List of All Articles with Tag 'crime'

A former crack cocaine dealer who was granted clemency by former president Barack Obama has been jailed for allegedly shooting a car passenger on an Illinois highway, police officials said. The accused Alton D Mills has been charged with three counts of attempted murder, the Illinois state police department said on Thursday as it announced the 54-year-old’s arrest and charges. He has been accused of firing “multiple shots” at another vehicle behind him on an Interstate ramp in Posen. “Multiple shots were fired from the suspect vehicle, striking the victim’s vehicle. The back-seat passenger in the victim’s vehicle was struck by gunfire and was transported to an area hospital with life-threatening injuries,” the police said in a statement. The incident took place at a village roughly 30 miles south of Chicago. He is now held at the Cook County Jail with no bond, the police statement added. Mr Mills was arrested after an extensive probe led to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office to approve three counts of attempted murder, the police department said. In 2016, Mr Mills was relieved from his life sentence by the Obama administration after serving 22 years in prison over drug charges. He was among the 95 individuals whose sentences were commuted by Mr Obama. The pardon document by the Department of Justice cites his offence as “conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of cocaine base and cocaine and conspiracy to use communication facilities in the commission of drug trafficking offences; use of communication facility to possess with intent to distribute cocaine base (two counts).” This is in addition to the charges of possession with intent to distribute cocaine base. He was found guilty of being part of a crack cocaine conspiracy on federal charges by the authorities in 1994, a news release from the Pritzker School of Law at Northwestern University shows. Mills is being held with no bond at the Cook County Jail. Read More Mexico withdraws prison sentence against of who killed her rapist in self defense Minnesota bill legalizing recreational pot passes Senate, heads to governor's desk Whistleblowers expose sexual violence and ‘institutional misogyny’ in armed forces Scorsese debuts 'Killers of the Flower Moon' in Cannes to thunderous applause International appeal on 22 decades-old murder cases receives hundreds of tip-offs

Four people were injured in Los Angeles after gunfire broke out near a downtown apartment complex. Witnesses say a shooter fired from a white BMW SUV near the 100 block of Ingraham Street in Los Angeles. Three of the victims are described as black males between the ages of 25 and 30, with a fourth described as a 40-year-old Hispanic woman, Los Angeles police told Fox News digital. “[The victims] were standing in front of the thousand block of Ingraham Street when the suspects - four male Hispanics - approached the vehicle and fired multiple shots, striking the victims,” police told the outlet. The shooting reportedly occurred in the complex’s mail room.

New York Police Department officers believe to have identified one of the two men seen on video helping ex-marine Daniel Penny restrain Jordan Neely during a subway confrontation earlier this month. The former US Marine choked a homeless street performer on the Manhattan F train, Jordan Neely, to death on the subway car earlier this month. Neely’s death was ruled by the New York medical examiner’s office as a homicide due to compression against his neck. Video footage and eyewitness accounts show a man believed to be Mr Penny with his arm wrapped around Neely for several minutes until his eyes shut and his body goes limp. On 11 May, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office announced Mr Penny would face a charge of second-degree manslaughter. He turned himself in to authorities in Manhattan the following morning, and he was released after posting $100,000 bail after a brief arraignment hearing. His next appearance is scheduled for 17 July. Sources told New York Post that the authorities have been scouring the surveillance footage and believe one of the two men who helped 24-year-old Mr Penny pin down the homeless man has been identified. In the video, one man can be seen trying to tie up Neely’s arms, and the other put pressure on Neely’s shoulder. The source was quoted as saying that the NYPD officials have yet to speak with the person identified in the video. In the video that was captured by a bystander on 1 May, 30-year-old Neely was seen yelling at others and throwing trash. In a statement shared with The Independent on 5 May, attorneys for Mr Penny said that when Neely “began aggressively threatening Daniel Penny and the other passengers, Daniel, with the help of others, acted to protect themselves, until help arrived”. Widely shared video footage captured by journalist Juan Alberto Vazquez shows a man believed to be Mr Penny and two other men holding Neely to the floor of a train car on 1 May. Police initially questioned but did not arrest Mr Penny. Meanwhile, attorneys for Neely’s family said the statement from Mr Penny’s legal team was neither “an apology nor an expression of regret” but “character assassination and a clear example of why he believed he was entitled to take Jordan’s life.” Neely’s family has said Mr Penny should be tried for murder. The former US Marine was formally charged with second-degree manslaughter. Read More Rev Al Sharpton delivers powerful eulogy at Jordan Neely’s funeral: ‘They put their arms around all of us’ Watch: Jordan Neely’s funeral held in New York City Jordan Neely, NYC subway rider choked to death, to be mourned at Manhattan church

