Teen 'Horror Blogger' Ashlee Martinson Pleads Guilty to Killing Mother and Stepfather, Citing Years of Alleged Abuse

Ashlee Martinson

Ashlee Martinson, the teen horror blogger who wrote about her obsession with death and the macabre under the name "Vampchick," pleaded guilty Friday to two counts of second-degree intentional homicide for shooting her stepfather and stabbing her mother more than 30 times in their rural Wisconsin home last year.

Following a national manhunt, Martinson, 18, was arrested in Indiana with her boyfriend, Ryan Sisco, then 22, on March 8, 2015, a day after the murders. She was initially charged with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide for the murders of her stepfather, Thomas Ayers, 37, and her mother, Jennifer Ayers, 40.

Martinson had pleaded not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect last June to those charges, which carried with them a maximum sentence of life in prison. Since then, her attorneys and prosecutors struck a deal which resulted in Friday's plea.

As part of the plea deal, prosecutors will recommend a sentence of forty years in prison. Her lawyers will recommend an eight-year sentence.

New Court Records: Defense Claims Martinson Was Physically and Sexually Abused

Martinson told authorities that her stepfather physically abused her mother for years and was mentally and verbally abusive to her.

In the plea agreement, the State of Wisconsin conceded that "the homicides ... were caused under the influence of adequate provocation," according to court records filed by the defense Friday along with her plea.

The new court filings also reveal that two days before the murders, on March 6, 2015, which was Martinson's 17th birthday, she sent Sisco a Facebook message saying, "I woke up this morning to my step dad beating my mom ... I can't take [it] anymore, he's gonna kill her if she doesn't leave soon and I don’t want to be around w[h]en that happens," the court records state.

Saying that she thought her mother was going to leave her stepfather, she continued, "I [expletive] hate them, too. I want to kill him so [expletive] bad, just take one of his guns and blow his [expletive] brains out."

According to the new filings, experts who interviewed Martinson after her March 9, 2015, arrest, say that she suffers from severe depression and post-traumatic stress disorder after allegedly being physically and verbally abused by several of her mother's boyfriends and raped at the age of nine by one of them.

She was further traumatized by allegedly witnessing her stepfather abuse her mother, step sisters and half sister and making her and her siblings watch him kill baby animals in front of their parents to see the reaction of the animal parents, according to the filings.

She is scheduled to return to court June 17 for sentencing.

"People didn’t know about the abuse she went through," Martinson's neighbor, Roy Rasmussen, tells PEOPLE. "This is a tragedy for everybody involved."

But Ayers's brother, Don Ayers, is unhappy with the plea agreement. "The day before the murders, she wrote on Facebook that she wanted to kill them," he tells PEOPLE. "To me, that's premeditated. They should have left the charges at first-degree murder."

He is also upset about how his late brother is being portrayed as an abuser. "Thomas and Jennifer are being judged right now by what she is saying about them, but they aren't here to defend themselves because she killed them. I think she stretched the truth to save her own neck."

What Led a 'Happy' Teen to Kill?

When word of the murders spread, family, friends and residents of Piehl, Wisconsin, were left asking, "Why?"

A friend of Martinson's from Rhinelander High School described her friend to PEOPLE last year as a quiet, kind and happy teenager who "put everyone else before herself" when she first moved to the small, rural town in 2014. Martinson often babysat for her younger sisters and held down a job at a local store so she could pay her bills, her friend said.

But her outward nature belied something darker. Soon after her arrest, police learned that Martinson was a self-described "horror fanatic" who had penned a blog she named "Nightmare," in which she wrote graphic stories and poems about blood, mutilation, death and dying. She also posted macabre pictures on her Pinterest page, on which she said she came from "the dark, haunted woods of Wisconsin."

Another friend of Martinson's told PEOPLE, "This was a cry for help, but nobody was listening."

Indeed, the court records filed Friday paint a disturbing portrait of her home life and the abuse she allegedly suffered at the hands of her mother's previous boyfriends, including when one of them beat her, burned her with a cigarette and raped her when she was nine years old in a vehicle while his friend and neighbor watched.

After her mother met Ayers on an online dating site, the two left their home in Kansas to live with him in North Dakota. Her mother married Ayers in December 2011 after knowing him for nine months, the court records state. In 2013, they had a child together – Ayers's seventh.

Ayers had a criminal record, including numerous prior arrests and convictions starting in 1998 including driving under the influence, domestic battery, assault, menacing and kidnapping. A former girlfriend, who began a relationship with Ayers at 16, told authorities she believes he suffered from bipolar disorder.

Martinson said Ayers was physically abusive to her mother. The new filing said he would "push her, smack her choke her and hold a gun to her head" if "something was not cooked correctly, something was not cleaned or she did not rub his back effectively.

