ReportWire

Tag: child

  • Mom who wrote children’s book on grief goes on trial for husband’s murder

    [ad_1]

    A murder trial is underway for a Utah mother of three who published a children’s book about grief after her husband’s death and was later accused of killing him.Kouri Richins, 35, faces a slew of felony charges for allegedly killing her husband, Eric Richins, with fentanyl in March 2022 at their home just outside the ski town of Park City. The trial began Monday and is slated to run through March 26.Prosecutors say she slipped five times the lethal dose of the synthetic opioid into a Moscow mule cocktail that he drank.She is also accused of trying to poison him a month earlier on Valentine’s Day with a fentanyl-laced sandwich that made him break out in hives and black out, according to court documents.Prosecutors have argued that Richins killed her husband for financial gain while planning a future with another man she was seeing on the side. Richins has vehemently denied the allegations.She faces nearly three dozen counts, including aggravated murder, attempted murder, forgery, mortgage fraud and insurance fraud. The murder charge alone carries a sentence of 25 years to life in prison.Her defense attorneys, Wendy Lewis, Kathy Nester and Alex Ramos, said they are confident the jury will allow Richins to return home to her children after hearing her side of the story.“Kouri has waited nearly three years for this moment: the opportunity to have the facts of this case heard by a jury, free from the prosecution’s narrative that has dominated headlines since her arrest,” her legal team said in a statement, adding, “What the public has been told bears little resemblance to the truth.”As the trial began, Richins sat quietly with her defense team, wearing a black blazer and white blouse.In the months before her arrest in May 2023, Richins self-published the children’s book “Are You with Me?” about a father with angel wings watching over his young son after passing away. The book, which she promoted on a local television station, could play a key role for prosecutors in framing Eric Richins’ death as a calculated killing with an elaborate cover-up attempt.Years before her husband’s death, Richins opened numerous life insurance policies on Eric Richins without his knowledge, with benefits totaling nearly $2 million, prosecutors allege. Court documents also indicate she had a negative bank account balance, owed lenders more than $1.8 million and was being sued by a creditor.Among the witnesses who could be called to testify throughout the trial are a housekeeper who claims to have sold fentanyl to Richins on three occasions and the man with whom Richins was allegedly having an affair.The state’s key witness, housekeeper Carmen Lauber, told a detective she had sold Richins up to 90 blue-green fentanyl pills that she acquired from a dealer. Lauber is not charged with any crimes in connection with the case, and detectives said at an earlier hearing that she had been granted immunity.Defense attorneys are expected to argue that Lauber did not actually give Richins fentanyl and was motivated to lie for legal protection. None was ever found in her house, and the dealer has said he was in jail and detoxing from drug use when he told detectives in 2023 that he had sold fentanyl to Lauber. He later said in a sworn affidavit that he only sold her the opioid OxyContin.Other witnesses could include relatives of the defendant and her late husband, and friends of Eric Richins who have recounted phone conversations from the day prosecutors say he was first poisoned by his wife of nine years.One friend said in written testimony that they noticed fear in Eric Richins’ voice when he called on Valentine’s Day and said, “I think my wife tried to poison me.”

    PARK CITY, Utah —

    A murder trial is underway for a Utah mother of three who published a children’s book about grief after her husband’s death and was later accused of killing him.

    Kouri Richins, 35, faces a slew of felony charges for allegedly killing her husband, Eric Richins, with fentanyl in March 2022 at their home just outside the ski town of Park City. The trial began Monday and is slated to run through March 26.

    Prosecutors say she slipped five times the lethal dose of the synthetic opioid into a Moscow mule cocktail that he drank.

    She is also accused of trying to poison him a month earlier on Valentine’s Day with a fentanyl-laced sandwich that made him break out in hives and black out, according to court documents.

    Prosecutors have argued that Richins killed her husband for financial gain while planning a future with another man she was seeing on the side. Richins has vehemently denied the allegations.

    She faces nearly three dozen counts, including aggravated murder, attempted murder, forgery, mortgage fraud and insurance fraud. The murder charge alone carries a sentence of 25 years to life in prison.

    Her defense attorneys, Wendy Lewis, Kathy Nester and Alex Ramos, said they are confident the jury will allow Richins to return home to her children after hearing her side of the story.

    “Kouri has waited nearly three years for this moment: the opportunity to have the facts of this case heard by a jury, free from the prosecution’s narrative that has dominated headlines since her arrest,” her legal team said in a statement, adding, “What the public has been told bears little resemblance to the truth.”

    As the trial began, Richins sat quietly with her defense team, wearing a black blazer and white blouse.

    In the months before her arrest in May 2023, Richins self-published the children’s book “Are You with Me?” about a father with angel wings watching over his young son after passing away. The book, which she promoted on a local television station, could play a key role for prosecutors in framing Eric Richins’ death as a calculated killing with an elaborate cover-up attempt.

    Years before her husband’s death, Richins opened numerous life insurance policies on Eric Richins without his knowledge, with benefits totaling nearly $2 million, prosecutors allege. Court documents also indicate she had a negative bank account balance, owed lenders more than $1.8 million and was being sued by a creditor.

    Among the witnesses who could be called to testify throughout the trial are a housekeeper who claims to have sold fentanyl to Richins on three occasions and the man with whom Richins was allegedly having an affair.

    The state’s key witness, housekeeper Carmen Lauber, told a detective she had sold Richins up to 90 blue-green fentanyl pills that she acquired from a dealer. Lauber is not charged with any crimes in connection with the case, and detectives said at an earlier hearing that she had been granted immunity.

    Defense attorneys are expected to argue that Lauber did not actually give Richins fentanyl and was motivated to lie for legal protection. None was ever found in her house, and the dealer has said he was in jail and detoxing from drug use when he told detectives in 2023 that he had sold fentanyl to Lauber. He later said in a sworn affidavit that he only sold her the opioid OxyContin.

    Other witnesses could include relatives of the defendant and her late husband, and friends of Eric Richins who have recounted phone conversations from the day prosecutors say he was first poisoned by his wife of nine years.

    One friend said in written testimony that they noticed fear in Eric Richins’ voice when he called on Valentine’s Day and said, “I think my wife tried to poison me.”

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Family dog attacks 1-year-old, Hallandale Beach police say

    [ad_1]

    A 1-year-old was attacked by a family dog near the 400 block of Southeast Ninth Street in Hallandale Beach on Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, police say.

    A 1-year-old was attacked by a family dog near the 400 block of Southeast Ninth Street in Hallandale Beach on Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, police say.

    Getty Images | Royalty Free

    A 1-year-old child was attacked by a family dog in Hallandale Beach on Friday, according to police.

    The child was attacked near the 400 block of Southeast Ninth Street while the mother was changing the baby, police say. The mother was able to pull the child away from the dog.

    The child was taken to a hospital by the parents. The severity of the child’s injuries is still unknown, police added.

    Broward County Animal Care and Control has been notified.

    Milena Malaver

    Miami Herald

    Milena Malaver covers crime and breaking news for the Miami Herald. She was born and raised in Miami-Dade and is a graduate of Florida International University. She joined the Herald shortly after graduating.

    [ad_2]

    Milena Malaver

    Source link

  • Children of the late Rev. Jesse Jackson honor his legacy as memorial services set for next week

    [ad_1]

    Jesse Jackson’s life was defined by *** relentless fight for justice and equality. I was born in Greenville, South Carolina, uh, in rampant radical racial segregation. Had to be taught to go to the back of the bus or be arrested. In 1965, he began working for Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. I learned so much from him, such *** great source of inspiration. Both men were in Memphis in April 1968 to support striking sanitation workers. King and other civil rights leaders were staying at the Lorraine Motel. He said, Jesse, you know, you don’t even have on *** shirt and tie. You don’t even have on *** tie. We’re going to dinner. I said, Doc, you know it does not require *** tie. Just an appetite and we laughed. I said, Doc, and the bullet hit. With King gone, his movement was adrift. Years later, Jackson formed Operation Push, pressuring businesses to open up to black workers and customers and adding more focus on black responsibility, championed in the 1972 concert Watt Stacks. Watts. The Reverend set his sights on the White House in 1984. 1st thought of as *** marginal candidate, Jackson finished third in the primary race with 18% of the vote. He ran again in 1988, doubling his vote count and finishing in 2nd in the Democratic race. At the time, it was the farthest any black candidate had gone in *** presidential contest. But 20 years later when President Barack ran, we were laying the groundwork for that season. In 2017, Jackson had *** new battle to fight, Parkinson’s disease, but it did. It stop him. Late in life, he was still fighting. He was arrested in Washington while demonstrating for voting rights. His silent presence at the trial of Ahmaud Arbery’s killers prompted defense lawyers to ask that he leave the courtroom. Jackson stayed from the Jim Crow South through the turbulent 60s and into the Black Lives Matter movement. Jesse Jackson was *** constant, unyielding voice for justice.

