A woman has been stabbed several times to the upper body in the New South Wales Hunter region.
Key points:
A 39-year-old woman is in hospital after being stabbed multiple times in the Hunter region
A 37-year-old woman has been arrested
Police say the women are known to each other
Emergency services were called about 10am to Segenhoe Street at Woodberry near Maitland where they found a 39-year-old woman with multiple stab wounds.
She was treated at the scene and later transferred to John Hunter Hospital in a serious condition.
A 37-year-old woman was arrested at the scene and taken to Raymond Terrace police station for questioning.
Police officers went from door to door speaking to neighbours, who recalled hearing an argument before the alleged incident.
Neighbors recall hearing arguing before the incident.(ABC Newcastle: Giselle Wakatama)
Police say the women are known to each other, but there is no evidence to suggest they were in a domestic relationship.
Chief Inspector Rob Post, from Port Stephens-Hunter police, said officers were yet to establish if there was a motive behind the attack.
“There’s been a number of witnesses identified,” he said.
“We are appealing for anyone who has information to contact police, and anyone who might have any dashcam footage or CCTV footage.
“I believe this is an isolated incident and no one should be concerned.”
Scottish police are investigating online threats made against JK Rowling after the author condemned the attack on Salman Rushdie.
Key points:
JK Rowling received threatening messages after tweeting her support of Salman Rushdie
One user replied “you are next”
Rushdie, 75, was stabbed at a lecture in New York
The Harry Potter creator tweeted that said she felt “very sick” after hearing the news and hoped the novelist would “be OK”.
A user replied “don’t worry you are next”.
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Rowling shared screenshots of the threatening tweet and said: “To all sending supportive messages: thank you police are involved (were already involved on other threats)”.
A spokeswoman for Scotland’s police said: “We have received a report of an online threat being made and officers are carrying out enquiries.”
Rushdie, 75, was stabbed at a lecture in New York on Saturday and suffered a damaged liver and severed nerves in an arm and an eye.
He remains in a critical condition, however his son Zafar Rushdie said his father’s “defiant sense of humor remains intact”.
Rushdie’s agent earlier confirmed the author was removed from a ventilator and is “on the road to recovery,” and able to talk and joke.
The attack was met with global shock and outrage, as well as praise for the Indian-born author who has weathered death threats and a US$3 million bounty on his head for three decades.
Author Salman Rushdie has lived with a bounty on his head for decades. (Reuters: Andrew Winning, file)
The Indian-born author’s 1988 book The Satanic Verses was considered blasphemous by many Muslims, and the book was banned in Iran, where the country’s late leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa, or edict, calling for Rushdie’s death
His accused attacker Hadi Matar, 24, of Fairview, New Jersey, pleaded not guilty on Saturday to attempted murder and assault charges.
Miami prosecutors unveiled video footage on Thursday that showed an OnlyFans star fighting with her boyfriend in an elevator just two months before fatally stabbing him in the chest.
Courtney Clenney, who boasts 2 million followers on Instagram, will be extradited to South Florida after her arrest in Hawaii this week on second-degree murder charges.
Miami-Dade County State Attorney Kathie Fernandez-Rundle said at a press conference announcing the charges Thursday that Clenney stabbed Christian Obumseli at close range during a fight at their luxury apartment on April 3.
Fernandez-Rundle said the pair had a “tempestuous” relationship that became so disruptive to residents in the apartment building that managers were pursuing their eviction.
To demonstrate Clenney’s capacity for violence, Fernandez-Rundle played a video from February showing the pair scuffling in an elevator that opened directly into their apartment.
“It certainly appears that the defendant was aggressively attacking Christian,” Fernandez-Rundle said.
Courtney Clenney is accused of fatally stabbing her boyfriend. Miami Office of the State Attorney
Clenney’s attorney, Frank Prieto, maintains that she stabbed Obumseli in self-defense after he shoved her to the ground.
Fernandez-Rundle said the couple’s constant warring had led to a brief separation in March while Clenney’s mother came to stay with her in the apartment.
But just two days before the fatal confrontation, the pair reconciled and Obumseli moved back in.
“The arguments began almost immediately,” she said, adding that cops responded to the apartment and found Clenney intoxicated.
