Murders

Aug. 14 (UPI) — Violent crime, including the estimated rate for murders and certain manslaughters, showed record year-to-year decreases in the United States during 2025, the FBI reported Friday.

Figures from its Uniform Crime Reporting Program showed murder and nonnegligent manslaughter offenses decreased an estimated 18.1% with the murder rate falling to 4.1 per 100,000 inhabitants — tied with 1955 and 1956 for the lowest murder rate ever recorded, the agency found.

The numbers from 2024 to 2025 “marked the largest year-to-year decline in violent crime rates since FBI estimations began in 1936,” the FBI said.

Meanwhile, while rape offenses decreased an estimated 7.6%, aggravated assault figures went down an estimated 7.2% and robbery offenses fell an estimated 18.5%.

Both the violent crime and murder rates have decreased annually since spiking in 2022, NBC News reported.

Friday’s release of the detailed numbers came after a May announcement in which FBI Director Kash Patel touted the lower crime numbers.

“The 2025 crime data in this report shows the single largest decrease in violent crime and murder since 1937 — as well as huge decreases across the board in terms of aggravated assault, rape, and robbery,” he said.

“Over the last 14 months, we made major transformations at the FBI, and these results show those changes are working. This FBI will continue to stack these wins for the American people under President [Donald] Trump and always Back the Blue every step of the way.”

Trump himself praised the FBI’s findings Friday during a rally-style appearance in front of law enforcement officers in Garden City, N.Y.

“I’d like to thank all the people in this room and say I am thrilled to announce that the FBI have released the new uniform crime report that in 2025 we achieved the single largest reduction in violent crime in American history,” he said.

Trump tied the lower crime numbers to his administration’s crackdown on immigration enforcement.

“Last year there were over 3,000 murderers and we allowed them through this stupid open borders policy… 25 million people to come into our country many of them, the people, that I just said, drug dealers, prisoners, from all over the world, they came in from the Congo, South America,” he claimed.

“Despite that, we have the best crime record in recorded history.”

The beloved crime drama first aired on the BBC back in 2001 and ran for seven years before coming to an end.

A popular BBC programme based on a bestselling book series has been hailed ‘one of the best of all the Brit mysteries’.

Over 20 years ago, BBC viewers saw a new detective duo hit the screens as actors Nathaniel Parker and Sharon Small took on the roles of DI Thomas “Tommy” Lynley and DS Barbara Havers.

The Inspector Lynley Mysteries, which is based on the crime novels by author Elizabeth George, follows the unlikely duo as they solve complex murder cases.

With DI Lynley coming from an aristocratic background and DS Havers hailing from a working-class life, the pair frequently butt heads due to their conflicting personalities.

Originally, the show aired in 2001 and ran for seven years and features a range of odd cases.

Over the years, viewers saw public school disappearances, political conspiracies and aristocratic family murders.

Speaking about the show coming to an end, actor Nathaniel shared that the actors didn’t know the series wasn’t coming back when they filmed.

He told Entertainment Weekly in the past: “Well, it’s kind of strange because when we shot it we didn’t know it would be the end. They canceled the series after we finished shooting, so there is no tie-up to it.

“There’s been quite a sweet response, a wonderful response really, here and in Europe. I mean around the world, really. Lots of petitions and things like that sent to the BBC.

“It’s been slightly embarrassing. I was asked by a bunch of people in Amsterdam — 17,500 viewers — to accept their petition to take back to the BBC. But I think the BBC would look at me and say, “God, you must be really desperate for work!”

Although the series came to an end in 2008, with a revival airing last year, its still remained a beloved show with BBC viewers.

On IMDb, one person said: “A magnificent duo – up there with Holmes & Watson, Morse & Lewis […] Both characters are utterly convincing and indeed inspiring as people. There are many duos as detectives, but this is one of the best.”

Someone else wrote: “Better than the books by far. Having seen the television version before reading the books, I can heartily recommend the video version over the print one.”

