ReportWire

Tag: Courts

  • Trump administration moves to revoke permit for Massachusetts offshore wind project

    [ad_1]

    WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has moved to block a Massachusetts offshore wind farm, its latest effort to hobble an industry and technology that President Donald Trump has attacked as “ugly” and unreliable compared to fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas.

    The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, or BOEM, filed a motion in federal court Thursday seeking to take back its approval of the SouthCoast Wind project’s “construction and operations plan.” The plan is the last major federal permit the project needs before it can start putting turbines in the water.

    SouthCoast Wind, to be built in federal waters about 23 miles south of Nantucket, is expected to construct as many as 141 turbines to power about 840,000 homes in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

    The Interior Department action is the latest by the Trump administration in what critics call an “all-out assault” on the wind energy industry.

    Trump’s administration has stopped construction on major offshore wind farms, revoked wind energy permits and paused permitting, canceled plans to use large areas of federal waters for new offshore wind development and stopped $679 million in federal funding for a dozen offshore wind projects.

    The moves are a complete reversal from the Biden administration, which approved construction of 11 large offshore wind projects to generate enough clean energy to power more than 6 million homes. The projects now face uncertain futures under Trump.

    Last week, the Interior Department asked a federal judge in Baltimore to cancel a previous approval by BOEM to build an offshore wind project in Maryland. The ocean agency has concluded that its prior weighing of the project’s impacts was “deficient” and intends to reconsider that analysis to make a new decision, the department said.

    Developer U.S. Wind has not yet begun construction, but plans for the Maryland Offshore Wind Project call for up to 114 turbines to power more than 718,000 homes.

    BOEM had approved SouthCoast’s operations plan on Jan. 17, 2025, three days before Trump’s second term began.

    “Based on its review to date, BOEM has determined that the COP approval may not have fully complied with the law” and “may have failed to account for all the impacts that the SouthCoast Wind Project may cause,” Interior said in its legal filing. The agency asked a federal judge to allow reconsideration of the project.

    In a statement, developer Ocean Winds said the company “intends to vigorously defend our permits in federal court.”

    “Stable permitting for American infrastructure projects should be of top concern for anyone who wants to see continued investment in the United States,” the statement said.

    Jason Walsh, executive director of the BlueGreen Alliance, a coalition of labor unions and environmental groups, said Trump “is threatening good jobs while he pursues his senseless vendetta against offshore wind.”

    Pulling energy project permits and canceling lease sales isn’t new. Biden revoked the permit to build the long-disputed Keystone XL oil pipeline on his first day in office, halting construction. He canceled scheduled oil and gas lease sales.

    But Trump’s efforts to dismantle the offshore wind industry are much more extensive than the way Biden targeted fossil fuels, said Kristoffer Svendsen, assistant dean for energy law at the George Washington University Law School. He thinks offshore wind developers will now see the U.S. as too risky.

    “They have plenty of options. They can invest in Europe and Asia. There are good markets to invest in offshore wind. It’s just the U.S. is not a good market to invest in,” he said.

    The Trump administration has stopped construction on two major offshore wind farms, so far. One of them, the Empire Wind project for New York, was allowed to resume construction. The Revolution Wind project for Rhode Island and Connecticut is paused, and both the developer and the two states sued in federal courts.

    The Danish energy company Orsted is building Revolution Wind. The Danish government owns a majority stake in the company.

    Besides SouthCoast, the Trump administration has said it is reconsidering approvals for another wind farm off the Massachusetts coast, New England Wind. It previously revoked a permit for the Atlantic Shores project in New Jersey.

    ___

    The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at ap.org.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Gary Busey gets probation for sexual offense at 2022 horror convention

    [ad_1]

    CHERRY HILL, N.J. — Actor Gary Busey has been sentenced to two years probation for a sexual offense stemming from an appearance at a 2022 horror convention in New Jersey, according to court records.

    The sentence was handed down Thursday during a virtual hearing in state court in Camden. Busey did not speak during the hearing.

    The 81-year-old “Buddy Holly” star had pleaded guilty in July to a single count of criminal sexual contact for touching a woman’s buttocks “over clothing during an 8-10 second photo op.” The actor had been accused of inappropriately touching at least three women at the Monster-Mania Convention at the Doubletree Hotel in Cherry Hill, a South Jersey town and suburb of Philadelphia.

    Organizers of the event acknowledged at the time that an unnamed celebrity guest was “removed from the convention and instructed not to return” and that affected attendees were encouraged to contact police.

    Busey had been scheduled as a featured guest for all three days of the event. He was initially charged with two counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual contact, one count of attempted criminal sexual contact and one count of harassment.

    Busey is widely known as a character actor, largely in supporting roles, though he came to attention and was nominated for an Oscar for best actor for playing the title role in the 1978 film “The Buddy Holly Story.”

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Man charged with murder in fatal Lakewood shooting

    [ad_1]

    One man died and another was arrested after a shooting in Lakewood last month turned fatal, police said.

    Adrian Slaughter, 23, was arrested Wednesday and charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of 49-year-old Joshua Green, according to a news release from the Lakewood Police Department.

    Lakewood officers responded to reports of a shooting near Vance Street and W. 13th Avenue on Aug. 28, police said in the release.

    When they arrived, they found Green suffering from a gunshot wound. Paramedics took him to the hospital, where he later died from his injuries.

    [ad_2]

    Lauren Penington

    Source link

  • Starbucks workers in Colorado sue over company’s new dress code

    [ad_1]

    Starbucks workers in Colorado and two other states took legal action against the coffee giant Wednesday, saying it violated the law when it changed its dress code but refused to reimburse employees who had to buy new clothes.

    The employees, who are backed by the union organizing Starbucks’ workers, filed class-action lawsuits in state court in Illinois and Colorado. Workers also filed complaints with California’s Labor and Workforce Development Agency. If the agency decides not to seek penalties against Starbucks, the workers intend to file a class-action lawsuit in California, according to the complaints.

    Starbucks didn’t comment directly on the lawsuits Wednesday, but the company said it simplified its dress code to deliver a more consistent experience to customers and give its employees clearer guidance.

    “As part of this change, and to ensure our partners were prepared, partners received two shirts at no cost,” the company said Wednesday. Starbucks refers to its employees as “partners.”

    Starbucks’ new dress code went into effect on May 12. It requires all workers in North America to wear a solid black shirt with short or long sleeves under their green aprons. Shirts may or may not have collars, but they must cover the midriff and armpits.

    Employees must wear khaki, black or blue denim bottoms without patterns or frayed hems or solid black dresses that are not more than 4 inches above the knee. The dress code also requires workers to wear black, gray, dark blue, brown, tan or white shoes made from a waterproof material. Socks and hosiery must be “subdued,” the company said.

    The dress code prohibits employees from having face tattoos or more than one facial piercing. Tongue piercings and “theatrical makeup” are also prohibited.

    Starbucks said in April that the new dress code would make employees’ green aprons stand out and create a sense of familiarity for customers. It comes as the company is trying to reestablish a warmer, more welcoming experience in its stores.

    Before the new dress code went into effect, Starbucks had a relatively lax policy. In 2016, it began allowing employees to wear patterned shirts in a wider variety of colors to give them more opportunities for self-expression.

    The old dress code was also loosely enforced, according to the Colorado lawsuit. But under the new dress code, employees who don’t comply aren’t allowed to start their shifts.

    Brooke Allen, a full-time student who also works at a Starbucks in Davis, California, said she was told by a manager in July that the Crocs she was wearing didn’t meet the new standards and she would have to wear different shoes if she wanted to work the following day. Allen had to go to three stores to find a compliant pair that cost her $60.09.

    Allen has spent an additional $86.95 on clothes for work, including black shirts and jeans.

    “I think it’s extremely tone deaf on the company’s part to expect their employees to completely redesign their wardrobe without any compensation,” Allen said. “A lot of us are already living paycheck to paycheck.”

    Allen said she misses the old dress code, which allowed her to express herself with colorful shirts and three facial piercings.

    “It looks sad now that everyone is wearing black,” she said.

