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Autopsy reports released in Iowa state park triple homicide

Autopsy reports released in Iowa state park triple homicide

Investigators have released autopsy reports on the victims and the suspect in the triple homicide at Maquoketa Caves State Park Campground. Officials say 42-year-old Tyler Schmidt died from a gunshot wound and multiple sharp force injuries. His wife, 42-year-old Sarah Schmidt, died from multiple sharp force injuries. Their daughter, 6-year-old Lula Schmidt, died from a gunshot wound and strangulation. All three family members’ deaths have been ruled homicides. The family’s 9-year-old son Arlo Schmidt survived the attack. The family is from Cedar Falls. Many there have paid tribute to them in recent weeks. Investigators report that 23-year-old Anthony Sherwin, of LaVista, Nebraska, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. His death has been ruled a suicide. Investigators report that the woman who first called for assistance at the campgrounds was Sherwin’s mother.”He did run just to the first set of adults and it ends up being Sherwin’s mother who called 911,” Mitch Mortvedt with Iowa DCI said. Officials say all evidence collected points to Sherwin as the perpetrator. They believe he acted alone. Iowa DCI isn’t releasing some details out of respect for the family. “You try to wrap our rational minds around a very irrational behavior and I don’t mean to be that simple about it but sometimes you can’t understand or fathom what’s going on with someone,” Mortvedt said. Previous coverage:

ANKENY, Iowa —

Investigators have released autopsy reports on the victims and the suspect in the triple homicide at Maquoketa Caves State Park Campground.

Officials say 42-year-old Tyler Schmidt died from a gunshot wound and multiple sharp force injuries. His wife, 42-year-old Sarah Schmidt, died from multiple sharp force injuries.

Their daughter, 6-year-old Lula Schmidt, died from a gunshot wound and strangulation. All three family members’ deaths have been ruled homicides.

The family’s 9-year-old son Arlo Schmidt survived the attack. The family is from Cedar Falls. Many there have paid tribute to them in recent weeks.

Investigators report that 23-year-old Anthony Sherwin, of LaVista, Nebraska, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. His death of him has been ruled a suicide.

Investigators report that the woman who first called for assistance at the campgrounds was Sherwin’s mother.

“He did run just to the first set of adults and it ends up being Sherwin’s mother who called 911,” Mitch Mortvedt with Iowa DCI said.

Officials say all evidence collected points to Sherwin as the perpetrator. They believe he acted alone.

Iowa DCI isn’t releasing some details out of respect for the family.

“You try to wrap our rational minds around a very irrational behavior and I don’t mean to be that simple about it but sometimes you can’t understand or fathom what’s going on with someone,” Mortvedt said.

Previous coverage:



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Australia

Neighbor in custody after alleged triple-fatal shooting in Bogie, Queensland

Neighbor in custody after alleged triple-fatal shooting in Bogie, Queensland

A person has been taken into custody following an alleged shooting at a Queensland property that left three people dead.

Queensland Police Acting Superintendent Tom Armitt told Sunrise on Friday the person “nominated for that offense is with us here in custody”.

“We haven’t pressed any charges at this point in time while our investigations are ongoing,” he said.

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Armitt said the parties involved in the alleged shooting were neighbors.

The alleged shooting took place at Bogie, between Mackay and Townsville, on Thursday morning.

The surviving man was airlifted to hospital. Credit: 7NEWS

A family-of-four was allegedly shot, three fatally, with the survivor able to flee the scene.

He is believed to be a man in his 30s.

He was initially in a critical condition but has undergone multiple emergency surgeries and is now reported as being serious but stable.

“He was able to speak to us overnight and provide us details of what occurred at the incident yesterday morning,” Armitt said.

“And detectives will be speaking to him again this morning.”

The property and search area at Bogie was described by police as ‘extensive’. Credit: 7NEWS

Police are yet to confirm a motive for the alleged shooting.

Two men and a woman died at the scene, while the surviving man stumbled into remote bushland with a wound to his stomach.

He was airlifted to Mackay Base Hospital.

An emergency declaration was made to include Shannonvale Road, where the shooting took place, before it was revoked on Friday morning.

Watch: Scientists stunned by discovery of a ‘walking shark’.

Watch: Scientists stunned by discovery of a ‘walking shark’.