Wild video footage captured an Iowa police officer clinging to the roof of a man’s car as he drove at speeds of up to 50 mph during a traffic stop that escalated into a full-blown car chase. Police in the town of Carroll stopped Dennis Guider, Jr, of Illinois, for a traffic violation, only to discover that he had an active warrant in Illinois for forgery. Body camera footage released last week in court showed Officer Patrick McCarty approaching the window of a red sedan during the 5 March stop. “I hate to be the one to tell you this, but it sounds like you’ve got a warrant out of Illinois,” he told Guider and a female passenger. The suspect then shoved the woman out of the driver’s seat and drove away slowly. Officer McCarty drew his gun and jumped on the hood of the vehicle while ordering Guider to slow down. He then accelerated with the officer still on the hood, leading officers on a chase in which he hit reported speeds of up to 50mph. During the chase, Officer McCarty fell off the roof of the car and broke a vertebra in his lower back. Guider was sentenced to up to five years in prison on Thursday for the felony of serious injury by vehicle, after pleading guilty and avoiding an eluding arrest charge. The Illinois man, who is Black, told an Iowa court he feared for his life and was afraid when the white police officer jumped on his car with a gun drawn. “I feared for my life after the officer pull(ed) out his gun and jump(ed) on the hood of my car,” he wrote in a February letter. The officer in the case admitted in a hearing last week that he hadn’t been trained to jump onto the hood of a moving vehicle. “Each situation is different,” Officer McCarty said. “It certainly didn’t play out the way I intended.” “Officer McCarty was polite and respectful when he approached the car, was treating everybody with dignity, and then you kick your girlfriend out of the car and you take off,” District Associate Judge Joseph McCarville said during sentencing, the Des Moines Register reported. Read More Harry and Meghan – latest news: Rishi Sunak gives abrasive response to ‘near catastrophic’ car case Chilling video shows New Mexico teen gunman’s shooting rampage: ‘Come kill me’ Grandma who lost finger in dog attack told by police that animal is ‘friendly’

