Crimes, Homicides & Suicides

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Colorado funeral director who acknowledged abusing 191 corpses withdraws guilty plea

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — A Colorado funeral home owner who acknowledged abusing 191 corpses withdrew his guilty plea Friday and will go to trial, after a judge rejected a plea agreement in a rare decision.

https://apnews.com/article/colorado-funeral-home-corpse-abuse-trial-addc42598407b5d65a27b7cbc6eee7bc?

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New York judge tosses terrorism charges against Luigi Mangione, lets murder count stand

NEW YORK (AP) — A judge on Tuesday dismissed terrorism charges against Luigi Mangione in New York state’s case over the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, but he kept the state’s second-degree murder charges against him.

https://apnews.com/article/unitedhealthcare-ceo-killing-luigi-mangione-nyc-8989b2a82558643f1099523e21611afc?

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A Black student was found hanging from a tree. Police say there’s no sign of foul play

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Police on Tuesday were investigating the death of a Black college student found hanging from a tree on the campus of Delta State University in Mississippi, stirring online rumors that evoked the state’s history of Jim Crow-era racist violence even as authorities said there was no initial evidence of a crime.

https://apnews.com/article/mississippi-hanging-delta-state-university-black-student-7e4e6ee1d347e920a81658af25443d8d?

Man charged with ramming car into FBI gate in Pittsburgh later used Latin phrase about tyrants

PITTSBURGH (AP) — A man who rammed a car into an FBI security gate in Pittsburgh and covered it in an American flag Wednesday later said he did it to “make a statement,” the FBI said.

https://apnews.com/article/gate-crash-car-fbi-building-pittsburgh-0a950ed8f51e58a5377e97d295c7fd2c?

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Southern California judge who killed his wife sentenced to 35 years to life for murder

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — A Southern California judge who shot and killed his wife during an argument over family finances was sentenced Wednesday to 35 years to life in prison. The case roiled the legal community in California’s Orange County where many had known or worked with him for decades.

https://apnews.com/article/california-judge-wife-murder-6095ac9de5fcaec50477294c515791cc?

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DNA testing underway on remains believed to be Travis Decker, wanted in killings of his girls

LEAVENWORTH, Wash. (AP) — Authorities were using DNA testing on Friday to determine whether have they found the skeletal remains of Travis Decker, an ex-soldier wanted in the deaths of his three daughters, in the mountains of Washington state.

https://apnews.com/article/travis-decker-search-daughters-killed-washington-8c2efb7a8d0fc9e119ea309ffb739cf3?

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Ryan Routh is found guilty of trying to assassinate Trump at Florida golf course

FORT PIERCE, Fla. (AP) — After a two-week trial, a jury took just two hours Tuesday to convict Ryan Routh of trying to assassinate Donald Trump on a Florida golf course last year, a plot that was undone when a Secret Service agent spotted Routh and fired a shot that sent him running.

https://apnews.com/article/trump-shooting-attempt-d49985a690e678a9ccbf3610c102704d?

Missouri woman gets more than 4 years in prison for trying to sell off Elvis Presley’s Graceland

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A Missouri woman who tried to use a fake company and forged documents to sell off Elvis Presley’s Graceland for millions of dollars in a brazen and unrealistic foreclosure sale of the home-turned-museum was sentenced Tuesday to more than four years in federal prison.

https://apnews.com/article/graceland-elvis-presley-memphis-fraud-sentence-81885745b4cd10de913b73707f33b3a3?

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Man admits in TV interview to killing and burying his parents

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A man admitted during a television interview to killing his parents and burying them in the backyard of their upstate New York home eight years ago, then was arrested as he left the studio.

https://apnews.com/article/parents-murder-admission-tv-interview-ed80169cffa93ebd9791896edb833646?

DNA evidence links a dead man to the 1991 killings of 4 girls at Texas yogurt shop

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Police named a dead man Friday as a new suspect in the 1991 unsolved killings of four teenage girls at an Austin yogurt shop, saying DNA evidence led to a “significant breakthrough” in the brutal crime that has haunted Texas’ capital and stumped investigators for decades.

https://apnews.com/article/austin-yogurt-shop-1991-murders-solved-1bc45a19a8fe021bde015794de9a5865?

