Wesley Shifflett is charged with involuntary manslaughter and reckless discharge of a weapon in the killing of 37-year-old Timothy McCree Johnson near a busy shopping mall on Feb. 22, 2023. On Monday, authorities began selecting 12 people for the jury. Opening arguments are scheduled to begin Wednesday once officials complete jury selection.

Shifflett pleaded not guilty in the case.

Shifflett and another Fairfax County police officer chased Johnson on foot after receiving a report from security guards that Johnson had stolen sunglasses from a Nordstrom department store in Tysons Corner Center.

Police body camera footage shows the nighttime chase and shooting. Shifflett can be heard ordering Johnson to stay on the ground and later to “stop reaching.” Both officers open fire, but Shifflett fired the fatal shot.

Later, Shifflett tells another officer that he saw the suspect reaching for a weapon in his waistband. Police searched for a weapon but found nothing.

The Fairfax County Police Department fired Shifflett the following month for what Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis called “a failure to live up to the expectations of our agency, in particular use of force policies.”

Initially, a grand jury declined to indict Shifflett in the shooting, but Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano sought and received court approval for a special grand jury to reinvestigate, which he said gave prosecutors a greater ability to oversee the investigation. The second panel chose to indict Shifflett.

Descano said at the time that an involuntary manslaughter charge is appropriate when a killing occurs due to “gross or wanton conduct” that lacks malice.

Caleb Kershner, Shifflett’s attorney, blasted Descano’s decision to impanel a special grand jury and the subsequent indictment.

“Few people understand what it’s like to have a gun pulled on you and regularly being put in risk of death,” Kershner said at the time. “These men and women in uniform serve by putting their lives on the line every day.”

In recent hearings, attorneys squabbled over what evidence could be presented at trial.

Barry Zweig, the lead prosecutor, filed a motion to be allowed to introduce evidence that Shifflett had aimed his weapon at other shoplifting suspects in other instances, but Circuit Court Judge Randy Bellows denied that request.

Bellows agreed to allow Shifflett’s defense team to present evidence concerning Johnson’s criminal history.

Johnson was 17 years old when he tried to steal a vehicle belonging to an off-duty agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Maryland. As he tried to flee in the vehicle, Johnson nearly hit the agent, who responded by shooting him. In 2004, Johnson pleaded guilty as a juvenile to second-degree assault.

Johnson also pleaded guilty in 2019 to involuntary manslaughter in a fatal Washington car crash while he was driving under the influence. Bellows ruled this incident would not allowed to be presented to trial jurors, a spokesperson for the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office said Monday.

Olivia Diaz is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

A jury indicted a Fairfax County, Virginia, man Monday in connection to the slayings of his wife and another man in an alleged plot with the couple’s au pair.

The latest development in a complex case comes more than a year and a half after the victims were found dead in a Herndon home in February 2023. Christine Banfield, 37, was found stabbed several times in the couple’s bedroom, while 39-year-old Joseph Ryan was shot.

The family’s au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhaes, was charged in Ryan’s death almost a year ago. But Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said as the investigation progressed, “It’s my expectation that we will eventually be able to hold more than just one person accountable for this crime.”

In the wake of the killings, Brendan Banfield and Peres Magalhaes told police they had gone into a second-floor room and found that Ryan had attacked Christine, leaving her seriously wounded. They said Brendan grabbed a gun and shot the alleged intruder and then told Peres Magalhaes to get another gun so they could shoot him again.

The shocking scene was described to detectives as an act of defense. Prosecutors, however, have said evidence pointed to a very different story.

Banfield, 39, is charged with four counts of aggravated murder and use of a firearm in commission of a felony. He’s being held without bond.

“The evidence exists in abundance to give us probable cause to bring these charges forward,” Chief Davis said. “It’s digital evidence, it’s physical evidence, it’s forensics evidence, it’s circumstantial evidence. The detectives, the prosecutors have worked meticulously to ensure that every T is crossed, every I is dotted, but the work still goes on.”

A double killing

Around 7:30 a.m. on Feb. 24, 2023, Peres Magalhaes, a Brazilian national who lived with the family, left the house with the Banfields’ 4-year-old daughter, according to detectives. Peres Magalhaes told police she doubled back to the home because she forgot to grab their packed lunches. She said she saw a car there she didn’t recognize.

She called Christine, but when she didn’t answer, Peres Magalhaes called Brendan, who quickly returned home, authorities said. Minutes later, the husband and au pair entered the home with the little girl. Brendan then went upstairs to the bedroom, where he says he found his wife and Ryan.

Detectives say the two claimed Ryan had attacked Christine, prompting Brendan — a law enforcement officer for the Internal Revenue Service — to fire his gun at Ryan.

Ryan had no obvious connection to the family or to the home. But as detectives began probing how he supposedly found Christine, their case and the witness statements started to diverge.

A fetish site used as a lure?

A search of a computer in the Banfields’ home led detectives to a fetish sex website, prosecutors have said. The site catered to sexual fantasies involving kinks, BDSM and more.

Detectives found a profile for Christine and communications between her profile and Ryan, but authorities said something didn’t add up. They said the way Christine talked to Ryan in their messages was very different than how friends and family described her.

Police believe someone else was communicating with Ryan while pretending to be Christine and scheduled a meetup at the family’s home for that day.

Almost eight months after the killings, Fairfax County authorities arrested Peres Magalhaes and charged her with second-degree murder in Ryan’s death.

“I suspected from the very beginning — and I went to the scene of that double murder — that there was going to be a lot of twist and turns to this investigation. The twists and turns are still on going,” Davis said as the investigation progressed.

An unproven theory

At a hearing in April, prosecutors said they believed Brendan Banfield and Peres Magalhaes were having an affair. They stopped short of saying they believe the pair hatched a plan to get Christine out of the picture.

But they grilled Banfield about the events leading up to his wife’s death.

Prosecutors said evidence they presented at that April hearing showed Banfield and the au pair went to a shooting range together a couple of months before the murders. Then, the month before the killings, Banfield returned and bought a gun there, authorities said.

The au pair told detectives Banfield shot Ryan first, but he was still alive. She said Banfield told her to get the gun that he’d bought at the shooting range to shoot Ryan again, according to detectives. She told police she did.

Detectives also said Banfield and Peres Magalhaes swapped out their phones for new ones in the days before the attack.

Prior to Peres Magalhaes’ October arrest, detectives returned to the home.

Inside the bedroom Banfield had shared with his wife — the room where Christine and Ryan were killed — picture frames were filled with photos of Brendan Banfield and the au pair.

Prosecutors say the au pair’s lingerie was found around the room. They described her as Banfield’s “girlfriend” and “live-in lover.”

The prosecution’s theory is that the killings were part of an elaborate plan so Brendan Banfield and Peres Magalhaes could live their lives without Christine. While the au pair has denied an affair, prosecutors argued in April that the pictures on the nightstand suggested otherwise.

On the witness stand in April, Brendan Banfield largely invoked his Fifth Amendment right to decline answering pointed questions from prosecutors about the events leading up to the killings.

Crime and Courts Oct 23, 2023

Mother of Brazilian au pair charged in Fairfax County killing says she wants answers

Crime and Courts Oct 19, 2023

Au pair charged in killing at Northern Virginia home

Fairfax County General Court Judge Michael J. Lindner called him an “adverse witness” but also said it appeared prosecutors “may be playing two prospective defendants against each other.”

In a foreshadowing of defense arguments that could be laid out at trial, Peres Magalhaes’ attorney, Ryan Campbell, attempted to cast doubt on who fired the shot that killed Ryan. And he decried prosecutors’ decision to call Brendan Banfield to the stand, saying in April: “It’s been clear from the beginning [Banfield is] the target of the investigation.”

Marcus Dwayne Jackson, 39, was arrested and charged with attempted murder, assault and other charges. A witness saw Jackson run toward D.C. after the stabbing on Wisconsin Avenue just before 9:30 a.m., police said.

Medics treated the victim and took her to a hospital, police said. Police did not say where she was stabbed, but said she has serious injuries.

D.C. police officers found Jackson near Chevy Chase Circle and arrested him there. They found a knife on Jackson, police said.

Investigators could be seen going through an olive green backpack the suspect was carrying.

Yellow police tape and numerous officers surrounded the wooden bench near the bus bay at the station as police investigated and commuters waited for their buses Monday morning.

The circumstances surrounding the stabbing are unclear and police haven’t said if the victim knew the suspect.

Stay with News4 for updates to this developing story.

A judge set Dec. 9 as the date after prosecutors and the defense went back and forth at Monday’s quick hearing. Prosecutors wanted the trial to begin early next year, saying they needed time to organize witnesses and prepare. The defense argued for an earlier start.

Mamta Kafle Bhatt has not been seen since the end of July. The 28-year-old originally from Nepal moved to the U.S. for an arranged marriage in 2021. She recently missed her baby girl’s first birthday, and her family members rushed to the U.S. to take care of the child.

Her husband was arrested at the couple’s home last month on a single charge of concealing a body. But in the criminal complaint, police accused him of killing Mamta Kafle Bhatt. Prosecutors have laid out chilling allegations, including that pooling blood was found in the primary bedroom and bathroom of the couple’s home.

Every seat in the courtroom was filled as a few family members and former colleagues showed up to Monday’s hearing along with dozens of supporters from the community. Many hadn’t known Mamta before.

“Everyone who is standing here today is a warrior for Mamta, and every time people show up, it’s going to make Naresh Bhatt feel a little more uncomfortable,” Holly Wirth, who worked with Mamta Kafle Bhatt, said.

Wirth pleaded that anyone with information contact police.

“At the end of the day, somebody knows something. Somebody saw something. And if you could please call that in, that’s where justice is gonna be, and we can bring Mamta home to her family and her daughter,” she said.

Bhatt’s defense team argued in court Friday they believe Mamta Kafle Bhatt is still alive. A judge ordered prosecutors to turn over two pieces of evidence that the defense said could be exculpatory, or help to prove their client’s innocence.

