Suspect admits to fatally shooting Texas college student outside a bar – but can’t explain why
A Texas man admitted to fatally shooting a Texas Christian University student outside a bar, but could not give a reason as to why he committed the crime, a police affidavit revealed. Matthew Purdy Jr, 21, was located by police and arrested shortly after the tragic killing happened around 1am on Friday. Wes Smith, a junior at Texas Christian University, was shot three times while standing on a sidewalk in Fort Worth’s West 7th entertainment district, according to a police affidavit. Purdy told police that he did not know Smith and could not give a reason for the shooting. But did ask if he knew his father, who was assaulted in the area in the past, arrest documents stated. The college student had gunshot wounds to his stomach, shoulder and head, according to the affidavit that also revealed Purdy told police that he shot Smith in the head “because he wanted to make sure he was dead.” He also told police he would have fired more shots “if he hadn’t run out of ammunition.” Surveillance video reviewed by police showed the suspect as he approached Smith and appeared to speak to him before the student fell to the ground. Purdy, who was wearing a white T-shirt, dark pants, red ball cap and carrying a backpack, stood over Smith before running off, the affidavit said. A witness who later described the chaotic scene to police, said the suspect hit an unknown person in the back of the head with a gun. When Purdy was detained by police a short time later, he appeared to have “fresh blood” on his backpack, according to the affidavit. He was placed in the back of a patrol car where he dismantled a 9mm handgun that police say he had hidden, and threw pieces of it outside. At the time of the incident, Purdy was on probation for aggravated robbery. He now faces a murder charge and was booked at the Tarrant County Jail with a bond set at $500,000. Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that “Smith was shot and killed in a senseless act of gun violence.” Smith was a “remarkable young man who impacted countless lives including my own son as a football coach for his middle school team.” The Tennessee native was a junior at TCU where he was double-majoring in finance and marketing, according to Kathy Cavins-Tull, TCU Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, who said in a statement that the university is “devastated.” Read More Shooting outside wedding in Ottawa leaves two dead and six injured Manhunt for dangerous fugitive hones in on heavily wooded area after four sightings BTK serial killer’s chilling drawings released amid search for new victims
2023-09-05 06:59
Brazil Congress proposes market regulations after Americanas scandal
BRASILIA Federal lawmakers in Brazil suggested several measures to boost accountability in the financial market, a report showed
2023-09-05 06:57
Manhunt for dangerous fugitive hones in on heavily wooded area after four sightings
A manhunt continues for a dangerous inmate who escaped from a Pennsylvania prison last week as authorities focus on a heavily wooded area in Pocopsen Township after four confirmed sightings. Danelo Cavalcante, 34, has been on the run in Chester County since Thursday after he was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the fatal stabbing of his 33-year-old ex-girlfriend. District Attorney Deb Ryan announced at a press briefing on Monday that the Pennsylvania State Police will be taking over the investigation and manhunt. “The goal right now is to find and capture this dangerous fugitive,” Ms Ryan said, adding that she understands the community’s concerns. “We are doing everything in our power to get this guy.” The search is focused on a two-mile radius of a heavily wooded area in Pocopsen Township, Chester County where there have been four credible sightings since the escape. Police said on Monday that over the past five days, Cavalcante has been spotted at the intersection of Rt. 926 and Rt. 52, north on Rt. 52 to Parkersville Road, southeast to Rt. 926 and west to the intersection of Rt. 926 and Rt. 52 in Pocopson Township. Ryan said police have responded to well over 100 tips from neighbours in the area, including allegations of possible break-ins within the two-mile radius of the prison. “We are requesting that residents in the area of Pocopson Township remain inside. Lock your doors, lock your cars. He is still considered an extremely dangerous individual. There is evidence to suggest that he’s still in that local residence. We do not believe he has gotten more than one to two miles away from the prison,” Ms Ryan said. “We