Latest news with #Childers
ABC News
14 hours ago
- ABC News
Childers Palace Backpackers arsonist Robert Paul Long not being considered for parole
The killer responsible for a deadly hostel fire that claimed the lives of 15 people almost 25 years ago is not being considered for parole because he is considered a "restricted prisoner". Robert Paul Long was sentenced to life in prison with a non-parole period of 20 years for setting fire to the Childers Palace Backpacker Hostel in Queensland on June 23, 2000. There were 88 people inside, mostly young travellers visiting Australia from overseas. Many of them woke to loud cracking sounds and the smell of fire, and frantically crawled through the thick smoke holding onto each other as they escaped. But fifteen people — nine women and six men — were tragically killed. Long, who was 37 at the time, was tracked down days later hiding in bushland, where he attacked a police officer with a knife. The officer drew his firearm and shot at Long, who was injured in the ear before he was finally arrested. Two years later he was convicted of arson, as well as the murders of Australian twins Kelly and Stacey Slarke. Since then he has been confined to the walls of Wolston Correctional Centre, but has made multiple attempts to be freed. Long made an application for parole, but the president of the Queensland Parole Board must decide whether to make a restricted prisoner declaration before he is considered for release. A declaration can vary in length, but could mean he would not be able to apply for parole for up to 10 years. "The parole application is not being considered while the restricted prisoner matter is determined by the president," a statement from Queensland Corrective Services said. A decision on the declaration will be made after victims have been given time to make submissions.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Yahoo
Former Terre Haute resident killed in violent attack in Tennessee
A former Terre Haute resident lost her life in Columbia, Tenn. May 31 after a violent attack in her neighborhood that left two people dead and another injured. Stacie Lynn Malone Wright, 51, who graduated from Terre Haute North Vigo High School and Indiana State University, was one of two people killed in the attack; the other individual who died, John Bidle, was a neighbor. The suspected gunman, Byron Childers, 41, lived just a few houses down from the victims, according to NewsChannel5 in Nashville. Childers faces multiple charges, including two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder, the station reported. Others individuals were assaulted in the attack. According to quoting affidavits, Childers walked up and shot 46-year-old Bidle, who was standing in front of a house in the neighborhood. Witnesses reported that Childers then stood over Bidle in the street and shot him several more times while shouting, 'It was safe now,' because he got the 'demon from hell.' While this was happening, Wright opened the door of her home to see what the noise was, and Childers turned the gun on her, according to the affidavit. She was hit multiple times. Bidle lived across the street from her, the station reported. Childers later began firing at an ice cream truck on the street. A man in the ice cream truck was struck by a bullet in the hip, and his truck was hit several times by the gunfire, WSMV reported. Wright was transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where she later died. In Tennessee, she had been a talent acquisition specialist at Ultium Cells. She was born to the late Silver Ruth Barksdale Malone and Pastor Cleytus D. Malone, according to an obituary. Survivors include her husband of 20 years, Sean Wright, and children, Sydni and Sean Michael of Columbia, Tennessee, as well as her father, Cleytus Malone of Terre Haute and brother, Dwayne Malone of Terre Haute. Ceremonies to celebrate Wright's life are June 14 at Saints Home Church of God in Christ in Terre Haute; visitation is from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. and the funeral is at 1 p.m In lieu of flowers, people are asked to donate to Stacie's GoFundMe at The Boys and Girls Club of South Central Tennessee issued the following statement on social media after her death: "We are heartbroken. "This weekend, we lost a beloved member of our Boys & Girls Club family. Stacie Wright—a longtime volunteer, mentor, and friend—tragically lost her life in Columbia. "Stacie was a bright light in our community. She gave her time freely and her heart fully, always showing up with warmth, joy, and an unwavering commitment to the mission. Whether she was helping behind the scenes at fundraising events or guiding kids as they built birdhouses in Spring Hill, Stacie's presence made everything better. She truly embodied the spirit of service, and her impact on our youth was immeasurable. "We are devastated by this loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family, friends, and colleagues at Ultium Cells during this incredibly difficult time. Stacie touched so many lives, and her kindness will never be forgotten. "She will be missed more than words can say."