    Children of the late Rev. Jesse Jackson honor his legacy as memorial services set for next week

    Updated: 8:30 PM PST Feb 18, 2026

    Editorial Standards ⓘ

    From jokes about his well-known stubbornness to tears grieving the loss of a parent, the adult children of the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr. gave an emotional tribute Wednesday honoring the legacy of the late civil rights icon, a day after his death.Jackson died Tuesday at his home in Chicago after battling a rare neurological disorder that affected his ability to move and speak. Standing on the steps outside his longtime Chicago home, five of his children, including U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson, remembered him not only for his decades-long work in civil rights but also for his role as spiritual leader and father.“Our father is a man who dedicated his life to public service to gain, protect and defend civil rights and human rights to make our nation better, to make the world more just, our people better neighbors with each other,” said his youngest son, Yusef Jackson, fighting back tears at times.Memorial services were set for next week, with two days of him lying in repose at the Chicago headquarters of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, the organization he founded. A public memorial dubbed “The People’s Celebration” was planned for Feb. 27 at the House of Hope, a South Side church with a 10,000-person arena. Homegoing services were set for the following day at Rainbow PUSH, according to the organization.Jackson rose to prominence six decades ago as a protege of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., joining the voting rights march King led from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. King later dispatched Jackson to Chicago to launch Operation Breadbasket, a Southern Christian Leadership Conference effort to pressure companies to hire Black workers.Jackson was with King on April 4, 1968, when the civil rights leader was killed.Remembrances have poured in worldwide for Jackson, including flowers left outside the home where large portraits of a smiling Jackson had been placed. But his children said he was a family man first.“Our father took fatherhood very seriously,” his eldest child, Santita Jackson, said. “It was his charge to keep.”His children’s reflections were poetic in the style of the late civil rights icon — filled with prayer, tears and a few chuckles, including about disagreements that occur when growing up in a large, lively family.His eldest son, Jesse Jackson Jr., a former congressman, said his father’s funeral services would welcome all, “Democrat, Republican, liberal and conservative, right wing, left wing — because his life is broad enough to cover the full spectrum of what it means to be an American.”The family asked only that those attending be respectful.“If his life becomes a turning point in our national political discourse, amen,” he said. “His last breath is not his last breath.”

    CHICAGO —

    From jokes about his well-known stubbornness to tears grieving the loss of a parent, the adult children of the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr. gave an emotional tribute Wednesday honoring the legacy of the late civil rights icon, a day after his death.

    Jackson died Tuesday at his home in Chicago after battling a rare neurological disorder that affected his ability to move and speak. Standing on the steps outside his longtime Chicago home, five of his children, including U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson, remembered him not only for his decades-long work in civil rights but also for his role as spiritual leader and father.

    “Our father is a man who dedicated his life to public service to gain, protect and defend civil rights and human rights to make our nation better, to make the world more just, our people better neighbors with each other,” said his youngest son, Yusef Jackson, fighting back tears at times.

    Memorial services were set for next week, with two days of him lying in repose at the Chicago headquarters of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, the organization he founded. A public memorial dubbed “The People’s Celebration” was planned for Feb. 27 at the House of Hope, a South Side church with a 10,000-person arena. Homegoing services were set for the following day at Rainbow PUSH, according to the organization.

    Jackson rose to prominence six decades ago as a protege of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., joining the voting rights march King led from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. King later dispatched Jackson to Chicago to launch Operation Breadbasket, a Southern Christian Leadership Conference effort to pressure companies to hire Black workers.

    Jackson was with King on April 4, 1968, when the civil rights leader was killed.

    Remembrances have poured in worldwide for Jackson, including flowers left outside the home where large portraits of a smiling Jackson had been placed. But his children said he was a family man first.

    “Our father took fatherhood very seriously,” his eldest child, Santita Jackson, said. “It was his charge to keep.”

    His children’s reflections were poetic in the style of the late civil rights icon — filled with prayer, tears and a few chuckles, including about disagreements that occur when growing up in a large, lively family.

    CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - FEBRUARY 18: (L-R) The children of civil rights leader Jesse Jackson Sr., Jesse Jackson Jr., Rep. Jonathan Jackson (D-IL), Sanita Jackson, Ashley Jackson, and Yusef Jackson speak about their father outside their parents' home on February 18, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. Jesse Jackson Sr. died early yesterday morning. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

    Scott Olson

    The children of civil rights leader Jesse Jackson Sr., Jesse Jackson Jr., Rep. Jonathan Jackson (D-IL), Sanita Jackson, Ashley Jackson, and Yusef Jackson speak about their father outside their parents’ home on February 18, 2026, in Chicago, Illinois. Jesse Jackson Sr. died early yesterday morning. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

    His eldest son, Jesse Jackson Jr., a former congressman, said his father’s funeral services would welcome all, “Democrat, Republican, liberal and conservative, right wing, left wing — because his life is broad enough to cover the full spectrum of what it means to be an American.”

    The family asked only that those attending be respectful.

    “If his life becomes a turning point in our national political discourse, amen,” he said. “His last breath is not his last breath.”

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Contributor: Gaza remains a crisis of children’s mental health

    [ad_1]

    As a psychologist in the occupied West Bank, I have spent my career sitting across from children carrying burdens no child should ever know — lives shaped not by playgrounds or classrooms, but by constant fear.

    I recognize that fear because I lived it myself. I remember when I was less than 5 years old, Israeli soldiers stormed our home in the middle of the night and took my father from his bed. The pounding on the door, the shouting, the terror — those memories are still vivid.

    Children who wake from nightmares convinced Israeli soldiers are coming for their families.

    Children who flinch at the slam of a door.

    Children who can recognize the sound of drones and fighter jets before they can multiply or divide.

    I have helped them process arrests, home demolitions, settler violence, humiliation at checkpoints and the grinding, quiet stress of growing up without ever feeling safe.

    I joined the Palestine Red Crescent Society in 2021 because I knew it was one of the few relief organizations willing to go where the need was greatest — into red zones, near the separation wall, close to illegal settlements and even in active conflict areas. Mental health services are scarce and often inaccessible for Palestinians. If children were hurting in the hardest-to-reach places, I wanted to be there with them.

    I thought I understood trauma.

    I thought I knew how to guide children through fear.

    I thought I had the tools.

    Then, on Jan. 29, 2024, the phone rang. It was a call from Gaza.

    Five-year-old Hind Rajab was trapped in a small car, surrounded by the bodies of her six relatives, who had just been killed. Israeli tanks were closing in. Gunfire crackled in the background. She was whispering into the phone so no one nearby would hear her.

    “I’m scared. They’re shooting at us. … Please come get me,” she repeated again and again.

    For hours, we tried to reach her. Our ambulance was minutes away, but it needed clearance from Israeli authorities to enter the area. We waited for permission that came hours later, only to be ignored.

    Inside our operations room in Ramallah, time slowed to something unbearable. With every passing minute, the frustration and helplessness grew heavier.

    All I could do was talk to her.

    How do I keep a child hopeful when she’s trapped alone among her dead family members?

    How do I make her feel safe when tanks surround her?

    How do I keep her conscious and focused on anything but the immediate trauma?

    I kept reminding her to breathe. To keep talking. To stay awake.

    Above all, one thought kept repeating in my mind: She is 5. Just 5 years old. Barely old enough to tie her shoes. Barely old enough to read on her own. And yet she was alone, asking strangers to come save her.

    Near the end, her voice grew faint. She told me she was bleeding. “From where,” I asked. “My mouth, my tummy, my legs — everywhere,” she whispered. I tried to stay calm and told her to use her blouse to wipe off the blood. Then she said something I will never forget: “I don’t want to. My mother will get tired from washing my clothes.”

    Even then — alone, terrified, wounded and hungry — she was thinking about her mother who would have extra laundry to wash. Those were the last words I heard.

    We lost Hind that day. We also lost two of my brave colleagues, Yousef Zeino and Ahmad Almadhoun, when their ambulance was struck as they waited for clearance to reach her. They were just minutes away.

    Hind’s story is not an exception. It is one of tens of thousands of children in Gaza.

    For more than two years now, children in Gaza have opened their eyes each morning to displacement, loss, violence and little access to even the most basic needs. At least 20,000 children have been killed since October 2023, an average of at least 24 children killed each day, the equivalent of an entire classroom. And we recognize this is a gross undercount as so many children remain buried under rubble. Tens of thousands have been forced from their homes. Schools have collapsed. Hospitals have been destroyed and doctors and medical personnel detained and targeted.

    This is not only a man-made humanitarian catastrophe. It is also a mental health crisis.

    Children in Gaza are not only surviving bombs and displacement; they are carrying an overwhelming psychological burden that grows heavier each day. Nearly every child is at risk of famine or getting sick from preventable diseases. More than 650,000 have no access to school, and more than 1.2 million children need immediate psychological support. Reports on the ground show that more than 39,300 children have lost one or both parents, including about 17,000 who have become orphaned. Hundreds of thousands are trapped with nowhere safe to go, living in a world defined by fear and instability.

    Healing is impossible when the threat never stops and when schools and healthcare systems have collapsed. Trauma doesn’t fade under these unbearable conditions; it accumulates. The consequences could be irreversible.

    We are witnessing the psychological injury of an entire generation.

    Immediate action is imperative. A real, permanent ceasefire is the first step toward stability, but it must be followed by the rapid restoration of healthcare and education, with sustained investment in psychosocial and mental health support. Mental health cannot be an afterthought in a humanitarian response but must be central from the beginning. Without these interventions, the psychological toll will only deepen, shaping an entire generation with long-term consequences for their well-being and for the future of the Palestinian people.

    And above all, children must be protected from continued violence, because no therapy can compete with ongoing trauma.