Another shared: “One of the best of all the Brit mysteries. Everything about this show works well — the plotting, the acting, the direction, the sets — but what is truly above average is the relationship that slowly develops between the two stars, making this show both a mystery program and a character-based one. Watching these two actors grow into their roles while solving well-written cases is deeply satisfying.”

While a fourth commented: “Very Enjoyable Series. I find this series very satisfying. It is character-driven and has compelling dialogue between Lynley and Sgt Havers. Havers is the real star of the show.”

Inspector Lynley Mysteries is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

Need to know

Netflix’s The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare is a true crime documentary exploring the 2022 murders of four University of Idaho students.

Everything you need to know about Bryan Kohberger and The Idaho Murders

1. Netflix viewers have branded the streaming giant’s latest true crime documentary ‘a hard watch’ as it explores the horrifying Idaho student murders.
2. The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare investigates the brutal stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students in November 2022. Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and her boyfriend Ethan Chapin were killed in an off-campus house in Moscow, Idaho.
3. Two roommates survived the attack by hiding in a bedroom after one heard screams and saw a man dressed in black. As one viewer commented on Reddit: ‘This show does a really good job of looking at the victims as people. It’s really heartbreaking.’
4. Bryan Christopher Kohberger, a PhD criminology student, was arrested and sentenced to four consecutive life sentences without parole in July 2025. However, he later filed a petition seeking to withdraw his guilty pleas and proceed to trial.
5. The motive behind the killings has never been disclosed and there appears to be no connection between the victims and Kohberger prior to the attack other than that he was studying at the nearby Washington State University.
6. Documentary director Skye Borgman said families wanted to show the victims as ‘alive, bright, happy, amazing people’ rather than just victims. The series focuses on remembering what was lost rather than glorifying the killer. Survivors continue to struggle with guilt, with a friend revealing: “They’re going to be dealing with this for the rest of their lives.”

READ THE FULL STORY: Idaho Murders victims, arrest and timeline as ‘heartbreaking’ Netflix doc lands

Aquilino’s uncle David Bonomi said his nephew was a “friendly, talented artist” who had been killed in a “brutal, cruel and evil manner”.

He said the family had reported him missing as it was “very unusual for him not to have been in contact” as he called his mother every day.

Speaking earlier about the review of the four unexplained deaths, Det Supt Rachael Bentley, from Devon and Cornwall Police, said: “As a major crime investigation team we were informed by the coroner’s officer for His Majesty’s Coroner that there were four deaths at Sandy Lodge.

“As part of the investigation, a detective inspector, separate to the investigation but within major crime, did a review of those deaths, and that included commissioning some more forensic work, some CCTV, and statements.”

Inquiries were ongoing and Desborough was “not a suspect at this time”, Bentley said.

“We don’t believe there is a link at this time, but I said it’s an ongoing investigation,” she said

She said police attended each of the deaths at Sandy Lodge and inquiries suggested natural causes but coronial investigations were paused when Desborough was arrested for murder.

The three-episode documentary includes bodycam footage, texts and interviews with the victims’ loved ones.

Netflix viewers have branded the streamer’s latest true crime documentary “a hard watch”. The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare is on Netflix and the harrowing factual series investigates the horrifying murders of four University of Idaho students.

The students were fatally stabbed in an off-campus house in the early hours of the morning, but the motive behind the killings has never been disclosed.

The tragic deaths were covered extensively in the press and the case has been revisited in a number of TV shows, including Prime Video’s One Night in Idaho: The College Murders.

Viewers have already shared their thoughts on the Netflix documentary, with one saying on Reddit: “This show does a really good job of looking at the victims as people. It’s really heartbreaking.”

Another commented on Instagram: “This is going to be a very hard watch,” while another shared: “This case still haunts me.” Here is all you need to know about what happened.

When did the Idaho Murders happen?

The murders took place in the early morning hours of November 13, 2022, in an off-campus house in Moscow, Idaho.