    [ad_2]

    Dee-Ann Durbin

    Source link

  • Judge dismisses Indigenous Amazon tribe’s lawsuit against The New York Times and TMZ

    [ad_1]

    LOS ANGELES — A California judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by an Indigenous tribe in the Brazilian Amazon against The New York Times and TMZ that claimed the newspaper’s reporting on the tribe’s first exposure to the internet led to its members being widely portrayed as technology-addled and addicted to pornography.

    The suit was filed in May by the Marubo Tribe of the Javari Valley, a sovereign community of about 2,000 people in the Amazon rainforest.

    Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Tiana J. Murillo on Tuesday sided with the Times, whose lawyers argued in a hearing Monday that its coverage last year was fair and protected by free speech.

    TMZ argued that its coverage, which followed the Times’ initial reporting, addressed ongoing public controversies and matters of public interest.

    The suit claimed stories by TMZ and Yahoo amplified and sensationalized the Times’ reporting and smeared the tribe in the process. Yahoo was dismissed as a defendant earlier this month.

    Murillo wrote in her ruling that though some may “reasonably perceive” the Times’ and TMZ’s reporting as “insensitive, disparaging or reflecting a lack of respect, the Court need not, and does not, determine which of these characterizations is most apt.”

    The judge added that “regardless of tone, TMZ’s segment contributed to existing debate over the effects of internet connectivity on remote Indigenous communities.”

    “We are pleased by the comprehensive and careful analysis undertaken by the court in dismissing this frivolous lawsuit,” Danielle Rhoades Ha, a spokesperson for the Times, said in a statement Wednesday to The Associated Press. “Our reporter traveled to the Amazon and provided a nuanced account of tension that arose when modern technology came to an isolated community.”

    Attorneys for TMZ did not immediately respond to an email request for comment Wednesday.

    Plaintiffs in the lawsuit included the tribe, community leader Enoque Marubo and Brazilian journalist and sociologist Flora Dutra, who were both mentioned in the June 2024 story. Both were instrumental in bringing the tribe the internet connection, which they said has had many positive effects including facilitating emergency medicine and the education of children.

    N. Micheli Quadros, the attorney who represents the tribe, Marubo and Dutra, wrote to the AP Wednesday that the judge’s decision “highlights the imbalance of our legal system,” which “often shields powerful institutions while leaving vulnerable individuals, such as Indigenous communities without meaningful recourse.”

    Quadros said the plaintiffs will decide their next steps in the coming days, whether that is through courts in California or international human rights bodies.

    “This case is bigger than one courtroom or one ruling,” Quadros wrote. “It is about accountability, fairness, and the urgent need to protect communities that have historically been silenced or marginalized.”

    The lawsuit sought at least $180 million, including both general and punitive damages, from each of the defendants.

    The suit argued that the Times’ story by reporter Jack Nicas on how the group was handling the introduction of internet service via Starlink satellites operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX “portrayed the Marubo people as a community unable to handle basic exposure to the internet, highlighting allegations that their youth had become consumed by pornography.”

    The court disagreed with the tribe’s claims that the Times article falsely implied its youth were “addicted to pornography,” noting that the coverage only mentioned unidentified young men had access to porn and did not state that the tribe as a whole was addicted to pornography.

    Nicas reported that in less than a year of Starlink access, the tribe was dealing with the same struggles the rest of the world has dealt with for years due to the pervasive effects of the internet. The challenges ranged from “teenagers glued to phones; group chats full of gossip; addictive social networks; online strangers; violent video games; scams; misinformation; and minors watching pornography,” Nicas wrote.

    He also wrote that a tribal leader said young men were sharing explicit videos in group chats. The piece doesn’t mention porn elsewhere, but other outlets amplified that aspect of the story. TMZ posted a story with the headline, “Elon Musk’s Starlink Hookup Leaves A Remote Tribe Addicted To Porn.”

    The Times published a follow-up story in response to misperceptions brought on by other outlets in which Nicas wrote: “The Marubo people are not addicted to pornography. There was no hint of this in the forest, and there was no suggestion of it in The New York Times’s article.”

    Nicas wrote that he spent a week with the Marubo tribe. The lawsuit claimed that while he was invited for a week, he spent less than 48 hours in the village, “barely enough time to observe, understand, or respectfully engage with the community.”

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • South Florida matriarch convicted in murder-for-hire killing of her ex-son-in-law seeks a new trial

    [ad_1]

    TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The matriarch of a South Florida family who faces life in prison for the hired killing of her former son-in-law is asking a judge for a new trial.

    Attorneys for Donna Adelson argued that alleged juror misconduct and errors by the court should warrant their client another hearing of her case.

    Earlier this month, jurors returned guilty verdicts in Adelson’s weekslong trial on charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy and solicitation in the 2014 killing of Florida State University law professor Daniel Markel in Tallahassee where he taught.

    In a motion for a new trial filed Tuesday, attorneys Joshua Zelman and Jackie Fulford said Adelson should get a new trial after two jurors went public with their stories after the trial, including one who posted a video on TikTok about her jury service and another who appeared on a true crime podcast called “Surviving the Survivor.”

    The attorneys also argued that the verdicts were contrary to the law or the weight of the evidence, that prosecutors relied on speculation and inference to build their case, and alleged that Circuit Judge Stephen Everett showed favoritism to the prosecution throughout the trial.

    “Where is the evidence Mrs. Adelson agreed; conspired; combined; or confederated with anyone else that Mr. Markel be killed? There is none,” the attorneys wrote.

    The case had riveted Florida’s capital city for more than a decade amid sordid details of a messy divorce, tensions with wealthy in-laws and custody fights leading to the killing.

    Markel had been locked in a bitter custody battle with his ex-wife and Adelson’s daughter, Wendi Adelson, with whom he had two children.

    Prosecutors argued at the trial that Donna Adelson helped orchestrate Markel’s killing after he stood in the way of letting her daughter and two young grandsons make the move from Tallahassee to South Florida to be closer to the rest of the family.

    ___

    Kate Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • As officials searched for Charlie Kirk’s shooter, suspect confessed to his partner, prosecutor says

    [ad_1]

    PROVO, Utah — As authorities worked feverishly to find the person who assassinated Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University last week, the 22-year-old man now charged with the crime was texting with his romantic partner and acknowledging he was the shooter, court documents revealed.

    Tyler Robinson fired a single fatal shot from the rooftop of a building overlooking the outdoor venue where Kirk was speaking to about 3,000 people on Sept. 10, investigators say. Afterward, prosecutors say he texted with the partner, who he lived with near St. George, Utah, about 240 miles (387 kilometers) southwest of the campus.

    He said to look under his keyboard at their home. There was a note that said, “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it.”

    After expressing shock, his partner asked Robinson if he was the shooter. Robinson responded, “I am, I’m sorry.”

    The partner apparently never went to law enforcement with the information. Robinson remained on the run until the next night, when his parents recognized he was the person in a photo released by authorities as they searched for the shooter. They helped organize Robinson’s peaceful surrender.

    The partner was not named in the charging documents that contained the narrative of the shooting and were made public Tuesday when authorities charged Robinson with capital murder and other counts. He could face the death penalty.

    Law enforcement officials say they are looking at whether others knew about or aided Robinson in the assassination. They have not said if the partner is among those being investigated but have publicly expressed appreciation for the partner sharing information.

    Prosecutors allege Robinson used a bolt-action rifle to shoot Kirk in the neck on the campus in Orem, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) south of Salt Lake City. DNA on the trigger of the rifle matched Robinson, according to Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray. The rifle had been Robinson’s grandfather’s.

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

    Kirk, a 31-year-old father of two, was a prominent force in politics credited with energizing the Republican youth movement and helping Donald Trump win back the White House in 2024. He gained a large following through social media, his podcast and campus events that featured him responding to a line of questioners who could query and debate him on any topic.

    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.”

    The prosecutor said Robinson also wrote in one text that he spent more than a week planning the attack on Kirk. Authorities have not said what they believe the planning entailed.

    Gray 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 is transgender.

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

    Robinson’s mother told investigators that their son had turned hard left politically in the last year and became more supportive of gay and transgender rights, 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. That person was able to get Robinson to turn himself in, the prosecutor said.

    Robinson was arrested late Thursday near St. George, where he grew up.

    In a text exchange with his partner released by authorities, Robinson wrote about planning to get his rifle from his “drop point,” but that the area was “locked down.”