    Hind’s last words will haunt me forever. The world failed her. It has failed the children of Palestine. But there’s still time to save the ones who remain. Through the film “The Voice of Hind Rajab,” her voice will continue to travel across borders, carrying the truth of what children in Gaza and the West Bank endure day after day.

    It is not just another story. It is a call we must answer.

    Nisreen Qawas is a psychologist with the Palestine Red Crescent Society.

    [ad_2]

    Nisreen Qawas

    Source link

  • Bad Bunny Super Bowl halftime show: ‘Party’ and Puerto Rican culture highlights in performance

    [ad_1]

    Following a relatively uneventful first half of Super Bowl 60, megastar Bad Bunny delivered a love letter to Puerto Rican culture that also included a handful of celebrity cameos.Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, teased days ahead of Sunday that his 13-minute performance was going to be a “big party,” and his first song of choice began in that direction.Standing amid a field of farmworkers, Bad Bunny began with “Tití Me Preguntó.” As he kept walking through the field, other various facets of Puerto Rican culture were featured.The songs that followedBad Bunny kept most of his setlist to party music, playing some of his well-known hits that include “Yo Perreo Sola,” “Safaera,” and “Party” before he sampled Daddy Yankee’s “Gasolina,” an anthem that is one of the most famous reggaeton songs in the entire genre.The singer’s back half of the show included more recent songs, such as “Monaco, “EoO” and “DtMF,” with the last two songs being part of the album that won him the Album of the Year Grammy last week.Bad Bunny has mentioned in recent interviews that his DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS album was his effort of trying to connect more to his cultural roots. Celebrities featured in Bad Bunny’s halftime showThere were a handful of featured guests, some widely speculated ahead of the Big Game, who made an appearance during the show.Among those featured were Pedro Pascal, Cardi B, Karol G, Young Miko, and Jessica Alba.Lady Gaga was one of two — the other being Ricky Martin later on — guests to actually sing. She performed a Latin rendition of “Die With a Smile,” a song released in 2025 by both her and Bruno Mars. She appeared right after what appeared to be a mid-show wedding.According to The Associated Press, that wedding was real. Bad Bunny served as their witness and signed their certificate before he transitioned to perform “Baile Inolvidable” and “NuevaYol.”When Martin performed, he sang Bad Bunny’s “Lo Que Le Pasó a Hawaii,” which translates to “What Happened to Hawaii.” That song echoes sentiment from Puerto Ricans pushing for cultural autonomy.Martin himself is from Puerto Rico.Transitioning the themeOne of the final songs Bad Bunny performed was “El Apagón,” which makes reference to others wanting to be Latino, but who lacked seasoning, drums and reggaeton. Bad Bunny performed this song while standing on top of a telephone pole; the song translates to “the blackout.”The latter part of the song, not played in the halftime show, has lyrics that roughly translate to, “I don’t want to leave here. Let them leave.”Also toward the end of the performance was a moment where a child was watching a clip from Bad Bunny during the Grammys. Seconds later, Bad Bunny handed the child a Grammy.Visible on the Levi’s Stadium scoreboard was the same message he shared during the Grammys: “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.”To close, Bad Bunny named every country and territory from South America to Canada, with every flag being carried out across the field. He also carried a football that read, “Together, we are America.” -The Associated Press contributed to this reporting.

    SANTA CLARA, Calif. —

    Following a relatively uneventful first half of Super Bowl 60, megastar Bad Bunny delivered a love letter to Puerto Rican culture that also included a handful of celebrity cameos.

    Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, teased days ahead of Sunday that his 13-minute performance was going to be a “big party,” and his first song of choice began in that direction.

    Standing amid a field of farmworkers, Bad Bunny began with “Tití Me Preguntó.” As he kept walking through the field, other various facets of Puerto Rican culture were featured.

    The songs that followed

    Bad Bunny kept most of his setlist to party music, playing some of his well-known hits that include “Yo Perreo Sola,” “Safaera,” and “Party” before he sampled Daddy Yankee’s “Gasolina,” an anthem that is one of the most famous reggaeton songs in the entire genre.

    The singer’s back half of the show included more recent songs, such as “Monaco, “EoO” and “DtMF,” with the last two songs being part of the album that won him the Album of the Year Grammy last week.

    Bad Bunny has mentioned in recent interviews that his DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS album was his effort of trying to connect more to his cultural roots.

    Celebrities featured in Bad Bunny’s halftime show

    There were a handful of featured guests, some widely speculated ahead of the Big Game, who made an appearance during the show.

    Among those featured were Pedro Pascal, Cardi B, Karol G, Young Miko, and Jessica Alba.

    Lady Gaga was one of two — the other being Ricky Martin later on — guests to actually sing. She performed a Latin rendition of “Die With a Smile,” a song released in 2025 by both her and Bruno Mars. She appeared right after what appeared to be a mid-show wedding.

    According to The Associated Press, that wedding was real. Bad Bunny served as their witness and signed their certificate before he transitioned to perform “Baile Inolvidable” and “NuevaYol.”

    SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 08: Bad Bunny and Lady Gaga perform onstage during the Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show at Levi's Stadium on February 08, 2026 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

    SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 08: Ricky Martin performs with Bad Bunny onstage during the Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show at Levi's Stadium on February 08, 2026 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

    When Martin performed, he sang Bad Bunny’s “Lo Que Le Pasó a Hawaii,” which translates to “What Happened to Hawaii.” That song echoes sentiment from Puerto Ricans pushing for cultural autonomy.

    Martin himself is from Puerto Rico.

    Transitioning the theme

    One of the final songs Bad Bunny performed was “El Apagón,” which makes reference to others wanting to be Latino, but who lacked seasoning, drums and reggaeton.

    Bad Bunny performed this song while standing on top of a telephone pole; the song translates to “the blackout.”

    The latter part of the song, not played in the halftime show, has lyrics that roughly translate to, “I don’t want to leave here. Let them leave.”

    Also toward the end of the performance was a moment where a child was watching a clip from Bad Bunny during the Grammys. Seconds later, Bad Bunny handed the child a Grammy.

    Visible on the Levi’s Stadium scoreboard was the same message he shared during the Grammys: “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.”

    To close, Bad Bunny named every country and territory from South America to Canada, with every flag being carried out across the field. He also carried a football that read, “Together, we are America.”

    -The Associated Press contributed to this reporting.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Family mourns father killed in Elk Grove hit-and-run

    [ad_1]

    THIS IS KCRA THREE NEWS LIVE AT 11 P.M. A GOOD HEART. AND HE ALWAYS MEANT WELL FOR PEOPLE. AND HE DEFINITELY DID NOT DESERVE TO BE KILLED. TONIGHT, AN EMOTIONAL MESSAGE FROM THE FAMILY OF A MAN KILLED IN A HIT AND RUN IN ELK GROVE. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TONIGHT. I’M CECIL HANNIBAL. POLICE SAY THE 61 YEAR OLD VICTIM WAS FIXING A FLAT TIRE WHEN HE WAS HIT. NOW HIS FAMILY WANTS TO KNOW WHY THAT DRIVER WAS RELEASED FROM JAIL. KCRA 3’S ANAHITA JAFARY EXPLAINS WHY THE FAMILY SAYS JUSTICE HAS NOT BEEN SERVED. HE’S NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO WATCH ME GRADUATE OR GROW UP. SO IT’S JUST SAD TO DEAL WITH IT. 61 YEAR OLD DANIEL SANCHEZ WAS SIMPLY CHANGING A TIRE WHEN HIS LIFE WAS CUT SHORT. KNOWING THAT IT WAS A HIT AND RUN MADE IT THAT MUCH HARDER. DANIEL’S WIFE WAS WITH HIM AT THE TIME AND CALLED THE MOTHER OF HIS CHILDREN TO TELL HER WHAT HAPPENED. SHE CALLED ME AND I ANSWERED, AND SHE WAS HYSTERICALLY CRYING, AND I JUST KNEW TELLING HER KIDS, SHE SAYS, WAS THE HARDEST PART. AS A MOM, WE TRY OUR HARDEST TO PROTECT OUR KIDS FROM ANYTHING THAT WOULD HURT THEM AND IT STILL HAPPENED. THEY STILL GOT HURT IN THAT MOMENT. IT WAS SURREAL IN A SENSE. THERE WAS. I ALMOST DIDN’T BELIEVE IT, BUT NOW, A FEW DAYS LATER, EVERYTHING IS STARTING TO SLOWLY SET IN. DANIEL’S SON, ANDRE SANCHEZ, IS A SENIOR IN HIGH SCHOOL. HE’S NOT GOING TO SEE THE MAN THAT I’M BECOMING IN THE FUTURE, AND THAT RESONATES WITH ME ON AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT LEVEL. HE SAYS HIS UPCOMING GRADUATION IS ONE MILESTONE HE WISHES HIS FATHER COULD BE HERE FOR. I’LL BE ABLE TO SEE ALL MY PEERS, AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, WHETHER PEOPLE LIKE TO ADMIT IT OR NOT, THAT’S GOING TO BE SOMETHING THAT I ENVY BECAUSE EVERYBODY ELSE IS GOING TO GET TO HAVE THEIR MOMENT WITH THEIR FAMILY. AND I’M NOT. OFFICIALS SAY SCHMIDT SINGH WAS ARRESTED AFTER DETECTIVES SEARCHED HIS HOME AND FOUND THE DODGE TRUCK IN HIS GARAGE, WITH EVIDENCE OF IT BEING INVOLVED IN THE CRASH WHILE HE TOOK ANOTHER MAN’S LIFE. AND HE’S WITH HIS FAMILY HAPPY. AND ALL OF OUR FAMILY IS GRIEVING. SINGH HAS SINCE BEEN RELEASED ON BAIL, LEAVING THE FAMILY QUESTIONING THE SYSTEM. I CAN’T IMAGINE THE TYPE OF LOSS YOU GUYS ARE GOING THROUGH AND WHAT THIS HAS DONE TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY. WHAT WOULD HELP THIS SITUATION FOR YOU ALL? I HOPE THAT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THE D.A., AT THE VERY LEAST, PUTS HIM BACK IN JAIL, AND I HOPE THAT THEY FOLLOW THROUGH WITH PRESSING CHARGES. AND THEY GIVE MY BOY SOME TYPE OF CLOSURE AND SOME TYPE OF JUSTICE FOR WHAT HAPPENED TO THEIR DAD. NOW THEY SHARE PHOTOS. WE’RE SO HAPPY TO BE A DAD. THE REASON I PLAYED FOOTBALL. REASON I PLAYED BASEBALL FOR AS LONG AS I DID IN SACRAMENTO COUNTY. HE DEFINITELY DI