Five roommates, plus a partner of one of the students, were in the house by 2am after spending the night at various locations.

Bethany Funke and Dylan Mortensen were two of the students who survived the attack, both hiding in the same bedroom.

In February 2023, a friend of the survivors spoke to PEOPLE about how the roommates were still impacted by the murders, saying: “They feel a lot of survivor’s guilt.

“Their friends are gone and they’re still here. It’s been really rough on them. They’re going to be dealing with this for the rest of their lives.”

Who were the Idaho Murders victims?

Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and her boyfriend Ethan Chapin were the four victims and they had all been close friends. On the night they were killed, survivor Dylan, who was a junior at the time and living in a room off the side of the kitchen, heard someone scream in the house.

She recalled how she thought she overheard an unfamiliar male voice saying: “It’s okay. I’m going to help you”. Feeling nervous, she ran to her door and locked it, trying to call all of her roommates, but nobody was answering.

She went over to her door and opened it to see a man dressed in all black, but he did not approach her. She returned to her room, where she called Bethany Funke, later joining her in her bedroom, where the two locked themselves in.

The Netflix documentary’s director, Skye Borgman, said she was keen for the film to focus on the victims and not their killer.

She said: “When I was able to sit down and talk to the families, both before we started shooting and during the shooting, that’s one thing that they really wanted to get across: They weren’t just victims.

“They were alive, bright, happy, amazing people. And it was really important for them to tell this story and to put that message forward — what we lost.”

Who was charged for the killings?

On December 30, 2022, police arrested Bryan Christopher Kohberger on four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary.

At the time of the murders, he was a PhD student completing his first semester at Washington State University in Pullman.

In July 2025, the doctoral student in criminology was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences in prison without parole, as well as another ten years for burglary, after issuing guilty pleas.

In July 2026, Kohberger filed a handwritten petition seeking to withdraw his guilty pleas and proceed to trial. The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare is on Netflix

Juliet Aubrey, who has enjoyed a long and varied acting career, previously recalled her experience working with John Nettles on Midsomer Murders

An actress who previously worked alongside John Nettles on Midsomer Murders has used just one word to sum him up.

Juliet Aubrey appeared with the DCI Tom Barnaby star in a 2006 episode, and has reminisced about her experience on the much-loved ITV crime drama.

The screen and stage performer, perhaps best recognised for portraying Dorothea in the BBC’s 1994 adaptation of Middlemarch, which earned her a Bafta, has since appeared in Snatch, Primeval, All Creatures Great and Small and The White Queen.

However, when questioned about one particular role, she had nothing but praise to share.

“That was fun, that was a really fun role because she was quite an extreme character,” Juliet revealed, discussing Midsomer Murders.

She continued: “She’s a horse-riding nymphomaniac basically! [It was] lots of fun doing that.”

Reflecting on her experience with the ensemble, Juliet remarked: “The cast on Midsomer Murders, they were lovely, they were great… John Nettles was wonderful,” reports the Express.

“It’s nice going in and doing a storyline and then coming out and doing something else, rather than being stuck in a series for a long time.”

Despite her extensive catalogue across numerous television programmes, Juliet maintained she doesn’t pick favourites.

She explained: “There are just so many wonderful parts, and at the time you think they’re a favourite and then the next one comes along and you go, this one.

“I mean, there’s so much variety… to be able to asked to play all these very, very different characters, it’s been wonderful, love it.”

Having taken on a variety of screen roles, Juliet has returned to the stage, and is presently appearing in a production of The Marquise.

“I always used to do loads of theatre, that’s my whole background,” she shared.

Discussing the Noel Coward play in which she’s currently performing, she added: “It’s very fast-paced, lots of laughs, and it’s about love and betrayal and lust and hope and new beginnings, all of that, it’s really good fun.”

She continued: “It’s completely different to anything I’ve ever played before. It’s comedy, and it’s really nice to be getting into a really happy place every day, and she’s fantastic.”

Midsomer Murders is available to watch on ITVX.