Defense attorneys said Naresh Bhatt waited several days to report his wife missing because Mamta Kafle Bhatt left for several days earlier in the year without telling him where she was going. Naresh Bhatt’s attorneys claim police told him at that time to wait several days to see if she turned up before reporting her missing. They requested the reports from those interactions with police, which the judge granted.

The defense also requested surveillance video that shows a woman picking up Mamta from work two days before she disapppeared. They said they don’t know who the woman is and they want to identify her so they can talk to her. The judge ordered prosecutors to share that video with the defense.

Naresh Bhatt’s attorneys argued for other evidence, including car and cellphone GPS data, but the judge did not grant those requests.

The defense was granted a speedy trial in early September. Prosecutors had argued against a speedy trial, saying it would be challenging to be ready that quickly.

Timeline of Mamta Kafle Bhatt’s disappearance

Mamta Kafle Bhatt, a nurse, was reported missing after failing to show up for her shifts at work. Friends said that was highly unusual since she was caring for her baby and often active on social media.

Investigators have conducted multiple searches at the Bhatt home. Search warrants have revealed details about what investigators believe were Mamta Kafle Bhatt’s last days.

A detective wrote that on July 29 – the last day friends heard from Mamta Kafle Bhatt – there were numerous calls with her husband. After that, all calls went to voicemail.

Naresh Bhatt told police his wife destroyed her phone before July 31 — the day he told police that he last saw her.

But on Aug. 1, her phone was pinging in the Aldie area of Northern Virginia. Naresh Bhatt told police he was at a cafe there.

Police say they have video showing Naresh Bhatt at a Walmart purchasing cleaning supplies. He also went to a Walmart in Prince William County and purchased a set of knives. Two of those knives are now missing, prosecutors said.

Police conducted a welfare check on Aug. 2, and Naresh Bhatt reported his wife missing on Aug. 5, police said.

Bhatt was arrested on Aug. 22, one day after investigators were seen in the Bhatt family home.

Passports for Bhatt and his daughter were in full view when police entered the home for a search. Prosecutors said there’s evidence that Naresh Bhatt was in the process of packing up his home and selling his car.

Manassas Park officers and the Prince William County police have searched several parks and communities for evidence. It’s still unknown if searchers found anything relating to the case.

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Officers responded to reports of a shooting in the 1700 block of Rhode Island Ave. NW about 4:35 a.m.

Officers found a male victim with a gunshot wound. He died at the scene, police said. The victim’s name has not been released.

Homicide investigators were called to the scene, which is near the Cathedral of St. Matthew and in sight of the Human Rights Campaign offices.

Police said they were looking for three people who drove off in a white vehicle while wearing black clothing and ski masks.

Much of the block, which is often busy during rush hour, was closed off by yellow police tape on Monday morning. Officers were seen taking photos of a car, and several evidence markers were placed on the road.

Stay with News4 for more on this developing story.

At around 4 a.m. Sunday, police say someone smashed the windows of at least two cars and damaged a motorcycle inside the garage of The Berkshire Apartments on Massachusetts Avenue.

One woman tells News4 she had more than $4000 worth of personal items stolen from her car.

It wasn’t just the driver-side windshield that was shattered. Resident Gabriela Frederick says her sense of security was too. She and her husband were set to go to church this morning when they realized their car had been broken into.

“I was in tears,” Frederick said. “I’m not a crier, but I was in shock. I just felt so violated.”

Frederick says most of the stolen personal items were expensive gear and tools that her husband was planning on taking to an upcoming trip.

Frederick says her biggest frustration is that the garage door has been broken for the past two weeks and claims residents have been urging management to fix it.

When News4 was there Sunday afternoon, the garage door was open the whole time.

“We pay nearly $200 a month for the garage to have an extra layer of security – and it’s not,” Frederick said.

News4 reached out to Gables Residential – the property management company for The Berkshire – to ask about the break-ins, and have yet to hear back as of Sunday night.

News4 did obtain an email that was sent to residents Sunday afternoon that reads in-part, “We want to inform you about a recent incident involving vehicle break-ins within our community’s parking areas. We are currently working with local law enforcement to address the situation… We understand this situation is concerning, and we will continue to keep you updated as we receive more information.”

“What if I was coming to the car?” Frederick said. “There’s so many things that could have happened – it could have been so much worse.”

Frederick says she’s thankful no one was hurt, but now she’s unsure if she feels comfortable continuing to live there.

“It’s really unfortunate that this has become a norm,” she said. “This cannot be a norm. This is not okay.”

The victims in this case say they’re still figuring out how much it’ll cost to repair everything. At this point, police are still searching for whoever is responsible.

Court documents indicate that 43-year-old Levar Fountain entered the pleas to third-degree murder charges in York County Court earlier this month, avoiding a trial that was to have begun this week. First-degree murder counts that would have carried a mandatory life without parole term were dismissed. Fountain is scheduled for sentencing Nov. 8.

Authorities said Fountain told them he was off his schizophrenia medication at the time that John Fountain, 74, and Mary Fountain, 65, were killed in December 2019 in the York home the three shared. The sword authorities believe was used in the killings was found in his bedroom, authorities said.

Officials said he moved the bodies to the basement, put a note on the front door saying the couple had moved back to Florida and went to his room for three days. They say he also killed dogs owned by the victims, telling authorities they were “known as ‘God’ but spelled backwards, which made them lower class dragons and they had to be killed.”

The York Dispatch reported that several relatives told the newspaper that they didn’t believe their mentally ill relative was the culprit. His sister Caren Fountain said he told her a few days before his plea that he didn’t remember committing the crime and “would never” have hurt the victims.

Defense attorney Clasina Houtman declined comment but pointed out that her office had filed paperwork to use an insanity defense if the case had gone to trial, but it was her client’s decision not to go to trial.

Under a no-contest plea, a defendant does not acknowledge having committed the crime but agrees that prosecutors have enough evidence to secure a conviction. Attorneys agreed during the legal proceedings that Fountain doesn’t remember the deaths due to his mental condition at the time.

Wesley Shifflett is charged with involuntary manslaughter and reckless discharge of a weapon in the killing of 37-year-old Timothy McCree Johnson near a busy shopping mall on Feb. 22, 2023. On Monday, authorities began selecting 12 people for the jury. Opening arguments are scheduled to begin Wednesday once officials complete jury selection.

Shifflett pleaded not guilty in the case.

Shifflett and another Fairfax County police officer chased Johnson on foot after receiving a report from security guards that Johnson had stolen sunglasses from a Nordstrom department store in Tysons Corner Center.

Police body camera footage shows the nighttime chase and shooting. Shifflett can be heard ordering Johnson to stay on the ground and later to “stop reaching.” Both officers open fire, but Shifflett fired the fatal shot.

Later, Shifflett tells another officer that he saw the suspect reaching for a weapon in his waistband. Police searched for a weapon but found nothing.

The Fairfax County Police Department fired Shifflett the following month for what Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis called “a failure to live up to the expectations of our agency, in particular use of force policies.”

Initially, a grand jury declined to indict Shifflett in the shooting, but Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano sought and received court approval for a special grand jury to reinvestigate, which he said gave prosecutors a greater ability to oversee the investigation. The second panel chose to indict Shifflett.

Descano said at the time that an involuntary manslaughter charge is appropriate when a killing occurs due to “gross or wanton conduct” that lacks malice.

Caleb Kershner, Shifflett’s attorney, blasted Descano’s decision to impanel a special grand jury and the subsequent indictment.

“Few people understand what it’s like to have a gun pulled on you and regularly being put in risk of death,” Kershner said at the time. “These men and women in uniform serve by putting their lives on the line every day.”

In recent hearings, attorneys squabbled over what evidence could be presented at trial.

Barry Zweig, the lead prosecutor, filed a motion to be allowed to introduce evidence that Shifflett had aimed his weapon at other shoplifting suspects in other instances, but Circuit Court Judge Randy Bellows denied that request.

Bellows agreed to allow Shifflett’s defense team to present evidence concerning Johnson’s criminal history.

Johnson was 17 years old when he tried to steal a vehicle belonging to an off-duty agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Maryland. As he tried to flee in the vehicle, Johnson nearly hit the agent, who responded by shooting him. In 2004, Johnson pleaded guilty as a juvenile to second-degree assault.

Johnson also pleaded guilty in 2019 to involuntary manslaughter in a fatal Washington car crash while he was driving under the influence. Bellows ruled this incident would not allowed to be presented to trial jurors, a spokesperson for the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office said Monday.

Olivia Diaz is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

Participating in a court hearing through a Spanish-language interpreter, Zambada gave yes-or-no answers to a magistrate’s standard questions about whether he understood various documents and procedures. Asked how he was feeling, Zambada said, “Fine, fine.”

His lawyers entered the not-guilty plea on his behalf.

Outside court, Zambada attorney Frank Perez said his client wasn’t contemplating making a deal with the government, and the attorney expects the case to go to trial.

“It’s a complex case,” he said.

Sought by U.S. law enforcement for more than two decades, Zambada has been in U.S. custody since July 25, when he landed in a private plane at an airport outside El Paso, Texas, in the company of another fugitive cartel leader, Joaquín Guzmán López, according to federal authorities.

Zambada later said in a letter that he was kidnapped in Mexico and brought to the U.S. by Guzmán López, a son of imprisoned Sinaloa co-founder Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.

Mexico Jul 27

A look at ‘El Mayo' Zambada, the kingpin of Mexico's Sinaloa drug cartel who is now in US custody

Texas Jul 25

Mexican drug lord ‘El Mayo' Zambada arrested in Texas, officials say

Zambada’s lawyer did not elaborate on those claims Friday.

U.S. Magistrate Judge James Cho ordered Zambada detained until trial. His lawyers did not ask for bail, and U.S. prosecutors asked the judge to detain him.

“He was one of the most, if not the most, powerful narcotics kingpins in the world,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Francisco Navarro said. “He co-founded the Sinaloa cartel and sat atop the narcotics trafficking world for decades.”