    Later 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.” The texts cited in court documents did not include timestamps and 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.

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

    Robinson also 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.

    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.

    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.

    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.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Record 12th execution set in Florida this year for man convicted of killing family

    [ad_1]

    STARKE, Fla. — A Florida man convicted of killing his estranged wife’s sister and parents and setting their house on fire is scheduled to put to death Wednesday, which would be a record 12th execution in the state in 2025.

    David Pittman, 63, is set to receive a lethal injection starting at 6 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke under a death warrant signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis. The Republican governor has signed more death warrants this year than any of his predecessors.

    Pittman’s final appeal was rejected Tuesday by the U.S. Supreme Court.

    So far, two more Florida executions are scheduled for this fall. Victor Tony Jones is set to die on Sept. 30 for the 1990 killings of two people during a robbery and Samuel Lee Smithers is scheduled for execution on Oct. 14 for the murders of two women in 1996.

    Pittman was convicted and sentenced to death in 1991 on three counts of first-degree murder, according to court records. Jurors also found him guilty of arson and grand theft.

    Pittman and his wife, Marie, were going through a contentious divorce in May 1990, when the killings occurred, and investigators say he had threatened to harm her family several times.

    Trial testimony showed Pittman cut a phone line at the Mulberry, Florida home of his wife’s parents, Clarence Knowles, 60, and his wife, 50-year-old Barbara Knowles. Pittman stabbed the couple to death as well as their other daughter, 21-year-old Bonnie Knowles. Pittman then set their house on fire and stole Bonnie Knowles’ car, which he also set ablaze. The family was found dead on May 15 of that year.

    A witness during his 1991 trial identified Pittman as the person running away from the burning car. A jailhouse informant also testified that Pittman had admitted to the killings. Jurors recommended the death penalty on a 9-3 vote.

    Pittman’s most recent appeals focused on recent evidence indicating he suffers from intellectual disabilities, including an IQ in the low 70s, that was apparent at the time of the killings. His lawyers say his execution would violate the Constitution’s protection against putting to death a person with severe mental problems.

    Lawyers for the state disagreed, contending it is now too late for Pittman to claim mental impairment from years earlier. The Florida Supreme Court, reversing a previous decision, ruled in 2020 that such claims cannot apply retroactively.

    “Pittman’s underlying intellectual disability claim is meritless. He was not intellectually disabled when he murdered the three victims in 1990 or when he went to trial in 1991,” the state attorneys told the U.S. Supreme Court.

    Before Pittman, 30 people have been executed in the U.S. in 2025, with Florida leading the way behind the flurry of death warrants signed by DeSantis. The last execution in Florida was the Aug. 28 lethal injection of 59-year-old Curtis Windom, convicted of the 1992 murders of his girlfriend, her mother and another man.

    Florida executions are carried out via a three-drug injection — a sedative, a paralytic and a drug that stops the heart, according to the state Department of Corrections.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Southern California judge who killed his wife is scheduled to be sentenced

    [ad_1]

    SANTA ANA, Calif. — A Southern California judge convicted of second-degree murder for fatally shooting his wife after the couple had been arguing is scheduled to be sentenced on Wednesday.

    Orange County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Ferguson faces a maximum potential sentence of 40 years to life in prison. The 74-year-old has been jailed since a jury found him guilty in April of murder and felony gun enhancements.

    Prosecutors said the long-time judge and former criminal prosecutor pulled a gun from his ankle holster in August 2023 and fired the fatal shot after he had been drinking and arguing with his wife over family finances; the argument began at a restaurant and continued later while watching “Breaking Bad” on television in their Anaheim Hills home.

    Ferguson, who presided over criminal cases until his arrest, admitted to shooting his wife, Sheryl, but said it was an accident.

    The case roiled the legal community in Orange County where many have known or worked with Ferguson for decades, including District Attorney Todd Spitzer. The county is home to 3 million people between Los Angeles and San Diego.

    To avoid a conflict of interest, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Eleanor J. Hunter has presided over Ferguson’s trial.

    In March, an initial jury deadlocked on the case and Hunter declared a mistrial. In April, a second jury convicted Ferguson of second-degree murder and the gun enhancements.

    Frances Prizzia, Ferguson’s lawyer, is asking for a new trial, saying there wasn’t enough time to prepare between the two trials and that a key witness was unavailable to testify a second time, putting her client at a disadvantage.

    “The Court’s denial of the continuance was an unreasonable and arbitrary insistence upon expeditiousness in the face of a justifiable request for a delay,” Prizzia wrote in court filings.

    During the trial, prosecutors said Ferguson had been drinking before he made a gun-like hand gesture toward his wife of 27 years while arguing with her at a Mexican restaurant on Aug. 3, 2023. Prosecutors said the quarrel continued at home while the couple was watching TV with their adult son, Phillip, and Sheryl Ferguson challenged her husband to point a real gun at her. He did, then pulled the trigger, prosecutors said.

    Ferguson, who had experience and training in firearms, testified that he was removing the gun from his ankle holster to place it on a table cluttered with other items when he fumbled it due to an injured shoulder, and it went off.

    Immediately after the shooting, Ferguson and his son called 911, and Ferguson texted his court clerk and bailiff saying, “I just lost it. I just shot my wife. I won’t be in tomorrow. I will be in custody. I’m so sorry,” according to a copy of a text message shown to jurors.

    Ferguson spoke with police outside his home and while in custody. In video shown at trial, he was seen sobbing and saying his son and everyone would hate him, and pleading for a jury to convict him.

    After Ferguson’s arrest, authorities said they found 47 weapons, including the gun used in the shooting, and more than 26,000 rounds of ammunition at his home.

    Ferguson began his legal career in the district attorney’s office in 1983 and went on to work on narcotics cases, winning various awards. He became a judge in 2015 and presided over criminal cases in the Orange County city of Fullerton, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) from the court where he is scheduled to be sentenced on Wednesday.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Prosecutor: Suspect left note saying he would kill Kirk

    [ad_1]

    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.


    This page requires Javascript.

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

    kAm%96 AC@D64FE@C D2:5 #@3:?D@?[ aa[ HC@E6 😕 @?6 E6IE E92E 96 DA6?E >@C6 E92? 2 H66< A=2??:?8 E96 2EE24< @? z:C<[ 2 AC@>:?6?E 7@C46 😕 A@=:E:4D 4C65:E65 H:E9 k2 9C67lQ9EEADi^^2A?6HD]4@>^2CE:4=6^492C=:6<:C<EFC?:?8A@:?EECF>A47a2eg6cb_b4deagahh776bgb5_h4`6hQm6?6C8:K:?8 E96 #6AF3=:42? J@FE9 >@G6>6?Ek^2m 2?5 96=A:?8 s@?2=5 %CF>A H:? 324< E96 (9:E6 w@FD6 😕 a_ac]k^Am

    kAm“%96 >FC56C @7 r92C=:6 z:C< 😀 2? p>6C:42? EC2865J[” vC2J D2:5]k^Am

    kAmz:C< H2D k2 9C67lQ9EEADi^^2A?6HD]4@>^2CE:4=6^492C=:6<:C<D9@@E:?8DFDA64EE9:?8DE@@H5456b7fha7c5eebe5cc73h7c72dbdeh4Qm8F??65 5@H?k^2m $6AE] `_ H9:=6 DA62<:?8 H:E9 DEF56?ED 2E &E29 ‘2==6J &?:G6CD:EJ] !C@D64FE@CD 2==686 #@3:?D@? D9@E z:C< 😕 E96 ?64< H:E9 2 3@=E24E:@? C:7=6 7C@> E96 C@@7 @7 2 ?62C3J 3F:=5:?8 @? E96 42>AFD 😕 ~C6>[ 23@FE c_ >:=6D D@FE9 @7 $2=E {2<6 r:EJ]k^Am

    kAm#@3:?D@? 2AA62C65 3C:67=J %F6D52J 367@C6 2 ;F586 3J G:56@ 7C@> ;2:=] w6 ?@5565 D=:89E=J 2E E:>6D 3FE >@DE=J DE2C65 DEC2:89E 29625 2D E96 ;F586 C625 E96 492C86D 282:?DE 9:> 2?5 D2:5 96 H@F=5 2AA@:?E 2? 2EE@C?6J E@ C6AC6D6?E 9:>] #@3:?D@?’D 72>:=J 92D 564=:?65 E@ 4@>>6?E E@ %96 pDD@4:2E65 !C6DD D:?46 9:D 2CC6DE]k^Am

