List of All Articles with Tag 'rica'

Five former Memphis police officers who were criminally charged for beating Tyre Nichols during an arrest that led to his death are now facing federal civil rights charges. The four-count indictment accuses the now-former Memphis Police Department officers of using excessive force against Nichols and failing to intervene in an unlawful assault against him, willfully disregarding his need for urgent medical aid, and then conspiring to cover up the assault by intentionally withholding information and making false statements to supervisors. They also are accused of obstructing the investigation. Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin, Desmond Mills Jr and Justin Smith are also facing state criminal charges – including second-degree murder, aggravated assault and aggravated kidnapping – after officer-worn body camera and surveillance footage from January captured officers yelling conflicting commands at the 29-year-old Black man, firing a Taser at him, and beating him while he was pinned to the ground. Nichols died in hospital three days later. The first two counts of the federal indictment carry a maximum penalty of life in prison. Counts three and four each carry a maximum penalty of 20 years. Seven Memphis Police Department officers were fired after Nichols’ death. Five are now facing federal and state charges. “Tyre Nichols should be alive today. No one in this country should have to bury a loved one because of police violence,” Assistant US Attorney General Kristen Clarke said during a press briefing alongside US Attorney Kevin G Ritz on Tuesday. The nation “watched in horror as Tyre Nichols was kicked, punched, tased, and pepper sprayed, and we all heard Mr Nichols cry out for his mother and say ‘I’m just trying to go home,’” US Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a separate video statement. The defendants “willfully deprived” Nichols of his constitutional rights and their actions resulted in his death, Mr Garland added. “Officers who violate the civil rights of those they are sworn to protect undermine public safety, which depends on the community’s trust in law enforcement,” he said. “They dishonor their fellow officers who do their work with integrity every day. The Justice Department will continue to hold accountable officers who betray their oath.” Separately, the Justice Department has opened a civil pattern or practice investigation into the MPD earlier this year to determine whether the agency has a history of excessive force, racist policing and profiling, and unconstitutional search and seizure. Nichols’ family also has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit with prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump seeking $550m in damages and accusing the city of Memphis and its police department of widespread negligence and a failure to properly train officers operating in a now-dissolved controversial unit criticised for its alleged constitutional violations. Read More Four videos, 56 minutes, seven Memphis police officers, one deadly arrest: What the Tyre Nichols footage shows Why America’s skateboarders are riding for Tyre Nichols

Vladimir Putin heaped praise on Elon Musk as he called the billionaire an “outstanding person” and businessman. The Russian dictator complimented the Tesla CEO and X owner just days after Mr Musk said that he refused to let Ukraine use Starlink internet to launch a surprise attack on Russian forces in Crimea. The revelation was made in excerpts of a new biography on the South African-born entrepreneur that he had refused Ukraine support for a September 2022 attack on Russian naval vessels in Sevastopol. Mr Musk reportedly refused as he did not want to be complicit in a “major” act of war, and has been heavily criticised by Ukraine’s leadership. Mr Putin was not asked about the incident during an economic forum in Vladivostok but spoke about the rocket launching success of Mr Musk’s SpaceX company. “As far as private business and Elon Musk is concerned... he is undoubtedly an outstanding person. This must be recognised, and I think it is recognised all over the world,” he said. “He (Musk) is an active and talented businessman and he is succeeding a lot, including with the support of the American state.” Last October, Mr Musk was forced to deny a report that he had spoken to Mr Putin about Russia’s unprovoked war in Ukraine. Ian Bremmer, head of the Eurasia Group political risk consultancy, had claimed that Mr Musk personally told him about the conversation with Mr Putin. “I have spoken to Putin only once and that was about 18 months ago. The subject matter was space,” Mr Musk tweeted. It came the same month Mr Musk asked his social media followers to vote on ways to resolve the bloody conflict. The suggestions included holding votes in Russian-annexed areas of Ukraine, an idea