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Idaho murders: Kohberger defense reaching out to potential jurors with 'survey' before judge banned contact

Bryan Kohberger's defense team is crying foul after a judge ordered both sides in the Idaho student murders case to stay away from potential jurors ahead of a change-of-venue hearing that could move the upcoming trial out of Latah County, where the slayings happened."The late Friday afternoon filing was a strategic action by the State," defense attorney Anne Taylor wrote in a motion to rescind Judge John Judge's ban.She argued that a survey the defense was conducting on potential jurors met the legal standards warranted in a potential death penalty case. BRYAN KOHBERGER CASE: IDAHO JUDGE BANS BOTH SIDES FROM CONTACTING PROSPECTIVE JURORS Taylor is arguing that because the order came before a hearing on the issue, the suspected quadruple murderer's 14th Amendment rights to due process were violated."Both parties are prohibited from contacting potential jurors about this case, including via third parties, until further order of this Court," Judge John Judge wrote in a short order March 22 made public Monday evening. "A hearing on this issue will be held as soon as practicable." Read Kohberger defense team's Motion to Rescind: David Gelman, a New Jersey-based defense attorney and former prosecutor who has been following the case, said the survey in dispute is part of the defense's effort to prepare for a change-of-venue hearing. BRYAN KOHBERGER'S APPEAL OF GRAND JURY INDICTMENT DENIED BY IDAHO SUPREME COURT "In order to gather sufficient evidence to support their application, the defense retained an expert who 'sampled' the potential juror pool to assess potential bias in Latah County," he told Fox News Digital. "This was done by way of a telephone survey of 400 residents."Taylor's office hired a social psychologist named Bryan Edelman to conduct the polling. In her filing, Taylor conceded "many" of Edelman's questions about "media influence" are "NOT factually correct."But Edelman wrote in a signed declaration that none of the questions "included any information that was not widely reported and available in the public domain."  Memorandum in support of defense motion to rescind: FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON Latah County Prosecuting Attorney Bill Thompson took issue with the questions, which have not been made public, and asked the judge to halt the survey last week in a motion filed under seal.According to the filings, Thompson accused the defense of violating a sealed court order regarding the survey by discussing case specifics and by disclosing information that would be inadmissible at trial.The judge agreed, but Taylor is asking him to rescind the order so that the surveys can resume ahead of a hearing on the issue. BRYAN KOHBERGER ASKS COURT FOR CHANGE OF VENUE AFTER DELAYS IN IDAHO STUDENT MURDERS TRIAL "The defense is not 'disclosing' information," Taylor wrote to the court. "The defense is asking prospective jurors in the county of Latah as to what information they are aware of that was previously 'disclosed' vis-a-vis the press.""Two things seem to favor the defense," Gelman said. "First, the surveys do indeed appear to be about gathering information as opposed to disseminating information. Second, even if the motion to change venue were denied, any potential adverse impact upon the juror pool because of the survey will be not only negligible due to the small number of jurors contacted, but also addressable via voir dire." GO HERE FOR MORE TRUE CRIME FROM FOX NEWS DIGITAL During jury selection, the defense would have a chance to ask potential jurors if anyone asked them to discuss the case and whether that would impact their ability to be fair and impartial, he said.Changes of venue can be rare but can happen in high-profile cases, such as the double murder trials of Idaho's "cult mom" Lori Vallow and California's Scott Peterson."I highly doubt the defense did anything to run afoul of the court's order, and I think the defense is absolutely doing its due diligence," said Edwina Elcox, a Boise-based defense attorney who previously represented Vallow. "The defense made a sound legal argument with respect to what they must establish for a change of venue."However, she said, the answer to concerns about the validity of the survey's questions is contained in the questions themselves. They have not been made public, but Edelman's declaration has."I think the defense's expert backs up the reasoning behind the defense strategy," Elcox said.Kohberger, 29, was a Ph.D. student studying criminology at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington, at the time of the murders of four undergrads at the nearby University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho, Nov. 13, 2022.The home invasion attack killed Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves, both 21, and Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin, both 20. Two other housemates survived, including the only publicly known eyewitness.Moscow is the seat of Latah County and home to about half of its population, not including students at the university. The defense survey aimed to contact about 400 county residents over the age of 18.Thompson has countered that the case is already receiving global attention and media coverage and that a change of venue would not be necessary.

Could protective barriers have prevented Baltimore bridge collapse?

The collapse of the  Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore  on Tuesday has raised serious questions about what safety or protective mechanisms might have prevented the disaster and the loss of six lives.  It is still unclear what caused a massive 985-foot long cargo vessel to apparently lose control and strike a pier, also known as a pylon, a critical part of the structure that keeps the deck of the bridge in place.But could the bridge have been better protected to safeguard against a large vessel striking a key part of its infrastructure? BALTIMORE BRIDGE COLLAPSE: DETAILS EMERGE ABOUT 6 PRESUMED DEAD AS HARROWING AUDIO IS RELEASED From 1960 to 2015, there were 35 major bridge collapses worldwide due to ship or barge collisions, with a total of 342 people killed, according to a 2018 report from the World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure. Eighteen of those collapses happened in the U.S., including in 1980 when a 609-foot freighter slammed into the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in the Tampa Bay area of Florida.The freighter, Summit Venture, was navigating through the narrow, winding shipping channel when a sudden, blinding squall knocked out the ship's radar. The ship sheared off one of the bridge's supports, dropping a 1,400-foot section of concrete roadway into the water during the morning rush hour. Seven vehicles, including a bus with 26 aboard, fell 150 feet into the water. At least 35 people died.Following the tragedy , a replacement bridge was constructed, and its piers were protected by several circular sheet pile cells known as dolphins. The protective infrastructure is also known as a fendering system. The area around the larger piers was also buffered with concrete and rocks for added protection, while the shipping lanes for vessels to pass through were widened. On April 29, 1987, the day before the new bridge was scheduled to open, the new bridge's protective bumpers were hit head-on by a 74-foot-long shrimp boat. The bumper sustained minor damage - but the bridge was not affected and was opened at a later date. The shrimp boat took on water and was towed out of the channel into shallow waters, where it sank. LIVE UPDATES: BALTIMORE BRIDGE COLLAPSE   The Francis Scott Key Bridge, which was built in 1977, does not appear to have any protective barriers in place, and the pier that was struck was not surrounded by any barrier or buffer-like structures, according to photos and videos from the scene. There are some small circular-shaped structures in the water, but it is unclear if they are barriers that serve another purpose. A spokesperson for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment about whether the Baltimore bridge had a bumper system or protective barriers in place.Ron Harichandran, Ph.D., dean of the Tagliatela College of Engineering in Connecticut, told Fox News Digital that protective barriers - if they were there - may not have been enough to stop the Dali, given its sheer size and weight. The Singapore-flagged container has dead weight tonnage, or total tonnage, of nearly 117,000 tons. "Most of those protections systems that they have directly around the pier would probably not have been able to protect this particular incident because of the size of the cargo ship and the weight," Harichandran said. "It was just too big.""The only thing that might have worked is if they had sort of an island around the piers and that's not done often," Harichandran added. "It basically involves filling up an area of the river and building an island, so the ship would hit the island and not the pier. That's what you would have to do if you wanted that level of protection, but obviously, that's quite expensive.""It should really have been done at the time the bridge is built and not retrofitting it," he added. Jennifer Homendy, the chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, said at a Tuesday press briefing that protective structures would be a part of the investigation into the collapse of the Maryland bridge . "There's some questions about the structure of the bridge - protective structure around the bridge or around the piers to make sure there isn't a collapse," she said, responding to a reporter's question. "We are aware of what a structure should have. Part of our investigation will be how was this bridge constructed? It will look at the structure itself. Should there be any sort of safety improvements? All of that will be part of our investigation."At least six construction workers who were on the bridge at the time of its collapse are presumed dead at the time of this report.Harichandran said other more cost-effective systems can be used to alert bridge users."You could have trip wires and have more sophisticated warning sensors that would warn of approaching the bridge much earlier," Harichandran said."For those kinds of remote sensing approaches, you could potentially have given an earlier warning of a disaster that could have gotten people out of the way. I know there was a warning because of the radio call, and it helped stop traffic and so on but an earlier warning might have warned the authorities sooner," Harichandran added. "Think of a trip wire that is set up a mile before the bridge and if a ship is not to going the way it is supposed to it would set it off and warn people that something is amiss, and you could close the bridge." The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Freeloading migrant influencer mocks US taxpayers who 'work like slaves' while waving cash in latest videos

