Tag Archives: murdering

US

Brian Walshe: Husband charged with murdering his wife Ana Walshe is expected to appear in court today

Leave a comment



CNN
 — 

Brian Walshe is expected to be arraigned in court Wednesday after being charged with murdering his wife Ana Walshe, a Massachusetts mother and corporate real estate manager who had been missing since the new year.

Brian Walshe, 47, has been in jail since January 8 when he was arrested and charged with misleading investigators, to which he has pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors have accused Walshe of intentionally delaying investigators in order to cover up evidence, alleging he lied about some of his actions in the days following his wife’s disappearance.

Evidence supporting the murder charge against Walshe is likely to be presented in court Wednesday, Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey said. He declined to share further details.

The husband, who is being held in a Norfolk County corrections facility, will be brought to Quincy District Court for the arraignment, which could begin as early as 9 a.m., the district attorney’s office said.

An attorney for Brian Walshe declined to comment Tuesday.

Since Ana Walshe’s employer reported her missing on January 4, authorities have scoured the couple’s home, performed a sweeping search of the town of Cohasset, and poured through dumpsters looking for any sign of what happened to the 39-year-old mother of three.

The searches have uncovered several pieces of potential evidence, including a hacksaw and apparent bloodstains at a trash collection site and searches in Brian Walshe’s internet records for how to dismember and dispose of a body, law enforcement sources have previously told CNN.

And while prosecutors say police have found blood stains and a bloody, broken knife in the couple’s basement, authorities have yet to announce the discovery of Ana Walshe’s body.

Ana Walshe’s friend and former colleague Pamela Bardhi told CNN she felt rage and relief upon hearing investigators believe her friend was murdered.

“I just had this horrible gut feeling and I prayed I was wrong,” she said Tuesday. “I prayed that it wasn’t the case. And here we are now finding out a few hours ago there’s a murder charge … That’s a heavy, heavy thing,”

Though Bardhi is terrified to learn the details in the case, she said she hopes the truth will emerge.

“I think that the truth is a real double-edged sword. It’s painful to know, but it’s necessary,” she said. “I think that those kids deserve to know what happened to their mother, no matter what, and her family and her friends.”

The couple’s three children, all between the ages of 2 and 6, are in the custody of the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families, a spokesperson said.

So far, several pieces of possible evidence have emerged in Ana Walshe’s disappearance, including her husband’s allegedly false statements to police and multiple items found in and around the small coastal town of Cohasset.

Brian Walshe told police he last saw his wife the morning of January 1 when she left for a work trip to Washington, DC, according to a police affidavit. The husband said he spent the rest of the day running errands for his mother and spent January 2 spending time with his kids.

However, prosecutors say there is no evidence Ana Walshe took her usual rideshare or taxi to the airport, or that she took a flight or arrived in DC. Her phone also pinged near the couple’s home overnight on January 1 into January 2.

Additionally, investigators allege Brian Walshe never ran errands for his mother on New Year’s Day and say he took an undisclosed trip to Home Depot on January 2, where prosecutors say he spent about $450 on cleaning supplies, including mops, a bucket and tarps.

On January 4, Ana Walshe’s employer, real estate company Tishman Speyer, called police to report her missing, according to investigators. A Cohasset police log obtained by CNN says, “Company has contacted the husband. He has not filed a police report.” Brian Walshe’s defense attorney Tracy Miner has said he called his wife’s workplace before they reported her missing to say he hadn’t heard from his wife.

A number of items were collected when investigators conducted searches north of Boston and were sent to be tested as potential evidence, the Norfolk district attorney has said, declining to provide details.

Law enforcement sources have told CNN that investigators found a hacksaw, torn cloth and apparent bloodstains at a Boston-area trash collection site.

A bloody knife and blood stains were also found in the couple’s basement, prosecutor Lynn Beland said. Additionally, the husband’s internet records show searches for “how to dispose of a 115-pound woman’s body” and how to dismember a body, according to two law enforcement sources briefed on the investigation.