welcomed by the Kremlin. He also suggested that the rest of the world should “formally” recognise Crimea, which was illegally occupied by Moscow in 2014, as part of Russia. In response, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky posted his own poll asking users if they liked the world’s richest person more when he supported Ukraine. Read More Elon Musk: How many children does the Tesla CEO have? Fatherhood, rows with Amber Heard and ‘the woke mind virus’: six revelations from Elon Musk’s biography Elon Musk ‘hardly remembers’ his own ‘demon-like’ episodes, biographer claims Grimes says Elon Musk was ‘clueless’ about why she was upset by C-section photo Elon Musk's refusal to have Starlink support Ukraine attack in Crimea raises questions for Pentagon Pope's Ukraine peace envoy heads to China on mission to help return Ukraine children taken to Russia Ranting Putin threatens Sunak and makes wild claim UK ‘backed nuclear plant raid’ Putin says legal cases against Donald Trump are ‘persecution of a political rival’

The manhunt for convicted killer Danelo Cavalcante continues 12 days after his escape from Chester County Prison in Pennsylvania. The convict fled the facility days after he was sentenced to life for stabbing his ex-girlfriend Deborah Brandao, 33, to death. He is also wanted for a 2017 murder in Brazil. In an interview with The New York Times on Tuesday, Cavalcante’s mother Iracema Cavalcante defended her son’s actions, saying that he killed Brandao after she reportedly threatened to tell American authorities that he was being sought by Brazilian police. “Did it happen? It happened,” Ms Cavalcante told the Times. “But it happened because of the stranglehold she put on him, the stance she took with him ... It wasn’t femicide. He had to, he had no other choice.” In the latest update, Pennsylvania State Police said the search is now centred on South Coventry Township, warning locals that the fugitive is armed and that they should “lock all doors and windows”. At a press conference on Tuesday morning, Police confirmed that Cavalcante stole a .22 calibre rifle from a home in East Nantmeal Township on Monday, whose owner fired seven shots at him as he fled. Read More Police hunting Danelo Cavalcante say it’s ‘advantage law enforcement’ as search zeroes in on township Danelo Cavalcante search expands more than 20 miles from prison after he stole dairy farm van Danelo Cavalcante’s sister arrested by ICE as police reveal his attempts to contact coworkers

Danelo Cavalcante’s mother has spoken out in defence of her murder convict son nearly two weeks after he escaped from a prison in northwestern Pennsylvania. Cavalcante’s mother Iracema Cavalcante said in an interview with The New York Times that she believes her son is better off dead than spending the rest of his life behind bars over the April 2021 murder of his former girlfriend Deborah Brandao. “If it’s to go to a place to suffer and die in that place, it’s better to die soon,” Ms Cavalcante told the Times on Tuesday. “You don’t have to suffer so much.” Ms Cavalcante said “everyone is lying” about the convicted killer. Although she acknowledged that her son brutally killed his former ex-girlfriend, Ms Cavalcante claimed that he only did it because he “had to.” “Did it happen? It happened,” Ms Cavalcante told the Times. “But it happened because of the stranglehold she put on him, the stance she took with him ... It wasn’t femicide. He had to, he had no other choice.” This is a developing story ... check again for updates.

The judge in Donald Trump’s hush money case has said that he may delay the trial because of the former president’s packed court schedule. The trial is currently scheduled for early 2024, but New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan cancelled a hearing set for this week and wrote in a short letter to Trump lawyer Todd Blanche that “In light of the many recent developments involving Mr. Trump and his rapidly evolving trial schedule, I do not believe it would be fruitful for us to conference this case on September 15 to discuss scheduling”. US District Judge Tanya Chutkan in Washington DC has scheduled Mr Trump’s case connected to the January 6, 2021 insurrection for 4 March 2024 – the day before Mr Trump is believed to be set to take a strong grip on the Republican presidential nomination on Super Tuesday. The 4 March date is also just weeks before the original schedule for the hush money trial. Previously this summer, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg suggested in a radio interview that he was open to making space for federal prosecutors in his own trial schedule. The office of Mr Bragg was the first to charge Mr Trump – with 34 counts of falsifying business records linked to the hush money payments to adult actor Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 election. The judge has said that the prosecutors and defence team may discuss any alterations to the trial schedule on 15 February 2024, when they’re set to meet for the judge’s ruling on Mr Trump’s possible pre-trial motions, according to The Messenger. “We will have a much better sense at that time whether there are any actual conflicts and if so, what the best adjourn date might be for trial,” Justice Merchan wrote. Read More US election 2024 polls: Biden and Trump tied across most polling raises alarms for Democrats Trump lashes out at Biden over prisoner swap deal with Iran after demanding Jan 6 judge recuse herself - live Trump accuses Biden of taking ‘kickback’ in $6bn Iran deal

