Sitting comfortably on the couch, my daughter Savannah eagerly shared details about her new boyfriend with me.

“Mom, he’s incredibly handsome,” she exclaimed with delight.

I felt genuinely happy for her.

As the youngest of my three adult children, 27-year-old Savannah was a dedicated single mother to three boys. She lived in a self-contained apartment at my house and had her children with her every other week. They meant everything to her.

“I just want to be the best mom I can be for them,” she frequently expressed.

And in 2022, she introduced me to her new man, Anthony Deschepper, then 36.

They were clearly crazy about each other: Anthony couldn’t take his eyes off of her and was affectionate.

I liked him – and so did my grandsons then four, three and two. He soon became part of the family.

Savannah Kulla was a single mother to three boys, who were her whole world

‘I just want to be the best possible mom I can for them,’ Savannah often said

Savannah and her new man, Anthony Deschepper, were clearly crazy about each other. Anthony couldn’t take his eyes off of her and was affectionate

As the months passed though, I noticed Anthony always needed to know where Savannah was and who with.

He called constantly.

It seemed controlling to me, but Savannah explained it away: ‘It’s just he loves me so much.’

Then she got pregnant, and I knew – as much as she adored her sons – she yearned for a little girl.

Savannah – who loved hair, make-up, clothes and dance – squealed with excitement when she discovered she was expecting a daughter.

‘Oh mom, I can’t wait,’ she said. ‘All those pretty clothes I can buy.’

Anthony was happy, too, though he and Savannah were arguing frequently.

She rebelled against his constant need to know her whereabouts at all times.

‘I can’t move, mom. It’s suffocating,’ she once told me.

Yelling at her one day in the street he pulled a gun and fired it, fleeing before police arrived. When they caught him, he was charged with reckless discharge of a firearm.

At a preliminary hearing we discovered he’d been charged with firearms offences before and banned from owning guns in 2006 and 2019. So, I was shocked when he was released on bail pending trial.

I begged Savannah to not have anything more to do with him, and she promised she wouldn’t. To my relief, she got a restraining order against him.

It was still in place at the end of May 2024 when she had her daughter, Skyla-Rose.

‘I feel so complete now,’ Savannah gushed as she cradled her newborn in the delivery room.

The court order prevented Anthony seeing his baby, which Savannah felt bad about – not that she should have.

She insisted that she still loved him and allowed him to see the baby once. Then, when the restraining order lapsed, she let him worm his way back into her life.

‘He’s promised he’s changed,’ she told me.

‘Men like that don’t change, love,’ I replied.

They had a volatile on-off relationship, and by May 2025, Savannah realized Anthony would always try to control her. That’s when she dumped him for good.

But he wouldn’t take no for an answer, following her and calling her up to 70 times a day.

Soft-hearted as always, she still let him see Skyla-Rose.

A couple months later, Savannah had friends over for the day. Anthony called later and knew all about it.

‘Mom, it was like he was watching us,’ she told me.

Suspicious, she searched her bedroom and found a tiny pin-hole camera in the wall and others around the apartment.

He’d been spying on her.

‘I can’t stand this anymore,’ she said. ‘I want nothing to do with him.’

Anthony bombarded her with flowers and notes saying how much he loved her. I urged her to get another restraining order.

‘It’s not going to do any good,’ she said. ‘He just won’t leave me alone.’

She didn’t know what to do or where to turn. The courts had bailed him and she tried the police, but there was nothing they could do.

Then, at the end of September 2025, Anthony vanished.

As much as she adored her sons – Savannah yearned for a little girl, so she squealed with excitement when she discovered she was expecting a daughter

At the end of May 2024, she had her daughter. ‘I feel so complete now,’ Savannah gushed

Anthony and Savannah had a volatile on-off relationship

Savannah got a call from one of his friends saying he’d been suicidal and taken off. They had called the police, and Anthony’s car was found abandoned. He had left a suicide note for Savannah.

Heartbroken, she read it to me.