    kAmpFE9@C:E:6D 92G6 ?@E C6G62=65 2 4=62C >@E:G6 😕 E96 D9@@E:?8[ 3FE vC2J D2:5 E92E #@3:?D@? HC@E6 😕 2 E6IE 23@FE z:C< E@ 9:D A2CE?6Ci “x 925 6?@F89 @7 9:D 92EC65] $@>6 92E6 42?’E 36 ?68@E:2E65 @FE]”k^Am

    kAm#@3:?D@? 2=D@ =67E 2 ?@E6 7@C 9:D A2CE?6C 9:556? F?56C 2 <6J3@2C5 E92E D2:5[ “x 925 E96 @AA@CEF?:EJ E@ E2<6 @FE r92C=:6 z:C< 2?5 x’> 8@:?8 E@ E2<6 :E[” 244@C5:?8 E@ vC2J]k^Am

    kAm%96 AC@D64FE@C 564=:?65 E@ 2?DH6C H96E96C #@3:?D@? E2C86E65 z:C< 7@C 9:D 2?E:EC2?D86?56C G:6HD] z:C< H2D D9@E H9:=6 E2<:?8 2 BF6DE:@? E92E E@F4965 @? >2DD D9@@E:?8D[ 8F? G:@=6?46 2?5 EC2?D86?56C A6@A=6]k^Am

    kAm“%92E 😀 7@C 2 ;FCJ E@ 564:56[” vC2J D2:5]k^Am

    kAm#@3:?D@? H2D :?G@=G65 😕 2 C@>2?E:4 C6=2E:@?D9:A H:E9 9:D C@@>>2E6[ H9@ :?G6DE:82E@CD D2J H2D EC2?D86?56C[ H9:49 92D?’E 366? 4@?7:C>65] vC2J D2:5 E96 A2CE?6C 92D 366? 4@@A6C2E:?8 H:E9 :?G6DE:82E@CD]k^Am

    kAm#@3:?D@?’D A2CE?6C 2AA62C65 D9@4<65 😕 E96 E6IE 6I492?86 27E6C E96 D9@@E:?8[ 244@C5:?8 E@ 4@FCE 5@4F>6?ED[ 2D<:?8 #@3:?D@? “H9J 96 5:5 :E 2?5 9@H =@?8 96’5 366? A=2??:?8 :E]”k^Am

    kAm(9:=6 2FE9@C:E:6D D2J #@3:?D@? 92D?’E 366? 4@@A6C2E:?8 H:E9 :?G6DE:82E@CD[ E96J D2J 9:D 72>:=J 2?5 7C:6?5D 92G6 366? E2=<:?8]k^Am

    kAm#@3:?D@?’D >@E96C E@=5 :?G6DE:82E@CD E92E E96:C D@? 925 EFC?65 =67E A@=:E:42==J 😕 E96 =2DE J62C 2?5 3642>6 >@C6 DFAA@CE:G6 @7 82J 2?5 EC2?D86?56C C:89ED 27E6C 52E:?8 D@>6@?6 H9@ 😀 EC2?D86?56C[ vC2J D2:5]k^Am

    kAm%9@D6 564:D:@?D AC@>AE65 D6G6C2= 4@?G6CD2E:@?D 😕 E96 9@FD69@=5[ 6DA64:2==J 36EH66? #@3:?D@? 2?5 9:D 72E96C] %96J 925 5:776C6?E A@=:E:42= G:6HD 2?5 #@3:?D@? E@=5 9:D A2CE?6C 😕 2 E6IE E92E 9:D 525 925 364@>6 2 “5:692C5 |pvp” D:?46 %CF>A H2D 6=64E65]k^Am

    kAm#@3:?D@?’D >@E96C C64@8?:K65 9:> H96? 2FE9@C:E:6D C6=62D65 2 A:4EFC6 @7 E96 DFDA64E 2?5 9:D A2C6?ED 4@?7C@?E65 9:>[ 2E H9:49 E:>6 #@3:?D@? D2:5 96 H2?E65 E@ <:== 9:>D6=7[ vC2J D2:5]k^Am

    kAm%96 72>:=J A6CDF2565 9:> E@ >66E H:E9 2 72>:=J 7C:6?5 H9@ 😀 2 C6E:C65 D96C:77’D 56AFEJ[ H9@ A6CDF2565 #@3:?D@? E@ EFC? 9:>D6=7 :?[ E96 AC@D64FE@C D2:5]k^Am

    kAmk2 9C67lQ9EEADi^^2A?6HD]4@>^2CE:4=6^492C=:6<:C<D9@@E:?8EJ=6CC@3:?D@?DFDA64E5ghb44`e73_hbf5d_fagb4f`_4dd`67_Qm#@3:?D@? H2D 2CC6DE65k^2m =2E6 %9FCD52J ?62C $E] v6@C86[ E96 D@FE96C? &E29 4@>>F?:EJ H96C6 96 8C6H FA[ 23@FE ac_ >:=6D D@FE9H6DE @7 H96C6 E96 D9@@E:?8 92AA6?65]k^Am

    kAmx? 2 E6IE 6I492?86 H:E9 9:D A2CE?6C C6=62D65 3J 2FE9@C:E:6D[ #@3:?D@? HC@E6i “x 925 A=2??65 E@ 8C23 >J C:7=6 7C@> >J 5C@A A@:?E D9@CE=J 27E6C[ 3FE >@DE @7 E92E D:56 @7 E@H? 8@E =@4<65 5@H?] xED BF:6E[ 2=>@DE 6?@F89 E@ 86E @FE[ 3FE E96C6D @?6 G69:4=6 =:?86C:?8]”k^Am

    kAm%96? 96 HC@E6i “v@:?8 E@ 2EE6>AE E@ C6EC:6G6 :E 282:?[ 9@A67F==J E96J 92G6 >@G65 @?] x 92G6?’E D66? 2?JE9:?8 23@FE E96> 7:?5:?8 :E]” p7E6C E92E[ 96 D6?Ei “x 42? 86E 4=@D6 E@ :E 3FE E96C6 😀 2 DBF25 42C A2C<65 C:89E 3J :E] x E9:?< E96J 2=C625J DH6AE E92E DA@E[ 3FE x 5@?’E H2??2 492?46 :E]”k^Am

    kAmw6 2=D@ H2D H@CC:65 23@FE =@D:?8 9:D 8C2?572E96C’D C:7=6 2?5 >6?E:@?65 D6G6C2= E:>6D 😕 E96 E6IED E92E 96 H:D965 96 925 A:4<65 :E FA[ 244@C5:?8 E@ E96 E6IED D92C65 😕 4@FCE 5@4F>6?ED[ H9:49 5:5 ?@E 92G6 E:>6DE2>AD] xE H2D F?4=62C 9@H =@?8 27E6C E96 D9@@E:?8 #@3:?D@? H2D E6IE:?8]k^Am

    kAm“%@ 36 9@?6DE x 925 9@A65 E@ <66A E9:D D64C6E E:== x 5:65 @7 @=5 286] x 2> D@CCJ E@ :?G@=G6 J@F[” #@3:?D@? HC@E6 😕 2?@E96C E6IE E@ 9:D A2CE?6C]k^Am

    kAm#@3:?D@? 5:D42C565 E96 C:7=6 2?5 4=@E9:?8 2?5 2D<65 9:D C@@>>2E6 E@ 4@?462= 6G:56?46[ vC2J D2:5]k^Am

    kAm#@3:?D@? H2D 492C865 H:E9 76=@?J 5:D492C86 @7 2 7:C62C>[ AF?:D923=6 3J FA E@ =:76 😕 AC:D@?[ 2?5 @3DECF4E:?8 ;FDE:46[ AF?:D923=6 3J FA E@ `d J62CD 😕 AC:D@?]k^Am