Dog the Bounty Hunter is considering joining the manhunt for escaped Danelo Cavalcante in Pennsylvania, according to sources close to the former reality TV star. For 12 days now, US Marshalls, FBI and SWAT teams and local and state police have led the search for Cavalcante in suburban Chester County. Cavalcante, a convicted murderer who is now armed, has managed to elude authorities and sneak nearly 30 miles past the perimeter of his initial hiding spot in Longwood Gardens in Pocopson Township. Authorities said on Tuesday that the search is no longer contained to a perimeter and they’ve switched their focus to South Coventry Township after Cavalcante was spotted in the area stealing a .22 rifle on Monday night. Sources close to Duane “Dog” Chapman have now told TMZ that the veteran bounty hunter is weighing on joining the multi-agency operative and has already been making calls to law enforcement to coordinate his potential role in the manhunt. Mr Chapman is said to have been keeping up with developments in the full-scale search since Cavalcante escaped Chester County Prison on 31 August. The unnamed source told TMZ that if Mr Chapman feels confident he is familiar with the perimeter and up-to-date with all the information available, he could be joining the search as soon as this week. Authorities have blamed the vast wooded area in Longwood Gardens for Cavalcante’s success in eluding hundreds of officers. Despite remarks by US Marshalls on Monday that law enforcement now had the upper hand after Cavalcante moved to an urban area, Lt Col George Bivens said that search teams are facing the same challenges they did in the immediate aftermath of Cavalcante’s escape nearly two weeks ago. Around 8pm on Monday, a motorist told 911 dispatchers that a male figure had crouched near the woodline near Route 100. Troopers responding to the scene investigated the sighting and found footprints on the mud consistent with Cavalcante’s prison shoes, which were also found in the area. Mr Bivens said that although authorities arrived at the scene within minutes, Cavalcante managed to travel a significant distance during that time. “Just because they found a footprint doesn’t mean that we know what direction he travelled,” Mr Bivens said. A resident of the area called shortly after to report that a pair of workboots on her porch had been stolen. Then at 10.10pm, a homeowner reported that a “short Hispanic man” broke inside his garage. Mr Bivens said that Cavalcante stole a .22 rifle with a scope and a flashlight on it. The homeowner opened fire on Cavalcante with his pistol but the fugitive is not believed to have been injured. Cavalcante fled before Pennsylvania State Police arrived at the scene. Near the edge of the driveway, authorities found clothes that Cavalcante had been spotted wearing over the weekend. Around 500 officers were hunting for Cavalcante on Tuesday as one school district remained closed and residents were told to secure their homes and be vigilant. The search is now focused near Route 23 to the North, Route 100 to the East, Fairview and Nantmeal roads to the South and Ambridge and Country Park roads to the West. Cavalcante was sentenced to life in prison for the April 2021 murder of his former girlfriend Deborah Brandao. In Brazil, prosecutors in Tocantins state said Cavalcante is accused of “double qualified homicide” in the 2017 slaying of Válter Júnior Moreira dos Reis in Figueirópolis, which they said was over a debt the victim owed him for repairing a vehicle. A $25,000 reward is being offered for information leading to his capture. Read More Danelo Cavalcante update: Escaped prisoner is ‘armed’ as Pennsylvania police hold press conference Where has Danelo Cavalcante been spotted since his Pennsylvania jailbreak? Pennsylvania police defend against criticism of Danelo Cavalcante manhunt after revealing killer is armed