‘Tell Skyla-Rose her mom was the cause of me dying,’ he’d written. ‘I love you so much Savannah, but this is all your fault.’

She was distraught. She was the sort of girl that wouldn’t hurt a fly, and the thought she might be responsible for someone’s death was torture.

‘I don’t want to be with him, but I don’t want him dead,’ she said sobbing.

Hoping he hadn’t gone through with it, she called him constantly but there was no answer. She went to see his friends and all the places he frequented, but there was no sign of him.

As each day passed, she sank deeper into despair. After six days, she gave up hope.

Then she got a shock phone call: it was Anthony. He faked his own suicide.

She said when she answered his call, he just laughed like it was a big joke.

‘He did it to torment and manipulate me,’ she told me. ‘Who would do something like that to someone they said they loved?’

It turned out some of his friends knew he’d faked his own suicide and even helped him hide from Savannah.

Whether he did it out of spite or in an attempt to show Savannah the depth of his feelings in the hope she’d get back with him we couldn’t work out.

‘Either way, he put me through hell,’ she said.

I worried what else that man was capable of.

‘I think if I did stay with him, he’d end up killing me,’ Savannah said.

While she wasn’t going back to him, she maintained contact for her daughter. And on October 21, just weeks later, she told me she was dropping Skyla-Rose, then 17 months, with Anthony for a few hours while she picked up the boys from their dad.

She assured me it would be fine: ‘Despite everything, I think he loves me.’

That afternoon, I opened the front door to two police officers.

They told me she was dead. And they didn’t know where Skyla-Rose was.

I think I screamed; it’s a blur.

Witnesses saw Savannah hand the baby to Anthony in a strip mall parking lot.

As he put her in the back seat of his car, he snapped at her, asking for the diaper bag. When she turned back to her car to get it, he snarled, ‘You forgot the damn nappy bag.’

Then he pulled out a gun and fired at Savannah six times. Three bullets hit her.

Paramedics fought to save her life, but my daughter died in that parking lot.

And I was certain Anthony would murder my granddaughter too.

Police issued a public alert and that evening they found her with one of Anthony’s relatives.

Anthony, however, was still at large.

I was terrified, wondering if Savannah’s boys, her siblings or I were at risk.

The next day, police arrived to tell me they’d cornered Anthony in a gas station eighty miles away and shot him dead.

I was relieved.

When I saw Savannah’s boys, Joseph, six, Mathew, five and Kalem, four, they were crying for their mom. They understood Anthony was a bad man, had hurt their mom and she was never coming home again. They went to live with their dad.

In our community in Ontario, Canada, Savannah had developed a reputation for helping anyone in need. And as such, people were outraged by her murder.

Patrick Brown, our mayor in Brampton, summed it up: ‘There are numerous reasons the killer should have been in custody. If one of them was adhered to, Savannah would be alive. When someone has a documented history of violence, firearms offences and abuse, releasing them on bail is not justice, it’s absolute negligence.’

‘Two police officers told me she was dead. And they didn’t know where Skyla-Rose was. I think I screamed; it’s a blur,’ writes Karen Kulla (right)

In Ontario, Canada, Savannah had developed a reputation for helping anyone in need. And as such, people were outraged by her murder

Anthony, who had previously been charged with firearms offences, was shot dead by police after killing Savannah

When a man constantly monitors your whereabouts, it’s not because he misses you, it’s because he’s tracking you.

That’s exactly how I saw it.

I couldn’t view my daughter because of her terrible injuries, not that I wanted to remember her the way Anthony left her.

In her coffin, I had her dressed in pink and buried her with pictures of the kids.

More than 1,200 people came to Savannah’s celebration of life. It was a freezing cold day, and I watched my daughter put into the ground as we released white doves.

My heart broke.

But I want Savannah’s story to live on.

When he wants to spend all his time with you and gets angry if you’re with family or friends, it’s not because he loves you so much, it’s control.