Zambada, 76, used a wheelchair at a court appearance in Texas last month, and U.S. marshals steadied him Friday as he walked into a federal courtroom in Brooklyn. He appeared to accept some help getting out of a chair after the brief hearing, then walked out slowly but unaided.

Perez said after court Friday that Zambada was healthy and “in good spirits.”

Sketch artists were in the small courtroom, but other journalists could observe only through closed-circuit video because of a shortage of seats.

In court and in a letter earlier to the judge, prosecutors said Zambada presided over a vast and violent operation, with an arsenal of military-grade weapons, a private security force that was almost like an army, and a corps of “sicarios,” or hitmen, who carried out assassinations, kidnappings and torture.

His bloody tenure included ordering the murder, just months ago, of his own nephew, prosecutors said.

“A United States jail cell is the only thing that will prevent the defendant from committing further crimes,” Navarro said.

Zambada also pleaded not guilty to the charges at an earlier court appearance in Texas. His next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 31.

According to authorities, Zambada and “El Chapo” Guzmán built the Sinaloa cartel from a regional syndicate into a huge manufacturer and smuggler of cocaine, heroin and other illicit drugs to U.S. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has described defeating the cartel as one of the agency’s top operational priorities.

Zambada has been seen as the group’s strategist and dealmaker and a less flamboyant figure than Guzmán. Zambada had never been behind bars until his July arrest.

His “day of reckoning in a U.S. courtroom has arrived, and justice will follow,” Brooklyn-based U.S. Attorney Breon Peace declared in a statement Friday.

Zambada’s arrest has touched off fighting in Mexico between rival factions in the Sinaloa cartel. Gunfights have killed several people. Schools in businesses in Culiacan, the capital of Sinaloa, have closed amid the fighting. The battles are believed to be between factions loyal to Zambada and those led by other sons of “El Chapo” Guzmán, who was convicted of drug and conspiracy charges and sentenced to life in prison in the U.S. in 2019.

It remains unclear why Guzmán López surrendered to U.S. authorities and brought Zambada with him. Guzmán López is awaiting trial on a separate drug trafficking indictment in Chicago, where he has pleaded not guilty.

Associated Press video journalist David R. Martin contributed to this report.

Bhatt’s defense team argued in court Friday they believe Mamta Kafle Bhatt, who hasn’t been seen since July, is still alive and that the evidence could be exculpatory, or help to prove their client’s innocence.

Defense attorneys said Naresh Bhatt waited several days to report his wife missing because Mamta Kafle Bhatt left for several days earlier in the year without telling him where she was going. Naresh Bhatt’s attorneys claim police told him at that time to wait several days to see if she turned up before reporting her missing. They requested the reports from those interactions with police, which the judge granted.

The defense also requested surveillance video that shows a woman picking up Mamta from work two days before she disapppeared. They said they don’t know who the woman is and they want to identify her so they can talk to her. The judge ordered prosecutors to share that video with the defense.

Naresh Bhatt’s attorneys argued for other evidence, including car and cellphone GPS data, but the judge did not grant those requests.

Last week, the defense was granted a speedy trial. A trial date will be decided during another hearing set for Monday.

Mamta Kafle Bhatt has not been seen for over a month. The 28-year-old originally from Nepal moved to the U.S. for an arranged marriage in 2021. She recently missed her baby girl’s first birthday, and her family members rushed to the U.S. to take care of the child.

Her husband was arrested at the couple’s home last month on a single charge of concealing a body. But in the criminal complaint, police accused him of killing Mamta Kafle Bhatt. Prosecutors have laid out chilling allegations, including that pooling blood was found in the primary bedroom and bathroom of the couple’s home.

Timeline of Mamta Kafle Bhatt’s disappearance

Mamta Kafle Bhatt, a nurse, was reported missing after failing to show up for her shifts at work. Friends said that was highly unusual since she was caring for her baby and often active on social media.

Investigators have conducted multiple searches at the Bhatt home. Search warrants have revealed details about what investigators believe were Mamta Kafle Bhatt’s last days.

A detective wrote that on July 29 – the last day friends heard from Mamta Kafle Bhatt – there were numerous calls with her husband. After that, all calls went to voicemail.

Naresh Bhatt told police his wife destroyed her phone before July 31 — the day he told police that he last saw her.

But on Aug. 1, her phone was pinging in the Aldie area of Northern Virginia. Naresh Bhatt told police he was at a cafe there.

Police say they have video showing Naresh Bhatt at a Walmart purchasing cleaning supplies. He also went to a Walmart in Prince William County and purchased a set of knives. Two of those knives are now missing, prosecutors said.

Police conducted a welfare check on Aug. 2, and Naresh Bhatt reported his wife missing on Aug. 5, police said.

Bhatt was arrested on Aug. 22, one day after investigators were seen in the Bhatt family home.

Passports for Bhatt and his daughter were in full view when police entered the home for a search. Prosecutors said there’s evidence that Naresh Bhatt was in the process of packing up his home and selling his car.

Manassas Park officers and the Prince William County police have searched several parks and communities for evidence. It’s still unknown if searchers found anything relating to the case.

News4 sends breaking news stories by email. Go here to sign up to get breaking news alerts in your inbox.

Prince William County officers got a tip about a threat against Unity Braxton Middle School on Sept. 9, police said.

The girl, who police didn’t name due to her age, threatened violence toward the school on TikTok, police said.

After identifying the girl, investigators determined there was no credible threat to students or staff at the school.

Police arrested the girl on Wednesday and charged her as a juvenile with “threats by electronic means.”

The man accused of being drunk when his car struck and killed NHL star Johnny Gaudreau and brother Matthew as they biked near their South Jersey hometown the night before their sister’s wedding will remain jailed awaiting trial as it was revealed he had a blood alcohol level above the legal limit and a history of road rage.

The decision to continue Sean Higgins’ detention in Salem County Jail was made during a Friday, Sept. 13, Zoom detention hearing in front of Superior Court judge Michael Silvanio.

“I believe the state has convinced this court by clear and convincing evidence that there is no amount of monetary bail, or non monetary conditions, or combination thereof, that I could put in place that would ensure the statutory goals,” Silvanio said. “For those reasons I am going to grant the state’s motion to detain Mr. Higgins pending the further outcome of this case.”

The case is being closely followed far beyond South Jersey. Johnny Gaudreau, known as “Johnny Hockey,” played 10 full seasons in the league and was set to enter his third with the Columbus Blue Jackets after signing a seven-year, $68 million deal in 2022. He played his first eight seasons with the Calgary Flames, a tenure that included becoming one of the sport’s top players and a fan favorite across North America.

“This is a highly-publicized case, it’s an emotionally-charged case and one in which everybody has lost and is losing,” Higgins’ attorney Matthew Portella said Friday.

Higgins could be seen on screen Friday morning with facial hair and wearing a green shirt. At the start of the hearing, Silvanio made the South Jersey resident aware of his rights and made sure that Higgins was aware of his rights. “Yes your honor,” Higgins replied to the judge’s instructions.

Prosecutor, defense team lay out what happened on night of deadly crash, argue over detainment

The Gaudreau brothers grew up in the Philadelphia suburb of Carneys Point, New Jersey, where they spent their childhoods on the ice. They played at Gloucester Catholic High School, with Team Comcast and with the Philadelphia Little Flyers. Johnny went on to an All-Star career in the NHL.

Johnny, 31, and brother, Matt, 29, were set to serve as groomsmen at their sister Katie’s wedding that was scheduled for Friday, Aug. 30, in nearby Philadelphia, according to family.

The Gaudreaus were cycling on a road in Oldmans Township on Thursday, Aug. 29, when a man driving an SUV in the same direction attempted to pass two other vehicles and struck them from behind at about 8 p.m., according to New Jersey State Police. They were pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said the striking driver, 43-year-old Higgins, was suspected of being under the influence of alcohol and charged with two counts of death by auto, along with reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle.

Another driver had slowed down and pulled into the opposing lane of traffic to safely pass the Gaudreau brothers, First Assistant Prosecutor Jonathan Flynn of Salem County said Friday. The driver behind that driver followed suit — bother moving slightly above the 50 mph posted speed limit.

It is alleged that Higgins came speeding up behind the two other drivers and decides to overtake both cars. Higgins said he saw the driver moving to left lane as that driver trying to block him, Flynn said. Higgins then reacted by accelerating past one of the other driver on the right hand side, striking the Gaudreau brothers.

Higgins later claimed to have not seen the bikes.

Higgins told a responding officer he had five or six beers prior to the crash and admitted to consuming alcohol while driving, according to the criminal complaint obtained by The Associated Press.

Higgins told state police that he was also drinking in the car while driving, Flynn said Friday.

Higgins’ attorneys pointed out that a Sept. 5 report on Higgins’ blood alcohol at the time of the Aug. 29, 2024, wreck was .087% — just above the legal limit.

Higgins’ attorney said the BAC showed that Higgins was right around the intoxicated driving legal limit and that shouldn’t be a mitigating circumstance in keeping him jailed.

However, the state argued that Higgins had made statements about ending his life and was known to drink and drive angrily.

“The whodunit and what happened is pretty well documented in the record,” the prosecuting attorney said.

The judge noted the facts of the case while making his ruling after the prosecuting attorney and lawyers representing Higgins argued over if Higgins should remain jailed ahead of trial.

To be detained, the state had to display probable cause and prove that any bail offered wouldn’t be sufficient enough for Higgins to appear in court for his trial.

“This is a serious crime,” argued the prosecuting attorney, saying that Higgins’ “impatience, anger and recklessness” led to the Gaudreau brothers’ deaths.

Higgins is a married father to two daughters, ages 8 and 10, and a law-abiding citizen before the crash, his defense argued.

“He’s an empathetic individual and he’s a loving father of two daughters,” Portella said. “He’s a good person and he made a horrible decision that night.”