Leonel Moreno, the illegal immigrant "migrant influencer" who has urged his followers to use squatter laws to take over vacant American homes, took to Instagram Wednesday after an apparent TikTok ban to mock American taxpayers.In a series of five short clips, Moreno flaunted a stack of cash, bragged about not having to work and also mocked fellow migrants who come to the U.S. to work cleaning, construction and landscaping jobs."I didn't cross the Rio Grande to work like a slave," Moreno said in Spanish, according to a translation of his videos. "I came to the U.S. to mark my territory." 'MIGRANT INFLUENCER' URGING ILLEGALS TO SQUAT IN US HOMES ON RUN FROM US AUTHORITIES: REPORT He claimed to have enough money to go at least a year and a half without working, at times singing and waving cash with a baby in his lap.He also mocked people who work for a living, including fellow migrants who came to the U.S. to find jobs."You're hurt because I make more than you without much work while you work like slaves, understand?" he said. "That's the difference between you and me. I'm always going to make lots of money without much work, and you're always going to be exploited and miserable and insignificant." TIKTOKER GOES VIRAL EXPLAINING HOW ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SQUATTING LAWS Moreno's TikTok account, which had more than 500,000 followers, appeared to have been removed as of Wednesday. In prior videos, he claimed that his family received $350 a week in government handouts since entering the U.S. illegally and has been raking in up to $1,000 a week on the video platform.In one of the new clips, he shrugged off the loss of his TikTok account, saying he still has Facebook and Instagram and that he expects to continue using them to make money online and from government handouts."Yes, they closed my TikTok account, but I keep earning on Facebook and on Instagram," he said. "I won't earn the same, but I am going to get my TikTok account back. I am going to keep earning money."On Monday, he had posted another video in which he sang about one day making it to the White House.Not all of his viewers appreciated the videos, with one commenter calling him a "clown."Others questioned the whereabouts of his wife, wondering in the comments section whether she was out working while he was posting videos and watching the baby. Many condemned his comments as inflammatory. ILLEGAL BROTHER OF LAKEN RILEY MURDER SUSPECT LINKED TO VENEZUELAN CRIME GANG: DOJ Moreno allegedly cut off his ankle monitor after receiving border parole and is now listed as an "absconder" from immigration authorities, the New York Post reported Wednesday, citing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) documents.ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Moreno reportedly received border parole in April 2022 as part of the government's Alternatives to Detention program, which is supposed to track catch-and-release migrants when there is not enough room to detain them. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Moreno previously told his audience he planned to make a business out of "invading" abandoned houses and taking them over with squatters' rights laws, then selling them for a profit.

Dave Portnoy raises 'about $240,000' for family of fallen NYPD officer Jonathan Diller

Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy has raised "about $240,000" for the family of fallen New York Police Department officer Jonathan Diller and vowed to match additional contributions.  Diller, 31, was shot and killed after a routine traffic stop in Queens Monday night turned into a shootout with a suspect. Officer Diller left behind a young widow, Stephanie, and a one year-old son. In the video, Portnoy said Barstool Sports was selling NYPD merchandise on its store page and that he and the company had raised additional donations that would go toward supporting the family."OK, I'm sure everybody has seen the story," Portnoy said in a video posted to his X and TikTok accounts. "Tragic. The New York City cop, Jonathan Diller, who was murdered. Routine traffic stop, pulled over two guys, a million priors, been in and out of jail a million times and they just open fire on him, basically.""Tragic. Leaves behind a one-year-old child, his wife. We put T-shirts on sale. We've raised about $240,000 directly for the family. Every penny that we make goes to the family," he continued. "On top of that whatever we sell, whatever we make at the end of day today, at midnight, I am just going to match it so double up on whatever we can make.""I know money doesn't cure this," Portnoy added. "Nothing can cure this but it's the least we can do and Barstool, myself, we've got a long history supporting the cops, supporting the boys in blue, supporting first responders. You know, it's tragic. These guys go out, risk their lives. It's just awful so whatever we can do to support it, we will." SUSPECTS IN SHOOTING DEATH OF NYPD OFFICER JONATHAN DILLER IDENTIFIED, HAVE LENGTHY RECORDS Police arrested the suspect in the fatal police shooting, 34-year-old Guy Rivera. He has over 20 prior arrests, primarily for drug and violent offenses.During a news conference, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Diller and his partner conducted a traffic stop in Far Rockaway, Queens, at about 5:45 p.m. on Monday, after they found a vehicle illegally parked at a bus stop. NYPD OFFICER SHOT, KILLED DURING CAR STOP IN QUEENS BY SUSPECT WITH MULTIPLE PRIOR ARRESTS: POLICE When they approached the vehicle, they found Rivera in the passenger seat and asked him to step out of the car. He refused and allegedly opened fire on the officers.The bullet missed Diller's bullet-resistant vest, striking him in the torso. The officers returned fire and Rivera was struck. He remains hospitalized.The driver of the vehicle, 41-year-old Lindy Jones, who also had a lengthy criminal record was also arrested.

Illegal migrant in Alabama charged with rape of 'mentally incapacitated' teen: report

A migrant was arrested and charged in Alabama for raping a "mentally incapacitated" teen. According to WDHN-TV , citing the Encore Police Department, authorities arrested 23-year-old Pablo Mendoza on Monday, March 25, for an incident on Feb. 20.Authorities said that he allegedly raped a 13-year-old "mentally incapacitated" girl on Feb. 20.The local outlet said that the teen could not consent to the intercourse, because she was "physically helpless." ALABAMA CONVICT WHO ROBBED, KILLED ELDERLY COUPLE GETS EXECUTION DATE Authorities said that Mendoza was charged with first degree rape. MISSOURI HIGH SCHOOL WHERE TEEN WAS BRUTALLY ATTACKED REFUSES TO GIVE RECORDS TO STATE'S AG Authorities confirmed that Mendoza entered the U.S. illegally.He will be deported back to his home country following his court date. Sen. Tommy Tuberville , R-AL, blamed President Biden's border policies for allowing individuals like Mendoza into the country.@JoeBiden is aiding and abetting these monsters," Tuberville wrote in a X post.Similarly, Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas., wrote, " Joe Biden did this."

Missouri high school where teen was brutally attacked refuses to give records to state's AG


After opening an investigation into the Missouri school district where a teenage girl was brutally beaten by another student, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey tells Fox News Digital that the school is refusing to comply.Last week, Bailey told Fox News Digital exclusively that he would open an investigation into the Hazelwood School District and how their diversity, equity, and inclusion ( DEI) programs contributed to the safety failures following the violent attack."Hazelwood owes the parents of the district and the entire community an explanation as to what role these radical programs and safety failures played here," Bailey's staff said, emphasizing that this is the focus of the investigation.After several days of silence from the Hazelwood School District, a spokesperson fired back at Bailey, claiming his investigation was full of inaccuracies. Bailey shared the email correspondence with Fox News exclusively.  ST. LOUIS TEEN WHO WAS BRUTALLY BEATEN IN VIRAL ATTACK IS BREATHING ON HER OWN, IN STABLE CONDITION: REPORTS "It is disappointing to have an attorney general that intentionally disrespects public school district administrators and elected officials by sending error-filled correspondence to intimidate and threaten their leadership. It is surprising that you are opening an investigation based on lies that you could have easily ascertained if you would have taken a few minutes to fact-check prior to sending your correspondence," Cindy Reeds Ownsby, an attorney for the Hazelwood School District wrote. Ownsby claims the March 8 fight did not occur "during the middle of the school day" but rather after school hours more than a quarter of a mile from school property, saying that the presence of SROs (school resource officers) in the school building would not have prevented a fight from occurring off school property and outside the school day.Ownsby went on to point out other fights within the area that didn't receive press coverage like this fight and questioned Bailey's integrity. "Is that because you have assumed, without official verification, that the March 8th altercation was between a white student and a black student, while the other incidents were black-on-black student or student/teacher encounters? Do you value white students' safety more than black students' safety? Do you honestly believe, again, without any official verification or specific knowledge, that the fight on March 8th was a result of a racial issue between the female students that was caused by the HSD belief in the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion for all?" Ownsby stated in the email.  EXCLUSIVE: MISSOURI AG OPENS INVESTIGATION INTO SCHOOL DISTRICT'S DEI PROMOTION AFTER TEEN'S BRUTAL BEATING "I'm deeply concerned that the school where these teens were students has a history of promoting divisive racial ideology over the safety of its students," Bailey said. Ownsby goes on to question Bailey further and attack his character."What community do you represent as the Missouri Attorney General? Do you represent all the citizens of Missouri? Or only the white citizens? Your lack of care about the accuracy of the allegations you make, combined with your false assumptions about the security provided by the HSD could lead to the belief that you are not the attorney general for ALL Missouri citizens, but rather only for those that look and believe as you do," Ownsby wrote.  Bailey responded to the email saying that the school district had misunderstood the nature of the investigation after initially pointing out irrelevant details. "My letter cited several sources for information, including publicly-available reporting and the District's own policies. The most egregious "error" you identify is an incorrect date reference that was reported in local media. As with any investigation, my office seeks to uncover facts surrounding the incident at issue. An incident you openly acknowledge involved Hazelwood East students," Bailey responded. "I'd like to clarify that my letter did not indicate that your "most egregious error" was the incorrect date (and time) of the incident. Your most egregious errors are your unsupported allegations that race was a factor in the incident and that school resource officers would have been on the scene of an incident that occurred after school hours and one-half mile from school property," Ownsby sent in a response email. MISSOURI AG SLAMS SCHOOL'S PROMOTION OF 'DIVISIVE RACIAL IDEOLOGY' OVER SAFETY AFTER TEEN'S BRUTAL BEATING Bailey pointed out that he specifically used Chapter 610, which requires a public governmental body to turn over records or provide a three-day letter explaining why the requested documents are not being disclosed."Instead of directing your ire at a date reference or making ad-hominem attacks, you should follow Missouri law and do so immediately," Bailey said. Ownsby replied that the district has acknowledged the receipt of the Sunshine Law request and will make every attempt to provide the requested records by April 15. Bailey said the investigation will determine whether the school district violated Missouri's Human Rights Act, which "guarantees every Missouri resident the right to be free from discrimination and the right to full enjoyment of places of public accommodation."Kaylee, the 16-year-old teen who was brutally attacked in the video that went viral, is reportedly breathing on her own, has been moved out of the ICU and remains in stable condition, according to an update on her GoFundMe page on Friday. 