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A Mexican man is the second victim to die after shooting at Dallas ICE facility

DALLAS (AP) — A Mexican man who was among three people shot at a Dallas immigration field office last week died Tuesday, becoming the second person killed in the attack, officials said.

https://apnews.com/article/immigration-facility-shooting-dallas-04fb992734fb0cd6760eccba6820665d?

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? Young adult suicide warning

Reproduced from Tim Henderson/Stateline. Map: Axios Visuals The young adult suicide rate increased in most U.S. states from 2014 to 2024, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick writes. The suicide rate for U.S. adults aged 18-27 increased nearly 20% between 2014 and 2024, according to a new analysis of CDC data from Stateline, a nonprofit newsroom. ? By the numbers: The young adult suicide rate increased the most in Georgia (+65%), North Carolina (+41%), Texas (+41%), Alabama (+39%) and Ohio (+37%). The rate decreased in a few states, including North Dakota (-39%), Vermont (-37%) and Delaware (-34%). If you have thoughts of self-harm or suicide, please pick up the phone right now and call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at (800) 273-8255. Full story.

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Truck driver sues Mark Sanchez and Fox after violent fight over parking space

A 69-year-old truck driver who was seriously injured in a fight that prosecutors say was started by former NFL quarterback and sports analyst Mark Sanchez is suing Sanchez and his employer, Fox Corporation, in Indiana state court.

https://apnews.com/article/mark-sanchez-stabbing-lawsuit-fox-3b1baf3a3bd68770857fbcbfcd6e478b?

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Officials arrest man in Florida on suspicion of starting devastating Palisades Fire

Nine months after a raging inferno decimated the Los Angeles area, claiming the lives of a dozen people and burning down thousands of homes and businesses, officials have arrested a suspect in Florida on suspicion of arson.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/08/us/palisades-fire-arrest-california?

Authorities charge man with sparking most destructive wildfire in LA’s history

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A 29-year-old man has been charged with sparking California’s deadly Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in its history, authorities said Wednesday.

https://apnews.com/article/california-wildfires-palisades-los-angeles-deb1c78c1d83d233cf3b540644814ea2?

Arrest in Palisades Fire

Federal authorities announced yesterday the arrest of a Florida man in connection with the Palisades Fire, which burned over 23,400 acres in Los Angeles over 24 days this January. Jonathan Rinderknecht, a 29-year-old former California resident, is charged with destruction of property by means of fire, a felony with a five- to 20-year prison sentence.    The blaze began Jan. 7 on a trail in Pacific Palisades after strong winds reignited a holdover fire—remnants of an earlier blaze smoldering underground. Officials allege the suspect used a "barbecue-style" lighter to start that earlier fire Jan. 1, then called 911 before fleeing. Digital records reportedly show he returned to film firefighters suppressing the blaze, repeatedly watched a music video showing fires, and used ChatGPT to make images of a burning city. Authorities have not suggested a motive.  The Palisades Fire killed 12 people and destroyed nearly 6,900 structures, making it the ninth deadliest and third most destructive wildfire in California history. See photos.

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Last of 10 New Orleans jail escapees from May is captured under a house in Atlanta

ATLANTA (AP) — A monthslong search for the only Louisiana inmate still on the run after an audacious May jailbreak ended Wednesday when authorities say they found him hiding in a crawl space beneath an Atlanta home, bringing the last of the 10 escapees into custody.

https://apnews.com/article/derrick-groves-escaped-inmate-captured-new-orleans-acf051c59c53ac088861a7aa64a8195c?

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Central Florida man could face death penalty in Los Angeles fire case

Prosecutors said Thursday that the Central Florida man accused of igniting a deadly fire in Los Angeles could face the death penalty as a federal judge in Orlando ruled he will remain jailed ahead of trial.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/10/09/central-florida-man-could-face-death-penalty-in-los-angeles-fire-case/?

