American trans activists led by a guy dressed as a demon storm Kentucky Capitol to protest law prohibiting child sex changes, several arrested

Under Senate Bill 150, doctors are prohibited from providing hormone therapy or other gender-affirming treatments to anyone under the age of 18.

By Edward Era Barbacena

Hundreds of protesters led by a guy dressed like a demon descended on the Kentucky State Capitol on Wednesday as Republican lawmakers enacted a sweeping ban on sex changes for minors after overriding the veto of the Democratic governor.

Under Senate Bill 150, doctors are prohibited from providing hormone therapy or other gender-affirming treatments to anyone under the age of 18.

The legislation was passed by the Republican-controlled legislature last month, but Democratic Governor Andy Beshear vetoed the bill, calling it an attack on the transgender community.

On Wednesday, lawmakers returned to the state capitol for the final days of the 2023 legislative session.

According to the Courier-Journal, hundreds of teens joined other activists from across Kentucky in the State Capitol in Frankfort to oppose the bill.

Kentucky State Police removed several protesters who refused to remain silent during the proceedings in the House of Representatives as lawmakers discussed overturning Governor Andy Beshear's veto of SB 150. Some of the protesters locked arms and chanted "trans kids are under attack." According to the outlet, they were also removed and arrested.

The Senate overrode Beshear’s veto in a 29 to 8 vote and the veto was then overridden in the House by a vote of 76 to 23.

A few of the protesters were seen weeping in response to the override vote while others chanted "vote them out" and yelled “shame."

Supporters of SB 150 were also present at the Capitol during the proceedings on Wednesday.

Following the veto, Beshear said in a statement to the media that parents should have the right to make important medical decisions for their children, rather than having those decisions dictated by the government. "At the end of the day, this is about my belief — and, I think, the belief of the majority of Kentuckians — that parents should get to make important medical decisions about their children, not big government."

 

Vancouver dad stabbed to death outside Starbucks after asking man not to vape near his child

By Edward Era Barbacena

A confrontation on the patio of a busy downtown Starbucks that ended with the stabbing death of a Burnaby man started when the victim asked the suspect to not vape near his toddler, said the victim’s mother.

“This is so horribly wrong what happened,” said Kathy Schmidt, two days after her son, Paul Stanley Schmidt was stabbed in broad daylight in front of his fiancée and his three-year-old daughter and many onlookers.

“He was just trying to protect his daughter,” she said. “I’m angry and I’m sad.”

A man has been charged with second-degree murder in the killing and Schmidt said she would like the charge upped to first-degree murder, which requires proof of premeditation, to ensure a longer stay in prison if he’s convicted.

“He had a knife,” she said. “I don’t carry a knife into a coffee shop, do you?”

Schmidt said her son’s fiancée, Ashley Umali, told her she was inside getting drinks while Paul and daughter Erica in a stroller waited outside the café at Granville and West Pender streets.

“It all started because he was vaping beside the baby. Ashley’s in shock, she watched the whole thing. She’s so devastated.”

“Paul was a great guy and a hard worker,” said Sean Collings, operations manager of Jiffy Move, a moving company in Burnaby where Schmidt had worked for at least five years. “He was a devoted husband and father.”

Collings said the death has hit the 200 to 300 people who work for moving companies in Metro hard because they all know one another. Movers were discussing Schmidt, who was 37, on a social media platform they belong to.

He said Schmidt worked five days a week at the physically demanding job and his was the only income supporting his family.

Paul’s website include many photos of his young family and in his intro to the page, he had written: “I love Ashley and Erica Schmidt.”

A police officer on patrol was flagged down near the café at around 5:40 p.m. on Sunday, said Vancouver Police spokesman Sgt. Steve Addison.

The officer arrested a suspect inside the Starbucks who did not resist, he said.

The scene was captured on video and posted online on Instagram and Twitter.

Family members posted pleas to Paul’s Facebook page for people to not watch or re-post the graphic video.

“Someone took my brother’s life yesterday and another person filmed it (do NOT watch) instead of calling the police, and worse off, posted it on social media very clearly for views,” posted Jessica Foxx Foto, who said Paul was her stepbrother.

She called the video “incredibly traumatizing” and urged the poster to remove it.

The Vancouver Police and Mayor Ken Sim were among those tweeting to ask people to not post or repost the video.

“Our hearts go out to Mr. Schmidt and his family -— out of respect for them and their loss, please refrain from sharing graphic images or videos of the incident on social media,” Sim said on Twitter.

A Gofundme page has been set up by the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden to help Paul’s family because the executive director Lorraine Lowe is a friend and neighbour of Ashley’s extended family.

Inderdeep Singh Gosal, 32, has been charged with second-degree murder. He has no other charges listed in provincial court databases.

Investigators do not believe the victim and suspect knew each other.

Schmidt is Vancouver’s sixth homicide victim of 2023.

 

American doctor in Florida arrested for murder of a lawyer 

Dr. Tomasz Kosowski is accused of killing a lawyer missing since last week from a firm that represents former co-workers the doctor has been suing in a business dispute.

By Edward Era Barbacena

A Tampa-area plastic surgeon has been charged with murder, accused of killing a lawyer missing since last week from a firm that represents former co-workers the doctor has been suing in a business dispute.

Largo police arrested Dr. Tomasz Kosowski on a first-degree murder charge on Saturday in the disappearance of Steven Cozzi, who was last seen Tuesday at Blanchard Law, the firm where he worked.

Police said Sunday that while Cozzi’s body has not been found, they have evidence that he was killed by Kosowski.

They said Cozzi’s wallet, phone and keys were found in the law office along with a significant amount of blood in the bathroom. They say a suspicious person and car were seen at the office, leading them to Kosowski. A search of the doctor’s Tarpon Springs home found evidence that led to his arrest, police said. They did not elaborate.

Kosowski, 44, who goes by “Dr. K,” was being held without bail on Sunday at the Pinellas County Jail. Court and jail records do not indicate if he has hired an attorney.

Blanchard Law has been representing Kosowski’s former employer and co-workers in a lawsuit he filed against them four years ago and is ongoing. Jake Blanchard, the firm’s principal partner, did not immediately respond Sunday to an email and phone message seeking comment.

In the lawsuit, Kosowski said he began working for Laufer Institute of Plastic Surgery in 2016, mostly doing breast reconstruction surgery. He said the woman Laufer Institute assigned to do his insurance billing didn’t file claims and lied to his patients, costing him tens of thousands of dollars and resulting in negative reviews of him to be posted online.

“Dr. K’s promising young career has essentially been obliterated” by the woman’s actions, Kosowski lawsuit says. “Through no fault of his own, his career was put directly in jeopardy and his reputation has been deeply tarnished.”

He left Laufer Institute in 2018 and had set up his own practice. Laufer Institute did not immediately return a call seeking comment Sunday.

 

Mass shooting in Nashville, United States leaves 6 dead including 3 nine year old children

The shooter was identified as 28 year-old  transgender Audrey Hale

By Edward Era Barbacena

The three children killed Monday in a shooting at a Nashville, Tennessee private were all nine years old, Nashville police said.

The shooting at The Covenant School on Monday left seven people dead including the shooter, the Metro Nashville Police Department said.

The children were identified by police as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney, all age 9.