Baltimore bridge collapse: 2 bodies recovered, others still missing as effort switches to salvage operation

Maryland authorities on Wednesday said divers recovered two bodies during a search for the workers who plunged into the water after a cargo ship slammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge on Tuesday.Divers found a red pickup truck submerged under approximately 25 feet of water in the middle span of the bridge and found the two bodies trapped inside.and State Police Maryland State Police Superintendent Col. Roland Butler identified the victims as Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, of Baltimore, and Dorlian Castillo Cabrera, 26, of Dundalk.Butler said the men's families have been notified by authorities."Based upon the conditions, we're now moving from a recovery mode to a salvage operation because of the superstructure surrounding what we believe are the vehicles and the amount of concrete and debris; divers are no longer able to safely navigate or operate around that in the areas around this wreckage," Butler said. BALTIMORE BRIDGE COLLAPSE: COAST GUARD SAYS 56 CONTAINERS ON CARGO SHIP HAVE HAZARDOUS MATERIALS Four other construction workers remain missing, but are presumed dead. The victims were from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, Butler said.All search efforts have been exhausted, and based on sonar scans, authorities "firmly" believe the other vehicles with victims inside are encased in superstructures and concrete from the collapsed bridge, Butler said.A co-worker of the people missing said Tuesday that he was told the workers were on break and sitting in their trucks parked on the bridge when it crumpled. BALTIMORE BRIDGE COLLAPSE DRAWS COMPARISONS TO OBAMA-PRODUCED FILM ABOUT CARGO SHIP CYBERATTACK U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Shannon Gilreath said at a news conference that authorities had been informed that the ship was going to undergo maintenance. He added that they were not informed of any problems.The ship collided into a support pillar early Tuesday, causing the span to collapse. The investigation picked up speed as the Baltimore region reeled from the sudden loss of a major transportation link that's part of the highway loop around the city. The disaster also closed the port that is vital to the city's shipping industry. TRANSPORTATION SEC BUTTIGIEG SAYS GOV'T MUST 'TEAR DOWN' BARRIERS TO REBUILD BALTIMORE BRIDGE "The collapse of the Key Bridge is not just a Maryland crisis. The collapse of a key bridge is a global crisis," Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said during Wednesday afternoon's press conference. "The national economy and the world's economy depend on the port of Baltimore. The port handles more cars and more farm equipment than any other port in the country."Synergy Marine Group, which manages the ship, said the impact happened while it was under the control of one or more pilots, who are local specialists who help guide vessels safely in and out of ports.The ship, which was headed from Baltimore to Sri Lanka, is owned by Grace Ocean Private Ltd., and Danish shipping giant Maersk said it had chartered the vessel.The ship was traveling under a Singapore flag, and officials there said they will be conducting their own investigation in addition to supporting U.S. authorities.

$1.13B Mega Millions jackpot-winning ticket sold in Jersey Shore town

Someone in New Jersey who bought a single ticket overcame the odds Tuesday night and won the $1.13 billion Mega Millions jackpot, breaking a winless streak that dated to last December.The numbers drawn were: 7, 11, 22, 29, 38 and the gold Mega Ball 4. State lottery officials said the winning ticket was sold at ShopRite Wines & Spirits of Neptune, which is located on the Jersey Shore . It was the biggest jackpot win in state history, according to New Jersey Lottery officials.The person holding the winning ticket has not yet come forward to claim the prize, lottery officials said during a news conference Wednesday. Lottery winners can remain anonymous in New Jersey, under a law signed by Gov. Phil Murphy in 2020. New Jersey is one of 18 states where lottery winners can remain anonymous. PANEL SAYS ONLINE GAMBLING COULD SOON BE COMING TO NEW YORK, MARYLAND, AND POSSIBLY CALIFORNIA The winning ticket was bought Tuesday night by someone who chose the numbers themselves instead of using the system's Quick Pick option, lottery officials said.The retailer will receive a $30,000 bonus from the lottery for selling the ticket.Richard Saker, the president and chief executive officer of Saker ShopRites, which operates the store, said the bonus money would be donated to Fulfill, a community food bank that serves the Jersey Shore, through ShopRite's Partners in Caring program.Until the latest drawing, no one had matched all six numbers and won the Mega Millions jackpot since Dec. 8. That amounted to 30 straight drawings without a big winner.It's tough to win the Mega Millions jackpot because the odds are so long, at 1 in 302.6 million.The prize is the 8th largest in U.S. lottery history.The $1.13 billion jackpot is for a winner who is paid through an annuity, with an initial payment and then 29 annual payments. Most winners choose a cash payout, which would be $537.5 million.The next big U.S. lottery drawing will be Wednesday night for an estimated $865 million Powerball jackpot. No one has won that prize since New Year's Day, making for 36 drawings without a winner.Mega Millions is played in 45 states plus Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands . Powerball also is played in those states as well as Washington, D.C., the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

Nashville PD to stop rejecting HIV-positive officers after settlement

Having HIV will no longer automatically disqualify someone from serving as a Metropolitan Nashville Police Officer, the Tennessee city agreed in a legal settlement on Friday.The agreement settles a federal discrimination lawsuit filed last year by a former Memphis police officer of the year. The officer, who filed under the pseudonym John Doe, said Nashville police rescinded a job offer in 2020 upon learning that he had HIV. That was in spite of a letter from his health care provider saying he would not be a danger to others because he had successfully suppressed the virus with medication to the point that it could not be transmitted. NASHVILLE POLICE SAY RILEY STRAIN'S DEATH WAS ACCIDENTAL WITH 'NO FOUL PLAY-RELATED TRAUMA' At the time, Nashville's charter required all police officer candidates to meet the physical requirements for admission to the U.S. Army or Navy. Those regulations exclude people with HIV from enlisting and are currently the subject of a separate lawsuit by Lambda Legal, which also represented Doe. Since then, Nashville has voted to amend its charter.In the Friday settlement, Nashville agreed to pay Doe $145,000 and to rewrite its civil service medical examiner's policies. That includes adding language instructing medical examiners to "individually assess each candidate for their health and fitness to serve" as first responders or police officers."Medicine has progressed by leaps and bounds, allowing people living with HIV to live normal lives and there are no reasons why they cannot perform any job as anyone else today," Lambda Legal attorney Jose Abrigo said in a statement. "We hope this settlement serves as a testament to the work we need to continue to do to remove stigma and discrimination and update laws to reflect modern science."Meanwhile, the U.S. Justice Department last month sued the state of Tennessee over a decades-old felony aggravated prostitution law, arguing that it illegally imposes tougher criminal penalties on people who are HIV positive. Tennessee is the only state that imposes a lifetime registration as a "violent sex offender" on someone convicted of engaging in sex work while living with HIV.

Illinois stabbing spree leaves 4 dead, suspect in custody

A stabbing spree in Illinois left four people dead and five injured, including one person in critical condition, officials said Wednesday. The attacks happened at multiple locations in Rockford, Illinois, west of Chicago. A suspect, who police said "attacked and stabbed" the victims, has been taken into custody. Police said he is a 22-year-old man, but he remains identified.  TEXAS BOY, 12, CHARGED IN STABBING THAT LEFT WOMAN IN CRITICAL CONDITION  Three people were pronounced dead at the scene and one victim died later at a hospital. The victims include a 15-year-old girl, a 63-year-old woman, a 49-year-old man and a 22-year-old man, police said in an update. One of the victims was a 25-year veteran of the U.S. Postal Service, police said.  CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Rockford Mayor Tom McNamera said he was "totally shaken" by the "senseless" violence of the attack.  Police said they don't yet have a motive for the attacks, adding that not all of the victims were stabbed, without elaborating. The attacks happened on Holmes Street, Winnetka Drive and Cleveland Avenue. 

