An influencer who was shot dead on a live stream shared a chilling message shortly before she was murdered.

Valeria Marquez, a rising beauty content creator with over 120,000 TikTok followers and more than 90,000 fans on Instagram, was killed inside her Blossom Beauty Lounge in Zapopan, Jalisco, on Tuesday, May 13, at approximately 6:30PM local time.

According to PEOPLE, Marquez was live on TikTok during the attack. Seated at a table and holding a stuffed toy, she can be heard saying: “They’re coming,” moments before a voice calls out: “Hey, Vale?”

She responds with “Yes,” then mutes the stream. Seconds later, the fatal shots ring out.

She was hit twice in the head and once in the chest, with the stream showing her clutching her ribcage before collapsing. A figure appeared briefly on camera, picking up her phone and ending the livestream.

The Jalisco state prosecutor’s office confirmed Marquez’s death and launched a femicide investigation, a protocol in Mexico reserved for gender-based killings.

Authorities described the shooter as a man disguised as a delivery driver, who allegedly entered the salon under the pretense of delivering an “expensive gift.”

Local publication El Heraldo identified the prime suspect as notorious cartel figure ‘Doble R’, of the Jalisco Nueva Generacion Cartel (CJNG), though prosecutors have stated: “To date, there are no specific allegations in the investigation file.”

“In response to media reports that directly point to the alleged perpetrators of the murder of a woman, which occurred yesterday in Zapopan, the State Attorney General's Office clarifies that, to date, there are no specific allegations in the investigation file,” authorities said on May 14.

Hours before the attack, Marquez went live and cryptically asked her followers: “They came in the morning to get me to give me a gift. Did they want to kill me?”

She explained that an employee named Erika had told her someone sent a valuable package requiring her presence to receive.

She had also previously claimed her ex-partner had threatened her life and warned that he should be held accountable if anything happened to her.

The suspected shooter, Doble R - allegedly romantically linked to Marquez for several months - reportedly became enraged over her receiving gifts from fans online, according to El Heraldo.

The Daily Mail reports that Doble R’s criminal history may date back to 2012 and includes alleged links to the murder of model Daisy Ferrer Arenas and influencer Juan Luis Lagunas, who was reportedly killed after mocking cartel leader ‘El Mencho’ in a viral video.

The killing of Valeria Marquez has reignited conversation about Mexico’s staggering femicide rates.

Per the Guardian, 10 women and girls are murdered every day in the country, often by partners or family members.

The UN ranks Mexico alongside Paraguay, Uruguay, and Bolivia with the fourth-highest femicide rate in Latin America and the Caribbean, at 1.3 per 100,000 women.

Jalisco, where the crime occurred, ranks sixth among Mexico’s 32 states in homicides, with 906 recorded since President Claudia Sheinbaum assumed office in October 2024, according to TResearch.

Featured image credit: Instagram/v___marquez

A 23-year-old beauty influencer has been shot dead on a TikTok live stream while filming content in her salon.

Valeria Marquez, who had amassed nearly 200,000 followers across TikTok and Instagram, was livestreaming from her Blossom Beauty Lounge in Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico, when a man entered the salon and opened fire, as reported by PEOPLE.

The horrific shooting took place around 6:30PM local time on Tuesday, according to a statement from the Jalisco state prosecutor’s office.

In the moments leading up to her death, Marquez was seen seated at a table holding a stuffed toy during the live broadcast.

Seconds before the fatal shot, she can be heard saying: “They’re coming,” after someone in the background asks: “Hey, Vale?” She replied: “Yes,” before muting the stream.

Moments later, the fatal blow was delivered.

The stream did not end immediately. A person appeared on camera, briefly showing their face, and picked up her phone to stop the recording.

The prosecutor’s office said that Marquez was killed by a man who fired a gun at her.

Local media reports claim the shooter posed as someone delivering an “expensive gift” — something Marquez had mentioned earlier on the stream, noting she wasn’t planning to wait for them to return.

Authorities have not yet identified a suspect, but the case is being investigated as a femicide — the killing of a woman due to her gender.

In Mexico, femicide often includes factors such as degrading violence, a relationship with the perpetrator, or public display of the victim’s body.

At the scene, police and forensic experts responded to 911 calls, confirmed Marquez’s death, and transported her body for an autopsy and official family identification.

The Jalisco Institute of Forensic Sciences also collected evidence for further investigation, per BBC News.

The footage of the livestream has since circulated widely on social media, showing Marquez clutching her ribcage after the gunshot before collapsing.

Her final social media posts included selfies and modeling shots — a mirror selfie shared on Instagram Stories expired shortly before news of her death broke.

The tragedy has once again spotlighted the deadly gender-based violence epidemic in Mexico.

According to the UN, 10 women and girls are murdered every day in the country, often by family members or intimate partners, as reported by the Guardian.