    kAmw6 2=D@ H2D 492C865 H:E9 H:E?6DD E2>A6C:?8 3642FD6 96 925 5:C64E65 9:D A2CE?6C E@ 56=6E6 E96:C E6IE >6DD286D 2?5 E@=5 9:D A2CE?6C E@ DE2J D:=6?E :7 BF6DE:@?65 3J A@=:46[ vC2J D2:5]k^Am

    kAmuqx s:C64E@C k2 9C67lQ9EEADi^^2A?6HD]4@>^2CE:4=6^73:A2E6=CFDD:26ADE6:?4b6f_ebb36767ec3e_e`bf_h4hh`h3_4Qmz2D9 !2E6=k^2m D2:5 %F6D52J E92E 286?ED 2C6 =@@<:?8 2E “2?J@?6 2?5 6G6CJ@?6” H9@ H2D :?G@=G65 😕 2 82>:?8 492EC@@> @? E96 D@4:2= >65:2 A=2E7@C> s:D4@C5 H:E9 #@3:?D@?] %96 492EC@@> :?G@=G65 “2 =@E >@C6” E92? a_ A6@A=6[ 96 D2:5 5FC:?8 k2 9C67lQ9EEADi^^2A?6HD]4@>^2CE:4=6^A2E6=73:492C=:6<:C<D6?2E6962C:?8_cg4f2f4dfdcfa3g2`2f5c65e73ba3ehQm2 $6?2E6 yF5:4:2CJ r@>>:EE66 962C:?8k^2m 😕 (2D9:?8E@?]k^Am

    kAm“(6 2C6 :?G6DE:82E:?8 r92C=:6’D 2DD2DD:?2E:@? 7F==J 2?5 4@>A=6E6=J 2?5 CF??:?8 @FE 6G6CJ =625 C6=2E65 E@ 2?J 2==682E:@? @7 3C@256C G:@=6?46[” !2E6= D2:5 😕 C6DA@?D6 E@ 2 BF6DE:@? 23@FE H96E96C E96 z:C< D9@@E:?8 H2D 36:?8 EC62E65 2D A2CE @7 2 3C@256C EC6?5 @7 G:@=6?46 282:?DE C6=:8:@FD 8C@FAD]k^Am

    kAm%96 492C86D 7:=65 %F6D52J 42CCJ EH@ 6?92?46>6?ED[ :?4=F5:?8 4@>>:EE:?8 D6G6C2= @7 E96 4C:>6D 😕 7C@?E @7 @C 4=@D6 E@ 49:=5C6? 2?5 42CCJ:?8 @FE G:@=6?46 32D65 @? E96 DF3;64E’D A@=:E:42= 36=:67D]k^Am

    kAmvC2J 564=:?65 E@ D2J H96E96C #@3:?D@?’D A2CE?6C 4@F=5 7246 492C86D @C H96E96C 2?J@?6 6=D6 >:89E 7246 492C86D]k^Am

    kAmz:C<[ 2 5@>:?2?E 7:8FC6 😕 4@?D6CG2E:G6 A@=:E:4D[ 3642>6 k2 9C67lQ9EEADi^^2A?6HD]4@>^2CE:4=6^492C=:6<:C<D9@@E:?8FE29F?:G6CD:EJC6AF3=:42?Dgbdf4b5`_a56_h6bba_756fe`adg`b`2Qm2 4@?7:52?E @7 !C6D:56?E s@?2=5 %CF>Ak^2m 27E6C 7@F?5:?8 pC:K@?232D65 %FC?:?8 !@:?E &$p[ @?6 @7 E96 ?2E:@?’D k2 9C67lQ9EEADi^^2A?6HD]4@>^2CE:4=6^492C=:6<:C<EFC?:?8A@:?EECF>A47a2eg6cb_b4deagahh776bgb5_h4`6hQm=2C86DE A@=:E:42= @C82?:K2E:@?Dk^2m] w6 3C@F89E J@F?8[ 4@?D6CG2E:G6 6G2?86=:42= r9C:DE:2?D :?E@ A@=:E:4D]k^Am

    kAmx? E96 52JD D:?46 z:C<’D 2DD2DD:?2E:@?[ p>6C:42?D 92G6 7@F?5 E96>D6=G6D k2 9C67lQ9EEADi^^2A?6HD]4@>^2CE:4=6^492C=:6<:C<<:==:?82>6C:425:G:565G:@=6?46A@=:E:4Dh3fd4_db_`eeg72_bb7h3c44hg3_ce4hQm724:?8 BF6DE:@?Dk^2m 23@FE C:D:?8 k2 9C67lQ9EEADi^^2A?6HD]4@>^2CE:4=6^A@=:E:42=G:@=6?462DD2DD:?2E:@?>:??6D@E2ECF>Ab4fd_477_fchebbgfa23e`_`372ab3abQmA@=:E:42= G:@=6?46k^2m[ E96 566A 5:G:D:@?D E92E 3C@F89E E96 ?2E:@? 96C6 2?5 H96E96C 2?JE9:?8 42? 492?86]k^Am

    Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

    [ad_2]

    By JESSE BEDAYN, HANNAH SCHOENBAUM and JOHN SEEWER – Associated Press

    Source link

  • Brothers plead guilty in North Carolina deputy’s shooting death

    [ad_1]

    RALEIGH, N.C. — Two brothers pleaded guilty on Tuesday to murder-related counts for the shooting death of a North Carolina sheriff’s deputy three years ago when authorities said the officer approached a pickup truck late at night in a rural area.

    Alder Marin-Sotelo, 28, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in Wake County court in the killing of 48-year-old Deputy Ned Byrd, a K-9 officer. The man’s brother, Arturo Marin-Sotelo, 32, pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact to first-degree murder.

    Superior Court Judge Graham Shirley sentenced Alder Marin-Sotelo to life in prison without the chance for parole and Arturo Marin-Sotelo to a prison sentence of between roughly eight to 10 years.

    Both of them had previously been charged with murder and had otherwise been scheduled to go to trial in September 2026. Byrd’s co-workers, family and friends filled the courtroom to see the plea agreements carried out.

    “We know that you can tell from the outpouring of love and support from the sheriff’s office — all of them who were present here today — that this has been a great loss for our community and for that agency,” Freeman told the judge.

    Freeman said evidence would have been presented at trial that showed Byrd was traveling the night of Aug, 11, 2022, in his patrol vehicle en route to a law enforcement training center for his dog when he noticed a pickup truck beside a fence on the side of a dark road. Byrd pulled over and moved his vehicle up to the truck.

    A recording from his in-car camera showed that Byrd got out of the vehicle, and mere seconds later six gunshots could be heard, followed later by the pickup leaving the scene, Freeman said. An autopsy determined that the officer was shot four times, three in the back of the head, the prosecutor said in court. The brothers, who were from Mexico, ultimately were located in separate vehicles in western North Carolina days after the shootings.

    Legal proceedings had been delayed largely because in April 2023, Alder Marin-Sotelo escaped from a Virginia jail where he was being held after pleading guilty months earlier to a federal charge of firearm possession by someone in the country unlawfully.

    The FBI said Alder Marin-Sotelo was taken into custody a few days later in Mexico. He was held there until February 2025, when Mexico agreed to send to the U.S. nearly 30 prisoners requested by the federal government.

    First-degree murder can be punished by the death penalty in North Carolina. Freeman said Tuesday that getting Alder Marin-Sotelo back to North Carolina required prosecutors to take capital punishment off the table. Otherwise, she said, “if there was ever a capital case, this is the type of case that certainly would have been.”

    Mignon Perkins, Byrd’s sister, told the court before sentencing that her brother “was one of the most amazing people you have ever known.” Byrd joined the sheriff’s office in 2009.

    “You have stolen my happiness. You have stolen my joy,” Perkins told the defendants. “I’m a godly woman, but I will never forgive you for taking my brother from me.”

    Through an interpreter, Arturo Marin-Sotelo said he was sorry for what happened and still asked for the sister’s forgiveness because, he said, he could do nothing else.

    Freeman said Alder Marin-Sotelo’s cellphone placed him at the crime scene during the shooting. She said evidence backed up Arturo Marin-Sotelo’s statement to police that the brothers had driven to a Wake County field to hunt for deer.

    After Tuesday’s hearing, Freeman confirmed Arturo Marin-Sotelo told investigators that he walked through the woods with a rifle while his brother parked the truck. Arturo Marin-Sotelo then said that on the phone his brother “made statements that an officer had been killed” and that the brother traveled to the other side of the field to pick him up, Freeman said.