Higgins’ attorney noted he has no previous record and shared letters on his behalf. Portella added that Higgins was low risk to not show up for court. His team also offered a breath monitoring machine on Higgins’ car should he be released.

The prosecution painted another picture of Higgins.

Driving drunk and upset is not out of character for Higgins, prosecutors alleged.

Flynn argued that the locking device would not stop what he called “the fundamental issue” of Higgins’s “angry and aggressive driving,” exacerbated that day by alcohol.

Higgins wife told investigators that he had been working from home and that had a negative effect on him that led drinking at his house. The prosecutor on Friday said he had been drinking at home after finishing a work call at about 3 p.m., and having an upsetting conversation with a family member.

He then had a two-hour phone call with a friend while he drove around in his Jeep with an open container, Flynn said.

“’You were probably driving like a nut like I always tell you you do. And you don’t listen to me, instead you just yell at me,’” his wife told Higgins when he called her from jail after his arrest, according to Flynn.

“There simply is no condition that the court can place on Mr. Higgins that is going to control — not only the aggressive driving, but unfortunately the drinking during the driving — getting on the road and having this happen again,” Flynn said while arguing Higgins should remain jailed.

NHL Sep 9

Johnny Gaudreau's widow reveals she is pregnant with 3rd child at funeral for NHL star, brother

In arguing for Higgins to remain behind bars, the state also argued that he could hurt himself if he is freed from behind bars as he could face up to 20 years behind bars.

“Clear intent to self-harm over the regret of what happened,” the prosecuting attorney said.

“They’re concerned that Mr. Higgins is going to put himself beyond the reach of the court… committing suicide,” Portella said.

Higgins’ attorney acknowledged that at the scene Higgins was upset and that he did say his life was over. However, he was no longer on suicide watch as of Friday’s hearing.

He was “freaking out” and a recent knee surgery that caused a limp contributed to Higgins “not to be able to do the field sobriety test properly,” Portella said.

Higgins will remain jailed ahead of his next court date on Oct. 15, for an in-person hearing.

Higgins has seven days to appeal the decision.

Higgins had previous driving violations

NBC10 obtained the New Jersey driver history for Higgins. Our investigators found that Higgins had previously been stopped by police for unsafe driving and other violations.

Through an open records request to New Jersey’s Motor Vehicle Commission, we were able to see that Higgins was involved in two car crashes: One in 2016 and the other in 2021.

He was also cited between 2003 and 2014 for improper operation in a highway with marked lines, improper display of plates, speeding and unsafe operation of a motor vehicle.

The state of New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission had Higgins listed “in good standing” at the time of last week’s fatal crash.

We also found two violations in North Carolina that included driving while intoxicated in 2005 and a speeding ticket in 2021. Both were dismissed.

According to court records, the DWI was dismissed because the officer did not show up for the court date.

Higgins was an Army veteran who worked at an alcohol treatment center

He is a graduate of Drexel and Rutgers universities and a U.S. Army veteran who served in Iraq, his attorneys said. Higgins worked in finance for an addiction treatment company.

Higgins was an employee at Gaudenzia, a nonprofit drug and alcohol treatment center, at the time of the crash. He was at first placed on leave by the organization before being fired last week.

“Our thoughts and condolences remain with all those impacted by the tragedy that resulted in the loss of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau,” a statement from the Norristown-based company said. “Sean Higgins is no longer an employee of Gaudenzia.”

Higgins’ service time in Iraq — which left him honored with a Bronze Star — left his mentally scared, his attorney said.

Gaudreau family, hockey community, remember brothers, share message

The funeral for the Gaudreau brothers took place Monday at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church in Media, Pennsylvania.

Widows Meredith and Madeline Gaudreau described their husbands as attached at the hip throughout their lives. John was 31 and Matthew 29.

“Everything was always John and Matty,” said Meredith, John’s wife, who revealed she was pregnant with the couple’s third child. “I know John would not have been able to live a day without his brother.”

“I urge everyone to not drink and drive,” said Madeline Gaudreau, Matthew’s pregnant wife. “Find a ride. Please don’t put another family through this torture.”

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or chat live at 988lifeline.org. You can also visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional support.

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After an emotional three-day hearing in federal court, a judge sentenced Officer Terrence Sutton to 5 1/2 years in prison for the 2020 death of Karon Hylton-Brown. Sutton was convicted in 2022 of second-degree murder, conspiracy to obstruct and obstruction of justice.

Sutton was the first D.C. officer to be convicted of murder in the line of duty.

Lt. Andrew Zabavsky was sentenced to four years after his 2022 conviction for conspiracy to obstruct and obstruction of justice.

The officers will appeal and were allowed to go home on Thursday. U.S. Marshals had them escorted out through a back entrance, out of fear for their safety.

Sutton’s attorney criticized the sentence.

“This is the most unjust prosecution and sentence that I have ever experienced, and I have always respected this judge. But I’m deeply disappointed,” Candace Hernandez said.

The mother of Hylton-Brown’s child, Amaala Jones-Bey, said she was happy the judge had “an unbiased opinion through the whole trial.”

A moped ride ended in a deadly crash

Sutton started pursuing Karon Hylton-Brown, who was riding a moped on the sidewalk in the Brightwood Park area of Northwest D.C. on Oct. 23, 2020. Sutton chased Hylton-Brown for several minutes, until the moped rider exited an alley and was hit by an oncoming driver.

Hylton-Brown suffered severe head trauma and died in a hospital two days later. He was the father of an infant.

His death sparked protests, including outside the Fourth District police station.

The U.S. Attorney for D.C. says Sutton and Zabavsky failed to preserve the crash scene for investigators and turned off their body cameras.

“As Mr. Hylton-Brown lay unconscious in the street in a pool of his own blood, Sutton and Zabavsky agreed to cover up what Sutton had done to prevent any further investigation of the incident,” the office said in a statement.

Karon Hylton-Brown Dec 21, 2022

DC Police Officers Found Guilty in Karon Hylton-Brown's Death

Karon Hylton-Brown Oct 26, 2021

Mother of Karon Hylton-Brown Reflects on Indictment of Officers in Her Son's Death

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Mother of man killed in DC police chase not guilty of assaulting US marshal in court

At the police station, the officers denied that a chase occurred, falsely implied that Hylton-Brown was drunk and downplayed his injuries, prosecutors said.

The judge said that with the sentences, he wanted to send a message about the officers’ behavior and the cover-up that followed.

In court, Sutton said he was sorry for the loss of Hylton-Brown. Zabavsky directly addressed the victim’s family and apologized. He went on to speak about his need to care for his mother, who he said has dementia.

The officers’ appeals are expected to be filed in the coming days. An attorney for the mother of Hylton-Brown’s child said he will file a civil suit against the Metropolitan Police Department.

Stay with NBC Washington for more details on this developing story.

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The settlement stems from a civil complaint brought by the District Attorney’s offices of San Diego, Alameda, Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino and Sonoma counties.

Prosecutors allege Home Depot customers were charged more than the posted prices on items due to what’s known as “scanner violations.” This is when the prices listed for items on shelves are different from prices seen when the items are scanned at the register.

Home Depot entered into the settlement without admitting any liability or wrongdoing.

As part of the agreement, the company will pay $1,700,000 in civil penalties, plus $277,251 to cover the prosecutors’ investigatory costs and fund other consumer protection enforcement efforts. Home Depot will also implement new price accuracy procedures that eliminate price increases on weekend days and establish audits and training on state pricing accuracy requirements.

Wesley Shifflett is charged with involuntary manslaughter and reckless discharge of a weapon in the killing of 37-year-old Timothy McCree Johnson near a busy shopping mall on Feb. 22, 2023. On Monday, authorities began selecting 12 people for the jury. Opening arguments are scheduled to begin Wednesday once officials complete jury selection.

Shifflett pleaded not guilty in the case.

Shifflett and another Fairfax County police officer chased Johnson on foot after receiving a report from security guards that Johnson had stolen sunglasses from a Nordstrom department store in Tysons Corner Center.

Police body camera footage shows the nighttime chase and shooting. Shifflett can be heard ordering Johnson to stay on the ground and later to “stop reaching.” Both officers open fire, but Shifflett fired the fatal shot.

Later, Shifflett tells another officer that he saw the suspect reaching for a weapon in his waistband. Police searched for a weapon but found nothing.

The Fairfax County Police Department fired Shifflett the following month for what Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis called “a failure to live up to the expectations of our agency, in particular use of force policies.”

Initially, a grand jury declined to indict Shifflett in the shooting, but Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano sought and received court approval for a special grand jury to reinvestigate, which he said gave prosecutors a greater ability to oversee the investigation. The second panel chose to indict Shifflett.

Descano said at the time that an involuntary manslaughter charge is appropriate when a killing occurs due to “gross or wanton conduct” that lacks malice.

Caleb Kershner, Shifflett’s attorney, blasted Descano’s decision to impanel a special grand jury and the subsequent indictment.

“Few people understand what it’s like to have a gun pulled on you and regularly being put in risk of death,” Kershner said at the time. “These men and women in uniform serve by putting their lives on the line every day.”

In recent hearings, attorneys squabbled over what evidence could be presented at trial.

Barry Zweig, the lead prosecutor, filed a motion to be allowed to introduce evidence that Shifflett had aimed his weapon at other shoplifting suspects in other instances, but Circuit Court Judge Randy Bellows denied that request.

Bellows agreed to allow Shifflett’s defense team to present evidence concerning Johnson’s criminal history.

Johnson was 17 years old when he tried to steal a vehicle belonging to an off-duty agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Maryland. As he tried to flee in the vehicle, Johnson nearly hit the agent, who responded by shooting him. In 2004, Johnson pleaded guilty as a juvenile to second-degree assault.

Johnson also pleaded guilty in 2019 to involuntary manslaughter in a fatal Washington car crash while he was driving under the influence. Bellows ruled this incident would not allowed to be presented to trial jurors, a spokesperson for the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office said Monday.

Olivia Diaz is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

There were character witnesses for the defendants and victim impact statements in court Wednesday.

