A former corrections officer allegedly murdered his wife right in front of his seven children. Police say he even forced some of the kids to help him. Jonathan G. Houston, 44, faces charges for this horrific act.
One of his children called 911 from a hotel room and whispered that they were kidnapped. The child told cops they were abused by their father. When officers found the family at the Baymont Inn, the kids shared a chilling story.
According to the New York Post, one child said Houston strangled their mother ten months earlier. While he held her by the throat, he made a child pour hot water on her legs. Another child had to cover her mouth to stop her screams.
He locked the three youngest kids in a bathroom and played loud music to block the sound. Houston then put his wife’s body in a trash bag and threw it in a dumpster. The mother was never reported missing before this.
Investigators heard Houston admit to killing his wife with a premeditated plan. He is now charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping. Police say he is being held without bond.
Chief Deputy Curtis Hall of the Callaway County Sheriff’s Office spoke to KOMU about the delay. He noted the difficulty of sharing information so long after the crime. “At this point we’re 48 hours afterwards on a crime that we’re already 10 months behind on,” he said.
Hall also explained why they cannot share every single detail with the public yet. “We have to be mindful of what we can release and what we should release,” he told reporters. The children were taken into protective custody immediately.
Police are also looking into a prior sexual assault and other alleged victims. Houston’s children said the murder happened at a hotel in December 2025. The investigation continues as authorities gather more evidence.
In a separate case, a death row inmate survived a lethal injection attempt. Christa Pike, 50, was expected to be the first woman executed in Tennessee in over 200 years. She was convicted for the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer.
Her lawyers said on Tuesday that Pike is now awake and speaking. The victim’s mother, May Martinez, told WBIR she expected this outcome. “It doesn’t matter what I think, they’re going to do what they’re going to do,” she said.
Pike is thought to be the first individual in the US to survive a lethal injection. Martinez noted that if they try again, the result might be the same. The case remains a rare and complex legal situation.
A new parole board in Virginia has released many violent offenders under Governor Abigail Spanberger. The Washington Examiner reports the release rate is much higher than under the previous governor. Six months into the term, the board has released 38 prisoners.
This is more than ten times the rate of the previous administration. One child rapist, Clarence Eugene Billups, was released after serving only three years. He had raped a child under 13 while out on parole for two prior convictions.
At a hearing, the board concluded that serving three years is sufficient for a technical violation. Billups was 71 at the time of the release. None of the board members voted against letting him go.
The board also kept many repeat offenders on parole even after they broke the rules. Nearly half of the time, they allowed violators to stay free. This includes two murderers and eight sex offenders who violated their terms.
