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  • ‘I’m not afraid’: Former FBI director responds after being indicted

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    This indictment filed overnight does not specifically mention the Russia investigation, but it does accuse Comey of making *** false statement and obstructing *** congressional proceeding. Comey’s accused of lying to the Senate Judiciary Committee about the investigation into Russia meddling with the 2016 election and whether he authorized *** leak to the press. Now timing is everything. Last week, the chief prosecutor who worked in the same office that filed the case against Comey resigned after President Trump pressured him to bring charges against the New York attorney General. Social media post, the president asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to do something about Comey. The president then nominated US Attorney Lindsay Halligan, former personal attorney to the president. Halligan quickly moved forward to present the Comey case to *** grand jury shortly after charges were filed. Comey responded, My heart is broken for the Department of Justice, but I have great confidence in the federal judicial system, and I’m innocent. So let’s have *** trial. And keep the faith. Overnight, President Trump posted on social media saying that Comey has been bad for the country and is being held responsible for his crimes against the nation. If Comey is convicted, he faces up to 5 years in prison at the White House. I’m Rachel Horzheimer.

    ‘I’m not afraid’: Former FBI Director responds to indictment

    Former FBI Director James Comey has been indicted for allegedly lying to Congress about the Russia investigation, prompting a response from Comey expressing confidence in the judicial system.

    Updated: 7:52 AM EDT Sep 26, 2025

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    Former FBI Director James Comey has been indicted for allegedly making false statements and obstructing a congressional proceeding related to his testimony in 2020 about the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.The indictment, filed Thursday night, does not specifically mention the Russia investigation but outlines charges against Comey for lying to the Senate Judiciary Committee about the investigation and whether he authorized a leak to the press. Last week, Erik Siebert, the chief prosecutor who worked in the same office that filed the case against Comey, resigned after President Donald Trump pressured him to bring charges against the New York attorney general, Letitia James, in a mortgage fraud investigation.In a social media post, the president asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to do something about Comey, James, and Trump’s other political enemies, writing to Bondi, “JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!” President Trump then nominated U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan, a former personal attorney to the president, who quickly moved forward to present the Comey case to a grand jury.Halligan rushed to present the case to a grand jury because prosecutors had until Tuesday to bring a case before the five-year statute of limitations expired.Shortly after the charges were filed, Comey responded in a video posted on his social media, saying, “My heart is broken for the Department of Justice, but I have great confidence in the federal judicial system, and I’m innocent. So let’s have a trial and keep the faith.” Overnight, President Trump posted on social media, calling Comey “one of the worst human beings this Country has ever been exposed to” and saying Comey is “being held responsible for his crimes against our Nation.”Trump continued by posting early Friday morning, “JAMES COMEY IS A DIRTY COP.”If convicted, Comey faces up to five years in prison.Keep watching for the latest from the Washington News Bureau:

    WASHINGTON —

    Former FBI Director James Comey has been indicted for allegedly making false statements and obstructing a congressional proceeding related to his testimony in 2020 about the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

    The indictment, filed Thursday night, does not specifically mention the Russia investigation but outlines charges against Comey for lying to the Senate Judiciary Committee about the investigation and whether he authorized a leak to the press.

    Last week, Erik Siebert, the chief prosecutor who worked in the same office that filed the case against Comey, resigned after President Donald Trump pressured him to bring charges against the New York attorney general, Letitia James, in a mortgage fraud investigation.

    In a social media post, the president asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to do something about Comey, James, and Trump’s other political enemies, writing to Bondi, “JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!” President Trump then nominated U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan, a former personal attorney to the president, who quickly moved forward to present the Comey case to a grand jury.

    Halligan rushed to present the case to a grand jury because prosecutors had until Tuesday to bring a case before the five-year statute of limitations expired.

    Shortly after the charges were filed, Comey responded in a video posted on his social media, saying, “My heart is broken for the Department of Justice, but I have great confidence in the federal judicial system, and I’m innocent. So let’s have a trial and keep the faith.”

    Overnight, President Trump posted on social media, calling Comey “one of the worst human beings this Country has ever been exposed to” and saying Comey is “being held responsible for his crimes against our Nation.”

    Trump continued by posting early Friday morning, “JAMES COMEY IS A DIRTY COP.”

    If convicted, Comey faces up to five years in prison.

    Keep watching for the latest from the Washington News Bureau:


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  • No ‘loose ends’: San Jose triple homicide stemmed from domestic violence, authorities say

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    SAN JOSE — A man jailed and charged with fatally shooting a woman he was dating, along with her roommate and another man, in a violent episode at a South San Jose apartment, was under police scrutiny after the woman accused him of assaulting her over two days prior to the killings, authorities have revealed in new court filings.

    Joseph Vicencio, 27, of San Jose, was arrested in connection with a shooting that killed three people at an apartment on Chynoweth Avenue on Sept. 16, 2025. His criminal past includes being arrested and accused of opening fire at the San Jose State University library in Sept. 2019. (San Jose Police Dept.) 

    The shooting suspect, 27-year-old Joseph Vicencio, reportedly told an acquaintance that he “couldn’t have any ‘loose ends’ and people talking about him” shortly before he went over to the woman’s apartment early Tuesday and unleashed a torrent of gunfire that ended three lives.

    According to a criminal complaint filed Friday by the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office, Vicencio was charged with three counts of murder in the deaths of Tarrah Lynn Taylor, 27; Jeannessa Caillean Lurie, 24; and Max Chavez Ryan, 27.

    A probable cause affidavit written by San Jose police detectives stated that Taylor was in a romantic relationship with Vicencio, and that Lurie was her roommate. Ryan’s connection to the group was not detailed in the court document.

    The three murder counts each carry maximum sentences of life in prison without the possibility of parole, and are accompanied by nine charging enhancements for allegations including using a gun, dissuading a witness and having prior convictions. Vicencio was also charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm, and for two separate domestic violence assaults alleged to have occurred on Sept. 14 and 15, preceding the Sept. 16 shootings.

    Police investigate a triple homicide in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
    Police investigate a triple homicide in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group) 

    Vicencio is being held without bail in the Santa Clara County Main Jail, and was scheduled for arraignment Friday afternoon. He was arrested early Wednesday based on video surveillance images and two witnesses who claimed to know Vicencio and recounted their interactions with him before and after the shootings, the detectives wrote.

    One of the witnesses told police that Vicencio was anxious about being in trouble with the law after he allegedly punched Taylor in the torso on Sept. 15, and the subsequent police response found bruising on her neck indicating that Vicencio choked her the day before. The two reported assaults account for misdemeanor and felony assault charges filed against Vicencio.

    During one conversation with the witness, Vicencio implied that he was going to silence Taylor and Lurie, and after the shootings, Vicencio reportedly used the witness’s computer to “search for information about San Jose murders.”

    A second witness, as described by the detectives, reported getting a call from Vicencio about seven hours after the shootings in which he said “he was in trouble with police and had issues with where he lived and needed help.” The witness claimed to have confronted Vicencio about the killings, prompting Vicencio to reportedly tell the witness “there was an issue with a male at the apartment but he handled it.”

    Gunfire and the sound of a woman screaming prompted a 911 call at 12:26 a.m. Tuesday from the 200 block of Chynoweth Avenue. The police affidavit stated that responding officers went to an apartment building and found Taylor outside “bleeding profusely from multiple gunshots.”

    Officers went inside and found two more victims, Lurie and Ryan. Lurie was pronounced dead at the scene; Taylor and Ryan died later that morning after being taken to a hospital. Police recovered multiple .40 caliber bullet casings from the crime scene.

    The affidavit states that surveillance video from the area recorded someone later identified as Vicencio entering the apartment and fleeing immediately after the gunfire. Vicencio was seen with a distinct satchel that one of the witnesses said concealed a firearm that he carried, and that witness reported that Vicencio was not carrying the satchel after the shootings.

    Ryan worked for the city’s housing department as a member of the Homelessness Response Outreach Team, and was “a valued member of our work family,” according to a Facebook post from the department.

    “His commitment to the people of San Jose, and in particular the most vulnerable among us, exemplified the thoughtful, caring human he was,” the post read. “He will be remembered not only for his professional contributions, but also for his kindness, compassion, and spirit.”

    Lurie graduated from California State University, Monterey Bay in 2024 with degrees in humanities and communications, and she worked as a dog trainer at Bite Club K9 in Monterey, according to her Facebook and LinkedIn pages. She attended Mid-Peninsula High School in Menlo Park, graduating in 2019, according to her LinkedIn page.

    “We love you and the sunshine that surrounded you, and now lights the heavens,” one commenter wrote on her Facebook page Wednesday.

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    Robert Salonga, Caelyn Pender

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  • Suspect left note saying he planned to kill Charlie Kirk, later confessed in texts, prosecutor says

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    Prosecutors brought a murder charge Tuesday against the man accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk and outlined evidence, including a text message confession to his partner and a note left beforehand saying he had the opportunity to kill one of the nation’s leading conservative voices “and I’m going to take it.”DNA on the trigger of the rifle that killed Kirk also matched that of Tyler Robinson, Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray said while outlining the evidence and announcing charges that could result in the death penalty if Robinson is convicted.The prosecutor said Robinson, 22, wrote in one text that he spent more than a week planning the attack on Kirk, a prominent force in politics credited with energizing the Republican youth movement and helping Donald Trump win back the White House in 2024.”The murder of Charlie Kirk is an American tragedy,” Gray said.Kirk was gunned down Sept. 10 while speaking with students at Utah Valley University. Prosecutors allege Robinson shot Kirk in the neck with a bolt-action rifle from the roof of a nearby building on the campus in Orem, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) south of Salt Lake City. Robinson appeared briefly Tuesday before a judge by video from jail. He nodded slightly at times but mostly stared straight ahead as the judge read the charges against him and appointed an attorney to represent him. Robinson’s family has declined to comment to The Associated Press since his arrest.Was Charlie Kirk targeted over anti-transgender views?Authorities have not revealed a clear motive in the shooting, but Gray said that Robinson wrote in a text about Kirk to his partner: “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out.”Robinson also left a note for his partner hidden under a keyboard that said, “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it,” according to Gray.The prosecutor declined to answer whether Robinson targeted Kirk for his anti-transgender views. Kirk was shot while taking a question that touched on mass shootings, gun violence and transgender people.”That is for a jury to decide,” Gray said.Robinson was involved in a romantic relationship with his roommate, who investigators say was transgender, which hasn’t been confirmed. Gray said the partner has been cooperating with investigators.Robinson’s partner appeared shocked in the text exchange after the shooting, according to court documents, asking Robinson “why he did it and how long he’d been planning it.”Parents said their son became more politicalWhile authorities say Robinson hasn’t been cooperating with investigators, they say his family and friends have been talking.Robinson’s mother told investigators that their son had turned left politically in the last year and became more supportive of gay and transgender rights after dating someone who is transgender, Gray said.Those decisions prompted several conversations in the household, especially between Robinson and his father. They had different political views and Robinson told his partner in a text that his dad had become a “diehard MAGA” since Trump was elected.Robinson’s mother recognized him when authorities released a picture of the suspect and his parents confronted him, at which time Robinson said he wanted to kill himself, Gray said.The family persuaded him to meet with a family friend who is a retired sheriff’s deputy, who persuaded Robinson to turn himself in, the prosecutor said.Robinson was arrested late Thursday near St. George, the southern Utah community where he grew up, about 240 miles southwest of where the shooting happened.Robinson detailed movements after the shootingIn a text exchange with his partner released by authorities, Robinson wrote: “I had planned to grab my rifle from my drop point shortly after, but most of that side of town got locked down. Its quiet, almost enough to get out, but theres one vehicle lingering.”Then he wrote: “Going to attempt to retrieve it again, hopefully they have moved on. I haven’t seen anything about them finding it.” After that, he sent: “I can get close to it but there is a squad car parked right by it. I think they already swept that spot, but I don’t wanna chance it.”He also was worried about losing his grandfather’s rifle and mentioned several times in the texts that he wished he had picked it up, according to the texts shared in court documents, which did not have timestamps. It was unclear how long after the shooting Robinson was texting.”To be honest I had hoped to keep this secret till I died of old age. I am sorry to involve you,” Robinson wrote in another text to his partner.Prosecutor says Robinson told partner to delete textsRobinson discarded the rifle and clothing and asked his roommate to conceal evidence, Gray said.Robinson was charged with felony discharge of a firearm, punishable by up to life in prison, and obstructing justice, punishable by up to 15 years in prison.He also was charged with witness tampering because he had directed his partner to delete their text messages and told his partner to stay silent if questioned by police, Gray said.Kash Patel says investigators will look at everyoneFBI Director Kash Patel said Tuesday that agents are looking at “anyone and everyone” who was involved in a gaming chatroom on the social media platform Discord with Robinson. The chatroom involved “a lot more” than 20 people, he said during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington.”We are investigating Charlie’s assassination fully and completely and running out every lead related to any allegation of broader violence,” Patel said in response to a question about whether the Kirk shooting was being treated as part of a broader trend of violence against religious groups.The charges filed Tuesday carry two enhancements, including committing several of the crimes in front of or close to children and carrying out violence based on the subject’s political beliefs.Gray declined to say whether Robinson’s partner could face charges or whether anyone else might face charges.Kirk, a dominant figure in conservative politics, became a confidant of President Donald Trump after founding Arizona-based Turning Point USA, one of the nation’s largest political organizations. He brought young, conservative evangelical Christians into politics.In the days since Kirk’s assassination, Americans have found themselves facing questions about rising political violence, the deep divisions that brought the nation here and whether anything can change.Despite calls for greater civility, some who opposed Kirk’s provocative statements about gender, race and politics criticized him after his death. Many Republicans have led the push to punish anyone they believe dishonored him, causing both public and private workers to lose their jobs or face other consequences at work.___Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio.

