Crimes, Homicides & Suicides

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Fraternity Drug Ring

A 24-year-old accused of leading a fraternity-affiliated drug ring at Penn State surrendered to authorities yesterday. He is being held in jail without bail after failing to appear for an arraignment Monday.  Agostino Abbatiello is one of 14 people, including 13 current or former students, charged in connection with the alleged drug ring. Court documents released this week allege the operation was run out of off-campus fraternity houses from 2023 to 2024, with Delta Upsilon and Sigma Chi brothers and pledges accused of cutting, bagging, and distributing cocaine to the student body. Abbatiello and fellow former student Thomas Robinson, 23, allegedly sourced bulk cocaine from Philadelphia and New York (see how cocaine gets to the US here). Records show Robinson and his father, a Pittsburgh lawyer charged with concealing evidence, posted bail Monday.  In 2020, federal prosecutors charged several current and former UNC-Chapel Hill, Duke University, and Appalachian State University students in connection with a drug ring that generated an estimated $1.5M in sales.

 

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Judge removed from Texas track meet killing case as Karmelo Anthony seeks new trial

McKINNEY, Texas (AP) — The judge who presided over Texas teenager Karmelo Anthony’s murder conviction was removed from the case Wednesday ahead of a key hearing to decide whether to grant a new trial in the fatal stabbing of a 17-year-old athlete at a high school track meet.

https://apnews.com/article/texas-track-stabbing-austin-metcalf-karmelo-anthony-5526b6ba91035724814c2beeab4bd4fb?

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Court cuts $50M judgment against Alex Jones over falsely labeling Sandy Hook killings a hoax

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A Texas court on Friday slashed a $50 million judgment that conspiracy theorist Alex Jones was ordered to pay families of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre over his false claims that one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history was a hoax.

https://apnews.com/article/alex-jones-infowars-newtown-b7866ab5ef652bbc7307ae55b09937ce?

ps:These guys just want to do the crime, but not take the consequences!

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Why violent crime cratered

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Stock: Getty Images

The U.S. is enjoying one of the steepest and most widespread crime declines in modern history. Researchers aren't exactly sure why — but they have theories, Axios' Russell Contreras writes: Research points to factors that include declining alcohol and drug use, tech to help catch suspects (including drones and license-plate readers), an aging population, tougher prosecutions and more. Why it matters: Knowing more about what's driving the violent-crime decline could help cities decide what to preserve as pandemic-era federal money fades. 📊 By the numbers: The U.S. violent-crime rate plunged 9.7% in 2025, the largest annual decline since FBI national estimates began 90 years ago. The murder rate fell 18.5% to 4.1 per 100,000 people, tying 1955 and 1956 for the lowest since national estimates began. And the decline hasn't stopped: An Axios analysis shows violent crime in big cities fell again in the first half of 2026. 💡 Criminologists describe a complicated picture of why crime is down. No one's sure, but several overlapping forces seem to be driving the drop: Vice consumption cooled: Pandemic-era spikes in alcohol consumption, illicit drug use and firearm purchases — three factors linked to the 2020–2021 homicide surge — have receded. Return to routine: COVID lockdowns disrupted community guardrails and displaced young men and teens. Employment and social routines have since stabilized. Law enforcement tech boom: Police departments are using more AI tools, predictive analytics and platforms such as Palantir's Gotham to deploy resources and identify crime hotspots. 🧠 Under-the-radar demographic and health trends are also quietly reshaping public safety: The proportion of young people in America is declining, shrinking the demographic most historically linked to street crime. In a fascinating medical twist, the explosion of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs (like Ozempic) has been clinically linked to decreased alcohol abuse and improved impulse control — two major factors in violent offenses. What we're watching: Pandemic-era federal money for local crime-fighting efforts expires at the end of the year, putting more pressure on already short-staffed police departments. An economic downturn could create another headwind: Historically, worsening economic conditions mean more crime.

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Police find the body of Karen Solomon, who was sought in the killing of her police officer husband

A mental health advocate suspected of killing her police officer husband was found dead Monday, six days after she disappeared from her Massachusetts home, authorities said.

https://apnews.com/article/officer-killed-massachusetts-husband-wife-006117548f4d151c1878adb706cbd17a?

New evidence prompts trial delay for Libyan man charged in 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Monday postponed a trial in the U.S. for a former Libyan intelligence official charged in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, citing the discovery of new evidence that defense attorneys want to examine in the nearly 40-year-old case.

https://apnews.com/article/lockerbie-bombing-pan-am-libyan-1988-a0e103909055b034c36dd27d3a316b80?

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Federal judge rejects Ghislaine Maxwell’s ‘miscarriage of justice’ claims and bid for prison release

NEW YORK (AP) — Ghislaine Maxwell’s bid to overturn her sex trafficking conviction and be freed from prison was rejected by a federal judge Tuesday who said the claims by Jeffrey Epstein’s former girlfriend and longtime associate that new evidence had emerged were “demonstrably meritless.”

https://apnews.com/article/ghislaine-maxwell-epstein-sex-trafficking-5dbf8548c211188a03c6e23c8a5b9311?

Sentencing set for polygamous leader convicted of abuse in Arizona after girls discovered in trailer

A polygamous sect leader already serving a 50-year federal prison sentence for orchestrating sex involving children is scheduled to be sentenced Tuesday on separate state convictions for hauling girls through a community in northern Arizona in an unventilated trailer. Read More.

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Meta reaches landmark $18 billion settlement with states in trial over teen social media addiction

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Meta agreed Wednesday to pay up to $18 billion and add stronger child-safety measures to its Facebook and Instagram platforms as part of a landmark legal settlement that ended a trial over teen social media addiction and settled claims filed by nearly every state.

https://apnews.com/article/meta-trial-instagram-settlement-97d342f2a33d835eda2356c5e1af9e37?

Meta joins a list of corporations that have settled cases for billions of dollars

Tech giant Meta this week agreed to pay $17 billion as part of a settlement to end a landmark trial related to safeguards for younger users of social media. It is one of the largest such settlements ever, though it represents only a fraction of the $201 billion in revenue that the company booked last year. Read More.

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What to know about the Lindsay Clancy murder trial

Lindsay Clancy's murder trial is in the hands of a jury after a month of searing testimony about the deaths of her three children in 2023 and the psychiatric problems she experienced before she killed them. Closing arguments concluded Thursday in the case, which has sparked debate online and demonstrations outside the courthouse over maternal well-being and the mental health system. The jury was sent off to deliberate at around 12:30 p.m. Here are some basics about the case. Read More.