Clenney will be extradited to South Florida after her arrest in Hawaii on second-degree murder charges.Miami Office of the State Attorney
Two days later, Fernadez-Rundle said the couple had a relatively quiet morning and recorded a video playing with their dog. Obumseli later left to get them sandwiches.
Clenney then went live on Instagram as Obumseli returned home at 4:33 pm that Sunday before they began arguing once again.
Clenney later claimed to investigators that she grabbed a knife after Obumseli threw her down to the floor and chucked it at him from a distance of 10 feet.
But Fernandez-Rundle said the evidence did not support that claim — and that she had stabbed him in the chest at close range. Obumseli was never armed.
Clenney’s attorney argues that she stabbed Obumseli in self-defense after he shoved her to the ground.Miami Office of the State Attorney
Records show that the model called her mother twice before calling 911 at 4:57 pm, the prosecutor said. Obumseli could be heard on the 911 call “repeatedly saying that he was dying,” Fernandez-Rundle said.
She added that Obumseli was a victim of “domestic violence” — and that men are often unwilling to come forward to report their abuse.
Clenney had been getting therapy for PTSD stemming from the case in Hawaii before her arrest.
Lawyers for both parties have claimed that their clients were defending themselves. Miami Office of the State Attorney
“We are completely shocked at Courtney’s arrest based upon the clear evidence of self-defense in this matter,” Prieto said Thursday. “Obumseli attacked her and choked her that evening; Courtney had no choice but to meet force with force.”
Larry Handfield, a lawyer for the Obumseli family, had initially argued that investigators prematurely deemed the stabbing a case of self-defense and pushed for a more thorough probe.
Joined at Thursday’s press conference by Obumseli’s brother and cousin, Handfield lauded the arrest.
“We always believed that with a thorough and fair investigation that this day would come into reality,” he said. “This is such a relief for the family. But it gives restored hope that even though delayed, justice will still come.”
Social media model Courtney Clenney has been arrested in Hawaii on a charge of second-degree murder with a deadly weapon
ByAssociated Press via
This photo provided by the Hawaii Police Department shows Courtney Clenney. Law enforcement in Hawaii on Wednesday.
AP
HILO, Hawaii — Law enforcement in Hawaii on Wednesday arrested social media model Courtney Clenney on a charge of second-degree murder with a deadly weapon.
Hawaii County police said in a statement they assisted the US Marshals Service as they arrested the 26-year-old in Laupahoehoe, which is on the Big Island. Officers used an arrest warrant issued by Miami-Dade County, Florida.
She’s being held at the East Hawaii Detention Center while she waits for her initial court appearance in Hilo District Court on Thursday, police said.
The police statement gave no details about the accusations against her, but the Miami Herald reported that Clenney is accused of fatally stabbing her boyfriend in April.
Her Miami defense lawyer, Frank Prieto, told the Miami Herald that she was in Hawaii while in rehabilitation for substance abuse and post-traumatic stress disorder.
“I’m completely shocked, especially since we were cooperating with the investigation and offered to voluntarily surrender her if she were charged,” Prieto said. “We look forward to clearing her name in court.”
A Hawaii man has been arrested for a 1982 slaying of a teenager abducted from a bus stop in California, authorities announced Tuesday.
Police in Sunnyvale nabbed 75-year-old Gary Ramirez in Maui after they concluded his DNA matched the blood from the scene of 15-year-old Karen Stitt’s murder, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office.
DNA technology was used to link Gary Ramirez to the blood from Karen Stitt’s leather jacket.Maui Police Department
Stitt was waiting for a bus in Sunnyvale when she disappeared in the early morning hours of Sept. 3, 1982. A delivery truck driver found her unclothed dead body in bushes a football field away from the station, according to a Mercury News story published Tuesday.
Police said DNA technology was used to link Ramirez to the blood from Karen’s leather jacket and the 4-foot cinder block wall where the killer left her after stabbing her 59 times.
Sunnyvale police Detective Matt Hutchison revealed that while he arrested Ramirez — a retired bug exterminator and Air Force veteran with an injured hip — appeared so shocked he could only utter, “Oh my gosh.”
Ramirez, a Fresno native, had no criminal record, police said. His older brother, Rudy Ramirez, who also lives in Maui, said it was hard to conceive that his younger brother would carry out a grisly murder.