    PROVO, Utah —

    Prosecutors brought a murder charge Tuesday against the man accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk and outlined evidence, including a text message confession to his partner and a note left beforehand saying he had the opportunity to kill one of the nation’s leading conservative voices “and I’m going to take it.”

    DNA on the trigger of the rifle that killed Kirk also matched that of Tyler Robinson, Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray said while outlining the evidence and announcing charges that could result in the death penalty if Robinson is convicted.

    The prosecutor said Robinson, 22, wrote in one text that he spent more than a week planning the attack on Kirk, a prominent force in politics credited with energizing the Republican youth movement and helping Donald Trump win back the White House in 2024.

    “The murder of Charlie Kirk is an American tragedy,” Gray said.

    Kirk was gunned down Sept. 10 while speaking with students at Utah Valley University. Prosecutors allege Robinson shot Kirk in the neck with a bolt-action rifle from the roof of a nearby building on the campus in Orem, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) south of Salt Lake City.

    Robinson appeared briefly Tuesday before a judge by video from jail. He nodded slightly at times but mostly stared straight ahead as the judge read the charges against him and appointed an attorney to represent him. Robinson’s family has declined to comment to The Associated Press since his arrest.

    FBI

    Tyler Robinson, suspect in Charlie Kirk’s assassination

    Was Charlie Kirk targeted over anti-transgender views?

    Authorities have not revealed a clear motive in the shooting, but Gray said that Robinson wrote in a text about Kirk to his partner: “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out.”

    Robinson also left a note for his partner hidden under a keyboard that said, “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it,” according to Gray.

    The prosecutor declined to answer whether Robinson targeted Kirk for his anti-transgender views. Kirk was shot while taking a question that touched on mass shootings, gun violence and transgender people.

    “That is for a jury to decide,” Gray said.

    Robinson was involved in a romantic relationship with his roommate, who investigators say was transgender, which hasn’t been confirmed. Gray said the partner has been cooperating with investigators.

    Robinson’s partner appeared shocked in the text exchange after the shooting, according to court documents, asking Robinson “why he did it and how long he’d been planning it.”

    Parents said their son became more political

    While authorities say Robinson hasn’t been cooperating with investigators, they say his family and friends have been talking.

    Robinson’s mother told investigators that their son had turned left politically in the last year and became more supportive of gay and transgender rights after dating someone who is transgender, Gray said.

    Those decisions prompted several conversations in the household, especially between Robinson and his father. They had different political views and Robinson told his partner in a text that his dad had become a “diehard MAGA” since Trump was elected.

    Robinson’s mother recognized him when authorities released a picture of the suspect and his parents confronted him, at which time Robinson said he wanted to kill himself, Gray said.

    The family persuaded him to meet with a family friend who is a retired sheriff’s deputy, who persuaded Robinson to turn himself in, the prosecutor said.

    Robinson was arrested late Thursday near St. George, the southern Utah community where he grew up, about 240 miles southwest of where the shooting happened.

    Robinson detailed movements after the shooting

    In a text exchange with his partner released by authorities, Robinson wrote: “I had planned to grab my rifle from my drop point shortly after, but most of that side of town got locked down. Its quiet, almost enough to get out, but theres one vehicle lingering.”

    Then he wrote: “Going to attempt to retrieve it again, hopefully they have moved on. I haven’t seen anything about them finding it.” After that, he sent: “I can get close to it but there is a squad car parked right by it. I think they already swept that spot, but I don’t wanna chance it.”

    He also was worried about losing his grandfather’s rifle and mentioned several times in the texts that he wished he had picked it up, according to the texts shared in court documents, which did not have timestamps. It was unclear how long after the shooting Robinson was texting.

    “To be honest I had hoped to keep this secret till I died of old age. I am sorry to involve you,” Robinson wrote in another text to his partner.

    Prosecutor says Robinson told partner to delete texts

    Robinson discarded the rifle and clothing and asked his roommate to conceal evidence, Gray said.

    Robinson was charged with felony discharge of a firearm, punishable by up to life in prison, and obstructing justice, punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

    He also was charged with witness tampering because he had directed his partner to delete their text messages and told his partner to stay silent if questioned by police, Gray said.

    Kash Patel says investigators will look at everyone

    FBI Director Kash Patel said Tuesday that agents are looking at “anyone and everyone” who was involved in a gaming chatroom on the social media platform Discord with Robinson. The chatroom involved “a lot more” than 20 people, he said during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington.

    “We are investigating Charlie’s assassination fully and completely and running out every lead related to any allegation of broader violence,” Patel said in response to a question about whether the Kirk shooting was being treated as part of a broader trend of violence against religious groups.

    The charges filed Tuesday carry two enhancements, including committing several of the crimes in front of or close to children and carrying out violence based on the subject’s political beliefs.

    Gray declined to say whether Robinson’s partner could face charges or whether anyone else might face charges.

    Kirk, a dominant figure in conservative politics, became a confidant of President Donald Trump after founding Arizona-based Turning Point USA, one of the nation’s largest political organizations. He brought young, conservative evangelical Christians into politics.

    In the days since Kirk’s assassination, Americans have found themselves facing questions about rising political violence, the deep divisions that brought the nation here and whether anything can change.

    Despite calls for greater civility, some who opposed Kirk’s provocative statements about gender, race and politics criticized him after his death. Many Republicans have led the push to punish anyone they believe dishonored him, causing both public and private workers to lose their jobs or face other consequences at work.

    ___

    Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio.

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  • Suspect left note saying he planned to kill Charlie Kirk, later confessed in texts, prosecutor says

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    Prosecutors brought a murder charge Tuesday against the man accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk and outlined evidence, including a text message confession to his partner and a note left beforehand saying he had the opportunity to kill one of the nation’s leading conservative voices “and I’m going to take it.”DNA on the trigger of the rifle that killed Kirk also matched that of Tyler Robinson, Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray said while outlining the evidence and announcing charges that could result in the death penalty if Robinson is convicted.The prosecutor said Robinson, 22, wrote in one text that he spent more than a week planning the attack on Kirk, a prominent force in politics credited with energizing the Republican youth movement and helping Donald Trump win back the White House in 2024.”The murder of Charlie Kirk is an American tragedy,” Gray said.Kirk was gunned down Sept. 10 while speaking with students at Utah Valley University. Prosecutors allege Robinson shot Kirk in the neck with a bolt-action rifle from the roof of a nearby building on the campus in Orem, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) south of Salt Lake City. Robinson appeared briefly Tuesday before a judge by video from jail. He nodded slightly at times but mostly stared straight ahead as the judge read the charges against him and appointed an attorney to represent him. Robinson’s family has declined to comment to The Associated Press since his arrest.Was Charlie Kirk targeted over anti-transgender views?Authorities have not revealed a clear motive in the shooting, but Gray said that Robinson wrote in a text about Kirk to his partner: “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out.”Robinson also left a note for his partner hidden under a keyboard that said, “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it,” according to Gray.The prosecutor declined to answer whether Robinson targeted Kirk for his anti-transgender views. Kirk was shot while taking a question that touched on mass shootings, gun violence and transgender people.”That is for a jury to decide,” Gray said.Robinson was involved in a romantic relationship with his roommate, who investigators say was transgender, which hasn’t been confirmed. Gray said the partner has been cooperating with investigators.Robinson’s partner appeared shocked in the text exchange after the shooting, according to court documents, asking Robinson “why he did it and how long he’d been planning it.”Parents said their son became more politicalWhile authorities say Robinson hasn’t been cooperating with investigators, they say his family and friends have been talking.Robinson’s mother told investigators that their son had turned left politically in the last year and became more supportive of gay and transgender rights after dating someone who is transgender, Gray said.Those decisions prompted several conversations in the household, especially between Robinson and his father. They had different political views and Robinson told his partner in a text that his dad had become a “diehard MAGA” since Trump was elected.Robinson’s mother recognized him when authorities released a picture of the suspect and his parents confronted him, at which time Robinson said he wanted to kill himself, Gray said.The family persuaded him to meet with a family friend who is a retired sheriff’s deputy, who persuaded Robinson to turn himself in, the prosecutor said.Robinson was arrested late Thursday near St. George, the southern Utah community where he grew up, about 240 miles southwest of where the shooting happened.Robinson detailed movements after the shootingIn a text exchange with his partner released by authorities, Robinson wrote: “I had planned to grab my rifle from my drop point shortly after, but most of that side of town got locked down. Its quiet, almost enough to get out, but theres one vehicle lingering.”Then he wrote: “Going to attempt to retrieve it again, hopefully they have moved on. I haven’t seen anything about them finding it.” After that, he sent: “I can get close to it but there is a squad car parked right by it. I think they already swept that spot, but I don’t wanna chance it.”He also was worried about losing his grandfather’s rifle and mentioned several times in the texts that he wished he had picked it up, according to the texts shared in court documents, which did not have timestamps. It was unclear how long after the shooting Robinson was texting.”To be honest I had hoped to keep this secret till I died of old age. I am sorry to involve you,” Robinson wrote in another text to his partner.Prosecutor says Robinson told partner to delete textsRobinson discarded the rifle and clothing and asked his roommate to conceal evidence, Gray said.Robinson was charged with felony discharge of a firearm, punishable by up to life in prison, and obstructing justice, punishable by up to 15 years in prison.He also was charged with witness tampering because he had directed his partner to delete their text messages and told his partner to stay silent if questioned by police, Gray said.Kash Patel says investigators will look at everyoneFBI Director Kash Patel said Tuesday that agents are looking at “anyone and everyone” who was involved in a gaming chatroom on the social media platform Discord with Robinson. The chatroom involved “a lot more” than 20 people, he said during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington.”We are investigating Charlie’s assassination fully and completely and running out every lead related to any allegation of broader violence,” Patel said in response to a question about whether the Kirk shooting was being treated as part of a broader trend of violence against religious groups.The charges filed Tuesday carry two enhancements, including committing several of the crimes in front of or close to children and carrying out violence based on the subject’s political beliefs.Gray declined to say whether Robinson’s partner could face charges or whether anyone else might face charges.Kirk, a dominant figure in conservative politics, became a confidant of President Donald Trump after founding Arizona-based Turning Point USA, one of the nation’s largest political organizations. He brought young, conservative evangelical Christians into politics.In the days since Kirk’s assassination, Americans have found themselves facing questions about rising political violence, the deep divisions that brought the nation here and whether anything can change.Despite calls for greater civility, some who opposed Kirk’s provocative statements about gender, race and politics criticized him after his death. Many Republicans have led the push to punish anyone they believe dishonored him, causing both public and private workers to lose their jobs or face other consequences at work.___Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio.