The charges against Brian Walshe in his wife’s disappearance are the latest in a string of legal troubles for the husband.

In 2021, he pleaded guilty to three federal fraud charges related to a scheme to sell fake Andy Warhol art online. He was placed under house arrest as he awaits sentencing and was required to get approval to leave his house for specific activities at specific times.

Investigators allege Brian Walshe took several unapproved trips the week after his wife disappeared that could be violations of the terms of his house arrest, a police affidavit says.

Additionally, a police report obtained by CNN shows Ana Walshe reported someone threatened to “kill (her) and her friend” in 2014. Brian Walshe was the person involved in the report, a spokesperson for the Washington DC Metropolitan Police Department confirmed.

The case was closed because the victim refused to cooperate with the prosecution, police said.

In 2019, a relative and family friends also painted Walshe as a violent and untrustworthy person during a legal battle over his father’s estate. In affidavits filed in the case, two friends of Brian Walshe’s father accused Walshe of financial misconduct and said he is “a sociopath.”

CNN has reached out to current and previous attorneys for Brian Walshe but has not heard back.

Read original article here

World

Japan indicts man suspected of murdering former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe

Leave a comment


Tokyo
CNN
 — 

Japanese prosecutors on Friday said they have indicted a man suspected of murdering former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe last year in a fatal shooting.

Nara prosecutors’ office said in a statement it had indicted Tetsuya Yamagami on murder and firearms charges after Abe was shot dead on July 8 while giving a campaign speech on a street in the city.

The Nara District Court confirmed to CNN it has received the indictment.

Yamagami has been undergoing psychiatric evaluation in Nara since his arrest last year to determine whether he is mentally fit to stand trial, public broadcaster NHK reported. His detention period evaluation expired on Tuesday, NHK added.

Yamagami was detained at the scene and admitted to shooting Abe, according to Nara Nishi police.

Doctors said the bullet that killed the former prime minister was “deep enough to reach his heart” and that he died from excessive bleeding.

Abe, 67, the former Liberal Democratic Party leader and Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, held office from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 2020, before resigning due to health reasons.

His assassination in broad daylight shocked the world and sent shock waves through Japan. World leaders offered their condolences while thousands of mourners gathered in the streets of Tokyo to pay tribute. An elaborate and controversial state funeral was held for Abe in September.

NHK reported at the time that the suspect had targeted the former prime minister because he believed Abe’s grandfather – another former leader of the country – had helped the expansion of a religious group he held a grudge against.

CNN has not been able to independently confirm what group Yamagami was referring to, however, Japanese Prime Minister Kishida referenced Abe’s connections to the Unification Church during a parliamentary session last September, saying there were “limits to understanding” the former prime minister’s ties to the group following his death.

In October, Kishida ordered an investigation into the church amid a growing scandal tying his ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to the controversial religious group that has seen a number of ministers resign.

The church, originally known as the Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity, was founded in South Korea in 1954. It had a global reach by the 1980s and remains prominent in parts of Asia today.

Read original article here

US

Criminal justice postgrad charged with murdering 4 Idaho university students

Leave a comment

Dec 30 (Reuters) – A grad student seeking a criminal justice degree from Washington State University has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students more than six weeks ago, officials said on Friday.

Police in eastern Pennsylvania acting on a fugitive arrest warrant took Bryan Christopher Kohberger, 28, into custody on Thursday night, according to James Fry, chief of police in Moscow, Idaho, where the University of Idaho campus is located. Fry said Kohberger resides in Pennsylvania.

Kohberger was arraigned in Pennsylvania and remained jailed without bond awaiting a hearing on Tuesday to determine whether he will waive extradition and return voluntarily to Idaho to face charges in the high-profile case, said Latah County, Idaho, prosecutor Bill Thompson.

Thompson said Kohberger was charged with four counts of first-degree murder and felony burglary in a crime that unnerved the small college town in Idaho’s northwest panhandle where the four victims – three women and a man in their early 20s – were slain.