“I’ve never seen him violent or get angry ever,” Rudy Ramirez told the newspaper. “He wouldn’t hurt a fly.”
In 2019, Hutchison partnered with a genealogist, who narrowed the DNA down to four brothers.
Hutchison then searched for one of Gary Ramirez’s children, and collected a DNA sample, which revealed there was a high likelihood that the suspect was their father, he said. Authorities then employed a search warrant to swab Gary Ramirez’s mouth for a DNA sample, which a crime lab confirmed matched the DNA found at the decades-old crime scene.
When he opened the email with the DNA match, “I wanted to scream, but I can’t because I didn’t want to wake up the hotel,” Hutchison said. “So I just took a moment to reflect.”
He opened up his laptop and clicked on the photo of Karen.
Karen Stitt was waiting for a bus in Sunnyvale when she disappeared in the early morning hours of Sept. 3, 1982.County of Santa ClaraKaren Stitt’s unclothed and bloody body was found in some bushes not far from the bus station.County of Santa ClaraGary Ramirez allegedly stabbed Karen Stitt 59 times.County of Santa Clara“I’ve never seen him violent or get angry ever,” Gary Ramirez’s brother reacted.County of Santa Clara
“I took a quick glance at her photo,” he said, “and I just told her, ‘We did it.’”
Ramirez is locked up in a Maui jail while waiting for a Wednesday extradition hearing in order to transport him to California.
An arrest was made in the homicide of a 34-year-old Nashua woman on Friday, according to the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office. Officials said Miguel Ramirez, 30, of Nashua, was arrested and is facing a second-degree murder charge for allegedly stabbing and killing Julie Graichen, of Nashua. Nashua police found Graichen’s body de ella in a multiunit apartment on Kinsley Street around 5:20 pm Friday. People close to Graichen tell New 9 she was born and raised in Nashua and loved cats and music. The attorney general’s office said it appears Ramirez and Graichen knew each other, but investigators are still working to figure out the extent of their relationship. They are also still investigating what led up to Graichen’s death.”It’s still early on in the investigation,” said Peter Hinkley, New Hampshire Senior Assistant Attorney General. “We think we have a good idea but we’re still trying to develop evidence and try to speak to people who may have some more information.” Ramirez is expected to be arraigned in court on Monday.
NASHUA, NH—
An arrest was made in the homicide of a 34-year-old Nashua woman on Friday, according to the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office.
Officials said Miguel Ramirez, 30, of Nashua, was arrested and is facing a second-degree murder charge for allegedly stabbing and killing Julie Graichen, of Nashua.
Nashua police found Graichen’s body in a multiunit apartment on Kinsley Street around 5:20 pm Friday.
People close to Graichen tell New 9 she was born and raised in Nashua and loved cats and music.
The attorney general’s office said it appears Ramirez and Graichen knew each other, but investigators are still working to figure out the extent of their relationship.
They are also still investigating what led up to Graichen’s death.
“It’s still early on in the investigation,” said Peter Hinkley, New Hampshire Senior Assistant Attorney General. “We think we have a good idea but we’re still trying to develop evidence and try to speak to people who may have some more information.”
Ramirez is expected to be arraigned in court on Monday.
A 17-year-old boy who fatally stabbed a teenager at Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast more than two years ago has been sentenced to 10 years in jail but will only spend seven years in custody.
Jack Beasley died after being stabbed once in the chest in December 2019.
Five teenage boys, aged between 15 and 18 at the time, were originally charged over the 17-year-old’s death, but three were acquitted of his manslaughter at a judge-only trial last month.
The remaining two, including a 17-year-old boy, faced a sentencing hearing in Brisbane on Friday after he pleaded guilty to murder earlier this year, admitting to inflicting the fatal wound.
A 20-year-old man pleaded guilty to his manslaughter, accepting he had a common purpose to assault Mr Beasley and his friends, and that an unlawful killing would be a “probable consequence.”
The pair – who cannot be named due to youth justice laws – have also pleaded guilty to two counts each of grievous bodily harm in relation to the stabbing of one of Mr Beasley’s friends, who was seriously injured.
Knife used in ‘senseless’ way amid brawl
During a sentencing hearing on Friday, the court heard the group of teens had crossed paths with Mr Beasley and his friends, who were not known to them, and they had hatched a plan to chase them and pick a fight.