It’s been 12 days since murder convict Danelo Cavalcante escaped from a prison in northwestern Pennsylvania. Cavalcante, 34, has not only eluded hundreds of US Marshalls, SWAT, FBI and state and local law enforcement officers — he has also managed to sneak past the established search perimeter time and time again and is now armed. Over the weekend, the fugitive drove more than 25 miles from his initial hiding spot in Longwood Gardens after stealing a van that he then discarded in East Nantmeal Township. Then on Monday night, he broke inside a garage in South Coventry Township and stole a .22 rifle before fleeing the scene. Residents of the suburban Pennsylvania county are growing increasingly frustrated as police scramble to keep up with Cavalcante’s moves. During a press conference on 12 September, authorities said that the search is no longer contained to a perimeter. State police and the US Marshalls Service blamed the vast wooded areas in Chester County for Cavalcante’s previous success in breaking past the search area but noted that law enforcement now has an advantage over Cavalcante as he’s believed to be hiding in a more urban area. As the manhunt for Cavalcante drags on, these are all the sightings confirmed by officials so far: 31 August - Cavalcante escapes Chester County Prison Cavalcante escaped from the Chester County Prison in Pocopson Township, Pennsylvania, at around 8.50am on 31 August. At the time, other inmates in the exercise yard were playing basketball. Video of the incident showed him crab-walking up a wall and pushing through razor wire in order to gain access to the prison’s roof. He then jumped down into another area of the prison and left on foot. The unconventional method is exactly the same that was used by another inmate back in May, Chester County Prison acting Warden Howard Holland said. During that incident, the inmate was captured within minutes after a tower officer reported the break to prison staff. In Cavalcante’s case, the tower officer tasked with surveilling the escape route failed to report the jailbreak, which went unnoticed for nearly an hour. Cavalcante’s absence was only noticed during a head count when his block returned back inside around 9.50am after the basketball game. The jail was then put into lockdown and the 911 centre was notified 10 minutes later. The tower officer who was tasked with surveilling the area where Cavalcante’s block was at the time of the escape has since been fired. “We can confirm that the corrections officer on duty when Danelo Cavalcante escaped was terminated yesterday afternoon,” a source told CNN in a statement on 8 September. “He was an 18-year veteran of the prison.” Acting warden Howard Holland said that an investigation into the escape was being conducted by the state attorney’s office. Mr Holland said that following the escape attempt in May, the prison had brought consultants in to increase security at the facility. Razor wire — which Cavalcante pushed through — was placed to prevent access to the roof, but officials didn’t expect “the human element” to fail, Mr Holland said. “While we believed that the security measures we had in place were sufficient, they have proven otherwise,” Mr Holland said. “And we will work to enhance our security ... One key difference in [this] escape is the role of the tower officer whose primary responsibility is to oversee the inmate in the exercise yard.” Mr Holland declined to say what the prison officer was believed to be doing during the escape, only noting that he was at the post. CCTV footage shows Danelo Calvacante’s prison escape 1 to 7 September – Sightings in Longwood Gardens, Pocopson and Pennsbury townships Following his escape. Cavalcante was spotted several times in Popocson and Pennsbury townships. He was seen at the intersection of Route 926 and Route 52, north on Route 52 to Parkersville Road, southeast to Route 926 and west to the intersection of Route 926 and Route 52. Local authorities received a report of an attempted burglary in the area just an hour before Cavalcante was captured on a trail surveillance area in Longwood Gardens botanical parks on 6 September. He was seen walking through the area with a duffel bag, backpack and hooded sweatshirt he apparently stole while on the run. That sighting led officials to move the search area farther south after they determined that Cavalcante had likely slipped through the original perimeter set by hundreds of local, state and federal law enforcement officers, but they said his movements showed he was feeling the pressure of the massive search and that his options were dwindling. On 7 September, authorities said they had expanded the search perimeter to between eight and 10 square miles. The manhunt forced officials in two school districts within the large search area to cancel classes, citing “an overabundance of caution.” Longwood Gardens cited the same reason as it remained closed for an entire week. “That pressure we put on him is working. We squeezed him hard enough in a period of a few days where he couldn’t get some relief, and he squeezed out,” Pennsylvania State Police Lt Col George Bevins said at a press conference on 5 September. “I wished we could’ve got him, but it’s a large, dark area, with difficult terrain.” Yet, in the following days, Cavalcante would sneak more than 20 miles past the perimeter. 