The four were all found fatally stabbed on the morning of Nov. 13 inside the off-campus house where the three women lived, two of them staying in one room, and one sharing her room with the fourth victim, her boyfriend.

Two other female roommates in the house at the time were unharmed, apparently sleeping through the killings. Police said the cellphone of one of the survivors was used to call emergency-911 when the bodies were first discovered.

“This is not the end of this investigation. In fact it is a new beginning,” Thompson told a news conference.

The victims – identified as Ethan Chapin, 20, of Conway, Washington; Xana Kernodle, 20, of Avondale, Arizona; Madison Mogen, 21, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, of Rathdrum, Idaho – all suffered multiple stab wounds, Fry said. Some of the bodies also showed defensive wounds, Fry said, suggesting they had tried to fend off their attacker.

NIGHT OUT BEFORE KILLINGS

[1/5] The Sigma Chi fraternity house, where victim Ethan Chapin was a member, is pictured after four University of Idaho students were found killed in their residence on November 13 in Moscow, Idaho, U.S., November 30, 2022. REUTERS/Lindsey Wasson

Chapin and his girlfriend, Kernodle, had attended a fraternity party the night before, while Mogen and Goncalves, who were best friends, had visited a local bar and food truck. Both pairs returned to the house shortly before 2 a.m. The two other roommates had gotten home about an hour earlier.

Authorities say they believe the slayings occurred between 3 and 4 a.m. on Nov. 13.

The victims appeared to have been killed with a knife or some other “edged” weapon, police have said. Fry said the murder weapon has not been recovered, though police had found a car they were searching for in connection with the killings.

Authorities said Kohberger was a graduate student at Washington State University (WSU) in Pullman, Washington, about 10 miles from the University of Idaho campus.

WSU issued a statement on Friday saying its police department and Idaho law enforcement officers searched both Kohberger’s apartment residence and his office on campus.

It said Kohberger “had completed his first semester as a PhD student in WSU’s criminal justice program earlier this month,” suggesting he had remained on campus, just miles away from the crime scene across the Idaho state line, for a number of weeks before returning to Pennsylvania.

Asked at the press conference in Moscow whether authorities there were seeking additional suspects, Fry said, “We have an individual in custody who committed these horrible crimes, and I do believe our community is safe.”

Fry said his department had received more than 19,000 tips from the public and had conducted more than 300 interviews as part of its investigation, assisted by state police and the FBI. He and Thompson urged anyone who knew anything about the accused killer to come forward.

He declined to offer a possible motive for the crime or to give any details about the investigation, such as how authorities traced Kohberger to Albrightsville, Pennsylvania, a small community in the Pocono Mountains resort region about 90 miles north of Philadelphia, where he was arrested.

Thompson said more details would emerge publicly from a probable-cause affidavit that summarizes the factual basis for the charges but remains under court seal until the suspect is physically back in Idaho to be served his arrest warrant.

Reporting by Rich McKay in Atlanta and Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Additional reporting by Brendan O’Brien in Chicago and Jonathan Allen in New York; Editing by David Gregorio and Neil Fullick

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Read original article here

Entertainment

Man accused of murdering Migos member Takeoff asks for $2M bail to be reduced to $100K

Leave a comment

Man accused of murdering Migos member Takeoff asks for $2M bail to be reduced to $100K and says he will live with his parents

  • Suspect Patrick Xavier Clark, 33, said he would follow all curfews and related rules ordered by the court and wear a GPS 
  • Clark was arrested December 1 and charged in the murder of the rapper 
  • Takeoff was fatally shot at 28 outside of a Houston bowling alley November 1 

By Adam S. Levy For Dailymail.com

Published: | Updated:

The suspect in the murder of Migos rapper Takeoff on Monday asked a Texas court to reduce his bail from $2 million to $100,000.

Patrick Xavier Clark, 33, told the court via his lawyer Carl Moore that he cannot afford the $2 million bail, TMZ reported after reviewing documents in the case, and believes that he can raise $100,000 in an effort with a bail bondsman.