Crown Prosecutor Todd Fuller told the court the older offender took “a lead role” and was one of the “main protagonists” who “instigated the violence” with Mr Beasley.
“He was actively involved in the altercation from the start to finish,” he said.
Police at the scene on Surfers Paradise Boulevard where Mr Beasley died in 2019.(abcnews)
The court heard a physical fight then broke out between some members of the two groups, including Mr Beasley.
Mr Fuller told the court the younger teen then “escalated the level of violence” by using the knife “offensively rather than defensively” and in a “senseless” way.
“The grave nature of his offending speaks for itself,” he said.
‘Left to die on the footpath’
Reading a victim impact statement to the court through tears, Mr Beasley’s mother Belinda Beasley addressed the teens who were sitting in the dock, calling them “cowards.”
“You ran away… and left Jack and [his friend] to die on the footpath with not a care in the world – what sort of people are you?” she said.
“In that one moment you destroyed so many people’s lives.”
Mr Beasley’s parents established the Jack Beasley Foundation in a bid to change attitudes around youth violence among students.(ABC Gold Coast: Dominic Cansdale)
Mrs Beasley described her son as a “beautiful boy” who was “cheeky, fun-loving and easy going” and said his death had turned her life into a “living nightmare”.
“The pain you have brought to our family is indescribable,” she said.
“To lose a child in the way we lost Jack altered our lives forever.
“Being a juvenile is no excuse – everyone knows right from wrong.”
‘Deeply tragic’
In a written statement by the younger teen, read by his defense lawyer James Benjamin, he said he took “full responsibility for my actions and hold myself accountable.”
“I understand I may never be forgiven but I hope one day I will be,” he said in the statement.
The 17-year-old then stood in court and told the judge: “I’m very, very sorry.”
Justice Soraya Ryan described the offenses as “profoundly tragic” and said they had “heartbreaking consequences” for Mr Beasley’s family and wider community implications.
“Good parents of young people are scared when their children leave home to go out because of people like you and your companions,” he said.
Justice Ryan sentenced the 17-year-old boy to 10 years in jail and ordered him to serve 70 per cent of the term.
The 20-year-old man was sentenced to seven years in jail and will be eligible for parole in 12 months.
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.
An Adelaide police officer has been stabbed in the hand while making an arrest in the city’s west, according to SA Police.
Key points:
Police were called when two men were seen acting suspiciously around homes and cars at about 2am
One of the men was tracked down after fleeing on a mini dirt bike in Adelaide’s west
A police officer was allegedly stabbed in the hand during the arrest
Patrols were called to Arnold Close in Findon just before 2am today, after reports of two men acting suspiciously, trying door handles on cars and a home.
One man sped off on a mini dirt bike but was later seen by a police dog and his handler nearby.
When the suspect was confronted, he produced a screwdriver and allegedly attacked the officer, stabbing him in the hand and trying to also stab the dog.
Back-up was called and the man was arrested.
The accused man is taken by ambulance to hospital with dog bite wounds.(abcnews)
Senior Constable Rebecca Stokes said the officer was treated by paramedics at the scene.
“We’re still waiting to hear an update on how serious the injury to his hand is,” she said.
The dog’s stab-resistant harness prevented it from being injured.
A 27-year-old Findon man was taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital to be treated for dog bite wounds and is expected to be charged later this morning.
Jostling is underway for the deputy leadership of the New South Wales Liberal Party after the resignation of Stuart Ayres from cabinet yesterday.
The main contenders so far are: Treasurer Matt Kean, Transport Minister David Elliott, Metropolitan Roads Minister Natalie Ward and the Science, Innovation and Technology and Skills and Training Minister Alister Henskens.
Mr Ayres resigned from his portfolios and leadership position in the Liberal Party after an inquiry “raised concerns” about his conduct in the appointment of John Barilaro to a lucrative US trade role.
The deputy leadership will be determined at a party room meeting next Tuesday.
Premier Dominic Perrottet has announced three New South Wales ministers will have their portfolios expanded to take over Mr Ayres’s ministerial responsibilities.
Mr Henskens will also add Enterprise, Investment and Trade and Sport to his list of portfolios.
Ben Franklin — who already is Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Minister for the Arts, and Minister for Regional Youth — will add Minister for Tourism to his portfolio.