9 September – Cavalcante captured on former coworker’s doorbell camera in Phoenixville Cavalcante showed up at an old associate’s home around 9.50pm on 9 September and requested through the doorbell camera to meet with him. The individual was out having dinner with his family and had a brief conversation with Cavalcante in Portuguese. He later arrived at his home, reviewed the footage and alerted local police to the sighting. Doorbell video images showed Cavalcante to be now clean-shaven and wearing a green hooded sweatshirt, black baseball cap, green prison pants and white shoes. The fugitive then travelled to the home of another former coworker’s home in Phoenixville. A female who was at the home when Cavalcante rang the bell called a friend, who eventually informed law enforcement about the sighting. Once notified of the developments, authorities started looking into the possibility that Cavalcante had stolen a vehicle. It was later determined that Cavalcante stole a white 2020 Ford Transit near a dairy farm in Longwood Gardens that he used to drive to Phoenixville. 10 September – Authorities find van stolen by Cavalcante in East Nantmeal Township Around 10.40am on 10 September, police found the van that Cavalcante had stolen in a field behind a barn in East Nantmeal Township, about 15 miles from Phoenixville. Lt Col George Bivens said he believed Cavalcante abandoned the vehicle at least in part because it was low on fuel. Authorities are concerned that he would attempt to obtain another vehicle or has already done so. The area where Cavalcante abandoned the van is roughly 25 miles, or a 40-minute drive, from the previous eight-mile perimeter police had established near the popular Longwood Gardens botanical park. Mr Bivens said that he is confident Cavalcante remains in Pennsylvania as he “does not have the resources” to leave the state. “We don’t have a defined search area at this point,” Mr Bivens said on 11 September. “We are considering and acting and investigating any tip or piece of information we receive. There are areas in Nantmeal Township that may have more of our resources.” Mr Bivens said that he was aware of some weaknesses in the previous 10-mile perimeter, but refused to acknowledge that the several agencies collaborating in the manhunt had made any mistakes. He went on to say that the perimeter was “strong” but not infallible. “No perimeter is 100 per cent secure. It’s not a wall, it doesn’t have a ceiling ... all of the elements that you might use to contain someone,” he said. 11- 12 September - Cavalcante steals rifle, spotted in South Coventry Township Around 8pm on 11 September, a motorist told 911 dispatchers that a male figure had crouched near the woodline near Route 100. Troopers responding to the scene investigated the sighting and found footprints on the mud consistent with Cavalcante’s prison shoes, which were also found in the area. Mr Bivens said that although authorities arrived at the scene within minutes, Cavalcante managed to travel a significant distance during that time. “Just because they found a footprint doesn’t mean that we know what direction he travelled,” Mr Bivens said during a press conference on 12 September. A resident of the area called shortly after to report that a pair of workboots on her porch had been stolen. Then at 10.10pm, a homeowner reported that a “short Hispanic man” broke inside his garage. Mr Bivens said that Cavalcante stole a .22 rifle with a scope and a flashlight on it. The homeowner opened fire on Cavalcante with his pistol but the fugitive is not believed to have been injured. Cavalcante fled before Pennsylvania State Police arrived at the scene. Near the edge of the driveway, authorities found clothes that Cavalcante had been spotted wearing over the weekend. Around 500 officers were hunting for Cavalcante on 12 September as one school district remained closed and residents were told to secure their homes and be vigilant. The search is focused on South Coventry Township in Chester County — near Route 23 to the North, Route 100 to the East, Fairview and Nantmeal roads to the South and Iron Bridge and County Park roads to the West. Read More Police hunting Danelo Cavalcante say it’s ‘advantage law enforcement’ as search zeroes in on township Danelo Cavalcante updates: Search area expanded dramatically after escaped murder convict steals van Danelo Cavalcante’s former roommate speaks out about ‘quiet and shy guy’ murder convict

The Atlantic hurricane season typically reaches its peak this week, but record-warm ocean temperatures are fueling a hyperactive season that experts say shows no signs of slowing.

A report commissioned by Catholic Church uncovers cases dating back to the 1950s.