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A discarded straw leads to murder charges in 1984 killing of New York teen

MINEOLA, N.Y. (AP) — Four decades after prosecutors sent the wrong men to prison for the rape and murder of a 16-year-old Long Island girl, DNA obtained from a discarded straw has led to the indictment of a new suspect.

https://apnews.com/article/1984-killing-new-york-straw-c46643b7c3839bf566a0cf6f6ee7c4e3?

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Man who sent ‘So I raped you’ message is sentenced to 2 to 4 years for 2013 campus assault

GETTYSBURG, Pa. (AP) — A man who sent a Facebook message that said, “So I raped you,” to a woman he had sexually assaulted in college in 2013 was sentenced to two to four years in prison on Monday.

https://apnews.com/article/pennsylvania-campus-assault-facebook-ian-cleary-079f3654d9244ab988929b98462b77e4?

Former New York state prison guard found guilty in beating death of inmate, 2 others acquitted

A former New York state prison guard was found guilty of murder Monday in the death of an inmate beaten while handcuffed, while two other guards were acquitted for their roles in the beating that was caught on body-camera footage.

https://apnews.com/article/new-york-state-prison-guard-found-guilty-inmate-death-0000019a0223d36fa1ff033b8c0d0000?

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Central Florida man pleads not guilty to sparking deadly Palisades Fire in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A 29-year-old Central Florida man accused of sparking the deadly Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in California history, pleaded not guilty Thursday to federal charges.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/10/23/man-pleads-not-guilty-to-sparking-deadly-palisades-fire-in-los-angeles/?

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Suspect in Charlie Kirk killing can wear street clothes in court amid ‘extraordinary’ attention

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The 22-year-old Utah man charged with killing Charlie Kirk can appear in court wearing street clothes but must be physically restrained due to security concerns, a judge ruled Monday.

https://apnews.com/article/charlie-kirk-shooting-tyler-robinson-court-hearing-489ee127c80553ff8e0ed35ef951f11a?

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Flight is diverted to Boston after a passenger stabs 2 teens with a fork, authorities say

BOSTON (AP) — A man from India stabbed two teenagers with a fork, slapped a female passenger and a crew member and mimicked shooting himself during an international flight, authorities said.

https://apnews.com/article/flight-fork-stabbing-0d43da7812827111f59b3124e3341dab?

Trial starts in $40M lawsuit filed by a teacher who was shot by a 6-year-old student

A former assistant principal at a Virginia elementary school ignored multiple warnings that a 6-year-old student had a gun in the hours before he shot his teacher, an attorney for the teacher said Tuesday as trial opened in the woman’s $40 million lawsuit.

https://apnews.com/article/newport-news-school-shooting-lawsuit-zwerner-f54f7e0cdae1fbb1572b15418f06e908?

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Jurors convict Illinois deputy of killing Sonya Massey but can’t agree on first-degree murder charge

PEORIA, Ill. (AP) — A jury on Wednesday convicted an Illinois sheriff’s deputy of second-degree murder, a lesser charge, in the shooting death of Sonya Massey, a Black woman who called 911 to report a suspected prowler.

https://apnews.com/article/sean-grayson-sonya-massey-trial-34a5cb31ad44c6243d17cc4f598a9d5c?

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Alabama man charged with threatening rabbis, imam and others in multiple Southern states

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Federal prosecutors have charged an Alabama man with making threatening calls and texts to multiple rabbis, an imam and others in the South, including telling one rabbi that “I want you to die.”

https://apnews.com/article/synagogue-threat-rabbi-imam-alabama-south-619c0488d0bb9a7ca1de6c96df145b3d?

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2 men convicted in Deltona ‘Xbox murders’ resentenced to death

Two men convicted of killing six people in Deltona in 2004 in one of Central Florida’s most notorious mass killings known as the “Xbox murders” were given the death penalty again during a resentencing hearing Monday.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/11/03/2-men-convicted-in-deltona-xbox-murders-to-be-resentenced/?