By the time the name calling, belittling and physical abuse starts, women are usually in too deep to escape.

It’s why I advocate for bail reform that makes it more difficult for abusers to be released. Because right now, it’s almost as if all the police can do is say, ‘Give us a call when he kills you, then we’ll do something.’

That’s not good enough.

My daughter was a beautiful, kind girl, looking for love and with a lot of love to give. Most men would have cherished her.

Anthony seemed like he did, but, in reality, he wanted to own Savannah. When he finally realized he couldn’t, the monster made sure nobody else ever would either.

On April 18, the fragile 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon was put to the test following an ambush in southern Lebanon that resulted in the death of a French soldier. The incident, involving alleged “human shield” tactics by Hezbollah, has raised concerns about another country being drawn into the conflict, according to a defense analyst.

Additionally, an Israel Defense Forces reservist lost his life and nine soldiers were injured—one critically—when their engineering vehicle hit a bomb reportedly planted by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, the military confirmed.

Kobi Michael, a senior researcher at the INSS and the Misgav Institute in Tel Aviv, commented on Hezbollah’s longstanding preparations for Israel’s presence in the region. He noted that the Iranian-supported group has maintained its typical terror tactics, even amid the latest ceasefire and the IDF’s March return to southern Lebanon.

“This strategy involves human shields, exploiting civilian populations and sensitive sites to hide weapons and conduct terrorist operations,” Michael explained to Fox News Digital.

A displaced resident carrying flag of Hezbollah, travels through the Qasmieh area on the way back to her home in the southern Lebanon (Ibrahim AMRO / AFP via Getty Images)

“Hezbollah worked for decades to build an entire facility, part of it underground, below private residential buildings and houses, preparing themselves for a surprise attack on Israel,” Michael added.

“They were well-prepared to defend themselves once the IDF entered and tried to fight them,” he said.

France’s foreign minister said the soldier was killed in a close-range ambush and struck by a direct shot.

The minister said the attack happened during a patrol clearing explosives near Ghandouriyeh, when troops came under small-arms fire from “non-state actors,” a term often used to refer to groups like Hezbollah.

“They operate in the Shiite villages and among the Shiite population who are supported by Hezbollah,” Michael said, before describing how “most people in these southern villages are connected to Hezbollah” in one way or another and are “heavily dependent on the terror organization.”

Hezbollah terrorists are shown in this image. A “terrorist network” funded and operated by Hezbollah and Iran has been foiled in the United Arab Emirates, according to a report. (Fadel Itani/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

“All community life and infrastructure in these Shiite villages and towns are an effective cover for terror purposes and Hezbollah activities,” he added.

French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed the soldier’s death.

“Sgt. Maj. Florian Montorio of the 17th Parachute Engineer Regiment in Montauban was killed this morning in southern Lebanon during an attack against UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon),” Macron said. “Three of his comrades were wounded and evacuated.”

“All indications suggest that Hezbollah is responsible for this attack. France demands that the Lebanese authorities immediately arrest those responsible and take responsibility alongside UNIFIL,” Macron added.

Michael, however, claimed Macron’s response was, in some ways, inconsistent, as the president has been drawn into the war.

At first, France had called Israeli strikes on Lebanon on April 8 “intolerable” and opposed a ground offensive.

French President Emmanuel Macron hold a press conference on July 10, 2025 in London, England. (Leon Neal)

Israel’s ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter, also expressed his wish to keep Macron out of ceasefire negotiations, highlighting tensions surrounding his policy.

“When it comes to Hezbollah breaches against Israel, the French demand Israel restrain and contain, but when it comes to one of their soldiers, they are furious at Hezbollah,” Michael said.

“That said, Hezbollah has breached the ceasefire agreement since its first moment,” Michael added.

Hezbollah has since denied the ambush, with the soldier’s death still underscoring the volatility of the 10-day ceasefire, which came into effect April 16.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the attack in a statement and said an initial assessment by the UN Interim Force in Lebanon found it was carried out by Hezbollah.