believe we are getting closer to locating the suspect at this time, and we are narrowing the scope of our search,” she added. Community members were also made aware that an audio recording from Cavalcante’s mother will be played throughout the day from police cars and helicopters. The message, which is in Portuguese – Cavalcante’s native tongue – is of his mother pleading for him to surrender peacefully. He was spotted on cameras around 12.30am on Saturday in Pocopson Township, roughly one and a half miles from the prison. Local authorities received a report of an attempted burglary in the area just an hour before Cavalcante was captured on surveillance but it is not immediately clear if he was involved. Police said residents in the area should scan video from their doorbells or surveillance cameras for anything suspicious. They also advised people to check their cars and any sheds on their property. Cavalcante is described as a 5ft Brazilian man with light complexion, shaggy, black curly hair and brown eyes. He is also wanted for a homicide in 2017 in Brazil, the US Marshals Service for Philadelphia said. Since his escape, he was seen wearing a light-coloured shirt, pants, and white sneakers. He was also carrying a backpack, but police said they don’t know when he obtained the bag. Hundreds of law enforcement teams, including the US Marshals, SWAT, local, state, and other federal agencies, have joined the search. Authorities are also offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to Cavalcante’s arrest. Authorities urged people to not approach Cavalcante, who speaks Portuguese and Spanish. Cavalcante killed his ex-girlfriend in Schuylkill Township in front of the victim’s seven-year-old daughter and a three-year-old before fleeing to Virginia. Ms Ryan called it a “heartbreaking tragedy”. Read More Danelo Cavalcante killed his girlfriend in front of her children. Now he’s on the run after a prison break Escaped murderer Danelo Cavalcante spotted on surveillance camera in Pennsylvania
2023-09-05 02:59
Peru media guide
An overview of the media in Peru, including links to broadcasters and newspapers.
2023-09-04 23:57
Alex Murdaugh claims mystery evidence will prove need for new murder trial
Convicted killer Alex Murdaugh has claimed that mysterious “newly discovered evidence” will pave the way for him to be granted a new trial for the murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul. Murdaugh’s attorneys Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin said in a statement that new evidence had come to light since his March conviction over the brutal 7 June 2021 slayings. This evidence will form the basis of a new motion requesting a retrial in the high-profile case. The attorneys – who are longtime friends of the killer and represented him at his high-profile murder trial – will reveal this new evidence and release the motion at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon. The briefing is scheduled to take place on the grounds of the South Carolina State House near the Court of Appeals in Columbia at 2.30pm local time. For now, the details remain a mystery. Murdaugh is currently behind bars at the McCormick Correctional Institution in South Carolina where he is serving two life sentences for his wife and son’s murders. Last week, it emerged that Murdaugh had lost some of his prison privileges after he fed information to a Fox Nation documentary without permission. South Carolina Corrections Department officials said on Wednesday that, during a jailhouse phone call on 10 June, Mr Griffin had recorded him reading aloud entries from the journal he had kept during his double murder trial. Mr Griffin had then handed over the recordings to producers working on the new Fox Nation documentary about his high-profile case titled “The Fall of the House of Murdaugh”, released today. Prison policy prohibits inmates from talking to the media without permission because the agency “believes that victims of crime should not have to see or hear the person who victimized them or their family member on the news,” state prisons spokesperson Chrysti Shain said in a statement. The media interview violation, along with another violation for using a different inmate’s password to make a telephone call, are prison discipline issues and not a crime, Ms Shain said. As a result, the disgraced legal scion has had his phone privileges revoked and his prison tablet computer confiscated. Murdaugh also lost his ability to buy items in the prison canteen for a month. He will now have to get permission from prison officials to get another tablet, which can be used to make monitored