    Freeman said cartridge casings at the crime scene and in the pickup truck were fired from the same unknown gun, and that a DNA sample from the younger brother matched a DNA profile collected from Byrd’s police-issued gun. The weapon was in Byrd’s holster when he was found, with the belt twisted around his body. It appeared that Alder Marin-Sotelo had tried to remove Byrd’s gun before giving up, according to Freeman.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Luigi Mangione Silent in Court as Terrorism Charges Dropped

    [ad_1]

    Marc Agnifilo, the lawyer who spearheaded Sean “Diddy” Combs’s largely successful defense this spring, stood a bit off to the side from his colleagues, including his wife, Karen, as he awaited another client’s entrance into a Manhattan courtroom. A mix of tabloid reporters and online personalities sat in the gallery, turning their heads over their shoulders toward the door.

    Across the street, a throng of protesters had gathered to chant “due process is a legal right,” “free Luigi,” and “health care is a human right.”

    “No cell phones, no outbursts,” a redheaded court officer, a stern but polite fixture from Donald Trump’s criminal trial in the same courthouse last spring, warned. “Court decorum as always.”

    And then, just before 9:30 a.m., Luigi Mangione walked through the center of the room in a tan prison jumpsuit, betraying little emotion as keyboards clattered and the shackles around his ankles clanked.

    Since Mangione, the 27-year old Ivy League graduate accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a midtown Manhattan street, was arrested in December, he has become a symbol of anger over the American health care system. The r/FreeLuigi Reddit forum boasts roughly 40,000 members who dissect court filings and coordinate their support for Mangione. In the lead-up to Tuesday’s hearing in his Manhattan criminal case, one thread circulated a flyer from People Over Profit NYC, an advocacy group that describes itself as “rallying for health care reform and justice for Luigi Mangione,” pitting Mangione against New York mayor Eric Adams, New York Police Department commissioner Jessica Tisch, and the Trump administration’s attorney general, Pam Bondi. (Mangione has also been charged in a parallel federal case in which Bondi is seeking the death penalty; he has pleaded not guilty in both cases.) Near the courthouse, I passed a small truck with an LED sign on its side linking to People Over Profit NYC’s website and a QR code with an instruction to “scan to support Luigi’s defense.”

    The temperature continued to rise last week with the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. A recent Fox News segment focused on the notion that there are “many similarities between Kirk assassin and Luigi Mangione.” (The suspect in Kirk’s murder, Tyler Robinson, is expected to be charged on Tuesday.) “Simply put, the defendant hoped to normalize the use of violence to achieve ideological or political objectives,” federal prosecutors previously argued in an August court filing. “Since the murder, certain quarters of the public—who openly identify as acolytes of the defendant—have increasingly begun to view violence as an acceptable, or even necessary, substitute for reasoned political disagreement.”

    Tuesday’s hearing lasted just over 10 minutes, and Mangione was largely shielded from the audience by court officers. (Courtroom photography later showed him taking notes on a yellow legal pad.) But the upshot was a significant development: The judge in the case, Gregory Carro, a second-generation jurist appointed by Rudy Giuliani in 1998, dismissed two state terrorism charges against Mangione. Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg had argued that the shooting, in the media capital of the world, was “a frightening, well-planned, targeted murder that was intended to cause shock and attention and intimidation.”

    “The People presented sufficient evidence that the defendant murdered Brian Thompson in a premeditated and calculated execution,” Carro wrote in his decision. “That does not mean, however, that the defendant did so with terroristic intent.” Mangione is due back in state court on December 1 and federal court on December 5.

    As Mangione exited the courtroom, he raised his eyebrows a few times and whispered to himself. The Agnifilos smiled and nodded at the press and, as they walked away from the courthouse, were trailed by an avid portion of Mangione’s supporters.

    “That got rid of half the crowd,” another court officer remarked on the sidewalk.

    [ad_2]

    Dan Adler

    Source link

  • New Hampshire Supreme Court to hear death row inmate’s appeal for life sentence

    [ad_1]

    New Hampshire’s only inmate on death row has been granted a rare opportunity to plead his case for a life sentence before the state’s highest court.

    In a brief single-page order handed down Monday, New Hampshire’s Supreme Court agreed to hear the appeal of Michael Addison, 45, who killed Manchester Officer Michael Briggs in 2006.

    The decision is a surprising development in a case where the court had repeatedly denied reconsidering Addison’s death sentence, and upheld that execution was an appropriate punishment a decade prior.

    But in 2019, New Hampshire lawmakers narrowly abolished the death penalty despite fears from Briggs’ family and others that doing so would result in Addison’s sentence being commuted. At the time, supporters stressed that the repeal wouldn’t apply retroactively to Addison, but others warned that courts could interpret it differently — something that Addison’s attorneys are hoping for as well.

    Gov. Kelly Ayotte, a Republican and former state attorney general who advocated for Addison’s death sentence, has previously described Addison as a “cold-blood­ed, cold­heart­ed, remorse­less killer.”

    Part of her successful gubernatorial campaign last year included TV ads that touted she “put a cop killer on death row.”

    Briggs was killed on Oct. 16, 2006, while responding to a domestic disturbance call in Manchester, New Hampshire, involving Addison, who was then 26 years old. After arriving at the scene, Briggs told Addison to stop walking away. Addison fatally shot Briggs and then fled to his grandmother’s house in Massachusetts. He was arrested later that day and eventually convicted of capital murder in 2008 and sentenced to die.

    Currently, 23 states have abolished or overturned the death penalty, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. Among the 27 states that allow capital punishment, governors have issued moratoriums on the death penalty in four of them.

    New Hampshire hasn’t executed anyone since 1939.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Man gets life in prison for fatal shooting outside Denver motorcycle club

    [ad_1]

    A 34-year-old man will spend the rest of his life in prison for murder in a shooting that killed two men outside of a motorcycle club in Denver in 2023.

    Shon McPherson was sentenced Friday to life in prison without the possibility of parole, the mandatory sentence for first-degree murder in Colorado, according to Denver court records.

    A Denver jury convicted McPherson in July on eight charges in the November 2023 shooting, including multiple counts of murder and attempted murder, court records show.

    Todd Washington, 42, was convicted of reckless endangerment in the shooting in August. A second jury trial is set to start in October, after the initial jury failed to reach a verdict on his first-degree murder charges, according to court records.

    If convicted of murder, Washington will also be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

    Washington’s daughter called him after she was kicked out of the motorcycle club on Nov. 5, 2023, and accused one of the security guards of putting his hands on her, according to his arrest affidavit.

    McPherson and Washington arrived at Hell’s Lovers Motorcycle Club, 5514 E 33rd Ave., shortly after, confronted the security guards and began shooting, police said.

    [ad_2]

    Lauren Penington

    Source link

  • Judge clears way for execution of South Carolina inmate

    [ad_1]

    COLUMBIA, S.C. — A judge in South Carolina has ruled a death row inmate’s beliefs that most laws are unconstitutional and citizens have an absolute right to defend their property to the death are not proof he is mentally incompetent and should be executed.

    The ruling clears the way for now for Steven Bixby to be put to death for the 2003 killings of two police officers who came to his family’s Abbeville home to discuss a dispute between them and a construction crew that had come to widen the road. Bixby’s lawyers can ask to appeal the ruling.

    The state Supreme Court had stopped Bixby’s execution weeks before it could be scheduled and asked a lower court to decide if his beliefs about the legal system kept him from helping his lawyers as they appeal his death sentence.

    Judge R. Scott Sprouse noted in his ruling, dated late last week, that Bixby cooperates with his lawyers and the psychiatrists treating and questioning him.

    While Bixby “has often disagreed with counsel and expresses distrust regarding their strategy in this proceeding, the evidence demonstrates that he understands their role, the rationale for why they are engaging in this competency proceeding, and that he can choose whether or not to cooperate with them,” Sprouse wrote.

    Bixby, 58, shot Abbeville County deputy Danny Wilson as the officer knocked on the front door of his parents’ home in December 2003, a day after they threatened the road crew, authorities said.