The Washington DC judge in the election interference case against Donald Trump has responded to his legal team’s request that she recuse herself from the case with a stern warning. The former president’s legal team argued that Judge Tanya Chutkan should leave the case because of statements she had made when sentencing defendants for taking part in the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021. The lawyers for the former president argued that Judge Chutkan “agreed with portions” of a sentencing memo for one of the January 6 defendants which “wrongly placed blame on President Trump and complained that he had not been charged”. The defence lawyer for the defendant referred to in the motion said in a sentencing memo that “those voices, including the voice of the then-president himself, had convinced persons such as Mr. Palmer that the election was fraudulent and that they must take action to stop the transition of the presidency. . . . While many of the people who participated in the Capitol riot will be going to prison, the architects of that horrific event will likely never be charged with any criminal offense”. The Trump lawyers added that “although Judge Chutkan correctly noted that she does not have any influence on charging decisions, her ... comments stating ‘you have made a very good point . . . that the people who exhorted you and encouraged you and rallied you to go and take action and to fight have not been charged’ and ‘you have a point, that the people who may be the people who planned this and funded it and encouraged it haven’t been charged, but that’s not a reason for you to get a lower sentence’ reflect her apparent opinion that President Trump’s conduct ... occurred, and supports charges”. “Otherwise, she would not have characterized the point as ‘very good’,” they said. “Judge Chutkan’s statement that ‘I have my opinions’ suggests that in her view—formed almost two years before the initiation of this matter—President Trump should be charged,” the Trump legal team added. After that filing, Judge Chutkan ordered that the prosecution, the legal team of Special Counsel Jack Smith, should file any opposing arguments within three days. She also warned the Trump legal team that they must notify the special counsel’s office before filing that kind of motion or they might risk that later motions be “denied without prejudice”. “Upon consideration of Defendant’s 50 Motion for Recusal, it is hereby ORDERED that the government shall file any opposition no later than September 14, 2023, and the defense shall file any reply within three calendar days from the filing date of the government’s opposition,” the judge wrote in the order on Monday. “All other deadlines set by the court remain in effect.” “Defense counsel is reminded of the requirement to confer with opposing counsel before filing any motion and to indicate whether the motion is opposed ...Future motions that fail to comply with that requirement may be denied without prejudice,” she added. Read More Biden slammed for falsely claiming he visited Ground Zero the day after 9/11 Trump lashes out at Biden over prisoner swap deal with Iran after demanding Jan 6 judge recuse herself - live Putin calls Trump’s laundry list of criminal charges ‘persecution’

Shocking body cam footage shows a police officer laughing about a woman who was struck and killed by a patrol car in Seattle. Jaahnavi Kandula, 23, was killed in January on a crosswalk near her university campus after she was struck by a patrol car while police were responding to an overdose in the South Lake Union neighborhood. Seattle Police said the officer driving the patrol vehicle was responding to a priority-one call when the incident happened. The officer was going 74mph in a 25mph speed zone. Police ruled the incident was an accident, and returned the unnamed officer to duty shortly after. Authorities are now investigating bodycam footage released by Seattle Police on Monday from the incident which shows officer Daniel Auderer — who is also the vice president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild — insulting and laughing about the 23-year-old student. In the footage, Mr Auderer can be heard saying: “There is initially – he said she was in a crosswalk, there is a witness that said, ‘No she wasn’t,’ but that could be different, because I don’t think she was thrown 40 feet, either.” Mr Auderer can then be heard saying: “She is dead,” before laughing. He continues: “No, it’s a regular person – yeah, yeah, just write a check, just, yeah,” before laughing again. “$11,000. She was 26 anyway, she had limited value,” he says. In a statement, the Seattle Police Department said: “The following video was identified in the routine course of business by a department employee, who, concerned about the nature of statements heard on that video, appropriately escalated their concerns through their chain of command to the Chief’s Office which, following a review of the video, referred the matter to OPA for investigation into the context in which those statements were made and any policy violation that might be implicated. “This is what department policy and the City’s Accountability Ordinance require.” The statement continued: “While any incident of public concern is under OPA, SPD or OIG review, no City employee should comment, either in their official or personal capacity, in a way that suggests that any factual, policy, or legal conclusions have been reached about the incident.” The Office of Police Accountability is investigating. Ms Kandula was a student at Northeastern University, studying for a master’s degree in information systems. Read More Student dies after being stabbed 107 times by stepfather as she tried to protect mother, police say Man accused of imprisoning kidnapped woman in cinderblock cell appeared on Judge Judy Seattle Proud Boys leader who led mob to Capitol on January 6 sentenced to 18 years in prison