"Conflict in the Ayers' family home," according to the court records, led Martinson in 2013, to move back to Kansas to live with her father, Jeremy Martinson. She moved back to North Dakota after just two weeks, saying her father allegedly abused her physically, the court records state.

On Dec. 13, 2013, Kansas police were called to her father's house after a report of a "physical altercation," when her father allegedly "admitted to slapping his daughter," the court records state. She reported other incidents of physical abuse, including "punching, shoving and kicking," according to the court records.

Martinson's father stopped speaking to her after the Dec. 2013 incident and has allegedly said that while he knows she has been incarcerated, "he has no intent to contact or assist her let alone act as her guardian for medical purposes," the court records state.

"He expressed only concern about media reports of the case that would cast him in an unfavorable light," the court records state," the records add.

Attempts to reach Jeremy Martinson were unsuccessful.

The court records state that Martinson's mother did not want her to move back with them, but "Thomas Ayers did."

New Life in Wisconsin Ends in Murder

In 2014, Martinson moved with Ayers and her mother and siblings to Oneida County, Wisconsin. The family lived on a large parcel of land so Ayers could hunt.

Police who investigated the murders observed that the home had "an arsenal of loaded, unlocked and easily accessible firearms and ammunition, despite Thomas Ayers's legal prohibition from possessing those items and the presence of children in the home."

While living in Wisconsin, Martinson would often allegedly "wake up to her mother screaming and begging for her life," the court records state.

Two of the other children in the home told police how Ayers abused Martinson's mother and would hit them "hard" with a thick belt "until their buttocks nearly blistered," the court records state. They told police that their mother hit them with a belt, too. One of the children told police she would regularly feed, diaper and bathe their youngest sister because their mother did not do "a lot of motherly stuff."

Two of the children told police that Ayers choked one of their dogs and threw it against a wall "for not listening" before he shot and killed it and fed it to a bear. He threatened to shoot their other dog when one of the younger children failed to listen to him, the court records state.

Martinson told authorities that Ayers was "fond of killing baby animals in front of their parents," and would instruct her and her sisters to "watch the reaction of the parent animals to the death[s]."

Martinson told authorities that Ayers never physically or sexually abused her, but said he once knocked down her bedroom door, injuring her nose, court records state.

But Martinson told authorities about "consistent mental and verbal abuse coming from Thomas Ayers" involving strict house rules.

He allegedly required her to wake up at 4 a.m. on weekdays and 6 a.m. on weekends to complete a list of chores. He allegedly restricted her use of the computer and did not allow her to have visitors at their home. She was allegedly only allowed to go out once a week and had to give her earnings from jobs to him, which were allegedly "dispersed according to Thomas Ayers's directives," according to the court records.

She says that shortly before the murders, on Feb. 28, 2015, he called her an "ignorant bitch" and said she "would fail in life and amount to nothing," the court records state.

The Day of the Murders

On March 7, 2015, the day of the slayings, Ayers and Martinson's mother allegedly confronted her over her relationship with Sisco. They told her she could no longer communicate with him and took her keys and phone, court records state.

While Martinson's mother said she should leave, Ayers allegedly said she should be home schooled and "essentially be placed on house arrest for the foreseeable future," according to the court records.

Martinson left the home and went to a neighbor's house on foot, but Ayers allegedly followed her in his truck and told her to get in so they could return home.

She told authorities she went to her bedroom and "armed herself with one of the many loaded shotguns in the house," according to the court records, "for the purposes of killing herself."

Ayers stormed up to her room after telling his wife, "She's probably doing something stupid."

When he began banging on her door, Martinson said she "considered whether Thomas Ayers should die rather than she," the court records state.

She fired the first shot to his neck. The second was a contact wound to his temple, "fired to ensure that he was dead and could not hurt her," according to the court records.

Martinson said she sought comfort from her mother for what she had done, but her mother tended to Ayers and yelled at her for shooting him. Her mother allegedly "then armed herself with a knife and approached" Martinson. The teen wrestled the knife away from her mother and stabbed her more than 30 times "with considerable force," the court records state.

Martinson, say her lawyers in the documents, "acted upon provocation…completely losing control at the time of the commission of the homicides, demonstrating anger, rage and exasperation as a person of ordinary intelligence and prudence under similar circumstances would have done."

Death toll in Maiduguri mosque bombings rises to 25

Nigerian soldiers inspect a burnt vehicle following a suicide attack by the Boko Haram militant group in Maiduguri,

The death toll in the suicide attacks by female bombers on a mosque in Umarari village on the outskirt of Maiduguri, has risen to 25, an official of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said.

