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For the past two years, Ray Epps has been living a surreal nightmare, one born out of the same conspiracy theory universe that launched a riot in the halls of Congress, hundreds of criminal investigations, and a blockbuster defamation lawsuit against one of the most influential cable networks in the country. He cast his vote for Donald Trump weeks before he would end up at the centre of a conspiracy theory on that same network, one he loyally watched. Mr Epps traveled to Washington DC from Arizona to support the president while a joint session of Congress certified the results of an election he lost but refused to accept. He moved past exterior barricades as an unruly mob pushed through police and stormed the US Capitol. He never went inside, and he was never arrested, fuelling an ongoing conspiracy theory that the now 66-year-old was working with law enforcement to instigate a riot to entrap Trump supporters, part of a long-running belief among Republicans that federal authorities are using the levers of power to discriminate against them. Those claims have circulated across social media, among members of Congress – and in dozens of segments on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News platform, now the subject of a defamation lawsuit from Mr Epps. The man in the middle of the right-wing conspiracy theory surrounding January 6 has accused the far-right pundit of amplifying a “fantastical” story that has destroyed his family and his business, accusations that echo an historic $787m settlement between Fox and Dominion Voting Systems, which accused the network of spreading defamatory statements about the company in the election’s aftermath. A lawsuit filed in Delaware Superior Court on 12 July points to the mountains of allegations from that case, noting that “Fox’s role in creating and disseminating destructive conspiracy theories has already been well documented”. The complaint was signed by Brian Farnan – who served as the lead Delaware counsel for Dominion in its suit against Fox. “Defamation is defamation, so if Tucker and Fox News defamed Ray Epps, it doesn’t ultimately matter what happened with Dominion,” Michael Teter, an attorney for Mr Epps, told The Independent. “It certainly is possible for us to prove a pattern of disregard for the truth. I think it will resonate with a jury that there should be additional punitive damages associated with Fox’s behavior and conduct,” he said. “I believe that this case is ripe for punitive damages, not just because of the willfulness on the part of lying about Ray and the egregious lies but also because there’s a past conduct here of disregard for the truth.” Rodney Smolla, president of Vermont Law School who consulted for Dominion in its case against Fox, told The New York Times that when it comes to proving defamation “no case is easy” but the lawsuit from Mr Epps is “certainly, in my view, viable.” The challenge, Mr Smolla said, is for a judge to agree that the conspiracy theory is “so inherently, bizarrely improbable that only a reckless person would put it into circulation.” The lawsuit follows a cease-and-desist letter that Mr Teter sent to the network earlier this year, demanding that Carlson retract his “false and defamatory” statements about him and deliver a “formal on-air apology” for the “lies” he promoted. Fox did not respond, Mr Teter said. The extensive filings in the Dominion case documented how Fox employees “were harassed and intimidated and threatened by Fox viewers because of the lies that Fox was spreading about the company,” according to Mr Teter. “And if a company is going to feel the brunt of that, then an individual who’s singularly targeted by Fox is going to especially feel that, and so they acted with a heightened degree of malice and disregard for the consequences of their actions,” he said. The Independent has requested comment from Fox. On his Tucker Carlson Tonight, Carlson claimed there is “no rational explanation” why this “mysterious figure” who “helped stage-manage the insurrection” had not yet been charged, among more than two dozen statements collected in the lawsuit, which notes that the claims were not isolated to Carlson’s prime-time program. “Fox repeatedly published defamatory falsehoods about Epps, including by broadcasting and rebroadcasting defamatory statements by Tucker Carlson who devoted over two dozen segments to Epps and by republishing those falsehoods” across Fox platforms, according to the lawsuit. The House select committee that investigated the January 6 attack and efforts to overturn the 2020 election also dismissed the conspiracy theory surrounding Mr Epps. In his interview with committee investigators, he testified that he was not a federal agent, and that the “crazy” conspiracy theories surrounding him have torn his life apart. “It’s almost like an out of body experience like, ‘is this really happening to me?’” Mr Teter said. “They had one life that was serene and calm and happy and contented and busy and prosperous. And then within a matter of weeks or months, after lies started being told about them, all that disappeared, all of it.” Ray and his wife Robyn Epps received threatening messages, including death threats and a plastic bag with a bullet casing inside and voicemails threatening to burn their house