    They dragged Wilson’s dying body inside and restrained him with his own handcuffs. Then they killed state Constable Donnie Ouzts as he and other officers rushed to the home after realizing Wilson had been missing for about an hour. That led to a 12-hour standoff as officers and the Bixbys fired hundreds of bullets at each other, investigators said.

    Bixby’s parents were also charged with murder but died behind bars.

    The judge held a hearing last month to determine if Bixby was competent. Both sides had experts testify. One called by Bixby’s lawyers said the isolation of prison has only made his beliefs worse and that Bixby is stuck in a mindset that never grew.

    But the judge put more weight with the ones called by the state noting two of them have been dealing with Bixby since shortly after the killings and while Bixby has been angry with their testimony about his mental state before he understands they have a job to do.

    Those experts testified Bixby isn’t going to give up his beliefs about the law and the Constitution and he is ready to die as a martyr if his appeals fail. They said Bixby thinks he will be reunited with his parents in heaven.

    The psychiatrist who sees and treats death row inmates in South Carolina said Bixby summed up his mental state to him as ““I’m not crazy. I’m not a mental health case. I may be an (expletive), but I’m not crazy.”

    After the hearing, Bibxy sent his own handwritten motion to the judge. He reiterated his long held belief that his family was justified killing Wilson because the deputy was trying to help take their land. He also suggested the judge would commit treason if he does not stop his execution and set him free.

    “I am an innocent man!! Let freedom ring & let those committing treason swing!!!” Bixby wrote. “Like Thomas Jefferson: I am standing on principle even if I stand alone.”

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Trump files $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times

    [ad_1]

    NEW YORK — President Donald Trump filed a $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times and four of its journalists on Monday, according to court documents.

    The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Florida names several articles and one book written by two of the publication’s journalists and published in the lead up to the 2024 election, saying they are “part of a decades-long pattern by the New York Times of intentional and malicious defamation against President Trump.”

    “Defendants published such statements negligently, with knowledge of the falsity of the statements, and/or with reckless disregard of their truth or falsity,” the lawsuit says.

    The New York Times did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment early Tuesday.

    In a Truth Social post announcing the lawsuit, Trump accused The New York Times of lying about him and defaming him, saying it has become “a virtual ‘mouthpiece’ for the Radical Left Democrat Party.”

    Trump has gone after other media outlets, including filing a $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the The Wall Street Journal and media mogul Rupert Murdoch in July after the newspaper published a story reporting on his ties to wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Appeals court rejects Trump’s bid to oust Lisa Cook from the Fed ahead of crucial interest rate decision | Fortune

    [ad_1]

    An appeals court ruled Monday that Lisa Cook can remain a Federal Reserve governor, rebuffing President Donald Trump’s efforts to remove her just ahead of a key vote on interest rates.

    The Trump administration is expected to quickly turn to the Supreme Court in a last-ditch bid to unseat Cook. The Fed’s next two-day meeting to consider its next interest rate move begins Tuesday morning. And Cook’s lawsuit seeking to permanently block her firing must still make its way through the courts.

    The White House campaign to unseat Cook marks an unprecedented bid to reshape the Fed’s seven-member governing board, which was designed to be largely independent from day-to-day politics. No president has fired a sitting Fed governor in the agency’s 112-year history.

    Separately, Senate Republicans on Monday confirmed Stephen Miran, Trump’s nominee to an open spot on the Fed’s board. Barring any last-minute intervention from the Supreme Court, the Fed’s interest rate setting committee will meet Tuesday and Wednesday with all seven governors and the 12 regional bank presidents.

    Twelve of those 19 officials will vote on changing the central bank’s short-term rate: All seven governors plus five regional presidents, who vote on a rotating basis.

    Chair Jerome Powell signaled in a high-profile speech last month the Fed would likely cut its key rate at this meeting, from about 4.3% to 4.1%. Other borrowing costs, such as mortgage rates and car loans, have already declined in anticipation of the cut and could move lower.

    Trump sought to fire Cook Aug. 25, but a federal judge ruled last week that the removal was illegal and reinstated her to the Fed’s board. Trump appointee Bill Pulte has accused Cook of mortgage fraud because she appeared to claim two properties as “primary residences” in July 2021, before she joined the board. Such claims can lead to a lower mortgage rate and smaller down payment than if one of them was declared as a rental property or second home. Cook has denied the charges.

    In a 2-1 decision, the appeals court found that Cook’s due process rights were violated because the administration did not give her a formal opportunity to respond to the charges.

    The attempt to fire Cook is seen by many legal scholars as a threat to erode the Fed’s longtime political independence. Economists prefer independent central banks because they can do unpopular things like lifting interest rates to combat inflation more easily than elected officials.

    Many economists worry that if the Fed falls under the control of the White House, it will keep its key interest rate lower than justified by economic fundamentals to satisfy Trump’s demands for cheaper borrowing. That could accelerate inflation and could also push up longer-term interest rates, such as those on mortgages and car loans. Investors may demand a higher yield to own bonds to offset greater inflation in the future, lifting borrowing costs for the U.S. government and the entire economy.

    Separately, Miran chairs the White House’s Council of Economic Advisers and said earlier this month he would take unpaid leave but otherwise keep his job while serving on the Fed’s board. It will be the first time in decades that an executive branch official has served at the Fed.

    Miran has been appointed to finish a term that expires in January, but he could remain in the seat if no replacement is chosen.

    Cook has denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged with a crime. According to documents obtained by The Associated Press, Cook did specify that her Atlanta condo would be a “vacation home,” according to a loan estimate she obtained in May 2021. And in a form seeking a security clearance, she described it as a “2nd home.” Both documents appear to undercut the administration’s claims of fraud.

    Last week, U.S. District Court Judge Jia Cobb ruled that the administration had not satisfied a legal requirement that Fed governors can only be fired “for cause,” which she said was limited to misconduct while in office. Cook did not join the Fed’s board until 2022.

    In their emergency appeal, Trump’s lawyers argued that even if the conduct occurred before her time as governor, her alleged action “indisputably calls into question Cook’s trustworthiness and whether she can be a responsible steward of the interest rates and economy.”

    Trump has repeatedly attacked Powell and the other members of the Fed’s interest-rate setting committee for not cutting the short-term interest rate they control more quickly. Trump has said he thinks it should be as low as 1.3%, a level that no Fed official and few economists support.

    Cook is the first Black woman to serve as a Fed governor. She was a Marshall Scholar and received degrees from Oxford University and Spelman College, and prior to joining the board she taught at Michigan State University and Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

    Fortune Global Forum returns Oct. 26–27, 2025 in Riyadh. CEOs and global leaders will gather for a dynamic, invitation-only event shaping the future of business. Apply for an invitation.

    [ad_2]

    Christopher Rugaber, The Associated Press

    Source link

  • The Fed faces economic uncertainty and political pressure as it decides whether to cut rates

    [ad_1]

    WASHINGTON — In a sign of how unusual this week’s Federal Reserve meeting is, the decision it will make on interest rates — usually the main event — is just one of the key unknowns to be resolved when officials gather Tuesday and Wednesday.

    For now, it’s not even clear who will be there. The meeting will likely include Lisa Cook, an embattled governor, unless an appeals court or the Supreme Court rules in favor of an effort by President Donald Trump to remove her from office. And it will probably include Stephen Miran, a top White House economic aide whom Trump has nominated to fill an empty seat on the Fed’s board. But those questions may not be resolved until late Monday.

    Meanwhile, the U.S. economy is mired in uncertainty. Hiring has slowed sharply, while inflation remains stubbornly high.

    So a key question for the Fed is: Do they worry more about people who are out of work and struggling to find jobs, or do they focus more on the struggles many Americans face in keeping up with rising costs for groceries and other items? The Fed’s mandate from Congress requires it to seek both stable prices and full employment.

    For now, Fed Chair Jerome Powell and other Fed policymakers have signaled the Fed is more concerned about weaker hiring, a key reason investors expect the central bank will reduce its benchmark interest rate by a quarter point on Wednesday to about 4.1%.

    Still, stubbornly high inflation may force them to proceed slowly and limit how many reductions they make. The central bank will also release its quarterly economic projections Wednesday, and economists project they will show that policymakers expect one or two additional cuts this year, plus several more next year.