The attacks  occurred in the early hours of Wednesday.
Nigerian Army spokesman Sani Usman said the first attack targeted a mosque, while the second blast occurred about 50 metres away, a few minutes later.
“Twenty-two people died immediately following the blast and three others died later in the hospital, bringing the total number of deaths to 25,”  Mohammed Kanar, the northeast coordinator of NEMA said.
“This is apart from the two suicide bombers who also died,” he said on local television.
Kanar said NEMA has begun to provide relief materials to the families of those affected by Wednesday’s attack.
A witnessed stated that the suicide bombers disguised themselves as men when they entered the mosque for early morning prayer.

Nigeria, Benin security forces arrest 3 cross-border bank robbers, kill six

Some of the weapons seized from the criminals

3international bandits specialized in a bank robbery.

The security forces comprising Lagos State police command, Benin Regional Police squad at the Krake, Seme border, Nigeria customs and Immigration also killed six of the suspected robbers who attempted to rob banks and Bureau De Change in Seme.

The suspects heavily armed with Ak 47 rifles, Dynamites, Rocket Launchers and other sophisticated weapons attempted to enter Nigeria through the legitimate route, but they were repelled by the vigilant joint security forces.

They, however, changed their plan and attempted to unleash terror at the border through the sea, but the joint security forces engaged them in a gun duel, leading to the death of the six suspected robbers.
The suspects abandoned some arms and ammunition in Nigeria and fled to Benin in their flying boats. They were however suppressed by the superior fire power of the joint security forces.
 They were said to have abandoned one of their boats and other weapons.

Recovered from the hoodlums are: one speed boat, 883 live ammunition, 6 Loaded Magazines, Dynamites and other deadly weapons.
The commissioner of police, Lagos State command, Fatai Owoseni who visited the scene in company with the Regional Director Department of police, Benin Republic, Ogouchoro Severin, Customs Area controller, Seme border, Victor Dimka, Nigeria Immigration Area controller, Seme border, Barko noted that intelligence report was received two weeks ago that some hoodlums were planning to raid some banks in Seme.
“It was the synergy between Nigeria government and that of Benin Republic that led to the successful operation which foiled the attempt by dare deviled armed robbers to rob our banks in Seme border.
“As they were going to attack banks in Seme, we gave them the fight of their life and they abandoned their boats, arms and ammunition and fled through the waterways to Benin Republic where we also engaged them in a fierce gun battle.
“Some of them fell inside the water, 3 of them were arrested while some of them escaped with bullet injuries. We are appealing to Nigerians and Beninois to report to the nearest security post when they see dead bodies floating in the water or persons with bullet injuries.
“I want to also appeal to medical practitioners and trado-medical healing centres to report any patient injuries to the police. We appreciate our colleagues in Benin Republic for their efforts.” Owoseni said.
His Beninoise counterpart, Severin pledged that his country would work with Nigerian security forces at Seme border to check crimes.

Woman in Sex Tape with Hulk Hogan Fights Back Tears in Deposition at Trial: 'I Didn't Know I Was Being Recorded'

Heather Cole and then-husband Bubba the Love Sponge Clem in 2009

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

The woman in the Hulk Hogan sex tape testified Wednesday at Hogan's trial via a videotaped deposition from 2015, saying she didn't know the pair was being recorded and that she later asked for the tape to be destroyed, according to reports.

Heather Cole, the ex-wife of "Bubba the Love Sponge" Clem – the man who recorded the sex tape at issue in Hogan's invasion of privacy trial against Gawker Media – said she had sex with Hogan several times at Clem's behest, and that she was upset when he showed her the infamous tape, CNN reports.

"I was shown the video," Cole said, fighting back tears. "I immediately asked for it to stop." 

Cole said she didn't know she was being recorded having sex with Hogan, and that as far as she knew, Hogan didn't either.

She also said she was "embarrassed" by a 2012 press conference that Hogan and his attorneys held after he filed suit against Gawker, adding: "I didn't want this to be anything. I wanted it to go away."

Cole said she didn't leak the video to Gawker, and doesn't know who did, ABC News reports. She also said that in her opinion, Hogan is someone who likes publicity.
 

The former wrestler, whose legal name is Terry Bollea, is suing Gawker Media for $100 million for posting a clip from the sex tape. Hogan, 62, claims his privacy was violated when Gawker posted the clip. Gawker has said it thought the clip was newsworthy, and that the company is protected by the First Amendment in posting it.

Gawker's lawyers had hoped to get Clem to testify, but he exercised his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination Wednesday and won't be taking the stand, reports the Tampa Bay Times.

Gawker claims Clem at one point told FBI investigators that he, Cole and Hogan all knew the sexual encounter was being filmed. Gawker had also wanted to question Clem about whether he conspired with Hogan to release the sex tape.