    PROVO, Utah —

    Prosecutors brought a murder charge Tuesday against the man accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk and outlined evidence, including a text message confession to his partner and a note left beforehand saying he had the opportunity to kill one of the nation’s leading conservative voices “and I’m going to take it.”

    DNA on the trigger of the rifle that killed Kirk also matched that of Tyler Robinson, Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray said while outlining the evidence and announcing charges that could result in the death penalty if Robinson is convicted.

    The prosecutor said Robinson, 22, wrote in one text that he spent more than a week planning the attack on Kirk, a prominent force in politics credited with energizing the Republican youth movement and helping Donald Trump win back the White House in 2024.

    “The murder of Charlie Kirk is an American tragedy,” Gray said.

    Kirk was gunned down Sept. 10 while speaking with students at Utah Valley University. Prosecutors allege Robinson shot Kirk in the neck with a bolt-action rifle from the roof of a nearby building on the campus in Orem, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) south of Salt Lake City.

    Robinson appeared briefly Tuesday before a judge by video from jail. He nodded slightly at times but mostly stared straight ahead as the judge read the charges against him and appointed an attorney to represent him. Robinson’s family has declined to comment to The Associated Press since his arrest.

    FBI

    Tyler Robinson, suspect in Charlie Kirk’s assassination

    Was Charlie Kirk targeted over anti-transgender views?

    Authorities have not revealed a clear motive in the shooting, but Gray said that Robinson wrote in a text about Kirk to his partner: “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out.”

    Robinson also left a note for his partner hidden under a keyboard that said, “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it,” according to Gray.

    The prosecutor declined to answer whether Robinson targeted Kirk for his anti-transgender views. Kirk was shot while taking a question that touched on mass shootings, gun violence and transgender people.

    “That is for a jury to decide,” Gray said.

    Robinson was involved in a romantic relationship with his roommate, who investigators say was transgender, which hasn’t been confirmed. Gray said the partner has been cooperating with investigators.

    Robinson’s partner appeared shocked in the text exchange after the shooting, according to court documents, asking Robinson “why he did it and how long he’d been planning it.”

    Parents said their son became more political

    While authorities say Robinson hasn’t been cooperating with investigators, they say his family and friends have been talking.

    Robinson’s mother told investigators that their son had turned left politically in the last year and became more supportive of gay and transgender rights after dating someone who is transgender, Gray said.

    Those decisions prompted several conversations in the household, especially between Robinson and his father. They had different political views and Robinson told his partner in a text that his dad had become a “diehard MAGA” since Trump was elected.

    Robinson’s mother recognized him when authorities released a picture of the suspect and his parents confronted him, at which time Robinson said he wanted to kill himself, Gray said.

    The family persuaded him to meet with a family friend who is a retired sheriff’s deputy, who persuaded Robinson to turn himself in, the prosecutor said.

    Robinson was arrested late Thursday near St. George, the southern Utah community where he grew up, about 240 miles southwest of where the shooting happened.

    Robinson detailed movements after the shooting

    In a text exchange with his partner released by authorities, Robinson wrote: “I had planned to grab my rifle from my drop point shortly after, but most of that side of town got locked down. Its quiet, almost enough to get out, but theres one vehicle lingering.”

    Then he wrote: “Going to attempt to retrieve it again, hopefully they have moved on. I haven’t seen anything about them finding it.” After that, he sent: “I can get close to it but there is a squad car parked right by it. I think they already swept that spot, but I don’t wanna chance it.”

    He also was worried about losing his grandfather’s rifle and mentioned several times in the texts that he wished he had picked it up, according to the texts shared in court documents, which did not have timestamps. It was unclear how long after the shooting Robinson was texting.

    “To be honest I had hoped to keep this secret till I died of old age. I am sorry to involve you,” Robinson wrote in another text to his partner.

    Prosecutor says Robinson told partner to delete texts

    Robinson discarded the rifle and clothing and asked his roommate to conceal evidence, Gray said.

    Robinson was charged with felony discharge of a firearm, punishable by up to life in prison, and obstructing justice, punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

    He also was charged with witness tampering because he had directed his partner to delete their text messages and told his partner to stay silent if questioned by police, Gray said.

    Kash Patel says investigators will look at everyone

    FBI Director Kash Patel said Tuesday that agents are looking at “anyone and everyone” who was involved in a gaming chatroom on the social media platform Discord with Robinson. The chatroom involved “a lot more” than 20 people, he said during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington.

    “We are investigating Charlie’s assassination fully and completely and running out every lead related to any allegation of broader violence,” Patel said in response to a question about whether the Kirk shooting was being treated as part of a broader trend of violence against religious groups.

    The charges filed Tuesday carry two enhancements, including committing several of the crimes in front of or close to children and carrying out violence based on the subject’s political beliefs.

    Gray declined to say whether Robinson’s partner could face charges or whether anyone else might face charges.

    Kirk, a dominant figure in conservative politics, became a confidant of President Donald Trump after founding Arizona-based Turning Point USA, one of the nation’s largest political organizations. He brought young, conservative evangelical Christians into politics.

    In the days since Kirk’s assassination, Americans have found themselves facing questions about rising political violence, the deep divisions that brought the nation here and whether anything can change.

    Despite calls for greater civility, some who opposed Kirk’s provocative statements about gender, race and politics criticized him after his death. Many Republicans have led the push to punish anyone they believe dishonored him, causing both public and private workers to lose their jobs or face other consequences at work.

    ___

    Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio.

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  • ‘It’s too close for comfort’: Texts show Marcos Lopez’s alleged role in gambling operation

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    Arrest documents for former Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez were released Friday and detail his alleged role in a gambling operation.Lopez was arrested on June 5 and faces charges of one count of racketeering and one count of conspiracy to commit racketeering. The affidavit includes a screen grab of a text message Lopez sent to co-defendant Ying “Kate” Zhang in September 2019. Investigators describe Zhang, a Chinese-born realtor, as “an investor and co-business owner” in the illegal enterprise.Lopez wrote in a text message, “Kate, nothing to worry. No matter what the outcome is, when I win, we start the first internet amusement cafe in Osceola County. You will be safe and not have to worry about anything because I will be your sheriff.”According to the affidavit, Lopez introduced Zhang to Krishna Deokaran in August 2019 at the Player’s Club in Leesburg. Investigators describe Deokaran as being at the helm of the operation, owning casinos in Lake County and the Eclipse Social Club. Zhang has not been arrested, and a source told WESH 2 Investigates she is believed to have fled the country.When Deokaran suggested opening a gambling business near the Osceola Sheriff’s Office on State Road 192, investigators say Lopez replied, “No, that can’t work because it’s too close for comfort.” Eventually, investigators say Lopez connected Deokaran with what would become the Eclipse site, later texting, “We did a raid. I shut the place down. It’s ours.”After the casino opened at this location in Kissimmee, an anonymous tip led investigators to discover the TikTok page openly advertising slot machines and fish tables.In proffer interviews with investigators, Deokaran admitted paying Lopez cash each time they met — anywhere from $10,000 to $35,000 — totaling between $600,000 and $700,000. The payments, prosecutors allege, were for securing the site, alerting the operation of possible task force investigations and keeping deputies away.Deokaran has forfeited nearly $1 million in Osceola and Orange counties after raids shut down his illegal casinos, but he has not been arrested.Court records show Deokaran’s admissions came as part of a proffer agreement, in which defendants may receive reduced charges or a plea deal in exchange for cooperation. Jose Rivas, a defense attorney not representing anyone in this case, said, “Well, it’s the big fish when it comes because he’s running the organization. But at the same time, what the government is really after is the public official which is Marcos Lopez.”The affidavit reveals Deokaran cooperated with investigators during proffer interviews. Rivas explained, “A proffer is what we call a snitch session. You know, pretty much in more formal terms. It’s when someone provides what we call substantial assistance.”The affidavit calls the former sheriff a “protector and beneficiary of the illicit operation,” and says he: played a multifaceted role in the expansion and protection of the enterprisejoined for political campaign contributions and personal payment pledged to use his anticipated elected sheriff’s title to shield the enterprise from law enforcement scrutiny recruited new members, secured leases for new locationsOfficials were tipped off in September of 2022 that the Eclipse Social Club in Kissimmee was operating as a casino with Las Vegas-style machines, the affidavit says. In July 2023, an agent went undercover into the establishment where people had to ring a bell and get through security and a locked door to enter. Lopez’s defense team of attorneys, Mary Ibrahim and Migdalia Perez, sent WESH 2 Investigates the following statement:”In light of the release of the Arrest Affidavit, the Lopez Defense team wishes to remind the public and press the importance of the legal principle of the presumption of innocence.It is the cornerstone of our justice system. These are unchallenged accusations, not a conviction. We urge the public and the press to respect the legal process and allow it to proceed without prejudice. It is vital that we uphold the rights of all involved and refrain from speculation that could jeopardize a fair outcome. We ask for patience while the legal process runs its course.”See the full documents below. Background Lopez was accused of engaging in the gambling operation for campaign contributions and personal payments. In total, investigators said the organization generated over $21.6 million in illicit proceeds.Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended Lopez from his position as sheriff and appointed an interim sheriff, Christopher Blackmon.His bond was set at $1 million, and he pleaded not guilty to the charges.One week after Lopez was booked into the Lake County Jail, WESH 2 Investigates learned a multi-agency raid in 2024 shut down the casino at the center of the state’s racketeering case.On June 23, Robin Severance Lopez, the suspended sheriff’s estranged wife, was arrested. She is charged with conspiracy to use investment proceeds from racketeering. Marcos Lopez bonded out of jail on June 26. He has pleaded not guilty.Lopez’s defense team of attorneys Mary Ibrahim and Migdalia Perez sent WESH 2 Investigates the following statement:”In light of the release of the Arrest Affidavit, the Lopez Defense team wishes to remind the public and press the importance of the legal principle of the presumption of innocence.It is the cornerstone of our justice system. These are unchallenged accusations, not a conviction. We urge the public and the press to respect the legal process and allow it to proceed without prejudice. It is vital that we uphold the rights of all involved and refrain from speculation that could jeopardize a fair outcome. We ask for patience while the legal process runs its course.”Arrest docsTimeline

    Arrest documents for former Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez were released Friday and detail his alleged role in a gambling operation.

    Lopez was arrested on June 5 and faces charges of one count of racketeering and one count of conspiracy to commit racketeering.

    The affidavit includes a screen grab of a text message Lopez sent to co-defendant Ying “Kate” Zhang in September 2019. Investigators describe Zhang, a Chinese-born realtor, as “an investor and co-business owner” in the illegal enterprise.

    Lopez wrote in a text message, “Kate, nothing to worry. No matter what the outcome is, when I win, we start the first internet amusement cafe in Osceola County. You will be safe and not have to worry about anything because I will be your sheriff.”