A year after an Uber driver was shot in the head, the mother of the victim has filed a wrongful death and negligence lawsuit against the ride-share company. Christina “Christi” Spicuzza, 38, is alleged to have been murdered by Calvin Anthony Crew, 24, after he pulled a gun on her as she was driving him as part of an Uber taxi service. Cindy Spicuzza, the mother of the victim, has now filed a federal civil lawsuit against Uber for the wrongful death of her daughter. The ride began on 10 February; Mr Crew called his girlfriend Tanaya Mullen to order him an Uber using her Apple Pay account, Allegheny County Police say. Spicuzza accepted the ride and picked up Mr Crew around 9.11pm. Spicuzza, a mother of four, was found dead around midday on 12 February 2022. She was left lying face-down wearing a “Covid face mask” in a wooded area in Monroeville, Pennsylvania. Mr Crew was known to authorities as already “adjudicated for a robbery” he committed at the age of 14. The lawsuit relays that Uber failed to protect Spicuzza in three different ways: Uber should have verified Mr Crew’s identity before he entered Spicuzza’s vehicle, that Mr Crew’s previous criminal convictions should have been notified to Spicuzza and finally that Uber should have provided her with basic safety features. Distressing dashcam footage released by the court shows the moment that Mr Crew, who was wearing a balaclava to try and hide his identity, pushed a gun to the back of Spicuzza’s neck while holding her ponytail. In the background, the Uber app is heard saying to “drop off Tanaya”, meaning the journey was supposed to end there. The probable cause affidavit confirmed that the suspect told Spicuzza to keep on driving while holding the gun to her head. “Come on, I have a family,” Spicuzza said. “I got a family too, now drive,” Mr Crew replied. “I’m begging you, I have four kids,” Spicuzza said. “Please take that off of me,” asking him to put down the gun. The suspect allegedly said, “Do what I say and everything will be alright.” According to the affidavit, Mr Crew had been texting and calling his girlfriend Ms Mullen throughout the ride, possibly talking about picking up cannabis. “Whatever you doing tonight be careful,” Ms Mullen allegedly said to Mr Crew during the Uber ride. The night after the murder of Spicuzza, Ms Mullen allegedly texted Mr Crew, “I’m not going to jail if we get caught.” Mr Crew made the victim drive for an hour while going through her banking apps, and then eventually killed her, detectives say. “Had Uber applied its driver background check procedures to passengers, used its massive data analysis capabilities to screen out dangerous passengers, permitted drivers to cancel suspicious fares without penalty, or simply provided basic safety features in Ms Spicuzza’s Uber-approved rental car, these simple and effective measures—all readily available to Uber—could have saved Ms Spicuzza’s life,” the lawsuit said. “Unfortunately, however, Uber knew the dangers its drivers faced from dangerous, unverified passengers like Mr. Crew, and chose to do nothing, evincing a conscious corporate attitude for ‘profits over people,’ leaving behind Ms. Spicuzza’s family to grieve her tragic and preventable death.” The lawsuit states that Uber “could easily fulfil” its duty to protect their drivers “by applying the same screening standards it currently applies to its drivers to its passengers, as well as verifying who is ordering the ride.” In a statement to Law&Crime, an Uber spokesperson said that “No family should have to suffer such an unimaginable loss.” “While we cannot comment on pending litigation, we are committed to the safety of drivers who utilize the Uber app. Over the years, we’ve introduced features and policies, designed with safety in mind, like the in-app Safety Toolkit, the ability to freeze rider accounts with fake names and requiring ID from riders in some circumstances,” the Uber spokesperson said. “The safety of drivers is a high priority, and we’ll continue investing in safety features to raise the bar.” The lawsuit seeks a jury trial in the civil case. Mr Crew was arrested several days after the murder of Spicuzza. CBS News reported in March this year that a jury selection is set to begin his trial, with prosecutors seeking the death penalty. Read More Uber raises minimum age for most California drivers to 25, saying insurance costs are too high Woman escapes alleged kidnapper posing as an Uber driver by passing secret note to gas station customer Danelo Cavalcante - live: Homeowner ‘opened fire’ on fugitive after he stole rifle, locals told to lock doors