Clark told the court that he would live with his parents, follow all curfews and related rules ordered by the court, wear a GPS monitor and abide by any ‘no-contact’ orders, according to the outlet. 

The latest: The suspect in the murder of Migos rapper Takeoff, Patrick Xavier Clark, 33, (R) on Monday asked a Texas court to reduce his bail from $2 million to $100,000

He also said he would surrender his passport in connection with the case, which is centered around the fatal shooting of the rapper at the age of 28 outside of a Houston bowling alley November 1.

The outlet previously reported that Clark – who was requested a the court grant him a sum of $5,000 so he can hire a private investigator to assist with his legal defense.

Clark – who was arrested December 1 and charged in the murder of the rapper – told the court that his family has emptied their savings in hiring a lawyer to handle the case, and that he needs a private investigator who can ‘properly investigate [Clark’s] case and to prepare effectively for trial.’

According to authorities in the wake of Clark’s arrest, if the murder suspect made his bail, he would be put on house arrest; barred from owning any firearms or deadly weapons; not allowed to use marijuana or any controlled substance without a prescription; and prohibited from contacting people including Takeoff’s survivors and boxer Shakur Stevenson, who was present at the time of the deadly shooting.

Clark was arrested December 1 and charged in the murder of the rapper 

Takeoff was snapped in Atlanta this past April at a birthday party for bandmate Quavo

A celebration of life ceremony was held in Atlanta at the State Farm Arena last month to honor the late musical artist

NBC News reported that the court granted the request, ordering authorities with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office to speak with the custody in suspect and bring a laptop, printer and device to record audio with.

Takeoff, whose real name is Kirshnik Khari Ball, died as result of ‘gunshot wounds of head and torso into arm’ in the wake of a private party held at 810 Billiards & Bowling, officials said. Gunshots were fired near the entrance of the establishment in the wake of a row after a dice game.

Houston Police Department Sgt. Michael Burrow said that Takeoff wasn’t involved in the game or the confrontation and ‘an innocent bystander’ in the incident.

Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said that the late musical artist was ‘definitely [in the] wrong place at the wrong time,’ and that there is ‘no evidence whatsoever to say anything different.’

In announcing the arrest of Clark earlier this month, Finner said a man named Cameron Joshua was also taken into custody in connection with an unlawful carrying of a weapon charge.

Finner said of Joshua: ‘He was there on the scene, and he was in possession of a weapon. He’s a felon.’

The next hearing in the case involving Clark is slated to take place Wednesday. 

Read original article here

Entertainment

‘Riverdale’ Actor Ryan Grantham Gets Life in Prison for Murdering Mom

Leave a comment

Ryan Grantham, a Canadian actor whose credits include “Riverdale,” “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” and “Supernatural,” has been sentenced to life in prison with parole ineligibility of 14 years for the second-degree murder of his mother, CBC reports.

In March 2020, the actor shot his mom, Barbara Waite, in the back of the head with a .22 rifle as she played piano in their home in Squamish, British Columbia. As shown in court, Grantham then took a GoPro video shortly after the murder, in which he confesses to killing his mother and shows her body. The following day, he covered the body with a sheet, surrounded it with lit candles and hung a rosary from the piano, before driving east to Ottawa in a car packed with guns, ammunition and Molotov cocktails. His intention was to kill Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Instead, he drove to Hope, B.C., with thoughts of committing a mass shooting at Simon Fraser University — where he was enrolled — or on the Lions Gate Bridge. Ultimately he decided to turn himself in at the Vancouver Police Department building in East Vancouver.

Grantham’s sister delivered a victim impact statement at the trial, with British Columbia Supreme Court Justice Kathleen Ker calling the case “tragic” and “heartbreaking.” The judge said it was a “saving grace” that Grantham chose to turn himself in and not commit a mass murder.

Since second-degree murder comes with an automatic life sentence in Canada, the question was how long Grantham would have to wait before applying for parole.

