“Knowledge is a key forged in fire—those who turn it must be willing to burn. At The Hellish Tribune, we don’t just unlock forbidden doors… we kick them open.”
— Geryon, Editor-in-Chief
The Hellish Tribune – Memorial Edition
A special edition honoring the lives and tragic ends of four individuals whose paths were marked by suffering, loss, and sorrow.
Freddie Newcome – Once a Star, Now a Fallen Legend
Authorities were dispatched early Sunday morning to the San Lucas Apartments, where they discovered the body of 53-year-old former NFL wide receiver Freddie Newcome. The one-time sports icon was found unresponsive inside his modest unit, surrounded by an unsettling number of empty prescription bottles. While the coroner has yet to issue an official cause of death, initial reports suggest a fatal overdose. Investigators believe the evidence points to suicide.
Freddie Newcome was once a name spoken with awe—a blazing talent with the hands of a magician and the speed to burn any defense. In his rookie year, he turned heads league-wide, earning both accolades and fear from opponents. His follow-up campaign, which earned him an Offensive Player of the Year nomination, only confirmed what fans already knew: Freddie was on the fast track to greatness.
Then came the injury.
One wrong cut on a routine play changed everything. Torn ligaments and shattered cartilage marked the beginning of a slow, painful descent. He attempted a comeback—brief, ill-fated. Just two plays into his return, the same knee gave out. Cameras caught the grimace on his face as the cart wheeled him off the field, a haunting precursor to the wheelchair he would call home for nearly a decade.
What followed was a rapid spiral. Chronic pain led to prescriptions. Prescriptions led to dependency. And that, in time, led to far darker addictions. The millions he once earned evaporated in a blur of cars, luxury homes, and fleeting distractions. When his wife, Sheree, filed for divorce, it was less a shock than a formality. Those close to him say that the man who once danced in the end zone had become a ghost in his own life.
Freddie Newcome is gone now—a legend fallen not on the field, but in the quiet dark of a small apartment no spotlight ever reached.
Harold Wagner – Two Tragedies, One Broken Man
Coldbrook — Tragedy struck twice in the span of a single day for Harold Wagner, 53, whose life ended Saturday night by apparent suicide just hours after learning his entire family had perished in a devastating car accident.
Earlier that afternoon, police arrived at the Wagner residence bearing the kind of news no one is ever prepared to hear. Harold’s wife, Sharon Wagner, had been driving their three children—Jared, 15; David, 13; and infant daughter Casy, 1—when their vehicle was struck by a truck that reportedly barreled through a red light near the Valley Crossings Shopping Center. Witnesses described the scene as “apocalyptic,” with mangled metal and shattered glass littering the intersection. All four occupants of the Wagner vehicle died instantly. The truck’s driver, 42-year-old Damian Cain, survived with only minor injuries and is currently under investigation.
Neighbors said Harold was visibly shaken when officers first broke the news. ‘He just collapsed,’ one neighbor recalled. ‘Like someone cut the strings that were holding him together.’
Just a few hours later, shortly after 11 p.m., a 911 call reported the unmistakable sound of a single gunshot echoing from the same home. Officers returned to find Harold Wagner alone in the master bedroom, a handgun beside him. He had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
Friends describe Harold as a quiet but devoted family man—an accountant by trade, a youth baseball coach by passion. ‘He lived for those kids,’ said one friend. ‘They were everything.’
What remains now is an empty home, and a community in mourning over a family erased in a single, terrible day.
Jacob Anderson – A Wedding Day That Ended in Silence
Georgetown — What began as a day of promise ended in sorrow and shock when Jacob Anderson, 53, took his own life Saturday afternoon—just hours after his bride-to-be fled from the altar during their wedding ceremony.
According to witnesses, the small riverside wedding had just begun when Terri Graves, 44, abruptly turned and ran down the aisle, abandoning her groom in front of stunned guests. Those present described a moment of eerie silence as Jacob stood frozen, bouquet still in hand, his face a mixture of disbelief and devastation.
‘He didn’t chase after her,’ said one attendee. ‘He just stood there, like the world had stopped.’
Authorities believe that later that same day, overwhelmed by grief, Mr. Anderson drove his vehicle off the Old Towne Bridge and into the icy waters of the Patomac River. Divers recovered his body hours later. The car was still locked. He had made no attempt to escape.
Jacob Anderson, known to many as a soft-spoken librarian with a passion for poetry and old films, was described by friends as kindhearted and devoted. ‘He wasn’t just planning a wedding,’ a friend said. ‘He was building a future. And when it crumbled in front of him, he had nothing left.’
He is survived by his parents, Matthew and Jessica Anderson, aged 75 and 71. Attempts to contact Ms. Graves have thus far been unsuccessful.
Julie Dunbar – A Chain of Violence Rooted in Betrayal
Riverside — A quiet business district was thrust into chaos Saturday afternoon when 53-year-old Julie Dunbar took her own life in front of stunned bystanders, moments after fatally shooting a member of her company’s management staff. The tragedy, already harrowing in scope, deepened further when police later discovered two additional bodies in her home—victims of what investigators believe was a devastating chain of violence rooted in betrayal.
Witnesses say Ms. Dunbar had arrived at her office visibly distressed and was seen arguing with supervisors. Sources confirm she had been terminated earlier that morning due to repeated absences. According to one employee, she left the building without incident—only to return minutes later with a firearm.
In a brief, terrifying moment, Ms. Dunbar shot and killed a member of management before making her way to a third-story ledge overlooking the street. Despite pleas from witnesses and first responders, she jumped. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
While authorities worked to secure the area, police were dispatched to the Dunbar residence after neighbors reported gunshots heard earlier that same morning. Upon entry, officers found the bodies of Ms. Dunbar’s husband, Thomas Dunbar, 55, and her sister, Monica Clark, 38. Both had sustained fatal gunshot wounds. Initial findings suggest the shootings were deliberate and personal.
Detectives believe Ms. Dunbar may have discovered an ongoing affair between her husband and sister and, in a state of emotional collapse, carried out the killings before driving to her workplace. ‘This wasn’t just a workplace incident,’ one officer stated. ‘This was the final act in a much darker story.’
Those who knew Julie Dunbar describe her as quiet, private, and reserved. A long-time employee of the firm, she had reportedly been struggling in recent months. ‘She seemed… hollow,’ said one colleague. ‘Like someone who’d lost something she couldn’t explain.’
The investigation is ongoing.