Ex-Regional AP Leader's Murder Case
(Update) Gwinnett County, GA: Duluth man found guilty of 19-year-old woman's 2022 murder in Flowery Branch
A Gwinnett County jury convicted a Duluth man for fatally stabbing a 19-year-old woman after a dispute over money. Timothy James Krueger, 51, was found guilty Friday of malice murder, felony murder, and aggravated assault for the June 16, 2022, stabbing death of Sarai Llanos Gomez. The jury deliberated for two hours before returning a verdict.

According to the prosecution, Krueger requested an escort on the night of June 16, 2022, and a different woman was sent to his home than the one he wanted. At some point after Llanos Gomez arrived, a dispute erupted over the amount of pay she received. Krueger, having been robbed before by an escort, became agitated. Llanos, who was much smaller than Krueger, grabbed a knife from the kitchen and tried to leave the house.

Krueger disarmed her of the knife, stabbing her in the back and then repeatedly all over her body before finally slitting her throat, according to investigators. He then cut off Llanos Gomez's clothes, wrapped her body in a blanket, and put the body in his car. Investigators say he took the body to the wooded area of a Hall County residential area where he dumped the remains.

Homeowners in the Hall County neighborhood discovered Llanos Gomez's body four days later and called police. Investigators were able to identify Llanos Gomez and used cell phone activity to place her at Krueger's home. Police matched a suspect's vehicle recorded on a Hall County resident's Ring camera to Krueger's car, and he confessed to killing Llanos Gomez, although in court he claimed self-defense.

According to LinkedIn, Krueger has been in the loss prevention industry for 20+ years, most recently as Regional Asset Protection Leader for Ascena Retail Group. Throughout his career, he has held roles with Justice, Michaels, and Musicland.

Krueger will be sentenced at a later date.  fox5atlanta.com

   Read the D&D Daily's original reporting of this case here


RILA Teams Up with International Association of Chiefs of Police
'Addressing under-reporting of retail crime and deepening collaboration'

New Retail, Law Enforcement Partnership to Combat Crime
The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) and the International Association of Chiefs of Police recently announced a partnership to address retail crime. Together, RILA and IACP will develop educational resources, facilitate information sharing and enhance collaboration between leading retailers and law enforcement agencies to combat organized retail crime, prolific theft and disorder, and restore vibrancy to communities across the country.

Central to the RILA-IACP partnership is addressing under-reporting of retail crime and deepening collaboration between retailers and law enforcement. RILA and IACP will work together to develop training, best practices, resources, and guidebooks for retailers and law enforcement on retail crime topics.

"Through our work with the Vibrant Communities Initiative, retailers and law enforcement have experienced firsthand the power of collaboration in addressing complex community challenges like organized retail crime. As we broaden our ecosystem of stakeholders committed to working together in the fight against retail crime, IACP represents a vital partner in this groundbreaking effort to restore vibrancy to our communities," said RILA Senior EVP of Retail Operations Lisa LaBruno. "We're confident that through this partnership, both retailers and police leadership will find value in our collective resources and expertise and the result will be a united and effective community front against retail crime."

"Perpetrators of Organized Retail Crime often move from store to store, across jurisdictions, stealing anything from everyday commodities to high-end merchandise. Operating across multiple jurisdictions makes it difficult for any single law enforcement agency to recognize the extent of their operations and highlights the need for cooperation between police agencies and retailers," said IACP President Wade Carpenter. "We look forward to working with RILA to develop new resources and training that will allow our combined memberships to successfully combat this growing challenge."  rila.org


AI Tech to 'Dismantle ORC Syndicates'
Appriss Retail introduces AI and shared investigative reporting to fight ORC

This solution is specifically designed to identify connections between incidents and streamline the investigative process.

Appriss Retail today announced a generative AI solution, Incident + ORC Intelligence, that automatically links incidents of theft, fraud, and abuse, enabling the seamless creation of comprehensive cases to help dismantle Organized Retail Crime (ORC) syndicates.

The new solution harnesses the power of Microsoft Azure AI Search and the advanced capabilities of Azure OpenAI Service models. The technology enables real-time searches across millions of incidents and provides investigators with sophisticated tools to process, summarize, and analyze related criminal activities.

This solution is specifically designed to identify connections between incidents, using key details such as suspects, narratives, vehicles, and other critical case information. This targeted approach significantly enhances the investigative process, helping investigators quickly pinpoint related cases.

The Incident + ORC Intelligence product comes with:

• Inclusive sharing: Loss prevention specialists can invite colleagues and broader investigative partners to participate in an investigation. Users can share notes, track progress, and send messages and feedback in real time.

• Enhanced reporting details: With its generative AI capability, specialists can link criminal cases beyond basic incident details like suspect names and vehicles and analyze physical descriptions, report narratives, use of weapons, method of operation, and case summaries.

• Complementary workflows. The solution integrates seamlessly into a retailer's existing workflows with customizable reporting forms and is ready to use immediately. securityinfowatch.com


Doing Away With Bar Codes to Fight Self-Checkout Theft?
Walmart quietly rolls out new way to curb theft at self-checkout
Walmart has quietly rolled out a new feature at its stores that is beneficial for paying customers, but bad news for thieves. In a recent TikTok video, which has amassed over 200,000 views, a Walmart customer showed herself scanning Great Value items through a self-checkout machine at Walmart without using a barcode.

The discovery comes after Walmart partnered with Digimarc, which is the company that's behind the new feature, to innovate its barcodes for $3 million a year. In 2022, Walmart expanded its partnership with the tech company in order to "help further optimize store operations."

According to Digimarc's website, the technology involves embedding codes that are "invisible to the human eye" on product packaging, which makes it easier be detected at self-checkout machines.