Grantham began acting at age 9, with credits including “iZombie,” “Unspeakable,” “Way of the Wicked,” “Riese” and “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.”



Read original article here

US

Robert Telles, Accused of Murdering Jeff German in Las Vegas, Appears in Court with Eerie Face

Leave a comment

Disgraced Las Vegas politician Robert Telles was seen smiling in court on Tuesday as prosecutors officially charged him with “lying in wait” outside Jeff German’s home before he stabbed the investigative journalist at least seven times.

Telles, 45, has been charged with open murder with the use of a deadly weapon for the Sept. 2 killing of German outside of his Las Vegas home. In a criminal complaint filed in Clark County Monday, prosecutors alleged that Telles was “willful, deliberate and premeditated” as he targeted the 69-year-old. German had written several articles about Telles’ alleged misconduct as county public administrator, a post for which he had recently lost a bid for re-election.

The public official, who is still technically being paid for his role before his tenure is up in December, was seen standing at the doorway of a Clark County courtroom for his arraignment on Tuesday, smiling with bandages wrapped around his forearms. During the brief hearing, Telles’ lawyers asked for a continuance—meaning he will be back in court next Tuesday.

Telles is currently being held without bond in Clark County Jail and faces a sentence of life in prison. Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson told reporters outside the courtroom that prosecutors plan to ask for a “very high” bail and that Telles “poses a flight risk and danger to the community.”

Criminal defense attorney Ozzie Fumo, who was asked to help authorities coax Telles out of his home on Wednesday to surrender, told The Daily Beast that he went to go see Telles in jail on Saturday.

“He was still on suicide watch,” Fumo said via text message on Monday. “I only spent a few minutes with him. I confirmed with him that he gave Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department my name to contact me. I explained to him that I would be unable to represent him his case.”

Telles’ defense attorney, Travis Shetler, could not be reached for comment.

While prosecutors are still sketching out a complete motive, Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Scow linked German’s reporting on Telles to the killing during a hearing last week.

“The published articles regarding a public figure, the public administrator’s office, ruined [Telles’] political career, likely his marriage, and this was him lashing out at the cause,” Scow said.

Las Vegas Metro Police Department Captain Dori Koren added last week that “Telles was upset about articles that were being written by German as an investigative journalist that exposed potential wrongdoing, and Telles had publicly expressed his issues with that reporting.” “And then ultimately Telles was also upset—from what we found out later—that there was additional reporting that was pending,” Koren said.

The sordid saga that sent shockwaves throughout Las Vegas and the journalistic community began around 11:18 a.m. on Sept. 2. The complaint states surveillance footage shows a suspect in a straw hat and reflecting shirt entering German’s pedestrian gate. Minutes later, German’s garage door opens and he is seen walking out.

“German approached the pedestrian gate and was immediately attacked,” an arrest report for Telles states. “German fell to the ground and never got back up.”

The report adds that “the suspect stood up and calmly walked east, away from [German’s] residence.” Authorities believes that Telles was wearing a disguise “to conceal his identity and avoid implication in the murder.”

A medical examiner concluded that German sustained seven stab wounds and had defense marks on his arms and hands. The arrest report also notes that Telles’ DNA was found under the journalists’ fingernails.

One neighbor, Jay Sabs, previously told The Daily Beast that his home-security camera captured the man police identified as Telles pacing back and forth outside of his home around the time of the murder at the northwest corner of Bronze Circle and Wintergreen Drive. Sabs added that the footage showed a maroon Yukon—which authorities eventually linked to Telles—passing his house. A man is also seen on the footage pacing for about 10 to 15 minutes.

The arrest report states that when cops spoke to Telles’ wife, she said that on the day of the incident, she couldn’t get a hold of him on his cell phone.

Telles was questioned by police last Wednesday, voluntarily turning over clothing to investigators. Wolfson told reporters that after the conversation, investigators “rushed” a test on his DNA.

Telles was arrested that night after an hours-long standoff during which he barricaded himself in his home and police called Fumo to help coax their man to surrender. Telles sustained “self-inflicted wounds” during the incident and was briefly treated at a local hospital.

