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Alabama’s first execution since they were paused last November may proceed on Thursday, court says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:39:15 GMT

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A federal appeals court on Wednesday refused to stop an upcoming execution in Alabama, rejecting an inmate’s argument that the state has a history of botched lethal injections. James Barber, 64, is scheduled to be put to death Thursday evening at a south Alabama prison, in the first execution scheduled in the state since Gov. Kay Ivey paused them in November for an internal review. Ivey ordered the review after two lethal injections were called off because of difficulties inserting IVs. Advocacy groups said a third execution, carried out after a delay because of IV problems, was botched, though the state disputes that. A divided panel from the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Barber’s execution could proceed. The judges said the state conducted a review of execution procedures and his assertion that the “same pattern would continue to occur” was “purely speculative.”Barber was convicted in the 2001 beating death of 75-year-old Dorothy...

Wife of suspect in Gilgo Beach serial killings files for divorce

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:39:15 GMT

MASSAPEQUA PARK, N.Y. (AP) — The wife of Rex Heuermann, charged in the deaths of three women whose remains were found along a Long Island beach roadway, filed for divorce Wednesday, her attorney said.Asa Ellerup filed the complaint in Suffolk County Supreme Court. Her attorney, Robert Macedonio, declined any additional comment.Meanwhile, authorities spent another day at the Massapequa Park home where the couple had lived, continuing their search of the premises.Heuermann, an architect, was charged last week with murdering the three women, and is a suspect in a fourth death, a prosecutor said.He has pleaded not guilty and remains in custody under suicide watch; an email seeking comment about the divorce filing was sent to his attorney.The bodies of Melissa Barthelemy, Amber Costello and Megan Waterman were discovered in a quarter-mile (0.4-kilometer) section of Ocean Parkway.They were among 10 sets of human remains found along Long Island’s Gilgo Beach in 2010 and 2011, an acci...

Protesters in Iraq storm Swedish Embassy in Baghdad amid continuing anger over Quran burning

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:39:15 GMT

BAGHDAD (AP) — Protesters angered by the burning of a copy of the Quran stormed the Swedish Embassy in Baghdad early Thursday, breaking into the compound and lighting a small fire. Online videos showed demonstrators at the diplomatic post waving flags and signs showing the influential Iraqi Shiite cleric and political leader Muqtada Sadr. It wasn’t clear if there were any staff inside the complex at the time.The Swedish Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The videos showed dozens of men climbing over the fence at the complex, with the sound of them trying to break down a front door. Another showed what appeared to be a small fire being set. Other footage showed men, some shirtless in the summer heat, inside what appeared to be a room at the embassy, an alarm audible in the background.Others later performed predawn prayers outside of the embassy.Iraq’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement condemning the attack.“The Iraqi government has instructe...

Police searching for suspect in Mimico sexual assault

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:39:15 GMT

Toronto police are working to identify a man wanted in connection with a sexual assault in Mimico.Investigators say at some point between the evening of July 16 and the morning of July 17, a victim was approached by the suspect in a vehicle near Mimico Avenue and Lake Shore Boulevard West.It’s reported the victim entered the suspect’s vehicle at which point the suspect pulled out a black handgun and sexually assaulted the victim.The victim was able to leave the vehicle and fled the scene. The suspect was last seen driving eastbound on Mimico Ave.THe man is descried as white, 30 to 35 years old, approximately five foot six inches, with a large build, short spiked hair with white coloured tips and clean shaven.He was wearing a black sweater, black track pants and white shoes at the time of the incident. The vehicle is described as a older red two-door sedan with a brown-coloured passenger door and several dents, rust and peeling paint.Anyone with information that could ide...

Southern California man convicted in 2018 spa bombing that killed ex-girlfriend

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:39:15 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Southern California man was convicted Wednesday of blowing up his ex-girlfriend’s spa business with a package bomb in 2018, killing her and seriously injuring two clients.A federal jury in Los Angeles convicted Stephen Beal of four felonies including use of a weapon of mass destruction resulting in death, according to a statement from the U.S. attorney’s office.Beal could face at least 30 years and up to life in prison when he’s sentenced in November.He was retried after a mistrial was declared last year when the jury deadlocked.Beal, 64, of Long Beach, was charged with killing Ildiko Krajnyak on May 15, 2018, with a homemade bomb in a cardboard box that he slipped into her Aliso Viejo spa, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Los Angeles.Krajnyak, 48, was killed in the fiery blast when she opened the box. Two clients — a mother and daughter — she had just treated were knocked off their feet.The blast destroyed the business and tore a large hunk f...