The adult victims were identified as Cynthia Peak, 61, Katherine Koonce, 60, and Mike Hill, 61.

The shooting suspect has been identified as Audrey Hale, a 28-year-old Nashville woman, according to multiple reports.

The shooter was armed with two “assault-style” rifles and a pistol, The Associated Press reports.

Hale is believed to be a former student at The Covenant School, the report said.

 

A White German teenage girl was brutally tortured on video by teenagers, who beat the victim, set her hair on fire, and put out cigarettes on her face.

By Edward Era Barbacena 

A video of the incident is spreading across social media, with users reacting with shock to its content. However, a longer version of the video has been made available to German television channel RTL, which states the longer version is far more harrowing and includes the teenagers setting the girl’s hair on fire and putting lit cigarettes out on her.

The girl, who is White, is targeted by girls who appear to have a foreign background. One Black girl is also seen in the background, but it is unclear if she participated in the assault.

“Everyone knows that nothing will happen to them because they are so young, but my daughter will never forget it for the rest of her life,” said the mother of the victim in an interview with Schleswig-Holsteinische Zeitung. “When I saw the video, I collapsed. Everyone had fun tormenting my daughter. These are sadists.”

According to the victim’s mother, the shorter version of the video does not show the full extent of the torture her daughter was subjected to. In the longer video, the group of girls forced the victim to strip down to her T-shirt, and according to police spokeswoman Astrid Heidorn, she was also robbed of her cell phone.

In the video, the girls tell the German girl to close her eyes each time before punching her in the face and slapping her (a censored version of the video can also be accessed here on Rumble). The girl hysterically cries in response. One of the girls spits on her, telling her, “Close your sh*t eyes.” Although there is no footage of the girl being stubbed with lit cigarettes in the shorter clip that has been made publically available, one of the aggressors asks where her cigarettes are as the victim weeps in front of her.

The incident reportedly took place on Feb. 21 in Heide, located in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein, and comes shortly after the murder of a 12-year-old Luise in Freudenberg, who was stabbed to death by two girls the same age.

Up to a dozen girls may have participated in the latest attack, but even those already identified may face no criminal responsibility. They are between the ages of 12 and 17. Schleswig-Holstein’s Minister of the Interior Sabine Sütterlin-Waack said: “Three perpetrators have been identified, but two of them are under the age of criminal responsibility.”

In Germany, any perpetrator under the age of 14 cannot be held criminally liable, which means the murderers of the 12-year-old victim will face no legal consequences whatsoever, a law that the Alternative for Germany (AfD) is seeking to change in order to hold young perpetrators accountable for serious crimes.

“I want the perpetrators to be punished harshly and fairly. The law needs to be tightened,” said the mother.

The victim and her tormentors appear to have known each other before the incident.

During the incident, a witness was passing by the scene, and the victim was forced to tell that person that she was merely “lovesick” and the other girls were there to take care of her. However, another witness eventually stepped in and stopped the violence.

“He realized the danger my daughter was in and took her away when she asked for help. We are very grateful to him,” the victim’s mother told the Schleswig-Holsteinische Zeitung. The perpetrators fled the scene when a police vehicle arrived.

Even weeks after the attack, the woman’s daughter remains in a psychiatric clinic where doctors are taking care of her. The mother says she decided to go public with the case now because she wants to raise awareness about violence among young people. She says she also wants to encourage other parents to report similar acts.

 

American teen ager  sentenced to life in prison for fatally stabbing Florida cheerleader 114 times

Aiden Fucci was 14 when he killed 13-year-old Tristyn Bailey on May 9, 2021, authorities said. Fucci pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in February

By Edward Era Barbacena 

The Florida white  teen who fatally stabbed 13-year-old cheerleader Tristyn Bailey 114 times in 2021 was sentenced Friday to life in prison, authorities said.

Aiden Fucci, 16, was handed the sentence by Judge R. Lee Smith, said Haley Harrison, with the State Attorney's Office 7th Judicial Circuit of Florida.

Harrison said Fucci's sentence is subject to review by a judge in 25 years.

Aiden Fucci at Saint Johns County Courthouse, on Jacksonville, Fla.

Aiden Fucci at Saint Johns County Courthouse, in Jacksonville, Fla., on Feb. 23. Bob Self / USA Today Network

Fucci pleaded guilty in February to first-degree murder. He was 14 when he was arrested in the May 9, 2021 slaying.

Tristyn's father, Forest, spoke Friday on behalf of his family following the verdict.

He sent his late daughter a message.

"Tristyn, I wanted to let you know we are so extremely proud of the person that you were in your time time here," he said. "We have seen that when you went out into the world, you gave it your very best. You should be proud of the friend that you were, the teammate that you were, and what you left behind and the people that knew you that we trust will go forward and continue to make the world a better place."

His voice cracked as he continued speaking.

"With respect to what you mean to our family, it's in our hearts. There are no words. We love you. We will continue to hold you in our hearts and we will always be the Bailey Seven."

He thanked the judge for the sentence he handed down.

"We are very appreciative of this outcome and felt that it is the right verdict considering how heinous the crime is and Aiden's behavior around it."

He added Fucci's family should not be mistreated because they're in pain, too.

"Please extend them kindness. They should be given grace for the pain they're going through. They should not be given additional hardship."

Bailey was found dead in woods outside Jacksonville. According to a probable cause affidavit, Fucci told investigators that he got into an argument with Bailey and pushed her to the ground after they left a mutual friend’s before dawn on May 9.

While he was still considered a witness, Fucci snapped a photo of himself in the back of a police vehicle flashing a peace sign and posted the image to social media with the caption: “Hey guys has anybody seen Tristyn lately.”

He was arrested May 10 and initially accused of second-degree murder.

Days later, a grand jury indicted him on a first-degree murder charge, and Fucci was to be tried as an adult.  

State Attorney R.J. Larizza stated the number of stab wounds supported the charge and showed the attack was premeditated.

On Wednesday, Bailey's family provided emotional accounts during a sentencing hearing.

Alexis Bailey, Tristyn’s sister, dropped 114 teal stones into a glass jar to represent each time Fucci stabbed her younger sister.

“Aiden Fucci didn’t just take Tristyn’s life that day, he took everything from us,” she said during the hearing.

Alexis and another sister, Brittney Bailey Russell, said they suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder since the slaying. Russell was on her honeymoon when she learned that her sister was missing.

“Agony isn’t painful enough. Shattered to the core doesn’t crumble like how I feel. Infuriated doesn’t even come close to touching the amount of rage I find myself trapped in,” she said. “And let me tell you, justice is just a word for comfort. It doesn’t bring her back,” Russell said.

 

American Officer shoots a combatant white man during fight at bus station in west Phoenix

By Edward Era Barbacena

A man is in the hospital after police said he attacked an officer, leading to that officer shooting him at a bus station in west Phoenix early Wednesday morning. Phoenix Police Sgt. Melissa Soliz said the unidentified man was acting erratically and disturbing people inside a building at the Tufesa bus depot near 27th Avenue and McDowell Road around 4:45 a.m. The first officer to arrive asked him to come outside to talk. Once outside, Soliz said the suspect started to “violently and physically attack the officer.”

The officer fired his Taser at the man, but he continued to fight. Police say the officer tried to take the man into custody when he turned around and kicked the officer, which caused him to lose control of his stun gun. The man got up and continued to attack the officer, who then shot at the man. He was taken to the hospital in serious condition. The officer wasn’t hurt.