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A former teacher shot by student, 6, wins $10M jury verdict against ex-assistant principal

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) — A jury in Virginia awarded $10 million Thursday to a former teacher who was shot by a 6-year-old student, siding with her claims in a lawsuit that an ex-administrator ignored repeated warnings that the child had a gun.

https://apnews.com/article/newport-news-virginia-teacher-shot-68865dde6f4953ef8a9dbda30e957ddb?

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Kansas county agrees to pay $3 million over law enforcement raid on a small-town newspaper

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A rural Kansas county has agreed to pay a little more than $3 million and apologize over a law enforcement raid on a small-town weekly newspaper in August 2023 that sparked an outcry over press freedom.

https://apnews.com/article/kansas-newspaper-raid-press-freedom-c18f46a215908198335ca6f608c3360b?

Families accuse Camp Mystic of ignoring risks in Texas lawsuit over flood deaths

The operators of Camp Mystic in Texas, where 25 girls and two teenage counselors died in catastrophic flooding on July 4, failed to take necessary steps to protect the campers as life-threatening floodwaters approached, families of the victims allege in a lawsuit. An attorney for Camp Mystic said in a statement that they empathize with the families, but they disagree with “several accusations and misinformation” in the legal filings. Read more.

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Purdue Hearings Begin

Hearings began yesterday to finalize Purdue Pharma's $7.4B bankruptcy plan. If approved, the settlement will be the largest to date surrounding the US' decadeslong opioid epidemic. Purdue released OxyContin, a powerful prescription painkiller, in 1996. The drug has since been blamed for fueling the opioid epidemic, resulting in more than 645,000 US deaths. Purdue filed for bankruptcy in 2019 to settle thousands of lawsuits accusing the company of downplaying the drug's addictive nature. However, the Supreme Court blocked a $6B settlement last year on the grounds that bankruptcy courts cannot prevent future lawsuits against third parties not covered by the bankruptcy. This latest deal—settling civil claims by all 50 states and US territories—does not preclude individuals from bringing future lawsuits. As part of the settlement, Purdue Pharma is creating a new company, Knoa Pharma, that will provide addiction treatment and medicines at cost. Settlement money will also be used to fund state-run addiction treatment and prevention programs. Learn more about opioids via 1440 Topics here.

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AI crime wave

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

AI is rewriting the playbook for crime — from cheap deepfake scams and AI-written ransomware to mass identity hijacks and critical-infrastructure hacks, Axios' Russell Contreras writes. Why it matters: This new class of AI-supercharged crime is endangering lives and financial systems. Police training, laws and cross-border tools aren't keeping up. Off-the-shelf AI lowers the skill level and cost of carrying out attacks, enabling small crews to execute schemes that previously required nation-state resources. Crimes can now hit millions at once with voice clones and account takeovers. Local agencies are trained and funded to chase one case at a time. ? How it works: AI can create automations to "lock pick" into a system millions of times per second, something humans can't do, futurist Ian Khan tells Axios. Once inside, hackers can then use AI to steal identities, pump and dump stocks and cause havoc to utility plants, smart homes and hospitals. ? The attacks can come from across the street to the other side of the world, said Marc Goodman, author of "Future Crimes: Inside the Digital Underground and the Battle for Our Connected World." Deep fake voices can convince victims to hand over money, or stolen identities could lead to voter fraud, child pornography and false arrests. ? The latest: Chinese state-backed hackers used AI tools from Anthropic to automate breaches of major companies and foreign governments during a September cyber campaign, the company said yesterday. "We believe this is the first documented case of a large-scale cyberattack executed without substantial human intervention," the company said in a statement. ? Zoom in: Beyond large-scale attacks, even petty AI crimes have local law enforcement on edge. Some AI-powered drones could collect data on the best places to bury bodies on less-traveled roads. ? Future robo-dogs could burglarize homes. Hacked cars may just drive off by themselves to chop shops, and AI systems could inform a would-be thief the best way to break into a car.