This all began in October 2020, when Officer Terence Sutton started pursuing 20-year-old Karon Hylton-Brown.

Hylton-Brown was on a moped, crashed into a vehicle and died.

Sutton was convicted of second-degree murder in 2022. Sutton and his supervising officer, Lt. Andrew Zabavsky, were both convicted of obstruction of justice.

Karon Hylton-Brown Dec 21, 2022

DC Police Officers Found Guilty in Karon Hylton-Brown's Death

Karon Hylton-Brown Oct 26, 2021

Mother of Karon Hylton-Brown Reflects on Indictment of Officers in Her Son's Death

Northwest DC Dec 7, 2023

Mother of man killed in DC police chase not guilty of assaulting US marshal in court

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They are set to be sentenced Thursday. The judge said will not hand down the lengthy prison sentences prosecutors are pushing for.

Surveillance video and police body camera video on Oct. 23, 2020, showed the 3-1/2-minute chase up and down a neighborhood street. The chase ended when Hylton-Brown ran into an oncoming vehicle and was killed. His death sparked a protest that turned violent outside the Fourth District police station.

Sutton is the first D.C. officer convicted of murder in the line of duty.

Alexander Yuk Ching Ma, 71, made a deal in May with federal prosecutors, who agreed to recommend the 10-year term in exchange for his guilty plea to a count of conspiracy to gather or deliver national defense information to a foreign government. The deal also requires him to submit to polygraph tests, whenever requested by the U.S. government, for the rest of his life.

A U.S. judge approved the deal Wednesday and handed down the agreed-upon sentence, according to court records.

“I hope God and America will forgive me for what I have done,” Ma, who has been in custody since his 2020 arrest, wrote in a letter to Chief U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson in Honolulu ahead of his sentencing.

Without the deal, Ma faced up to life in prison. He would have been allowed to withdraw from the agreement if Watson rejected the 10-year sentence.

Ma was born in Hong Kong, moved to Honolulu in 1968 and became a U.S. citizen in 1975. He joined the CIA in 1982, was assigned overseas the following year, and resigned in 1989. He held a top secret security clearance, according to court documents.

Ma lived and worked in Shanghai, China, before returning to Hawaii in 2001, and at the behest of Chinese intelligence officers, he agreed to arrange an introduction between officers of the Shanghai State Security Bureau and his older brother — who had also served as a CIA case officer.

During a three-day meeting in a Hong Kong hotel room that year, Ma’s brother — identified in the plea agreement as “Co-conspirator #1” — provided the intelligence officers a “large volume of classified and sensitive information,” according to the document. They were paid $50,000; prosecutors said they had an hourlong video from the meeting that showed Ma counting the money.

Two years later, Ma applied for a job as a contract linguist in the FBI’s Honolulu field office. By then, the Americans knew he was collaborating with Chinese intelligence officers, and they hired him in 2004 so they could keep an eye on his espionage activities.

Over the following six years, he regularly copied, photographed and stole classified documents, prosecutors said. He often took them on trips to China, returning with thousands of dollars in cash and expensive gifts, including a new set of golf clubs, prosecutors said.

At one point in 2006, his handlers at the Shanghai State Security Bureau asked Ma to get his brother to help identify four people in photographs, and the brother did identify two of them.

During a sting operation, Ma accepted thousands of dollars in cash in exchange for past espionage activities, and he told an undercover FBI agent posing as a Chinese intelligence officer that he wanted to see the “motherland” succeed, prosecutors have said.

“Let it be a message to anyone else thinking of doing the same,” FBI Honolulu Special Agent-in-Charge Steven Merrill said in a statement after Ma was sentenced. “No matter how long it takes, or how much time passes, you will be brought to justice.”

The brother was never prosecuted. He suffered from debilitating symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and has since died, court documents say.

“Because of my brother, I could not bring myself to report this crime,” Ma said in his letter to the judge. “He was like a father figure to me. In a way, I am also glad that he left this world, as that made me free to admit what I did.”

The plea agreement also called for Ma to cooperate with the U.S. government by providing more details about his case and submitting to polygraph tests for the rest of his life.

Prosecutors said that since pleading guilty, Ma has already taken part in five “lengthy, and sometimes grueling, sessions over the course of four weeks, some spanning as long as six hours, wherein he provided valuable information and endeavored to answer the government’s inquiries to the best of his ability.”

The defendants, identified as Dallas Erin Humber and Matthew Robert Allison, face 15 federal counts in the Eastern District of California, including charges that accuse them of soliciting hate crimes and the murder of federal officials, distributing bomb-making instructions and conspiring to provide material support to terrorists.

Humber, 34, of Elk Grove, California, and Allison, 37, of Boise, Idaho were arrested Friday. Humber pleaded not guilty in a Sacramento courtroom Monday to the charges. Her attorney Noa Oren declined to comment on the case Monday afternoon after the arraignment.

It was not immediately clear if Allison had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.

The indictment accuses the two of leading Terrorgram, a network of channels and group chats on Telegram, and of soliciting followers to attack perceived enemies of white people, including government buildings and energy facilities and “high-value” targets such as politicians.

“Today’s action makes clear that the department will hold perpetrators accountable, including those who hide behind computer screens, in seeking to carry out bias-motivated violence,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, the Justice Department’s top civil rights official, said at a news conference.

Their exhortations to commit violence included statements such as “Take Action Now” and “Do your part,” and users who carried out acts to further white supremacism were told they could become known as “Saints,” prosecutors said.

Justice Department officials say the pair used the app to transmit bomb-making instructions and to distribute a list of potential targets for assassination — including a federal judge, a senator and a former U.S. attorney — and to celebrate acts or plots from active Terrorgram users.

Those include the stabbing last month of five people outside a mosque in Turkey and the July arrest of an 18-year-old accused of planning to attack an electrical substation to advance white supremacist views. In the Turkey attack, for instance, prosecutors say the culprit on the morning of the stabbing posted in a group chat: “Come see how much humans I can cleanse.”

A 24-minute documentary that the two had produced, “White Terror,” documented and praised some 105 acts of white supremacist violence between 1968 and 2021, according to the indictment.

“The risk and danger they present is extremely serious,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen, the Justice Department’s top national security official. He added: “Their reach is as far as the internet because of the platform they’ve created.”

Telegram is a messaging app that allows for one-on-one conversations, group chats and large channels that let people broadcast messages to subscribers. Though broadly used as a messaging tool around the world, Telegram has also drawn scrutiny, including a finding from French investigators that the app has been used by Islamic extremists and drug traffickers.

Telegram’s founder and CEO, Pavel Durov, was detained by French authorities last month on charges of allowing the platform’s use for criminal activity. Durov responded to the charges with a post last week saying he shouldn’t have been targeted personally and by promising to step up efforts to fight criminality on the app.

He wrote that while Telegram is not “some sort of anarchic paradise,” surging numbers of users have “caused growing pains that made it easier for criminals to abuse our platform.”

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Wesley Shifflett is charged with involuntary manslaughter and reckless discharge of a weapon in the killing of 37-year-old Timothy McCree Johnson near a busy shopping mall on Feb. 22, 2023. On Monday, authorities began selecting 12 people for the jury. Opening arguments are scheduled to begin Wednesday once officials complete jury selection.

Shifflett pleaded not guilty in the case.

Shifflett and another Fairfax County police officer chased Johnson on foot after receiving a report from security guards that Johnson had stolen sunglasses from a Nordstrom department store in Tysons Corner Center.

Police body camera footage shows the nighttime chase and shooting. Shifflett can be heard ordering Johnson to stay on the ground and later to “stop reaching.” Both officers open fire, but Shifflett fired the fatal shot.

Later, Shifflett tells another officer that he saw the suspect reaching for a weapon in his waistband. Police searched for a weapon but found nothing.

The Fairfax County Police Department fired Shifflett the following month for what Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis called “a failure to live up to the expectations of our agency, in particular use of force policies.”

Initially, a grand jury declined to indict Shifflett in the shooting, but Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano sought and received court approval for a special grand jury to reinvestigate, which he said gave prosecutors a greater ability to oversee the investigation. The second panel chose to indict Shifflett.

Descano said at the time that an involuntary manslaughter charge is appropriate when a killing occurs due to “gross or wanton conduct” that lacks malice.

Caleb Kershner, Shifflett’s attorney, blasted Descano’s decision to impanel a special grand jury and the subsequent indictment.

“Few people understand what it’s like to have a gun pulled on you and regularly being put in risk of death,” Kershner said at the time. “These men and women in uniform serve by putting their lives on the line every day.”

In recent hearings, attorneys squabbled over what evidence could be presented at trial.

Barry Zweig, the lead prosecutor, filed a motion to be allowed to introduce evidence that Shifflett had aimed his weapon at other shoplifting suspects in other instances, but Circuit Court Judge Randy Bellows denied that request.

Bellows agreed to allow Shifflett’s defense team to present evidence concerning Johnson’s criminal history.

Johnson was 17 years old when he tried to steal a vehicle belonging to an off-duty agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Maryland. As he tried to flee in the vehicle, Johnson nearly hit the agent, who responded by shooting him. In 2004, Johnson pleaded guilty as a juvenile to second-degree assault.

Johnson also pleaded guilty in 2019 to involuntary manslaughter in a fatal Washington car crash while he was driving under the influence. Bellows ruled this incident would not allowed to be presented to trial jurors, a spokesperson for the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office said Monday.

Olivia Diaz is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

His family and friends gathered for a vigil Sunday in the hopes of making sure his murder is not forgotten.

The 23-year-old was driving in the 1800 block of Minnesota Avenue in Southeast D.C. Police say he was an innocent victim, apparently caught in crossfire while running errands for his mother.

The crime remains unsolved.

The family observed a year since Gant’s death by calling for justice for their loved one.

His mother, Toloria Gant, was unconsolable as strains of Brandon Gant’s favorite song played at his gravesite.

“A major incident like that and don’t nobody know nothing,” she said. “That’s crazy.”