This is the fourth shooting involving Phoenix police officers in the past five days. “We are all very aware of how many officer-involved shootings we’ve had. This is something that’s concerning,” Sgt. Soliz said. “Our officers respond to calls every day, all day that can potentially end up in officer-involved shootings or violence.” She added that it’s also important to note that many incidents end peacefully. Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell also addressed the increasing number of dangerous confrontations on Wednesday. “It speaks to the level of violence that police officers are facing,” Mitchell said. “They have an incredibly difficult job.”

Since she started as county attorney last year, Mitchell says her office has cleared the backlog of more than 50 police shooting cases. She believes most of the people getting shot by police in Maricopa County are people who legally shouldn’t have guns. “Anecdotally, what we are seeing is that there is a very high correlation between felons who were illegally in possession of firearms and those that later involved in shootouts with police.”

 

Video: Huge explosion at Texas chemical plant

By Edward Era Barbacena

A huge explosion at a chemical manufacturing plant in Texas was caught on video Wednesday afternoon, sparking a blaze that sent black smoke into the sky before being extinguished.

The incident happened in Pasadena, outside of Houston, at a plant operated by the chemical multinational INEOS, KHOU reported.

A video appearing to show the explosion and its aftermath from multiple angles was shared on social media.

The city of Pasadena announced at 1:17 p.m. local time that the fire was extinguished and no "protective measures" were necessary for area residents.

One person was transported to a hospital, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez. Authorities said during a press conference that the explosion happened when liquid petroleum gas was being moved from one tank to another, Click2Houston reported.

The INEOS plant in Pasadena is the largest standalone plant in the world focused on producing cumene, according to the company's website. Cumene is a building-block chemical used in various petroleum products.

Consisting of 36 individual businesses and operating in 29 countries, INEOS manufactures petrochemicals, speciality chemicals, and oil products, according to its website.

The chemical is "moderately toxic," and short-term inhalation can cause headaches, dizziness, drowsiness, incoordination, and unconsciousness, according to PubChem.

The incident came less than two months after an Ohio train derailment saw train cars of chemicals deliberately burned, sending a smoke plume over the town of East Palestine that has left residents there with lingering health and environmental concerns.

It also followed a major explosion at a manufacturing plant in northeast Ohio Feb. 20, which injured more than a dozen people and sent debris flying at buildings and cars.

 

American Dentist of Colorado slowly poisoned his wife to death in order to start a new life with his lover

James Toliver Craig drove his wife Angela Craig to the hospital after she complained of headaches and dizziness. 

By Edward Era Barbacena

A Colorado dentist was arrested Sunday following accusations he poisoned and killed his wife, according to police.

James Toliver Craig, 45, had driven his wife, 43, to a hospital on Wednesday because she was complaining of severe headaches and dizziness, the Aurora Police Department wrote in a press release.

Shortly after arriving at the hospital, his wife's condition rapidly deteriorated, and she was placed on a ventilator in an intensive care unit. She was eventually declared medically brain-dead.

Doctors took her off life support and contacted the police Sunday morning because they believed her medical situation was suspicious.

The Aurora Police Department's Major Crimes Homicide Unit launched an investigation into the woman's death and determined she had been poisoned. 

"When the suspicious details of this case came to light, our team of officers and homicide detectives tirelessly worked to uncover the truth behind the victim’s sudden illness and death," Division Chief Mark Hildebrand said in a statement. "It was quickly discovered this was in fact a heinous, complex and calculated murder. I am very proud of our Major Crimes Homicide Unit’s hard work in solving this case and pursuing justice for the victim."

Police obtained a warrant for Craig's arrest shortly after doctors took the woman off life support.

Craig was arrested early Sunday morning on first-degree murder charges in connection with his wife's death. He was booked into the county jail.

The incident remains under investigation. 

 

Insecure racist North Carolina man put swastikas in his yard after Black-American businesswoman successfully set up shop next door

By Edward Era Barbacena

Angel Pittman had a simple idea: she purchased a simple patch of land in Salisbury, North Carolina for $10,000, three school buses for $14,000, and planned to create a mobile hair salon. Her plan was to live out of one of the buses and use the other two to travel around the community providing her services.

But according to The Guardian, she ran into an immediate problem: a stupid elderly white neighbor who objected to a Black woman setting up a business across the street — and quickly made her life a nightmare.

According to Pittman, the man “had already given me weird vibes” while she was going through closing, and then "About a week after closing, on 23 September, she returned with her mom to drop off the buses. This time, she said, the man approached them and asked, '‘Why are you guys here? Are y’all looking for shade?’'"

And then, things got even worse, as Pittman tells The Guardian that he began to exhibit violent and racist behavior.

"He sat over there and had his gun out the whole time," she said. "He was like, ‘Get the f**k off my lawn. And [that] we need to get them f**king buses off his lawn. So basically saying, my land was his."

He then began displaying swastikas and pro-KKK signs in his yard, which prompted Pittman to call the local police, who dismissed her complaint on the grounds that her neighbor had put up racist signs in the past.

Sheriff Captain Mark McDaniel defended this response, claiming there was no evidence the neighbor committed a hate crime because he had white supremacy signs even before Pittman moved into the neighborhood: “It wasn’t like he put it there overnight.” 

As for Pittman, she has fled back home to Charlotte, where she is raising funds to try to cover her losses and restart her business on a patch of land in that area instead. “

I cried for a long time," she told reporters. "For somebody to be hateful because of my skin color makes it even worse. It’s really heartbreaking.”

 

American Teacher of Oregon at center of sexual fantasy assignment controversy placed on leave, under investigation

By Edward Era Barbacena

The Oregon high school teacher at the center of a "sexual fantasy" assignment controversy has been placed on leave pending an investigation.

Kirk Miller asked students at Churchill High School in Eugene to write about their fantasies during a health class. While the assignment was quickly scrubbed from the curriculum, the fact that it was included to begin with drew ire from many parents.

According to KATU, the Eugene School District 4J revealed on Friday that an "outside third party" was conducting the investigation, with school board member Gordon Lafer adding that the probe will "look into any and all concerns/allegations that have been raised, and not just the one assignment that's been circulated on social media."

Lafer, and several others, apologized at a school board meeting on Wednesday, admitting the assignment "should never have been given."

"To require students to write down and share sexual fantasies as a requirement of a course is inappropriate and, I believe, an abuse of authority and invasion of students' privacy," he stated.

In the assignment, which was derived from Page 90 of the Our Whole Lives Sexuality Education for Grades 10-12 guidebook, Miller told students to write about their sexual fantasies, but stipulated that they should not "involve penetration of any kind or oral sex," but that they should reference at least three items from a list of suggestions including "romantic music, candles, massage oil, feathers, a feather boa and flavored syrup."

"You story should show that you can show and receive loving physical affection without having sex," he added.

As KATU reports, Our Whole Lives said the assignment was an "unauthorized, out-of-context adaptation of a facilitated group activity."

Superintendent Andy Dey blamed lack of oversight, stating that it was "not a lesson the district endorses or supports delivering," and vowing never to use it again.

"Moving forward," Dey said, "the district will ensure that our faculty understand and follow district policy and state law by providing families information about health curriculum, which will now include clear unit information to allow for informed decision-making for all families on their student’s participation in some or all of the curriculum."