NYC man, wielding scissors, killed in officer-involved shooting as city 'mourns' death of Officer Diller

A 19-year-old man armed with scissors was shot and killed by New York City Police Department officers in Queens in the wake of Officer Jonathan Diller's death.In a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, the NYPD said the shooting happened at approximately 1:40 p.m. in the Ozone Park neighborhood in New York City.Authorities said that the 19-year-old's mother called 911, saying that her son was in a "mental crisis" and acting erratic."The situation became quite hectic, chaotic and dangerous right away," NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell said in the press conference. NYPD OFFICER SHOT, KILLED DURING CAR STOP IN QUEENS BY SUSPECT WITH MULTIPLE PRIOR ARRESTS: POLICE When they arrived, authorities said the officers attempted to restrain the 19-year-old to "get him help" but the man refused to be restrained.Authorities said that he reached into a drawer and pulled out a pair of scissors.The NYPD said that he lunged towards officers with the scissors, but both officers deployed tasers.While the tasers briefly stopped the suspect, the man's mother attempted to aid him by knocking the tasers out of his body."But a mother, being a mother, ran to aid her son and doing so, she accidentally knocked the tasers out of his body," Chell said.Police said the man picked up the scissors again and went after the officers again, and the officers discharged their firearms, striking the man. SUSPECTS IN SHOOTING DEATH OF NYPD OFFICER JONATHAN DILLER IDENTIFIED, HAVE LENGTHY RECORDS "It was chaotic, fast moving, and they had to defend themselves," Chell said.The man was taken to Jamaica Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Both officers were tested for tinnitus at the hospital. No shots were fired at officers and no police were injured.Chell said the shooting came at a time of mourning for the department."As our city mourns for Officer Diller, as we recover from this heinous act of violence against him, our cops still have to be out here 24/7," he said.  PERP WALK: NEW YORKERS SHOUT AT SUSPECT IN FATAL SHOOTING OF NYPD POLICE OFFICER, WHO NOW FACES CHARGES "Defending the community and helping the community. They tried to do that today with a person in mental distress," Chell said. Diller was shot and killed in the line of duty Monday. NYPD officials said Diller and another officer were conducting a traffic stop on Mott Avenue in Far Rockaway, Queens at approximately 5:48 p.m. Monday as part of the NYPD Critical Response Team because a vehicle with two men, inside was parked at a bus stop illegally. When officers asked the individuals to step out of the vehicle, the suspect in the passenger's seat refused and pointed a gun at the officers, according to authorities. Diller was struck in the torso, just below his bullet-resistant vest. He had been with the NYPD for three years and had more than 70 arrests, NYPD officials said. He is survived by his wife and their young child , PIX 11 reported. A candlelight vigil is planned for Wednesday evening in Massapequa Park's Brady Park, ahead of his wake and funeral later this week. Fox News' Bryan Llenas contributed to this report.

Suspect shoots robotic police dog in Massachusetts standoff; manufacturer says it's a first

A robotic dog is being thanked by state police in Massachusetts for helping avert a tragedy involving a person barricaded in a home.The dog named Roscoe was part of the Massachusetts State Police Bomb Squad and deployed on March 6 in a Barnstable house after police were fired upon. Police sent in two other robots often used for bomb disposal into the house to find the suspect along with Roscoe.The robot dog, which was controlled remotely by state troopers, first checked the two main floors before finding someone in the basement. The person, armed with a rifle, twice knocked over Roscoe before shooting it three times, disabling its communication. ILLEGAL MIGRANT FROM BRAZIL APPREHENDED IN MA, WANTED IN HOME COUNTRY FOR ESCAPING PRISON, VIOLENT CRIME: ICE The person then shot at one of the other robots and an outdoor swimming pool before police deployed tear gas and arrested them."The incident provided a stark example of the benefits of mobile platforms capable of opening doors and ascending stairs in tactical missions involving armed suspects," state police said in a statement. "In addition to providing critically important room clearance and situational awareness capabilities, the insertion of Roscoe into the suspect residence prevented the need, at that stage of response, from inserting human operators, and may have prevented a police officer from being involved in an exchange of gunfire."Boston Dynamics, the company that made the SPOT robot, said in a statement that it was the first time one of them had been shot."We are relieved that the only casualty that day was our robot," the company said. "It's a great example of how mobile robots like Spot can be used to save lives."Authorities have not identified the shooter or said what charges they face.Roscoe was sent to Boston Dynamics to remove the bullets. It will remain with the company and a new unit will be sent to state police.

Baltimore bridge collapse: Coast Guard says 56 containers on cargo ship have hazardous materials

Coast Guard Vice Adm. Peter Gautier on Wednesday revealed that there are dozens of containers that contain hazardous materials onboard the stricken cargo ship that caused the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. Gautier said during the White House press briefing that of the 4,700 containers onboard the Dali, 56 contain hazardous materials, but there is currently "no threat to the public." "The majority of those containers are closer to the pilot house and are completely unaffected by the damage to the bow of the ship," he said. "And we have not determined that there's any kind of release at this time." "The real critical thing here is that, as you know, a portion of the bridge remains on the bow on that ship, and we will be coordinating very closely with the Army Corps of Engineers and their contractors to first effect the removal of that debris before the vessel can then be removed," Gautier added. "The vessel bow is sitting on the bottom because of the weight of that bridge debris on there."  LIVE UPDATES: BALTIMORE BRIDGE COLLAPSE AND RECOVERY MISSION   The Coast Guard will be working with the Army Corps of Engineers to lead the cleanup of the Patapsco River so the Port of Baltimore can get back to full operation, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told reporters. He said "rebuilding will not be quick or easy or cheap, but we will get it done."  VEHICLE REMOVED FROM WATER FOLLOWING BALTIMORE BRIDGE COLLAPSE   "What we do know is a bridge like this one, completed in the 1970s, was simply not made to withstand a direct impact on a critical support pier from a vessel that weighs about 200 million pounds, orders of magnitude bigger than cargo ships that were in service in that region at the time that the bridge was first built," Buttigieg said. A recovery mission is ongoing Wednesday to find the bodies of the six construction workers who remain missing and are presumed dead following Tuesday's collapse. "This will be a long and difficult path," Buttigieg said Wednesday. "But we will come together around Baltimore and we will rebuild together. " 

Suspect in 3 Pennsylvania killings makes initial court appearance on related New Jersey charges

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - A man charged in the fatal shooting of three family members in Pennsylvania and related carjacking and weapons counts in New Jersey will remain behind bars while his case proceeds, a judge ruled Wednesday.Andre Gordon Jr., 26, appeared via video from the Mercer County jail for his initial court appearance on the New Jersey charges. Gordon did not enter a plea, and he waived his right to contest pretrial detention. PENNSYLVANIA AMISH MURDER: NO MOTIVE IN PREGNANT WOMAN'S SLAYING, BUT WITNESSES SAW SUSPECT'S CAR AT SCENE Superior Court Judge Robert W. Bingham II ruled that Gordon will remain in custody until his trial, and scheduled an extradition hearing for April 3. Gordon's public defender, Nicole Carlo, said he will consent to extradition to Pennsylvania to face charges in Bucks County.A message was left with Carlo's office seeking comment on Gordon's behalf.Authorities have said Gordon carjacked a vehicle in Trenton, New Jersey, on March 16 before driving to Levittown in Falls Township, Pennsylvania, where he killed his stepmother and sister. He then drove to a second home in Levittown and killed the mother of his two children, authorities said. He is also accused of injuring his children's grandmother by bludgeoning her with a rifle.Authorities say Gordon shot and killed his 52-year-old stepmother, Karen Gordon; his 13-year-old sister, Kera Gordon; and 25-year-old Taylor Daniel, the mother of his two children. Authorities have said Gordon's children were present when he shot their mother.Gordon then carjacked a second vehicle in Morrisville and returned to Trenton, authorities said. Police surrounded a home for hours in the belief that he was there, but Gordon apparently slipped out before a cordon went up. He was arrested, unarmed, when he was spotted walking down a street a few blocks away. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The mayhem forced the cancellation of a St. Patrick's Day parade in Pennsylvania's Bucks County and the closure of a Sesame Street-themed amusement park and a number of other businesses. Authorities issued a shelter-in-place order for several hours.Officials have not released a possible motive for the attacks.