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US

US charges four Kentucky police officers in Breonna Taylor killing

US charges four Kentucky police officers in Breonna Taylor killing

WASHINGTON, Aug 4 (Reuters) – US prosecutors on Thursday charged four current and former Louisville, Kentucky, police officers for their roles in the botched 2020 raid that killed Breonna Taylor, a Black woman who was in her home, in a case that sparked nationwide protests.

The charges represented the Justice Department’s latest effort to crack down on abuses and racial disparities in policing, following a wave of controversial police killings of Black Americans.

Former Louisville Metropolitan Police Department Detective Joshua Jaynes and current Sergeant Kyle Meany were charged with civil rights violations and obstruction of justice for using false information to obtain the search warrant that authorized the botched March 13, 2020, raid that killed Taylor in her home, the Justice Department said. Current Detective Kelly Goodlett was charged with conspiring with Jaynes to falsify the warrant and then cover up the falsification.

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A fourth officer, former Detective Brett Hankison, was charged with civil rights violations for allegedly using excessive force, US Attorney Merrick Garland said.

“Breonna Taylor should be alive today,” Garland told a news conference. “The Justice Department is committed to defending and protecting the civil rights of every person in this country. That was this department’s founding purpose, and it remains our urgent mission.”

The death of Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency medical technician, was one in a trio of cases that fueled a summer of protests against racial injustice and police violence two years ago, in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Today was a huge step toward justice,” lawyers for the Taylor family said in a statement following the news.

Louisville police on Thursday began the process of firing Meany and Goodlett, the department said in a statement. Hankison and Jaynes were previously fired by the department.

The Justice Department is also conducting an investigation into whether the Louisville Metro Government and Louisville police engaged in a pattern or practice of abusing residents’ civil rights.

Protesters celebrate after the announcement that the FBI arrested and brought civil rights charges against four current and former Louisville police officers for their roles in the 2020 fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor, in Louisville, Kentucky, US, August 4, 2022. REUTERS/Amira Karaoud

NO KNOCK RAID

Louisville police were investigating alleged drug trafficking when they broke down the door of Taylor’s home in a “no-knock” raid, leading her boyfriend, who was carrying a legally owned firearm, to shoot at the officers, who then fired 22 shots into the apartment, killing Taylor, prosecutors said.

Hankison, prosecutors said, moved away from the door, firing 10 shots into Taylor’s apartment through a window and a glass door that were covered with blinds and curtains.

Hankison told a Kentucky grand jury that he opened fire once the shooting started. As he saw flashes light up the room, he said, he mistakenly believed one of the occupants was firing an assault-style rifle at his colleagues from him. Instead, mostly what he heard was other police firing their weapons. read more

Prosecutors said Jaynes and Goodlett met in a garage days after the shooting to agree on a false story to cover for the false evidence they had submitted to justify the botched raid.

Lawyer Stew Mathews, who represented Hankison at a trial in Jefferson County Circuit Court where he was acquitted in March of wanton endangerment, said he had spoken Thursday morning with the former detective as he was on his way to surrender to the FBI.

Mathews said the federal charges looked similar to the previous state charges Hankison had faced. Until Thursday, Hankison had been the only officer to face charges in connection with the raid.

“I’m sure Brett will be contesting this just like he did the other indication,” Mathews said.

Lawyer Thomas Clay, who represents Jaynes, could not be immediately reached for comment. It was not immediately clear if Meany and Goodlett had attorneys.

The killing of Taylor, along with other high-profile 2020 killings of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Ahmaud Arbery in Brunswick, Georgia, sparked nationwide protests.

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Reporting by Scott Malone in Washington and Colleen Jenkins in Winston-Salem, North Carolina; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Marla Dickerson

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US

Mistrial denied as jury weighs damages against Alex Jones in Sandy Hook defamation trial

Mistrial denied as jury weighs damages against Alex Jones in Sandy Hook defamation trial

Aug 4 (Reuters) – A Texas judge denied Alex Jones’s motion for a mistrial on Thursday as jury deliberations summarized in a defamation case over the US conspiracy theorist’s false claims about the Sandy Hook mass shooting.

The mistrial request followed the disclosure during the two-week-long trial that Jones’s lawyer accidentally sent two years of the US conspiracy theorist’s text messages to the plaintiffs.

Federico Andino Reynal, an attorney for Jones, told Judge Maya Guerra Gamble that attorneys for the plaintiffs should have immediately destroyed the records. An attorney for the parents, Mark Bankston, used the texts to undercut Jones’ testimony during cross-examination on Wednesday.