 

Millions of dead fish wash up amid heat wave in Australia

By Edward Era Barbacena

Millions of fish have washed up dead in southeastern Australia in a die-off that authorities and scientists say is caused by floods and hot weather.

The Department of Primary Industries in New South Wales state said the fish deaths coincided with a heat wave that put stress on a system that has experienced extreme conditions from wide-scale flooding.

The deaths were likely caused by low oxygen levels as floods recede, a situation made worse by fish needing more oxygen because of the warmer weather, the department said.

Residents of the Outback town of Menindee complained of a terrible smell from the dead fish.

"We’ve just sort of started to clean up, and then this has happened, and that’s sort of you’re walking around in a dried-up mess and then you’re smelling this putrid smell. It’s a terrible smell and horrible to see all those dead fish,” said Jan Dening, a local.

Nature photographer Geoff Looney found huge clusters of dead fish near the main weir in Menindee on Thursday evening.

"The stink was terrible. I nearly had to put a mask on,” Looney said. "I was worried about my own health. That water right in the top comes down to our pumping station for the town. People north of Menindee say there’s cod and perch floating down the river everywhere.”

Mass kills have been reported on the Darling-Baaka River in recent weeks. Tens of thousands of fish were found at the same spot in late February, while there have been several reports of dead fish downstream toward Pooncarie, near the borders of South Australia and Victoria states.

Enormous fish kills occurred on the river at Menindee during severe drought conditions in late 2018 and early 2019, with locals estimating millions of deaths.

 

American pedophile of California arrested for child porn after wife found hidden camera, turned him in

Ryan Rovito, 34, was arrested for allegedly possessing more than 900 child pornography images after his wife found a hidden camera in their home's guest bathroom.

By Edward Era Barbacena

A pedophile white man from California arrested for allegedly possessing more than 900 child pornography images after his wife found a hidden camera in their home and contacted authorities.

Ryan Rovito, 34, was confronted by his wife on March 8 after she discovered the camera in their home’s guest bathroom, according to the Redding Police Department.

He admitted to knowing about the camera and said he would throw it away, but his wife had seized it and the hard drive it was connected to.

His wife contacted police over concerns that he had recorded their young children using the bathroom.

Police obtained a search warrant for the devices and detectives performed a preliminary forensic analysis in which more than 900 images of child pornography and multiple videos from the bathroom camera were found.

The videos showed children and adults using the bathroom who appeared to be unaware that they were being recorded, police said.

An arrest warrant was obtained on March 9 and police arrested Rovito during a traffic stop.

Ravito was charged in connection with the possession of child pornography and the surreptitious recording of an identifiable person who was undressed.

He was booked into the Shasta County Jail.

 

ICC issues arrest warrant for Putin over alleged Ukraine war crimes

The International Criminal Court said on Thursday there were 'reasonable grounds' to believe that Russia's president was responsible for the deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia.

By Edward Era Barbacena

The International Criminal Court said on Friday, March 17, it has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes because of his alleged involvement in the abduction of children from Ukraine.

The court said in a statement that Putin "is allegedly responsible for the war crime of unlawful deportation of population (children) and that of unlawful transfer of population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation."

War-battered Ukraine welcomed the ICC announcement, with President Voldomyr Zelensky hailing it as a "historic decision."

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says that Russia doesn’t recognize the International Criminal Court and considers its decisions “legally void.” He added that Russia considers the court’s move to issue an arrest warrant Friday against Putin “outrageous and unacceptable.”

It also issued a warrant Friday for the arrest of Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, the Commissioner for Children's Rights in the Office of the President of the Russian Federation, on similar allegations.

The ICC said that its pre-trial chamber found there were "reasonable grounds to believe that each suspect bears responsibility for the war crime of unlawful deportation of population and that of unlawful transfer of population from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation, in prejudice of Ukrainian children."

The court's president, Piotr Hofmanski, said in a video statement that while the ICC's judges have issued the warrants, it will be up to the international community to enforce them. The court has no police force of its own to enforce warrants.

"The ICC is doing its part of work as a court of law. The judges issued arrest warrants. The execution depends on international cooperation."

A possible trial of any Russians at the ICC remains a long way off, as Moscow doesn't recognize the court's jurisdiction – a position reaffirmed earlier this week by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov – and does not extradite its nationals.

A possible trial of any Russians at the ICC remains a long way off, as Moscow doesn't recognize the court's jurisdiction – a position reaffirmed earlier this week by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov – and does not extradite its nationals.

Ukraine also is not a member of the court, but it has granted the ICC jurisdiction over its territory and ICC prosecutor Karim Khan has visited four times since opening an investigation a year ago.

Moscow dismissed the ICC's decisions as having "no meaning" for Russia, "including from a legal point of view," Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on social media. "Possible 'recipes' for arrest coming from the international court will be legally void as far as we are concerned," she added without referring to Putin by name.

On Thursday, a UN-backed inquiry cited Russian attacks against civilians in Ukraine, including systematic torture and killing in occupied regions, among potential issues that amount to war crimes and possibly crimes against humanity.

The sweeping investigation also found crimes committed against Ukrainians on Russian territory, including deported Ukrainian children who were prevented from reuniting with their families, a "filtration" system aimed at singling out Ukrainians for detention, and torture and inhumane detention conditions.

 

American pedophile  doctor of Massachusetts  arrested for child porn stash, including videos of young patients

Dr. Bradford Ferrick, 32, was arrested after federal investigators uncovered dozens of devices  containing child porn images and videos 

By Edward Era Barbacena

A Massachusetts resident doctor was busted by the feds for allegedly possessing thousands of child porn images and videos — including footage of young patients he cared for — that were recorded with a bracelet.

Dr. Bradford Ferrick, 32, was arrested last month after federal investigators uncovered dozens of devices allegedly containing the disturbing material during three separate searches of homes where he lived, the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts said Wednesday.

During a Feb. 13 search of Ferrick’s Winchester home, about 61 devices including external hard drives, computers, cellphones, hidden camera systems and SD cards were seized by authorities.

State investigators believe the items contained thousands of images and videos of child pornography, prosecutors said.

Another search by state investigators of the same home four days later led to the discovery of another 11 devices that contained images and videos depicting child porn of victims between the ages of 6 and 11, the feds allege.

Then, in an additional search of a home Ferrick was renting in Amherst on Feb. 21, investigators found eight more devices that included multiple hidden cameras and USB storage devices.

One of the hidden cameras — designed to be worn as a bracelet — allegedly contained two recorded videos of Ferrick giving medical exams to two minors, the US Attorney’s Office said.

The minors, seemingly unaware they were being recorded, could be heard and even at times seen in the videos, investigators believe.

“I can think of no greater fear as a parent or guardian than potential harm coming to your child. Today we allege that this doctor, who held a position of trust with access to children, maintained child sexual abuse material,” said US Attorney Rachael Rollins as she warned the investigation is ongoing.

A website has been set up by the feds for families that believe their child might have been victimized by Ferrick.

“Members of the public with questions, concerns or any information pertaining to this doctor are strongly encouraged to contact the FBI via the provided form. As members of law enforcement, the safety of children is our highest priority,” Rollins stated. “Together, in close cooperation with the medical facilities where Dr. Ferrick was employed, we will do all that we can to identify the duration and scope of his alleged offenses and proceed accordingly and expeditiously.”