Alabama convict who robbed, killed elderly couple gets execution date

Alabama has set a May 30 execution date for a man convicted in the 2004 slaying of a couple during a robbery .Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey set the date for the execution by lethal injection of Jamie Mills, 50. The Alabama Supreme Court last week authorized the governor to set an execution date. MISSOURI SETS EXECUTION DATE FOR SECOND DEATH ROW INMATE THIS YEAR Mills was convicted of capital murder for the 2004 slaying of Floyd and Vera Hill in Guin, a city of about 2,000 people in Marion County. Prosecutors said Mills and his wife went to the couple's home where he beat the couple and stole $140 and medications.Floyd Hill, 87, died from blunt and sharp-force wounds to his head and neck, and Vera Mills, 72, died from complications of head trauma 12 weeks after the crime, the attorney general's office wrote in a court filing.Attorneys for Mills had asked the ma Supreme Court to deny the execution date request while they pursue a pending claim of prosecutorial misconduct in the case.Mills' attorneys wrote in a March petition to a Marion County judge that prosecutors concealed that they had a plea deal with Mills' wife that spared her from a possible death sentence. She was the key prosecution witness against Mills at his trial. The attorney general's office disputed that there was a pretrial agreement.Alabama, which carried out the nation's first execution by nitrogen gas earlier this year, says it plans to put Mills to death by lethal injection.

Baltimore bridge collapse draws comparisons to Obama-produced film about cargo ship cyberattack

Images from the shocking bridge collapse in Baltimore have drawn comparisons online to a recent film produced by Barack and Michelle Obama about a cargo ship under cyberattack. 

The White House has said the incident involving the cargo ship that plowed into Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge was not believed to have had nefarious intent and showed no signs of terrorism or cyberattacks. But online users pointed out similarities between images of the collapse and a scene from " Leave The World Behind ," the first fictional film Barack and Michelle Obama produced for Netflix. There is a scene in the film, directed by Sam Esmail and starring Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Kevin Bacon and Ethan Hawke, where an oil tanker, named the White Lion, crashes onto the beachfront amid a crowd of horrified tourists. "In 2023, the Obamas produced a movie called Leave the World Behind, where a cyberattack causes a massive container ship to lose power & crash," Matt Wallace wrote to his 1.6 million followers on X." Months later a massive container ship loses power & crashes into Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, CAUSING A DEADLY COLLAPSE."  BALTIMORE BRIDGE COLLAPSE: DETAILS EMERGE ABOUT 6 PRESUMED DEAD AS HARROWING AUDIO IS RELEASED Another user, @GoodShepherd316, shared with his 89,500 followers a still from the movie scene showing the ship running ashore on a beach, and another photo similarly showing the Singapore-flagged Dali crashing through Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge. "In the movie, ' Leave the World Behind ' a massive cargo ship loses power and crashes onto a beach. Coincidentally, a cargo ship loses power and crashes into the Francis Scott Bridge. Was this predictive programming ? My friends, we are living in the days of deception. Call on JESUS," the user wrote. According to its Netflix description , the movie is about a family's getaway to a luxurious rental home taking an ominous turn when a cyberattack knocks out their devices - and two strangers arrive at their door. Under the same roof, the families are confronted with strange apocalyptic events, including plane crashes, herds of deer filing into the backyard and one of the children's teeth mysteriously falling out.One of the characters begins to theorize the events "could be the result of a military campaign intended to destabilize a nation by forcing people to turn against each other," according to Vanity Fair."Leave The World Behind," released in 2023, is the first fictional movie executive produced by the former president and first lady through their Higher Ground Productions company, which has a multi-year deal with Netflix. Investigators began collecting evidence Wednesday from Baltimore Harbor , and divers searched through twisted metal for six construction workers feared dead.The investigation picked up speed as the Baltimore region reeled from the sudden loss of a major transportation link that is part of the highway loop around the city. The disaster also closed the port that is vital to the city's shipping industry. Officials with the National Transportation Safety Board boarded the ship and planned to recover information from its electronics and paperwork, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said.The agency also is reviewing the voyage data recorder recovered by the Coast Guard and building a timeline of what led to the crash, which federal and state officials have said appeared to be an accident.The ship's crew issued a mayday call early Tuesday, saying they had lost power and the vessel's steering system just minutes before striking one of the bridge's columns. TRANSPORTATION SEC BUTTIGIEG SAYS GOV'T MUST 'TEAR DOWN' BARRIERS TO REBUILD BALTIMORE BRIDGE Video showed the ship moving at what Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said was about 9 mph toward the 1.6-mile bridge. Traffic was still moving across the span, and some vehicles appeared to escape with only seconds to spare. The crash caused the span to break and fall into the water within seconds.The last-minute warning from the ship allowed police just enough time to stop traffic on the interstate highway. One officer parked sideways across the lanes and planned to drive onto the bridge to alert a construction crew once another officer arrived. But he did not get the chance as the powerless vessel barreled into the bridge.Attention also turned toward the container ship Dali and its past. Synergy Marine Group, which manages the ship, said the crash happened while it was under the control of one or more pilots, who are local specialists who help guide vessels safely in and out of ports. The ship, which was headed from Baltimore to Sri Lanka, is owned by Grace Ocean Private Ltd., and Danish shipping giant Maersk said it had chartered the vessel.The vessel passed foreign port state inspections in June and September. In the June inspection, a faulty monitor gauge for fuel pressure was rectified before the vessel departed the port, Singapore's port authority said in a statement Wednesday. The ship was traveling under the Singapore flag, and officials there said they will be conducting their own investigation in addition to supporting U.S. authorities.The sudden loss of a major transportation link that loops around the city and carries 30,000 vehicles a day and the disruption of a vital shipping port will affect not only thousands of dockworkers and commuters but also U.S. consumers who are likely to experience shipping delays.At least eight people went into the water when the bridge went down. Two were rescued, but the other six, part of a construction crew that had been filling potholes on the bridge, were missing and presumed dead. Among the missing were people from Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico, according to diplomats from those countries. Three Mexicans were on the bridge. One was rescued, and two are missing, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said. The Port of Baltimore is a busy entry point along the East Coast for new vehicles made in Germany, Mexico, Japan and the United Kingdom, along with coal and farm equipment. The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Perp walk: New Yorkers shout at suspect in fatal shooting of NYPD police officer, who now faces charges

New Yorkers were heard shouting at one of the two men arrested in the fatal shooting of NYPD Officer Jonathan Diller during his perp walk on Wednesday. Lindy Jones, the 41-year-old driver of the vehicle stopped by Diller and his partner for illegally parking at a bus stop, faces criminal possession of a weapon and defacing a firearm charges, the department said Wednesday. No charges have been announced yet against the suspected gunman and Diller's alleged killer, Guy Rivera.Jones' perp walk was brief, and he did not respond to any questions while police placed him in the back of a department vehicle. Onlookers shouted things, such as "what do you have to say to his family, Lindy?" as well as "there is a baby that is gonna grow up without a father, Lindy" and "Shame on you young man." NYPD OFFICER JONATHAN DILLER'S NEIGHBOR, A RETIRED 9/11 RESPONDER, SAYS HOCHUL, DAS HAVE 'BLOOD ON THEIR HANDS The Queens District Attorney's Office told Fox News that Jones' arraignment will take place on Wednesday.  Rivera, 34, allegedly opened fire during a traffic stop conducted by Diller and his partner in Far Rockaway, Queens, at about 5:45 p.m. on Monday. Rivera, who was in the passenger seat, allegedly fired first at police, fatally striking Diller in the torso below his protective vest. Rivera was struck by return fire and remains hospitalized at Jamaica Hospital. After prosecutors obtained a search warrant for the SUV, authorities said a second firearm was found inside the vehicle, WABC reported. As New York City mourns the 31-year-old Diller, who lived on Long Island with his wife and nearly 1-year-old son, one of his neighbors in Massapequa Park , blasted Gov. Kathy Hochul's support of "inexplicable bail reform laws," as well as the "revolving door of justice" in the Empire State as having contributed to Diller's tragic passing. New York City Mayor Eric Adams said that at least one of the suspects had over 20 prior arrests, demanding Albany state lawmakers address what he deemed a "recidivist problem" driving violent crime.  SUSPECTS IN SHOOTING DEATH OF NYPD OFFICER JONATHAN DILLER IDENTIFIED, HAVE LENGTHY RECORDS According to reports, Rivera had been previously arrested by the NYPD 21 times, including nine times for felony offenses . He was released from prison in September 2021 after serving nearly five years for criminal sale of a controlled substance, WABC reported, citing court records. He previously served three years in state prison in connection to a 2011 assault and was released in October 2014.Meanwhile, Jones had previously been arrested by the NYPD 14 times, most recently for second-degree criminal possession of a weapon for having a loaded firearm in Far Rockaway on April 17, 2023. He was out on $75,000 bail at the time of Diller's slaying. Jones previously served 10 years in prison stemming from 2003 attempted murder and robbery charges and was released in November 2013.Authorities suspect Jones and Rivera were casing a T-Mobile store on Mott Avenue on Monday when Diller and his partner asked the two suspects to move their vehicle from a bus stop. The men allegedly refused to roll down their windows. When Diller ordered the passenger, Rivera, to show his hands, Rivera allegedly opened fire, striking Diller below his vest. Diller's partner then fired at Rivera, striking him in the back, police said.Diller's brother-in-law, Jonathan McAuley, who is also a police officer, posted a tribute on Facebook. "The Lord called my brother-in-law, Jonathan Diller, home. Surrounded by family and the the men and women in blue, he was walked out [honorably], to many tears and salutes from Jamaica Hospital. What started out as an everyday car stop, instantly became a moment where so many lives would be turned upside down. Jon leaves behind a wife and a one-year-old son who will now grow up without his father," McAuley wrote. "To those of you out there in the streets, it can be so easy to become wrapped into the moment. To think horrible events like this cant happen to you. To become focused on making that next arrest or racing to the action. Remember those who love you at those moments," the post added. "Jon, there are no words to describe how [devastated] we are that you are gone. You were a good man and a great father whose shoes can never be filled. I swear to you that I will look after your son as if he were my own. For the rest of my life."  Fox News' Kitty Le Claire contributed to this report.