phone calls, watch approved entertainment, read books or take video classes, the prison spokesperson said. Mr Griffin was also issued a warning from prison officials that if he knowingly or unknowingly helps Murdaugh violate rules again, he could lose his ability to talk to his client. Phone calls between lawyers and prisoners are not recorded or reviewed because their conversations are considered confidential. But prison officials said they began investigating Murdaugh after a warden reviewing other phone calls heard Murdaugh’s voice on a call made in a different inmate’s account. Murdaugh claimed that his phone password had not been working. He also told the prison investigators about the recorded journal entries, according to prison records. Murdaugh’s use of a jailhouse tablet previously hit headlines when selfie images he took on the device were obtained in a Freedom of Information request by FITS News. In many of the images, the convicted family killer appeared topless. South Carolina prison officials later clarified that the photos are automatically taken as an inmate uses their tablet that is individually assigned to them – as part of inmate monitoring. Now, Murdaugh has lost the use of his tablet indefinitely due to his unauthorised communication with the documentarymakers – which marks his first media interview of sorts since his conviction. His eldest – and now only surviving – son Buster Murdaugh also broke his silence speaking out in his first TV interview as part of the three-part series. In the interview, Buster insisted that he still believes his father is innocent of the murders of his mother and brother – but admitted that he may be a psychopath. Maggie and Paul were found shot dead on the family’s 1,700-acre Moselle estate back on 7 June 2021. Alex Murdaugh had called 911 claiming to have found their bodies. During his high-profile murder trial, jurors heard how Paul was shot twice with a 12-gauge shotgun while he stood in the feed room of the dog kennels on the affluent family’s 1,700-acre Moselle estate. The second shot to his head blew his brain almost entirely out of his skull. After killing Paul, prosecutors said Murdaugh then grabbed a .300 Blackout semiautomatic rifle and opened fire on Maggie as she tried to flee from her husband. During the dramatic six-week trial, Murdaugh confessed to lying about his alibi on the night of the murders but continued to claim his innocence of the killings. The jury didn’t agree and the disgraced legal scion was convicted in March of the brutal murders. Beyond the murder charges, Murdaugh, 55, is also facing a slew of financial fraud charges for stealing millions of dollars from his law firm clients and his dead housekeeper’s family. He is expected to plead guilty on 21 September to federal charges – marking the first time he has pleaded guilty to a crime in court. Murdaugh is also facing around 100 financial charges in state court as well as charges over a botched hitman plot where he claims he paid an accomplice to shoot him dead. Murdaugh’s high-profile conviction also shone a spotlight on some other mystery deaths tied to the South Carolina legal dynasty. Following Maggie and Paul’s murders, investigations were reopened into the 2018 death of the Murdaugh’s longtime housekeeper Gloria Satterfield and the 2015 homicide of gay teenager Stephen Smith. Meanwhile, at the time of his murder, Paul was also awaiting trial for the 2019 boat crash death of Mallory Beach. Read More Convicted killer Alex Murdaugh loses prison privileges over recorded phone call for documentary Buster Murdaugh breaks silence on Stephen Smith killing – and calls father Alex a ‘psychopath’ Alex Murdaugh to plead guilty in theft case. It would be the first time he admits to a crime
2023-09-04 21:23
Escaped murderer Danelo Cavalcante spotted on surveillance camera in Pennsylvania
A convicted murderer who escaped from a Pennsylvania prison was spotted by surveillance cameras in an area not far from the prison. Danelo Cavalcante, 34, was convicted on 16 August for stabbing his 33-year-old former girlfriend Deborah Brandao to death in front of her children back in April 2021. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Cavalcante, described as an “extremely dangerous man,” escaped from Chester County Prison in West Chester around 8.45am on Thursday, said the county’s district attorney Deb Ryan. The Chester County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement that Cavalcante was seen on cameras at around 12.30am on Friday in Pocopson Township, roughly one and a half miles from the prison. This is a developing story ... check again for updates.