The devastated husband of a bride who was struck and killed by an alleged drunk driver on their wedding night has broken his silence to reveal how the best day of his life suddenly turned into the worst. Aric Hutchinson told ABC’s Good Morning America that he is still struggling to “wrap my head around” what happened as he became widowed just hours after marrying the love of his life Samantha Miller. “I’m still trying to wrap my head around it. That night, going from an all-time high to an all-time low, it’s pretty rough to comprehend,” he said. On 28 April, Mr Hutchinson, 36, and Miller, 34, got married in a wedding ceremony at Folly Beach, South Carolina, surrounded by their families and friends. That night, they were travelling with two others on a golf cart, heading back to their Airbnb when horror struck. Jamie Komoroski, 25, was allegedly driving three times over the legal alcohol limit and speeding at 65mph in a 25mph zone when she ploughed into the back of the buggy in her car. Miller was killed while Mr Hutchinson and the two other passengers were rushed to hospital with critical injuries. Ms Komoroski has now been charged with three counts of felony driving under the influence resulting in great bodily harm or death and one count of reckless homicide. Choking back tears, Mr Hutchinson told GMA that he doesn’t remember the crash but can’t forget his new wife’s final words. “The do remember the last thing I remember her saying is she wanted the night to never end,” he said. He said “I wish I did” recall the crash itself but just remembers waking up in hospital. “I remember waking up foggy and out of sorts and you could see my Mom’s face and you could tell that something was wrong,” he said. “I asked her ‘where’s Sam?’ and then that’s when she told me ‘there’s an incident and that Sam didn’t make it.’” He described how happy Miller and him had been just moments earlier as they celebrated their nuptials. “She was so happy. I mean, planning a wedding, as most people know, is extremely stressful. And she just had a weird, like, calmness that night,” he said. “Sam’s just got that glow. She’s the type to walk in the room and you’d just notice. We had family friends from all over the country everywhere there and everyone was just so happy she was so happy. “It was one of the best nights of my life.” When asked if he had a message for the woman accused of causing his new bride’s death, he said no. “I can’t right now.... he stole something,” he said. “She stole an amazing human being that should not have been taken.” Mr Hutchinson is now back at the home he shared with Miller after suffering two broken legs and brain bleeds in the crash. A toxicology report revealed that Ms Komoroski had a blood alcohol level of 0.261 – over three times the legal limit – when she was taken into custody on the scene of the crash. On Wednesday, Mr Hutchinson filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Ms Komoroski and the bars where she allegedly bar-hopped that night before getting behind the wheel of her car. In the suit, seeking unspecified damages, Mr Hutchinson claims that she “slurred and staggered her way through” El Gallo Bar & Grill near Daniel Island then travelled to Folly Beach where she bar-hopped between Snapper Jacks, the Drop In Bar & Dali and the Crab Shack. Each of the bars continued to serve her alcohol after she was clearly drunk, the suit claims. The suit also accuses Taco Boy, where Ms Komoroski had started working, of negligence and recklessness for allegedly coercing its new server into drinking “a dangerous amount of alcohol” at a work event. In a statement, Taco Boy denied the allegation. Read More Widowed husband sues driver, bars after DUI crash killed bride on wedding night Groom sues drunk driver who killed new wife as she left wedding reception Drunk driver who killed bride on wedding day had blood alcohol level three times over the legal limit

A man accused of being a Bosnian war criminal who faked his way into the US was arrested in Boston, according to court records. Kemal Mrndzic, who authorities took into custody on Wednesday, allegedly oversaw a prison camp in Bosnia & Herzegovina where prisoners were murdered, raped, and tortured in the 1990s. Federal prosecutors allege that Mr Mrndzic, 50, lied about being a refugee and claimed he had US citizenship, according to Boston.com. They claim he worked as a supervisor at the ÄŒelebići prison camp in the country during the Bosnian War. Survivors accused him of being involved in the war crimes committed against prisoners at the camp. He has been charged with falsifying, concealing, and covering up a material fact from the US government by trick, scheme, or device, for using a fraudulently obtained US passport, and for possessing and using a fraudulently obtained naturalisation certificate and fraudulently obtained Social Security card. Three former guards who allegedly worked with Mr Mrndzic have already been convicted by the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Prosecutors said he was interviewed by the UN's tribunal after the Bosnian War and was then accused of participating in the war crimes carried out in the camp. Mr Mrndzic allegedly fled the region to Croatia, where prosecutors say he took on a fake identity and presented himself as a refugee to gain entry to the US. He gained access in 1999 and was later granted citizenship, according to Radio Free Europe. Prosecutors said Mr Mrndzic claimed he had been taken prisoner by Serb fighters and was afraid they would seek revenge on him if he was not granted refugee status. “It is alleged that in his refugee application and interview, he falsely claimed that he fled his home after he was captured, interrogated and abused by Serb forces, and could not return home for fear of future persecution,” the Department of Justice said in a statement. “He was admitted to the U.S. as a refugee in 1999, and ultimately became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2009.” Mr Mrndzic made his first court appearance on Wednesday morning and was released on a $30,000 bond. He faces up to 20 years in prison for the fraudulent passport and naturalisation charges — 10 years each — and up to five years in prison for the remaining charges, with three years of supervised release afterwards as well as a $250,000 fine. Approximately 240 ethnic Serbs were imprisoned at ÄŒelebići as part of the systemic ethnic cleansing of Serbian civilians by Bosnian Muslim and Croat forces. Read More Death row inmate challenges new Tennessee post-conviction law Remains of Georgia woman killed 46 years ago identified, confirmed serial killer victim Man accused in baseball bat attack of Connolly congressional staffers now facing federal charges