    According to the affidavit, Lopez introduced Zhang to Krishna Deokaran in August 2019 at the Player’s Club in Leesburg. Investigators describe Deokaran as being at the helm of the operation, owning casinos in Lake County and the Eclipse Social Club. Zhang has not been arrested, and a source told WESH 2 Investigates she is believed to have fled the country.

    When Deokaran suggested opening a gambling business near the Osceola Sheriff’s Office on State Road 192, investigators say Lopez replied, “No, that can’t work because it’s too close for comfort.”

    Eventually, investigators say Lopez connected Deokaran with what would become the Eclipse site, later texting, “We did a raid. I shut the place down. It’s ours.”

    After the casino opened at this location in Kissimmee, an anonymous tip led investigators to discover the TikTok page openly advertising slot machines and fish tables.

    In proffer interviews with investigators, Deokaran admitted paying Lopez cash each time they met — anywhere from $10,000 to $35,000 — totaling between $600,000 and $700,000.

    The payments, prosecutors allege, were for securing the site, alerting the operation of possible task force investigations and keeping deputies away.

    Deokaran has forfeited nearly $1 million in Osceola and Orange counties after raids shut down his illegal casinos, but he has not been arrested.

    Court records show Deokaran’s admissions came as part of a proffer agreement, in which defendants may receive reduced charges or a plea deal in exchange for cooperation.

    Jose Rivas, a defense attorney not representing anyone in this case, said, “Well, it’s the big fish when it comes because he’s running the organization. But at the same time, what the government is really after is the public official which is Marcos Lopez.”

    The affidavit reveals Deokaran cooperated with investigators during proffer interviews. Rivas explained, “A proffer is what we call a snitch session. You know, pretty much in more formal terms. It’s when someone provides what we call substantial assistance.”

    The affidavit calls the former sheriff a “protector and beneficiary of the illicit operation,” and says he:

    • played a multifaceted role in the expansion and protection of the enterprise
    • joined for political campaign contributions and personal payment
    • pledged to use his anticipated elected sheriff’s title to shield the enterprise from law enforcement scrutiny
    • recruited new members, secured leases for new locations

    WESH 2 News

    Arrest docs detail former Osceola Sheriff Marcos Lopez’s alleged role in gambling operation

    Officials were tipped off in September of 2022 that the Eclipse Social Club in Kissimmee was operating as a casino with Las Vegas-style machines, the affidavit says.

    In July 2023, an agent went undercover into the establishment where people had to ring a bell and get through security and a locked door to enter.

    Lopez’s defense team of attorneys, Mary Ibrahim and Migdalia Perez, sent WESH 2 Investigates the following statement:

    “In light of the release of the Arrest Affidavit, the Lopez Defense team wishes to remind the public and press the importance of the legal principle of the presumption of innocence.

    It is the cornerstone of our justice system. These are unchallenged accusations, not a conviction. We urge the public and the press to respect the legal process and allow it to proceed without prejudice. It is vital that we uphold the rights of all involved and refrain from speculation that could jeopardize a fair outcome. We ask for patience while the legal process runs its course.”

    See the full documents below.

    Background

    Lopez was accused of engaging in the gambling operation for campaign contributions and personal payments.

    In total, investigators said the organization generated over $21.6 million in illicit proceeds.

    Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended Lopez from his position as sheriff and appointed an interim sheriff, Christopher Blackmon.

    His bond was set at $1 million, and he pleaded not guilty to the charges.

    One week after Lopez was booked into the Lake County Jail, WESH 2 Investigates learned a multi-agency raid in 2024 shut down the casino at the center of the state’s racketeering case.

    On June 23, Robin Severance Lopez, the suspended sheriff’s estranged wife, was arrested.

    She is charged with conspiracy to use investment proceeds from racketeering.

    Marcos Lopez bonded out of jail on June 26. He has pleaded not guilty.

    Lopez’s defense team of attorneys Mary Ibrahim and Migdalia Perez sent WESH 2 Investigates the following statement:

    “In light of the release of the Arrest Affidavit, the Lopez Defense team wishes to remind the public and press the importance of the legal principle of the presumption of innocence.

    It is the cornerstone of our justice system. These are unchallenged accusations, not a conviction. We urge the public and the press to respect the legal process and allow it to proceed without prejudice. It is vital that we uphold the rights of all involved and refrain from speculation that could jeopardize a fair outcome. We ask for patience while the legal process runs its course.”

    Arrest docs

    Timeline

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  • San Bernardino man arrested after he protested immigration officer shooting at his truck

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    Francisco Longoria, a San Bernardino man who was driving his truck when a masked U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer shot at it, has been arrested and charged by federal authorities. They allege he assaulted immigration officers during the incident.

    In a statement, Longoria’s attorneys said Homeland Security Investigations agents arrived at the Longoria household at 4:18 a.m. Thursday, with an armored personnel carrier, a type of military vehicle, and deployed more than a dozen “fully armed and armored” agents to swarm the home, breaking the locks on his gate. An agent called out to Longoria to come out, using a bullhorn, as agents stood at each door and pointed their rifles at the door and at the occupants inside, the attorneys said.

    “These are the type of tactics reserved for dangerous criminals such as violent gang members, drug lords, and terrorists,” the attorneys said. “It was clearly intended to intimidate and punish Mr. Longoria and his family for daring to speak out about their attempted murder by ICE and CBP agents on August 16th.”

    On that day, federal immigration officers stopped Longoria in San Bernardino. During the encounter, Longoria, who was in his truck with his 18-year-old son and 23-year-old son-in-law, feared for his safety and drove off after masked officers shattered his car window, his attorneys said.

    Department of Homeland Security officials have said officers were injured during the encounter when Longoria tried to “run them down.” Longoria’s attorneys dispute their client injured the officers or attempted to hit them, and earlier this week they called for an investigation of the shooting.

    On Friday morning, the U.S. attorney’s office confirmed that Homeland Security Investigations agents arrested Longoria the day before. Word of his arrest was earlier reported by the San Bernardino Sun.

    Ciaran McEvoy, spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles, said Longoria made an initial appearance before a U.S. District Court judge in Riverside, and is set to be arraigned on Sept. 30. The federal magistrate judge ordered him released on a $5,000 bond.

    Longoria was being held at the San Bernardino County jail, in custody of the U.S. Marshals Service, as of Thursday afternoon, McEvoy said in an email.

    “Since Longoria is an illegal alien, ICE has a detainer on him,” he said. Longoria’s attorneys said their client was transferred into Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody as of Friday.

    An unnamed Department of Homeland Security spokesperson confirmed federal agents arrested Longoria at his home.

    “CBP and ICE remain committed to enforcing the law, protecting officers, and keeping dangerous criminals off America’s streets — even as local officials in California undermine those efforts,” the official said.

    According to a criminal complaint submitted by a Homeland Security Investigations agent, whose name is redacted, Longoria is facing a charge of assault on a federal officer with a deadly/dangerous weapon.

    In the complaint, the agent, who interviewed the officers who stopped Longoria, said the officers had stopped Longoria’s GMC pickup truck to conduct “an immigration check.” Two of them were ICE officers and the other two were CBP officers.

    The complaint states that the officers were identifiable by their visible clothing marked with “police.”

    After they stopped Longoria’s truck, the complaint states, he refused to comply with the demands to turn off his vehicle and roll down the window. One of the CBP officers, identified as J.C., decided to break the window after Longoria refused the commands, and was allegedly struck by the driver’s door on his left elbow and left calf. The passenger side window was also shattered by agents during the encounter.

    Another CBP officer was allegedly struck by the front bumper/fender of the truck on his right leg. “The Truck kept pushing Officer S.T., and Officer S.T. shot at the Truck, afraid for his life,” according to the complaint.

    Longoria’s attorneys had previously released surveillance video of the incident, which appears to dispute a key claim by Homeland Security — that Longoria drove his truck toward officers and injured them.

    In the surveillance video, the moment Longoria drives away, officers on both sides of the truck remain in sight of the video, and they then pile into their vehicles and pursue Longoria’s truck down a side street.

    After Longoria drove off, the family called 911. While San Bernardino police were questioning Longoria, the immigration officers arrived, and family members identified the one they believed had shot at the truck.

    At the initial court appearance, the judge questioned the assistant U.S. attorney prosecuting the case, Cory Burleson, about the government’s claim that it was conducting an “immigration check,” a term he couldn’t clarify when asked by the court, according to Longoria’s attorneys. Burleson also claimed Longoria was stopped due to a traffic violation, but couldn’t identify the violation, his attorneys said. When the judge asked Burleson to identify the alleged injuries of the officers, Burleson said he was “not aware of any injuries,” Longoria’s attorneys said.

    Longoria’s attorneys said their client was granted bond, but because of the ICE hold, has since been transferred into ICE custody, which they believe is the “true purpose of this false and baseless charge.”

    “No reasonable prosecutor could believe that a conviction would be secured against Mr. Longoria for the August 16th stop, when every video supports Mr. Longoria’s version of events and directly contradicts DHS’ story,” his attorneys said. “Yet [the Department of Justice] will not drop the charges; it has been their practice during this Administration to pursue charges based on unsubstantiated and false affidavits in order to arrest individuals and then turn them over to ICE.”

    His attorneys said they intend to continue advocating for Longoria, his son and son-in-law.

    “We are in contact with local and State authorities and are encouraging a state investigation and criminal charges against the ICE/CBP agents,” the attorneys said.

    This article is part of The Times’ equity reporting initiative, funded by the James Irvine Foundation, exploring the challenges facing low-income workers and the efforts being made to address California’s economic divide.

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    Melissa Gomez

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  • Charges filed against owners of New York boarding facility after 21 dogs found dead

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    Charges have officially been filed after 21 dogs were found dead at a boarding facility in Argyle, New York.Robert and Anastasia Palulis, the owners of Anastasia’s Acres, are facing 22 misdemeanor counts after investigators said the building where the dogs were held did not have proper water access or ventilation.The charges are for overdriving, torturing, and injuring animals; failure to provide proper sustenance, which is considered a misdemeanor under New York State Law, according to court paperwork obtained by sister station WPTZ.One dog was taken to an emergency animal clinic for care.Both owners were released and are due in Argyle court at a later date.The owner of two of the dogs who died said she was devastated by the news of her beloved pets’ deaths.”Their house is literally 30 feet from the kennel where the dogs are boarded,” said Danielle Barber. “So the fact that nobody went out to check on the dogs at any point in time. I’m sure there were dogs barking in distress.”Anastasia’s Acres has been in business since 2020, and provides boarding, day care, training, grooming, and home care services for local dog owners, according to their website.Barber went on to say that she has not heard from either Robert or Anastasia Palulis following the incident.”I hope that she is held responsible… there are 21 dogs involved, it’s just completely unforgivable,” Barber said. “And the fact that she has not reached out in any sort of capacity to offer condolences, remorse, anything speaks volumes.”On Monday, WPTZ reached out to the owners of the business for comment, but they did not respond.

    ARGYLE, N.Y. —

    Charges have officially been filed after 21 dogs were found dead at a boarding facility in Argyle, New York.

    Robert and Anastasia Palulis, the owners of Anastasia’s Acres, are facing 22 misdemeanor counts after investigators said the building where the dogs were held did not have proper water access or ventilation.

    The charges are for overdriving, torturing, and injuring animals; failure to provide proper sustenance, which is considered a misdemeanor under New York State Law, according to court paperwork obtained by sister station WPTZ.

    One dog was taken to an emergency animal clinic for care.

    Both owners were released and are due in Argyle court at a later date.

    via Washington County Sheriff’s Office

    Robert and Anastasia Palulis

    The owner of two of the dogs who died said she was devastated by the news of her beloved pets’ deaths.