2023-09-03 00:50
Rachel Morin update: Criminal profiler gets involved in hunt for killer as murder probe extends to Chicago
“Dog the Bounty Hunter” Duane Chapman has joined the search for Rachel Morin’s killer in Maryland as detectives are tracking leads hundreds of miles away in Chicago. Mr Chapman appeared on NewsNation this week to offer his expertise on possible clues in the surveillance video footage previously released by the Harford County Sheriff’s Office showing the man they believe is responsible for the mother-of-five’s killing in Bel Air last month. The footage is from the scene of a home invasion and assault in Los Angeles, where DNA found matched DNA at the Morin crime scene. Harford County Sheriff Jeff Gahler has said the suspect might be a serial killer. He confirmed to Law&Crime this week that detectives are now in Chicago tracking leads. Several weeks have now passed since Morin was found dead on the Ma & Pa Trail in Bel Air in early August.She had set off on a walk along the trail on 5 August, with the alarm raised when she didn’t return home. Read More Rachel Morin was found dead on a popular Maryland hiking trail. Police finally have a break in the case Rachel Morin’s mother shares ‘unbearable’ pain as Bel Air killer still at large weeks after murder Rachel Morin killer ‘not going to stop’ unless arrested, police say as new clues dry up
2023-09-02 23:47
California equestrian accused of trying to hire hitman to kill her husband during divorce
A California equestrian was arrested for allegedly attempting multiple times to hire a hitman to kill her estranged husband. Tatyana Remley, 42, is accused of first offering a friend $2m to murder Mark Remley, and last month she allegedly met with an undercover police officer and asked him to kill her husband. She has been charged with solicitation of murder after meeting with an undercover detective last month and allegedly gave specific details on how she wanted her husband killed and his body disposed of, according to the San Diego Sheriff’s Office. Ms Remley came into contact with police after the sheriff’s office responded to a house fire on 2 July. She was arrested on firearms offences after she was found to be in possession of three guns and ammunition. Prosecutors say that in the month after the fire police received information that she was trying to hire someone to kill her husband. During a 2 August meeting with the undercover detective she brought three firearms and money as a downpayment for the killing, say officials. She is currently being held without bail at the Las Colinas Detention Facility in Santee, California and pleaded not guilty at a hearing last month, according to The Coast News. Solicitation of murder can carry a sentence of up to nine years in California and the firearms felony charge could add another year. The Remleys ran the production of an acrobatic equestrian show called Valitar at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in 2012, which was supposed to run for 45 performances but was cancelled after just a few. The couple, who lived in Del Mar, near San Diego, married in 2011 and have filed for divorce several times over the years, according to the outlet. The couple were in the process of divorcing when the alleged murder plots were undertaken. She is due back in court on 6 October. Read More 25,000 pounds of trash pulled from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch Powered by wind, this $10B transmission line will carry more energy than the Hoover Dam Billionaires want to build a new city in rural California. They must convince voters first
2023-09-02 08:54
Florida attorney general defends DeSantis’ ‘you loot, we shoot’ threat in aftermath of Hurricane Idalia
The Florida attorney general has defended Governor Ron DeSantis after he discouraged looters and referenced signs put up saying “you loot, we shoot”. On Wednesday, the governor said, “Just to remind potential looters … you never know what you’re walking into. People have a right to defend their property. This part of Florida, you got a lot of advocates and proponents of the Second Amendment”. “And I’ve seen signs in different people’s yards in the past after these disasters and I would say it’s probably here, ‘you loot we shoot’. You never know what’s behind that door,” he added. Attorney General Ashley Moody defended those remarks on Fox Business on Friday, saying: “This is a law and order state. We’ll enforce the law.” On 30 August, Mr DeSantis said: “There are reports of people trying to loot down in Steinhatchiee.” “I’ve told all of our personnel at the state level … protect people’s property and we are not going to tolerate any looting in the aftermath of a natural disaster,” he added. “It’s just ridiculous that you would try to do something like that, on the heels of an almost category four hurricane hitting this community.” “If you go break into somebody’s house, and you’re trying to loot. These are people that are going to be able to defend themselves and their families so I would not do it,” the governor warned. “We are going to hold you accountable from a law enforcement perspective at a minimum and it could even be worse than that, depending on what’s behind that door. So let’s all band together and lift people up and not try to take advantage of a difficult situation.” Ms Moody went on to say that “the reason why we have so few deaths is because folks in Florida heeded the warnings to evacuate when they were told to do so by local authorities”. “When people leave, they have to trust that their property is going to be safe because of our approach to law and order,” she added. “I’ve had discussions with all of the state attorneys that have been involved with the jurisdictions and the storm. They are committed to ensuring that if people loot and take advantage of folks in their time of need, they will be held accountable.” “Holding them during that pre-trial detention period is so important,” Ms Moody told Fox Business. “If they get back out, they go right back to the areas that have been affected. hat is dangerous for our first responders [who] are trying to manage things on the ground, to have them distracted like that.” “This is a way that Florida stands out from other states around the nation. We hold people accountable, and we enforce the law. It’s very easy to do if you’re committed to it,” she said. “And I would suggest other leaders and other states take a look at how they’re approaching criminal justice. They might see the strength of their cities and their states improve.” Read More Hurricane Idalia - latest: Biden requests billions more in disaster relief as photos show storm’s destruction Florida mural of murdered journalist is defaced with anti-LGBT+ graffiti Ron DeSantis goes to extreme lengths to dodge questions from 15-year-old
2023-09-02 07:55
Proud Boys: From storming the Capitol for Trump to protesting drag shows
The group has moved from fighting left-wing activists to protesting outside drag shows.