Shooting at a South Florida Walmart kills 1 and wounds another

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:39:15 GMT

MIAMI (AP) — A shooting Wednesday afternoon at a South Florida Walmart killed one person and wounded another, authorities said, adding that several other people were injured in the commotion that followed.The shooting occurred following a quarrel between two groups at the Walmart in Florida City, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) southwest of Miami, Miami-Dade police spokesperson Alvaro Zabaleta said. One person was arrested, and police were looking for five more suspects.Rescue workers transported two victims to a Miami trauma center, and one later died. The man who died was involved in the confrontation, while the other victim was a bystander who was shot in the foot, police said.Several others were injured during the commotion caused by the shooting, officials said. A woman who fell and hit her head was taken to a hospital. Rescue workers treated five other people for minor cuts and scrapes outside the store.David Fischer, The Associated Press

B.C. police issue Amber Alert for brother, sister after mother failed to return pair

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:39:15 GMT

KELOWNA, B.C. — An Amber Alert has been issued across all of British Columbia for an eight-year-old girl and her 10-year-old brother after they failed to return from a vacation with their mother.Surrey RCMP say Aurora Bolton and Joshuah Bolton were last seen in Krafty’s Kitchen and Bar in Kelowna on June 30, and police are also looking for their mother, Verity Bolton, who is five feet two inches tall, with brown hair and eyes.Police say Verity Bolton took the children on vacation on June 28 and were supposed to return the pair to their father, who has primary custody, on July 17.The father notified police after his children did not arrive as scheduled and no one was able to make contact with any of the three people on the trip.Surrey RCMP Cpl. Vanessa Munn says police are worried about the well-being of the children because of information collected by investigators, which leads officers to be “concerned for the mental health and wellness of Verity Bolton and her ability ...

CPD: 62-year-old man missing from Grand Boulevard

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:39:15 GMT

CHICAGO — The Chicago Police Department is seeking the public's help in finding a missing man from the Grand Boulevard neighborhood.Missing man, 62-year-old Maurice White-Sanders.Police said Maurice White-Sanders, 62, was last seen on June 15 in the 4200 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue. He is described as being 5-foot-9-inches tall, weighing around 140 pounds, and having black hair and brown eyes.If you or someone you know has information that can help police find White-Sanders, CPD encourages you to reach out to Area One SVU detectives at 312-747-8385.

Man dead, teen injured following Joliet shooting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:39:15 GMT

JOLIET, Ill. -- A shooting in Joliet left one man dead and sent a teenager in the hospital Monday afternoon.According to the Joliet Police Department, officers responded to the intersection of 2nd Avenue and Baker Avenue on reports of shots fired just before 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 19. Woman killed, 2 critical — including suspect— after South Side shooting Upon arrival, officers discovered a SUV that appeared to have struck a parked vehicle on the 100 block of Baker Avenue.Inside of the SUV, officers located an unresponsive 23-year-old man in the driver's seat who had sustained gunshot wounds to the arm and chest. The 23-year-old was transported to Ascension St Joseph Medical Center where he was later pronounced dead.According to Joliet PD, a 16-year-old with a gunshot wound to the leg had been transported to the Silver Cross Hospital emergency room by private vehicle. Authorities believe their injury may be related to the shooting that involved the 23-year-old.No further inf...

American soldier's sprint into North Korea leaves family members wondering why

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:39:15 GMT

KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) — Family members of the U.S. Army private who sprinted across the border into North Korea said Wednesday that he may have felt overwhelmed as he faced legal troubles and his possible looming discharge from the military.Relatives described Pvt. Travis King, 23, as a quiet loner who did not drink or smoke and enjoyed reading the Bible. After growing up in southeast Wisconsin, he was excited about serving his country in South Korea. Now King's family is struggling to understand what changed before he dashed into a country with a long history of holding Americans and using them as bargaining chips.“I can’t see him doing that intentionally if he was in his right mind,” King’s maternal grandfather, Carl Gates, told The Associated Press from his Kenosha, Wisconsin, home. “Travis is a good guy. He wouldn’t do nothing to hurt nobody. And I can’t see him trying to hurt himself.”King was supposed to be returned to the U.S. this week to face military discipline afte...