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Sam Brinton, the former Department of Energy official who was accused of stealing a Tanzanian fashion designer’s dresses from her airport luggage, has been arrested as a “fugitive from justice” by Maryland police. Brinton was reportedly taken into custody in Rockville, Maryland by police on Wednesday, according to police records. The specific reason for Brinton’s arrest was not immediately available. They previously oversaw nuclear waste policy at the DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy, but more recently has been battling charges related to luggage theft in both Nevada and Minnesota. Brinton was charged in October for allegedly stealing a traveler’s bags worth a total of $2,325 from the Minneapolis-St Paul Airport on 16 September. They were charged again in early December by Las Vegas prosecutors with grand larceny of an item with a value between $1,200 and $5,000.

A California doctor, accused of driving his family off a cliff, has blamed his Tesla car for malfunctioning even though his wife claimed his move was deliberate, according to an affidavit. Warrant affidavit documents unsealed on Wednesday showed Dharmesh Patel, 41, told investigators he pulled off the road to check on a possible flat tyre after the sensor on his Model Y electric car indicated low tyre pressure. Mr Patel, a radiologist from Pasadena, was driving his white 2021 Tesla Model Y along the Pacific Coast Highway south of San Francisco when the car plunged several hundred feet off the cliff at the Devil’s Slide. Firefighters had to cut the family out of the wreckage. Despite the crash, Mr Patel, his wife Neha, their nine-year-old son and four-year-old daughter “miraculously” survived and were pulled off a craggy outcrop. However, Mr Patel’s claims were refuted by his wife, who told a California Highway Patrol officer that her husband was "depressed". "He’s a doctor. He said he was going to drive off the cliff. He purposely drove off," Ms Patel said, according to documents obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle. California Highway Patrol officer Aaron Sapien wrote that Ms Patel, while being rescued from the car, said “something to the effect that the driver, her husband Dharmesh Patel, did it on purpose". "She then told him that her husband needs a psych evaluation." The warrant affidavit included an interview with Mr Patel while he was recovering from major lower body injuries. He said his wife was irritated shortly before the plunge off the cliff because she didn't want to stop at his brother's house in San Mateo County before making their drive home to Los Angeles. He said he was not really depressed but that he “felt down because times were bad in the world”, the Chronicle reported. "Asked if he felt suicidal, he said, 'You know, not like a plan, not usually,'" the affidavit said. Mr Patel has pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempted murder and is in custody without bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 12 June, at which time a judge will decide if there's enough evidence to move ahead with a trial. Read More A tragic family Tesla crash off a California cliff shocked rescuers. Then the doctor dad was arrested for attempted murder Wife of man accused of driving family off cliff in Tesla ‘doesn’t want him to be charged’ Father charged with deliberately crashing family Tesla off cliff is seen in new video as nine police visits revealed

A member of the security detail for Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle and a cab driver who transported the couple during a paparazzi chase have both spoken about the incident. A spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said that a relentless pursuit unfolded after the couple and Ms Markle’s mother Doria Ragland attended an awards ceremony in New York City. The “two-hour-long” chase reportedly resulted in multiple near collisions involving “other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers.” Chris Sanchez, a member of the couple’s security team, told CNN on Wednesday that he “had never” come close to the chaos he experienced on Tuesday night. “What we were dealing with was very chaotic. There were about a dozen vehicles: cars, scooters and bicycles,” Mr Sanchez said. “The public [was] in jeopardy at several points. It could have been fatal. They were jumping curbs and red lights. At one point they blocked the limousine and started taking pictures until we were able to get out.” And he added: “[I] was concerned about [Prince Harry and his wife] but more about the public because they [the paparazzi] were being so erratic. People were on sidewalks and crossing streets and the [paparazzi] were crossing red lights. We did everything by the letter of law.” But the taxi driver who picked up the Sussexes from the New York City Police Department’s 19th precinct, where they had gone to in an attempt to lose paparazzi, told the Washington Post he didn’t feel threatened. The driver said Meghan and Harry’s security asked him to drive back to the station out of concern their location would be shared with more people. “I don’t think I would call it a chase,” Sukhcharn Singh told the Post. “I never felt like I was in danger. It wasn’t like a car chase in a movie. They were quiet and seemed scared but it’s New York—it’s safe.” The NYPD told The Independent in a statement that the department assisted the couple’s “challenging” transport, but no collisions, summonses, injuries, or arrests were reported. Meanwhile, Mr Sanchez told CNN that Prince Harry and Meghan were left frightened and exhausted by the time they arrived back. NYC Mayor Eric Adams said during a press conference on Wednesday that he was told two officers could have been injured. The mayor said while he found it “hard to believe that there was a two-hour high-speed chase,” even an incident lasting 10 minutes could have been “extremely dangerous”. “It’s clear that the press, the paparazzi, they want to get the right shot,” Mayor Adams said. “But public safety must always be at the forefront.” “New York City is different from a small town somewhere. You shouldn’t be speeding anywhere but this is a densely populated city,” he added, noting the amount of traffic and movement and people on the streets. It is understood that the Sussexes believe the pursuit, which is said to have involved six blacked-out vehicles, could have been fatal. Prince Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, died in 1997 from injuries sustained in a car crash after trying to flee paparazzi who were following her vehicle. The duke, who was 12 years old when his mother died, spoke about his concern of history repeating itself in his AppleTV+ docuseries The Me You Can’t See, in which he drew parallels between the treatment of his mother and the scrutiny he and Meghan faced. “It’s incredibly triggering to potentially lose another woman in my life, but the list is growing. And it all comes back to the same people, the same business model, the same industry,” Harry said. In the docuseries, Harry also reflected on the inquest into Diana’s death, which concluded she was unlawfully killed due to “gross negligence” of her driver, Henri Paul, who had been drinking, and the paparazzi who were following her car at the time of the crash. According to the duke, he was “so angry” that there was “no justice at all” after the inquest. “Nothing came from that. The same people who chased her into the tunnel photographed her dying in the backseat of that car,” he recalled. The royal has also spoken about the trauma of his mother’s death in his revealing memoir Spare. Prince Harry said in the book he’s retraced the route his mother’s driver took in Paris on the night she died. “I’d thought driving the tunnel would bring an end, or brief cessation, to the pain, the decade of unrelenting pain. Instead, it brought on the start of Pain, Part Deux,” he wrote. The pursuit of the Sussexes is said to have involved a number of traffic violations including driving on the pavement and through red lights, reversing down a one-way street, illegally blocking a moving vehicle and driving while photographing and while on the phone. In the statement, the spokesperson for the Sussexes condemned the “dangerous” way images of the couple and Ms Ragland leaving the event were obtained. “While being a public figure comes with a level of interest from the public, it should never come at the cost of anyone’s safety,” the spokesperson said. “Dissemination of these images, given the ways in which they were obtained, encourages a highly intrusive practice that is dangerous to all involved.” Read More Harry and Meghan latest news: Buckingham Palace silent on ‘near catastrophic’ car chase with paparazzi Buckingham Palace refuse to comment on paparazzi car chase involving Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Prince Harry’s fears about ‘history repeating itself’ resurface amid paparazzi car chase

University of Idaho murder suspect Bryan Kohberger has been indicted by a grand jury. Mr Kohberger is accused of murdering students Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chaping at the victims’ off-campus residence on 13 November. He was arrested at his family home in Pennsylvania on 30 December after investigators gathered several pieces of evidence allegedly linking him to the crime. A preliminary hearing, where prosecutors had to show a judge that there is enough evidence to justify moving forward with charges of burglary and four counts of murder, was previously scheduled for 26 June. However, on Tuesday, a grand jury indicted MrKohberger on the same charges, effectively rerouting the case directly to the state’s felony court level and allowing prosecutors to skip the preliminary hearing process, the Associated Press reported. The former Washington State University PhD student is now expected to appear for his arraignment at the Latah County District Court at 9am on Monday to enter a plea. According to the indictment, Mr Kohberger is charged with four counts of murder in the first degree and one count of burglary. Each murder count states that he “did wilfully, unlawfully, deliberately, with premeditation and with malice aforethought, kill and murder” each of the victims by stabbing. The list of witnesses who testified before the grand jury is sealed. Mr Kohberger’s indictment means that the jurors empanelled on the grand jury believed there was enough evidence against him for the case to proceed to trial. Mr Kohberger said through a public defender earlier this year that he “was eager to be exonerated.” He was linked to the crimes by DNA evidence, cellphone data and surveillance video of what prosecutors believe is his white Hyundai Elantra leaving the scene, according to the arrest affidavit. Another roommate, who survived the attack, was also able to partially describe the killer to investigators after she came face-to-face with him. The murder weapon, a fixed-blade knife, was not recovered during searches and remains missing. Two warrants obtained by The Independent show that investigators collected a Glock .40 calibre gun, empty gun magazines, a knife, a pocket knife, black face masks, black gloves, electronic devices, and clothing items from the home of Mr Kohberger’s parents in Pennsylvania where he was arrested. The family home was raided on 30 December, the same day that a search was also carried out at Mr Kohberger’s apartment in Pullman, Washington a 15-minute drive from the crime scene in Moscow. The Washington warrant revealed that investigators seized a “collection of dark red” spotting and a pillow with a “reddish/brown stain” at Mr Kohberger’s apartment. At least two items seized from that search tested positive for blood. Read More Lori Vallow — update: Juror reveals why he flipped to guilty verdict and ‘disgust’ at Chad Daybell wedding Warped dad who murdered wife and autistic daughter likely to ‘die in prison’ Police apologise to man wrongly charged with girl’s murder in 1992

The last juror to vote to convict Lori Vallow guilty of all charges in her trial for the murders of her children and husband’s late wife has spoken out. In an ABC News exclusive interview that aired on Good Morning America on Wednesday, Saul Hernandez, one of the 12 jurors out of a panel of 18 including six alternates, gave his account of their deliberations. Mr Hernandez was the lone holdout on the panel before ultimately switching his stance on day two of deliberations to find Vallow guilty of all charges. On Friday 12 May, Vallow was found guilty of first-degree murder, conspiracy and grand theft over the deaths of her daughter Tylee Ryan, 16, son Joshua “JJ” Vallow, seven, and of conspiracy to murder Tammy Daybell, 49, her new husband Chad Daybell’s first wife, at Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho. Tylee and JJ were last seen in September 2019. In June 2020, their remains were found buried in shallow graves on the Daybell property. Tammy died one month after their disappearance in October 2019 and her death was later ruled a homicide by asphyxiation. Over six weeks, prosecutors argued that Vallow conspired with Mr Daybell and her brother Alex Cox to kill the three victims, motivated by greed and their doomsday cult beliefs. Asked why he had initially held out on convicting Vallow, Mr Hernandez says: “I just didn’t feel like at that timeline with Tylee [Vallow] we were quite there yet, and if we were, I perhaps was missing it.” Speaking about the bizarre religious beliefs that appear to have partially underpinned the motive for the murders, he said of Vallow: “I think she started with maybe curiosity, exploring what her initial beliefs were. And once Chad came into the picture, she went along with it.” Chilling Mr Hernandez said: “As the case progressed, as the evidence came to light, testimony was shared, it was harder to look at her. Growing up, we’re taught good and bad, God and evil, and I think for the first time in my life, I put a face to evil.” More follows… Read More Chad Daybell, Alex Cox and Charles Vallow: Key players in the Lori Vallow trial Lori Vallow Daybell: Timeline of ‘doomsday cult mom’s’ mystery case Lori Vallow has been convicted of her children’s murders. What happens next?