Utah children's book author sent damning text to lover before hubby poison plot: docs

Kouri Richins, a Utah mom of three and children's book author accused of murdering her husband in 2022, allegedly texted her lover on the night of her husband's death.Authorities in 2023 charged Richins, now 35, with aggravated murder and drug possession, alleging she poisoned her husband, Eric Richins, on March 3, 2022, with illicit fentanyl as a means to collect millions in life insurance funds. Now, she is facing a new attempted murder charge for allegedly poisoning her husband on Feb. 14, 2022, as well."It seems that the [Summit] County Attorney's Office and the Summit County Sheriff's Office are continuing their investigation, and ... they've been able to discover more and more about what happened prior to the time Eric was ultimately killed," Greg Skordas, an attorney representing Eric's family, told Fox News Digital. "I think it's entirely appropriate that they've continued that investigation ... and that it's brought more charges."Prosecutors also allege in new charging documents that Kouri texted her "paramour" on the night of Eric's murder. MOM OF UTAH AUTHOR ACCUSED OF POISONING HUSBAND POSSIBLY 'INVOLVED IN PLANNING' HIS DEATH, POLICE SAY "At 7:22 p.m. on March 3, 2022, the night of Eric Richins' death, the Defendant's Paramour text messaged the Defendant a photograph of two people kissing that was captioned, 'love you,'" the documents filed on Monday state. "At 8:36 p.m., the Defendant responded, '... love you [kiss emoji].'"Skordas previously told Fox News Digital after Kouri was initially charged in Eric's murder that he believed she was having an affair. UTAH MAN ALLEGEDLY MURDERED BY AUTHOR WIFE TOOK 'HIGHLY UNUSUAL' STEPS TO BOOT HER OUT OF WILL "We always knew Kouri was having an extramarital affair," he said Wednesday. "It's just that the district attorney's office hadn't ... equated that to having relevance to the charges. As they dug deeper, it really, I think, establishes another motive besides financial for her to want Eric out of her life."Skye Lazaro, Kouri's defense attorney, maintained her client's innocence in light of the new charge."We have reviewed the State's Amended Information filed today. There is nothing in the document that affects Kouri's approach to defending whatever charges the State levies against her," Lazaro said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "She continues to maintain her innocence."Prosecutors initially alleged that Kouri killed Eric in an effort to collect millions in life insurance funds and flip a $2 million Wasatch County mansion that was under construction at the time of Eric's death - an investment that his family said he did not approve of. UTAH MOM KOURI RICHINS GOOGLED 'LUXURY PRISONS FOR THE RICH' AFTER ALLEGEDLY KILLING HER HUSBAND: DOCS The same night Eric died, authorities say he, Kouri and her mother, Lisa Darden, were celebrating Kouri's recent closure of the mansion in question. The then-33-year-old, who owned a real estate company, wanted to finish building the mansion and sell it for a profit, according to search warrants. Kouri allegedly poured her husband a Moscow mule laced with fentanyl while celebrating that evening. A medical examiner determined that Eric had more than five times the lethal amount of illicit fentanyl in his system when he died. The examiner also found "16,000 ng/ml of Quetiapine," described as an "atypical antipsychotic medication that is "widely used as a sleep aid," in Eric Richins' gastric fluid, new charging documents state.The next day, Kouri allegedly closed a deal on the mansion "alone" after her husband was pronounced dead.Previous court documents have included information about the alleged Valentine's Day poisoning, but Kouri had not been formally charged in that incident until Monday. UTAH AUTHOR ACCUSED OF MURDERING HUSBAND ALLEGEDLY CAUGHT TRYING TO STEAL HIS LIFE INSURANCE BENEFITS Eric's family told authorities after his murder that he had been in fear for his life when Kouri allegedly tried to poison him several years ago in Greece and again on Valentine's Day in 2022. Eric told two close friends that on Valentine's Day, he ate a sandwich Kouri left for him with a note and immediately broke out in hives. He took his son's Epipen and ingested Benadryl before falling asleep for hours. Kouri told other witnesses that she had purchased the sandwich from a diner and maintains that she did not poison it.Eric had also taken complex steps to boot Kouri from his will as early as 2020, according to his estate-planning lawyer. "His first goal was to protect him in the short-term from fairly recently discovered and ongoing abuse and misuse of his finances by his wife Kouri Richins. ... His second was to protect the three young sons he and Kouri had together in the long-term by ensuring that Kouri would never be in a position to manage his property after his death," Eric's estate-planning attorney, Kristal Bowman-Carter, wrote in previously filed court documents.Earlier this month, a recently unsealed search warrant implicated Kouri's mother, Lisa Darden, in Eric's death.In May 2023, a Summit County Sheriff's Office detective submitted a search warrant affidavit expressing his belief that Darden may have been "involved in planning and orchestrating Eric's death," based on her own connection to a suspicious death in 2006.While investigating Kouri, detectives learned that in 2006, Darden was living with a female romantic partner who died unexpectedly of an oxycodone overdose. GO HERE FOR MORE TRUE CRIME FROM FOX NEWS DIGITAL "Further investigation showed that Lisa Darden had been named as the beneficiary of her partner's estate a short time before her death," a detective wrote in the search warrant. "The female did have current prescriptions for oxycodone and reportedly struggled with abusing her meds. She, however, was not in a state of recovery from addiction at the time of her death. Based on my training and experience, this would likely rule out the possibility of an accidental overdose."Lazaro denied the detective's suggestion, saying Darden's partner was a victim of the national opioid crisis, which killed 112,000 Americans between May 2022 and May 2023, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. UTAH CHILDREN'S BOOK AUTHOR HAD 'PERFECT' MARRIAGE WITH HUSBAND BEFORE ALLEGED MURDER: FRIEND Darden's partner, Lazaro said, "was one of the millions that suffered from, and ultimately succumbed to, opioid addiction," which "is hardly 'suspicious.'""It is tragic, and unfortunately, quite common," the attorney said.In May 2022, about two months after Eric's death, Darden allegedly told Kouri that a witness - who told police Kouri contacted him for fentanyl in January 2022 - was "running his mouth," the new charging documents state.Skordas said "getting information from" Darden's phone "has directed law enforcement toward her ... and her involvement in this." CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP "It's just a natural product of some of the search warrants that follow the investigation being done here to bring Lisa Darden into the equation," the attorney said.Skordas added that it is "not a concern" to his team that "new charges are being brought and new evidence is being investigated" in the case ahead of a preliminary hearing for Kouri.

Baltimore bridge collapse: Vehicle removed from water, another hanging from metal

One truck was pulled out from the waters of the Patapsco River on Wednesday following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore, while another vehicle remains hanging from the metal, a report says. The development was reported in a Homeland Security memo that a law enforcement official described to The Associated Press, and comes as Maryland Gov. Wes Moore says divers are still searching the water for the six bodies of construction workers who are presumed dead in the wake of Tuesday's disaster. "These divers are in the water right now as we speak. In pitch dark, where they can literally see a foot or two in front of them," Moore told Fox News earlier this morning. "In cold water temperatures with heavy tides... and so the debt of gratitude our whole state has to these divers and to these first responders, it's boundless." The 985-foot Dali was headed from Baltimore to Colombo, Sri Lanka, and flying under a Singapore flag on Tuesday when it struck a pillar of the bridge, causing it to collapse.  LIVE UPDATES: BALTIMORE BRIDGE COLLAPSE AND RECOVERY MISSION   Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said it was too soon to give a time frame for clearing the channel, which is about 50 feet deep. Synergy Marine Group, which manages the ship, said the impact happened while it was under the control of one or more pilots, who are local specialists who help guide vessels safely in and out of ports.  TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY BUTTIGIEG SAYS GOV'T MUST 'TEAR DOWN' BARRIERS TO REBUILD BALTIMORE BRIDGE   Synergy said in a statement Wednesday that one crew member was treated at a hospital for a minor injury. The ship is owned by Grace Ocean Private Ltd., and Danish shipping giant Maersk said it had chartered the vessel. The Dali was most recently inspected by the U.S. Coast Guard in New York in September, and no deficiencies were detected, according to Equasis.  The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