down, according to the complaint, which includes several examples of harassing emails, letters and text messages. They were forced to sell their five-acre ranch in Arizona, out of which they ran their wedding business, according to the complaint. They moved into a 350-square-foot mobile home in Utah. “The business went with it,” Mr Teter said. “They didn’t get to sell the business separately. It just was part of the house going for the appraised value and that was it. There was no additional value of the business. So they’ve lost their business. They’ve lost their livelihood.” The lawsuit also seeks unspecified “significant” damages for the extensive emotional harm the couple has endured. The Epps’s story illustrates the depths of the conspiratorial coverage driving right-wing media – the irony of a Trump-supporting Fox News viewer turning into the star of a conspiracy theory is not lost on Mr Teter. “I think it demonstrates the extreme nature of conspiracy theories and that conspiracy theories are often born out of his political tool,” He said. “You could look at any amount of evidence existing prior to January 6 to see that Ray Epps and Robyn Epps supported Donald Trump and supported Republicans. The fact that they would turn against some of their own demonstrates that it really is about serving some other interests and other purpose.” Those claims have also been echoed by Republican members of Congress who have made Mr Epps the subject of investigative hearings. On the same day the lawsuit was filed, House Republicans grilled FBI director Christopher Wray about alleged federal agents at the scene of the attack. “I will say this notion that somehow the violence at the Capitol on January 6 was part of some operation orchestrated by FBI sources and agents is ludicrous and is a disservice to our brave, hardworking dedicated men and women,” Mr Wray said in his sworn testimony to the House Judiciary Committee. Carlson, in his first interview since his exit from the network in the wake of the Dominion settlement, said he doesn’t know why he was fired. The network announced that Carlson “agreed to part ways” days after Fox agreed to the settlement with the voting machine company over bogus claims that Carlson privately disputed but amplified on air. Fox also reached a $12m settlement with Abby Grossberg, a former producer for Tucker Carlson Tonight, who alleged a culture of misogyny at the network in a federal lawsuit that depicted an environment where women are routinely verbally violated “by a poisonous and entrenched patriarchy.” Speaking about her case, Ms Grossberg alleged that she was directed to find lawyers for January 6 defendants who would speak to and validate a conspiracy theory surrounding any alleged federal involvement in the attack. When none of them would, she was told to find someone else, she said. “Tucker was very set on finding an FBI person who was implanted in the crowd and spinning this conspiracy that they were ultimately the ones responsible for the Capitol attack,” she told MSNBC. An attorney told her, twice, “there is no conspiracy, get away from this stuff, this is dangerous, tell Tucker to stop,” she said. “The response was, ‘Find somebody else. Tucker is really intent on this,’” she said. Mr Teter said they are keeping the door open for potential settlement discussions, but attorneys have not had any communication from the network’s legal team after issuing the cease-and-desist letter in March. “They’ve had opportunities to reach out to us,” he told The Independent. “Maybe it takes the formality of a complaint to get those conversations started. And if they want to engage in those conversations, we are always open to them.” Ray and Robyn Epps face the prospect of a similar media circus that descended on the near-trial in the Dominion case, with media reporters and news outlets from around the US parked in front of the Delaware courthouse in Wilmington. “They’ve been scrutinized for two years. And so in some sense, having a framework and a forum that is fair and deliberate and meaningful will be much better for them than what they’ve had to experience,” Mr Teter said. “They’re open-eyed about it. They know their lives will never be the same as they were before.” Read More How conservatives turned Ray Epps into a Capitol riot scapegoat FBI director shoots down ‘ludicrous’ January 6 conspiracy theory Damning court documents reveal Rudy Giuliani knew claims about Georgia election workers were false Executives who helped create Fox News say network has become dangerous ‘disinformation machine’ Tucker Carlson doesn’t know why he was fired from Fox News Meet Jesse Watters, the Fox News host helming Tucker Carlson’s primetime slot Justice Department challenges prison sentences for Oath Keepers convicted on January 6 charges