    Family mourns father killed in Elk Grove hit-and-run

    A family is grieving the loss of Daniel Sanchez, who was killed in a hit-and-run while changing a tire, as the suspect has been released on bail.

    Updated: 11:19 PM PST Feb 7, 2026

    Editorial Standards ⓘ

    A family in Sacramento County is grieving and frustrated after Daniel Sanchez, 61, was killed in a hit-and-run while changing a tire, and the suspect has been released on bail.Daniel’s son, 11-year-old Anthony Sanchez, expressed his sorrow, saying, “He’s not gonna be able to watch me like graduate or grow up, so it’s just sad to deal with it.” Angela Holguin, the mother of Daniel’s children, shared the difficulty of the situation, stating, “Knowing that it was a hit and run made it that much harder.” She recounted the moment she learned of the tragedy, saying, “She called me and I answered, and she was hysterically crying, and I just knew. So we cried on the phone together for about 20 minutes, maybe a half hour, but I had to pull it together, my kids are going to be waking up for school.”Holguin described the challenge of telling her children about their father’s death, saying, “As moms, we try our hardest to protect our kids from anything that would hurt them and it still happened; they still got hurt.”Daniel’s son, Andres Sanchez, a senior in high school, reflected on the loss, saying, “It was surreal in a sense. I almost didn’t believe it, but now, a few days later, everything is starting to slowly set in.”Andres expressed his sadness about his father missing important milestones, saying, “He’s not going to see the man that I’m becoming in the future, and that resonates with me on an entirely different level.” He added, “I’ll be able to see all my peers and at the end of the day, whether people like to admit it or not, that’s going to be something that I envy, because everybody else is going to get to have their moment with their family and I’m not.”Authorities arrested Kushmit Singh after detectives found the Dodge truck involved in the crash in his garage. Anthony Sanchez shared, “My grandma said to me to pray for him to get caught. I did. Three hours later, he actually got caught.” Despite the arrest, Singh has been released on bail, prompting Anthony to say, “He took another man’s life and he’s with his family happy and all of our family is grieving.”Angela Holguin expressed her hopes for justice, saying, “I hope that the police department and the DA, at the very least, put him back in jail and I hope that they follow through with pressing charges, and they give my boys some type of closure and some type of justice for what happened to their dad.” She shared memories of Daniel, saying, “He was so excited to be a dad,” while Andres added, “He’s the reason I played football, the reason I played baseball for as long as I did.”Holguin emphasized, “He definitely did not deserve to be killed,” and described Daniel as someone with “a good heart” who “always meant well for people.” Singh had his first court appearance yesterday and will be seen again on February 26 for further arraignment.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

    ELK GROVE, Calif. —

    A family in Sacramento County is grieving and frustrated after Daniel Sanchez, 61, was killed in a hit-and-run while changing a tire, and the suspect has been released on bail.

    Daniel’s son, 11-year-old Anthony Sanchez, expressed his sorrow, saying, “He’s not gonna be able to watch me like graduate or grow up, so it’s just sad to deal with it.” Angela Holguin, the mother of Daniel’s children, shared the difficulty of the situation, stating, “Knowing that it was a hit and run made it that much harder.”

    She recounted the moment she learned of the tragedy, saying, “She [Daniel’s wife] called me and I answered, and she was hysterically crying, and I just knew. So we cried on the phone together for about 20 minutes, maybe a half hour, but I had to pull it together, my kids are going to be waking up for school.”

    Holguin described the challenge of telling her children about their father’s death, saying, “As moms, we try our hardest to protect our kids from anything that would hurt them and it still happened; they still got hurt.”

    Daniel’s son, Andres Sanchez, a senior in high school, reflected on the loss, saying, “It was surreal in a sense. I almost didn’t believe it, but now, a few days later, everything is starting to slowly set in.”

    Andres expressed his sadness about his father missing important milestones, saying, “He’s not going to see the man that I’m becoming in the future, and that resonates with me on an entirely different level.”

    He added, “I’ll be able to see all my peers [at graduation] and at the end of the day, whether people like to admit it or not, that’s going to be something that I envy, because everybody else is going to get to have their moment with their family and I’m not.”

    Authorities arrested Kushmit Singh after detectives found the Dodge truck involved in the crash in his garage. Anthony Sanchez shared, “My grandma said to me to pray for him to get caught. I did. Three hours later, he actually got caught.” Despite the arrest, Singh has been released on bail, prompting Anthony to say, “He took another man’s life and he’s with his family happy and all of our family is grieving.”

    Angela Holguin expressed her hopes for justice, saying, “I hope that the police department and the DA, at the very least, put him back in jail and I hope that they follow through with pressing charges, and they give my boys some type of closure and some type of justice for what happened to their dad.”

    She shared memories of Daniel, saying, “He was so excited to be a dad,” while Andres added, “He’s the reason I played football, the reason I played baseball for as long as I did.”

    Holguin emphasized, “He definitely did not deserve to be killed,” and described Daniel as someone with “a good heart” who “always meant well for people.” Singh had his first court appearance yesterday and will be seen again on February 26 for further arraignment.

    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

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • 4 dead, including 2 children, from carbon monoxide poisoning in Ocala

    [ad_1]

    The Marion County Sheriff’s Office says four people, including two children, were found dead from carbon monoxide poisoning in an Ocala home. Deputies said they were called to a home on Banyan Track Way, near Southeast 58th Avenue in Ocala, shortly before 10:30 p.m. on Friday for a well-being check. At that home, deputies said they found two adults and two children dead inside.Investigators initially called their deaths suspicious, but have since confirmed there is no foul play involved. The identities of the deceased were not immediately released.> This is a developing story and will be updated as more information is released.

    OCALA, Fla. —

    The Marion County Sheriff’s Office says four people, including two children, were found dead from carbon monoxide poisoning in an Ocala home.

    Deputies said they were called to a home on Banyan Track Way, near Southeast 58th Avenue in Ocala, shortly before 10:30 p.m. on Friday for a well-being check.

    At that home, deputies said they found two adults and two children dead inside.

    Investigators initially called their deaths suspicious, but have since confirmed there is no foul play involved.

    The identities of the deceased were not immediately released.

    > This is a developing story and will be updated as more information is released.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Commentary: MAGA launches another ‘save the children’ campaign targeting LGBTQ+ families

    [ad_1]

    The latest nauseant from MAGA types pretending to care about children was dished up last week, but amid the internment of kindergartners, the slashing of funds to catch child predators and a measles outbreak at a detention center, you are forgiven for missing it.

    I am talking about a coordinated campaign launched by the religious right to overturn gay marriage, arguing it harms children. The effort is a direct attack on the Supreme Court’s 2015 Obergefell vs. Hodges decision making same-sex marriage a fundamental right of equality under the 14th Amendment, but also seeks to engage churches on the issue and change public opinion.

    Good luck with that last part. Most Americans support marriage equality. But the Supreme Court? That’s much iffier these days.

    But what disturbs me the most, while we wait for litigation, is that the campaign is yet another disingenuous ploy by MAGA to use children as an excuse for attacking civil rights, and attempting, Christian nationalist-style, to impose religious values on general society.

    MAGA frames so much hate — especially around immigrants and diversity — as protection of children, and through decades’ worth of conspiracy theory has attempted to paint LGBTQ+ parents as deviant and predatory. (QAnon, for example, was all about saving kids from gay and Democratic predators.)

    In reality, it’s the MAGA folks who are traumatizing children.

    “Our children are afraid. They’re terrorized,” Chauntyll Allen told me. She’s the St. Paul, Minn., school board member who was arrested recently for her part in the church protest of a pastor who is also an ICE official.

    “And we’re not just talking about immigrants,” she continued. All kids “are watching this, they’re experiencing this, and they’re carrying the terror in their body. What is this going to do for our society in 20 years?”

    This campaign to undo marriage equality, far from protecting kids, is just another injury inflicted on them for political gain. It features two California cases that are meant to show how terrible any form of same-sex parenting is, but mischaracterizes the facts for maximum outrage.