According to the U.S. State Department, under the terms of the 2026 ceasefire, brought about by negotiations between Israel and Lebanon, Israel retains the right to act in self-defense against threats, while Lebanon must take steps to prevent attacks by Hezbollah and other armed groups.

Rescue workers search for victims at the site of an Israeli airstrike that hit a crowded neighbourhood south of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, April 5, 2026. (Hussein Malla/AP Photo)

Lebanon’s security forces are solely responsible for national security, and both sides have asked the U.S. to continue facilitating talks to resolve remaining issues.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) also said it carried out strikes in response to what it described as “ceasefire violations by Hezbollah.”

Michael also emphasized Iran’s continued influence as Hezbollah operates in southern Lebanon as an “unrestrained political force.”

“Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is still in charge of Hezbollah,” he added, before saying that the Lebanese army is also “unwilling to fight or confront Hezbollah.”

“First, because of the Shiite segment of this army that identifies with Hezbollah, and secondly, because it is afraid that confronting Hezbollah will lead to a civil war, a trauma they still have since the first one in 1975, lasting 15 years — until 1990.”

Michael added: “The Shiite militia, also controlled by Iran, is not subordinate to state authority, enabling Hezbollah to operate as an unrestrained political force within the Lebanese political system.”

According to former President Donald Trump, U.S. forces targeted an Iranian cargo vessel attempting to breach an American blockade along Iran’s coastline. The incident was publicized by Trump on Truth Social this past Sunday, just a day before scheduled U.S.-Iran peace discussions in Pakistan.

Trump described the scenario involving the Iranian ship, TOUSKA, which he noted was nearly 900 feet in length and comparable in weight to an aircraft carrier. He claimed that the ship tried to navigate past the U.S. Naval blockade, but the attempt was thwarted.

The former president stated that the USS Spruance, a U.S. Navy Guided Missile Destroyer, engaged with the TOUSKA in the Gulf of Oman. According to Trump, the American forces issued a clear warning for the Iranian vessel to halt its course.

Despite these warnings, the Iranian crew allegedly did not comply, prompting the U.S. Navy to take decisive action. Trump reported that the Navy responded by disabling the ship through targeted fire that breached its engine room.

‘The Iranian crew refused to listen, so our Navy ship stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engineroom (sic). 

‘Right now, U.S. Marines have custody of the vessel. The TOUSKA is under U.S. Treasury Sanctions because of their prior history of illegal activity. 

‘We have full custody of the ship, and are seeing what’s on board!’

The US military began blockading all vessels attempting to leave or enter Iranian ports or the Iranian coastline, including the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, on April 17. 

American troops have blown a hole through an Iranian cargo ship after it attempted to pass through the US blockade of the country’s coastline, according to Donald Trump 

The president touted the attack via Truth Social on Sunday afternoon, ahead of peace talks between negotiators from the US and Iran in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Monday

The blockade began when US negotiators failed to broker a peace deal with Iran on April 12, and JD Vance returned from Islamabad empty handed.

Joined by US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, Vance is set to return to the Pakistani capital on Monday in a second attempt to secure an end to the conflict. 

Trump warned earlier on Sunday that he would order the US military to ‘knock out every single power plant and every single bridge’ in Iran if a peace deal is not made. 

‘We’re offering a very fair and reasonable DEAL, and I hope they take it because, if they don’t, the United States is going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran,’ Trump wrote. 

‘NO MORE MR. NICE GUY! They’ll come down fast, they’ll come down easy and, if they don’t take the DEAL, it will be my Honor to do what has to be done, which should have been done to Iran, by other Presidents, for the last 47 years. 

‘IT’S TIME FOR THE IRAN KILLING MACHINE TO END!’

Iran doubled down on its pledge to restrict ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz as long as the US blockade of Iranian ports remains in place, as mediators scrambled to extend the ceasefire.

The dueling blockades have complicated Pakistani-led mediation attempts and raised questions about whether the two-week truce can be extended. 