    “Their house is literally 30 feet from the kennel where the dogs are boarded,” said Danielle Barber. “So the fact that nobody went out to check on the dogs at any point in time. I’m sure there were dogs barking in distress.”

    Anastasia’s Acres has been in business since 2020, and provides boarding, day care, training, grooming, and home care services for local dog owners, according to their website.

    Barber went on to say that she has not heard from either Robert or Anastasia Palulis following the incident.

    “I hope that she is held responsible… [the fact that] there are 21 dogs involved, it’s just completely unforgivable,” Barber said. “And the fact that she has not reached out in any sort of capacity to offer condolences, remorse, anything speaks volumes.”

    On Monday, WPTZ reached out to the owners of the business for comment, but they did not respond.

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  • Cal Fire captain faces five felony counts, including murder, in deaths of girlfriend and her son

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    A Cal Fire captain is facing five felony counts in connection with the shooting deaths of his girlfriend and her young son, according to a criminal complaint filed in El Dorado County Superior Court on Monday.Those charges against Darin McFarlin, 47, include two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the deaths of 29-year-old Marissa N. Divodi-Lessa, of Shingle Springs, and her son Josiah Divodi-Lessa. Read the complaint here.The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office has said that deputies responded to a report of a shooting at McFarlin’s home Thursday around 9 p.m. Marissa Divodi-Lessa was pronounced dead at the scene, while Josiah Divodi-Lessa died at the hospital. Another child was found safe in the home. McFarlin was detained in Mono County around midnight. The murder charges against him include special circumstances for multiple murders. They also allege the mother and her son were witnesses to a crime and killed for that reason. The court documents say the penalty for a conviction on those murder charges with the special circumstances would be death or life in prison without the possibility of parole. According to the complaint, McFarlin was also charged with the attempted murder of the second child and for injuring his girlfriend before her death. The complaint alleges that Mcfarlin injured his girlfriend in the bedroom “before she left the room and used her cellphone and before he obtained the gun and went out to the dining room to kill her.”The complaint also lists a felony child abuse charge in connection with the second child victim. McFarlin made an initial court appearance on Monday and pleaded not guilty on all counts. The El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office said the next key court hearings will include a status update on Sept. 29 and a preliminary hearing on Oct. 16.A Cal Fire representative confirmed to KCRA 3 that McFarlin is a fire captain in the Amador El Dorado unitIf you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 or text ‘START’ to 88788.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

    EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. —

    A Cal Fire captain is facing five felony counts in connection with the shooting deaths of his girlfriend and her young son, according to a criminal complaint filed in El Dorado County Superior Court on Monday.

    Those charges against Darin McFarlin, 47, include two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the deaths of 29-year-old Marissa N. Divodi-Lessa, of Shingle Springs, and her son Josiah Divodi-Lessa.

    (Earlier coverage in the video above.)

    The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office has said that deputies responded to a report of a shooting at McFarlin’s home Thursday around 9 p.m. Marissa Divodi-Lessa was pronounced dead at the scene, while Josiah Divodi-Lessa died at the hospital. Another child was found safe in the home.

    McFarlin was detained in Mono County around midnight.

    The murder charges against him include special circumstances for multiple murders. They also allege the mother and her son were witnesses to a crime and killed for that reason.

    The court documents say the penalty for a conviction on those murder charges with the special circumstances would be death or life in prison without the possibility of parole.

    According to the complaint, McFarlin was also charged with the attempted murder of the second child and for injuring his girlfriend before her death.

    The complaint alleges that Mcfarlin injured his girlfriend in the bedroom “before she left the room and used her cellphone and before he obtained the gun and went out to the dining room to kill her.”

    The complaint also lists a felony child abuse charge in connection with the second child victim.

    McFarlin made an initial court appearance on Monday and pleaded not guilty on all counts.

    The El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office said the next key court hearings will include a status update on Sept. 29 and a preliminary hearing on Oct. 16.

    A Cal Fire representative confirmed to KCRA 3 that McFarlin is a fire captain in the Amador El Dorado unit

    If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 or text ‘START’ to 88788.

    See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

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  • Boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. deported to Mexico

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    MEXICO CITY — Julio César Chávez Jr., whose high-profile boxing career was marred by substance abuse and other struggles and never approached the heights of his legendary father, was in Mexican custody Tuesday after being deported from the United States.

    His expulsion had been expected since July, when Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested him outside his Studio City home and accused him of making “fraudulent statements” on his application to become a U.S. permanent resident.

    In Mexico, Chávez, 39, faces charges of organized crime affiliation and arms trafficking, Mexican authorities say.

    He is the son of Julio César Chávez — widely regarded as Mexico’s greatest boxer — and spent his career in the shadow of his fabled father.

    Boxers Julio César Chávez, right, and his son Julio César Chávez Jr., during a news conference in Los Angeles in May.

    (Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press)

    His father both supported his troubled son and chastised his namesake, whose struggles included substance abuse, legal troubles and challenges in making weight for his bouts.

    Despite his highly publicized problems, Chávez won the World Boxing Council middleweight title in 2011 before losing the belt the following year.

    Chávez was turned over to Mexican law enforcement authorities at the Arizona border and was being held Tuesday in a federal lockup in Hermosillo, the capital of Sonora state, authorities here said.

    During her regular morning news conference, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed that the boxer was in Mexican custody.

    Days before his July arrest in Studio City, Chávez faced off in Anaheim for his last bout — against Jake Paul, the influencer-turned-pugilist. Chávez lost the fight.

    When he was arrested in July, U.S. authorities labeled Chávez an “affiliate” of the Sinaloa cartel, which is one of Mexico’s largest — and most lethal — drug-trafficking syndicates.

    Jake Paul, right, and Julio César Chávez Jr., left, exchange punches during their cruiserweight bout in Anaheim on June 28.

    Jake Paul, right, and Julio César Chávez Jr., left, exchange punches during their cruiserweight bout in Anaheim on June 28.

    (Anadolu / Anadolu via Getty Images)

    Chávez has faced criticism over alleged associations with cartel figures, including Ovidio Guzmán, a son of infamous drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, now serving a life sentence in a U.S prison for his leadership role in the Sinaloa cartel. Ovidio Guzmán recently pleaded guilty to drug-trafficking and other charges in federal court in Chicago and is reported to be cooperating with U.S. prosecutors.

    Controversies have long overshadowed the career of Chávez.

    Chávez served 13 days in jail for a 2012 drunk-driving conviction in Los Angeles County and was arrested by Los Angeles police in January 2024 on gun charges. According to his attorney, Michael Goldstein, a court adjudicating the gun case granted Chávez a “mental health diversion,” which, in some cases, can lead to dismissal of criminal charges.

    “I’m confident that the issues in Mexico will be cleared up, and he’ll be able to continue with his mental health diversion” in California, Goldstein said.

    A lingering question in the case is why Chávez was apparently allowed to travel freely between the United States and Mexico on several occasions despite a Mexican arrest warrant issued against him in March 2023.

    On Jan. 4, 2025, according to the Department of Homeland Security, Chávez reentered the United States from Tijuana into San Diego via the San Ysidro port of entry. He was permitted in despite the pending Mexican arrest warrant and a U.S. determination just a few weeks earlier that Chávez represented “an egregious public safety threat,” the DHS stated in a July 3 news release revealing the boxer’s detention.

    Homeland Security said that the Biden administration — which was still in charge at the time of Chávez’s January entry — had determined that the boxer “was not an immigration enforcement priority.”

    While in training for the Paul match, Chávez spoke out publicly against President Trump’s ramped-up deportation agenda, which has sparked protests and denunciations across California. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, he accused the administration of “attacking” Latinos.

    Chávez told The Times: “I wouldn’t want to be deported.”

    McDonnell reported from Mexico City and El Reda from Los Angeles. Special correspondent Cecilia Sánchez Vidal in Mexico City contributed to this report.

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    Patrick J. McDonnell, Jad El Reda

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  • Trump’s win may extend conservative control of the Supreme Court for decades

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    WASHINGTON —  President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory, combined with the Republican takeover of the Senate, may extend conservative control of the Supreme Court for another two decades.

    For much of the last four years, progressives focused their energies on proposals to expand the size of the court or impose term limits on the current justices. These ideas to restructure the court depended on Democrats winning sweeping power in both the White House and the Senate.

    Instead, Republicans will be in charge and positioned to preserve the conservative grip on the high court long after Trump leaves Washington.

    The two oldest justices are also its most conservative jurists. Clarence Thomas, 76, joined the court 33 years ago and would become the longest-serving justice in the court’s history early in 2028. Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., appointed in 2006, is 74.

    If Vice President Kamala Harris had won the election, there was little chance they would have chosen to retire and have their seats filled by a liberal.

    But conservative analysts think it is quite likely Alito or Thomas or both will retire during Trump’s second term.

    Ed Whelan, who writes regularly in the National Review, said he expects Alito will leave first.

    “I certainly have no inside knowledge. But I’d bet big on it,” he said.

    He thinks the death of liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg while Trump was in office will persuade Thomas and Alito they should not stay too long. She resisted calls from liberals to step down during President Obama’s last term, betting Hillary Clinton would succeed him in 2016. Instead Trump won, and a liberal seat flipped to a conservative.

    Retirements by Alito or Thomas would allow Trump to appoint one or two far younger conservatives, likely selecting from those he appointed to the federal appeals courts during his first term.

    Once confirmed, they could potentially sit for 30 years.

    If Democrats had kept control of the Senate, they could have blocked Trump nominees they considered extreme. But Trump and his legal advisers will not face that hurdle.

    In his first term, Trump appointed three conservative justices with the help of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

    When Justice Antonin Scalia died early in 2016, McConnell prevented Obama from filling his seat.

    Early in 2017, Trump chose Neil M. Gorsuch, who is now 57, to fill Scalia’s seat. When Ginsburg died weeks before the 2020 election, McConnell cleared the way for Trump’s quick appointment of Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who is now 52.

    Along with Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh, 59, they cast the key votes to overturn the right to abortion in 2022, and in July, to give Trump and other presidents a broad immunity from criminal charges for their actions while in office.

    All three of them can expect to serve another 20 years on the court.

    Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., the sixth conservative, will turn 70 in January. The oldest of the court’s three liberals, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, had her 70th birthday in June.

    While neither of them are seen as likely candidates to step down in the next four years, Trump could appoint another young conservative if either of them retired.

    President Biden will leave office having made a historic but singular appointment in Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the court’s first Black woman.

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    David G. Savage

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  • Faculty accuse UC campuses of labor violations over pro-Palestine protest crackdowns

    Faculty accuse UC campuses of labor violations over pro-Palestine protest crackdowns

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    Faculty across the state have accused the University of California system of carrying out a sweeping campaign to suppress pro-Palestinian speech and protests in violation of state labor law.

    The Council of University of California Faculty Associations said UC administrators have threatened faculty for teaching about the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and launched disciplinary proceedings against faculty for supporting on-campus student encampments as well as backing a strike by student academic workers this spring.

    The faculty group made the allegations in a 581-page complaint filed Thursday with California’s Public Employment Relations Board, which oversees labor-management interaction for public employees in the state. The unfair labor practice charge was co-signed by faculty associations at seven UC campuses, including Los Angeles, Irvine, San Diego, Santa Cruz, Berkeley, Davis and San Francisco.

    Faculty members gathered at UCLA midday Thursday to announce the charge. At the news conference, Constance Penley, president of the Council of UC Faculty Associations, described the university’s actions as a “relentless campaign to chill faculty’s exercise of their academic freedom and to deter them from teaching about the war in a way that does not align with the university’s position.”

    Faculty have also been investigated for pro-Palestine social media posts, arrested for exercising their free speech rights and were surveilled and intimidated by university representatives, the filing alleged.

