedly heard Heemeyer say, “I’m just going to bulldozer this whole place to the ground.”

What happened after that?

Heemeyer felt his lawyer was to blame for his lawsuit’s failure, and his anger resulted in him demanding a refund. When that didn’t happen, he went to California and purchased a Komatsu bulldozer at an auction for $16,000, with plans to sell it for a hefty profit.

It didn’t sell, and he was forced to close his business, putting every stock item for sale with it. He interpreted the situation as God instructing him to begin his deadly mission.

In October 2003, Heemeyer sold his property to The Trash Co. for $400,000 and took out a lease on half of a building he previously owned, saying he’d need it until he had “finished some work.” He quickly changed the locks and built a wall to cut his half off from the rest of the building. He wanted to embark on his plan in secret.

He fortified his bulldozer with steel and concrete. He also equipped it with guns, video cameras, and monitors to help with visibility when driving it. Heemeyer even told close friends and associates that he had destructive plans with the vehicle and, in audio recordings discovered after his death, he refers to it as the “MK Tank” (or “Marv’s Komatsu Tank”).

He began his rampage at around 2:15 pm on June 4, 2004, driving his 85-ton “Killdozer” through the Docheff family’s concrete plant, firing rounds and demolishing many buildings and structures. Several workers attempted to stop the vehicle by cramming objects into its treads to jam it, but the attempts failed. At that point, state troopers began evacuating the area, including the plant, and initiated a reverse 911 call to nearby residents, prompting them to leave town.

As Heemeyer headed into the town, Granby undersheriff Glenn Trainer climbed on top of the bulldozer and dropped a flash-bang grenade down its exhaust pipe. It had no effect, and he was forced to end his efforts to protect himself from harm.

Heemeyer’s rampage subsequently took him to Granby town hall, the house of the town’s former mayor, a library several children had just been evacuated from (unbeknownst to Heemeyer), and numerous other buildings.

In total, attempts to stop him comprised three external explosions and more than 200 rounds of ammunition fired at his bulldozer, all of which failed to impact the robustly armored vehicle.

Fortunately, despite the “Killdozer” nickname given to Heemeyer’s tank, the prompt evacuation of the area meant he failed to kill any innocent Granby inhabitants. His death came when his vehicle got stuck in the hardware store he was destroying. Knowing his fate would probably be a prolonged spell in jail, Heemeyer used a .357-caliber handgun to shoot himself in the head.

The aftermath

Though Heemeyer endangered innocent people and could easily have killed children, many view him as a folk hero. According to Granby bakery owner Ian Daugherty, Heemeyer “went out of his way” not to harm people, somewhat justifying the hero argument. Others argue he was seemingly pushed to the point of going to extremes to fight the system that had failed him after more traditional methods hadn’t worked.

In April 2005, the town of Granby announced it planned to scrap the “Killdozer.” Individual pieces of the modified vehicle were subsequently dispersed to various scrap yards to prevent people from acquiring them as morbid “souvenirs” of the event.

Netflix has documented the incident in their brilliant 2019 film Tread, which is well worth watching. Granby resident Patrick Bower, author of Killdozer: The True Story of the Colorado Bulldozer Rampage, interviewed his fellow locals, which formed the basis of the documentary, which explains the events in great detail.

Despite Netflix initially distributing the documentary about the incident, it can now be watched on Amazon’s Prime Video.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. A list of international crisis resources can be found here.

Television writer, actress, and model Meg Bennett sadly died on April 11 at 75.

Bennett is most famous for her long-running role as Julia Newman in the popular soap opera The Young and the Restless, for which she also wrote scripts. She played Newman in several stints on the show in 1980-1984, 1986-1987, 2002, 2018, and 2020. However, she had an extensive filmography of additional writing and acting credits.

Other prominent writing credits include The Bold and the Beautiful, General Hospital, General Hospital: Night Shift, Generations, Santa Barbara, and Sunset Beach. Additional acting roles included General Hospital, Santa Barbara (see picture below), and Search for Tomorrow. She also had a memorable spell on Broadway, playing Marty Maraschino in the original run of Grease from 1972 until 1974.

Bennett received many award nominations throughout her career, with wins including a Daytime Emmy in 1995 for Best Writing on General Hospital and Writers Guild of America Awards for the 1994, 1995, and 1997 seasons of the same show.

Born Helen Bennett on October 4, 1948, Bennett grew up in Pasadena, California. She met her husband, ex-General Hospital head writer Robert Guza Jr., when they were hired to work on the program simultaneously. They’d been married for 19 years and purchased a $2.8 million Beverly Hills home, previously owned by Boris Karloff and Gregory Peck, in 2003. Guza Jr. survives her following her passing.

How did Meg Bennett die?

According to an announcement by Bennett’s family, she died after a battle with cancer. The specific form of the horrible disease she was suffering with has not been disclosed.

Bennett’s family fondly described her as “devotedly working with children, writing, and engaging with her far-flung family and friends” until the end. Bennett leaves behind two stepdaughters, four grandchildren, a brother, a sister, and many nieces and nephews, in addition to her beloved husband.

May she rest in eternal peace.

Recording artist Mandisa tragically passed away on Thursday, April 18. The American gospel and contemporary Christian singer began her recording career in 2006 on the fifth season of American Idol, finishing in ninth place.

Mandisa’s body was found at her home in Nashville, Tennessee, on Thursday evening. It’s not yet known what her cause of death was. She was just 47 years old.