Writing on Truth Social on Sunday, President Donald Trump said that Iran had ‘decided to fire bullets yesterday in the Strait of Hormuz’ at a French ship and a freighter from the UK

‘It is impossible for others to pass through the Strait of Hormuz while we cannot,’ Iranian parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said in an interview aired on state television late Saturday.

Qalibaf, who is Iran’s chief negotiator in talks with the United States, slammed the US blockade as a ‘naive decision made out of ignorance’.

He said Iran was still seeking peace despite deep-seated distrust of the United States.

‘There will be no retreat in the field of diplomacy,’ he said, acknowledging that the gap between the two sides remained wide.

Iran had announced the strait’s reopening after a 10-day truce between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon took hold on Friday. 

But after Trump said the US blockade of Iran’s ports ‘will remain in full force’ until Tehran reaches a deal with the United States. 

The president warned he would order the US military to ‘knock out every single power plant and every single bridge’ in Iran if they refuse the next peace deal. (Pictured: Smoke rising from buildings in the Iranian capital of Tehran on March 2, 2026, amid the ongoing conflict)

Iran said it would continue enforcing its restrictions in the strait.

After a brief uptick in transit attempts on Saturday, vessels in the Persian Gulf held their positions, wary after two India-flagged ships were fired on mid-transit and forced to turn around. 

Their retreat returned the strait, through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil trade normally passes, to its pre-ceasefire status quo, threatening to deepen the global energy crisis and push the parties toward renewed conflict.

For Iran, the strait’s closure – imposed after the US and Israel launched the war on February 28 during talks over Tehran’s nuclear program – is perhaps its most powerful weapon, threatening the world economy and inflicting political pain on Trump. 

For the United States, the blockade squeezes Iran’s already weakened economy and pressures its government by denying it long-term cash flow.

After years of trying to find a home for his great-grandfather’s collection of old silent films, a Pennsylvania man has achieved success in the most unexpected way. The Library of Congress has identified one trunk’s contents as holding the last known copy of the earliest science fiction film ever made.

Bill McFarland had been hauling around two dusty trunks filled with his great-grandfather’s vintage films, attempting to sell them to antique shops, museums, and even on eBay, but to no avail. It wasn’t until a film digitizing company recognized the collection’s significance and suggested he contact the Library of Congress, as reported by the Times Observer.

When archivists at the library received the trunks, they made an incredible find. Among the forgotten reels was a 56-second film from 1897, titled “Gugusse et l’Automate” or “The Clown and the Automaton.” This film is the last known original of what is widely regarded as the first science fiction film ever produced.

The film collection belonged to McFarland’s great-grandfather, William DeLyle Frisbee, affectionately known as “Professor Frisbee.” He was a traveling showman who spent about 30 years, beginning in the late 19th century, performing in rural schoolhouses and churches across northwestern Pennsylvania and northeastern Ohio.

Frisbee’s traveling show kit was a treasure trove of entertainment from the era, including hand-painted glass magic lantern slides, an Edison phonograph, and eventually silent movies on nitrate film. McFarland discovered that nitrate film is notoriously dangerous, with the potential to explode or burn even when submerged in water.

But after the trunks sat in storage for decades, McFarland set out to find them a proper home, he told the outlet.

McFarland’s friend Dan Sorensen helped shopped the collection to antique stores, museums and online film forums, but nobody wanted them until the Library of Congress recognized for the first time how unique the collection was, reports said.

The William DeLyle Frisbee Collection, which contains 42 films, now rests in a climate-controlled vault at the Packard Campus in Virginia — a Cold War-era bunker once built for the Federal Reserve Bank and later refurbished into a state-of-the-art film preservation facility before being donated back to the government.

A troubling case has emerged in Hinsdale, Illinois, involving a former high school lacrosse coach who is now facing serious legal charges. Allegations of inappropriate conduct with a student from another district have led to the arrest of 38-year-old Alex Buetikofer, a resident of Lisle.