Mexico ranks alongside Paraguay, Uruguay, and Bolivia with the fourth-highest femicide rate in Latin America and the Caribbean, at 1.3 per 100,000 women.

Jalisco itself ranks sixth out of Mexico’s 32 states — including Mexico City — for homicide, with 906 murders recorded since President Claudia Sheinbaum took office in October 2024, according to the TResearch data consultancy.

Featured image credit: v___marquez / Instagram

A GoFundMe for the sons of an Atlanta shooting victim has raised over $2 million.

Hyun Jung Grant, a single mother to two boys, was one of eight people killed during the attack on Tuesday (March 16). She was also one of six Asian women to be killed in the attack, CBS News reports.

Randy Park, her eldest son, 22, has now been left with the responsibility of preparing for her funeral and looking after his younger brother.

In an effort to help them get back on their feet, he started a GoFundMe with an initial goal of $20,000.

"Frankly, I have no time to grieve," the 22-year-old wrote on the fundraiser website. "It is only my brother and I in the United States. The rest of my family is in South Korea and are unable to come."

Robert Aaron Long, the suspect in the shooting, has been charged with eight counts of murder, and at the time of writing, the shooting has not been ruled out as a hate crime.

The other victims of the shooting were Delaina Ashley Yaun, Yong Ae Yue, Suncha Kim, Xiaojie Tan, Daoyou Feng, Soon Chung Park, and Paul Andre Michels.

Park described his mom as one of his best friends and also "the strongest influence on who we are today."

"Losing her has put a new lens on my eyes on the amount of hate that exists in our world. As much as I want to grieve and process the reality that she is gone, I have a younger brother to take care of and matters to resolve as a result of this tragedy," he said. "...I will need to figure out the living situation for my brother and I for the next few months, possibly year."

Park said in an interview with the Associated Press that despite working almost every day, his mom always found a way to enjoy life.

On his GoFundMe page, Park explained that his biggest priority was laying his mother to rest, although he had not yet obtained her body for legal reasons, and finding a new, less expensive place for himself and his brother to live.

Park's story, however, touched the hearts of many, and by Saturday afternoon, more than 62,000 people had donated over $2 million - with the current total, as of this writing, standing at $2,694,630.

"I don't know how any word I write here will ever convey how grateful and blessed I am to receive this much support," he wrote as an update on the GoFundMe page. "... And to those of you that have donated any amount of money. To put it bluntly, I can't believe you guys exist. People I will probably never meet, hear, nor express my thanks to."

He explained that his friends had helped him to write his initial fundraising campaign, but his thanks are "my words uncut and unedited."

"I will live the rest of my days grateful for what has essentially given my family a second chance," he said. "I can't help but feel selfish for all the attention this has garnered...This doesn't represent even a fragment of how I feel. My mother can rest easy knowing I have the support of the world with me."

Credit: Xinhua/Alamy

A TikToker has been arrested after he allegedly bragged about murdering his co-worker over a debt.

Naqibullah Habibzoi, 23, of Houston, was taken into custody Thursday and charged with the May 31 killing of 34-year-old Awal Noor Kiftan, a fellow employee at a trucking company, per the Daily Mail.

Police were called to Kiftan’s apartment on Dartbrook Drive in San Antonio around 11:00PM on May 31.

Officers found him lying outside with multiple gunshot wounds, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to a friend who was inside the apartment at the time, Kiftan received a phone call telling him to meet a woman outside.

When he stepped out alone, the friend said he heard gunfire moments later and discovered Kiftan on the ground.

Authorities later identified the woman as being in a relationship with Habibzoi, per the San Antonio Express News.

Both had previously been named as suspects in an alleged assault in April, and police now believe she lured Kiftan out of the apartment before Habibzoi carried out the shooting.

As investigators dug into the case, they uncovered a series of troubling posts on Habibzoi’s TikTok page, where he accused Kiftan of taking $31,000 from him.

“We never move on without taking revenge,” one since-deleted post allegedly read.

“If you do something bad to us, something bad will happen to you,” he wrote in another, according to an affidavit.

Habibzoi also claimed Kiftan “had his $31,000” and shared images including a firearm placed on a carpet alongside the Afghanistan flag. In another post, he allegedly uploaded a photo of the victim himself, per WLTX.

In a later video posted June 23, which remains online, Habibzoi spoke in Pashto about Kiftan being a friend who “tricked him and took his $31,000.” While denying that he carried out the shooting, he asked others to share the clip.

At one point, Habibzoi tried to distance himself from the incriminating content, claiming his account had been hacked to frame him.

But investigators noted that only a day later, he uploaded a new post featuring the same distinctive carpet from his earlier videos.

Police say Habibzoi later admitted to the killing during a phone conversation in Pashto. According to the affidavit, he told another man that someone was refusing to give him money, so “he finished them.”

When the man on the call mentioned hearing rumors about Kiftan’s death, Habibzoi allegedly confirmed it was true.