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Jones, founder of the Infowars radio show and webcast, is on trial to determine the amount of damages he owes for spreading falsehoods about the killing of 20 children and six staff at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, on Dec. 14, 2012 .

Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, the parents of slain six-year-old Jesse Lewis, are seeking as much as $150 million from Jones and his company, Free Speech Systems LLC, for what their lawyer has called a “vile campaign of defamation.”

Heslin told jurors on Tuesday that Jones’ falsehoods had made his life “hell” and led to a campaign of harassment and death threats against him by people who believed he lied about his son’s death.

Jones previously claimed that the mainstream media and gun-control activists conspired to fabricate the Sandy Hook tragedy and that the shooting was staged using crisis actors.

Jones, who later acknowledged that the shooting took place, told the Austin jury on Wednesday that it was “100% real.”

Gamble issued a rare default judgment against Jones in the case in 2021.

Free Speech Systems declared bankruptcy last week. Jones said during a Monday broadcast of Infowars that the filing will help the company stay on the air while it appeals.

Jones faces a similar defamation suit in Connecticut state court, where he has also been found liable in a default judgment.

The Sandy Hook gunman, Adam Lanza, 20, used a Remington Bushmaster rifle to carry out the massacre. It ended when Lanza killed himself with the approaching sound of police sirens.

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Reporting by Jack Queen; Editing by Noeleen Walder, Amy Stevens and Howard Goller

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US

Former Puerto Rico Gov. Wanda Vázquez charged with bribery

Former Puerto Rico Gov. Wanda Vázquez charged with bribery

San Juan Puerto Rico — Form Puerto Rico Gov. Wanda Vázquez was arrested Thursday on bribery charges related to the financing of her 2020 campaign, the latest hit to an island with a long history of corruption that brought fresh political upheaval to the US territory.

Vázquez is accused of engaging in a bribery scheme from December 2019 through June 2020 — while she was governor — with several people, including a Venezuelan-Italian bank owner, a former FBI agent, a bank president and a political consultant.

“I am innocent. I have not committed any crime,” she told reporters. “I assure you that they have committed a great injustice against me.”

The arrest embarrassed and angered many in Puerto Rico who believe the island’s already shaky image has been further tarnished, leaving a growing number of people who have lost faith in their local officials to wonder whether federal authorities are their only hope to root out entrenched government corruption . Concern over previous corruption cases led to a delay in federal aid for Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria as the US government implemented more safeguards.

Thursday’s arrest also was a blow to Vázquez’s pro-statehood New Progressive Party, which is pushing to hold a referendum next year in a bid to become the 51st US state.

Vázquez was the second woman to serve as Puerto Rico’s governor and the first former governor to face federal charges. Former Gov. Aníbal Acevedo Vilá of the opposing Popular Democratic Party was charged with campaign finance violations while in office and was found not guilty in 2009. He had been the first Puerto Rico governor to be charged with a crime in recent history.

“For the second time in our history, political power and public office are used to finance an electoral campaign,” said José Luis Dalmau, president of Acevedo’s party. “Using the power of the government to advance political agendas is unacceptable and an affront to democracy in Puerto Rico.”

Vázquez’s consultant, identified as John Blakeman, and the bank president, identified as Frances Díaz, have pleaded guilty to participating in the bribery scheme, according to the US Department of Justice.

In early 2019, the international bank owned by Julio Martín Herrera Velutini was being scrutinized by Puerto Rico’s Office of the Commissioner of Financial Institutions because of transactions authorities believed were suspicious and had not been reported by the bank.

Authorities said Herrera and Mark Rossini, the former FBI agent who provided consulting services to Herrera, allegedly promised to financially support Vázquez’s 2020 campaign for governor in exchange for Vázquez dismissing the commissioner and appointing a new one of Herrera’s choosing.

Authorities said Vázquez accepted the bribery offer and in February 2020 demanded the commissioner’s resignation. She then was accused of appointing a former consultant for Herrera’s bank as the new commissioner in May 2020. After the move, officials said Herrera and Rossini paid more than $300,000 to political consultants to support Vázquez’s campaign.