    Ellen Meade, an economics professor at Duke University and former senior economist at the Fed, said it’s a stark contrast to the early pandemic, when it was clear the Fed had to rapidly reduce rates to boost the economy. And when inflation surged in 2021 and 2022, it was also a straightforward call for the Fed, which moved quickly to raise borrowing costs to combat higher prices.

    But now, “it’s a tough time,” Meade said. “It would be a tough time, even if the politics and the whole thing weren’t going on the way they are, it would be a tough time. Some people would want to cut, some people would not want to cut.”

    Amid all the economic uncertainty, Trump is applying unprecedented political pressure on the Fed, demanding sharply lower rates, seeking to fire Cook, and insulting Powell, whom he has called a “numbskull,” “fool,” and “moron.”

    Loretta Mester, a former president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland and finance professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, said that Fed officials won’t let the criticisms sway their decisions on policy. Still, the attacks are unfortunate, she said, because they threaten to undermine the Fed’s credibility with the public.

    “Added to their list of the difficulty of making policy because of how the economy is performing, they also have to contend with the fact that there may be some of the public that’s skeptical about how they’ve gone about making their decisions,” she said.

    David Andolfatto, an economics professor at the University of Miami and former top economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, said that presidents have pressured Fed chairs before, but never as personally or publicly.

    “What’s unusual about this is the level of open disrespect and just childishness,” Andolfatto said. “I mean, this is just beyond the pale.”

    There are typically 12 officials who vote on the Fed’s policies at each meeting — the seven members of the Fed’s board of governors, as well as five of the 12 regional bank presidents, who vote on a rotating basis.

    If a court rules that Cook can be fired, or Miran isn’t approved in time, then just 11 officials will vote on Wednesday. Either way, there ought to be enough votes to approve a quarter-point cut, but there could be an unusual amount of division.

    Miran, if he is on the board, and Governor Michelle Bowman may dissent in opposition to a quarter-point reduction in favor of a steeper half-point cut.

    There could be additional dissenting votes in the other direction, potentially from regional bank presidents who might oppose any cuts at all. Beth Hammack, president of the Fed’s Cleveland branch, and Jeffrey Schmid, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, have both expressed concern that inflation has topped the Fed’s 2% targer for more than four years and is still elevated. If either votes against a cut, it would be the first time there were dissents in both directions from a Fed decision since 2019.

    “This degree of division is unusual, but the circumstances are unusual, too,” Andolfatto said. “This is a situation central banks really don’t like: The combination of inflationary pressure and labor market weakness.”

    Hiring has slowed in recent months, with employers shedding 13,000 jobs in June and adding just 22,000 in August, the government reported earlier this month. And last week a preliminary report from the Labor Department showed that companies added far fewer jobs in the year ending in March than previously estimated.

    At the same time, inflation picked up a bit last month and remains above the Fed’s 2% target. According to the consumer price index, core prices — excluding food and energy — rose 3.1% in August compared with a year earlier..

    With inflation still elevated, the Fed may have to proceed slowly with any further cuts, which would likely further frustrate the Trump White House.

    “When you get to turning points, people can reasonably disagree about when to go,” Meade said.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Trump administration renews push to fire Fed governor Lisa Cook ahead of key vote

    [ad_1]

    President Donald Trump’s administration renewed its request Sunday for a federal appeals court to let him fire Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve’s board of governors, a move the president is seeking ahead of the central bank’s vote on interest rates.

    The Trump administration filed a response just ahead of a 3 p.m. Eastern deadline Sunday to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, arguing that Cook’s legal arguments for why she should stay on the job were meritless. Lawyers for Cook argued in a Saturday filing that the Trump administration has not shown sufficient cause to fire her, and stressed the risks to the economy and country if the president were allowed to fire a Fed governor without proper cause.

    Sunday’s filing is the latest step in an unprecedented effort by the White House to shape the historically independent Fed. Cook’s firing marks the first time in the central bank’s 112-year history that a president has tried to fire a governor.

    “The public and the executive share an interest in ensuring the integrity of the Federal Reserve,” Trump’s lawyers argued in Sunday’s filing. “And that requires respecting the president’s statutory authority to remove governors ‘for cause’ when such cause arises.”

    Bill Pulte, a Trump appointee to the agency that regulates mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, has accused Cook of signing separate documents in which she allegedly said that both the Atlanta property and a home in Ann Arbor, Michigan, also purchased in June 2021, were both “primary residences.” Pulte submitted a criminal referral to the Justice Department, which has opened an investigation.

    Trump relied on those allegations to fire Cook “for cause.”

    Cook, the first Black woman to serve as a Fed governor, referred to the condominium as a “vacation home” in a loan estimate, a characterization that could undermine claims by the Trump administration that she committed mortgage fraud. Documents obtained by The Associated Press also showed that on a second form submitted by Cook to gain a security clearance, she described the property as a “second home.”

    Cook sued the Trump administration to block her firing and a federal judge ruled Tuesday that the removal was illegal and reinstated her to the Fed’s board.

    The administration appealed and asked for an emergency ruling just before the Fed is set to meet this week and decide whether to reduce its key interest rate. Most economists expect they will cut the rate by a quarter point.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Fed governor Cook asks appeals court to reject White House bid to remove her

    [ad_1]

    Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook is asking a U.S. appeals court to reject the Trump administration’s latest bid to remove her from her post ahead of the central bank’s next vote on interest rates.

    In a filing with the court Saturday, attorneys on behalf of Cook asked the court to refuse an emergency request by the Trump administration for a stay of a lower court ruling that would clear the way for President Donald Trump to remove Cook from the Federal Reserve’s board of governors.

    Lawyers for Cook argue that the Trump administration has not shown sufficient cause to fire her, and stressed the risks to the economy and country if the president were allowed to fire a Fed governor without cause.

    “A stay by this court would therefore be the first signal from the courts that our system of government is no longer able to guarantee the independence of the Federal Reserve. Nothing would then stop the president from firing other members of the board on similarly flimsy pretexts. The era of Fed independence would be over. The risks to the nation’s economy could be dire,” according to the filing.

    The court has given the Trump administration the option to respond to Cook’s filing by 3 p.m. Eastern on Sunday.

    At stake is whether the Trump administration will succeed in its extraordinary effort to shape the board before the Fed’s interest rate-setting committee meets Tuesday and Wednesday. At the same time, Senate Republicans are pushing to confirm Stephen Miran, President Donald Trump’s nominee to an open spot on the Fed’s board, which could happen as soon as Monday.

    Trump has accused Cook of mortgage fraud because she appeared to claim two properties as “primary residences” in July 2021, before she joined the board. Such claims can lead to a lower mortgage rate and smaller down payment than if one of them was declared as a rental property or second home.

    Cook has denied the charges and sued the Trump administration to block her firing.

    On Tuesday, U.S. District Court Judge Jia Cobb ruled the administration had not satisfied a legal requirement that Fed governors can only be fired “for cause,” which she said was limited to misconduct while in office. Cook did not join the Fed’s board until 2022.

    The administration then appealed the decision and asked for an emergency ruling reversing the lower court order by Monday. In their emergency appeal, Trump’s lawyers argued that even if the conduct occurred before Cook’s time as governor, her alleged action “indisputably calls into question Cook’s trustworthiness and whether she can be a responsible steward of the interest rates and economy.”

    If the Trump administration’s appeal succeeds, Cook would be removed from the Fed’s board until her case is ultimately resolved in the courts, and she would miss next week’s Fed meeting, when the central bank is set to decide whether to reduce its key interest rate.

    If the appeals court rules in Cook’s favor, the administration could seek an emergency ruling from the Supreme Court.

    The Fed is under relentless pressure from Trump to cut rates. The central bank has held rates steady since late 2024 over worries that the Trump administration’s unpredictable tariff policies will reignite inflation.

    Last month, Fed Chair Jerome Powell signaled that Fed officials are increasingly concerned about weaker hiring, setting the stage for a rate cut next week. Most economists expect the Fed will cut its benchmark interest rate by a quarter-point to about 4.1%.

    When the Fed reduces its key rate, it often, over time, lowers borrowing costs for mortgages, auto loans, and business loans. Some of those rates have already fallen in anticipation of cuts from the Fed.

    [ad_2]

    Source link