Ferrick lived in Syracuse from 2018 to 2022 while he attended the SUNY Upstate Medical University.

He left for New England in July 2022 to begin his training, according to charging docs.

He was ordered to be held in custody Wednesday until a detention and probable cause hearing on March 21, the Boston Globe reported.

Ferrick was charged with one federal count of possession of child pornography and could face as much as 20 years in prison if convicted.

He was initially charged with four state counts of child pornography possession in Woburn District Court after his Feb. 13 arrest by state authorities, the Globe reported.

He pleaded not guilty in that case and was released on bail to home confinement.

He’s been on unpaid administrative leave from Baystate Franklin Medical Center since mid-February, a spokesperson for the health center confirmed to the Globe.

“We are cooperating with law enforcement authorities as they proceed with their investigation,” said spokesperson Chalonda James. 

 

Federal judge doubles sentence for American cop of New Orleans  in child  rape plea deal

Judge had rejected earlier deal, saying Rodney Vicknair's sentence was 'unjustifiably lenient.'

By  Edward Era Barbacena

A federal judge on Tuesday doubled the sentence for a former New Orleans police officer who sexually molested a 14-year-old rape survivor he met through work.

Last week, U.S. District Judge Lance Africk rejected a seven-year plea deal that Rodney Vicknair reached with federal prosecutors, calling it "unjustifiably lenient." Africk on Tuesday then signed off on a second plea deal that increased Vicknair's sentence to 14 years behind bars.

"The court is obligated to protect other children from unacceptable criminal behavior, and the court is of the opinion that this sentence does so," said Africk, who was nominated to the court by President George W. Bush. "The fact a police officer would engage in this brazen and outrageous conduct is unimaginable."

A former emergency medical technician and 13-year veteran of the NOPD, Vicknair drove the teen to Children's Hospital for a "rape kit" exam in May 2020.  Shortly thereafter, he began a grooming process that started with sexually charged texts and culminated in rape in September 2020, when Vicknair went to the girl's house, locked her in his police vehicle and touched her genitals under her clothing.

"He made sure she was victimized a second time," Africk said.

On separate occasions, Vicknair fondled the girl's breasts and buttocks, struck her with his police baton under the guise of roughhousing, forcefully twisted her arm and "described how he could easily commit acts of physical violence, such as breaking peoples’ necks, and joked about how he could kill (the victim's loved ones)," according to a civil complaint filed by the victim's mother.

In the years prior to his conviction, Vicknair was issued multiple suspensions and a letter of reprimand. Two disciplinary actions were related to his behavior toward women, including an incident in 2009 in which he inappropriately retrieved a woman's personal information and used it to summon her as she walked in the Ideal Food Market parking lot.

"This case should send a strong message to law enforcement officers who sexually abuse victims, particularly children, that they are not above the law and will be held accountable," said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division in an emailed statement.

The department's Public Integrity Bureau opened an investigation in 2020 after learning that Vicknair had an inappropriate relationship with the victim. The FBI New Orleans Field Office also investigated the case. Independent Police Monitor Stella Cziment was present in court Tuesday to monitor the proceedings. 

"We're here to support those brave enough to come forward to report sexual assault committed by officers," Cziment said.

The victim was not present at the sentencing because she was "not doing well," her mother said.

"Last week was extremely emotional to her to the point where she couldn't find it to come back," said her mother, who is not named to protect the identity of the rape victim. "It was tough."

Vicknair, 55, is on 24-7 lockdown at his home until May 15, when he must surrender to the Federal Bureau of Prisons to begin his 14-year sentence, after which he will be subject to five years supervised release. He also must pay restitution to the victim. That amount will be decided at a hearing on May 3.

 

American man of Georgia arrested for 2008 cold case murder

Shannon Tapley, 43, was booked into the Bartow County Jail after 15 years charged with murder for the death of 20-year-old Lance Jay Banister

By Edward Era Barbacena

Authorities have arrested a white Cartersville man for the 2008 murder of an Acworth man whose body was found at Talking Rock Creek.

Shannon Tapley, 43, was booked into the Bartow County Jail after 15 years charged with murder for the death of 20-year-old Lance Jay Banister, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation says.

The GBI was asked by the Murray County Sheriff’s Office to help in the death investigation after a body was found near Carters Lake in Chatsworth on March 28, 2008. Investigators later identified the body as Banister.

Investigators say he had been missing for three weeks before his body was found.

The GBI Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Banister’s death a homicide.

Investigators say Banister and Tapley were friends and were together the day he disappeared.

Murray County Sheriff’s Office detectives, FBI special agents from the Dalton Safe Streets Task Force, Bartow County Sheriff’s Office detectives, and GBI agents all assisted in the investigation.

The Bartow County District Attorney’s Office will be prosecuting the case.

It was not immediately known when Tapley’s next court appearance was scheduled.

 

American trans-identified biological male daycare worker charged with sexual abuse of infant in Kentucky

Kentucky transgender daycare worker Maria Childers is accused of sexually abusing a baby while changing the child's diaper.

By Edward Era Barbacena

 Kentucky transgender daycare worker Maria Childers is accused of sexually abusing a baby while changing the child's diaper, according to official documents obtained by WPSD Local 6.

The Paducah Police Department got a complaint of the alleged abuse on February 8 from the Kentucky Department for Community Based Services after an anonymous tip came in about trans-identified male Childers, 25, who was employed at the Explore Learning Academy in November when the crime allegedly took place.

According to the local outlet, a police citation says a witness at the childcare facility corroborated the details of the complaint, and the daycare's director said she was already aware of the allegations and had written up Childers over an incident regarding inappropriate comments.

Childers, who identifies as a transgender woman, was arrested the same day as police investigated the center and initially denied touching the baby's diaper in an interview. However, Childers switched the story after the investigator read a text the daycare worker sent to the director confirming the diaper change. 

While admitting to changing the diaper, "Childers then maintained that he had not made inappropriate comments or touched the baby sexually," reported women's sex-based news site Reduxx.

According to the outlet, Childers was hit with a charge of first-degree sexual abuse of a victim under the age of 12, and is incarcerated in the McCracken County Jail with a $100,000 bond. As the publication reports, the official sex listed on the jail's inmate roster is "male."

Childers took their mother's maiden name after identifying as a woman. Childers previous name was Mark.

Childers is scheduled for an arraignment hearing on March 23. It is unclear what Childers' employment status is with the Explore Learning Academy.

 

 

NYC teen with autism attacked and beaten by a group in subway

By Edward Era Barbacena

Shocking video of teens attacking a 15-year-old in an uptown train station has spurred an NYPD hate crime investigation.

A  group yelled anti-Black slurs before brutally attacking the boy in the Manhattan subway station on Friday afternoon, police said on Monday as video of the incident circulated on social media.

Video shows a black teen attempting to board the train while a young woman in a Chicago Bulls sweatshirt forcefully pulls the teen off an A train. A large group of teens surround the teen  screaming repeatedly, “Get off” and “Ni***r Alert!!”

]The group passes at least 20 other kids and 10 adults standing on the uptown platform, video shows.

The teen tries to get back on the train, but the girl drags him off again, another teen throws a punch and then the group tackles him, the video shows.