If you or a loved one are struggling with suicidal thoughts, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741. You can also text or dial 988.

Read original article here

World

Chris Dawson, subject of crime podcast, found guilty of murdering wife Lynette

Leave a comment

Comment

Chris Dawson, an Australian man who became the subject of a popular crime podcast that investigated the 1982 disappearance of his wife, Lynette Dawson, has been found guilty of murdering her, 40 years after her disappearance.

Justice Ian Harrison handed down the verdict at the Supreme Court of New South Wales on Tuesday, following a two-month trial that gripped Australia. The verdict, based on evidence that was wholly circumstantial, took almost five hours to be delivered.

Dawson, 74, a former teacher and rugby player, has long maintained his innocence and pleaded not guilty to his wife’s murder. He was arrested in 2018 — the same year millions listened to the podcast “The Teacher’s Pet,” which examined the couple’s relationship and the final weeks of 33-year-old Lynette’s life.

The podcast, which sparked headlines around the world, received a journalism award for uncovering “long-lost statements and new witnesses” in the case and prompting Australian police to renew the search for Lynette’s body. However, Harrison noted in his Tuesday judgment, it was probable that the series affected some of the evidence in the case.

Lynette vanished from her home on Sydney’s northern beaches in January 1982, leaving behind her daughters ages 2 and 4. She did not appear to have taken any of her belongings with her. Dawson said his wife had chosen to abandon their family.

After lengthy examination of the evidence, Harrison said he was “satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that Lynette Dawson died on or about 8 January, 1982, as a result of a conscious and voluntary act committed by Mr. Dawson with the intention of causing her death.”

While the evidence presented was “wholly circumstantial,” the evidence “considered as a whole is persuasive and compelling,” he said. “When regard is had to their combined force, I am left in no doubt.”

Harrison concluded Lynette “did not leave her home voluntarily” and said several “lies” told by Chris Dawson, including that Lynette had called him several times following her disappearance, saying that she needed time away from her family, demonstrated “a guilty conscience.”

“The contention that Lynette Dawson, a woman supposedly desperate to leave a relationship, would be inclined to provide telephonic updates concerning the status of her decision to leave, is simply absurd,” Harrison said Tuesday, adding that Chris Dawson’s account of their conversations, in which she merely said “she needed more time away” but did not for example ask about their children, were not convincing.

Friends and relatives of Lynette had said in the podcast’s first episode that the devoted mother would never have abandoned her children, with whom she shared a special bond.

During the trial, prosecutors said Dawson had been in a relationship with a 16-year-old student of his who was also the family’s babysitter, identified only as “JC” in the trial, at the time of Lynette’s disappearance. JC moved into the family home shortly after Lynette disappeared. Prosecutors alleged Dawson had killed his wife so he would be able to continue his relationship with JC.

It took Dawson six weeks to report Lynette missing, and her body has never been found.

“We hope that one day that we will find our sister and put her to rest,” Lynette’s brother Greg Simms said Tuesday as he spoke outside the court. He called on Dawson to reveal the location of her remains so she could finally be put to rest.

The podcast “The Teacher’s Pet” was made unavailable in Australia in 2019, after Dawson was charged, to ensure he had a fair hearing. The trial also took place without a jury — at the request of Dawson — which he was granted due to the high-profile and widely publicized nature of the case.

While true crime podcasts and documentaries have become hugely popular in recent years, with some renewing interest in unsolved murder cases or potentially uncovering new evidence, the Dawson trial has raised questions about the impact such publicity can have on a trial.

Harrison said Tuesday that “The Teacher’s Pet” may have corrupted some of the evidence in the case, “depriving some evidence of its usefulness.”

He also noted that critics had argued the podcast presented a “less than balanced view” of the case.

In remarks outside the court following Tuesday’s verdict, the journalist behind the podcast, Hedley Thomas, said his role in the podcast made him feel as though he had “got to know” Lynette. “Her story struck me as so unfair, so unjust, I did become obsessive about it,” he told reporters.