The Irish Sun
08-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
I'm the Machine Gun Preacher who Gerard Butler played in film – here's how I survived ISIS and 10 assassination attempts
A HOLLYWOOD star who gave up being a drug dealing bikie is now fighting ISIS through the dripping jungles of central Africa. The Machine Gun Preacher is on a mission to rescue child sex slaves on the continent - and is has come up against the notorious terror group. Advertisement 11 Sam Childers in South Sudan Credit: Caters 11 The Machine Gun Preacher is on a mission to save children Credit: Caters 11 Childers was played by Gerard Butler in the Hollywood film Credit: Alamy The priest, real name Sam Childers, is battling ISIS in the Congo as he continues his holy war to save abused children. He's famously known as being the inspiration behind the movie Machine Gun Preacher. The film starred an A-list cast of Gerard Butler as Childers, Michelle Monaghan as his wife, and Michael Shannon. Machine Gun Preacher told the story of how Childers came to be fighting in Africa after growing up in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Advertisement Read more on world news Once a criminal, he found God, turned his life to charity work in Africa and dedicated himself to saving children. Machine Gun Preacher - the film - showed him battling Joseph Kony and his Lord's Resistance Army in 1997. Now he's released a self-made documentary - trying to raise money to take the fight to ISIS in Congo. He said: "I'm not worried about dying. I'm 62 years old. The last thing I worry about is dying. I worry more about living than dying." Advertisement Most read in The US Sun Exclusive Breaking After being hammered in the Middle East, ISIS turned to Africa and is now enslaving thousands of children as its militants rampage through impoverished areas. Childers has a network of orphanages, schools, and farms set up across the centre of the continent. I fought ISIS in Syria & I know bloodthirsty thugs are plotting comeback after fall of Assad - Europe must be ready, says Brit fighter But he's come into combat with ISIS as they have expanded into Congo. He said: "We don't want to see our children be kidnapped, sold in prostitution. Advertisement "We don't want to see none of that so I'm willing to do whatever I have to do... and I'm willing to answer for it. "They are murderers. They're killers. 11 ISIS has brutally used child soldiers to fight its was 11 Childers said he has battled other groups like M23 Credit: AFP Advertisement 11 ISIS in West Africa - where it is strongest in the continent "I'm not afraid of none of them." Some 5.4million people have been killed in Congo's ongoing conflicts since 1998 - but the wars have gone largely ignored in the West. Three children were beheaded by rebel fighters in February and dozens more killed when they took a village. Advertisement Childers' belief in God has given the preacher the strength to keep fighting - even against militant Christian groups. The Lord's Resistance Army raped and abducted girls, mutilated them, and enslaved boys into being child soldiers. He said: "I've been ambushed over 10 times. Been in over 10 major battles. They tried to assassinate me over 10 times. "That's just in the Kony War." Advertisement Despite the gun battles, Childers says that he was in more danger while a bikie and drug dealer in America. 11 Childers has been working in Africa since the 1990s Credit: Caters News Agency 11 Childers became a heroin addict and bikie in his youth but turned his life around Credit: Caters News Agency He said: "I fought in guerrilla warfare, or been in war over 25 years, and I never was shot in Africa. Advertisement "I was shot once and stabbed 3 times in America." Childers said the soldiering was a means to an end - supporting the good work his organisations do through orphanages and farms. "What you got to realize those rescues and to be active in stuff like that costs a lot of money. "I have a lot of children and orphanages and children's homes that got to be taken care of." Advertisement Now, he runs a private military company in Congo that works with local forces to try and save children. Childers said many of the children he rescued were severely mentally damaged by their time spent in captivity. He said: "They cannot be kept in a normal orphanage with other children until after one year. "That's if the people believe they're doing well. That's doing the mental evaluations." Advertisement 11 Childers and Butler -- who played him in the 2014 film Credit: Photoshot 11 Michelle Monaghan and Butler in the Machine Gun Preacher film Credit: Alamy 11 Childers first fought in East Africa against the Lord's Resistance Army Credit: Alamy But Childers revealed that he preferred to work with children rather than adults, saying they could work through the mental challenges they faced from being victims of rape or violence. Advertisement But it's not just ISIS that his charities are fighting, with disease and hunger also continuing to kill children. Childers said: "So then we feed over 10,000 meals a day. The majority of the children we feed only eat one meal a day, and that's the meal we're feeding them." Now, the preacher has released a new film trying to raise money for his work. "Our goal is to do a hundred 1,000 downloads by the end of this year and that money's used for children, man, you know. And so, instead of telling everyone, hey, send me $20. Advertisement "We're asking everyone. Look, you want to hear a good story. You want to hear a good story of redemption. You want to hear a good story of saving people's lives. You want to hear a good story of giving all." Becoming the Machine Gun Preacher Childers was born into a difficult household with a heroin addict mum and drunkard dad. They were always Christians, but in his teens Childers got in with the wrong crowd, he said. "I started doing what they were doing to fit in, smoking cigarettes, smoking marijuana. Advertisement "12 years old: drinking, eating pills. "13, 14 years old: snorting cocaine. "Then, at 15 years old, I woke up one morning, and here I got a heroin addiction. You know, I'm shooting up cocaine, shooting up heroin." Childers quit school and said he turned himself into one of the biggest drug dealers in Grand Rapids, running narcotics from all over the US. Advertisement He said: "The only good thing was my dad brought me and my brothers up to be hardworking people. "I always held a job, even though I was a cocaine addict heroin addict. "But I made a lot of money selling drugs." Childers said he always believed in God, but "I thought I had everything I needed. Advertisement "I had money. I had drugs, guns, women motorcycles." But then in his early 20s, Childers got into a bar fight that was so awful it changed the course of his life. "There were big guys, tough guys laying on the floor crying, holding their guts in. And I said that night, if I get out of here, I'm I'm done living this life." Advertisement His charity work has seen Childers honoured with the Mother Teresa Memorial International Award for Social Justice in 2013. What's happening in Congo? ISIS has extended its bloody grip in Africa to the Congo in recent years. The terror thugs are taking advantage of high levels of poverty and an already destabalised nation. ISIS formally announced its arrival in the country - which it calls the Central Africa Province - in 2019. It claimed another rebel group - the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) - as its affiliate in the Congo and neighbouring Uganda. The ADF, originally a Ugandan Islamist rebel group formed in the 1990s and had already established a stronghold in eastern Congo's North Kivu and Ituri provinces. The ADF rebranded to ISIS and adopted its jihadist rhetoric and tactics. The group began releasing propaganda via ISIS's media channels, portraying its local attacks—mainly against civilians, Congolese soldiers, and UN peacekeepers—as part of the global jihad. Hundreds of civilians have been killed in brutal raids, massacres, and bombings by the terror group. The Congolese army has launched several offensives to knock out ISIS - but has struggled to fully eliminate them.