According to the Kendall County Sheriff’s Office, Buetikofer was apprehended by Joliet police on Saturday. He is currently facing multiple charges, including grooming, solicitation to meet a child, a sexual offense of traveling to meet a minor, and aggravated battery.

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In light of these developments, Dr. Michal Lach, Superintendent of District 86, reached out to families with a letter over the weekend. The correspondence revealed that the district became aware of the allegations against Buetikofer, who was an assistant boys lacrosse coach at Hinsdale Central High School, on March 18. The accusations pertain to his previous tenure as a teacher in another Illinois school district.

Upon learning of the allegations, District 86 acted promptly to ensure student safety, ending all ties with Buetikofer by March 19. His formal termination followed shortly after, on March 26.

Superintendent Lach assured the community that, at present, there is no indication that students from Hinsdale Central are involved in the allegations. Nevertheless, the district is fully cooperating with law enforcement authorities as the investigation unfolds.

Further information was not immediately available.

British counterterrorism police are currently investigating a series of arson attacks on Jewish sites in London, with suspicions that these incidents may be linked to Iranian proxies. The concern comes as a chief rabbi notes an alarming increase in such attacks.

The Metropolitan Police have confirmed that specialized counterterrorism officers are looking into fires that have occurred at synagogues, Jewish community centers, and a Persian-language media outlet known for its criticism of the Iranian regime.

The most recent attack took place on Saturday night, causing minor damage to a synagogue in north London. Fortunately, no injuries have been reported in any of the incidents, which have all occurred within a close radius of each other.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans stated that investigators are considering the claims made by a group calling itself Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, which translates to the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right. This group has reportedly claimed responsibility for several of the attacks.

Police presence has been increased in the affected areas, including around the Kenton United Synagogue in Harrow, a suburb of London, as seen on April 19, 2026. (Photo by Jamie Lashmar/PA)

“We are aware of public reporting that suggests this group may have links to Iran. As you would expect, we will continue to explore that question as our investigation evolves,” she said.

“I’ve spoken previously about the Iranian regime’s use of criminal proxies, and we’re considering whether this tactic is being used here in London,” Evans added.

Authorities say the group — which Israel has described as a possible Iranian proxy — has also claimed synagogue attacks in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Police have flooded northwest London with additional officers after a series of incidents in recent weeks, including the torching of four Jewish charity ambulances in the Golders Green neighborhood on March 23.

A police officer investigates after an attempted arson attack at Finchley Reform Synagogue in north London on April 15, 2026. Metropolitan Police are seeking two suspects after bottles believed to contain gasoline were thrown at the building. (Toby Shepheard/AFP/Getty Images)

Several suspects, ranging from teenagers to people in their 40s, have already been arrested and charged.

Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis warned on X that “a sustained campaign of violence and intimidation against the Jewish community of the UK is gathering momentum.”

“Thank God, no lives have been lost, but we cannot, and must not, wait for that to change before we understand just how dangerous this moment is for all of our society,” he added.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the violence, calling the attacks “abhorrent” and vowing those responsible “will be found and brought to justice.”

Police are seen outside a synagogue in London on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, following an attempted arson attack. (Toby Shepheard/AFP/Getty Images)

The threat level rose further after the group released a video claiming it would target Israel’s embassy in London with drones carrying hazardous substances. Police shut down nearby Kensington Gardens while investigating suspicious items but said no dangerous materials were found.

British officials have long warned that Iran uses criminal networks to carry out attacks in Europe. MI5 says it disrupted more than 20 potentially lethal Iran-linked plots in the past year.

Police issued a blunt warning to any “thugs for hire” involved in such attacks.

“Let’s be really clear — it’s a mug’s game,” said Deputy Commissioner Matt Jukes. “That’s what people who are now serving long prison sentences have found out, and the same fate awaits those responsible for these recent crimes.”

Investigators say the probe remains ongoing as authorities work to determine whether the attacks are part of a coordinated foreign-backed campaign.

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