    The push from faculty highlights how, months after police cleared pro-Palestinian encampments at universities, the fallout has continued on various campuses, with university officials implementing new protest rules and students grappling with ongoing suspensions and holds on their records.

    The faculty claims build on an earlier charge filed by the UCLA Faculty Assn. in the aftermath of attacks and mass arrests faced by students and faculty participating in an on-campus encampment in April and May. And they parallel similar allegations made by unions representing UC employees, including United Auto Workers Local 481, which represents student academic workers and the University Council-American Federation of Teachers, which represents 6,500 librarians and teaching faculty across the university system.

    The various charges, filed earlier this year with the state labor board allege essentially that the university had failed to maintain safe working conditions, disregarded the free speech rights of its employees, and unlawfully made changes to working conditions in response to campus protests.

    The university defends its course of action. In response to a request for comment, UC spokesperson Heather Hansen pointed to a university statement previously filed with the state labor board in response to the UCLA Faculty Assn.’s charge.

    The university stated that while it “supports free speech and lawful protests,” it must also “ensure that all of its community members can safely continue to study, work, and exercise their rights, which is why it has in place policies that regulate the time, place, and manner for protest activities on its campuses.”

    “The University has allowed — and continues to allow — lawful protesting activities surrounding the conflict in the Middle East. But when protests violate University policy or threaten the safety and security of others, the University has taken lawful action to end impermissible and unlawful behavior,” the university said.

    The filing details instances of the university allegedly investigating and disciplining faculty.

    Soon after the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas on Israel, and the start of Israel’s bombing siege of Gaza, the university began sending emails to faculty threatening that they could be investigated and disciplined for teaching content outside the scope of their courses. In November, UC San Diego investigated two lecturers for teaching about the history of the Palestinian territories, the filing said. A UC Irvine faculty member was sent a “letter of warning” by the administration for holding a vote on whether to conduct class at the on-campus encampment, with optional attendance.

    In another example cited, a medical school lecturer at UC San Francisco who delivered a talk in April about trauma-informed care at a health equity conference was barred from participating in future educational activities after she devoted some six minutes of a 50-minute course to discussing the topic as it related to Palestinians’ health challenges. A campus administrator informed the lecturer they had received complaints that her talk was “biased and antisemitic,” and took down an online video of the talk. The ban was eventually lifted, but the video remains offline.

    The complaint says the university’s “harsh crackdown against professors for expressing pro-Palestinian viewpoints stands in stark contrast to its treatment of vocal pro-Israeli faculty.”

    The university refused to initiate a formal disciplinary investigation into a pro-Israel faculty member at UC Irvine accused of harassing and physically intimidating an undergraduate student, although video footage was provided of the faculty member “cornering, physically intimidating, and interrogating a visibly scared student,” the filing said.

    After an unfair labor practice charge is filed, the Public Employee Relations Board will review and evaluate the case, and decide whether to dismiss the charge or proceed with having parties negotiate a settlement. If no settlement is reached, the case would be scheduled for a formal hearing before an administrative law judge.

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    Suhauna Hussain

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  • California man charged with distributing fentanyl that led to death of Denver man

    California man charged with distributing fentanyl that led to death of Denver man

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    Denver authorities have charged a California man with distributing fentanyl that resulted in the death of a Colorado resident.

    The Denver District Attorney’s Office alleged in a news release Friday that Jamal Gamal bore responsibility for the death of Denver resident Collin Walker by selling the 28-year-old fentanyl in November 2023 that led to his death.

    After Walker died, Denver police set up a sting operation. Authorities said they were able to purchase more than 14 grams of fentanyl from Gamal, who mailed undercover detectives the drug from California.

    According to KDVR TV in Denver, distribution of fentanyl resulting in death is a charge first created in Colorado in 2022 and the local district attorney has made a push to prosecute drug dealers.

    “Collin Walker’s death is yet another tragic example of the devastation that fentanyl continues to cause in our community,” Denver Dist. Atty. Beth McCann said in a statement. “The charges against Mr. Gamal should send the message that people who are accused of selling this poison in Denver will be prosecuted by my office to the fullest extent of the law.”

    According to the district attorney’s office, Gamal was arrested in San Francisco in late August and is expected in Denver next week.

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    Andrew Khouri

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  • ‘Senseless death’: Three men charged with killing New Zealand tourist during Newport Beach robbery

    ‘Senseless death’: Three men charged with killing New Zealand tourist during Newport Beach robbery

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    Orange County prosecutors charged a third-strike offender and two other men with murder on accusations of running a car over a 68-year-old New Zealand woman and dragging her nearly 65 feet during a robbery at Newport Beach’s Fashion Island.

    Prosecutors charged third-striker Leroy Ernest Joseph McCrary, 26, of Los Angeles; Malachi Edward Darnell, 18, also of Los Angeles; and Jaden Cunningham, 18, of Lancaster with special-circumstances murder. They could be sentenced to death if they are convicted of killing Patricia McKay in the commission of a robbery, with a felony enhancement of causing the death of a person over the age of 65. The trio were captured after leading police on a high-speed chase into L.A. County.

    The incidents Tuesday raised questions about why McCrary hadn’t served prison time for his previous felony convictions.

    California has had a moratorium on carrying out the death penalty since 2019 and has not executed anyone since 2006.

    McCrary also faces charges of felony attempted second-degree robbery and evading while driving recklessly. He was previously convicted of the felonies of residential burglary in 2018, criminal threats in 2020, and robbery in 2023, all in L.A. County. Records show he was also convicted of being a narcotics addict in possession of a firearm in 2023.

    In addition to the murder charge, Darnell faces charges of second-degree attempted robbery, attempted murder, and personal use of a firearm, as well as a felony enhancement of personal discharge of a firearm.

    Cunningham is also charged with attempted second-degree robbery in addition to murder.

    Patricia McKay and husband Douglas McKay, a well-known Auckland businessman and leader, were waiting for a ride after shopping at Newport Beach’s Fashion Island on Tuesday when a white Toyota Camry pulled up outside the mall next to the couple, and two men in masks jumped out. One of the men put a gun to Douglas McKay’s head and demanded his watch as they forced him to the ground, according to prosecutors.

    Cunningham is accused of tossing Patricia McKay to the ground as she held several shopping bags, and then allegedly dragged her into the street in front of the Camry while grabbing the bags.

    Douglas McKay jumped in front of the vehicle in an effort to stop it from running over his wife, but McCrary allegedly drove it forward, pushing him out of the way and running over the woman, then dragging her body 65 feet under the car.

    As Cunningham ran after the getaway car, another man seeking to intervene gave chase. Darnell, who by then was back inside the car, is accused of firing three shots at the Good Samaritan.

    After the incident, police pursued the Camry as it sped north, reaching speeds of up to 110 mph. A television news helicopter captured video of the car speeding on the left shoulder of the 105 Freeway and at one point grazing the concrete median.

    Cunningham was arrested after he bailed out of the vehicle in the city of Cypress. McCray and Darnell were arrested later in South Gate. All three defendants were being held without bail Friday.

    “Our entire community extends its deepest sympathies to the loved ones of Patricia McKay and to the entire country of New Zealand as we mourn her senseless death in the commission of a crime that should have never happened,” Orange County Dist. Atty. Todd Spitzer said in a statement announcing the charges. “Lawlessness and violence will not be tolerated in our society.”

    New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon described Patricia McKay’s death as “an absolute tragedy,” and extended condolences to family members, whom he knows personally. Douglas McKay is a prominent energy and business executive who served for several years as chair of the Bank of New Zealand and three years as the first chief executive of the Aukland Council created in 2010 for the region’s “supercity.”

    In a statement, the McKay family said: “No words can express our sadness as we try to come to terms with the loss of our mother, wife, and friend Patricia. We ask for privacy at this time as we work through this as a family.”

    In 2023, McCrary pleaded no contest to charges of robbery and being a narcotics addict in possession of a firearm. He was sentenced to two years of probation with three years in state prison suspended.

    Asked to explain the lack of prison time for McCrary, L.A. County Dist. Atty. George Gascón said in a statement: “The case against [him] had significant problems with proof. As a result of these issues, the management team at the Airport Court authorized a plea offer that allowed Mr. [McCrary] to be placed on probation with a suspended state prison sentence.”

    Still, Gascón’s office called the latest crimes that McCrary is accused of “reprehensible.”

    In announcing this week’s charges, Spitzer, the Orange County prosecutor, put some of the blame on Gov. Gavin Newsom and other California Democrats.

    “Our shopping centers and malls have become hunting grounds for criminals who are stalking innocent shoppers to rob them blind,” he said in a statement, “because our Governor and our Legislature refuse to hold anyone accountable for their actions.”

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    Richard Winton

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  • Los Angeles woman arrested again on suspicion of attempted kidnapping in Koreatown

    Los Angeles woman arrested again on suspicion of attempted kidnapping in Koreatown

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    For the second time this year, a Los Angeles woman with a mental health disorder has been arrested on suspicion of attempting to kidnap a child in Koreatown.

    Her previous sentencing for attempted kidnapping resulted in a diversion program for a mental health disorder that the court believed had a role in her initial crime.

    But police say she tried another abduction Tuesday, when LAPD officers responded to reports of a woman approaching children about 5 p.m. at Seoul International Park on the 3200 block of San Marino Street, according to the department.

    Witnesses who spoke to officers said the woman, identified as Yara Vanessa Pineda, approached several children, picked them up and then let them go, KTLA-TV Channel 5 reported.

    Pineda, 27, allegedly put the children down after their parents confronted her, and then she fled.

    Officers saw Pineda running down Normandie Avenue and tried to arrest her, said Jader Chaves, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department. She resisted, and officers used a Taser to subdue her, Chaves said.

    The LAPD had arrested her Feb. 28 on suspicion of trying to kidnap a young boy from a Target.

    On Feb. 25, Olympic Division officers responded to a report that Pineda allegedly grabbed a 4-year-old child from behind and carried him out of the store, according to a police report.

    Pineda allegedly put the child down after his parents confronted her outside. The family told officers they didn’t know Pineda.

    Three days later, officers in the North Hollywood area got a call from a person who saw Pineda and recognized her from a community alert issued by police. She was found and arrested in the attempted kidnapping.

    On May 21, Pineda was sentenced to two years of a mental health diversion program. It was unclear from court records why she was released so recently after the previous arrest.

    A court is allowed to grant a mental health diversion for individuals with a felony charge if they are diagnosed with a mental health disorder and do not pose a significant safety risk if treated in the community, according to the California Department of State Hospitals. The charges, however, can’t be murder, voluntary manslaughter, rape or lewd and lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14.

    The diagnosis can be of schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder or bipolar disorder.

    Pineda’s diagnosis was not disclosed in court documents.

    A mental health diversion is granted when the court deems that a mental health disorder played a role in the criminal behavior.

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    Karen Garcia

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  • Mother of missing Madalina Cojocari admits she failed to report daughter’s disappearance

    Mother of missing Madalina Cojocari admits she failed to report daughter’s disappearance

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    Diana Cojocari, the mother of a girl who mysteriously disappeared from her Cornelius home after Thanksgiving 2022, pleaded guilty in court on Monday morning to failing to report her daughter missing.

    Cojocari, 39, who was in the United States on a green card, will likely be released later Monday, said Mecklenburg Superior Court Judge Thomas Davis. She’s already served 17 months in the Mecklenburg County Detention Center — the maximum sentence for failing to report a child missing.

    When released, it is “probable and highly likely” that Cojocari will be deported, Davis told her in court Monday.

    Standing in jail scrubs between her retained lawyers, Daniel Roberts and a co-counsel, Cojocari said she understood.

    Her release comes the same day her husband and co-defendant, Christopher Palmiter, was scheduled to begin trial. But a separate trial held in the same courtroom must come to a close before Palmiter’s trial can begin, said Mike Stolp, a spokesman for the Mecklenburg District Attorney’s Office.