A flurry of messages exchanged during that time between people involved in the case included a heart emoji attached to the commissioner’s resignation letter and three sealed lips emojis when someone provided Rossi’s name to Vázquez, who requested the name of “the guy from the FBI.” In addition, Herrera texted Rossini about the need for a campaign manager and said he didn’t want “a monkey from Puerto Rico.”

After Vázquez lost the primary to current Gov. Pedro Pierluisi, authorities said Herrera then allegedly sought to bribe Pierluisi to end an audit into his bank with favorable terms. Herrera is accused of using intermediaries from April 2021 to August 2021 to offer a bribe to Pierluisi’s representative, who was actually acting under FBI orders, according to the indictment.

Officials said Herrera then ordered a $25,000 payment to a political action committee in hopes of trying to bribe Pierluisi.

Stephen Muldrow, US Attorney for Puerto Rico, said Pierluisi is not involved in the case.

Vázquez, Herrera and Rossini are each charged with conspiracy, federal bribery programs and honest services wire fraud. If they are found guilty on all counts, they could face up to 20 years in prison, officials said.

Meanwhile, Díaz and Blakeman could face up to five years in prison, officials said.

Muldrow said officials believe Herrera is in the United Kingdom and Rossini in Spain. It wasn’t clear if the US would seek to extradite them.

Juan Rosado-Reynés, a spokesman for Vázquez, told the AP he did not have an immediate comment.

Attorneys for the other suspects charged in the case could not be immediately reached for comment.

In mid-May, Vázquez’s attorney told reporters that he and his client were preparing for possible charges as the former governor at the time denied any wrongdoing: “I can tell the people of Puerto Rico that I have not committed any crime, that I have not engaged in any illegal or incorrect conduct, as I have always said.”

Vázquez was sworn in as governor in August 2019 after former Gov. Ricardo Rosselló stepped down following massive protests. She served until 2021, after losing the primaries of the pro-statehood New Progressive Party to Pierluisi.

In a statement Thursday, Pierluisi said his administration will work with federal authorities to help fight corruption.

“No one is above the law in Puerto Rico,” he said. “Faced with this news that certainly affects and lacerates the confidence of our people, I reiterate that in my administration, we will continue to have a common front with federal authorities against anyone who commits an improper act, no matter where it comes from or who it may implicate.”

Vázquez previously served as the island’s justice secretary and a district attorney for more than 30 years.

She became governor after Puerto Rico’s Supreme Court ruled that the swearing in of Pierluisi — who was secretary of state in 2019 — as governor was unconstitutional. Vázquez at the time said she was not interested in running for office and would only finish the nearly two years left in Rosselló’s term.

Rosselló had resigned after tens of thousands of Puerto Ricans took to the street, angry over corruption, mismanagement of public funds and an obscenity-laced chat in which he and 11 other men including public officials made fun of women, gay people and victims of Hurricane Maria, among others.

Shortly after she was sworn in, Vázquez told the AP that her priorities were to fight corruption, secure federal hurricane recovery funds and help lift Puerto Rico out of a deep economic crisis as the government struggled to emerge from bankruptcy.

During the interview, she told the AP that she had long wanted to be in public service: as a girl, she would stand on her balcony and hold imaginary trials, always finding the supposed defendants guilty.

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US

You DA Chesa Boudin says he won’t run for re-election

You DA Chesa Boudin says he won't run for re-election

Former San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin — the progressive prosecutor who was ousted by voters in June — said Thursday he won’t be running in the special election this year.

Boudin explained his choice not to seek re-election in a Twitter threadsaying he is putting his “family first.”

“Over the past weeks, I’ve spoken to family, friends and every day San Franciscans about how we can best continue to make our criminal justice system fairer and more effective. I have devoted my public life to this effort because it makes our communities stronger & safer,” he wrote.

“I’ve also taken stock of the burden of more than three years of nearly non-stop campaigning placed on my family,” Boudin said, adding, “I’m committed to criminal justice reform; I’m also committed to my family.”

Fed-up San Francisco voters recalled the progressive DA during a June 7 election over what many said were Boudin’s soft-on-crime policies that contributed to the city’s surge in crime, open-air drug dealing and robberies.

Mayor London Breed appointed Brooke Jenkins as the new DA in July.

During a press conference on Wednesday, Jenkins announced a new office policy that would revoke open drug plea cases and promise to hold dealers accountable.