"The scanning speed goes up significantly according to Digimarc technology partner Datalogic," said Digimarc in a press release. "Hunting for barcodes during the scanning process becomes unnecessary, which eases the self-scanning for customers. The imaging cameras can also pick up several products at the same time."

Retail theft can often be tied to self-checkout machines where shoppers can simply neglect properly scanning items by hiding the barcode from sensors. According to a recent survey by LendingTree, it found that 15% of consumers have purposely stolen an item at self-checkout, and only 33% were caught. Also, 21% of consumers said they've accidentally taken an item while using self-checkout.

So it is no surprise that Walmart is making it easier for self-checkout machines to detect items customers may be scanning, especially since the company loses about $3 billion per year due to theft, according to a recent report for Gitnux. msn.com


Walmart Works With Police to Fight Theft
Police partnering with big box stores to combat retail theft
The Port St. Lucie Police Department (PSLPD) has partnered with Walmart to be proactive in their approach to retail theft. Representatives from the chain store met with police on Wednesday, working together to limit a growing problem.

"Over the past year, we have identified an uptick in larceny, and it is one of our biggest increases in crime," said PSLPD's Deputy Chief Marc DiMeo. "Retail theft is the largest contributor to an increase in larcenies."

"The strategies that we have implemented is one of presence and deterrence. You'll see more officers in and around the Walmarts," he told CBS12 News Thursday. "Our officers are going in, they're doing foot patrols, they're walking around the stores, they're spending time over in the cash register area."

Walmart sent the following statement on the partnership CBS12 News: "We're focused on taking steps to protect our associates, customers, and merchandise. We appreciate law enforcement's partnership in this industry-wide challenge."

The deputy chief says the retail giant is taking extra steps to help as well.

"On top of cameras in the store and signage, they're looking to add some uniformed security in some of their stores," he remarked. "They're also looking to have increased signage and increased employees over in the self-checkout areas."  cw34.com


Grocery Store Mass Shooting Trial Update
(Update) Boulder Mass Shooting Trial Focuses on Accused Gunman's Mental State

Lawyers for the accused gunman are using the state's insanity defense, arguing that he was mentally ill at the time of the 2021 shooting that left 10 people dead at a supermarket.

It has been more than three years since a gunman rampaged through a grocery store in Boulder, Colo., killing 10 people before surrendering and being taken into the parking lot, bleeding from his leg and asking to speak with his mother.

The man charged in the 2021 attack, Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, was 21 at the time and has been in custody ever since. But he is going on trial only now in a somewhat unusual case that has little to do with whether he carried out the killings - his lawyers do not dispute that he did - and everything to do with his mental state at the time of the crime.

Mr. Alissa, now 24, has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, setting up a battle between prosecutors and defense lawyers over whether he is responsible for the crimes. A jury will ultimately decide the matter, and its verdict will determine whether Mr. Alissa is sentenced to life in prison or confined indefinitely to a state mental institution.  nytimes.com


How Telegram Became a Playground for Criminals, Extremists and Terrorists

When can parents be held responsible for their children's crimes?
 

Chino, CA: Southern California theft suspect arrested with truck full of stolen merchandise
A suspect was arrested for allegedly stealing thousands of dollars worth of merchandise from Southern California stores. Earlier this week, police officers responded to a Target store in Chino after security reported an ongoing theft. The male suspect had loaded a shopping cart filled with merchandise and left the store without paying, officers said. The suspect loaded the stolen goods into a U-Haul truck and fled the area. Police later spotted the truck on the 60 Freeway and pulled the driver over. Inside the box truck, over $1,500 worth of stolen merchandise was found. Police said the suspect, identified only as a Gardena resident, was allegedly responsible for over $33,000 worth of retail thefts in other neighborhoods.  ktla.com


North Olmsted, OH: Best Buy reports group of men stole more than $9,000 worth of merchandise
A Best Buy store manager reported a theft of more than $9,000 worth of merchandise that wasn't discovered until several days later. An officer responded to the store at 6:40 p.m. on Aug. 26. The manager explained the theft occurred on Aug. 9. Three men entered the store. One of the men distracted employees by attempting to purchase a drink. Meanwhile, the other two men broke a lock off an area where cameras were stored. They then placed products into two bags and left the store without paying for them. The store turned over security footage of the theft. The store determined that 20 items valued at $9,644.80 were stolen. The store manager said they want to pursue charges.  cleveland.com


Washington DC: Man charged with stealing nearly $8K from 2 CVS stores in DC in monthlong shoplifting spree
MPD says 28-year-old Emmanuel Hart robbed two CVS stores on P Street Northwest 20 times between late June and late July. Stealing nearly $8,000 worth of merchandise. One shopper told WUSA9 she witnessed a robbery at the corner of 17th and P streets Northwest. "I was in here, I was waiting to get checked out and saw a man in the aisle with toilet paper, paper towels, tissues. All that kind of stuff," she said. "He wiped out the section with a big black garbage bag and just walked out." Court documents show Hart stuffed the stolen merchandise inside a bag or box during every robbery. Investigators allege, on three different days, Hart hit the same store multiple times.  wusa9.com
 

San Jose, CA: SJ man charged with grand theft after loading store vacuum box with copper
San Jose Man Mitchell Bedolla Garcia, 45, is facing felony grand theft charges for stealing nearly $1,000 worth of copper from a Moraga supply store on September 3, the Santa Clara County District Attorney announced. The theft happened at Outdoor Supply Hardware on the 1500 block of Moraga's Canyon Road. According to the DA's office, Garcia allegedly stole $1,295 worth of copper wiring by loading the wire rolls into an empty store vacuum box.  kron4.com