“Fight back” someone screams in the video.

The teen tries to defend himself as he’s thrown on a bench and his glasses are knocked from his face, the video shows.

The 15-year-old’s lip was cut and, according to police, his attackers broke his glasses.

Uptown’s 34th Precinct released photos on Monday afternoon of three suspects wanted in connection to the attack.

 

Russian fighter jet forces shoots  down US drone over Black Sea after intercept

By Edward Era Barbacena

CNN: A Russian fighter jet forced down a US Air Force drone over the Black Sea on Tuesday after damaging the propeller of the American MQ-9 Reaper drone, according to a US official familiar with the incident.

The Reaper drone and two SU-27 Flanker jets were operating over international waters over the Black Sea when one of the Russian jets intentionally flew in front of and dumped fuel in front of the unmanned drone, according to the official. One of the jets then damaged the propeller of the Reaper, which is mounted on the rear of the drone, the official said. The damage to the propeller forced the US to bring down the Reaper in international waters in the Black Sea.

The US Air Force issued a statement accusing the Russian aircraft of acting in a “reckless, environmentally unsound and unprofessional manner.”

“At approximately 7:03 AM (CET), one of the Russian Su-27 aircraft struck the propeller of the MQ-9, causing U.S. forces to have to bring the MQ-9 down in international waters. Several times before the collision, the Su-27s dumped fuel on and flew in front of the MQ-9 in a reckless, environmentally unsound and unprofessional manner. This incident demonstrates a lack of competence in addition to being unsafe and unprofessional,” US Air Force Gen. James B.Hecker, commander, U.S. Air Forces Europe and Air Forces Africa said in the statement.

President Joe Biden was briefed on the incident by national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Tuesday morning, according to National Security Council communications coordinator John Kirby.

Kirby He said it was “not uncommon” for Russian aircraft to intercept US aircraft over the Black Sea, and said there had been other intercepts in recent weeks.

But he said the episode Tuesday was unique in how “unsafe, unprofessional and reckless” the Russian actions were.

CNN has asked the Russian Ministry of Defense for comment.

Russian and US aircraft have operated over the Black Sea during the course of the Ukraine war, but this is the first known such interaction, a potentially dangerous escalation at a critical time in the fighting.

The US has been operating Reaper drones over the Black Sea since before the beginning of the war, using the spy drones to monitor the area. Reaper drones can fly as high as 50,000 feet, according to the Air Force, and they have sensors and capabilities to gather intelligence and perform reconnaissance for extended periods of time, making it an ideal platform to track movements on the battlefield and in the Black Sea.

 

American dad, daughter face murder charges after newborn boy intentionally left to die alone in snow

First Degree Murder charges have been filed against Megan Staube, 25, and her father Rodney A. Staude, 64.

By Edward Era Barbacena

A newborn died because of the negligence of the people who are supposed to be taking care of it. This case in not new in the United States and there are quite many cases wherein a newborn died because of the incompetence of parents or guardians have failed to look after it. Majority of these cases are common among white people.   

A white father and white daughter in Norwalk are now charged with murder after the death of a newborn baby.

Investigators say Megan Staude, 25, had the baby at home at the end of February and that she and her dad, Rodney Staude, 64, let the baby die before leaving it along the road.

Police say the baby's body was found along the 5300 block of Delaware Street in Warren County on Thursday, March 9th, after Megan's coworkers called them on Wednesday thinking something was wrong when Megan came back to work and wasn't pregnant anymore.

An autopsy was performed by the Office of the State Medical Examiner and results are still pending.

What is Iowa's safe haven law for newborns?

A parent, or someone with a parent's permission, may leave an infant up to 90 days old at a hospital or health care facility without fear of legal action for abandonment under Iowa law, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services.

A parent also can call 911 and give the child to a first responder. Parents who relinquish their children under the Safe Haven Act are not required to give identification.

Iowa's safe haven law has been in place since 2002 after a teenager in Chelsea gave birth and left the newborn in a snowbank the year prior.

More than 50 newborns have received the safe haven status under the law, according to the human services department.

 

Drag Queen  Taught 11-Year-Olds About Anal Sex, Parent Complains

The parent of one child has alleged her 11-year-old was taught about anal and oral sex by a drag queen while attending her local school.

By Edward Era Barbacena

The mother of one 11-year-old has expressed outrage after her 11-year-old daughter was reportedly taught about both oral and anal sex by a drag queen while attending school.

It comes after another boy in the school was allegedly given detention by the same drag queen after he publicly rejected his claim that there are 73 genders.

According to a report by The Mail, the drag queen had come to the Queen Elizabeth II school located in the Crown Dependency of the Isle of Man to teach children sexual education.

Such lessons provided to children however are said to have been extremely graphic, with the educational facility reportedly being forced to suspend their sex education lessons after public outcry over the drag queen’s actions.

“When my daughter told me what had happened, I got onto the school immediately and asked them what on earth they were doing talking in such graphic detail,” one mother, whose young daughter was reportedly taught by the drag queen, reportedly told The Mail.

“My daughter is just 11 years old, she’s five years below the age of consent and is learning about anal sex and oral sex,” she explained. “What were the school thinking of?”

Although parents have expressed particular concern regarding the graphic content of the drag queen’s lessons, controversy has also emerged regarding the ideological nature of the lessons, which reportedly taught various tenets of transgenderism to children as fact.

According to The Telegraph, the guest speaker instructed children that there are 73 genders, and that when one 14-year-old boy challenged them on this, they were reportedly sent out of the room.

“You’ve upset me,” the drag queen reportedly said before ejecting the young teenager, who is said to have subsequently been given detention by the school for “being disruptive”.

Both the boy and his parents have rejected this claim made by the school, however, insisting that he was just “simply expressing his own opinion”.

“As far as I’m concerned you can’t change biology and I was amazed when I called the school to find out why my son had been given a detention,” the mother of the boy said.

“The fact our children are not allowed to have their own view, in other words that there are only two genders is disgusting,” she continued. “The teacher was drumming it into them that there were several genders and he just said as he is entitled to that he didn’t accept it and he was punished for having his own opinion.”

“There is absolutely no need to ram gender and pride down kids’ throats and the more it’s done then the more it just alienates the majority of parents and children,” she went on to say.

 

American parents of Louisiana arrested for murdering their own baby 31 years ago

DNA leads cops to arrest Louisiana couple, Inga Johansen Carriere and Andrew K. Carriere II, in 1992 murder of baby girl tossed in dumpster

By Edward Era Barbacena

A Louisiana white  couple has been arrested for the 1992 cold case slaying of a newborn girl who was smothered and tossed into the dumpster of a Mississippi restaurant.

Inga Johansen Carriere and Andrew K. Carriere II, both 50, were charged with first-degree murder after police — using advanced DNA technology — identified the pair as the infant’s parents.

The heartless killing sent shockwaves through the town of Picayune, Miss., where a farmer discovered the tiny body while collecting garbage to feed his animals.

The dead baby had been put inside a trash bag wrapped in a towel and pieces of garbage, Fox 8 reports.

The Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office concluded the infant was around three weeks premature and alive for only a few minutes before she was smothered.

Although Picayune Police collected some pieces of evidence from the crime scene, the case went cold until investigators reopened it in 2021 — when a Mississippi Bureau of Investigation agent offered to help, aided by a grant that would cover forensic genetic testing of the evidence.