Federal prosecutors investigating Donald Trump’s effort to overturn the 2020 election results have questioned his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, among other witnesses to see if the former president acknowledged he had lost. Mr Kushner testified in Washington DC last month, according to a report from The New York Times, and maintained that the former president believed the election was stolen, a source briefed on the matter said. It has also emerged that other key administration figures including Alyssa Farah Griffin and Hope Hicks were also questioned. Elsewhere, special counsel Jack Smith told a federal judge there is “no basis in law or fact” for indefinitely postponing the federal trial of Mr Trump and urged the court to proceed with jury selection in December. In a new court filing, Smith wrote that one of Trump’s legal arguments "borders on frivolous" and said there’s no evidence that waiting until after the 2024 presidential election would make the process any easier. Meanwhile, recent financial disclosure forms show Melania Trump was paid as much as $155,000 by a Super PAC linked to her husband for “event planning and consulting”. Read More Ron DeSantis rules out being Trump’s running mate: ‘I’m not a number two guy’ GOP lawmaker compares Hunter Biden to glitter: ‘You cannot get rid of him. We’re sick of it’ Trump sees democracy as ‘enemy territory’ says journalist who helped bring down Nixon Everything we know about Ray Epps, the man conservatives blame for the Capitol riot

The House Ethics Committee has reportedly revived a probe into Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL) regarding allegations of misconduct, as investigators have reportedly begun reaching out to witnesses. A witness from Florida told CNN they spoke with investigators recently about alleged “lobbying violations.” Other witnesses have also been contacted by the Ethics Committee, a source close to the matter told CNN. The Ethics Committee investigation is a continuation of their 2021 probe into Mr Gaetz’s alleged “misconduct” while serving as a representative. It is unclear what misconduct the witnesses were interviewed for, though the initial probe regarded sexual misconduct, illicit drug use, misuse of state identification records and bribery. Earlier this year, the Department of Justice (DOJ) declined to charge Mr Gaetz after a sex trafficking investigation that was deferred to them by the Ethics Committee upon request. Last year, an ex-associate of Mr Gaetz, Joel Greenberg, was sentenced to 11 years in prison after pleading guilty to six federal crimes, including sex trafficking of a minor. After the DOJ reached a conclusion, the Ethics Committee restored its own investigation. A spokesperson for Mr Gaetz directed The Independent to comments he made to CNN regarding the investigation. The Florida lawmaker said the investigation is “not something I’m worried about” adding that he’s “focused on the work.” “The Ethics Committee typically operates through leaks and so this is no surprise,” Mr Gaetz said. “But the Ethics Committee has never found me to be in violation of House rules, though they’ve been investigating me during my entire seven years in Congress.” He added: “It’s also funny that the one guy who doesn’t take the corrupt lobbyist and PAC money seems to be under the most Ethics investigation.” The committee’s decision to pursue the investigation by reaching out to witnesses marks the first time investigators have taken steps since the probe was revived. The Ethics Committee is currently led by Rep Michael Guest (R-MS). Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy declined to comment to CNN about the investigation claiming he doesn’t “know anything” regarding the details of it. Read More Gaetz and Boebert vow to force McCarthy into ‘monogamous relationship’ Matt Gaetz associate Joel Greenberg asks court to delay sentencing in trafficking case The debt limit vote signals the beginning of the end for Kevin McCarthy Matt Gaetz takes CPAC victory lap over sex trafficking probe: ‘Vindication looks pretty good on me’

The gunman who killed 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018 is eligible for the death penalty, a jury ruled on Thursday. White supremacist Robert Bowers stormed the Tree of Life synagogue armed with an AR-15 and three handguns on 27 October 2018, killing worshippers as they began Sabbath worship in what was the deadliest antisemitic attack in US history. The 50-year-old truck driver from Baldwin, Pennsylvania, was convicted last month on 63 counts including obstruction of the free exercise of religion resulting in death and use of a firearm to commit murder. A jury took less than two hours to decide that Bowers was eligible for the death penalty, according to the Associated Press. To reach the verdict, the jury had to answer three questions: whether the gunman was over 18, if he had intent, and whether there were one or more aggravating factors. The trial now moves onto a final sentence selection phase where jurors must decide whether he is sentenced to life in prison or death. Prosecutors had argued that Bowers meticulously planned the attack for six months and deliberately chose vulnerable victims, including 97-year-old Rose Ballinger who was shot dead next to her daughter. Experts called by Bowers’ defence attorneys said he had a long history of mental illness, been committed to psychiatric hospitals by the age of 13, and had acted out delusions without any intent to commit murder, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported. Jurors heard conflicting testimony from doctors about whether medical scans showed Bowers had suffered significant brain damage. Experts for the defence told the court that Bowers had significant brain damage that could show he was suffering from schizophrenia, and washable to manage emotions, stress and conflict. A prosecution witness argued that the scans showed largely normal brain activity. Read More The Pittsburgh synagogue gunman should be eligible for the death penalty, prosecutor argues Tree of Life synagogue shooter is too delusional to get death penalty, defence argues Synagogue massacre survivor cried 'Mommy' as her 97-year-old mother was shot and killed by her side

An elderly man has been killed and two other people injured in a hit-and-run by a driver trying to flee the Secret Service in Washington DC. The tragic incident unfolded just before 1.30pm on Wednesday close to the National Mall when uniformed Secret Service agents spotted a vehicle with an expired registration. Secret Service spokesperson Lt Paul Mayhair said that the officers tried to pull the Honda Accord over at the intersection of 17th Street NW and Constitution Avenue, next to the Ellipse. Initially, the unidentified driver indicated that they would pull over but then suddenly sped off south along 17th Street NW, crossing through a red traffic light and striking three pedestrians who were walking across the crosswalk, authorities said. An eyewitness told NBC Washington that he was standing by the intersection at the time of the crash and saw the 75-year-old man thrown into the air when the car hit him. The victim landed on the hood before the driver allegedly ran over him again and then fled the scene. “All of a sudden, it just hit the guy. The guy flew up – I saw him when he was flying up. He came down on the hood,” said the unnamed witness. “All of a sudden, he backed up a little bit and ran over him again and kept on continuing down until the light.” The Secret Service agents rendered aid to the victims – including a 75-year-old man and a 13-year-old girl – on the scene. The elderly man was then rushed to hospital in critical condition where he died from his injuries. The other two victims suffered minor injuries. The suspect, whose identity is still unknown, managed to get away in the chaos and is still believed to be on the run as of Thursday morning. Authorities are now looking for the suspect and for the blue 2006 Honda Accord with Virginia tags 8718BE used in the hit-and-run. An alert has been issued to law enforcement agencies in the area to be on the lookout. Anyone with information is urged to call 911 immediately. The incident comes just weeks after a 19-year-old crashed a U-Haul van into the barricades outside the White House. Sai Varshith Kandula, from Missouri, was arrested on the scene by Secret Service agents who found he was carrying a Nazi flag in the van. Investigators say Mr Kandula plotted the attack for six months in an attempt to try to “seize power” from the government. Read More A U-haul truck, a Nazi flag and threats to kill the president: What we know about the White House crash GOP lawmaker compares Hunter Biden to glitter: ‘You cannot get rid of him. We’re sick of it’ Fox host complains Biden doesn’t push other world leaders out of his way physically like Trump did

Justice Department investigators have interviewed Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson as part of their investigation into Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Ms Benson’s meeting with prosecutors working for special counsel Jack Smith took place last month and lasted for “several hours”, a source told CNN. Michigan was one of the crucial battleground states targetted by the former president and his allies as he tried to overturn Joe Biden’s legal victory, which is now the subject of a DoJ probe. Her interview with Mr Smith’s team took place after her office was subpoenaed and provided a tranche of documents to the special prosecutor that included communications between the state’s election officials and Mr Trump’s former lawyers and members of his campaign. In one email a Michigan election official reported receiving a voicemail from a person claiming to be a lawyer working for Rudy Giuliani, who was then Mr Trump’s personal attorney. “While the City Clerk of Rochester Hills, Michigan, I received voicemails in December 2020 specifically requesting access to the election equipment,” the email read, reported CNN. The official also included an audio file of a call that came in from a “lawyer with Rudy Giuliani’s team,” according to the news network. In January, to mark the second anniversary of the January 6 insurrection, Ms Benson was among 12 people to receive the Presidential Citizens Medal from Joe Biden. The president said that the medals how “courage and selflessness” around the events of the riot at the US Capitol, which were intended to prevent the certification of Mr Biden’s election victory. “This extraordinary recognition gives me hope that we will emerge out of this time with a democracy that is stronger, healthier, and more robust than ever before. That is what I fight for, have hope for, and what I have confidence that all of us working together can achieve,” Ms Benson said in a statement at the time. Read More A former Trump supporter who got caught up in a January 6 conspiracy theory sues Fox News Trump slams DOJ for scrapping E Jean Carroll suit immunity as DeSantis balks at being his VP - latest Capitol riot suspect arrested near Obama’s home will remain in jail until trial

A Confederate memorial in Arlington National Cemetery is coming down. But what happens next?

Disgraced former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar was stabbed multiple times by a fellow inmate after he made lewd comments about girls during a Wimbledon match, the suspect reportedly told prison workers. The convicted sex abuser, 59, was stabbed in the back and chest by another inmate at the high-security United States Penitentiary Coleman in Florida on Sunday afternoon. A Bureau of Prisons spokesperson said that an inmate at the prison required “life-saving efforts” after the attack took place and the victim was transported to a local hospital for further treatment and evaluation. The Daily Beast reports that the incident happened after Nassar said “I wish there was girls playing” while inmates were watching a women’s match at Wimbledon. The suspect, who The Associated Press has named as Shane McMillan, allegedly stabbed Nassar with a makeshift weapon, wounding him in the neck, chest and back. Four inmates then rushed in and pulled McMillan off Nassar, a source told the news outlet. McMillan was convicted of assaulting a correctional officer at a federal penitentiary in Louisiana in 2006 and attempting to stab another inmate to death at the federal Supermax prison in Florence, Colorado in 2011, according to court records. Nassar remains in hospital in stable condition with injuries including a collapsed lung, reported AP. The Independent has reached out to the Bureau of Prisons for comment. The former USA Gymnastics team doctor is serving between 40 and 175 years in prison for sexually abusing young female athletes in his care. As the team doctor, the sexual predator abused his position of trust and preyed on dozens of young gymnasts for several decades, including Olympic great Simone Biles, Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas, and McKayla Maroney. In many cases, he sexually assaulted his young victims under the guise of it being medical treatment for hip and leg injuries sustained during the sport. As well as USA Gymnastics, based in Indianapolis, he also worked at Michigan State University and preyed on athletes there as well. Many of his victims went on to become America’s biggest gymnastics stars and have since spoken out about the years of abuse they endured at his hands. The scandal not only plagued USA Gymnastics – with victims revealing that they had confided in adults and coaches about the abuse – but also the FBI which failed to take the accusations seriously and left Nassar to abuse more than 120 further victims while they sat on the information for a year-and-a-half. It was July 2015 when Maggie Nichols became the first victim to report his sexual abuse to USA Gymnastics bosses, who then passed the information on to the FBI’s Indianapolis field office. W Jay Abbott, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Indianapolis office, resigned from the bureau in 2017. He was accused of waiting five weeks before telling the FBI about the first allegations received by US Gymnastics about Nassar’s behaviour. Agents failed to open an investigation for another 17 months when a complaint about Nassar was then made to Michigan State University’s campus police. The Justice Department watchdog later released a scathing report on the bureau’s handling of the matter, which it said let the sexual predator go on to abuse dozens more victims. Following his 2016 arrest, Nassar pleaded guilty to child sex abus images in December 2017 and was sentenced to 60 years in prison. Two months later, he pleaded guilty to criminal sexual conduct at a separate trial and was sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison. He is also serving a separate 40 to 125 years for sexual abuse in Michigan. While behind bars, the serial sex offender has sought to fight his conviction, claiming that he was treated unfairly by the judge at his 2018 trial who called him a “monster” and said he should “wither” in prison like the wicked witch in “The Wizard of Oz”. His final appeal was struck down by the Michigan Supreme Court in June 2022. Read More Larry Nassar was stabbed in his own cell and attack was not picked up on camera, report says The mysterious connection between Larry Nassar and Jeffrey Epstein Disgraced former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar almost killed after being stabbed in prison

Colorado dentist and father-of-six James Toliver Craig leaned back in his chair and twiddled his thumbs through his handcuffs on Wednesday, his beard unkempt above his orange prison jumpsuit, as court took a brief recess from a preliminary hearing on the first-degree murder charge he faces for allegedly poisoning his wife. The casual display came shortly after the prosecution laid out a litany of evidence they say supports their case that Craig deliberately poisoned his spouse of more than two decades, Angela Dawn Pray Craig, with shakes while pursuing a relationship with a Texas orthodontist. Craig, 45, was arrested one day after Angela, 43, was pronounced dead on 18 March following her third hospitalisation in a month for a host of concerning and worsening symptoms. Prosecutors on Wednesday revealed Craig was also now facing a second charge without specifying what it was. But testimony from the Arapahoe County Coroner and lead detective – as reporters and several of Angela’s relatives sat in the courtroom – included a number of explosive claims. According to evidence given by Arapahoe County Coroner Dr Kelly Lear, samples showed that Angela had an arsenic level of 68 around 11.50am on 15 March – but that level had increased to 330 just after 8.20pm. That would be “consistent with her receiving additional cyanide exposure in that time period,” Dr Lear said. The cause of death she listed in her report was acute “cyanide and tetrahydrozoline poisoning; the manner of death is homicide,” she testified Wednesday. Tetrahydrozoline is the decongestant used in Visine eye drops. The dentist had researched other types of poison before his wife’s death, including an internet search for oleander, Aurora Police Detective Bobbi Olson testified on Wednesday. A search warrant obtained for an exam room computer at his dental practice found that, in the weeks leading up to Angela’s final hospitalization, Craig had searched for “how to make murder look like a heart attack,” “is arsenic detectable in an autopsy” and “how many grams of pure arsenic will kill a human?” Det. Olson also testified about how hospital staff, then police, were informed by Craig’s business partner and his wife about their concerns regarding the dentist’s behavior. Ryan Redfearn and his wife, Michelle, who has a PhD in nursing, had been informed by staff at the joint dental practice he owned with Craig that his business partner had ordered a delivery of potassium cyanide to the office. He had instructed an office employee to look out for a private package but it was mistakenly opened by another worker after it arrived on 13 March, Det. Olson said. A staff member “reconstructed the box, put the packaging slip back in; prior to doing that, she saw that it said ‘potassium cyanide,’ described the container, said it was like a tinfoil cardboard type container” she’d never seen before in the dental practice, Det. Olson said. “There was also a biohazard type sticker on the box, as well; she put it back together and then handed it to Mr Craig.” The dentist was later seen leaving with the container, the detective said. The employee googled potassium cyanide and its symptoms, connected them to Angela’s illness and told the Redfearns, who then told nursing staff, who called police. Det. Olson said both Redfearns were interviewed in the early morning hours of 16 March. At that time, Michelle Redfearn pointed out to police the previous recent hospital visits Angela had made, the detective said. Mr Redfearn, meanwhile, told police that Craig had filed for bankruptcy in 2021 and the debt payments were being covered by his own part of the business to the tune of $18,000 a month. He said he’d informed his partner in January that he “needed to work more, be around more, take less time off and that he was going to have to take a pay cut,” the detective testified. Craig’s pay was $39,000 in January and less than $16,000 the following month, she said. The dentist had taken out four life insurance policies on his wife from two companies totaling nearly $4.5million, the court heard. Throughout all of this, prosecutors allege Craig was enjoying his burgeoning relationship with Texas orthodontist Karin Cain, who is named in the charging documents. Det. Olson on Wednesday confirmed that the dentist continued to write letters to Ms Cain from jail after his arrest professing his love for her. Just hours before Wednesday’s hearing, Ms Cain broke her silence to claim that Mr Craig lied to her about the state of his marriage and that she would never have gotten involved with him if she had known the truth. Rather than being his “mistress”, the Texas orthodontist said they had only met three weeks prior to his wife’s death at a dentistry conference. “I don’t like the label,” she said. “If I had known what was true, I would not have been with this person.” Ms Cain shared doubts that she played a part in Mr Craig’s alleged murderous motive, as she said they had never planned a future together. “There’s no way I’m a motive. There’s been no planning a future together,” she said. Ms Cain said that she met Mr Craig at the dental conference in February and that he lied to her by claiming his marriage was over and that he did not live in the same home as his wife. At the time, Ms Cain was also in the middle of divorcing her husband of three decades. While she was “not looking for love,” she said that they bonded over their apparent shared experiences and shared devotion to their children. In total, they spent just three days together at the conference, meeting on a Thursday before parting ways – her to Texas, him to Colorado – on Saturday. After that they messaged constantly and she felt “so connected” to her new companion, she said. She planned to visit him in Colorado but the first trip fell through. The second planned trip came in March when she said Mr Craig told her his wife was ill. The day before she was due to arrive in Denver, she said that Angela had a seizure and was placed on life support, with a low chance of survival. While she said she reconsidered going to Colorado at that time, Mr Craig allegedly encouraged her by saying that he could do with her support. They went for dinner twice, she said, where she noted his behaviour seemed odd. “He at no point seemed stressed or anxious,” she said. “I mean really I had to drag it out of him like, ‘Are you sure you’re ok?’” Days later, Angela was dead. Now, Ms Cain says she feels lied to by the person she felt she was falling in love with. “I don’t have any sort of headspace in my reality where it fits” what she has now learned in the criminal affidavit, she said. “I didn’t willingly have a relationship with somebody who was in a marriage.” Read More Poison shakes, an illicit affair and ‘crocodile tears’: What we know about Denver’s alleged killer dentist Prosecutors set to present evidence against Colorado dentist accused of poisoning his wife's shakes Colorado dentist is charged with murder for allegedly poisoning wife who complained of headaches for weeks

Police have named the patient who fatally shot Tennessee surgeon Dr Benjamin Mauck in a clinic’s exam room after spending hours at the facility as Larry Pickens. The 29-year-old suspect killed the doctor, who specialised in elbow and hand and wrist surgery, at the Campbell Clinic in the Memphis suburb of Collierville, Tennessee, at around 2pm on Tuesday. Investigators say that it was a “targeted attack” and Mr Pickens, who lives in Memphis, has now been charged with first-degree murder and aggravated assault. “The Collierville Police Department does not have any prior reports regarding Mr Pickens. Investigators are checking with other agencies to see if any prior reports have been filed on Mr Pickens,” Collierville Police Department said in a statement. The suspect is being held on a $1.2m bond and is expected to be arraigned in court on Thursday. “We experienced a single shooter event inside our Collierville clinic,” the facility said in a statement. “We are shocked and heartbroken to confirm the incident resulted in the tragic loss of one of our highly respected and beloved physicians, Dr Ben Mauck. We ask that you please lift his family in prayer,” said Irina Ollar, director of marketing and public relations at Campbell Clinic. “We appreciate our local law enforcement officers who responded within minutes. We will continue to work closely with authorities as this remains an active investigation.” Dr Mauck had worked at the Campbell Clinic since August 2012 and was also the director of the Congenital Hand Deformities Clinic Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital. “Ben was a friend to so many of us — a respected member of our Le Bonheur family, a beloved colleague and a dedicated physician to so many patients. We already miss him, ” said Dr Trey Eubanks, interim president and surgeon-in-chief at Le Bonheur, in a Tuesday email to staff. “His death is an unthinkable tragedy, and I am at loss at what to say. I am so sorry to those who loved and knew him, for those who worked alongside him every day.” Read More Surgeon shot dead by patient in exam room at Tennessee clinic Ja Morant’s lawyers cite ‘stand your ground’ law and self defence in 2022 lawsuit Soccer coach accused of filming rapes of unconscious boys may have ‘decade of victims’, police say

The suspect in a hostage standoff at Caesars Palace has been identified as 35-year-old fugitive Matthew Mannix, according to Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. A probable cause affidavit obtained by The Independent revealed that Mr Mannix was experiencing “drug-induced” schizophrenia when he allegedly held a 26-year-old woman hostage inside a room on the 21st floor of the resort on Tuesday. Hotel security first informed authorities of a domestic dispute in room 2128 around 9.30 PDT. Mr Mannix was arrested nearly five hours later after allegedly claiming that he “had a magazine full of rounds” and “would pull the trigger” — no mention of firearms recovered from the scene was made in official records. He was charged with kidnapping in the first degree, coercion with force, destroying property, resisting arrest without a firearm and disregard for the safety of a person. Following Mr Mannix’s arrest, the hostage victim told law enforcement that she was afraid to leave the room because her alleged captor had a knife and she also thought he would throw her out of the window he broke in the room. According to the incident report, Mr Mannix and the victim previously knew each other and had been experiencing a “transient lifestyle” on the Las Vegas strip and binging on narcotics for several days. As crisis negotiators talked with Mr Mannix, he allegedly spoke over the woman and threatened to “cut her tongue out of her mouth” so she wouldn’t engage with law enforcement at the scene. After she was rescued, police noted that the victim had cuts and bruises on her legs, some of which could have been caused by a beating. Employees at Caesars Palace first tried to check on the guests after receiving several complaints of noise coming out of room 2128, which they believed to be a domestic dispute. When security approached the room, they reportedly found a man believed to be Mr Mannix barricaded inside and threatening to “shoot someone” if police tried to breach the room. The threats continued and at some point, a female also yelled that the man “had a knife.” Las Vegas Police, a SWAT team and medical responders arrived at the scene to handle the hostage situation. Mr Mannix reportedly refused to let the 26-year-old woman out of the room and continued to open and close the door while allegedly threatening to “pull the trigger.” The woman eventually attempted to reach the door, but Mr Mannix then allegedly dragged her to the bed “as he body slammed her ... and began to have intercourse with her.” Mr Mannix is also accused of throwing large objects out of the window of his hotel room, sending guests on the pool deck running for cover. Bystander video showed broken glass and debris littering various decks at the Caesars as guests ran for safety. An investigator noted that the pool deck was left littered with furniture and glass and the property damage inside the room was “some of the most severe I have seen in my 18 years as a detective.” The damage caused is estimated to be upwards of $50,000. Mr Mannix was finally taken into custody at 2.40pm PDT. He reportedly told investigators during questioning that the victim was her “girlfriend and he loved her” and that “he would pay for everything that he damaged.” “[Mr Mannix] was so high that he was paranoid and had a schizophrenic episode where he was yelling random comments and numbers and saying that he would pay for everything because he has a lot of money,” the affidavit read. Las Vegas police also said that Mr Mannix is wanted in Colorado and has four protection orders against him. He appeared in court on Wednesday and his bail was set at $750,000. Mr Mannix is being held at the Clark County Detention Center. Read More Suspect in Caesars Palace hostage standoff identified as wanted fugitive Matthew Mannix - live Caesars Palace hostage-taker named as fugitive Matthew Mannix

A Tennessee surgeon was shot dead in an exam room on Tuesday after a patient allegedly lay in wait for hours to ambush him, authorities say. The surgeon, identified as Dr Benjamin Mauck, was killed in front of patients and employees at Campbell Clinic Orthopedics in Collierville, a city about 30 miles east of Memphis, Police Chief Dale Lane told reporters on Tuesday night. A suspect, who has not been identified, fired a handgun before running from the clinic and was apprehended by police about five minutes later without incident, Mr Lane said. Witnesses told WREG that a patient had been threatening to harm a clinic employee for the past week. “This appears to be a one-on-one interaction,” Mr Lane said during a press conference. “It was in an exam room … It was a health care worker and he was a patient.” Mr Lane said the gunman spared the “many” patients and employees who were in the clinic at the time. Police are yet to reveal a motive for the shooting, which Mr Lane described as “horrific”. Dr Mauck was a specialist hand, wrist and elbow surgeon who was named on Memphis Magazine’s 2023 Top Doctors List last week. In a statement, Cambell Clinic Orthopedics confirmed they had “experienced a single shooter event” at their Collierville health centre. “We are shocked and heartbroken to confirm the incident resulted in the tragic loss of one of our highly respected and beloved physicians, Dr Ben Mauck. We ask that you please lift his family in prayer. “We appreciate our local law enforcement officers who responded within minutes. We will continue to work closely with authorities as this remains an active investigation.” The health centre has closed all of its clinics on 12 July. Tennessee Senate Minority Leader Raumesh Akbari called for stricter gun regulations in the wake of the shooting. “Tragedies like this underscore the urgent need for common sense — like reinstating background checks and gun licenses, and establishing new reforms like an order of protection so police can remove firearms from a person who is threatening others,” she said in a statement. Dr Mauck had previously worked as a surgeon at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis, and completed his medical school training at the University of Tennessee-Memphis. The tragic incident comes two years after a gunman opened fire at a Kroger grocery store in Collierville. Uk Thang, a disgruntled contractor, killed one employee and injured more than a dozen before taking his own life. This article was amended on 12 July to correct the location of Collierville. Read More Las Vegas SWAT team captures man who held hostage in Caesars Palace hotel room after tense standoff A soccer coach left his phone in a restaurant. Police found a trove of videos of unconscious boys being raped Trans youth and families condemn ‘heartbreaking’ Tennessee court ruling against gender-affirming care