News of the Weird: Jan.16, 2020

Expand

News of the Weird newspapers illustration

Clearly Murder

Colleagues of 35-year-old paramedic Joshua Hunsucker told investigators in Mount Holly, N.C., they were surprised at how quickly he had another girlfriend following the death of his wife in September 2018, and when Stacy Hunsucker’s mother shared her suspicions, pointing to the $200,000 in life insurance Joshua had collected, agents of the North Carolina Department of Insurance began an investigation that led to Joshua’s arrest last month on charges of first-degree murder for poisoning his wife with Visine. Stacy Hunsucker, 32 at her death, had suffered from heart problems, the Gaston Gazette reported, and a test of her blood revealed tetrahydrozoline, a chemical found in eye drops and nasal sprays, at levels 30 to 40 times the recommended dose, an amount insurance fraud attorney Jordan Green told the court would have had “a dramatic effect on her heart, which would cause heart stoppage in a short amount of time.” The Gazette also noted the wide news coverage given two weeks before Stacy’s death to a woman arrested in York, S.C., for putting eye drops in her husband’s water, causing a seizure and cardiac arrest. A Gaston County grand jury on Monday, Jan. 6, additionally indicted Hunsucker on charges of insurance fraud.

Calling Norman Bates

After Dona Schiave failed her driver’s license test three times in the Novo Mutum Parana district of Brazil, her son, Heitor Marcio Schiave, 43, decided to take matters into his own hands. On Tuesday, Dec. 10, he donned a stuffed bra, skirt and makeup and showed up at the State Department of Traffic, claiming to be his mother, ready to take the test again. Aline Mendoca, the examiner, became suspicious and summoned the military police. “I thought she was drunk at first,” she told globo.com. “When I realized that the student was actually a man, I decided to proceed normally” and wait for officers. “I think he pitied his mother for failing three times.” Schiave was arrested for fraudulent misrepresentation and released; he may face a fine.

Squirrely Visitor

Kari and Dustin Drees bought their first home in Atlanta’s Buckhead district in December and shortly thereafter left on vacation to visit family. While they were gone, an alarm went off, and friends reported nothing was amiss, but when the Dreeses returned home, they discovered an uninvited visitor had moved in: a squirrel. The animal had apparently fallen down the chimney and became trapped inside, where it did a lot of damage—defecating, scratching floors, chewing baseboards and building a nest in the couch. No worries, the couple thought: “This is why you have homeowner’s insurance,” Kari told the Associated Press. But, this is also where insurance companies point to the fine print, too. The couple’s insurance “explicitly stated” it doesn’t cover damage done by rodents, and a squirrel is a rodent.

‘Winning’ Losers

Odis Latham, 47, and Russell Sparks, 48, of Columbus, Miss., were arrested on Monday, Jan. 6, after they allegedly hatched a cockamamie scheme to “win” the lottery, WLBT reported. The two arrived at the Mississippi Lottery Corp. in Flowood and presented a losing $100,000 ticket, upon which they had glued the winning numbers, according to authorities. Flowood police arrested the pair, who were charged with conspiracy to commit a felony and uttering a counterfeit instrument of more than $1,000. They were held without bond.

Green Is Big This Year… Well, Every Year

Finally, lizard owners who want to dress like their reptilian companions have a source for trendy looks: Fashion Brand Company of Los Angeles has been making clothes for lizards for a while, but now you can match your bearded dragon. The current collection, according to OK Whatever, includes little lizard velvet jumpsuits and Western fringe jackets that come with tiny white cowboy hats. The clothes are handmade and go for up to $125—and that doesn’t include whatever you order for yourself so you can match the exact outfit your scaly friend is sporting. Founder Penelope Gazin says the ideas “come to me in my dreams,” adding that lizards need clothes, because “their bodies are disgusting and should be covered up.” (Gazin doesn’t own a lizard herself; “I dislike lizards,” she admits.)

© 2020 ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION