Crime and Court USA: Recent Episodes
Mundo Carrillo
Weekly news and analysis of big crime and legal events in America with host Mundo Carrillo. Follow Mundo on Twitter @mundocarrillo
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The Supreme Court ruled that presidents are immune from prosecution for acts that they did in their official capacity as president. That, of course, means that Donald Trump may be immune from crimes he allegedly committed while attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
The case is now being kicked back to the trial judge, who will determine if Trump's actions were committed in an official capacity.
Resources:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/07/01/trump-immunity-supreme-court-ruling/
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Elizabeth Wolf, 42, is charged with attempted capital murder after allegedly trying to drown a 3-year-old Palestinian-American girl at an apartment complex pool in suburban Dallas, Texas.
Police now want prosecutors to charge Wolf, who is out on bond, with a hate crime.
Resources:
https://apnews.com/article/drowning-palestinian-child-texas-hate-crime-5bc70460f3c2344bb6154951e4e1cc77
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Chaos descended on the small town of Fordyce, Arkansas, when a gunman fatally shot four people and wounded nine others, including two officers, at the Mad Butcher grocery store on Friday.
Police have still not released a possible motive for the shooter, who doesn't appear to have a criminal history:
Resources:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/arkansas-grocery-store-shooting-deaths-injuries/
https://arkansasadvocate.com/2024/06/21/three-dead-11-injured-in-mass-shooting-at-south-arkansas-grocery/
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/22/us/arkansas-shooting-grocery-store.html
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Lego thefts are up dramatically as the value of mini figurines -- or "minifigs -- has gone up in recent years.
Police are now arresting thieves who allegedly had hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of Legos in their possession.
Resources:
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-06-20/black-market-lego
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-04-10/southern-california-thieves-steal-300000-worth-of-lego
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The South Fork and Salt fires in southern New Mexico have forced the beautiful mountain town of Ruidoso to evacuate. So far two people are confirmed dead.
Sadly, with both fires at a combined 23,000 acres and zero percent containment, it seems like things are going to get worse before they get better.
How to help: https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/heres-how-to-help-people-impacted-by-south-fork-fire-and-salt-fire/
(Thumbnail photo credit: Pamela L Bonner via Ruidoso News)
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Rebecca Grossman, a Los Angeles socialite and philanthropist, was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison for speeding through a crosswalk and killing two young boys in September 2020.
Is Grossman an unremorseful monster, or is she merely someone who was in denial?
Sources:
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-06-06/rebecca-grossman-deserves-life-in-prison-for-murders-prosecutors-say
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-06-11/nancy-iskander-disgusted-with-rebecca-grossmans-murder-sentence
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-06-10/rebecca-grossman-gets-15-years-to-life-in-prison
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Two Australian brothers and their American friend were murdered while on a surfing trip in Baja California, Mexico. The reason: thieves wanted to steal the tires on their pickup truck.
Also:
- A Texas man kills two women, critically shoots a 5-year-old girl and abducts a 10-month-old baby in New Mexico. The baby was found safe a few days later, and it appears that the suspect doesn't have any connections to the victims.
- Porn star Stormy Daniels takes the stand in Donald Trump's hush money trial.
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Violence is erupting at college campuses across America as police are breaking up encampments set up by pro-Palestinian protesters.
Students and officers have suffered injuries, and classes continue to get canceled as safety becomes an issue.
Also:
- A judge warns Donald Trump of jail time if he doesn't stop violating the gag order in his hush money trial.
- Former Nickelodeon producer Dan Schneider has sued the producers of "Quiet on Set," claiming the docuseries was a hit job on him.
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Opening statements and witness testimony in the first criminal trial against former President Donald Trump finally got underway in New York.
Prosecutors say Trump and his allies conspired to cover up negative stories about him during the 2016 presidential campaign, including affairs he may have had with two women.
The transaction at the heart of the charges is a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels that was allegedly covered up in business records.
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Father Martin was traveling across America and Canada and visiting Catholic churches along the way. Except Father Martin was no priest at all, but instead was a New Yorker named Malin Rostas who was buying trust and stealing from the parishes he visited.
Malin was finally arrested in California on April 11.
Also:
- 'Rust' armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed is sentenced to 18 months in prison for her role in the death of Halyna Hutchins.
- Jury selection has started in Donald Trump's first criminal trial, and the trial may have already started by the time you hear this episode.
Malin Rostas article: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-04-12/alleged-fake-priest-stole-from-catholic-churches
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Prison guards asked the courts to spare Brian Dorsey's life, but the 52-year-old Missouri man was still put to death after the U.S. Supreme Court decline to grant him clemency.
Dorsey was on death row for murdering his cousin and her husband with a shotgun in 2006, leaving their young daughter orphaned.
Also:
- The parents of a Michigan school shooter are sentenced to prison.
- The Arizona Supreme Court allows for the re-enactment of a near-total abortion ban.
- Lapel video shows Chicago police fire 96 shots at a Black man during a traffic stop.
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Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer on the movie "Rust," was found guilty of manslaughter in the shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in October 2021.
Hutchins was shot after a gun that star and producer Alec Baldwin was holding fired a live round. Baldwin is also charged with manslaughter but has maintained that he did not pull the trigger.
Also:
- The Supreme Court overturns the Colorado Supreme Court's decision to remove Donald Trump from the ballot for insurrection.
- U.S. Airman Jack Teixeira pleads guilty to leaking classified documents on Discord.
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Producer Rodney "Lil Rod" Jones has filed a sexual assault lawsuit against Sean "Diddy" Combs, adding to a slew of sexual assault lawsuits the hip-hop mogul has faced recently.
Also: The trial for the armorer accused of manslaughter in the death of a cinematographer on the set of an Alec Baldwin film is underway in Santa Fe.
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Six men were gunned down in the California desert in January in what authorities believe was a dispute tied to an illegal marijuana-growing operation.
Despite the fact that marijuana is legal for recreational use in California, violence like this continues to take place.
Also:
- A federal appeals court rejects Donald's Trump's argument that he's immune from being prosecuted for allegedly trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election due to -- presidential immunity.
- The mother of a convicted school shooter is herself convicted of manslaughter for buying the gun that her son used to carry out the massacre.
Resources:
Marijuana killings: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-01-29/arrests-announced-after-6-bodies-found-in-san-bernardino-county-desert https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-02-03/illegal-marijuana-california-crime-federal-law
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-11-09/california-cannabis-deaths-father-and-son-mexico-murders-mendocino-county https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-10-28/aguanga-riverside-marijuana-grow-murders-laotian
Donald Trump: https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/02/06/trump-jan-6-immunity-appeal-denied/
Jennifer Crumbley: https://abcnews.go.com/US/jury-reaches-verdict-jennifer-crumbley-manslaughter-trial/story?id=106924349
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Vince McMahon left the WWE after a former employee accused him of sexual assault and sex trafficking in a new federal lawsuit.
The details of some sexual encounters between her, McMahon and other WWE employees are very disturbing, and have allegedly left the victim with trauma so bad that she can't leave her house for weeks at a time.
McMahon has denied all the allegations.
Also:
The state of Alabama used a controversial method to execute an inmate that has never been used before, leaving some to believe that it was cruel human experimentation; and
A jury finds that Donald Trump must pay E. Jean Carroll over $83 million as part of a defamation lawsuit she filed against him.
Resources:
Vince McMahon:
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/wwe-founder-vince-mcmahon-resigns-ex-employee-accuses-lawsuit-sexual-a-rcna135981https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/2024/01/27/vince-mcmahon-wwe-resigns/ Alabama execution:https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/01/25/alabama-execution-nitrogen-gas-kenneth-smith/https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/25/us/nitrogen-gas-execution/index.html
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On Christmas Eve 2002, 27-year-old Laci Peterson, who was eight months pregnant, vanished into thin air. Her body was found months later in the San Francisco Bay.
Laci's husband, Scott Peterson, was convicted on murder charges for killing Laci and their unborn son and was sentenced to life in prison.
Now, the Los Angeles Innocence Project says new evidence may back Scott's claim that he didn't kill Laci.
Also:
- Alec Baldwin is once again charged with manslaughter in the shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
- A young man kills eight people, many of them relatives, in Illinois before dying in a confrontation with police in Texas.
- The mother of a school shooter goes to trial for buying the gun that her son used to kill four fellow students.
- A district attorney in Texas is having a grand jury investigate the Robb Elementary shooting after the Department of Justice issued a scathing report about the police response to the incident.
- Donald Trump warns the Supreme Court of "bedlam" if it doesn't overturn the Colorado Supreme Court's decision to remove him from the state ballot.
Resources:
Scott Peterson case:
https://abcnews.go.com/US/innocence-project-takes-case-notorious-killer-scott-peterson/story?id=106487571
https://abc7chicago.com/scott-peterson-case-new-evidence-innocence-project/14352815/https://www.newsnationnow.com/crime/scott-peterson-innocence-project-evidence/ Alec Baldwin:https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/19/arts/alec-baldwin-charged-involuntary-manslaughter.html
https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/santa-fe-grand-jury-indicts-alec-baldwin-on-new-manslaughter-charge/article_05b5bc9a-b700-11ee-b312-77b2f98dec41.html Romeo Nance:https://abc7chicago.com/romeo-nance-2200-west-acres-road-joliet-il-killer/14352185/ Jennifer Crumbley trial:https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/01/22/jennifer-crumbley-trial-preview/ Uvalde report:https://apnews.com/article/uvalde-school-shooting-police-crime-charges-aff5ec50f5819913da41f412dadb5a74 Donald Trump case:https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/01/18/trump-supreme-court-colorado-ballot-brief/
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The Supreme Court has said that it will take on a case that will determine whether cities in the U.S. can ban sleeping in public, even when there are no other options for people experiencing homelessness.
And;
Former U.S. President Donald Trump was admonished by two different judges this last week after Trump acted inappropriately in court.
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Former U.S. President Donald Trump, who is also the GOP frontrunner in this year's presidential election, didn't have a lot go his way recently in several court cases against him -- but the Supreme Court may bail him out.
Also:
- Hundreds of Boeing jets are grounded as the Federal Aviation Administration investigates an incident that left a giant hole in the side of an Alaska Airlines plane midflight.
- U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert is accused of domestic violence by her ex-husband.
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Three former New Mexico State Basketball players -- Kim Aiken Jr., Doctor Bradley and DeShawndre Washington -- were charged with criminal sexual penetration, criminal sexual contact and false imprisonment for allegedly holding down other players and student staff members and violating them.
This is the latest in a string of unfortunate events for the program in the last year, which included another former player shooting a University of New Mexico student during an altercation and lawsuits against the school for the alleged sexual crimes.
Also:
- The U.S. Supreme Court adopts a code of ethics, but it lacks any enforceability, and;
- A mother and her former boyfriend have been charged in the 1988 death of a 5-year-old girl in Georgia.
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Authorities in Nevada have charged 60 year old Duane Davis with the 1996 murder of influential rapper Tupac Shakur, who was only 25 at the time of his death.
Davis had tied himself to the fatal shooting in his 2019 memoir, a move that no doubt piqued investigators' curiosity.
Also:
- Rep. Kevin McCarthy is given the boot as Speaker of the House after just nine months on the job.
- Sen. Diane Feinstein dies at the age of 90.
- Donald Trump's civil trial over allegations that he inflated his financial worth has got underway, and;
- A 9-year-old girl was found safe after allegedly being abducted in New York state.
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One man was shot and taken to a hospital during a protest around the re-introduction of a statue depicting controversial Spanish conquistador Juan de Onate in Espanola, New Mexico, on Thursday.
The alleged shooter, Ryan Martinez, was taken into custody a short time after. The victim is Jacob Johns, a Native American man from Spokane, Washington.
Onate and statues depicting him have been a controversial topic for several years now. There was a shooting at a similar protest in Albuquerque a few years ago, which calls into question why government officials in Espanola wanted to re-introduce the statue this week.
Resources:
https://www.abqjournal.com/news/man-shot-during-juan-de-o-ate-statue-rally-in-espa-ola/article_946dcd3c-5e2d-11ee-9363-97e4e793df8a.html#tncms-source=home-featured-7-block
https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/sheriffs-official-ids-suspected-shooter-in-violence-at-planned-site-of-o-ate-statue/article_631b4766-5d63-11ee-a392-db0eabb068dc.html
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NFL legend Deion Sanders has turned the University of Colorado Boulder's football team, which went 1-11 last season, into the talk of college football with a hot 3-0 start.
Coach Prime changed the culture with controversial methods -- like unloading players into the transfer portal and turning the swag factor to 11 -- but the results seem to speak for themselves.
Also: A federal judge has struck down New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's ban on firearms in public places in Albuquerque -- a measure she put in place after two children were killed in separate shootings in less than a month in the state's biggest city.
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Last week, 11-year-old Froylan Villegas was killed outside a AAA baseball stadium in Albuquerque when an unknown gunman opened fire on the car he and his family were riding in.
In response, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham issued a 30-day gun ban in public spaces in Albuquerque. The measure has drawn backlash from both Democrats and Republicans, and lawsuits over the order's constitutionality are already being filed.
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Enrique Tarrio, the leader of the far-right activist group the Proud Boys, was sentenced to 22 years in prison for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Also:
- Donald Trump faces racketeering charges in Georgia.
- That 70s Show star Danny Masterson was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison after he was convicted of raping two women, and;
- An 11-year-old boy was killed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, after someone fired 14 bullets into the car he and his family were in.
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For U.S. President Donald Trump now faces additional charges for allegedly directing staff members to delete security video footage at his Mar-a-Lago residence. Trump is already facing charges for mishandling classified U.S. documents and keeping them at Mar-a-Lago after he left the White House.
Also:
- Three former military officials told Congress that the U.S. government has more knowledge about UAPs, formerly known as UFOs, than it's leading on. One former official also said that "nonhuman biologics" were collected at UAP crash sites.
- USC freshman Bronny James, son of NBA star LeBron James, suffered cardiac arrest during practice Monday. He was released from the hospital on Thursday, and the family says it will release more information soon; and
- Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, 81, freezes mid-sentence during a press conference and has to be helped away by colleagues.
Resources:
Donald Trump charges: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/27/us/politics/trump-documents-carlos-de-oliveira-charged.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/07/27/trump-carlos-deoliveira-classified-indictment/
Aliens: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/are-5-memorable-moments-congress-ufo-hearing-rcna96476
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The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department has confirmed that it has served a search warrant in relation to the murder investigation of rapper Tupac Shakur.
The artist, widely known as one of the greatest rappers of all time, was gunned down while sitting at a red light in Las Vegas, Nevada, in September 1996. His killing was never solved.
Also:
- The U.S. and other parts of the world continue to deal with extreme heat, putting a strain on first responders and medical personnel; and
- Former U.S. President Donald Trump is the target of an investigation into alleged interference with the 2020 election.
Resources:
Tupac: https://apnews.com/article/tupac-murder-investigation-las-vegas-search-warrant-b7a38a0803afd1b9ee5d9d9ca1d01295?taid=64b6f20fa756b90001e35d9a&utm_campaign=TrueAnthem&utm_medium=AP&utm_source=Twitter Extreme heat: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/16/us/phoenix-arizona-heat-firefighters.htmlhttps://www.nbcnews.com/news/weather/live-blog/heat-wave-warnings-across-us-live-updates-rcna94490https://www.abqjournal.com/news/albuquerque-emergency-rooms-see-surge-of-patients-as-heatwave-continues/article_70a1e978-24f9-11ee-99a2-5346c7a8e0ab.htmlhttps://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2023/07/17/europe-heatwave-italy-spain-record-clima
te/
Donald Trump: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/07/18/trump-jan6-target-letter/
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As newspapers keep shrinking and less people watch TV news, what does that mean for the future of the news industry?
Mundo ponders that question, while also lamenting the heat wave that's been sweeping the Southwest.
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Democrats and Republicans still have not reached a deal to raise the nation's debt limit before June 1, when Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says the government will run out of money and must be able to take on more debt.
If the limit is not raised, Social Security and other payments could be delayed. The U.S. could also default for the first time in the country's history, and the global economy could feel the impact.
Also:
- May 24 marks the one year anniversary of the shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, where 19 students and two teachers were killed by a gunman armed with an AR-15.
- Music legend Tina Turner passes away at the age of 83; and
- Rapper Fetty Wap is sentenced to six years in federal prison for drug trafficking.
Resources:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/05/05/debt-ceiling-increase-comic/
https://www.reuters.com/markets/us/yellen-maintains-early-june-us-debt-ceiling-deadline-2023-05-24/ https://apnews.com/article/fetty-wap-rapper-sentenced-federal-drug-charges-bf8a5e3ebcdb9286ec1048c747428b94
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An 18-year-old from Farmington, N.M., walked out his door Monday morning and started firing an AR-15 at houses and cars, police say.
Three women over 70, including a mother and daughter, were killed. Six others, including two police officers, were injured. The suspect was eventually shot and killed by police, and investigators are still searching for a motive.
Also:
- An elementary school teacher is under investigation in Florida for showing fifth graders a Disney movie with an openly gay character, and;
- Nintendo hits the lottery with its latest Legend of Zelda game.
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Rep. George Santos, the freshman Republican congressman from New York, was charged with 13 federal counts on Wednesday. Those charges include wire fraud, money laundering and theft of public funds.
Santos has pleaded not guilty to the charges and said he will not resign. He is currently out on a $500,000 bond.
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Last week, Fox News settled a defamation lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems for $787.5 million, the largest settlement ever in a defamation case.
Then on Monday, the network let go of Tucker Carlson, one of the channel's highest-rated hosts. That same day, CNN fired longtime anchor Don Lemon.
Also:
- Manslaughter charges against Alec Baldwin were dropped as "Rust" began filming again in Montana.
- Joe Biden announces that he is running for a second term as President, and
- Disney files a First Amendment lawsuit against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
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A Manhattan grand jury will decide whether to bring criminal charges to former U.S. President Donald Trump for alleged crimes involving a suspected hush-money payment he made to an adult film star.
Also:
- The United Nations released a concerning report about climate change, and
- A 17-year-old student shoots two high school administrators in Denver.
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On Jan. 27 the Memphis Police Department released video of officers severely beating 29-year-old Tyre Nichols, who was being detained for alleged reckless driving.
The beating is sickeningly brutal, and signals that we have a long way to go to correct police-community relations in America.
Also:
- Alec Baldwin is charged with involuntary manslaughter for allegedly killing a cinematographer on a movie set in October 2021.
- The great Tom Brady finally calls it quits after 23 seasons in the NFL, and
- Witches in Connecticut may be exonerated -- over 400 years later.
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Welcome back, homies!
This week Mundo talks about Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffering cardiac arrest during the first quarter of the Monday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Hamlin is still in critical condition at a Cincinnati hospital but is showing signs of improvement.
Also:
- The U.S. House of Representatives has still not selected a new Speaker.
- Actor Jeremy Renner was ran over is a snow plowing accident and is listed in critical condition, and
- Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman's father becomes Albuquerque's newest district attorney.
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Welcome to the inaugural episode of Mundo's News Program! Mundo rebooted the show in order to cover more than just crime and legal news.
In this episode, Mundo discusses the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, a possible rail strike in the U.S. that could further damage an already shaky economy, and the fatal shooting of rapper PnB Rock in Los Angeles.
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Shaun Harrison, a former academic dean at a Boston high school, used his position to recruit at-risk students to sell drugs for the Latin Kings gang.
Harrison, scared that one student was going to talk to the police, shot the kid in the back of the head. Miraculously, the student survived.
Last week, Harrison pleaded guilty to racketeering and other crimes in a case that targeted dozens of members of the Latin Kings.
Also:
- Investigators believe the son of a man who is suspected of killing several Muslim men in Albuquerque, New Mexico, may have helped in the shootings; and
- An FBI forensics lab found that the gun Alec Baldwin was holding when it fired a live round that fatally shot cinematographer Halyna Hutchins could not have fired without the trigger being pulled.
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The Albuquerque Police Department has arrested a man who it believes is behind the fatal shootings of four Muslim men in Albuquerque, New Mexico, over the last year -- including three who were killed in the last few weeks.
Among those killed were a young man from Pakistan who was a rising star in local government as well as a local business owner.
The shootings sparked fear in Albuquerque's Muslim community, some of which said they were scared to even go outside.
Muhammad Syed, 51, has been charged in two of the deaths, and investigators believe he is connected to the other two.
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The U.S. Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade, a landmark 1973 decision in which the high court ruled that the right to terminate a pregnancy was protected under the Constitution.
The decision sparked a lot of division, as some states now have anti-abortion laws that are enforceable while others have vowed to protect reproductive rights.
But not only did the court overturn Roe, but it also ruled, in separate cases, in favor of gun rights and religious freedom in public schools.
In other news:
Convicted sex traffickers Ghislaine Maxwell and R. Kelly were given hefty prison sentences.
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Wildfires have burned in several states in the western U.S., including in New Mexico, where fires have burned peoples' homes and forced many others to evacuate. Experts say the amount of wildfires in 2022 is already well above the 10-year average.
Plus:
- A New Mexico sheriff releases a load of documents in the "Rust" movie set shooting.
- Elon Musk, the world's richest man, buys influential social media platform Twitter for $44 billion.
- Megan Thee Stallion opens up about being shot by rapper Tory Lanez and,
- NBA legend Jerry West threatens legal action over his portrayal in HBO's "Winning Time."
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The state of New Mexico has issued a nearly $137,000 fine to Rust Movie Productions LLC for workplace safety violations. In October, actor and producer Alec Baldwin shot and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins while filming "Rust" outside of Santa Fe.
Also, Johnny Depp's defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard reveals some of the violence in their marriage.
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A 62-year-old man was arrested for throwing smoke grenades on a New York City subway before opening fire Tuesday morning, injuring 10 people. That man, Frank R. James, is now charged with committing an act of terrorism on a mass transit system and faces life in prison.
Also:
- Ketanji Brown Jackson becomes the newest member of the Supreme Court.
- Will Smith gets banned from the Oscars for 10 years for slapping Chris Rock.
- Pittsburgh quarterback Dwayne Haskins gets killed on a South Florida highway, and
- Legendary comedian Gilbert Gottfried dies at age 67.
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U.S. President Joe Biden has called for a war crimes trial against Russian President Vladmir Putin amid evidence that Ukrainian civilians were tortured, raped and executed in the street by Russian soldiers.
Also:
- A judge finds that rapper Tory Lanez violated his conditions of release by contacting Megan Thee Stallion on social media. Lanez is accused of shooting Thee Stallion in the foot in 2020 and was not allowed to have contact with her.
- Former USWNT goalie Hope Solo was charged with DWI in North Carolina while she allegedly had her two kids in the car, and
- Sources tell the Washington Post the the Washington Commanders might be under a congressional investigation for financial improprieties.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/crimeandcourtusa)
Mundo gives an update on where he's been and what direction he wants to take the podcast moving forward.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/crimeandcourtusa)
Two new lawsuits have been filed against producers of the Netflix film "Rust," including actor/producer Alec Baldwin. Baldwin killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during the filming of the movie in October by accidentally shooting her in the chest.
Hutchins' family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit, and a medic on the set has filed a lawsuit for emotional trauma after she failed to save Hutchins' life.
Also:
- A couple in Florida has been charged with child abuse for allegedly forcing their adopted son to live in a small structure in their garage.
- A U.S. judge has ordered the Air Force to pay $230 million to the victims of a mass shooting at a Texas church in 2017 that claimed 26 lives. The court had previously found that the Air Force failed to report a conviction that could have prevented the shooter from legally purchasing a gun.
- An 80-year-old nun was sentenced to a year in prison for stealing $835,000 from an elementary school to pay for lavish gambling trips.
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A former student at Bridgewater College in Virginia shot and killed two campus officers at the school on Tuesday. The suspect, Alexander Wyatt Campbell, was taken into custody a short time later and was charged with murder.
Also:
- The FBI says Brian Laundrie admitted to killing fiancee Gabby Petito last year.
- A former NFL coach sues the league over alleged discriminatory hiring practices toward Black coaching candidates.
- In an effort to prevent another 'Rust' shooting tragedy, New Mexico lawmakers introduced a bill that would require actors and film production personnel to undergo firearms training, and
- Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer announces his retirement.
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Malik Faisai Akram, a 44-year-old British citizen, took four hostages for 11 hours at a Texas synagogue on Jan. 15. The hostages made it out safely and Akram was fatally shot when FBI personnel moved in. The incident is now part of an international terrorism investigation.
In news that rocked the gaming world, Microsoft announced a deal to acquire Activision Blizzard -- publisher of hits like World of Warcraft, Candy Crush and Call of Duty -- for nearly $70 billion. This comes as Activision Blizzard is embroiled in a lawsuit with the state of California over alleged gender-based discrimination against women.
And finally, the artist formerly known as Kanye West is under investigation for allegedly punching a fan who asked for his autograph.
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Father and son Greg and Travis McMichael were both sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for chasing down and killing 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery in Santilla Shores, Georgia, in February 2020.
William Bryan, a man who filmed the fatal encounter, was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole.
Also: a sheriff in Texas is accused of taking money from undocumented immigrants during traffic stops, a judge upholds a decision to fire two officers for playing Pokemon GO on the job, and Ghislaine Maxwell may have grounds for a new trial.
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On Jan. 3, Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes was found guilty of several counts of fraud for misleading investors about her company's technology. She faces up to 20 years in prison on each count.
Also, a judge threw out a civil case filed by the man who appeared naked as a baby on Nirvana's "Nevermind" album. Spenser Elden, now 30, still has an opportunity to refile the case.
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Welcome to the final episode of Crime and Court USA for 2021!
Let's take a look back at all the big crime and legal stories from the year, including a riot in the nation's capital, an officer being convicted of murder for kneeling on a Black man, a young woman going missing and a movie star fatally shooting a crew member on set.
Thanks to everyone who has made 2021 a great inaugural year for Crime and Court USA! 2022 is going to be even better!
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On Monday, Dec. 20, the trials of Kim Potter, Ghislaine Maxwell and Elizabeth Holmes all fell into the juries' hands. Those juries were still deliberating as of Wednesday evening.
Potter is a former Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, police officer who is accused of wrongfully killing 20-year-old Daunte Wright during a traffic stop in April.
Ghislaine Maxwell is a New York City socialite who allegedly helped Jeffrey Epstein commit sex trafficking crimes against teenage girls in the 1900s and 2000s.
Elizabeth Holmes is accused of defrauding investors by promising that technology developed by her company, Theranos, could perform hundreds of blood tests from just a few drops of blood. That technology never worked, regulatory and media investigations found.
And finally, Happy Holidays from Mundo and Crime and Court USA!!
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This week's episode is chock-full of updates of court cases and alleged crime rings that Mundo has been keeping an eye on.
Derek Chauvin -- a former Minneapolis police officer who was convicted of killing George Floyd, a Black man -- has pleaded guilty to federal charges stemming from Floyd's May 2020 death.
The California Attorney General believes a recent spate of flash-mob-style robberies in the state are part of organized crime rings that are selling the stolen goods online.
Sexual abuse victims of Larry Nassar, a former Olympic gymnastics doctor, have settled a lawsuit for $380 million.
Danny Carey, drummer of the rock band Tool, was arrested at the Kansas City airport on a misdemeanor charge for allegedly assaulting an airport security employee.
Former NFL player Philip Adams, who killed six people in April before taking his own life, had a degenerative brain disease known as CTE, according to researchers at Boston University.
Jussie Smollett is found guilty of making false police reports, and the trials of Kim Potter and Ghislaine Maxwell carry on with witness testimony.
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James and Jennifer Crumbley, the parents of alleged Oxford High School shooter Ethan Crumbley, have been charged with manslaughter. District Attorney Karen McDonald has also suggested that school officials could face charges for how prior incidents involving Ethan were handled.
Also, former Empire actor Jussie Smollett testifies at his own trial, Alec Baldwin tells ABC news that he didn't pull the trigger on the gun that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and convicted murderer Scott Peterson gets his sentence changed.
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The federal trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, an alleged accomplice of financier Jeffrey Epstein, began in Manhattan with testimony from one of Maxwell and Epstein's alleged sexual assault victims.
Maxwell is accused of recruiting teenage girls to satisfy Epstein's sexual desires and could possibly spend the rest of her life in prison.
Meanwhile, in Michigan, a 15-year-old sophomore opened fire at his high school, killing at least four people and wounding several others.
The months-long fraud trial for Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes winds down, and a trial for a former Minnesota police officer accused of killing a Black man during a traffic stop gets underway.
And finally, the wife of former Mexican drug lord El Chapo get a three-year prison sentence for her role in her husband's multi-billion dollar operation.
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Two big trials that shined a light on vigilantism and racism in America took place over the last few weeks.
Kyle Rittenhouse, a teenager from Illinois, was found not guilty of murdering two men and wounding another during a night of protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in August 2020. There was unrest in the city after police shot an unarmed Black man in the back, paralyzing him from the waist down.
And down in Georgia, the three men involved in the death of Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man, were convicted of murder. Arbery died from several shotgun blasts as the defendants were trying to conduct a citizens arrest on Arbery.
Meanwhile -- six people are dead and dozens are injured after a man drove his car through a parade in Wisconsin, a medical examiner says Brian Laundrie died of a self-inflicted gunshot and the death toll in the Astroworld Festival tragedy rises to 10.
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Eight young people died and hundreds more were injured at the Astroworld Festival in Houston over the weekend. The majority of the deaths and injuries seem to be the result of crowd crush. Performer and event organizer Travis Scott is already facing several lawsuits related to the concert.
Also, former Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs now faces several felonies for allegedly driving drunk and crashing into a woman at a very high speed, causing a fire that killed her and her dog.
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This week's episode is all about drug traffickers.
First, feared Colombian drug kingpin Dairo Antonio Usuga was captured in his jungle hideout and faces extradition to the U.S. The Department of Justice says Usuga and his organization transported over 81 tons of cocaine to the U.S. over several years.
And rapper Fetty Wap was arrested on drug trafficking charges while at a music festival in New York. He allegedly conspired with five others to bring several kilograms of drugs from the West Coast to the East Coast using U.S. Postal Service trucks.
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Tragedy befell a New Mexico film set when actor Alec Baldwin fired a projectile from a gun that killed "Rust" cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza on Oct. 21.
On Oct. 27, the Santa Fe County sheriff and the Santa Fe District Attorney said their investigations are ongoing and that they have not ruled out criminal charges against anyone on the set.
Also, remains found on Oct. 20 in a Florida reserve have been confirmed as Brian Laundrie. Laundrie was the only person of interest in his fiancee Gabby Petito's homicide. Petitio's body was found in Wyoming in December.
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Young Jeremiah Valencia was brutally tortured on a daily basis and forced to live in a dog kennel before his death in late 2017.
Three people, including Jeremiah's mother, were charged in his death, but the mastermind behind all the chaos in the household should have been back in prison long before the 13-year-old was killed.
In this episode, Mundo gives a firsthand account of the reporting he did on a tragic case that rocked New Mexico, including how several mistakes by personnel in the criminal justice system led to a man with a violent criminal history being able to dodge the law.
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A Wyoming coroner has found that 22-year-old Gabby Petito died by strangulation. Her fiance and a person of interest in her death, Brian Laundrie, has still not been located. The two were on a cross-country road trip before Gabby's disappearance captured the nation.
Also, a serial killer who murdered three women in New Jersey and attempted to kill a fourth was sentenced to 160 years in prison. One of his victim's friends did some detective work of her own and helped police arrest the man.
And finally, a Colorado man was sentenced to 48 years in prison for killing his son, cutting off his head and leaving his body in the wilderness.
(Wheeler-Weaver story: https://www.northjersey.com/in-depth/news/crime/2020/02/03/how-group-women-stopped-nj-serial-killer/2661900001/)
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The Department of Justice has announced that it is considering charges against a former FBI agent who failed to properly investigate former USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University doctor Larry Nassar for sexual crimes against hundreds of women and girls.
Nassar is now effectively serving a life sentence after being convicted of sex abuse and child pornography charges. Some of his victims include gymnastics greats such as Simone Biles, Aly Raisman and McKayla Maroney.
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Singer R. Kelly was convicted of running a sex trafficking ring and faces life in prison. During the six-week federal trial, Kelly's accusers gave jurors accounts of the abusive behavior Kelly subjected them to.
Also, an arrest warrant has been issued for Brian Laundrie, the fiance of Gabby Petito, for fraudulently using a debit card. Laundrie is still missing.
And finally, the man who killed five people at a Maryland newspaper office will spend the rest of his life in prison.
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Gabby Petito and her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, left New York in a van earlier this summer to document their trip across the American West.
But Gabby was found dead by homicide in the Wyoming wilderness in September and Brian has gone missing in Florida.
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Mundo explains the Texas state law that that bans most abortions after six weeks and examines the Supreme Court opinion that allows it to stand -- for now.
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Mundo discusses five great true crime documentaries that are available on Netflix right now.
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Sirhan Sirhan, the man who killed presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy in 1968, was recommended for parole in California. Parole staff have 120 days to review the decision, and ultimately the governor has the final say.
The fraud trial for Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes is starting soon. Holmes promised her company's technology would revolutionize blood testing, but the technology never worked and the $9 billion company closed.
Also: Officers and paramedics involved in the 2019 arrest of Elijah McClain's in Aurora, Colorado, have been charged in his death, the U.S. government has closed the jail where financier Jeffrey Epstein killed himself and a lawyer representing several defendants in the Capitol riot case is nowhere to be found.
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Welcome back to Crime and Court USA's new and improved weekly format!
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An internal investigation cleared a Capitol police officer of any wrongdoing in the fatal shooting of 35-year-old Ashli Babbitt during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
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The naked baby on the cover of Nirvana's "Nevermind" album has sued the band for allegedly creating child pornography.
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A federal appeals court has upheld Dylan Roof's convictions and death sentence. Roof was convicted of several hate crimes after he killed nine Black churchgoers during a Bible study in Charleston, S.C., in 2015.
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Miami Beach police have suspended the enforcement of a law that critics say was sued to arrest people who were filming officers.
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And finally, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett denied a petition from Indiana University students to block the school's vaccine mandate.
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R&B singer R Kelly is on trial in New York on sex trafficking and racketeering charges. Prosecutors allege that the singer lured girls and women and would traffic them across state lines for sexual purposes.
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A California man was charged with murder after he confessed to killing his children this last weekend. Matthew Taylor Coleman, 40, said he was "enlightened" by QAnon and Illuminati theories and believed his wife had given their two children "serpent DNA."
Coleman said he killed the kids to save "the world from monsters."
Also, two Georgia high school basketball coaches are charged with murder after a 16-year-old player collapsed and later died in extreme heat while doing conditioning drills two years ago.
Resources:
Coaches face murder charges: https://lawandcrime.com/crime/basketball-coaches-indicted-for-murder-after-allegedly-making-16-year-old-girl-practice-in-extreme-temperature/
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Former Los Angeles Police Department Officer Salvador Sanchez is now facing manslaughter and assault charges after fatally shooting 32-year-old Kenneth French, a disabled man, at a Costco in 2019. French's parents were also injured in the shooting.