The best lead police had was a picture of a suspect vehicle, but after a year, that evidence hasn’t led to an arrest.

“Somebody saw it, and I know they saw it,” his mother said.

She says her son wasn’t involved in the streets, that he was a selfless and hard-working young man who put others before himself. That’s what he was doing the day he was killed: Picking up allergy medication and gassing up his mother’s car.

“But I don’t know if he ever made it,” she said.

She does know the dangers that surrounded her son and other mothers’ sons, even those walking the right path, especially when that path takes them to the increasingly notorious Minnesota Avenue

“Even before Brandon, I’m like it’s too many accidents, too much crime down here,” she said. “You got so many speed cameras all over the city, you can catch a tag a mile away but you can’t catch a crime.”

The family released doves at the gravesite as symbols of hope and peace — peace from the violence that took Brandon Gant and the continuing hope that his killer is brought to justice.

“It don’t matter how long it’s going to take,” his mother said. “I want justice for my son, Brandon. He didn’t deserve this.”

Officers with the Beaverton Police Department responded to 32-year-old Melissa Jubane’s home at 1050 SW 160th Avenue in Beaverton Wednesday to conduct a wellness check after she didn’t report for her morning shift at St. Vincent Hospital, the department said Thursday in a Facebook post.

Police searched Jubane’s apartment but did not find her, calling her absence and lack of communication “unusual and alarming.”

“Efforts by officers and family members to contact Melissa throughout the day were unsuccessful, as her phone appeared to be turned off,” police said. “Additionally, searches of Melissa’s bank and credit card records yielded no new information regarding her location.”

Following the investigation, one of Jubane’s neighbors, 27-year-old Bryce Johnathan Schubert, was arrested and charged with her murder, police said in an update Saturday.

Schubert was charged with murder in the second degree and is being held at the jail in Washington County, Oregon, according to online records. It’s not clear if he has an attorney at this time.

Jubane’s body was also recovered. Police have not shared any details regarding how Schubert was allegedly involved in Jubane’s murder, where her remains were found, or who found them.

“This is an active investigation,” police said. “While we acknowledge the significant community interest and concern, we must withhold further details to preserve the integrity of the investigation.”

The Beaverton Police Department is asking anyone with information on Jubane’s death to contact them at 503-526-2280.

“We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the community members who have assisted with the search for Melissa. Our deepest condolences go out to Melissa’s family, friends and co-workers,” police said.

This article first appeared on NBCNews.com. Read more from NBC News here:

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Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, 20, a Pakistani national living in Canada, was taken into custody on Sept. 4 and “charged with attempting to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization (FTO), the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS),” federal prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said Khan wanted to plan the attack around Oct. 7, 2024, the one-year anniversary of Hamas’ attack on a music festival in Israel that killed at least 1,200 people, mostly civilians.

“The defendant is alleged to have planned a terrorist attack in New York City around October 7th of this year with the stated goal of slaughtering, in the name of ISIS, as many Jewish people as possible,” said Attorney General Merrick Garland in a statement.

According to the criminal complaint, Khan told undercover law enforcement officers he was planning to target a Jewish center in Brooklyn saying “‘New York is perfect to target Jews because it has the ‘largest Jewish population In America.'”

Khan attempted to cross the U.S.-Canada border where he planned to use automatic and semi-automatic weapons to carry out a “mass shooting,” prosecutors said. The complaint alleges Khan looked for rental properties close to his proposed target in Brooklyn and was planning to pay a human smuggler to help him get into the United States.

Khan was arrested 12 miles from the border with the United States.

During one communication to the undercover officers, Khan said “if we succeed with our plan this would be the largest Attack on US soil since 9/11,” the complaint alleges.

A senior official told NBC New York that Khan had been under 24/7 surveillance and that he did not have any means of carrying out the attack on his own.

If convicted, Khan faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

The FBI is continuing its investigation into Khan’s alleged actions. It’s unclear if Khan has a lawyer, the Associated Press reported.

In 2013, Jackson Jr. pleaded guilty to conspiring with his then-wife, Sandi Jackson, to illegally use $750,000 in campaign funds for personal purposes. He was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison and served about half of that term behind bars before being released to a halfway house in March 2015 to finish the sentence.

“We worked with him on a regular basis. His concern and care for his constituents’ needs were always present,” the mayors of South Chicago suburbs wrote. “Like you, we also make decisions that affect people in their everyday life. Oftentimes we must reflect upon ‘never judging a man based on his worst day.’ We believe that Congressman Jackson has better days ahead.”

The push for a pardon comes the day after Biden’s son, Hunter, pleaded guilty to federal tax charges. Earlier this year, the younger Biden was convicted on three counts related to his illegal purchase of a handgun. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Thursday that the president remains committed to his promise not to pardon his son.

The White House declined to comment on the mayors’ request that Biden pardon Jackson Jr.

This is not the first time elected officials have appealed to Biden on Jackson Jr.’s behalf. Several members of Congress — including Jackson Jr.’s successor, Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Ill. — have encouraged the president in recent years to use his pardon power to help the former lawmaker. So has Jackson Jr.’s father.

The 82-year-old Reverend Jesse Jackson, who is battling Parkinson’s Disease, appeared on stage in a wheelchair at the Democratic convention Aug. 19. Surrounded by fellow civil rights leaders, he received a long standing ovation.

Biden issued blanket pardons for certain marijuana offenses in 2022 and 2023, moves that together affected thousands of people who were convicted on drug-related charges. Outside of that, he has been sparing in his use of the constitutional power to grant pardons.

The Justice Department lists 25 people who were pardoned by Biden since he took office in January 2021. Donald Trump pardoned more than 140 people, including former members of Congress, political allies and Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law. Presidents often issue bursts of pardons in their final days in office, and most of Trump’s were granted between his November 2020 defeat and his departure from the White House a little more than two months later.

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Wesley Shifflett is charged with involuntary manslaughter and reckless discharge of a weapon in the killing of 37-year-old Timothy McCree Johnson near a busy shopping mall on Feb. 22, 2023. On Monday, authorities began selecting 12 people for the jury. Opening arguments are scheduled to begin Wednesday once officials complete jury selection.

Shifflett pleaded not guilty in the case.

Shifflett and another Fairfax County police officer chased Johnson on foot after receiving a report from security guards that Johnson had stolen sunglasses from a Nordstrom department store in Tysons Corner Center.

Police body camera footage shows the nighttime chase and shooting. Shifflett can be heard ordering Johnson to stay on the ground and later to “stop reaching.” Both officers open fire, but Shifflett fired the fatal shot.

Later, Shifflett tells another officer that he saw the suspect reaching for a weapon in his waistband. Police searched for a weapon but found nothing.

The Fairfax County Police Department fired Shifflett the following month for what Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis called “a failure to live up to the expectations of our agency, in particular use of force policies.”

Initially, a grand jury declined to indict Shifflett in the shooting, but Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano sought and received court approval for a special grand jury to reinvestigate, which he said gave prosecutors a greater ability to oversee the investigation. The second panel chose to indict Shifflett.

Descano said at the time that an involuntary manslaughter charge is appropriate when a killing occurs due to “gross or wanton conduct” that lacks malice.

Caleb Kershner, Shifflett’s attorney, blasted Descano’s decision to impanel a special grand jury and the subsequent indictment.

“Few people understand what it’s like to have a gun pulled on you and regularly being put in risk of death,” Kershner said at the time. “These men and women in uniform serve by putting their lives on the line every day.”

In recent hearings, attorneys squabbled over what evidence could be presented at trial.

Barry Zweig, the lead prosecutor, filed a motion to be allowed to introduce evidence that Shifflett had aimed his weapon at other shoplifting suspects in other instances, but Circuit Court Judge Randy Bellows denied that request.

Bellows agreed to allow Shifflett’s defense team to present evidence concerning Johnson’s criminal history.

Johnson was 17 years old when he tried to steal a vehicle belonging to an off-duty agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Maryland. As he tried to flee in the vehicle, Johnson nearly hit the agent, who responded by shooting him. In 2004, Johnson pleaded guilty as a juvenile to second-degree assault.

Johnson also pleaded guilty in 2019 to involuntary manslaughter in a fatal Washington car crash while he was driving under the influence. Bellows ruled this incident would not allowed to be presented to trial jurors, a spokesperson for the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office said Monday.

Olivia Diaz is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

The women, who said they were roommates, told the court they heard screaming outside their apartment along Georgia Avenue NW the morning of Oct. 17, 2023 before finding 64-year-old Reggie Brown bloodied and beaten in an alleyway.

After hearing the screams, they said went out to the balcony of their apartment to investigate and saw a body lying in the alley.

One of the women said she was trained in first aid so, after calling 911, they went down to see if they could help.

“We heard screaming. … looked like they jumped him … We are right by him. He is not responding. … There is blood under his body and around his head,” one of the witnesses said in a second call to 911.

Brown’s siblings have attended the trial being held in D.C.’s juvenile court.

“Unfortunately, he passed and whatever she was able to do, it didn’t work out for him and he’s no longer with us, and it breaks my heart,” Brown’s sister Malda Brown said outside the courthouse. “What I want to say today – I thank God that those two young ladies who came forth who was able to call an ambulance to let them know there was somebody out there.”

Two girls, ages 13 and 14, who were charged with murder in the case were in court Friday. In all, five girls have been charged in connection to the beating. A man involved in the attack has still not been identified.

The attack was caught on surveillance video as well as cellphone video.

Earlier this year, a detective testified that video shows the girls walking away in a “celebratory” mood.

First, the man who would attack Brown “escorted” him across Georgia Avenue, Detective Harry Singleton previously testified. The man was wearing a blue coat.

According to what was caught on numerous cameras in the area, the man was the first person to assault Brown. He threw him against a wall and knocked him to the ground, the detective testified.

A prosecutor played several videos that showed a group of girls walking on Georgia Avenue. One girl asked the man if she could “fight him too.”