While Thomas welcomed the verdict and hailed prosecutors in the case, he noted that Dawson had been able to enjoy 40 years of his life without facing “accountability” for his actions due to flaws in the system and earlier handling of the case. He said Lynette was simply “treated as a runaway mother, when the circumstances were so gravely suspicious,” adding that it was “disgraceful.”

Greg Walsh, Dawson’s lawyer, told reporters Tuesday that his client was “in shock” and “upset” and would “certainly” be appealing the guilty verdict.

“Mr. Dawson has always asserted, and he still does, his absolute innocence of the crime of which he’s been convicted. And he will continue to assert that innocence. And he’ll certainly appeal.”

Dawson will be sentenced at a later date.

Read original article here

US

Child Charged With Murdering New Hampshire Mom Kassandra Sweeney and Two Sons Benjamin and Mason

Leave a comment

A child has been arrested and charged with murder after a mother and her two sons were found shot to death last week.

Attorney General John M. Formella, state police Col. Nathan Noyes, and Northfield Police Chief John Raffaelly made the announcement on Thursday in connection to the triple homicide in Northfield, New Hampshire.

Formella confirmed a juvenile had been arrested and charged with three counts of first-degree murder and one count of falsifying physical evidence in the deaths of 25-year-old Kassandra Sweeney and her two sons, Benjamin Sweeney, 4, and Mason Sweeney, 1, on Aug. 3.

Police officers arrived at the Sweeney home last Wednesday just after 11:30 a.m. to discover the three bodies inside. Authorities were responding to a 911 call for help.

Autopsies revealed all three died from single gunshot wounds.

Neither Formella or police would add further details on the adolescent, citing juvenile law, which precludes any further information from being released. It is unknown if the child was known to the family or any identifying factors including their age.

“The charges and allegations against the juvenile are merely accusations, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty,” a statement read.

Authorities had earlier thanked Kassandra Sweeney’s husband and the children’s father, Sean Sweeney, for being “very cooperative and helpful in this investigation.”

“He is obviously beyond devastated as a result of these crimes,” senior assistant attorney general Geoff Ward said.

Sweeney thanked supporters on Facebook on Sunday for “the outreach and support” and said that despite the fact that things “will never be ‘normal’ again, my body finally shut down and let me get some sleep last night and I woke up feeling as ‘normal’ as possible.

“Thank you to everyone who has spent the last few days ensuring that the random idiots online are properly informed and while I still am unable to confirm anything as to what happened and who is responsible I’m beyond words to those who just know better and are stopping my name from being dragged through the mud and for making sure the rest of the world knows that my beautiful wife was the most amazing, caring, sweetest all around good person that anyone could ever meet and just how much she loved our boys.

“It is our job now to keep their memories alive,” he wrote, writing each of his deceased loved one’s names: Kassandra Rae Sweeney, Benjamin Michael Sweeney, Mason Lee Sweeney.

“They will be forever loved and missed and forever in my heart.”

A GoFundMe page, set up by Kassandra’s cousin Alizabeth Dawson has raised almost $50,000 at the time of publishing.

“Our family is beyond devastated,” she wrote.

Read original article here

US

51-year-old man charged with murdering 2 Muslim men in Albuquerque; additional charges possible, police say

Leave a comment

A man has been detained and charged with murdering two Muslim men, Albuquerque police announced Tuesday. Four Muslim men have been killed in the city since November, and authorities believe the suspect may eventually be charged in the other two murders.

Muhammed Syed, 51, was identified as the “primary suspect in the recent murders of Muslim men,” police said Tuesday, and charged with murdering Aftab Hussein on July 26, and Muhammad Afzaal Hussian on Aug. 1. Detectives connected the two cases using bullet casings found at the two scenes.

Muhammed Syed, 51, has been charged with murdering two Muslim men in Albuquerque, New Mexico, police said. 