In addition to gaining many fans due to her undeniable talent, Mandisa earned plaudits for her reaction to Simon Cowell‘s comments about her after her American Idol audition. The singer spoke to Cowell later in the process and said the following:

Simon, a lot of people want me to say a lot of things to you. But this is what I want to say to you is that, yes, you hurt me, and I cried and it was painful. It really was. But I want you to know that I’ve forgiven you and that you don’t need someone to apologize in order to forgive somebody. I figure that if Jesus could die so that all of my wrongs could be forgiven, I can certainly extend that same grace to you.

Cowell’s reaction was touching. He said her words had “humbled” him and hugged her. It was one of the most memorable moments of the season.

Since her appearance on the show, Mandisa experienced significant success, releasing seven studio albums between 2007 and 2017. She embarked on a weight loss journey that saw her shed 100 lbs, inspiring many others to do the same.

After losing a close friend to breast cancer in 2014, Mandisa retreated from the public eye and has since spoken openly about her battles with depression, anxiety, thoughts of suicide, and how she felt God had betrayed her.

The star also regularly discussed being single and once told the Tampa Bay Times she’d “love to be married,” but had that happened by the time she passed?

Did Mandisa find a husband?

Unfortunately, it’s believed Mandisa hadn’t found a husband and remained single upon her untimely passing.

A video posted on the singer’s Instagram in 2020 provides some comfort. In said video, Mandisa described herself as “super duper single” and said she appreciated the freedom it afforded her before referring to a bible verse, specifically Isaiah 54:5a (NIV):

For your Maker is your husband — the LORD Almighty is his name — the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth.

Mandisa goes on to say that while she believed there was a husband in her future, the Lord Almighty must have wanted her all to himself in that moment, and she was okay with that.

May Mandisa rest in eternal peace.

A North Carolina man has been charged with several felonies after a thorough review of camera footage at a Target store in Greenville showed him pointing his phone camera up the skirts of several female customers.

Thomas Elliott, 21, followed the women around the store until he could position himself to film the inappropriate footage. However, one of the victims turned the tables on the peeper.

Audra Marie had noticed Elliott following her, so she had her phone camera ready when he attempted to film another female.

In a TikTok posted by the.self.defense.girl, the footage, filmed on Monday, April 15, shows Elliott crouching in the store’s book section and placing his cell phone under the dress of an unsuspecting lady, prompting Audra Marie into action.

What happened after that?

Audra Marie confronted Elliott, asking him what he was doing, telling him, “I just saw you put that underneath her dress.” Elliott denied the accusation, but Audra Marie stood firm, insisting she saw what happened and had the evidence recorded on her phone. As she approached him, it was clear Elliott knew he had been busted. He desperately attempted to wriggle his way out of the situation, insisting he was looking at the books on display, but his shaking leg and unconvincing denials said it all.

Throughout the video, the.self.defense.girl can be seen giving approving nods to Audra Marie’s approach to the situation. The footage then, rather satisfyingly, shows Elliott being led away by police. It’s confirmed that Elliott faces charges of five counts of secret peeping and was served the warrants on Thursday, April 18.

Following his initial arrest, Elliott was released after posting a $5,000 bond. However, he has been arrested again and booked into the Johnston County Detention Center under a $20,000 secured bond. The situation is particularly concerning because Elliott volunteers at Greenville Elementary School. A police review of his electronic devices hasn’t found any evidence of inappropriate contact with children.

Tom McClellan, Pitt County Schools Public Information Officer, provided the following statement following the incident:

“We are disturbed and deeply concerned by video footage of the individual that has been shared on social media and news outlets, and based on the footage, the individual will not be returning to our campuses as a volunteer or hired as an employee. Prior to being granted access to our campuses, volunteers and visitors are screened through Raptor, a program that determines if individuals are listed in sex offender databases. If any individual is flagged in Raptor, they are not granted access to our campuses.”

As the investigation continues, Target is said to be cooperating fully with law enforcement.

Sometimes, social media can be the pits and a showcase of some of the most entitled people on Earth. A prime example of such entitlement was on show in a recent viral TikTok.

The 100-second video, posted by the user juliebeautybydesign, shared a telephone conversation between the hairdresser and a client scheduled for an appointment with her the following day.

With another client in the middle of an appointment sitting in front of her, Julie makes the call. She opens with a forthright declaration that tomorrow’s appointment will need to be canceled and rescheduled for another day because she’s heavily pregnant, a few centimeters dilated, and therefore scheduled to give birth in the hospital.

Somewhat astonishingly, the client responds, “You’re kidding, right?” The disgruntled customer asks, “Did you tell him I already had an appointment scheduled?” That’s an utterly flabbergasting question, given the circumstances.

How did the conversation end?

@juliebeautybydesign Shes upset that i have to cancel her to go give birth #juliesbeautybydesign#pregnantlife#babycomingsoon#pregnant#hair#hairstylist#haircolor#drama#cliente#goviral#viral#foryoupage#foryourepage#hairtransformation#hairtok♬ original sound – Julie beauty by design

The client suggests that Julie “wait a couple of days,” prompting Julie to understandably reply, “I can’t hold this baby back.”

Throughout the interaction, Julie’s present customer makes a plethora of shocked faces and, at one point, circles her finger near her temple as if to suggest that the entitled client on the other end of the telephone has lost their marbles.

The unreasonable client then sarcastically tells Julie to “have fun” before replying to Julie’s suggestion that she’ll see her when she gets back with an ominous “I don’t know about that.” Changing hairdressers because your current one had to give birth is next-level pettiness.

Once the call is over, Julie tells her current customer how entitled the canceled client was, to which the former replies that she was “cuckoo” — a massive understatement if there ever was one.

Fortunately, humanity redeemed itself in the comments section, with users overwhelmingly supporting Julie. One said, “The client in the chair is all of us watching this video,” echoing the disbelief and disappointment expressed by others who unanimously supported Julie while watching the disastrous conversation unfold.