Chesa Boudin waves at cars as he canvasses in San Francisco prior to his ouster in June.
AP
Boudin looks distracted during election night on June 7.
Boudin looks distracted during election night on June 7.
Getty Images

“We cannot stand by while these neighborhoods continue to suffer with violence and drug dealing happening openly on their streets, and we also cannot continue to stand by while people continue to die on our streets,” Jenkins said. “We have to make changes now to save lives.”

Boudin told the San Francisco Chronicle last month that he was still considering running for the top prosecutor position.

On Thursday, however, Boudin said focusing on his family will come first, including taking care of his elderly father, who “just came home from prison after more than 40 years.”

As DA, Boudin came under fire for his soft-on-crime policies in the face of rising crime in the city.
As DA, Boudin came under fire for his soft-on-crime policies in the face of rising crime in the city.
Getty Images

His father, David, who received parole last year, was part of the left-wing group Weather Underground. David Boudin and his wife, Kathy, served prison time for a botched 1981 robbery in New York that left two police officers and a Brinks truck guard dead.

Boudin’s mother died of cancer in May.

The embattled DA stood by his policies, including his resentencing work that “offered second chances to those who had caused harm and supported victims,” according to his tweet.

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US

NYC McDonald’s worker shot over fries is brain dead, accused gunman held without bail

NYC McDonald's worker shot over fries is brain dead, accused gunman held without bail

The McDonald’s worker who was shot in the neck over cold french fries is brain-dead and on life support, prosecutors said Thursday, as a Brooklyn judge ordered his alleged assailant held without bail.

Michael Morgan, 20, is expected to face upgraded homicide charges for Monday’s Bedford-Stuyvesant shooting, in which he allegedly blasted victim Matthew Webb, 23, shortly after an argument about the French fries served to the suspect’s mother, prosecutors said.

“Your Honor, the people anticipate a homicide charge on this case given the victim is currently on life support. The victim has been transported to Brookdale Hospital and has been brain-dead,” Brooklyn Assistant District Attorney Luis Paternina told Judge Inga O’Neale during Morgan’s arraignment on attempted murder charges.

“The family now has to make the difficult decision [to take him off life support].”

Morgan, who was cuffed behind his back, looked down during the brief proceeding and didn’t speak.

Webb was serving at the Fulton Street eatery on Monday evening when Morgan’s mom, Lisa Fulmore, complained to workers that her fries were cold and asked to speak to a manager.

When the workers began laughing at her, Fulmore was FaceTiming with Morgan, who came to the restaurant and got into a fight with Webb that spilled out onto the sidewalk.

Matthew Webb, the Brooklyn McDonald's employee who was shot while working, is currently brain dead and on life support.
Matthew Webb, the Brooklyn McDonald’s employee who was shot while working, is brain-dead and on life support.
Webb was allegedly shot by Michael Morgan over a dispute involving his mother being served cold french fries.
Webb was allegedly shot by Michael Morgan over a dispute involving his mother being served cold french fries.

Morgan punched Webb in the face and when he got back up, he pulled out a gun and blasted him in the neck, prosecutors alleged.

The suspect’s girlfriend, Camellia Dunlap, has also been charged in connection with the case after she allegedly handed Morgan the gun prior to the shooting, prosecutors said.

Morgan was taken into custody at his home Monday night and following hours of questioning, he confessed to the shooting and an unrelated 2020 homicide a few blocks from the McDonald’s that left Kevin Holloman, 28, dead, prosecutors alleged.

Holloman was outside a Herkimer Street building with his cousin that October when Morgan allegedly fatally shot him, prosecutors said.

Morgan was arrested for the shooting and is being held without bail.
Morgan was arrested for the shooting and is being held without bail.
Paul Martinka
NYPD at the scene of the shooting at the Brooklyn McDonald's on August 2, 2022.
NYPD at the scene of the shooting at the Brooklyn McDonald’s on August 2, 2022.
Paul Martinka

A few days prior, Morgan and Holloman’s cousin got into an altercation and when the relative took out a knife to cut up some marijuana, the suspect ran out of the apartment and began shooting, prosecutors alleged.

The cousin wasn’t hit but Holloman was struck three times and later died at Interfaith Hospital, prosecutors said.

“He was the sweetest kid. He was not like these little thugs we have running around here. He was so polite. He was always chasing girls. That was it. Chasing girls, making jokes,” Domingo Rivera, a longtime former neighbor of Holloman, told The Post Thursday.

“[He] was a good kid. I have never got into trouble. He was always dancing and joking around.”