California's facial hair ban for prison guards amounts to religious discrimination, Justice Department says

The federal government is asking a court to halt California's enforcement of a rule requiring prison guards to be clean-shaven, saying it amounts to religious discrimination for Sikhs, Muslims and others who wear beards as an expression of their faith.The civil rights complaint filed Monday by the U.S. Justice Department says the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's prohibition on facial hair denies on-the-job accommodations for officers of various religions. BIOLOGICAL MEN ARE NOW WELCOME IN CALIFORNIA WOMEN'S PRISONS: 'AN AGENDA FOR FEMALE ERASURE' It seeks a temporary court order "allowing these officers to wear beards while CDCR fully assesses options for providing them with religious accommodations while complying with California safety regulations," the Justice Department said in a statement."Sikhs, Muslims and employees of other minority faiths should not be forced to choose between the practice of their faith and their jobs," Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said in the statement. "Religious freedom and religious accommodation are bedrock principles of our democracy. We are taking action to ensure that the rights of employees of minority faiths are respected and accommodated in the workplace."The corrections department maintains its no-beard rule stems from the need for certain employees, including guards, to wear tight-fitting respirators, with state law requiring that facial hair not interfere with the use of such masks that were worn during the coronavirus pandemic, according to court papers cited by the Sacramento Bee.In an emailed statement to The Associated Press, the state agency defended its policy."CDCR respects all sincerely held religious beliefs and strives to reasonably accommodate individuals seeking religious reasonable accommodations to the extent doing so does not conflict with other legal obligations," spokesperson Mary Xjimenez said Tuesday."Tight-fitting respirator masks are legally required under workplace safety laws for certain functions in state prison operations, as well as for the safety and protection of the incarcerated population and other staff. CDCR is fully compliant with the law, and we are confident the court will agree," Xjimenez said.The Justice Department's complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in Sacramento, also seeks a court order prohibiting retaliation or discipline against officers requesting to grow or keep beards as the case progresses.

Arizona strip clubs swindled $1M from customers in elaborate scheme: lawsuit

Nearly 20 people are suing a chain of Arizona strip clubs after they were allegedly drugged and scammed out of a collective $1.1 million in VIP rooms. Skin Cabaret, Bones Cabaret and Dream Palace - three clubs along the same two-mile stretch from Scottsdale to Tempe owned by Todd Borowsky - are named in the latest filing from January, obtained by Fox 10 Phoenix . The club owner, who operated under Wisnowski, Inc., is accused of racketeering, conspiracy and several other allegations. One alleged victim , an Air Force member stationed in Arizona who says his credit cards were charged just over $72,000, told the local outlet that the fallout of the incident has been "life and career-altering." The man, identified by Fox 10 as "Joe," claims that he was separated from his friends when he went to the bathroom before the night went awry."I remember walking through what I thought was a cloud of perfume or makeup or something like dusty from one of the kind of cracks of light that was coming through," the plaintiff told the outlet. "That's when I ended up in the VIP room and started to get these symptoms not alcohol-related, something else that made me acquiesce and go along to what they seemed to be pushing." SQUATTERS OPENING STRIP CLUBS AND DRUG-FUELED PARTY HOUSES SHOWS FREELOADER TACTIC EVOLUTION: SQUATTER HUNTER A financial crimes detectives with the Scottsdale Police Department wrote in court documents reviewed by Fox News Digital that Joe's story of what happened next matched those of patrons visiting from several different states; memory loss, signing and thumbprinting paperwork, having photos taken of them and leaving with exorbitant credit card charges. Joe told Fox 10 that he never took a drug test, but he "felt like I kind of didn't have control of the situation and that was really the first instance that I knew."Another plaintiff, referred to as "Bobby" by Fox 10, told the outlet that he was "just confused" when he found himself in one of the club's VIP rooms."Just felt lost, spaced out. Like I said, I had no clue where I was at that point."  AOC ROASTED BY LEGAL EXPERTS FOR CLAIMING 'RICO IS NOT A CRIME': 'EMBARRASSED HERSELF' Bobby said that he paid for drinks and a private dance, but after that, he has no recollection of authorizing further charges to his cards at Skin Cabaret. In total, he spent $181,000 at the club in eight transactions, according to court documents. "Didn't think that these were actually legitimate transactions at that point," he told the outlet. "It just seemed unconscionable that this would even happen. Especially the charges, the single transaction amounts, that were processed."Like Joe, Bobby said that the impact was "emotionally pretty difficult to bear." "Couldn't have an appetite to eat for days after this had occurred ... strain on not only myself, a family, wife, had to get my parents involved. We had little children as well," Bobby said. ARIZONA RANCHER FACES LONG-AWAITED MURDER TRIAL IN BORDER SHOOTING OF MEXICAN MAN AFTER REJECTING PLEA DEAL Police reports included in the suit show that customers sign a contract, provide a credit card and ID, give a thumbprint and take a photo after negotiating a VIP room price with a hostess at the three clubs. However, the plaintiffs in the lawsuit do not or barely remember signing these contracts at all, according to court documents.Rod Galarza, an attorney representing the alleged victims, almost all of them from out of state, told Fox 10 that they "all tell the same story yet none of them have met.""They vaguely recall someone yelling at them to 'quit messing around and to hold the pen properly' to sign a document on a clipboard, or alternatively being yelled at by a bouncer or hostess to 'sit up straight and smile, we're trying to take your picture, you're not smiling,'" Galarza said.One plaintiff even claims that club reps approved his credit card transactions by holding his phone up to his face to unlock his phone using the face ID function.Joe said it was "like watching a movie through [his] own eyes." "It was kind of almost an out-of-body experience because, in my mind, I'm screaming to myself that this is wrong, to leave, to fight my way out," he told Fox 10. "But they have the bouncer at the door, the disorienting hallways, like I don't think I'm going to make it out."The Scottsdale Police Department and Maricopa County Sheriff's Office told Fox 10 that they are aware of the allegations against Skin Cabaret, Bones Cabaret and Dream Palace and are working with the Arizona Attorney General's Office on cases against the strip joints. Fox News Digital could not reach the state's attorney general for comment at press time.In a statement to Fox 10, an attorney representing club owner Borowsky said that "the cases are baseless.""It's like going into a casino and asking for your money back after you choose to be there. First, they were not drugged," attorney Dennis Wilenchik told the outlet. "Second, the dancers were independent contractors. Third, these guys received services they expressly contracted for and received and documentation and photos were taken, and fourth, their credit card companies also investigated and approved the transactions."

Bodycam captures suspect clinging to moving car trying to evade arrest

Police in California released video of a pursuit that ended with a suspect clinging onto a moving car in what looked like a carjacking attempt, prior to being shot.Video released Saturday by the Lathrop Police Department shows the Jan. 27 pursuit of suspect Juan Valdez, 40, after a woman called 911 to report her friend was being threatened by him.The footage shows officers responding to the 200 block of Shadywood Avenue, where they encountered two distraught females arguing with a man they called "John."  "He will fight back. Be careful," one woman could be heard saying as police tried to talk to the suspect. ROMANIAN MOB IS COMING FOR YOUR DEBIT CARDS, WITH ATM-STYLE SKIMMERS NOW AT SELF-CHECKOUTS: AUTHORITIES WARN A gold Nissan Versa can then be seen backing out of a driveway, and officers begin pursuing it through the neighborhood. The suspect returned to the home officers were initially called to, when one of the alleged victims said, "You tried to kill me, John." An officer had a weapon pointed at the suspect, and another demanded he turn off the car. The suspect then took off in his vehicle. LA BURGLARS TUNNELED THROUGH BUSINESSES TO REACH JEWELRY STORE: 'MUST HAVE TAKEN A LOT OF WORK' What followed was a wild pursuit in which Valdez could be seen crossing into the wrong way of traffic prior to one of the officers unsuccessfully attempting to stop him. The chase picked up as the suspect entered Interstate 5. Soon after, one of the Versa's tires came apart.Valdez could be seen hopping out of the car and grabbing onto the door of another car, hanging onto it as the driver kept going. "He's trying to carjack somebody," one officer could be heard saying.The other driver eventually pulled over as police caught up with them, and Valdez could be seen trying to run away.Police warned the suspect to stop or be shot, before an officer fired twice and Valdez fell to the ground."Ah, bro, why'd you shoot me?" he asked.Valdez then identified himself to officers who provided first aid while waiting for emergency medical services to arrive. Valdez was sent to a hospital, where he was later released before being booked into the San Joaquin County Jail. He was charged with multiple felonies, including carjacking, false imprisonment, evasion, resisting arrest and committing a felony while out on release/parole for a prior felony. Online booking records show bail was not allowed in his case, and he is expected back in court on April 10. 