Videos show Brown managing to get up and try to get away.

Gun violence Mar 29

Girls, 12 and 13, accused of beating 64-year-old man to death along DC's Georgia Avenue

Washington DC Mar 29

Girl shot on while inside home on Peabody Street NW in DC, police say

The girls kicked and stomped on Brown and then left in a “celebratory” mood, cellphone video from a girl who was not charged showed, the detective said.

When officers arrived at the 6200 block of Georgia Avenue, near Rittenhouse Street, Brown was dead.

There’s no indication that Brown knew the girls, the detective testified.

Singleton described a monthslong investigation, with detectives reviewing videos frame by frame to try to identify the attackers.

Brown was described as being physically handicapped, with missing fingers on each hand and ongoing ailments.

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Chad Richards made an initial appearance Friday via video in Walworth County Court.

Kara Welsh, 21, suffered multiple gunshot wounds following an altercation Aug. 30, according to a criminal complaint.

She was found in a pool of blood after Richards called 911. He told investigators the two were arguing when he said Welsh grabbed his gun from a nightstand. Richards said he wrestled the gun away and shot Welsh because he “feared for his life,” the complaint continued.

Police found a handgun and shell casings on the apartment floor. Richards later was arrested. He told investigators that Welsh was his girlfriend.

The Associated Press left a message Friday afternoon seeking comment from Richards’ attorney, Gibson Hatch.

Richards was being held on a $1 million bond. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Oct. 28.

Richards, of Loves Park, Illinois, was listed on the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater 2021-22 wrestling team roster.

Welsh, who was from Plainfield, Illinois, was majoring in management in the school’s College of Business and Economics. She was a member of the Warhawk gymnastics team and last year took the individual national title on vault at the NCAA Division III championships.

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater campus is about 50 miles (80 kilometers) west of Milwaukee.

A child was found with cocaine and meth in their system at a motel in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, police said.

The police department said they were notified of a Department of Children and Families (DCF) investigation at Bradley Inn on Ella Grasso Turnpike Thursday.

Authorities said they removed a child from a motel room and later discovered that there were drugs in the child’s system, including cocaine and methamphetamine.

Windsor Locks police obtained a search warrant for the motel room and found what appeared to be narcotics and fentanyl inside.

“Suspected narcotics and fentanyl were found in the room – all of which have to be tested as fentanyl is deadly and potentially fatal, this best handled in a controlled laboratory,” the police department said on Facebook.

A building inspector responded to the scene and said the room was in deplorable condition, according to police.

It’s unclear if any arrests have been made in connection to this incident.

Three people were arrested on drug charges after authorities conducted an undercover operation at Bradley Inn on Thursday.

In a separate incident on Aug. 31, police arrested a man and woman for allegedly robbing a person with a machete.

The police department said they also made numerous arrests at the motel about a year ago.

“Unfortunately, this location has persisted in maintaining a high level of criminal activity and calls for service to the WLPD,” the police department said in a statement.

The investigation remains ongoing.

White, who represents Ward 8, is accused of agreeing to accept $156,000 in exchange for using his position to pressure employees of the D.C. Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement and the D.C. Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS) to extend several contracts, prosecutors said.

He’s chair of a D.C. Council committee that oversees several agencies, including DYRS.

White received $35,000 in four cash payments in the alleged scheme, court documents filed on Thursday say.

His lawyer declined on Friday to comment on the latest development.

White has not commented on the case or entered a plea since federal authorities arrested him in the Navy Yard area on Aug. 18. On Instagram, posted a brief video thanking people who have continued to support him.

Following White’s arrest, the D.C. government launched a wide-ranging review of violence interruption work.

Read the full indictment here:

Here’s what federal prosecutors say Trayon White did

Federal prosecutors say White agreed starting in June to accept $156,000 in bribes in exchange for using his position to pressure government employees to extend violence intervention contracts worth $5.2 million.

He’s accused of accepting envelopes full of cash as he was caught on a hidden camera. Here’s how the FBI broke down the payments:

• June 26: $15,000 cash received
• July 17: $5,000 cash received
• July 25: $10,000 cash received
• Aug. 9: $5,000 cash received

Images included in court documents show what prosecutors say is White receiving envelopes stuffed with cash.

DC Council Aug 21

How Trayon White's arrest may shake up the Ward 8 election

DC Council Aug 19

Secret cameras, $35K in cash: DC Council member Trayon White accused of bribery

An FBI informant who operated businesses that contracted with the D.C. government agreed to cooperate with authorities as part of an agreement to plead guilty to bribery and bank fraud charges. Several conversations between White and the informant were recorded in a parked car wired for video and audio, including outside White’s home, prosecutors say.

At one meeting, White and the informant discussed contracts the informant had with ONSE. The informant asked White if the contracts would be renewed and said he had $15,000 cash.

Initially, White asked, “What you need me to do, man? I don’t, I don’t wanna feel like you gotta gimme something to get something. We better than that.”

Then he tucked the envelope with the cash into his jacket pocket, prosecutors say.

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Stay with NBC Washington for more details on this developing story.

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Troy Turner pleaded for help finding Sarah and Jacob in a video released by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

“As a dad, I want to have hope. And as a father, obviously, I love my kids and I want to hope that in some way, they’re still there,” Turner said. “We’re gonna keep fighting.”

In hopes of getting answers, the NCMEC released age-progressed images of what the Hoggle siblings may look like today. The hope is that the images may spark a memory, or inspire someone to come forward with information.

Sarah would be 13, and Jacob would be 12 years old.

“There’s tremendous frustration that we have gone 10 years and not had, sort of, a conclusion to this,” John McCarthy, the State’s Attorney for Montgomery County, said.

Murder charges against children’s mother were dropped

Sarah and Jacob were last seen on Labor Day weekend 2014, in the care of their mother, Catherine Hoggle, the NCMEC said.

Catherine Hoggle was later arrested and charged with murder. Despite extensive searches, Sarah and Jacob have never been found. According to the NCMEC, Hoggle continues to say her children are “safe.”

The last major update in the case came two years ago when a judge dropped charges against Catherine Hoggle.

Montgomery County courts repeatedly deemed Hoggle not mentally competent to stand trial, and Maryland law mandated the charges be dropped after five years. Police said she refused to cooperate, and prosecutors accused her of faking the extent of her mental illness.

A judge ordered Hoggle to be involuntarily committed to a psychiatric institution civilly after it was determined that she remained a danger to herself and others. Hoggle, who had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia before the children went missing, has been held in a maximum-security psychiatric hospital since her arrest.

The State’s Attorney’s office continues to monitor Catherine Hoggle’s condition and would charge her again if they can, McCarthy said.

“If her mental health status improves to the point that she can be removed from the hospital because she’s no longer a danger to herself and others in the community, we’ll reindict this case,” he said.

In a release from the NCMEC, Turner, the father, said it’s time to move the focus onto finding his son and daughter.

“For the past 10 years the focus has been on her and whether she was competent to stand trial,” Turner said.  “I want the focus to be put back on finding my children. It is definitely time to have some movement in the case. If someone knows anything, if anyone saw anything, it’s time to come forward. It’s past time.”

Anyone with information can contact the NCMEC at 1-800-843-5688 or Montgomery County Police at 301-279-8000.

NBC Washington is looking back at the Hoggle case. Stay tuned for updates.

Wesley Shifflett is charged with involuntary manslaughter and reckless discharge of a weapon in the killing of 37-year-old Timothy McCree Johnson near a busy shopping mall on Feb. 22, 2023. On Monday, authorities began selecting 12 people for the jury. Opening arguments are scheduled to begin Wednesday once officials complete jury selection.

Shifflett pleaded not guilty in the case.

Shifflett and another Fairfax County police officer chased Johnson on foot after receiving a report from security guards that Johnson had stolen sunglasses from a Nordstrom department store in Tysons Corner Center.

Police body camera footage shows the nighttime chase and shooting. Shifflett can be heard ordering Johnson to stay on the ground and later to “stop reaching.” Both officers open fire, but Shifflett fired the fatal shot.

Later, Shifflett tells another officer that he saw the suspect reaching for a weapon in his waistband. Police searched for a weapon but found nothing.

The Fairfax County Police Department fired Shifflett the following month for what Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis called “a failure to live up to the expectations of our agency, in particular use of force policies.”

Initially, a grand jury declined to indict Shifflett in the shooting, but Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano sought and received court approval for a special grand jury to reinvestigate, which he said gave prosecutors a greater ability to oversee the investigation. The second panel chose to indict Shifflett.

Descano said at the time that an involuntary manslaughter charge is appropriate when a killing occurs due to “gross or wanton conduct” that lacks malice.

Caleb Kershner, Shifflett’s attorney, blasted Descano’s decision to impanel a special grand jury and the subsequent indictment.

“Few people understand what it’s like to have a gun pulled on you and regularly being put in risk of death,” Kershner said at the time. “These men and women in uniform serve by putting their lives on the line every day.”

In recent hearings, attorneys squabbled over what evidence could be presented at trial.

Barry Zweig, the lead prosecutor, filed a motion to be allowed to introduce evidence that Shifflett had aimed his weapon at other shoplifting suspects in other instances, but Circuit Court Judge Randy Bellows denied that request.

Bellows agreed to allow Shifflett’s defense team to present evidence concerning Johnson’s criminal history.

Johnson was 17 years old when he tried to steal a vehicle belonging to an off-duty agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Maryland. As he tried to flee in the vehicle, Johnson nearly hit the agent, who responded by shooting him. In 2004, Johnson pleaded guilty as a juvenile to second-degree assault.

Johnson also pleaded guilty in 2019 to involuntary manslaughter in a fatal Washington car crash while he was driving under the influence. Bellows ruled this incident would not allowed to be presented to trial jurors, a spokesperson for the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office said Monday.

Olivia Diaz is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

Jurors deliberated for less than three hours before convicting the 20-year NYPD veteran, Thomas Webster, of all six counts in his indictment.