Morgan was charged with a 2020 murder that took place near the Brooklyn McDonald's restaurant.
Morgan was charged with a 2020 murder that took place near the Brooklyn McDonald’s restaurant.
Gregory P Mango

Rivera, 57, referred to Holloman by his nickname “Keybo” and said after he was murdered, his mother soon got sick and died.

“I’m glad they got him,” Rivera said of Morgan.

Holloman’s sister also celebrated the news in a Wednesday Facebook post.

“The first person I wanted to call with this news was my mother and I couldn’t I’m still heartbroken but I’m happy me and my family get some kind of peace,” she wrote with a series of green and white heart emoji.

Morgan is charged with murder in the 2020 slay and was held without bail in both cases. He’s due back in court on August 8. Relatives of Morgan and Webb couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.

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US

Parkland shooting trial: Jurors to visit Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School today

Parkland shooting trial: Jurors to visit Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School today



CNN
—

Jurors from the sentencing portion of the trial for the gunman who killed 17 people are expected to visit the scene of the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School’s 1200 building in Parkland, Florida, on Thursday.

The building on the school’s campus has remained sealed since the February 2018 shooting to preserve it for the trial. A new building that opened in 2020 has taken on the role of the structure, which officials have said will be torn down.

The visit is meant to help jurors analyze the evidence presented in the trial so far, Judge Elizabeth Scherer explained.

The judge instructed jurors Wednesday to “avoid touching, manipulating or moving anything.” She also told them to explore the scene on their own and at their own pace, moving as a group from floor to floor.

“Nothing will be explained or pointed out to you,” the judge’s instructions said. Jurors have also been told to avoid speaking to anyone until the viewing is complete.

Jurors will not be allowed to have a smart phone, smart watch or any type of camera, during the jury view. In court, attorneys encouraged the judge to ask jurors to wear closed-toe shoes because they could encounter glass on the floor.

The current phase of the trial is to determine gunman Nikolas Cruz’s sentence: Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty, while Cruz’s defense attorneys are asking the jury for a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. To recommend a death sentence, jurors must be unanimous. If they do so, the judge could choose to follow the recommendation or sentence Cruz to life instead.

Cruz is not expected to be at the crime scene.

Following the visit, some impact statements are expected in court, the judge said.

Wednesday was the third day of victim impact testimony in the trial of Cruz, who pleaded guilty to 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted murder for the shooting.

Much of the testimony in the Broward County court – particularly from the parents of the 14 students killed – has focused on all the things the victims and their families will never get to do and the irreparable damage to their everyday lives.

“Our family is broken. There is this constant emptiness,” said Max Schachter, the father of 14-year-old Alex, who loved chocolate chip cookies, playing the trombone and video games.

“I feel I can’t truly be happy if I smile,” Schachter said Wednesday. “I know that behind that smile is the sharp realization that part of me will always be sad and miserable because Alex isn’t here.”

The loss of her daughter Meadow Pollack, 18, has “destroyed” Shara Kaplan’s life, she told the jury Tuesday, “and my capability of ever living a productive existence.” To articulate how her daughter’s death de ella impacted her de ella, she said, she would have to rip out her heart de ella and show them how it had shattered into a million pieces.

And the Hoyer family will never be the same. “We were a family unit of five always trying to fit into a world set up for even numbers,” said Tom Hoyer, whose 15-year-old son Luke – the youngest of three – was killed. “Two-, four-, six-seat tables in a restaurant. Two-, four-, six-ticket packages to events. Things like that.”

But the Hoyers are no longer a family of five, and “never again will the world feel right, now that we’re a family of four,” Hoyer said.

“When Luke died something went missing in me,” he said. “And I’ll never, never get over that feeling.”

To make their sentencing decision, jurors will hear prosecutors and defense attorneys argue aggravating factors and mitigating circumstances – reasons Cruz should or should not be executed.

The victim impact statements add another layer, giving the families and friends of the victims their own day in court, though the judge told the jury the statements are not meant to be weighed as aggravating factors.

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US

Orlando police ID family of 5 killed in murder-suicide at Lake Nona home

Orlando police ID family of 5 killed in murder-suicide at Lake Nona home

ORLANDO, Fla. – Orlando police on Wednesday identified the family of five killed in a murder-suicide inside a Lake Nona home.