2023-09-02 06:54
What we know about Austin shopping centre shooting
A shooting outside a shopping centre in the Texas city of Austin left one victim dead and another with critical injuries. The incident, which also left the gunman dead, took place near The Arboretum on Thursday evening. Police say that any relationship between the gunman and victims was not immediately known, and Austin Interim Police Chief Robin Henderson declined to give more details about the shooting. Here is everything we know: Where and when did the shooting take place? The violence unfolded at The Arboretum, an upscale outdoor shopping mall on Austin’s north side. Authorities say that it started at 5pm on Thursday 31 August and that by 5.07pm responding police had found two people suffering from gunshot wounds. The shooting is believed to have taken place near the mall’s Teapioca Lounge. At 5.11pm, police, firefighters and medics began treating a victim, who was taken to a hospital at 5.17pm. Two other people were also evaluated for minor injuries. By 5.20pm, two people, one of whom was the gunman, had been declared dead at the scene. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Fire and Explosives (ATF) and the local bomb squad responded to the scene because of reports of an explosion being heard. However, no explosives were found at the scene, police said. “I would like to offer condolences to the families of the victims, in addition to the multiple witnesses that witnessed the tragedy here today,” said Chief Henderson. Who was killed in the shooting? Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services say that both people killed in the shooting were adults. Investigators say they do not yet know if there was any relationship between the gunman and the victims. The identity of the gunman has not yet been released, Reaction from the owner of the shopping mall A spokesperson for the Washington Prime Group, the owner of The Arboretum, released a statement following the incident. “We are deeply saddened by this senseless act. The safety of our guests, retailers and employees is our top priority. We are working closely with the Austin Police Department as they investigate this isolated incident,” the statement read.
2023-09-02 03:46
Rhode Island airport on lockdown over ‘security threat’
The Rhode Island TF Green International Airport is on lockdown as a possible “security threat” is evaluated. Rhode Island State Police Col Darnell Weaver said that the threat “appears to be unfounded at this time”. The airport wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter on Friday morning: “Rhode Island T.F. Green Airport is currently in lockdown as law enforcement addresses a potential security threat. Travelers are asked to delay arrivals at the airport at this time. More information will be provided when available.” Both state and local police responded to the possible threat at the airport, according to WPRI. “We received a call of a possible threat at the airport, multiple agencies are investigating now and conducting a search of the parking lots,” Warwick Police Chief Bradford Connor told the local TV station. Col Weaver added that troopers have established a perimeter surrounding a parking garage, adding that a Warwick SWAT team was clearing that building. “Preliminary, what we have is the call came into Warwick police about a potential suspect with a rifle,” Col Weaver said, according to WPRI. “They responded to the area, it was isolated to the parking garage, not the actual terminal.” Police are telling travellers that the airport is closed and they have blocked the entrances. The Rhode Island Department of Transportation have said that all travel lanes going towards TF Green on the airport connector have also been blocked. More follows...
2023-09-02 00:26