first-degree murder

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Sheriff Accused of Killing Judge Who Was Longtime Friend

Town of Whitesburg, Kentucky, is in shock after fatal shooting at courthouse on Friday

(Newser) - Residents of a tiny Appalachian town struggled Friday to cope with a shooting involving two of its most prominent citizens: a judge who was gunned down in his courthouse chambers and a local sheriff charged with his murder. "It's just so sad. I just hate it," said...

Woman Takes Plea Deal in Death of Man Shaken as Baby

Terry McKirchy sentenced to 3 years in 2019 death of 35-year-old Benjamin Dowling

(Newser) - A former babysitter pleaded guilty to manslaughter Wednesday for the 2019 death of a man she was accused of disabling as an infant 40 years ago. Terry McKirchy, 62, accepted a plea deal for the death of Benjamin Dowling, who died at 35 after a life of severe disabilities caused...

Nearly 50 Years Later, Man Charged in Deaths of 3 Women

Authorities say Mississippi's Warren Alexander strangled victims in 1977 in Southern California

(Newser) - A 73-year-old man has been charged in the strangulation deaths of three Southern California women in 1977 after cold case detectives obtained a DNA match, authorities said Thursday, adding they believe there could be more victims. Warren Luther Alexander of Diamondhead, Mississippi, made his first court appearance Thursday, but arraignment...

'Killer Nurse' Hears Her Fate: 'Have Fun With the Devil'

Heather Pressdee gets 3 life sentences for administering excess insulin that led to 17 deaths

(Newser) - No one has to worry about Heather Pressdee ever taking care of a patient again. The 41-year-old dubbed the "killer nurse" by her own colleagues pleaded guilty to murder and other charges on Thursday, avoiding the death penalty but earning herself three consecutive life sentences for first-degree murder, plus...

Bodies Found, Arrests Made in Case of Missing Kansas Women

In Oklahoma, 4 face first-degree murder charges after Veronica Butler, Jilian Kelley vanished

(Newser) - A pair of big updates came in over the weekend regarding two Kansas women who went missing last month after traveling to Oklahoma, including four arrests and the discovery of two bodies. On Saturday, four individuals were detained in Texas and Cimarron counties in the case of Veronica Butler, 27,...

Sheriff: 'Genius' Pre-Med Student Murdered His Mother

Emmanuel Espinoza allegedly confessed to the crime

(Newser) - A former high school valedictorian viciously stabbed his mother "in excess of 70 times" when she answered the door of her Florida home to greet him, law enforcement officials say. Emmanuel Espinoza, 21, allegedly killed Elvia Espinoza, a 46-year-old second-grade teacher, on Saturday afternoon in what Polk County Sheriff...

Across 2 States, a Carjacking Killing Spree

Andre Gordon Jr., 26, is in custody, accused of murdering 3 family members in Pennsylvania

(Newser) - A man faces murder charges in Pennsylvania and carjacking and weapons charges in New Jersey after allegedly killing three family members, carjacking vehicles in both states, and evading law enforcement for hours as police mobilized, authorities said Sunday. Andre Gordon Jr., 26, is charged in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, with three...

After a Gruesome Murder, a Horrifying YouTube Video

Pennsylvania's Justin Mohr accused of decapitating his 'traitor' father, displaying head in online clip

(Newser) - January has come to a gruesome end in Pennsylvania's Bucks County, where a man has been accused of beheading his own father and displaying his head in a grisly YouTube video. Law enforcement sources tell the Philadelphia Inquirer that 32-year-old Justin Mohn was arrested Tuesday night in Fort Indiantown...

Man Who Mocked Marriage on Family Feud Gets Life in Prison

Illinois' Timothy Bliefnick was found guilty in May of murdering his wife early this year

(Newser) - A judge sentenced a former contestant on the television game show Family Feud to life in prison after he was convicted of first-degree murder and other charges in the slaying of his estranged wife in western Illinois. Timothy Bliefnick, 40, showed no reaction as Adams County Circuit Judge Robert Adrian...

'I Don't Want to Live Life Anymore Without Confessing'

Tony Peralta told police he couldn't live with the guilt of killing landlord 15 years ago

(Newser) - Police officers found Tony Peralta earlier this month sitting on a curb not far from the convenience store in a small southeastern New Mexico community where he borrowed a cellphone—so he could call 911 and confess to killing his landlord 15 years earlier. Sweating and taking puffs from his...