The tests found matching grandparents who lived in Louisiana, leading state police to gather DNA of their four children. Through the testing, officials were able to link the infant to the Carrieres.

Arrest warrants were issued for the couple, with Inga arrested Feb. 28 and Andrew taken into custody March 9 in Galliano, La.. Along with the murder charge, the couple was also booked for desecration of a body.

The pair are being held without bond at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Facility while awaiting extradition to Mississippi.

Freedy Drennan, a former investigator who worked on the case decades ago, thanked his successors for their persistence as he visited the baby’s grave at a local cemetery.

‘I’m just glad that is brought to a conclusion,” Drennan told Fox 8. “I didn’t care who brought it to a conclusion, I just wanted to see it.”

The Louisiana State Police said in a statement the “breakthrough in the case is a testament to the advancements in forensic technology and the dedication of law enforcement agencies to bring justice to victims and their families.”

 

American wicked step mom of NYC convicted in murder of 8-year-old stepson she forced to sleep in garage in freezing temps

Angela Pollina was found guilty by a jury in the second-degree murder of her 8-year-old stepson, who was forced to sleep in an unheated garage in freezing temps.

By Edward Era Barbacena

A New York white woman was found guilty of murder on Friday in the death of her 8-year-old stepson, who she forced to sleep in an unheated garage without blankets, in below freezing temperatures.

A Suffolk County, New York jury found Angela Pollina, 45, of Center Moriches guilty for her role in the death of 8-year-old Thomas Valva, who died of hypothermia in 2020 after he and his brother were forced to sleep in the garage for months.

"The cruelty that Thomas and his brother had to endure because of this defendant’s callous and selfish conduct is abhorrent, and, thankfully, the jury clearly agreed," District Attorney Tierney said in a press release. "Her treatment of these children was nothing short of pure evil. This defendant will now face the consequences of her actions and will experience her own imprisonment just as she forced these boys to live imprisoned in a freezing garage. Unlike Thomas and his brother, Pollina deserves this punishment."

Tierney said the evidence presented during the trial showed the Pollina "consciously disregarded the well-being" of her two stepsons Thomas and Anthony, which ultimately led to Thomas’ death on Jan. 17, 2020.

The prosecution presented the jury with text messages between Pollina and the boys’ father, Michael Valva, an NYPD officer to whom she was engaged. In the text messages, Polina insisted that Thomas and Anthony sleep in the garage of their Center Moriches home and not be permitted to use the bathrooms inside.

The boys slept in the garage without blankets for months, the release read, and the night before Thomas died, he and his brother had been in the garage for 16 hours after coming home from school.

That night, there was no heat in the garage, the boys had no access to bathrooms, no blankets, and no mattress and the temperature outside was 19 degrees.

The next morning, Thomas soiled his pants as he was freezing to death, the release said.

The prosecution showed surveillance video from the home with Pollina doing her bills in the kitchen and not doing anything to help Thomas. At one point, another child asked Pollina why Thomas could not walk.

"Cause he’s hypothermic, hypothermic means you’re freezing, washing yourself in cold water when it’s freezing outside, you get hypothermic," Pollina replied.

The video also captured Pollina hosing down Thomas in the backyard with water, and two hours later Thomas was pronounced dead due to hypothermia.

Thomas and Anthony lived at the home with Pollina, Valva, another brother and Pollina’s three daughters starting in 2017.

Employees at the East Moriches School District testified during the trial that the two brothers looked thin, ate food off the floor, took food from other pupils and pulled half-eaten food out of the garbage cans.

The boys also arrived at school so soiled that employees could smell urine and feces on them.

Pollina testified during trial that she deleted footage from the home surveillance system and did not realize forcing the two boys to live in the garage in freezing temperatures was wrong until Thomas died.

She also acknowledged that her method of discipline was "evil," and blamed Valva for Thomas’ death.

Pollina was found guilty of second-degree murder and four counts of endangering the welfare of a child. She is scheduled to appear in court on April 11 for sentencing and faces 25 years to life.

Valva was also found guilty of second-degree murder and four counts of endangering the welfare of a child, and he is serving 25 years to life in prison.

 

American 3-year old girl accidentally shoots and kills 4-year-old sister in Houston

This is another tragic story as a result of irresponsible parents left the child unsupervised while playing with gun

By Edward Era Barbacena

Prosecutors will determine whether any adults will face charges after an unsupervised 3-year-old accidentally shot and killed her 4-year-old sister at their home in Houston, authorities said.

Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez called the Sunday shooting a “very preventable” situation.

“It seems like another tragic story of a child getting access to a firearm and hurting someone else,” Gonzalez said at a news conference. 

Police say the investigation is in the preliminary phase.

"Everyone's impacted, a community's impacted when a child loses their life in this way," Gonzalez said.

Here is what we know about the accidental shooting death:

The shooting occurred around 8 p.m. Sunday inside a Houston apartment where the two young children lived with their irresponsible  parents.

Five adults and the 3- and 4-year-old sisters were there around the time of the shooting, Gonzalez said. 

“It appears that one parent thought the other parent was maybe watching the other children, when in fact, the two toddlers were left basically unsupervised inside the bedroom,” he said.

The 3-year-old girl gained access to a loaded semi-automatic pistol and shot her older sibling.

Family members heard a single gunshot and ran to the bedroom, where investigators say they found the 4-year-old unresponsive on the floor.

"(They) picked up the gun, secured it at that point and called 911," Gonzalez said.

The 4-year-old died at the scene, according to police.

It's "very likely" that the adults in the home could face charges related to the unintentional shooting, Gonzalez said.

"Our investigators will consult with the Harris County District Attorney's office to see what charges are possible," he said.

The tragic shooting happened shortly after the Houston Police Department launched its first gun safe distribution program set to continue through summer.

Gonzalez urged gun owners to go beyond simply telling children not to touch weapons. 

The tragic shooting happened shortly after the Houston Police Department launched its first gun safe distribution program set to continue through summer.

Gonzalez urged gun owners to go beyond simply telling children not to touch weapons. 

"Make sure you're securing your weapons, get a gun safe and store it somewhere," the sheriff said. "We've got to do a little bit more, we see far too many tragic situations like this unfold."

 

Filipino renegade cop found guilty of killing two teenagers in 2017

By Edward Era Barbacena

A Navotas City court convicted a policeman found guilty in the killing of teenagers Carl Angelo Arnaiz and Reynaldo "Kulot" de Guzman in 2017 at the height of the previous administration’s drug war.

Judge Romana Lindayag-Del Rosario of the Navotas City Regional Trial Court Branch 287 said PO1 Jeffrey Sumbo Perez was "guilty beyond reasonable doubt" for the crime of murder in the deaths of Arnaiz and De Guzman who were 17 years old and 14 years old, respectively, when they were brutally murdered.

The decision was made on March 1, but was only made public on Monday.

The court ruled Perez would suffer reclusion perpetua without eligibility for parole for both deaths.

He was likewise ordered to pay a total of P690,000 in damages to the families of the victims.

"The foregoing amounts shall earn legal interest of six percent (6%) per annum from the date of finality of this decision, until full payment," the document said.