Father Pleads Guilty to Posing as Teen Boy to Get Explicit Photos of His Teen Daughter

A New York father has pleaded guilty to federal pornography and exploitation crimes after he pretended to be a 15-year-old boy and tricked his own daughter into an online relationship in which she sent him explicit photos, PEOPLE confirms.

But the crimes didn't end in the cyber world, prosecutors say. Authorities believe the father allegedly began sexually abusing his then 14-year-old daughter for about a year until the girl told a school nurse, who then alerted authorities, Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa Fletcher tells PEOPLE.

"It's especially diabolical," Fletcher says. "It's the ultimate betrayal of trust."

The man pleaded guilty Monday in U.S. District court in Syracuse, New York, to twelve counts including sexual exploitation of a child and receiving and distributing child pornography. He faces 15 to 250 years in prison at his July sentencing. He also faces sexual abuse and other charges in Herkimer County Court, District Attorney Jeffrey Carpenter tells PEOPLE.

'Boy' Threatened to Tell Teen Girl's Father

The plot began in October 2013 when the father made up a fake name and used photos of an unknown teen boy he found to set up Instagram and other online accounts and then began texting with the girl, Fletcher says.

The virtual relationship progressed to the point where they called each other boyfriend and girlfriend, even though they had never met in person. They engaged in sexually explicit chats, and he began asking her for nude photos, according to court documents.

Disturbed by the tone of the conversations, she tried to break it off with the person she thought was the 15-year-old boy. "All you talk about is sex sex and more sex. Honestly that's not what a relationship is about," she wrote to him, according to message excerpts contained in court filings.

But after he continued to badger her and threatened to tell her father about their chats as well as earlier photos of her in her underwear, she relented and sent him some explicit photos, adding, "Please don't make me send any more pictures. Please I beg you. I don't like it. I'm shaking really bad right now and I feel like I'm about to puke."

Says prosecutor Fletcher: "They call it 'sextortion.'" Fletcher added, "This would have been a crime even if he hadn't [allegedly] abused her."

On Thanksgiving Day, about a month after the texting began, according to Fletcher, the girl got a message she believed was from the boy's mother: It said the boy had killed himself.

Prosecutor: 'Probably the Most Unique Set of Facts I've Ever Seen'

Soon thereafter, prosecutors allege the man began molesting his daughter. "This case is probably the most unique set of facts I've ever seen, in terms of the length to which the cybercrimes went on, all in an effort to obtain sexually explicit photos," DA Carpenter tells PEOPLE.

While teens might think sexting can stay private, it often does not, he said. "Our youth needs to be educated that once an image of themselves goes on the Internet, it can never be destroyed," he said. "No one thinks of this, but it might be child pornography."

The man's attorney in the federal case did not return PEOPLE's call for comment. His lawyer in the state case, Cory Zennamo, said his client has pleaded not guilty on those state charges. "Just because someone pleads guilty in federal court doesn't mean he has a committed a crime in Herkimer County," he tells PEOPLE.

A trial on the state charges is scheduled for May.

FA CUP:::::Lukaku knockout former club as everton progress to th next stage

Everton have still yet to concede in the FA Cup this season

 EVERTON  2 - 0 CHELSEA

Romelu Lukaku scored twice against his former club and both sides had a man sent off as Everton beat Chelsea to reach the semi-finals of the FA Cup.

All of the action came in the last 13 minutes after Lukaku beat four men and finished to break the deadlock.
The Belgian then broke clear and finished low under Thibaut Courtois to seal the Toffees' spot in the semis.
Chelsea's Diego Costa saw red for a clash with Gareth Barry, who was dismissed after a second yellow card.

 

Edwin Van der Sar, 45, comes out of retirement to save a penalty

Edwin van der Sar announced he was to retire from the game in January 2011

Former Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar saved a penalty after coming out of retirement at the age of 45 to play for a Dutch amateur team.

Van der Sar answered an SOS after VV Noordwijk - his first senior club - were left without cover when their keeper picked up an injury.

The fourth-tier match against Jodan Boys ended 1-1 after Van der Sar saved an early penalty.

He is not expected to play for the club again.

"We are thrilled that Edwin wants to help," Noordwijk director Peter Vink told Voetbal in de Bollenstreek before the game.

Van der Sar spent five years at VV Noordwijk before joining Ajax, aged 20. He won four Dutch league titles and a Champions League title with the Amsterdam club. 

After Ajax he signed for Juventus, before arriving in English football with Fulham, who sold him to United.
He earned a record 130 caps for the Netherlands and collected four Premier League crowns and another Champions League title at United, before retiring in 2011.