Also, Chicago officer Ella French was killed in the line of duty over the weekend. Her alleged killer is in the hospital with gunshot wounds.
Resources:
Former LAPD officer faces manslaughter charge: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-08-09/california-a-g-files-manslaughter-charges-against-lapd-officer-who-killed-disabled-man-at-costco
USA Today: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/08/10/costco-shooting-lapd-officer-salvador-sanchez-charged-manslaughter/5549698001/
Chicago officer killed during traffic stop: https://abc7chicago.com/2-charged-in-fatal-shooting-of-cpd-officer/10942201/
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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has announced his resignation after the state Attorney General's Office spoke with 11 women who said he sexually harassed him. A criminal complaint was filed in Albany County by one of his accusers, and another woman has said she will file a lawsuit for retaliation.
Also, San Antonio and Bexar County officials have filed a lawsuit against Texas Gov. Greg Abbott after Abbott issued a mandate that bans local governments from issuing mask requirements. It's just the latest in similar cases taking place in courtrooms across the country.
Finally, two men became the first defendants to plead guilty to assault police officers during the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot.
Resources:
Cuomo resigns: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/10/nyregion/andrew-cuomo-resigns.html
Abbott faces legal challenge: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/08/10/coronavirus-covid-live-updates-us/
Two men plead guilty to assaulting officers in Jan. 6 Capitol riot: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/legal-issues/first-guilty-pleas-police-assault/2021/08/06/c966ab9a-f6c3-11eb-9068-bf463c8c74de_story.html
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On Aug. 3, the New York Attorney General's Office released a report that says Gov. Andrew Cuomo had a pattern of making sexually suggestive comments and engaging in unwanted touching with female staffers. Cuomo now faces two separate criminal investigations and is facing calls to resign, including from President Joe Biden.
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Mundo finally explains why he's been missing for so long.
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New York Attorney General Letitia James has announced that the Trump Organization is now under a criminal investigation over its business practices.
The U.S. House passed a bill to create a commission to study what led to the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol, but the bill is poised to die in the Senate.
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South Carolina has passed a law that forces death row inmates to choose death by firing squad or electric chair. Lethal injection is apparently no longer an option.
A district attorney in North Carolina has decided that the sheriff's deputies who shot 42-year-old Andrew Brown were justified in their actions because they had reason to believe that their lives were in danger.
The Supreme Court is set to review a Mississippi abortion law, possibly having an affect on Roe v. Wade.
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Mundo discusses future plans for the show, including having more topic-focused episodes as well as guests.
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There were over 260 shootings in America over Mother's Day weekend, leaving 94 dead and 236 injured. It's the embodiment of a troubling trend, as gun violence has risen in 2020 and 2021.
Two Americans were sentenced to life in prison for killing an officer in Rome in July 2019.
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Four former Minneapolis police officers are now facing federal civil rights charges in the May 2020 death of 46-year-old George Floyd.
Los Angeles County attorneys say deputies sharing graphic photos of the crash site where NBA legend Kobe Bryant died does not violate Bryant's widow's right to privacy.
In Florida, a teen and her mother were charged with computer crimes after they allegedly used student accounts to cast fraudulent votes for the daughter's homecoming race. The girl became Homecoming Queen, but was later expelled from school.
A Facebook oversight board upheld Donald Trump's ban from the platform, but Facebook management has six months to make a final decision on the former U.S. president.
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Federal authorities executed search warrants at former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani's apartment and office. Giuliani, who also worked as a lawyer for former President Donald Trump, is under investigation for work he may have done for Ukrainian political leaders.
In San Diego, three people were killed when a small boat carrying over 30 people sank near the coast. Officials believe the incident is tied to human smuggling.
And finally, the Supreme Court takes up a case about a cheerleader who was suspended from her high school team for going on a profanity-laden social media rant.
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Members of the public, as well as government officials, are calling for the Pasquotank County Sheriff's Office to release video of the fatal shooting of Andrew Brown, Jr., a Black man, in Elizabeth City on April 21.
Meanwhile, the Department of Justice has announced investigations into the Minneapolis and Louisville police departments after Black people were killed by police in those cities in the past 13 months.
Mundo also discusses how policing across the country might change after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of killing George Floyd last year.
Also, The U.S. Supreme Court has changed its stance on life-without-parole sentences for minors.
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Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murder and manslaughter charges on April 20, 2021. Chauvin held his knee to Floyd's neck during an arrest in May 2020 and killed the 46-year-old Black man.
Although Minneapolis and other cities around the country braced for violence in anticipation of the verdicts, everything remained peaceful in the hours after the verdicts were read.
Additionally, a former police officer in Brooklyn Center, a suburb of Minneapolis, was charged with manslaughter after shooting 20-year-old Daunte Wright during a traffic stop earlier this month.
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An unarmed Black man is shot in Minnesota as the trial of a former Minneapolis police officer accused of killing another Black man continues with defense witness testimony.
A former NFL player fatally shoots six other in South Carolina, including two children under the age of 10, calling more attention to the brain damage football players endure.
And finally, President Joe Biden signed an executive order that call for a commission to study the possible expansion of the Supreme Court and to examine the lifetime appointments of justices.
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