Albuquerque Police Department


They are still investigating Syed’s possible involvement in the murders of Naeem Hussain on Aug. 5 and Mohammed Zaher Ahmadi on Nov. 7.

A tip from the public led authorities to Syed. When they went to search his Albuquerque home, they say he fled in a Volkswagen Jetta, which authorities had already told the public they were looking for in connection to the murders.


New Mexico officials announce arrest in murders of Muslim men

06:20

They eventually took Syed into custody near Santa Rosa, New Mexico. Authorities also searched his house, where they say they found multiple firearms, including the one believed to have been used in the two murders he has been charged for

Syed appears to have known his victims, police and the FBI said.

Police Chief Harold Medina first shared the news of an arrest on Twitter Tuesday afternoon.

“We tracked down the vehicle believed to be involved in a recent murder of a Muslim man in Albuquerque,” Medina wrote. “The driver was detained and he is our primary suspect for the murders.”

Police on Saturday said they were looking for a dark-colored, four-door Volkswagen, possibly a Jetta or a Passat, with tinted windows and possible damage.

Albuquerque Police Department are asking for help identifying a vehicle suspected of being used in the homicide of four Muslim men

Albuquerque Police Department


Mayor Tim Keller said police believe the vehicle was used in the Friday night killing.

“We’ve learned some about what’s happened, we’ve had some leads,” Keller told reporters Sunday. “We have a strong lead, a vehicle of interest. We don’t know what it’s associated with or who owns it.”

The string of murders has shaken the Muslim community in Albuquerque. Police on Sunday said it was too soon to know if the murders would be classified as hate crimes. 

On Saturday, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) announced a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

In a Tuesday statement, CAIR thanked law enforcement for the arrest and wrote that it hopes “the news that this violence has been brought to an end will provide the New Mexico Muslim community some sense of relief and security.”

“Although we are waiting to learn more about these crimes, we are disturbed by early indications that the alleged killer may have been targeting particular members of the Shia community,” the statement read. “If this is true, it is completely unacceptable, and we encourage law enforcement to file any appropriate hate crime charges against the suspect.”

Law enforcement officials have not confirmed any specific motive for the killings.



Read original article here

Entertainment

Georgia man suspected of murdering Atlanta rapper ‘Trouble’ turns himself in to police

Leave a comment

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

A 33-year-old Georgia man wanted by law enforcement in the shooting death of Atlanta rapper “Trouble” turned himself into police in the early hours of Tuesday morning. 

Jamichael Jones surrendered to police after deputies reportedly contacted his mother. He was denied bail and is facing charges of felony murder, aggravated assault, home invasion, and battery. 

Trouble, whose real name is Mariel Orr, was shot around 3:00 a.m. on Sunday morning at an apartment complex in Conyers, Georgia, about 20 miles east of Atlanta. 

Jones had arrived at the apartment to find Orr in his ex-girlfriend’s bed, according to a warrant. He started punching his ex-girlfriend in the face then got into an altercation with Orr before fatally shooting him in the chest and fleeing, the warrant says. 

ATLANTA RAPPER TROUBLE, 34, KILLED IN SHOOTING

Rockdale County Sheriff Eric Levette said that Jones called his mother while deputies were visiting her house looking for him. 

“The mother turned the son onto one of my sergeants, who began to talk to him and convince Mr. Jones to turn himself in,” Levette said, according to Fox 5 Atlanta. “His mother was a huge resource in helping us apprehend him.” 

Rapper Trouble attends “My Struggle” Atlanta movie premiere at Riverside EpiCenter on September 22, 2021 in Austell, Georgia.
(Photo by Paras Griffin)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Orr debuted in 2011 and collaborated with Drake, The Weeknd, and other artists. 

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the children, loved ones, and fans of Trouble,” his label, Dej Jam, said on Sunday. “A true voice for his city and an inspiration to the community he proudly represented.” 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Paul Best is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to Paul.best@fox.com and on Twitter: @KincaidBest. 

Read original article here

The Ultimate News Site