    The campaign also specifically targets in vitro fertilization and surrogacy as dangerous gateways to promoting LGBTQ+ families, an increasingly common position in far-right religious circles that would like to see more white women having babies through sex with white husbands.

    Attacking marriage equality isn’t about protecting children any more than deporting immigrants is about stopping crime. Allowing it to be framed that way actually puts in danger the stability of the approximately 300,000 kids nationwide who are being raised by about 832,000 couples in same-sex marriages.

    It endangers the physical and mental health of LGBTQ+ kids in any family who are growing up in a world that is increasingly hostile to them — with gender and identity hate crimes on the rise.

    And it endangers everyone who values a free and fair democracy that separates church and state by eroding the rights of the vulnerable as precedent for eroding the rights of whomever ticks them off next. If LGBTQ+ marriages aren’t legally protected, how long before racists come for the Loving decision, which legalized interracial marriage?

    If you doubt the MAGA agenda extends that far, when Second Lady Usha Vance recently announced her fourth pregnancy, one lovely fellow on social media wrote, “There is nothing exciting about this. We will never vote for your race traitor husband.”

    Hate is a virus that spreads how it pleases.

    Those behind the effort to undo marriage equality say that by legalizing the ability for LGBTQ+ folks to tie the knot, America put “adult desires” ahead of children’s well-being, which is dependent on being raised in a home that includes a married man and woman.

    Never mind the millions of kids being raised by single parents, grandparents (looking at you, JD Vance) or other guardians who aren’t the biological John-and-Jane mommy and daddy of conservative lore. Never mind the many same-sex marriages that don’t include kids.

    “Americans need to understand the threat that gay marriage poses to children and that natural marriage is directly connected to children protection,” Katy Faust, the leader of the campaign, said in an interview with a Christian news website.

    Of course, the campaign also makes no mention of the hundreds of children currently held in detention camps around the country — on some days, the number of children locked up just by ICE (not Border Patrol or in the care of other agencies) has skyrocketed to 400 under Trump, according to the Marshall Project.

    Outside of lockup, Black and brown children are being traumatized daily by the fear that they or their parents will be taken or even killed by federal agents. Thousands of kids across the country, including in California, have stopped going to school and other public places for fear of endangering themselves or their families. Don’t expect to see these folks campaigning to protect those kids.

    The campaign also ignores the fact that U.S. Department of Justice funding to combat sex crimes against children was just slashed, leaving victims and prosecutors without crucial resources to fight that real and undoubtedly harmful exploitation of our youth by sex traffickers.

    And Epstein. I cannot even start on save-the-children folks who seemingly ignore the victims of the sex crimes detailed in those files — many of them children at the time — while wringing their hands over families who don’t look like their own. It is a mind-blowing amount of hypocrisy.

    But of course, none of this is about saving children — yours, mine or anyone’s.

    But framing it around protecting children is a powerful manipulation — a last-ditch effort as same sex marriage does in fact become more accepted. Because who doesn’t want to save our kids? From whatever.

    Don’t be surprised if this effort gains traction in coming months. As we head into elections, the MAGA machine will attempt to turn the lens away from immigration and back to old-school issues such as feminism, abortion and same-sex marriage, which time and again its base has been willing to vote on regardless of what else is happening.

    Because they actually don’t care about kids. They care about power, and they’re perfectly willing to exploit kids to get it.

    [ad_2]

    Anita Chabria

    Source link

  • Daytona high school staff member arrested for ‘kicking’ student with Down syndrome, police say

    [ad_1]

    A Seabreeze High School paraprofessional was arrested on Thursday for allegedly kicking a 17-year-old student with Down syndrome during a behavioral incident, according to the Daytona Beach Police Department.The incident was reported to the Seabreeze High School assistant principal, who notified the on-campus school resource officer. During the investigation, police recovered evidence revealing Dontel Wright, 50, intentionally kicked a student. The student then ran and attempted to hide from Wright behind the bleachers.According to the report, Wright then followed the student and forcibly pulled the student from under the bleachers.The student did not sustain any injuries.The student’s parents have been notified and have expressed their intent to press charges on behalf of their child.As a result of the investigation, police arrested Wright.This remains an active criminal case, and no further details are being released at this time.Volusia County Schools released a statement regarding the incident:”Volusia County Schools is aware of the recent arrest of a Seabreeze High School employee on a charge of child abuse. The employee has been immediately reassigned away from students pending the outcome of this investigation.Local law enforcement is leading the criminal investigation, and our Professional Standards team is conducting a parallel employment investigation. We are fully cooperating with law enforcement throughout this process.The safety and well-being of our students is our highest priority. We hold all employees to the strictest standards of professional conduct and do not tolerate any behavior that compromises the trust our families place in us.As this is an active investigation, we cannot share additional details at this time.”

    DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. —

    A Seabreeze High School paraprofessional was arrested on Thursday for allegedly kicking a 17-year-old student with Down syndrome during a behavioral incident, according to the Daytona Beach Police Department.

    The incident was reported to the Seabreeze High School assistant principal, who notified the on-campus school resource officer.

    During the investigation, police recovered evidence revealing Dontel Wright, 50, intentionally kicked a student. The student then ran and attempted to hide from Wright behind the bleachers.

    According to the report, Wright then followed the student and forcibly pulled the student from under the bleachers.

    The student did not sustain any injuries.

    The student’s parents have been notified and have expressed their intent to press charges on behalf of their child.

    As a result of the investigation, police arrested Wright.

    This remains an active criminal case, and no further details are being released at this time.

    Volusia County Schools released a statement regarding the incident:

    “Volusia County Schools is aware of the recent arrest of a Seabreeze High School employee on a charge of child abuse. The employee has been immediately reassigned away from students pending the outcome of this investigation.

    Local law enforcement is leading the criminal investigation, and our Professional Standards team is conducting a parallel employment investigation. We are fully cooperating with law enforcement throughout this process.

    The safety and well-being of our students is our highest priority. We hold all employees to the strictest standards of professional conduct and do not tolerate any behavior that compromises the trust our families place in us.

    As this is an active investigation, we cannot share additional details at this time.”

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • UPDATE: Found Safe – Marion County Sheriff’s Office Searching For Missing Endangered 10-Year-Old – KXL

    [ad_1]

    Photo provided by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office

    Update: Kaiya has been located and is safe. The original story is below.

    MARION COUNTY, Ore. — The Marion County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in locating a missing and endangered 10-year-old girl who was last seen Tuesday morning.

    Authorities say Kaiya Bermanis was last seen around 9 a.m. in the area of Lancaster Drive NE and Jade Street NE.

    Kaiya is described as a Hispanic female, approximately 4 feet 9 inches tall with a medium build and dark, curly hair. She was last seen wearing a black, baggy sweatshirt with “USA” on the sleeve and blue jeans.

    Deputies say there is concern for Kaiya’s safety due to her age and a medical condition.

    Anyone who sees Kaiya or has information about her whereabouts is urged to contact the Marion County Sheriff’s Office immediately at 503-588-5032 or call 911.

    More about:

    [ad_2]

    Jordan Vawter

    Source link

  • Israeli strikes kill 29 Palestinians, including children, one of highest tolls since ceasefire

    [ad_1]

    Hospitals in Gaza said Israeli strikes killed at least 29 Palestinians Saturday, one of the highest tolls since the October ceasefire aimed at stopping the war.Israeli strikes hit locations throughout Gaza, including lethal ones on an apartment building in Gaza City and a tent camp in Khan Younis, officials at hospitals that received the bodies said. The casualties included two women and six children from two different families. An airstrike also hit a police station in Gaza City, killing at least 14 and wounding others, Shifa Hospital director Mohamed Abu Selmiya said.Related video above: The last family in a West Bank Bedouin community is forced out after years of Israeli settler intimidationThe series of strikes came a day before the Rafah crossing along the border with Egypt is set to open in Gaza’s southernmost city. All of the territory’s border crossings have been closed throughout almost the entire war. Palestinians see Rafah as a lifeline for the tens of thousands who need treatment outside the territory, where the majority of medical infrastructure has been destroyed.The crossing’s opening, limited at first, marks the first major step in the second phase of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire. Reopening borders is among the challenging issues on the agenda for the phase now underway, which also include demilitarizing the strip after nearly two decades of Hamas rule and installing a new government to oversee reconstruction. Still, Saturday’s strikes are a reminder that the death toll in Gaza is still rising even as the ceasefire agreement inches forward. Nasser Hospital said the strike on the tent camp caused a fire to break out, killing seven, including a father, his three children and three grandchildren. Meanwhile, Shifa Hospital said the Gaza City apartment building strike killed three children, their aunt and grandmother on Saturday morning, while the strike on the police station killed at least 14 — officers, including four policewomen, and inmates held at the station. The Gazan Interior Ministry said Palestinian civilians were also killed in the strike.Hamas called Saturday’s strikes “a renewed flagrant violation” and urged the United States and other mediating countries to push Israel to stop strikes.Israel’s military, which has struck targets on both sides of the ceasefire’s dividing line, said its attacks since October have been responses to violations of the agreement. It said in a statement that Saturday’s strikes followed what it described as ceasefire violations a day earlier, when the army killed at least four militants emerging from a tunnel in an Israeli-controlled area of Rafah.Gaza’s Health Ministry has recorded 509 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire since the start of the ceasefire on Oct. 10. The ministry maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts.___Magdy reported from Cairo and Metz from Jerusalem.

    DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip —

    Hospitals in Gaza said Israeli strikes killed at least 29 Palestinians Saturday, one of the highest tolls since the October ceasefire aimed at stopping the war.

    Israeli strikes hit locations throughout Gaza, including lethal ones on an apartment building in Gaza City and a tent camp in Khan Younis, officials at hospitals that received the bodies said. The casualties included two women and six children from two different families. An airstrike also hit a police station in Gaza City, killing at least 14 and wounding others, Shifa Hospital director Mohamed Abu Selmiya said.

    Related video above: The last family in a West Bank Bedouin community is forced out after years of Israeli settler intimidation

    The series of strikes came a day before the Rafah crossing along the border with Egypt is set to open in Gaza’s southernmost city. All of the territory’s border crossings have been closed throughout almost the entire war. Palestinians see Rafah as a lifeline for the tens of thousands who need treatment outside the territory, where the majority of medical infrastructure has been destroyed.

    Anadolu

    Smoke rises after an airstrike hit a building in the al-Mawasi area of Khan Yunis, Gaza, despite the ceasefire on January 31, 2026. The Israeli army has carried out intense attacks on various areas of the Gaza Strip since the morning.

    The crossing’s opening, limited at first, marks the first major step in the second phase of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire. Reopening borders is among the challenging issues on the agenda for the phase now underway, which also include demilitarizing the strip after nearly two decades of Hamas rule and installing a new government to oversee reconstruction.

    Still, Saturday’s strikes are a reminder that the death toll in Gaza is still rising even as the ceasefire agreement inches forward.

    Nasser Hospital said the strike on the tent camp caused a fire to break out, killing seven, including a father, his three children and three grandchildren. Meanwhile, Shifa Hospital said the Gaza City apartment building strike killed three children, their aunt and grandmother on Saturday morning, while the strike on the police station killed at least 14 — officers, including four policewomen, and inmates held at the station. The Gazan Interior Ministry said Palestinian civilians were also killed in the strike.

    Hamas called Saturday’s strikes “a renewed flagrant violation” and urged the United States and other mediating countries to push Israel to stop strikes.

    Israel’s military, which has struck targets on both sides of the ceasefire’s dividing line, said its attacks since October have been responses to violations of the agreement. It said in a statement that Saturday’s strikes followed what it described as ceasefire violations a day earlier, when the army killed at least four militants emerging from a tunnel in an Israeli-controlled area of Rafah.

    Gaza’s Health Ministry has recorded 509 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire since the start of the ceasefire on Oct. 10. The ministry maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts.

    ___

    Magdy reported from Cairo and Metz from Jerusalem.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Essex resident heading up Stop Child Predators

    [ad_1]

    ESSEX — For Maureen Flatley , there is possibly no task greater than protecting children.

    Flatley, who has lived in Essex since 2002, was recently named president of the Washington, D.C.-based organization Stop Child Predators. She comes to the position as the organization celebrates 20 years of child protection advocacy.

    This page requires Javascript.

    Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.

    kAmu=2E=6J 2:>D E@ 5C:G6 E96 8C@FA’D 25G@424J H@C<[ H9:=6 :ED 7@F?56C[ $E24:6 #F>6?2A[ 4@?E:?F6D 😕 96C C@=6 2D 49:67 6I64FE:G6 @77:46C]k^Am

    kAm$E@A r9:=5 !C652E@CD 😀 2 ?2E:@?2= ?@?AC@7:E @C82?:K2E:@? 565:42E65 E@ 25G2?4:?8 “67764E:G6 2?5 6G:56?4632D65 49:=5 AC@E64E:@? A@=:4:6D]” %96 8C@FA 7@4FD6D @? D@=FE:@?D E@ 4@>32E 49:=5 6IA=@:E2E:@? 2?5 56G6=@A:?8 A@=:4:6D E92E C6>@G6 AC652E@CD 7C@> 4:C4F=2E:@?]k^Am

    kAm“!C@E64E:?8 49:=5C6? C6BF:C6D 4=2C:EJ 23@FE H92E 24EF2==J H@C62?D D6C:@FD :?G6DE>6?ED 😕 =2H 6?7@C46>6?E[ DEC6?8E96?:?8 AF3=:4AC:G2E6 A2CE?6CD9:AD H:E9 >2?52E65 C6A@CE6CD 2?5 6?DFC:?8 C62= 244@F?E23:=:EJ E9C@F89 2CC6DED[ AC@D64FE:@?D 2?5 4@?G:4E:@?D]”k^Am

    kAmu=2E=6J D2:5 E96 >@DE=J G@=F?E66C @C82?:K2E:@? @A6C2E6D @? 2 3F586E @7 36EH66? S`d_[___ 2?5 Sa__[___ 6249 J62C] $96 3C:?8D 564256D @7 6IA6C:6?46 😕 49:=5 AC@E64E:@? 2?5 😕 677@CED E@ C67@C> 8@G6C?>6?E 2?5 AF3=:4 A@=:4J]k^Am

    kAmu=2E=6J H2D 2 AC:?4:A2= 2C49:E64E @7 |2D92’D {2H 😕 a__e] %96 =2H :?4C62D65 4:G:= A6?2=E:6D 7@C 5@H?=@25:?8 49:=5 D6IF2= 23FD6 >2E6C:2=]k^Am

    kAm“%96 >@DE :>A@CE2?E C@=6 $E@A r9:=5 !C652E@CD D6CG6D 😀 E@ 7@4FD A@=:4J >2<6CD 2?5 E96 AF3=:4 @? E96 4C:E:42= C@=6 =2H 6?7@C46>6?E A=2JD 😕 >:E:82E:?8 E9:D D6C:@FD AC@3=6>[” u=2E=6J D2:5]k^Am

    kAmu=2E=6J 92D E6DE:7:65 367@C6 r@?8C6DD 2?5 2E A@=:4J 4@?76C6?46D 😕 (2D9:?8E@?[ s]r] @? 4@>32E:?8 :?E6C?6E D6IF2= 6IA=@:E2E:@?]k^Am

    kAm$E6A96? w282? 42? 36 C624965 2E hfgefdaf_g @C 2E k2 9C67lQ>2:=E@iD9282?o8=@F46DE6CE:>6D]4@>QmD9282?o8=@F46DE6CE:>6D]4@>k^2m]k^Am

    kAm$E6A96? w282? >2J 36 4@?E24E65 2E hfgefdaf_g[ @C k2 9C67lQ>2:=E@iD9282?o8=@F46DE6CE:>6D]4@>QmD9282?o8=@F46DE6CE:>6D]4@>k^2m]k^Am

    [ad_2]

    By Stephen Hagan | Staff Writer

    Source link

  • Is social media harmful for kids? Meta and YouTube face trial after TikTok settles suit

    [ad_1]

    TikTok has agreed to settle the first in a series of closely-watched product liability cases, bowing out on the eve of a landmark trial that could upend how social media giants engage their youngest users and leave tech titans on the hook for billions in damages.

    The settlement was reached as jury selection was set to begin in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Tuesday and comes a week after Snap reached a deal with the same plaintiff, a Chico, Calif., woman who said she became addicted to social media starting in elementary school.

    “This settlement should come as no surprise because that damning evidence is just the tip of the iceberg,” said Sacha Haworth, executive director of the Tech Oversight Project, an industry watchdog. “This was only the first case — there are hundreds of parents and school districts in the social media addiction trials that start today, and sadly, new families every day who are speaking out and bringing Big Tech to court for its deliberately harmful products.”

    TikTok did not immediately respond to requests for comment about Monday’s settlement.

    “The Parties are pleased to have been able to resolve this matter in an amicable manner,” Snap spokeswoman Monique Bellamy said of the settlement.

    The remaining defendants, Instagram’s parent company Meta and Google’s YouTube, still face claims that their products are “defective” and designed to keep children hooked to apps its makers know are harmful.

    Those same arguments are at the heart of at least 2,500 cases currently pending together in state and federal courts. The Los Angeles trial is among a handful of bellwethers meant to clarify the uncharted legal terrain.

    Social media companies are protected by the 1st Amendment and by Section 230, a decades-old law that shields internet companies from liability for what users produce and share on their platforms.

    Attorneys for the Chico plaintiff, referred to in court documents as K.G.M., say the apps were built and refined to snare youngsters and keep them on the platforms without regard for dangers the companies knew lurked there, including sexual predation, bullying and promotion of self-harm and even suicide.

    As the claims against Meta and YouTube head to trial, jurors will be asked to weigh whether those dangers are incidental or inherent, and if social media companies can be held responsible for the harm families say flowed from their children’s feeds.

    Scores of potential jurors filled the beige terrazzo hallway outside Judge Carolyn B. Kuhl’s courtroom downtown Tuesday morning, most passing the time on social apps on their phones. Some watched short-form videos while others thumbed through their feeds, pausing every so often to tap a like on a post.

    Roughly 450 Angelenos will be vetted this week for spots on the jury. The trial is expected to last through March.

    Instagram is 15 years old, YouTube almost 21. Finding Angelenos unfamiliar with either is likely impossible. The trial comes at a moment when public opinion around social media has soured, with a growing sentiment among parents, mental health professionals, lawmakers and even children themselves that the apps do more harm than good.