    Madalina Cojocari, now 13, remains missing.

    School counselors called Diana Cojocari and Palmiter — Madalina’s stepfather — to Bailey Middle School after her teacher noticed a long absence following the Cornelius school’s 2022 Thanksgiving break. She was last seen Nov. 23, 2022, police say, but the couple didn’t report her missing until Dec. 15 of that year.

    By Dec. 17, Cornelius police had arrested the couple, charging each with failure to report a missing child.

    Palmiter posted his $25,000 bond, which was originally $200,000, and Cojocari has remained in jail under a $250,000 bond.

    Both Cojocari and Palmiter have been interviewed by police, but neither have offered any explanation as to why they didn’t report the girl missing, prosecutors said in a previous court hearing. Only bits of conflicting information exist in court documents, and they tend to introduce more questions — none of which were answered.

    At her last arraignment in February, Cojocari refused to leave her jail cell when she was scheduled to appear across the street in the courthouse.

    This is a breaking story and will be updated.

    This story was originally published May 20, 2024, 11:09 AM.

    Related stories from Charlotte Observer

    Julia Coin covers local and federal courts and legal issues after previously working as a breaking news reporter for the Observer. Julia has reported on fentanyl in local schools, the aftermath of police shootings and crime trends in Charlotte, and she occasionally photographs and reviews local concerts.. Michigan-born and Florida-raised, she studied journalism at the University of Florida, where she covered statewide legislation, sexual assault on campus and Hurricane Ian’s destruction.
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  • Top advisor to Los Angeles D.A. Gascón is charged with illegal use of confidential police records

    Top advisor to Los Angeles D.A. Gascón is charged with illegal use of confidential police records

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    California’s attorney general filed criminal charges Wednesday against one of L.A. County Dist. Atty. George Gascón’s top advisors, who supervises high-profile and sensitive cases including police misconduct, fraud and public corruption.

    Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta announced the 11 felony counts against Assistant Dist. Atty. Diana Teran in a press statement. He accused her of improperly downloading confidential records of police officers in 2018 while she was working for the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department. Teran then “impermissibly used that data” after joining Gascón’s office three years later, Bonta said.

    The confidential records concern 11 sheriff’s deputies, according to a criminal complaint filed in L.A. Superior Court. The deputies’ names were not included in the court filing.

    The announcement of criminal charges against one of Gascón’s top advisors — particularly one so closely tied to his agenda of law enforcement accountability and criminal justice reform — sent shock waves across the state’s legal community and was expected to have a far-reaching impact on active and future criminal cases handled by Gascón’s office, while also fueling fresh controversy as he pursues reelection this year.

    “No one is above the law,” said Bonta, a fellow Democrat and police reform advocate, in a statement issued by his press office. “Public officials are called to serve the people and the State of California with integrity and honesty. At the California Department of Justice, we will continue to fight for the people of California and hold those who break the law accountable.”

    Teran referred questions to her attorney, James Spertus, who called the case “dead on arrival” and said he was stunned to see the charges, since his client had been cooperating with a criminal investigation into the allegations.

    “They’re charging her for doing something within the scope of her employment, that she has a duty to do,” Spertus said in an interview Wednesday.

    Teran, who has been a lawyer for more than 35 years, worked for years as a deputy district attorney in L.A. County before assuming posts involving law enforcement monitoring and oversight. In 2018, she served as a constitutional policing advisor to the Sheriff’s Department, then as a consultant to the Office of Inspector General, which provides oversight to the department. In 2019, she became a law enforcement accountability advisor with the L.A. County public defender’s office.

    After Gascón’s election victory, Teran joined his administration in early 2021 as a special advisor and later began running the Justice System Integrity Division, or JSID, which handles prosecutions of police and attorney misconduct. Her hiring was one of many criticized by longtime prosecutors frustrated by Gascón’s willingness to empower attorneys who had previously done defense work.

    Gascón recently promoted Teran to assistant district attorney, giving her supervisory authority over units that prosecute organized crime, white collar crime and corruption, as well as crimes by law enforcement and attorneys.

    Teran’s current employment status is unclear, and a spokesperson for Gascón’s office declined to specify whether she remains an assistant district attorney.

    The criminal complaint offers little detail about the underlying allegations. A source familiar with the case who was not authorized to speak on the record said the charges related to documents that Teran had downloaded while she worked at the Sheriff’s Department and were subsequently provided to the discovery unit at the D.A.’s office.

    Spertus said that the investigation into his client was sparked by a complaint from former Sheriff Alex Villanueva, who routinely clashed with those who attempted to provide oversight of his department, including Teran. In a livestream Wednesday evening, Villanueva echoed that, saying that in 2019 he alerted the FBI and the attorney general to concerns about Teran downloading information he described as a “massive data breach.”

    Though the complaint does not spell out what data Teran may have illegally misused, Spertus said he believed state prosecutors were erroneously trying to charge Teran for uploading public documents to the district attorney’s “Brady List.”

    Under the 1963 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brady vs. Maryland, prosecutors must turn over evidence favorable to defendants, which could include information that undermines a police officer’s credibility or reveals past dishonesty or wrongdoing. The Brady List refers to a database of law enforcement officers who have been accused or convicted of on-duty misconduct.

    Spertus believed the documents and data in question were either obtained through public court files or involved findings of dishonesty against sheriff’s deputies, which would be public record under Senate Bill 1421, California’s landmark police transparency law.

    That law, which makes information about serious uses of force, allegations of sexual assault or dishonesty by California police officers a public record, did not go into effect until Jan. 1, 2019. Teran is alleged to have obtained the information in question in 2018.

    “It’s unsustainable on its face,” Spertus said of the allegation. “You don’t need permission to use public information. They can’t say that she wrongfully took anything,” he said, adding, “She had documents in her possession. She had an obligation to her employer to build out the Brady database.”

    In a statement to The Times, Villanueva called the charges against Teran “a vindication of my administration” and credited state prosecutors with uncovering “the truth.”

    “Many more public corruption cases involving Los Angeles County elected leaders and their appointees are being investigated by Mr. Bonta’s office, and based on what I know of the evidence, I expect further indictments,” Villanueva added.

    Gascón did not directly address the charges against Teran, but in a statement he defended his office’s handling of confidential law enforcement records.

    “When I took office, we developed a protocol that ensured we complied with our constitutional obligations under Brady — which requires us to turn over potentially exculpatory evidence to the defense, a category that includes law enforcement’s prior misconduct — while simultaneously complying with state and federal law around privacy. I stand by that protocol,” Gascón said Wednesday.

    Gascón emphasized that the case would not deter him from carrying out his agenda.

    “I remain committed to upholding transparency and ensuring police accountability within Los Angeles County,” he said in the statement.

    Gascón’s opponent in the district attorney’s race, Nathan Hochman, pounced on the charges.

    “This is just the latest example of Gascón’s demonstrated record of poor judgment and lack of leadership in running the district attorney’s office,” Hochman said in a written response. “Promoting Teran to Assistant District Attorney, ironically in charge of ethics and integrity, even occurred despite legitimate objections from many experienced prosecutors.”

    This is not the first time Teran has been publicly accused of misconduct while in Gascón’s employ.

    Late last year, the former second in command of the JSID unit filed a civil suit alleging that Teran ordered prosecutors to delay announcing the decision not to charge a sheriff’s deputy in a high-profile excessive-force case because of how it might affect the reelection bid of then-Sheriff Villanueva.

    Richard Pippin, president of the Assn. of Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs, the union that represents rank-and-file sheriff’s deputies, called for a broader investigation into the “deeply troubling” allegations.

    “During her tenure with the sheriff’s department, Diana Teran’s contempt for the people who strive to keep our communities safe was apparent, and so we weren’t surprised to see District Attorney George Gascón place her in a position as one of his top advisors,” Pippin said in a statement Wednesday. “ALADS is demanding a complete investigation of all matters, access to sensitive records and other actions taken by Diana Teran and her staff during her entire tenure. This investigation should not be limited in scope or effort.”

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    James Queally, Keri Blakinger, Matt Hamilton

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  • 3 Alameda police officers charged with involuntary manslaughter in 2021 death of Mario Gonzalez

    3 Alameda police officers charged with involuntary manslaughter in 2021 death of Mario Gonzalez

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    Nearly three years after a Bay Area man died when police pinned him facedown, in a case that drew comparisons to the killing of George Floyd, the Alameda Police Department officers involved have been charged with involuntary manslaughter, authorities announced.

    The charges in the death of Mario Gonzalez, 26, came Thursday. Gonzalez died after an altercation with police on April 19, 2021. No charges were filed against the officers at the time.

    An initial autopsy cited “physiological stress of altercation and restraint” as one of four factors in Gonzalez’s death, along with the “toxic effects of methamphetamine,” morbid obesity and alcoholism.

    The Alameda County district attorney’s Public Accountability Unit reopened the case in 2023, and a second autopsy determined that Gonzalez had died as “a result of restraint asphyxiation,” according to the prosecutor.

    The case was brought by Dist. Atty Pamela Price. Elected in 2022, Price had promised in her campaign to reopen the inquiry, which had been closed without charges by previous Dist. Atty. Nancy O’Malley.

    The three officers, Eric McKinley, James Fisher and Cameron Leahy, were charged with involuntary manslaughter.

    Gonzalez’s death drew comparisons to Floyd’s 2020 murder in Minneapolis by then-Officer Derek Chauvin, a killing that set off nationwide protests against police brutality.

    Less than a year later, police officers in Alameda responded to a report of an intoxicated person and possible theft at a local park.

    Body camera footage released by the Police Department shows the officers’ interaction with Gonzalez. In the video, Gonzalez struggles to answer their questions and appears dazed. After he fails to produce identification for the officers, they attempt to pin his hands behind his back to handcuff him.

    The officers determine that Gonzalez is resisting and push him to the ground, the video shows.

    “We’re going to take care of you, OK? We’re going to take care of you,” one officer tells Gonzalez as they continue to restrain him.

    “I think you just had too much to drink today, OK? That’s all,” the officer continues. After learning his name, the officer adds, “Mario, just please stop fighting us.”

    Gonzalez can be seen facedown in wood chips, grunting and shouting as the officers hold him down.

    One officer puts a knee on Gonzalez’s back and holds it there for at least four minutes, even as Gonzalez gasps for air.

    “I didn’t do nothing, OK?” Gonzalez says at one point.

    An officer eventually says that Gonzelez is “going unresponsive,” according to the video. The officers then roll Gonzalez over and perform CPR on him. He died at the hospital later that day.

    In its initial public comment on the case, the Alameda Police Department did not mention that Gonzalez had been restrained, saying only that “officers attempted to detain the man, and a physical altercation ensued. At that time, the man had a medical emergency.”

    But Gonzalez’s family saw the situation differently.

    “The police killed my brother, in the same manner they killed George Floyd,” his brother Gerardo Gonzalez told reporters at the time.

    Alison Berry Wilkinson, a lawyer who represented all three officers during the criminal investigation but who now represents only Leahy, called the case a “blatantly political prosecution.”

    “The officers’ actions while taking Mr. Gonzalez into custody were reasonable, necessary, and lawful, and his tragic death was the result of drug toxicity, not criminal misconduct,” she said.

    All three officers are still active in law enforcement and will surrender themselves in the case, Berry Wilkinson said.

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    Noah Goldberg

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  • LAPD officer who shot girl in Burlington Coat Factory changing room won’t face charges

    LAPD officer who shot girl in Burlington Coat Factory changing room won’t face charges

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    A Los Angeles police officer who shot and killed a 14-year-old girl through the wall of a changing room at a Burlington Coat Factory store in North Hollywood was cleared of wrongdoing Tuesday by the California Department of Justice.