Arnaiz was killed on Aug. 18, 2017 in an alleged shootout with police, after a taxi driver supposedly complained that he was held up by the former University of the Philippines student.

Then Philippine National Police Chief Ronald dela Rosa said Arnaiz fought with policemen during a legitimate operation, prompting them to retaliate.

Meanwhile, De Guzman, an alleged companion of Arnaiz, went missing for weeks until his body, which was stabbed 31 times, was found in a creek in Nueva Ecija.

A month after the deaths and a growing public outcry against the brutal slayings, former President Rodrigo Duterte said the killings of the teenagers were meant to sabotage the administration's anti-drug and anti-crime campaign.

In 2018, the Department of Justice filed murder charges against Caloocan cops allegedly involved in the deaths.

 

American man and woman of Pennsylvania plead guilty in fatal shooting outside well-known cheesesteak shop

Jamie Frick, Newmanstown and Paul Burkert, Reading are charged in the shooting death of David Padro. 

Edward Era Barbacena

A white man and a white woman have pleaded guilty in a fight and shooting death outside a well-known Philadelphia cheesesteak shop almost two years ago.

Paul Burkert, 37, of Reading pleaded guilty last week to voluntary manslaughter and a firearms charge in the July 2021 shooting death of 22-year-old David Padro Jr. outside Pat's King of Steaks.

Jamie Frick, 38, of Newmanstown pleaded guilty to simple assault and reckless endangerment in connection with the fight moments before the shooting.

Both will be sentenced in June. Other charges, including murder counts, were withdrawn by prosecutors.

Authorities said the early morning dispute, which was captured on video, began when the victim pulled into a parking spot outside the restaurant and bumped Burkert's van with his car door. Early reports had incorrectly suggested that the fight began over a football rivalry.

During the fight that followed, Frick hit Padro in the head and Burkert broke free, pulled a gun and shot Padro, authorities said. The suspects fled in the van, and Burkert surrendered to police near Independence Mall while Frick was arrested several days later, authorities said.

Burkert’s attorney, A. Charles Peruto Jr., told The Philadelphia Inquirer that he’d been prepared to take the case to trial and argue that his client was acting in self-defense, but a plea to a lesser charge was more prudent since Burkert was barred from legally possessing a firearm due to a previous drug conviction.

Frick’s attorney, Brian McMonagle, told the newspaper that she was expected to receive a sentence of probation.

The victim's father, David Padro Sr., said that the killing "took something from me that I can never get back." "It’s just been devastating," he said. "My whole life changed. My family’s life changed."

 

Greta Thunberg deletes 2018 tweet saying world will end in 2023 after world does not end

"A top climate scientist is warning that climate change will wipe out all humanity unless we stop using fossil fuels over the next five years." Thunberg's post read from 2018.

By Edward Era Barbacena

On Saturday, Jack Posobiec posted a screenshot of a now-deleted 2018 tweet from Greta Thunberg, which linked to an article predicting humans would go extinct by 2023 due to climate change.

"A top climate scientist is warning that climate change will wipe out all humanity unless we stop using fossil fuels over the next five years." Thunberg's post read from 2018.

The website Thunberg sourced in her original tweet, gritpost.com, has since been shut down.

"Time flies when you're on the grift," one Twitter user wrote.

According to the US Sun, Thunberg's net worth is estimated at $1 million.

Some noted that her original post was made in June of 2018 and said "we still have 3 months."

Others defended Thunberg and said she meant that something needed to be done within five years to prevent the eventual extinction of mankind.

Thunberg first rose to prominence in August 2018 when she was 15 years old and began protesting outside of the Swedish Parliament over the issue of climate change. Her protests would take place on Fridays when she would skip class.

Thunberg would have graduated by now if she would have stayed in school.

Thunberg has called for the governments to make bolder moves on the issue of climate change and she often travels to countries on a yacht to advance her cause.

Former Vice President Al Gore has been criticized for taking license with the facts around mankind extinction predictions due to climate change in the past. The most famous example being his 2006 film An Inconvenient Truth which "did exaggerate some dire scenarios" in order to "shock the public into action" according to National Snow and Ice Data Center scientist Ted Scambos.

 

Suspect identified in 1970s cold case murder of teenager Pamela Lynn Conyers in Anne Arundel County

The suspect was identified as Forrest Clyde Williams III, a man who died in 2018 in Virginia, police said. 

By Edward Era Barbacena

After 52 years, law enforcement officers have identified a suspect in the 1970 killing of Pamela Lynn Conyers, a 16-year-old student at Glen Burnie High School who went to the Harundale Mall one October night and never returned home.

FBI investigators have isolated Forrest Clyde Williams as a suspect using investigative genetic genealogy, the practice of compiling DNA evidence, creating matches and generating a family tree to pinpoint a suspect.

Williams moved to Pasadena as a teenager, police said, where he attended Northeast High School. Police presented a local mugshot Friday from the suspect’s time in Anne Arundel County, saying he had only previously been arrested for “nothing big,” infractions like acting drunk and disorderly.

After working side jobs as a carpenter, he returned to Virginia, where he lived the rest of his life. Williams died in Salem, Virginia, in 2018. Other than an assault arrest a few years before he died, police said Williams didn’t have a criminal record.

Anne Arundel County Police Chief Amal Awad and Special Agent Tom Sobockinski with the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office announced the cold case update in a news conference Friday. Police said if Williams still was alive, he would have been charged in Conyers’ death.

“Pamela was never forgotten,” Awad said Friday, “nor will she ever be forgotten.”

Shortly after attending a homecoming bonfire at Glen Burnie High School on Oct. 16, 1970, Conyers took her parents’ 1967 Dodge Monaco to run an errand to Harundale Mall. When she didn’t come home, her parents reported her missing to county police.

Officers found the car three days later in a wooded area near Route 100 and Mountain Road, the latter of which was under construction at the time — today, the area is near the Waterford Road/Route 648 overpass. On Oct. 20, 1970, four days after she went missing, Conyers’ body was found. The teenager had been strangled.

The case has been a source of mystery for years. At one time, investigators wondered whether Conyers’ death was tied to the 1969 murder of Catholic high school teacher Sister Cathy Cesnik, which was featured in the Netflix docuseries “The Keepers.”

Suspicions shifted to Williams after the FBI used DNA technology that Sobocinski said provides “hope [for cases] where there may have been none.”

Police said there was no evidence Williams knew Conyers before her death, adding not much was known about the suspect. Police also said they have not ruled out the possibility of more suspects.

Michael Golden attended Glen Burnie High School with Conyers. Admitting he was not as close to Conyers as some of his classmates, Golden remembered her as a kind person with a “girl next door” demeanor. They played in band together — he the bass and she the flute — and were in the same trigonometry class.

Golden said the severity of the case hit him when he saw Conyers’ empty desk the day before her body was found.

Talking to media, Golden said it felt “kind of good” to see a suspect attached to the killing. He was frustrated, however, that so little was known about Williams. According to an obituary, he was a hunter, fisherman and passionate fan of NASCAR and the Dallas Cowboys.

Police said Conyers’ family, whose surviving members did not attend Friday’s news conference, asked for privacy in the wake of the announcement.

Including Conyers’ killling, there are 79 cold case homicides listed on the Anne Arundel County Police Department’s website. The most recent involved Xavier John Arthur Green, a 28-year-old shot in Glen Burnie.