Georgia men seek to overturn their hate crime convictions in 2020 murder of unarmed Black man

Attorneys are asking a U.S. appeals court to throw out the hate crime convictions of three white men who used pickup trucks to chase Ahmaud Arbery through the streets of a Georgia subdivision before one of them killed the running Black man with a shotgun.A panel of judges from the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta was scheduled to hear oral arguments Wednesday in a case that followed a national outcry over Arbery's death. The white men's lawyers argue that evidence of past racist comments they made didn't prove a racist intent to harm.On Feb. 23, 2020, father and son Greg and Travis McMichael armed themselves with guns and drove in pursuit of Arbery after spotting the 25-year-old man running in their neighborhood outside the port city of Brunswick. A neighbor, William "Roddie" Bryan, joined the chase in his own truck and recorded cellphone video of Travis McMichael shooting Arbery in the street. AHMAUD ARBERY CASE: GEORGIA MEN SENTENCED IN 2020 MURDER OF UNARMED BLACK MAN More than two months passed without arrests, until Bryan's graphic video of the killing leaked online and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation took over the case from local police. Charges soon followed.All three men were convicted of murder in a Georgia state court in late 2021. After a second trial in early 2022 in federal court, a jury found the trio guilty of hate crimes and attempted kidnapping, concluding the men targeted Arbery because he was Black.In legal briefs filed ahead of their appeals court arguments, lawyers for Greg McMichael and Bryan cited prosecutors' use of more than two dozen social media posts and text messages, as well as witness testimony, that showed all three men using racist slurs or otherwise disparaging Black people. AHMAUD ARBERY TRIAL VERDICT: TRAVIS MCMICHAEL GUILTY ON ALL COUNTS Bryan's attorney, Pete Theodocion, said Bryan's past racist statements inflamed the trial jury while failing to prove that Arbery was pursued because of his race. Instead, Arbery was chased because the three men mistakenly suspected he was a fleeing criminal, according to A.J. Balbo, Greg McMichael's lawyer.Greg McMichael initiated the chase when Arbery ran past his home, saying he recognized the young Black man from security camera videos that in prior months showed him entering a neighboring home under construction. None of the videos showed him stealing, and Arbery was unarmed and had no stolen property when he was killed.Prosecutors said in written briefs that the trial evidence showed "longstanding hate and prejudice toward Black people" influenced the defendants' assumptions that Arbery was committing crimes.In Travis McMichael's appeal, attorney Amy Lee Copeland didn't dispute the jury's finding that he was motivated by racism. The social media evidence included a 2018 Facebook comment Travis McMichael made on a video of Black man playing a prank on a white person. He used an expletive and a racial slur, writing: "I'd kill that .... ."Instead, Copeland based her appeal on legal technicalities. She said that prosecutors failed to prove the streets of the Satilla Shores subdivision where Arbery was killed were public roads, as stated in the indictment used to charge the men.Copeland cited records of a 1958 meeting of Glynn County commissioners in which they rejected taking ownership of the streets from the subdivision's developer. At the trial, prosecutors relied on service request records and testimony from a county official to show the streets have been maintained by the county government.Attorneys for the trio also made technical arguments for overturning their attempted kidnapping convictions. Prosecutors said the charge fit because the men used pickup trucks to cut off Arbery's escape from the neighborhood.Defense attorneys said the charge was improper because their clients weren't trying to capture Arbery for ransom or some other benefit, and the trucks weren't used as an "instrumentality of interstate commerce." Both are required elements for attempted kidnapping to be a federal crime.Prosecutors said other federal appellate circuits have ruled that any automobile used in a kidnapping qualifies as an instrument of interstate commerce. And they said the benefit the men sought was "to fulfill their personal desires to carry out vigilante justice."The trial judge sentenced both McMichaels to life in prison for their hate crime convictions, plus additional time - 10 years for Travis McMichael and seven years for his father - for brandishing guns while committing violent crimes. Bryan received a lighter hate crime sentence of 35 years in prison, in part because he wasn't armed and preserved the cellphone video that became crucial evidence.All three also got 20 years in prison for attempted kidnapping, but the judge ordered that time to overlap with their hate crime sentences.If the U.S. appeals court overturns any of their federal convictions, both McMichaels and Bryan would remain in prison. All three are serving life sentences in Georgia state prisons for murder, and have motions for new state trials pending before a judge.

Disney accused of misleading shareholders with 'woke political agenda'

The Walt Disney Company is facing accusations that the company has misled shareholders by promoting a "woke political and social agenda" at the expense of profits.America First Legal (AFL), a group aligned with  former President Trump , sent Disney a letter Wednesday alleging that the company has engaged in unlawful discrimination and pushed political causes that have caused "damage to Disney's brand, properties, and commercial reputation by management's manufactured misalignment between its woke political and social agenda and the vast majority of the Company's customers."The group, which is headed by the former Trump adviser Stephen Miller, alleges that the company's management has "intentionally manufactured misalignment between the Company and its core customers" over the last few years, resulting in an over $100 billion blow to the company's  market capitalization since February 2021. MEMBERS OF FLORIDA'S DISNEY DISTRICT OVERSIGHT BOARD CONTINUE TO SHUFFLE A YEAR AFTER GOV. DESANTIS' TAKEOVER "Disney has displayed an inexplicable disregard for its customers and shareholders, forcing radical gender-expansive, anti-White, and anti-police content on families while providing warnings about harmful content on uncontroversial content," the group said in a press release.The release points to multiple examples of Disney's alleged disregard for the preferences of its core customers, including shows in the Disney+ "Junior Mode" that AFL claims amplify "racial divisiveness and societal unrest."In one specific example, AFL pointed to an episode of "Muppet Babies," where the character Gonzo is depicted cross-dressing as a female princess in a take on the Disney classic "Cinderella." The letter notes that kids watching in "Junior Mode" can view this episode, but cannot watch the actual "uncontroversial" "Cinderella" film while using the same safety settings. FOX CORPORATION PARTNERING WITH DISNEY, WARNER BROS. DISCOVERY FOR NEW SPORTS STREAMING SERVICE The letter also points to examples of Disney putting "woke ideology" at the center of other programming, including the opening moments of Marvel's "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantiumania," when Ant-Man's daughter accuses police officers of firing tear gas at "peaceful protesters."The letter comes after AFL already filed a  civil rights complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in February, accusing the company of a "patently illegal" program of discrimination by favoring "underrepresented" groups in hiring."Disney is an iconic American brand-the product of decades of family-focused content infused with American pride that hundreds of millions of Americans have enjoyed for decades. But today, Disney's leadership appears to have abandoned its roots-and most notably, its shareholders-in hopes of placating an insatiable activist movement that aims to radically reshape the Disney brand into something that is completely inconsistent with its history," AFL Executive Director Gene Hamilton said in the release."If Disney were a privately held corporation, it could make whatever foolish decisions it desired if those decisions complied with the law. But it's not," Hamilton added. "Disney's leadership is gambling with-and losing-shareholder money and appears to be violating federal law in the process."Disney did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.

'Migrant influencer' urging illegals to squat in US homes on run from authorities: report

The Venezuelan TikToker who went viral last month after defending illegal immigrant criminals and urging migrants to squat in U.S. homes is now on the run from immigration authorities, according to a new report.Leonel Moreno has claimed that his family, which includes his wife and young daughter, has received $350 a week in government handouts since entering the U.S. illegally.On top of that, he had claimed to be making $1,000 a day as a TikTok influencer. However, his account, which at one point had more than 500,000 followers, appeared inactive Wednesday morning. His verified Instagram account , however, has about 17,000 followers and posted two videos Wednesday morning showing him waving a stack of $100 bills as he posed with his baby girl. TIKTOKER GOES VIRAL EXPLAINING HOW ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SQUATTING LAWS Moreno allegedly cut off his ankle monitor after receiving border parole and is now listed as an "absconder" from immigration authorities, the New York Post reported Wednesday, citing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) documents.ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Moreno reportedly received border parole in April 2022 as part of the government's Alternatives to Detention program, which is supposed to track catch-and-release migrants when there is not enough room to detain them.Moreno previously told his audience he planned to make a business out of "invading" abandoned houses and taking them over with squatters' rights laws, then selling them for a profit.Although he has allegedly listed his immigration sponsor as a church charity in Miami, he has reportedly been living in Columbus, Ohio. ILLEGAL BROTHER OF LAKEN RILEY MURDER SUSPECT LINKED TO VENEZUELAN CRIME GANG: DOJ Moreno shocked the public last month when he bragged about living on the American taxpayers' dime and called on his TikTok followers t o "unite" behind the suspect in a shooting in New York City's Times Square.Illegal immigration from Venezuela has become increasingly visible as one of the country's most notorious gangs, Tren de Aragua, is also working to establish a foothold on U.S. soil.The gang has been linked to an attack on police officers in New York City, an international cellphone robbery ring and, indirectly, the murder of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley . CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The gang has a notable presence in New York City, Florida, Texas, Illinois and Georgia, authorities have warned. 

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