Scottish Sun
08-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
I'm the Machine Gun Preacher who Gerard Butler played in film – here's how I survived ISIS and 10 assassination attempts
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A HOLLYWOOD star who gave up being a drug dealing bikie is now fighting ISIS through the dripping jungles of central Africa. The Machine Gun Preacher is on a mission to rescue child sex slaves on the continent - and is has come up against the notorious terror group. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 11 Sam Childers in South Sudan Credit: Caters 11 The Machine Gun Preacher is on a mission to save children Credit: Caters 11 Childers was played by Gerard Butler in the Hollywood film Credit: Alamy The priest, real name Sam Childers, is battling ISIS in the Congo as he continues his holy war to save abused children. He's famously known as being the inspiration behind the movie Machine Gun Preacher. The film starred an A-list cast of Gerard Butler as Childers, Michelle Monaghan as his wife, and Michael Shannon. Machine Gun Preacher told the story of how Childers came to be fighting in Africa after growing up in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Once a criminal, he found God, turned his life to charity work in Africa and dedicated himself to saving children. Machine Gun Preacher - the film - showed him battling Joseph Kony and his Lord's Resistance Army in 1997. Now he's released a self-made documentary - trying to raise money to take the fight to ISIS in Congo. He said: "I'm not worried about dying. I'm 62 years old. The last thing I worry about is dying. I worry more about living than dying." After being hammered in the Middle East, ISIS turned to Africa and is now enslaving thousands of children as its militants rampage through impoverished areas. Childers has a network of orphanages, schools, and farms set up across the centre of the continent. I fought ISIS in Syria & I know bloodthirsty thugs are plotting comeback after fall of Assad - Europe must be ready, says Brit fighter But he's come into combat with ISIS as they have expanded into Congo. He said: "We don't want to see our children be kidnapped, sold in prostitution. "We don't want to see none of that so I'm willing to do whatever I have to do... and I'm willing to answer for it. "They are murderers. They're killers. 11 ISIS has brutally used child soldiers to fight its was 11 Childers said he has battled other groups like M23 Credit: AFP 11 ISIS in West Africa - where it is strongest in the continent "I'm not afraid of none of them." Some 5.4million people have been killed in Congo's ongoing conflicts since 1998 - but the wars have gone largely ignored in the West. Three children were beheaded by rebel fighters in February and dozens more killed when they took a village. Childers' belief in God has given the preacher the strength to keep fighting - even against militant Christian groups. The Lord's Resistance Army raped and abducted girls, mutilated them, and enslaved boys into being child soldiers. He said: "I've been ambushed over 10 times. Been in over 10 major battles. They tried to assassinate me over 10 times. "That's just in the Kony War." Despite the gun battles, Childers says that he was in more danger while a bikie and drug dealer in America. 11 Childers has been working in Africa since the 1990s Credit: Caters News Agency 11 Childers became a heroin addict and bikie in his youth but turned his life around Credit: Caters News Agency He said: "I fought in guerrilla warfare, or been in war over 25 years, and I never was shot in Africa. "I was shot once and stabbed 3 times in America." Childers said the soldiering was a means to an end - supporting the good work his organisations do through orphanages and farms. "What you got to realize those rescues and to be active in stuff like that costs a lot of money. "I have a lot of children and orphanages and children's homes that got to be taken care of." Now, he runs a private military company in Congo that works with local forces to try and save children. Childers said many of the children he rescued were severely mentally damaged by their time spent in captivity. He said: "They cannot be kept in a normal orphanage with other children until after one year. "That's if the people believe they're doing well. That's doing the mental evaluations." 