    California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta’s office said Officer William Jones used reasonable force in the 2021 incident because he was responding to a report of a possible active shooter.

    That information turned out to be wrong — the suspect, Daniel Elena-Lopez, was carrying a bike lock, not a gun.

    Footage released by the Los Angeles Police Department showed that when Jones arrived at the scene, toting a high-powered rifle, he rushed to the front of a phalanx of officers advancing toward the store’s home goods section, where he opened fire almost immediately upon encountering Elena-Lopez.

    One of rounds that Jones fired “skipped off” a floor tile, the attorney general’s report said, and sailed into a fitting room where Valentina Orellana-Peralta was hiding with her mother. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

    The shooting drew widespread outrage and grief, while bringing demands for the officer who killed her to be criminally charged. The Orellana-Peralta family has a pending civil lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles, alleging failures in training and oversight contributed to the deadly outcome. Attorneys in the case did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

    The LAPD did not immediately respond to an inquiry about the case.

    While an internal LAPD review panel was split on whether Jones’ decision to open fire was justified, then-chief Michel Moore ultimately ruled in 2022 that the shots violated department policy and that the officer should have taken more time to assess the situation. In a rare split with the chief, the Police Commission concluded that only Jones’ second and third shots were out of policy.

    No LAPD officer has been charged in an on-duty shooting by county or state prosecutors in nearly two decades. Under Dist. Atty. George Gascón, L.A. County prosecutors have been more aggressive in filing cases against law enforcement officers who use force on duty though, bringing assault and manslaughter charges against Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies and Torrance police officers in recent years.

    The attorney general’s office noted Jones had heard reports that Elena-Lopez was threatening customers at the store with a gun. The information was later amended, but it’s not clear whether Jones heard these later radio broadcasts, the office said. A toxicology report showed Elena-Lopez had been using methamphetamine.

    Orellana-Peralta was a bystander in the store. She had arrived from her native Chile about six months prior, her family said, with dreams of becoming an engineer and a U.S. citizen. According to her family’s lawsuit, which was filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court earlier this month, the girl’s mother “watched helplessly as her daughter died while still in her arms.”

    The attorney general’s office said that other officers at the scene had formulated a plan to try to stop Elena-Lopez by firing a .40mm “less-lethal” round at him, but Jones was unaware of their plan. Jones’ perception that he was shooting to stop an armed threat means he can’t be held criminally liable for the errant bullet that killed the teenager, based on a legal theory known as “transferred intent,” the office said.

    The attorney general’s report called for the LAPD to improve its communication and coordination in emergency responses, but said it could not pursue charges against Jones because the killing of Orellana Peralta was “unintended and unforeseeable.”

    After reviewing the report, civil rights attorney Jim DeSimone, who has brought wrongful-death suits against law enforcement agencies across the state, said the case highlights the need for officers to have better “situational awareness” before opening fire.

    “It’s clear that with the number of officers, and less-lethal options, that Mr. Lopez could have been apprehended without killing an innocent human being,” he said.

    Times staff writer James Queally contributed to this report.

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    Libor Jany

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  • Accusing a pop superstar of sex trafficking: What R. Kelly case tells us about Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs

    Accusing a pop superstar of sex trafficking: What R. Kelly case tells us about Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs

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    Disgraced R&B singer R. Kelly was once worth hundreds of millions of dollars but is now serving what amounts to a life sentence in federal prison.

    After decades of sex abuse allegations and an acquittal on child pornography charges, a documentary series titled “Surviving R. Kelly” finally gave his accusers a voice and helped bring down the singer. Within six months of its airing, Kelly was facing federal prosecution in New York.

    He was convicted not only of sex trafficking but also of racketeering — charges that specify a person’s “enterprise” was used to carry out criminal conduct.

    Sean “Diddy” Combs now faces a similar federal investigation, though the accusations against him are significantly different and it remains unclear whether they will result in criminal charges.

    Authorities have said little about the probe. But law enforcement sources have confirmed to The Times that Combs is under investigation for sex-trafficking tied at least in part to civil lawsuits filed by several women who have accused him of misconduct.

    Combs has denied any wrongdoing, and his attorneys have slammed the investigation as unwarranted.

    After federal agents searched the artist’s homes in Florida and Los Angeles several weeks ago, his attorney decried a “premature rush to judgment of Mr. Combs” and said the investigation “is nothing more than a witch hunt based on meritless accusations made in civil lawsuits.”

    Still, previous high-profile sex-trafficking cases could offer a window into how the feds typically build a case and can provide clues into what officials would need to bring charges.

    “The playbook for these types of cases is R. Kelly, Jeffrey Epstein, Larry Ray and NXIVM’s founder Keith Raniere,” said Elizabeth Geddes, who delivered a six-hour closing argument in Kelly’s conviction.

    In November, Combs’ former girlfriend Casandra Ventura, the singer known as Cassie, accused him in a lawsuit of rape. Within a day, he settled.

    Since then, three other women have sued Combs, accusing him of rape, sex trafficking, assault and other abuses. One of the allegations involved a minor. A male producer also has sued him over unwanted sexual contact.

    Geddes, who is not involved in the Combs case, said she believes Ventura might have been the trigger for the federal investigation.

    She said the docuseries about Kelly spurred the Eastern District of New York to act — and that type of high-level investigation often requires an outside catalyst. In Kelly’s case, he had been acquitted in 2008 and as a result, many of his accusers lost confidence in law enforcement. But the documentary re-engaged authorities.

    “Nothing puts pressure on law enforcement like a front-page story on the major newspaper in the city,” Geddes said.

    Combs’ investigation, led by Homeland Security, is several months old, according to sources, and many connected to the case — including accusers and alleged witnesses — have already been interviewed.

    Geddes said Homeland Security Investigations also worked the Kelly case, and its agents tend to have years of experience working with sex-trafficking victims.

    She said sex trafficking requires either “force, fraud or coercion to cause a person to engage in a commercial sex act” or the trafficking of minors under 18.

    “There is no statute of limitations,” Geddes said, and the key law enacted in the 2000s applies to acts from 2001 forward.

    Geddes said that in addition to the sex charges against Kelly, she and her colleagues secured a racketeering indictment against the singer. The charge has famously been applied to mob bosses like John Gotti and James “Whitey” Bulger.

    In racketeering cases, Geddes said, the “enterprise” carries out illegal conduct and prosecutors seek to show a broader pattern of conduct that stretches over years and involves many participants. A racketeering case also allows multiple victims’ narratives in one trial.

    Racketeering became a federal crime in 1970 under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO.

    Over the years, its usage has expanded. It often is used against gangs, ranging from the Mexican Mafia to South L.A.’s Crips. Racketeering cases also have been brought against rappers associated with street gangs, including Young Thug, Kay Flock, Casanova, and Fetty Wap.

    Federal prosecutors have succeeded in racketeering convictions not only against Kelly, but also against other sex traffickers, including NXIVM founder Raniere and Larry Ray, whose crimes were outlined in the docuseries “Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence.”

    A law enforcement agent carries a bag of evidence as federal agents stand at the entrance to a property belonging to Sean “Diddy” Combs in Miami on March 25.

    (Rebecca Blackwell / Associated Press)

    But it is unclear what evidence the feds have against Combs and whether there is enough to bring charges.

    Few details are available, other than sources saying investigators left his two homes with electronics, data devices and other records.

    Legal experts have told The Times that evidence in sex-trafficking cases must be extensive as such charges can be hard to prove.

    “Sex trafficking for adults usually involves some sort of coercion or other restraints,” L.A. defense attorney Dmitry Gorin said. Prosecutors would need to show you “encouraged somebody to engage in sexual activity for money or some other inducement.”

    Aaron Dyer, one of Combs’ lawyers, stressed in a statement released after the raids that “there has been no finding of criminal or civil liability with any of these allegations.”

    The mother of Combs’ son Justin Dior Combs also slammed the investigation and the raids.

    “The overzealous and overtly militarized force used against my sons Justin and Christian is deplorable,” designer Misa Hylton said after releasing video showing federal agents dressed in military gear pointing a gun at Combs’ sons. “If these were the sons of a non-Black celebrity, they would not have been handled with the same aggression. The attempt to humiliate and terrorize these innocent young Black men is despicable!”

    Federal sex-trafficking and sexual assault laws also allow prosecutors to present evidence that shows a modus operandi.

    “In the R. Kelly trial, several women testified about what Kelly did to them as part of a pattern of behavior. It is very much the same thing people saw in Harvey Weinstein’s prosecution,” Geddes said.

    If prosecutors do file charges against Combs, they also could allege the use of forced labor under threat, Geddes said. Ventura, Combs’ former girlfriend, alleged she was forced into sex acts with other men and suffered physical harm for complaining. If true, this could be considered forced labor, Geddes said.

    Kelly was convicted of eight counts of the Mann Act, which was passed in 1910 and sought to criminalize what’s now known as human trafficking. The law initially banned transporting a woman or girl across state lines “for the purpose of prostitution or debauchery, or for any other immoral purpose.”

    The Mann Act now covers transportation across state lines “with [the] intent that such individual engages in prostitution, or in any sexual activity for which any person can be charged with a criminal offense.”

    In the allegations against Combs, one woman said she was brought from Detroit as a 17-year-old to Combs’ studios so he could rape her along with his cohorts, Geddes said.

    Before the highly publicized searches of Combs’ properties were executed, Geddes said, prosecutors and HSI agents had to “have made some headway into the investigations.”

    “What we can say at this stage is there was enough probable cause to convince a magistrate to issue a search warrant,” she said. “Before getting such a warrant, agents have typically interviewed multiple witnesses.”

    Geddes said those types of searches typically seek corroboration of evidence because high-profile individuals tend to work with others to commit such crimes. In Kelly’s case, Geddes said, his storage facility proved to be a goldmine. He kept message slips, handwritten notations and emails to pick up women and girls. And there were “videos, lots of videos,” she said.

    “We had so much evidence presented in Kelly, it was hard to fit it all into the closing,” Geddes said. “He used his money and public persona to hide his crimes in plain sight,” she told jurors at the time.

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    Richard Winton

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  • Louis Farrakhan sued Jewish leaders for $4.8 billion. A judge tossed the case

    Louis Farrakhan sued Jewish leaders for $4.8 billion. A judge tossed the case

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    Prominent Jewish leaders are free to continue calling Louis Farrakhan — leader of the Black nationalist organization the Nation of Islam — antisemitic, according to a New York court.

    The Nation of Islam had sued the Anti-Defamation League and Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal Center for $4.8 billion, claiming the Jewish organizations had violated the Nation of Islam’s 1st Amendment rights by calling Farrakhan’s frequent unflattering comments about Jews “antisemitic.”

    In recent years, Farrakhan has publicly likened Jews to termites, accused the “synagogue of Satan” of wrapping its tentacles around the U.S. government, and argued that the “pedophilia and sexual perversion” in Hollywood could be traced to “Jewish influence.”

    In dismissing the case, Manhattan federal court Judge Denise Cote held that the claims of antisemitism were based on direct quotes by Farrakhan and that there was no evidence that being called antisemitic had harmed the Nation of Islam.

    “We are grateful that the United States judicial system recognized and validated our First Amendment right to confront and speak out against anti-Semitism,” said the Wiesenthal Center’s Rabbi Abraham Cooper in a statement Monday. He called the lawsuit a “not-so-veiled attempt to silence” Jewish voices.

    In a video address posted on the Nation of Islam’s website in the fall, Farrakhan argued that everything he had said about Jews “is absolutely the truth” and that the “vile” claims of antisemitism had cost him and other members of his organization jobs in the media and other business opportunities.

    “And with their influence over the media,” Farrakhan added, “these false charges have been spread throughout the Earth.”

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    Jack Dolan

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