A Lawyer Went to the Bathroom at Work. He Never Came Back
A Lawyer Went to the Bathroom
at Work. He Never Came Back
in case you missed it
Apr 1, 2023 4:05 PM CDT

A Lawyer Went to the Bathroom at Work. He Never Came Back

No body has been found, but Florida plastic surgeon Tomasz Kosowski is charged with murder

(Newser) - The last time Florida attorney Steven Cozzi was seen was last Tuesday, at his office in Largo. Now, a local plastic surgeon is facing first-degree murder charges in Cozzi's death, though the lawyer's body still hasn't been located, reports FOX 13 . Police say that after executing a...

Cops: Colorado Dentist Fatally Poisoned Wife

James Craig brought her to hospital Wednesday, per police; her condition quickly went downhill

(Newser) - On Wednesday, a Colorado man drove his wife to a local hospital after she'd complained of dizziness and bad headaches, according to Aurora police. The 43-year-old woman went downhill from there, ended up in the ICU on a ventilator, and soon was declared medically brain dead, per KDVR . Now,...

Rapper's Killer Gets 60 Years
Rapper's Killer Gets 60 Years
Feb 22, 2023 4:58 PM CST

Rapper's Killer Gets 60 Years

Nipsey Hussle was shot to death on an LA street in 2019

(Newser) - A Los Angeles judge on Wednesday sentenced the man convicted of gunning down rapper Nipsey Hussle to 60 years to life in prison. Superior Court Judge H. Clay Jacke II handed down the oft-delayed sentence to Eric R. Holder Jr., 33, who was found guilty of the 2019 first-degree murder...

PA: None 'More Deserving' of Life in Prison Than These 3

Family members sentenced for 2020 murder of store security guard over mask requirement

(Newser) - Three family members in Michigan have been sentenced to life in prison without parole over their involvement in the fatal shooting of a security guard who tried to enforce a store's mask requirement. Larry Teague, wife Sharmel Teague, and Sharmel's adult son Ramonyea Bishop were each convicted of...

Sheriff's Office: Fight Over Lights Left On Led to Murder

Michael D. Williams allegedly murdered ex-wife, her son after fights about electricity usage

(Newser) - Florida police arrived at Michael D. Williams' home on Sunday after the 47-year-old placed a 911 call to report he'd killed his ex-wife and her adult son in self-defense. The Volusia Sheriff's Office alleges the deaths were actually the grim outcome of a fight over electricity and leaving...

Affidavit: Fishing Trip Turned Deadly After Mention of Bigfoot

In bizarre Oklahoma crime, man allegedly killed friend due to fears of being fed to Sasquatch

(Newser) - A weekend fishing excursion on Oklahoma's South Canadian River turned deadly, and in a bizarre twist, Bigfoot comes into play in the case. According to an arrest affidavit from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, Larry Sanders and his buddy Jimmy Knighten set out Saturday afternoon to catch some...

Her Body Was Found in California Wilderness in 2001. Now, Justice

3 MS-13 gang members convicted of murder in death of 13-year-old girl

(Newser) - Justice was finally served Thursday in the case of a young California teen murdered more than two decades ago by MS-13 gang members. The Whittier Daily News reports that Santos Grimaldi, 39, and Melvin Sandoval, 42, were convicted of first-degree murder in the case of 13-year-old Jacqueline Piazza, who was...

Her Boyfriend Killed Her Son. But She's the One Behind Bars
Her Boyfriend Killed Her Son.
But She's the One Behind Bars
in case you missed it
Feb 20, 2022 7:31 AM CST

Her Boyfriend Killed Her Son. But She's the One Behind Bars

Rebecca Hogue sentenced to 16 months under Oklahoma's failure to protect law

(Newser) - An Oklahoma woman will ultimately spend more than a year in jail for the first-degree murder of her 2-year-old son, whom she never harmed. Rebecca Hogue, a 30-year-old Norman resident, had returned home from a 12-hour work shift in the early hours of Jan. 1, 2020, per the BBC . When...

3 Arrested After TSA Agent Gunned Down in Front of Child

Jasmine Martinez allegedly used PPP loan to hire hitman to kill Le'Shonte Jones

(Newser) - A hitman who fatally shot a young mother in front of her 3-year-old daughter was paid with a federal loan meant to help small businesses during the pandemic, according to police in Florida. Jasmine Martinez had requested the Paycheck Protection Program loan to keep her beauty salon operating, though it'...

Jury Rejects Parole in 4 Slayings at Waffle House

Travis Reinking was convicted of first-degree murder for 2018 shootings in Nashville, Tenn.

(Newser) - Update: After listening to relatives testify for two hours Saturday about their loved ones who were killed at a Waffle House in 2018, a jury decided to impose a life sentence in prison without the possibility of parole on Travis Reinking. Family members sobbed as they told the court in...

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