11 Childers and Butler -- who played him in the 2014 film Credit: Photoshot 11 Michelle Monaghan and Butler in the Machine Gun Preacher film Credit: Alamy 11 Childers first fought in East Africa against the Lord's Resistance Army Credit: Alamy But Childers revealed that he preferred to work with children rather than adults, saying they could work through the mental challenges they faced from being victims of rape or violence. But it's not just ISIS that his charities are fighting, with disease and hunger also continuing to kill children. Childers said: "So then we feed over 10,000 meals a day. The majority of the children we feed only eat one meal a day, and that's the meal we're feeding them." Now, the preacher has released a new film trying to raise money for his work. "Our goal is to do a hundred 1,000 downloads by the end of this year and that money's used for children, man, you know. And so, instead of telling everyone, hey, send me $20. "We're asking everyone. Look, you want to hear a good story. You want to hear a good story of redemption. You want to hear a good story of saving people's lives. You want to hear a good story of giving all." Becoming the Machine Gun Preacher Childers was born into a difficult household with a heroin addict mum and drunkard dad. They were always Christians, but in his teens Childers got in with the wrong crowd, he said. "I started doing what they were doing to fit in, smoking cigarettes, smoking marijuana. "12 years old: drinking, eating pills. "13, 14 years old: snorting cocaine. "Then, at 15 years old, I woke up one morning, and here I got a heroin addiction. You know, I'm shooting up cocaine, shooting up heroin." Childers quit school and said he turned himself into one of the biggest drug dealers in Grand Rapids, running narcotics from all over the US. He said: "The only good thing was my dad brought me and my brothers up to be hardworking people. "I always held a job, even though I was a cocaine addict heroin addict. "But I made a lot of money selling drugs." Childers said he always believed in God, but "I thought I had everything I needed. "I had money. I had drugs, guns, women motorcycles." But then in his early 20s, Childers got into a bar fight that was so awful it changed the course of his life. "There were big guys, tough guys laying on the floor crying, holding their guts in. And I said that night, if I get out of here, I'm I'm done living this life." His charity work has seen Childers honoured with the Mother Teresa Memorial International Award for Social Justice in 2013.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
New details emerge following deadly shooting in Columbia neighborhood
WARNING: This article contains details that may be disturbing to some readers. COLUMBIA, Tenn. (WKRN) — Arrest documents describe a chaotic scene as two people were shot and killed in a suburban Columbia neighborhood last weekend. Officers were called to the 3000 block of Somerset Lane just after 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 31. Byron Childers is accused of shooting three people, 46-year-old John Bidle, 51-year-old Stacie Wright and a man driving an ice cream truck. Bidle died at the scene while Wright was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center where she died in surgery. The ice cream truck driver was shot in the hip and also taken to Vanderbilt for treatment. 1 charged after 2 killed, 1 injured in Columbia shooting According to court documents, Childers was walking down Somerset Lane with a rifle when he shot Bidle while calling him a demon. Childers reportedly shot Bidle multiple times as he was lying in the roadway while shouting 'Demon from Hell' and 'it was safe now.' As Bidle lay wounded, Wright opened the door of her nearby home once she heard the gunshots. Childers walked toward her front doorway and shot Wright several times, which was witnessed by her husband inside the home, according to court documents. The man driving the ice cream truck told officers he saw Childers with an AR-style rifle and a pistol with suppressors on both firearms. He said once he spotted Childers, he heard gunshots and was struck in his hip. Multiple bullet holes were found in the side door of the ice cream truck. Suspected gunman identified after 2 killed, 1 injured in Columbia neighborhood A Metro Nashville officer who lived in the area drove over to the scene after he heard gunshots. According to court documents, Childers jumped into the officer's vehicle, punched him in the face and attempted to grab the steering wheel. The officer, who was off-duty, grabbed his service weapon as Childers ran away from the vehicle. Childers was soon taken into custody by Columbia officers. Childers was booked into the Maury County jail and charged with two counts of first-degree murder, first-degree attempted murder, three counts of aggravated assault, carjacking, assault, and use of a firearm in a dangerous felony. Records show he is being held without bond. ⏩ Battle Creek Middle School is offering counselors, support staff and any additional resources to the community. Anyone may visit Battle Creek Middle School, located at 121 Battle Creek Way, on June 3 and June 5, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. 'Maury County Public Schools offers its deepest sympathy to the families impacted by this senseless act of violence,' said Maury County Public Schools Superintendent, Lisa Ventura. 'Now is the time to come together, and love and support one another. It is my hope that anyone that needs support will take advantage of our staff at Battle Creek Middle School.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