David Elliott — who is Minister for Transport and Minister for Veterans Affairs — will add Minister for Western Sydney to his portfolio.
Aboriginal inmates on rise
New data reveals Aboriginal people remain over-represented in NSW jails.
Bureau of Crime Statistics figures show the overall number of prisoners dropped since the start of the COVID pandemic, with around 1,000 fewer inmates than three years ago.
However the number of Aboriginal men in jail has risen by more than 100 and they are now 28 per cent of the jail population.
Aboriginal women make up 40 per cent of the state’s jail population.
Police release images in murder probe
Police have released images of a man and woman who may have seen something that can help their investigation. (Supplied: NSW Police)
Detectives have released images of two people they believe could help with their investigations into the murder of Western Sydney man Shady Kanj.
Shortly after 11pm on Friday, August 6, Mr Kanj was treated for gun shot wounds by paramedics on Rhodes Avenue, Guildford.
Despite their efforts, Mr Kanj died at the scene.
Strike force detectives have released CCTV of a man and woman in a white Audi Q5 captured at a fast-food restaurant on the corner of Vaughan Street and Olympic Drive at Lidcombe prior to the murder.
They do not believe the man and woman were involved in the murder, however, they may have information that could assist with inquiries.
Homicide squad commander Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty urged the man and woman, or those with knowledge of their identities, to come forward.
Premier criticized over Leichhardt snub
Leichhardt Oval is set to miss out on redevelopment funding.(AAP Images: Craig Golding)
New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet has been criticized for committing more than $300 million to rebuilding Penrith Stadium while ignoring Leichhardt Oval.
NRL boss Peter V’landys said the government had reneged on a promise to upgrade a number of suburban grounds.
Inner-West Deputy Mayor Jessica D’Arienzo said that it was despite more games and more sports being played at Leichhardt.
“It means that, again, Leichhardt misses out,” Ms D’Arienzo said.
“We should make it clear that it’s not just the Tigers that play there. Actually, you’ve got soccer, the rugby league and rugby union. We’ve got around 50 to 60 games a year being played on Leichhardt oval.”
Call for flood report’s release
NSW Labor’s Jihad Dib wants the findings released.(abcnews)
The New South Wales government has been criticized by the opposition for failing to release the findings of an inquiry into the floods earlier this year.
Severe weather and flooding devastated the Northern Rivers and Hawkesbury Nepean regions in February and March.
Premier Dominic Perrottet was due to release the final report from the inquiry on July 31.
Opposition emergency services and climate and environment spokesperson Jihad Dib said Mr Perrottet must put aside political issues within his party and release the report immediately.
“Local communities that are devastated by the floods are not interested in the government’s internal rumblings,” he said.
“What they’re interested in is a report that identifies what went wrong and a pathway forward into the future.
“He needs to release the report now rather than when its politically expedient to do so.”
Empty CBD offices
The number of empty offices in Sydney’s CBD has risen, which the property council says is due to an increase in supply.
Office vacancies in the CBD have risen from 9.3 per cent to 10.1 per cent, according to the Property Council of Australia’s latest Office Market Report.
The council says that, while vacancies have risen, the figures are actually positive, given the pressures of COVID-19, working from home and industrial action.
Property Council executive director Luke Achterstraat said there was still strong commercial property confidence in Sydney.
Thredbo cancels lift operations
Damaging winds averaging 80 to 90 kilometers per hour are forecast. (ABC South East NSW: Adriane Reardon)
Thredbo resort has made the decision not to operate any ski lifts on Thursday due to an extreme weather forecast.
A complex low pressure system, along with an associated through and cold front, are causing vigorous winds across south-east New South Wales, as well as the potential for heavy rainfall from Thursday morning.
Damaging winds averaging 80-90 kilometers per hour are forecast for Alpine areas above 1,900 meters.
Five teenagers charged after stabbing
Police have charged five teenagers after a stabbing at Bankstown in South-West Sydney.
About 3:15pm yesterday, emergency services were called to Chapel Road, where they found a 15-year-old boy with stab wounds, who they took to hospital.
Two other 15-year-old boys were also injured.
Five teenagers aged between 15 and 16 years were arrested.
The five were taken to Bankstown Police Station, where all were charged with reckless wounding in company, and affray.
They were refused bail and are due to appear before a Children’s Court on Thursday.