    The judge told prospective jurors that lawyers on the case could not review their online profiles. “We know many of you use defendants’ social media and video-sharing platforms, and you’re not being asked to stop, but until you’re excused, you should not change how you use social media and you should not investigate features you don’t usually use,” Kuhl said in court.

    Phones are now banned in California public school classrooms. Many private schools impose strict rules around when and how social media can be used.

    In study after study, pluralities of young users — among them the youngest of “Anxious Generation” Zoomers and the oldest Gen Alpha’s iPad kids — now say they spend too much time on the apps. A disputed but growing body of research suggests some portion are addicted.

    According to a study last spring by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center, roughly half of teens say social media is bad for people their age, that it interferes with their sleep and that it hurts their productivity. Almost a quarter say it has brought down their grades. And 1 in 5 say it has hurt their mental health.

    Experts say social media has also helped drive the increase in suicides among teen girls, and a post-pandemic surge in eating disorders.

    K.G.M., the first bellwether plaintiff, said she started watching YouTube at age 6, and was uploading content to the site by age 8.

    Today, about 85% of children under 12 watch YouTube and half of those watch it daily, according to Pew.

    At 9, according to K.G.M.’s lawsuit, she got her first iPhone and joined Instagram.

    By the time she joined Snapchat at age 13, she was spending almost every waking hour scrolling, posting and agonizing over her engagement, despite bullying from peers, hate comments from strangers and sexually explicit overtures from adult men.

    “When I was in middle school, I used to go and hide in the counselor’s office … just to go on my phone,” she said in a deposition last year.

    Around that time, she said Instagram began serving her content about self-harm and restrictive eating.

    “I believe that social media, her addiction to social media, has changed the way her brain works,” the plaintiff’s mother, Karen, said in a related filing. “She has no long-term memory. She can’t live without a phone. She is willing to go to battle if you were even to touch her phone.”

    “There became a point where she was so addicted that I could not get the phone out of her hand,” she said.

    K.G.M.’s sister was even more blunt.

    “Whenever my mom would take her phone away … she would have a meltdown like someone had died,” the sister said. “She would have so many meltdowns anytime her phone was taken away, and it was because she wouldn’t be able to use Instagram.”

    “I wish I never downloaded it,” the plaintiff later told her sister, according to the deposition. “I wish I never got it in the first place.”

    Boosters of the litigation compare their quest to the fight against Big Tobacco and the opioid-maker Purdue.

    “This is the beginning of the trial of our generation,” said Haworth, the tech industry watchdog.

    But the gulf between public opinion and civil culpability is vast, attorneys for the platforms say. Social media addiction is not a formal clinical diagnosis, and proving that it exists, and that the companies bear responsibility for it, will be an uphill battle.

    Lawyers for YouTube have sought to further complicate the picture by claiming their video-sharing site is not social media at all and cannot be lumped in with the likes of Instagram and TikTok.

    Attorneys for the plaintiffs say such distinctions are ephemeral, pointing out that YouTube has by far the youngest group of users, many of whom say the platform was an on-ramp to the world of social media.

    “I am equally shocked … by the internal documents that I have seen from all four of these defendants regarding their knowing decision to addict kids to a platform knowing it would be bad for them,” said attorney Matthew Bergman of the Social Media Victims Law Center. “To me they are all outrageous in their decision to elevate their profits over the safety of kids.”

    [ad_2]

    Sonja Sharp

    Source link

  • 11-year-old boy injured in Mims shooting, deputies say

    [ad_1]

    An 11-year-old boy was injured in a shooting that occurred in Mims on Friday, according to the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies responded to Parrish Medical Center in Titusville around 4 p.m. in response to a report of the shooting, the sheriff’s office said. The incident occurred in the area of Kennedy Street in Mims.According to BCSO, it’s unlikely the child was the target, and the round fired was “likely” intended for the people he was with. No other injuries were reported, BCSO said.WESH 2 has reached out for more information.>> This is a developing story and will be updated as new information is released.

    MIMS, Fla. —

    An 11-year-old boy was injured in a shooting that occurred in Mims on Friday, according to the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office.

    Deputies responded to Parrish Medical Center in Titusville around 4 p.m. in response to a report of the shooting, the sheriff’s office said.

    The incident occurred in the area of Kennedy Street in Mims.

    According to BCSO, it’s unlikely the child was the target, and the round fired was “likely” intended for the people he was with.

    No other injuries were reported, BCSO said.

    WESH 2 has reached out for more information.

    >> This is a developing story and will be updated as new information is released.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Littleton Public Schools to pay $3.85 million to families of kids abused on bus rides

    [ad_1]

    Littleton Public Schools agreed Thursday to pay $3.85 million to the families of three children who are autistic and were abused by a school bus monitor.

    The school board voted unanimously to approve the settlement Thursday, slightly more than two weeks after former bus monitor Kiarra Jones pleaded guilty to abusing the three boys while they were riding the bus to and from The Joshua School, a private school in Englewood.

    Littleton Public Schools was contracted to bus the students, who are nonverbal and autistic, to and from school each day. Jones abused the boys on their bus rides for about six months, between September 2023 and March 2024, before authorities discovered surveillance video that showed the woman elbowing, stomping and punching the students.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Two adults, one child rescued from capsizing boat off the coast of Flagler Beach

    [ad_1]

    Two adults and one child are okay after being rescued from a boat in the process of capsizing off the coast of Flagler Beach.The Flagler Beach Fire Department said the call for help came in at 4:32 a.m. Saturday morning by the U.S. Coast Guard. The department said upon arrival, they found a sailboat grounded on a sandbar. The boat contained two adults and one child who were in duress due to “hazardous marine conditions.”Flagler Beach Fire Department deployed a rescuer, who reached the boat and help get all three occupants out. They were all evaluated by medical personnel and had no injuries.The people rescued were taken to a nearby hotel for shelter.The cause of the incident remains under investigation.The Flagler Beach Fire Department said this is a reminder for marine vessel operators to closely monitor marine conditions, make sure vessels are properly equipped, and exercise caution when operating watercraft near shorelines and sandbars, especially during overnight and early morning hours.Several agencies responded including, the United States Coast Guard, Flagler Beach Fire Department, Flagler County Fire Rescue, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), Environmental Protection Agency, Flagler Beach Police Department, and the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.

    FLAGLER BEACH, Fla. —

    Two adults and one child are okay after being rescued from a boat in the process of capsizing off the coast of Flagler Beach.

    The Flagler Beach Fire Department said the call for help came in at 4:32 a.m. Saturday morning by the U.S. Coast Guard. The department said upon arrival, they found a sailboat grounded on a sandbar. The boat contained two adults and one child who were in duress due to “hazardous marine conditions.”

    Flagler Beach Fire Department deployed a rescuer, who reached the boat and help get all three occupants out. They were all evaluated by medical personnel and had no injuries.

    The people rescued were taken to a nearby hotel for shelter.

    The cause of the incident remains under investigation.

    The Flagler Beach Fire Department said this is a reminder for marine vessel operators to closely monitor marine conditions, make sure vessels are properly equipped, and exercise caution when operating watercraft near shorelines and sandbars, especially during overnight and early morning hours.

    Several agencies responded including, the United States Coast Guard, Flagler Beach Fire Department, Flagler County Fire Rescue, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), Environmental Protection Agency, Flagler Beach Police Department, and the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Vice President Vance, wife Usha say they are expecting their fourth child

    [ad_1]

    Second lady Usha Vance announced on social media Tuesday that she and Vice President JD Vance are expecting their fourth child.”We’re very excited to share the news that Usha is pregnant with our fourth child, a boy,” the statement read. “Ush and the baby are doing well, and we are all looking forward to welcoming him in late July.”During this exciting and hectic time, we are particularly grateful for the military doctors who take excellent care of our family and for the staff members who do so much to ensure that we can serve the country while enjoying a wonderful life with our children.”This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

    Second lady Usha Vance announced on social media Tuesday that she and Vice President JD Vance are expecting their fourth child.

    “We’re very excited to share the news that Usha is pregnant with our fourth child, a boy,” the statement read. “Ush and the baby are doing well, and we are all looking forward to welcoming him in late July.

    “During this exciting and hectic time, we are particularly grateful for the military doctors who take excellent care of our family and for the staff members who do so much to ensure that we can serve the country while enjoying a wonderful life with our children.”

    This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Former Lakewood High School security officer convicted of child sex assault

    [ad_1]

    A Jefferson County jury convicted a former Lakewood High School security officer on Friday of child sex assault, according to court records.

    Rubel Martinez, 68, was arrested in August 2024 and charged with sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust in a pattern of abuse. The Jefferson County convicted him on that charge Friday after three hours of deliberation following a four-day jury trial, according to anews release from the First Judicial District Attorney’s Office.

    Martinez repeatedly sexually assaulted a student from 2014 to 2016 during and after school hours, and both on and off school grounds, according to the release. The victim was a junior and senior at Lakewood High School when the assaults happened.

