The U.S. Supreme Court will decide next month whether to hear the case of a Pennsylvania teen who was suspended from her high school cheerleading team for a profane social media post she made off campus. In 2017, a freshman at Mahanoy Area High School posted a photo to Snapchat of herself and a friend …
The California Supreme Court this week rejected a challenge to murder charges filed against a 26-year-old woman who used methamphetamines before her fetus was stillborn, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Chelsea Becker has been in jail in Kings County since the 2019 stillbirth and has pleaded not guilty, although she acknowledged using the drug. She’s …
The execution date for death row inmate Lisa Montgomery has been rescheduled after a federal judge ruled that the Department of Justice unlawfully set the execution date up while disregarding rules. AP reports that U.S. District Court Judge Randolph Moss vacated an order that scheduled Montgomery for execution on January 12, which was a new …
Court proceedings were canceled Monday in connection with a California man accused of beheading his two oldest children, after the court had concerns over his mental competency. NBC 4 reports that 34-year-old Maurice Taylor Sr. appeared at the Antelope Valley Courthouse in Lancaster, where a judge scheduled him to undergo a mental health evaluation. The …
A Colorado paralegal who leaked unsealed court documents The Gazette reports that Sherie Farstveet, 54, pleaded guilty this month in the Adams County Court to attempted official misconduct. In April, Farstveet accessed court filings and shared them with the media. The affidavit, which was made public days later, detailed graphic information about the disappearance and …
On Friday, a judge upheld his decision to livestream the trial of the four officers charged in George Floyd’s May killing, citing widespread interest surrounding the case. Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill rejected prosecutors’ claims that livestreaming the high-profile trial may deter possible witnesses from coming forward. Cahill initially approved broadcasting the trial on November …
Lawyers sparred Friday over whether autism spectrum disorder could be used as a defense by a Canadian man who murdered 10 people with this van, CTV News reports. Alek Minassian, 28, confessed to running over the victims on April 23, 2018, on a Toronto sidewalk, but he has pleaded not guilty to murder and attempted murder charges. His …
A Michigan man won a federal lawsuit against his parents, who threw out his sizable pornography and sex toy collection in 2018. David Werking, 42, is entitled to compensation following U.S. District Judge Paul Maloney’s approval of summary judgment in his favor. Werking said he estimates he lost $25,000 in items — which court documents …
A man who pretended to be an Illinois boy, Timmothy Pitzen, who’s been missing for years, will serve prison time for his scheme. Fox 19 reports that 24-year-old Brian Rini was sentenced during a federal court hearing this week to serve two years in prison for aggravated identity theft. He’s been in jail since 2019, …
A Colorado mother accused of fraudulently taking money from charities before killing her daughter pleaded not guilty during a virtual court appearance on Wednesday. CBS Denver reports that Kelly Turner, who’s facing charges of child abuse, murder, charitable fraud and theft, appeared on video before a Douglas County judge, while her lawyers pleaded not guilty …
On Wednesday, the Ohio First District Court of Appeals ruled that the lawsuit against five Cincinnati employees will move forward, in connection with Kyle Plush. Fox 19 reports that the parents of 16-year-old Plush can continue their wrongful death lawsuit against former City Manager Harry Black, 911 dispatchers Amber Smith and Stephanie Magee, and Cincinnati …