Investigators believe the father of the children, Donovan Michael Ramirez, 45, killed his wife — Stephanie Renee Ramirez, 39 — and their children: Alyssa Berumen, 22; Sunny Ramirez, 11; and Shelby Rose Ramirez, 7, before killing himself.

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Police said a gun was found at the scene, but the medical examiner will still have to determine the cause of each death.

Officers were called to the home Tuesday afternoon to conduct a well-being check. Police said they found the victims dead inside the home on Lake District Lane, near Moss Park Road and State Road 417.

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Neighbors told News 6 the family began renting the house about two months ago.

Police have not said what led to the killings, only calling it an act of domestic violence.

There are resources available 24 hours a day for anyone who may be a victim of domestic violence.

  • Harbor House of Central Florida 24-hour confidential crisis hotline: (407) 886-2856

  • Victim Service Center of Central Florida 24/7 helpline: (407)-500-HEAL

  • National Domestic Violence Hotline 24/7 and in English and Spanish: 1-800-799-7233

  • United Way of Central Florida 211 services: Call or text 211 for confidential domestic abuse support, and other services.

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Police identify 2 people killed, reveal ages of 6 injured

Police identify 2 people killed, reveal ages of 6 injured

DETROIT – Police revealed the identities of the two people who were killed in a shooting sparked by an argument over the way cars were parked for a birthday party in a detroit neighborhood, as well as the ages of the six people who were injured.

what happened

The shooting happened at 2:44 am Sunday (July 31) in the 11600 block of Coyle Street, near Plymouth Road on Detroit’s west side, according to authorities.

Detroit police Chief James White said Winston Kirtley Jr., 36, of Detroit, got upset about the way people had parked their vehicles for a birthday party directly across the street from his house.

“This was a birthday party where people were parked all around the home, and our suspect became upset about where the vehicles were placed,” White said. “My understanding is that perhaps one of the vehicles was blocking the driveway.”

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Police said the parking situation sparked a dispute that ultimately led to Kirtley firing multiple shots from what officials called a “high-powered rifle.” Gunshots were fired from both the first and second floors of the home, authorities said.

Eight people were struck by gunfire, police said.

“Instead of contacting the police department, instead of notifying the NPOs, which we have to handle such matters, he decided to take matters into his own hands, engaging them, and ultimately shooting up the home, striking our eight victims, and again, two of them are sadly deceased,” White said.

Kirtley arrested, charged

Police said officers entered Kirtley’s home, and he was inside in the dark. He has a military background and had placed weapons around the home so he could access them if engaged, White said.

Once police identified Kirtley and made contact with him, he gave himself up and was taken into custody without incident, according to authorities.

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Police said they recovered 11 weapons from strategic locations throughout the home.

“Eleven weapons were strategically placed throughout the home, so as he moved through the home, he would have access to these weapons,” White said.

Kirtley was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, six counts of assault with attempted murder, two counts of discharge at a building, and 10 felony firearm violations.

He was arraigned Wednesday morning and remanded to the Wayne County Jail.

A probable cause conference is scheduled for 8:20 am Aug. 18, and a preliminary examination is scheduled for 1:45 pm Aug. 25.

Police revealed the identities of the two people who were killed in a shooting sparked by an argument over the way cars were parked for a birthday party in a Detroit neighborhood, as well as the ages of the six people who were injured.

Shooting victim information

Andre Willis, Jr., 38, of Detroit, was pronounced dead from gunshot injuries at the shooting scene, authorities said.

Police announced Monday that a second person had died from her injuries. She has since been identified as Toyake Thirkeild, 39, of Detroit.

“It’s incredibly sad that two families have to bury their loved ones who were killed over a minor dispute by someone who had no respect for the lives of others,” White said. “Thankfully, our officers were able to take this suspect into custody before anyone else was hurt, but this shooting should never have happened. We need every business, every faith-based organization, every school and every Detroiter to step up and work together to put an end to the violence we’re seeing.”

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The six other shooting victims are a 40-year-old man, a 39-year-old woman, a 35-year-old woman, a 35-year-old man, a 32-year-old woman, and a 19-year-old year-old man, according to officials. All six are Detroit residents.

Police said Monday that all six were recovering from their injuries. At the time, one person was in critical condition, while some others were in serious condition.

You can listen to the full DPD update on this shooting below.

Detroit police provided an update on the shooting that left two people dead and six others injured after a parking dispute.

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