    The victim came forward to the police about the assaults in August 2024.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • New research bolsters evidence that Tylenol doesn’t raise the risk of autism despite Trump’s claims

    [ad_1]

    A new review of studies has found that taking Tylenol during pregnancy doesn’t increase the risk of autism, ADHD or intellectual disabilities — adding to the growing body of research refuting claims made by the Trump administration.President Donald Trump last year promoted unproven ties between the painkiller and autism, telling pregnant women: “Don’t take Tylenol.”Related video above — Stop Overpaying for Meds: Smart Ways to Cut Prescription CostsThe latest research review, published Friday in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynecology & Women’s Health, looked at 43 studies and concluded that the most rigorous ones, such as those that compare siblings, provide strong evidence that taking the drug commonly known as paracetamol outside of the U.S. does not cause autism, ADHD or intellectual disabilities.It’s “safe to use in pregnancy,” said lead author Dr. Asma Khalil. “It remains … the first line of treatment that we would recommend if the pregnant woman has pain or fever.”While some studies have raised the possibility of a link between autism risk and using Tylenol, also known as acetaminophen, during pregnancy, more haven’t found a connection.A review published last year in BMJ said existing evidence doesn’t clearly link the drug’s use during pregnancy with autism or ADHD in offspring. A study published the previous year in the Journal of the American Medical Association also found it wasn’t associated with children’s risk of autism, ADHD or intellectual disability in an analysis looking at siblings.But the White House has focused on research supporting a link.One of the papers cited on its web page, published in BMC Environmental Health last year, analyzed results from 46 previous studies and found that they supported evidence of an association between Tylenol exposure during pregnancy and increased incidence of neurodevelopmental disorders. Researchers noted that the drug is still important for treating pain and fever during pregnancy, but said steps should be taken to limit its use.Some health experts have raised concerns about that review and the way Trump administration officials portrayed it, pointing out that only a fraction of the studies focus on autism and that an association doesn’t prove cause and effect. Khalil, a fetal medicine specialist at St. George’s Hospital, London, said that review included some studies that were small and some that were prone to bias.The senior author of that review was Dr. Andrea Baccarelli, dean of the faculty at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, who noted in the paper that he served as an expert witness for plaintiffs in a case involving potential links between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and neurodevelopmental disorders. Baccarelli did not respond to an email seeking comment on his study.Overall, Khalil said, research cited in the public debate showing small associations between acetaminophen and autism is vulnerable to confounding factors. For example, a pregnant woman might take Tylenol for fevers, and fever during pregnancy may raise the risk for autism. Research can also be affected by “recall bias,” such as when the mother of an autistic child doesn’t accurately remember how much of the drug she used during pregnancy after the fact, Khalil said.When researchers prioritize the most rigorous study approaches – such as comparing siblings to account for the influence of things like genetics – “the association is not seen,” she said.Genetics are the biggest risk factor for autism, experts say. Other risks include the age of the child’s father, preterm birth and whether the mother had health problems during pregnancy.In a commentary published with the latest review, a group of researchers who weren’t involved — from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Children’s Hospital Colorado and elsewhere —cautioned that discouraging the use of acetaminophen during pregnancy could lead to inadequate pain or fever control. And that may hurt the baby as well as the mother. Untreated fever and infection in a pregnant woman poses “well-established risks to fetal survival and neurodevelopment,” they said.The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

    A new review of studies has found that taking Tylenol during pregnancy doesn’t increase the risk of autism, ADHD or intellectual disabilities — adding to the growing body of research refuting claims made by the Trump administration.

    President Donald Trump last year promoted unproven ties between the painkiller and autism, telling pregnant women: “Don’t take Tylenol.”

    Related video above — Stop Overpaying for Meds: Smart Ways to Cut Prescription Costs

    The latest research review, published Friday in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynecology & Women’s Health, looked at 43 studies and concluded that the most rigorous ones, such as those that compare siblings, provide strong evidence that taking the drug commonly known as paracetamol outside of the U.S. does not cause autism, ADHD or intellectual disabilities.

    It’s “safe to use in pregnancy,” said lead author Dr. Asma Khalil. “It remains … the first line of treatment that we would recommend if the pregnant woman has pain or fever.”

    While some studies have raised the possibility of a link between autism risk and using Tylenol, also known as acetaminophen, during pregnancy, more haven’t found a connection.

    A review published last year in BMJ said existing evidence doesn’t clearly link the drug’s use during pregnancy with autism or ADHD in offspring. A study published the previous year in the Journal of the American Medical Association also found it wasn’t associated with children’s risk of autism, ADHD or intellectual disability in an analysis looking at siblings.

    But the White House has focused on research supporting a link.

    One of the papers cited on its web page, published in BMC Environmental Health last year, analyzed results from 46 previous studies and found that they supported evidence of an association between Tylenol exposure during pregnancy and increased incidence of neurodevelopmental disorders. Researchers noted that the drug is still important for treating pain and fever during pregnancy, but said steps should be taken to limit its use.

    Some health experts have raised concerns about that review and the way Trump administration officials portrayed it, pointing out that only a fraction of the studies focus on autism and that an association doesn’t prove cause and effect. Khalil, a fetal medicine specialist at St. George’s Hospital, London, said that review included some studies that were small and some that were prone to bias.

    The senior author of that review was Dr. Andrea Baccarelli, dean of the faculty at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, who noted in the paper that he served as an expert witness for plaintiffs in a case involving potential links between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and neurodevelopmental disorders. Baccarelli did not respond to an email seeking comment on his study.

    Overall, Khalil said, research cited in the public debate showing small associations between acetaminophen and autism is vulnerable to confounding factors. For example, a pregnant woman might take Tylenol for fevers, and fever during pregnancy may raise the risk for autism. Research can also be affected by “recall bias,” such as when the mother of an autistic child doesn’t accurately remember how much of the drug she used during pregnancy after the fact, Khalil said.

    When researchers prioritize the most rigorous study approaches – such as comparing siblings to account for the influence of things like genetics – “the association is not seen,” she said.

    Genetics are the biggest risk factor for autism, experts say. Other risks include the age of the child’s father, preterm birth and whether the mother had health problems during pregnancy.

    In a commentary published with the latest review, a group of researchers who weren’t involved — from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Children’s Hospital Colorado and elsewhere —cautioned that discouraging the use of acetaminophen during pregnancy could lead to inadequate pain or fever control. And that may hurt the baby as well as the mother. Untreated fever and infection in a pregnant woman poses “well-established risks to fetal survival and neurodevelopment,” they said.

    The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • SoCal love triangle murder suspect extradited after 8 years on the run in Mexico

    [ad_1]

    A man accused of ambushing and fatally stabbing his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend has been extradited to Orange County to face a murder charge after eight years on the run in Mexico, authorities said.

    Humberto Rodriguez Martinez, 39, is accused of working with a friend to kill his romantic rival outside his ex-girlfriend’s apartment in 2017, according to the Orange County district attorney’s office. Martinez is a Mexican citizen and was in the U.S. illegally at the time of the killing, prosecutors said.

    Prosecutors charged Martinez in 2017 with the murder of 32-year-old Daniel Reyes, as well as with felony enhancements for allegedly lying in wait and for using a knife. But for years police were unable to arrest him.

    Martinez’s car was recovered in San Diego, while he remained wanted on a $2-million warrant.

    His friend, Adan Zapot-Leyva, was arrested two days after the attack and later sentenced to 15 years to life after pleading guilty in 2023 to one felony count of second-degree murder.

    Mexican authorities, working with the U.S. Marshals Service, tracked down Martinez in 2024 in Mexico, where he was arrested at the request of the U.S.

    On Dec. 4, he was extradited to the U.S. and homicide detectives from the Anaheim Police Department took him into custody at Los Angeles International Airport. He pleaded not guilty to murder on Tuesday and is being held without bail.

    “This arrest does not undo the pain the victim’s family has endured, but it reinforces our commitment and promise to our community: We will never stop working until justice is served,” Anaheim Police Chief Manny Cid said in a statement.

    Prosecutors accuse Martinez of carrying out a deliberate, jealousy-driven murder plot.

    Martinez shared two children with his ex-girlfriend and they were co-parenting for several months after they broke up. On Oct. 17, 2017, Martinez and Zapot-Leyva went to the woman’s apartment to watch the children while she went to work, prosecutors said.

    She returned home around 8:30 p.m. and the men left the apartment. About 30 minutes later, her new boyfriend arrived, prosecutors said.

    Early the following morning, Anaheim police officers responded to the intersection of Santa Ana and Helena streets after witnesses reported seeing two men chasing Reyes and one of them stabbing him. Reyes died at the scene.

    Zapot-Leyva later told authorities that he and Martinez had watched the apartment for several hours because they knew that Reyes was inside, according to his 2023 plea agreement obtained by City News Service.

    The ex-girlfriend had called Zapot-Leyva to ask where he and Martinez were and, in a “deliberate trick,” Zapot-Leyva told her they had left the area hours ago, according to the plea agreement. The goal was to fool Reyes into thinking it was safe to exit the apartment.

    Once he did emerge, the men chased him down and attacked him, and Martinez stabbed him 10 times, Zapot-Leyva told authorities, according to the plea deal.

    Reyes begged them to stop, saying “please don’t … I have children,” according to the plea deal.

    “The pursuit of justice will never be derailed by time or distance,” O.C. Dist. Atty. Todd Spitzer said in a statement Friday. “We are grateful for the incredible work of our investigators and prosecutors and of our partners, both domestic and international, for their assistance in tracking down a wanted [murder suspect] and bringing him back to Orange County.”

    [ad_2]

    Clara Harter

    Source link