Highlights from Our Strange World

On the ugly side: Man arrested in beating death -- police report torture room in home

Oakland police arrested a man suspected of torturing and killing his ex-girlfriend, and they believe he may have killed two other people whose bloodstains were found in a torture chamber set up in his home that police likened to the film "The Silence of the Lambs."

I want daddy back, says victim's girl

Stevens Nyembo-Ya-Muteba, 40, was murdered on Sunday after asking a gang of youths to be quiet because he needed to sleep.

Man dies after pie shop attack

A man who died after he was viciously bashed and robbed outside a pie shop appeared to have done nothing to provoke his attackers, police say.

Standoff ends; 4-year-old is unhurt

A man who shot three people and took a 4-year-old captive surrendered to police early this morning after a 13 hour standoff in a Forest Hill home.

Newport News mob beatings claim first life

Franklin D. Gray was shooting the breeze with friends in the neighborhood where he grew up when a group of teenagers descended on him and beat him to death for no apparent reason Tuesday evening.

And then there's the unusual: Dead Bachelors in Remote China Still Find Wives

To ensure a son’s contentment in the afterlife, some grieving parents will search for a dead woman to be his bride and, once a corpse is obtained, bury the pair together as a married couple.

How 'bout the stupid criminal: Man accused of trying to cash legislator's check

A Dallas man was arrested Monday on suspicion of trying to cash a $3,500 check stolen during a recent burglary of state Rep. Fred Hill's Richardson office, police said.