He then reportedly added that he “swears he did it with his hands” and said “his heart is pleased and satisfied.”

Cellphone records also placed Habibzoi in San Antonio on the day of the murder before returning to Houston shortly afterward.

In the aftermath, an online fundraiser described Kiftan as a “hardworking immigrant living far from his homeland.”

The page emphasized that his death left behind a “bereaved family and orphaned children... in urgent need of humanitarian and financial support.”

“Your kind assistance can bring hope and stability [to] a devastated, fatherless household,” the now-defunct campaign read. It raised more than $8,800 for his family.

Habibzoi is currently being held at Bexar County Jail on first-degree murder charges. His bail has not been set.

Featured image credit: GoFundMe

Despite Karmelo Anthony's conviction for the fatal stabbing of Texas teenager Austin Metcalf, more than $635,000 raised through an online fundraiser will still be distributed to his family.

The crowdfunding platform GiveSendGo confirmed to The U.S. Sun that the campaign had been closed following Anthony's conviction but that all funds collected would still be paid out.

Huge sum raised for Anthony

The money was originally raised to help cover legal expenses and support Anthony's family during the case.

In a statement, the company explained: "This campaign was created to support pre-trial needs, and those funds were disbursed over the past year for lawful purposes including legal defense and family relocation."

The statement continued: "With that stated purpose now complete, the campaign has been closed the funds will be paid out."

GiveSendGo also emphasized that its fundraising policies require campaigns to remain transparent about their intended purpose, adding: "Our policy is that a campaign's stated purpose stays accurate so givers always know what they are supporting."

Karmelo Anthony was sentenced to 35 years in prison. Credit: Collin County

The company concluded by saying: "Our prayer is for Austin Metcalf's family, for all those affected, and for justice, mercy, and peace in our community."

Founder Jacob Well separately confirmed that Anthony's family would receive the donations in full.

Even after Anthony was taken into custody to begin serving his sentence, supporters continued contributing to the fundraiser created by his mother, Kala Hayes, following his arrest in connection with Metcalf's death in April 2025.

Donations quickly surpassed $635,000, with contributors continuing to donate amounts ranging from a few dollars to several hundred. Organizers had previously stated that the funds would be used for legal costs, relocation expenses, basic living needs, and security measures.

The fundraiser was eventually removed from the platform shortly before 1PM.

Anthony was convicted of first-degree murder for the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf during a track meet in Frisco, Texas. After the verdict was read, emotions ran high inside the courtroom.

The 19-year-old reportedly broke down in tears and was seen shaking as deputies took him into custody. His parents, Kala Hayes and Andrew Anthony, were visibly emotional as they learned his fate.

Before sentencing, Hayes pleaded with jurors to show leniency toward her son.

"Please have mercy on my son. He's my oldest. He'll always be my baby. I love him very much," she told the court.

She added: "I know my son, he's very sorry for what he did."

Despite her appeal, jurors ultimately sentenced Anthony to 35 years in prison.

Hours later, Hayes posted a message on Instagram suggesting the family would continue fighting the outcome.

"But GOD....... The fight is not over. It has just BEGUN," she wrote.

Impact testimonies condemn Anthony

During victim impact statements, Metcalf's family addressed Anthony directly, sharing their grief and anger over the loss of their son and brother.

Austin's father, Jeff Metcalf, delivered a powerful statement, criticizing Anthony for the pain caused to his family.

"You're going to prison. You can't even look me in the eyes right now, but you can stab my f**king son in the heart," Jeff said.

Describing the emotions he has experienced since Austin's death, he continued: "People think that grief is sadness but it's not.

"It's rage. Pure unfiltered rage."

Austin Metcalf (right) was stabbed to death. Credit: GoFundMe

Jeff also reminded Anthony that actions carry consequences.

"You're free to make choices all you want, but you're not free from those consequences. You will face those consequences starting today."

He added: "You failed your parents, you failed yourself and you failed society. You don't belong in this community."

Austin's twin brother, Hunter Metcalf, also spoke directly to Anthony and asked him to make eye contact.

"If you could just look me in the eyes while I speak, I would really respect that," Hunter said.

Reflecting on the tragedy, he told Anthony: "You let the devil take over in that moment. Eventually your name will be forgotten, but my brother's memory will live on.

"You took a son, a brother, a friend, and my best friend from this world."

Austin's mother, Meghan Metcalf, described her own suffering since losing her son.

"You may have just been given a sentence of 35 years behind bars, but you can consider yourself lucky because I've been sentenced to a lifetime without my son," she claimed.

According to reports, Anthony is currently being housed separately from the general inmate population at Collin County Jail. Enforcement officials told TMZ they are taking "appropriate steps to ensure the safety and security of all inmates in the facility," but declined to provide further details regarding his placement.

Under Texas law, Anthony may become eligible for parole after serving half of his 35-year sentence.

Featured Image. Credit: Collin County