Webster was the first Jan. 6 defendant to be tried on an assault charge and the first to present a jury with a self-defense argument. His conviction proved to be a bellwether for the dozens of trials that followed.

Finding a viable trial defense hasn’t been easy for rioters who stormed the Capitol. Of the nearly 100 riot defendants who have elected to a trial by jury, none has been fully acquitted.

Many have said they were swept up in the moment. Some have tried to shift the blame for their actions to former President Donald Trump and his lies about a stolen election. Others have claimed they were trying to protect themselves from overzealous police officers.

In Webster’s case, prosecutors repeatedly showed frame-by-frame footage of him assaulting a Metropolitan Police Department officer with a metal flagpole, tackling him to the ground and trying to rip off his gas mask.

Webster testified he was trying to protect himself from a “rogue cop” who punched him in the face. A juror who spoke to reporters after the May 2022 verdict said the videos refuted Webster’s self-defense claims.

“I guess we were all surprised that he would even make that defense argument,” the juror said. “There was no dissension among us at all. We unanimously agreed that there was no self-defense argument here at all.”

Before U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta sentenced him to 10 years in prison, Webster apologized to the officer. He said he wished he had never come to Washington, where he says he “became swept up in politics and former President Trump’s rhetoric.”

“I wish the events of that horrible day had never happened. People would still be alive, people would not have gotten hurt, and families would not have been thrown apart. Perhaps our country would not be as divided as it is today,” Webster said.

Reggie Brown, 64, was taking a walk on Georgia Avenue in October when a group of five girls allegedly attacked him unprovoked, prosecutors said in opening statements.

One of those girls took cellphone video of the attack in which the group appeared to be in a celebratory mood afterward, according to prosecutors.

Brown faced health issues for much of his life, weighing just 110 pounds and missing six fingers due to lupus. He also was battling cancer and liked to take long walks at night, according to his family.

On Oct. 17, a still unidentified man attacked Brown, as seen on surveillance video.

Five girls, ages 12 to 15, joined the attack, prosecutors say. Surveillance video showed them stomping Brown’s head into the pavement and whipping him with his own belt.

He died shortly afterward.

In court Thursday, the defense for one of the girls argued she was not involved in the attack and wasn’t even there. Her defense said the case was based on “unreliable, untrustworthy evidence and grainy video” because police were “under serious pressure to solve this case.”

The defense for the other girl argued, “Not every death is a murder or homicide,” and said the evidence does not show an intent to kill or seriously injure.

Brown’s sister said it’s been heartbreaking to hear what her brother went through.

“We’re here because we want to ensure that justice be done and that this doesn’t happen to any other family,” Malda Brown said.

“Everybody up in D.C., upper Northwest, knew my little brother, and he was just a good soul,” she said. “And for something like this to happen to him is just hurting the whole neighborhood up in D.C.”

She wishes the two girls could have been tried as adults and feels D.C. needs tougher laws when it comes to juvenile crime.

Metropolitan Police Department (DC Police / MPD) Apr 1

Girls left in ‘celebratory' mood after deadly DC beating, detective testifies

Gun violence Mar 29

Girls, 12 and 13, accused of beating 64-year-old man to death along DC's Georgia Avenue

“These young people are committing crimes knowingly that if you commit crimes while you are a juvenile, that nothing is gonna happen,” she said. “That is the word on the street that they say, Oh, we can commit crimes because nothing is gonna happen to us.”

A third girl in the case pleaded guilty to assault last month. The other two girls are scheduled to go on trial in November.

If any of the four girls being tried are convicted, they will remain in the custody of D.C.’s Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services until they turn 21.

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Naresh Bhatt appeared in court on Thursday, and a judge agreed to the defense’s motion to waive a grand jury, paving the way for a trial within months.

Mamta Kafle Bhatt has not been seen for over a month. The 28-year-old originally from Nepal moved to the U.S. for an arranged marriage in 2021. She recently missed her baby girl’s first birthday, and her family members rushed to the U.S. to take care of the child.

Her husband was arrested at the couple’s home last month on a single charge of concealing a body. But in the criminal complaint, police accused him of killing Mamta Kafle Bhatt. Prosecutors have laid out chilling allegations, including that pooling blood was found in the primary bedroom and bathroom of the couple’s home.

Naresh Bhatt’s defense gets speedy trial

Judge Carroll Weimer granted Naresh Bhatt’s defense team their request to skip the grand jury process in favor of a speedy trial. The rare legal maneuver means prosecutors will have five months from the next hearing, which is scheduled for Sept. 16, to bring the case to trial.

Prosecutors had argued against a speedy trial, saying it would be challenging to be ready that quickly.

“I have no doubt that the Commonwealth is putting together a very strong case,” Mamta Kafle Bhatt’s coworker Holly Wirth said outside the courthouse Thursday. “Mr. Bhatt thinks he’s smart, but I can guarantee you the weight of justice is leaning hard on him and we are going to see this come to fruition.”

Wirth was among dozens of friends and community members who came to the hearing. Mamta Kafle Bhatt’s mother and brother were also in court for the first time since they arrived from Nepal.

“They absolutley feel the love of the community and appreciate everyting the community is doing,” Wirth said.

The defense is expected to ask for funds for expert testimony at the Sept. 16 hearing.

Manassas Park police do new search

As Thursday’s hearing ended, Manassas Park officers and the Prince William County police search and rescue team were searching several areas for evidence, including the Blooms Crossing Community, the area surrounding Manassas Christian School, Camp Carondelet and part of Blooms Park.

It’s still unknown if searchers found anything relating to the case.

“Hoping that they’re getting closer to leads or something so we can just have closure and she can be laid to rest the right way,” Manassas Park resident Patty Winske said.

Investigators with the Manassas Park and Prince William County police departments searched a different park on Friday.

Timeline of Mamta Kafle Bhatt’s disappearance

Mamta Kafle Bhatt, a nurse, was reported missing after failing to show up for her shifts at work. Friends said that was highly unusual since she was caring for her baby and often active on social media.

Investigators have conducted multiple searches at the Bhatt home. Search warrants have revealed details about what investigators believe were Mamta Kafle Bhatt’s last days.

A detective wrote that on July 29 – the last day friends heard from Mamta Kafle Bhatt – there were numerous calls with her husband. After that, all calls went to voicemail.

Naresh Bhatt told police his wife destroyed her phone before July 31 — the day he told police that he last saw her.

But on Aug. 1, her phone was pinging in the Aldie area of Northern Virginia. Naresh Bhatt told police he was at a cafe there.

Police say they have video showing Naresh Bhatt at a Walmart purchasing cleaning supplies. He also went to a Walmart in Prince William County and purchased a set of knives. Two of those knives are now missing, prosecutors said.

Police conducted a welfare check on Aug. 2, and Naresh Bhatt reported his wife missing on Aug. 5, police said.

Bhatt was arrested on Aug. 22, one day after investigators were seen in the Bhatt family home.

Passports for Bhatt and his daughter were in full view when police entered the home for a search. Prosecutors said there’s evidence that Naresh Bhatt was in the process of packing up his home and selling his car.

News4 sends breaking news stories by email. Go here to sign up to get breaking news alerts in your inbox.

Wesley Shifflett is charged with involuntary manslaughter and reckless discharge of a weapon in the killing of 37-year-old Timothy McCree Johnson near a busy shopping mall on Feb. 22, 2023. On Monday, authorities began selecting 12 people for the jury. Opening arguments are scheduled to begin Wednesday once officials complete jury selection.

Shifflett pleaded not guilty in the case.

Shifflett and another Fairfax County police officer chased Johnson on foot after receiving a report from security guards that Johnson had stolen sunglasses from a Nordstrom department store in Tysons Corner Center.

Police body camera footage shows the nighttime chase and shooting. Shifflett can be heard ordering Johnson to stay on the ground and later to “stop reaching.” Both officers open fire, but Shifflett fired the fatal shot.

Later, Shifflett tells another officer that he saw the suspect reaching for a weapon in his waistband. Police searched for a weapon but found nothing.

The Fairfax County Police Department fired Shifflett the following month for what Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis called “a failure to live up to the expectations of our agency, in particular use of force policies.”

Initially, a grand jury declined to indict Shifflett in the shooting, but Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano sought and received court approval for a special grand jury to reinvestigate, which he said gave prosecutors a greater ability to oversee the investigation. The second panel chose to indict Shifflett.

Descano said at the time that an involuntary manslaughter charge is appropriate when a killing occurs due to “gross or wanton conduct” that lacks malice.

Caleb Kershner, Shifflett’s attorney, blasted Descano’s decision to impanel a special grand jury and the subsequent indictment.

“Few people understand what it’s like to have a gun pulled on you and regularly being put in risk of death,” Kershner said at the time. “These men and women in uniform serve by putting their lives on the line every day.”

In recent hearings, attorneys squabbled over what evidence could be presented at trial.

Barry Zweig, the lead prosecutor, filed a motion to be allowed to introduce evidence that Shifflett had aimed his weapon at other shoplifting suspects in other instances, but Circuit Court Judge Randy Bellows denied that request.

Bellows agreed to allow Shifflett’s defense team to present evidence concerning Johnson’s criminal history.

Johnson was 17 years old when he tried to steal a vehicle belonging to an off-duty agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Maryland. As he tried to flee in the vehicle, Johnson nearly hit the agent, who responded by shooting him. In 2004, Johnson pleaded guilty as a juvenile to second-degree assault.

Johnson also pleaded guilty in 2019 to involuntary manslaughter in a fatal Washington car crash while he was driving under the influence. Bellows ruled this incident would not allowed to be presented to trial jurors, a spokesperson for the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office said Monday.

Olivia Diaz is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

Tyrell Lamonte Bailey turned himself in to police at the 7th District Police Station at 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, a police spokesperson said. He was charged with carrying a pistol without a license.

D.C. Investigator Wayne David died last Wednesday after the gun he was trying to retrieve from a storm drain went off. He was 52 and served as an officer for 25 years.

Metropolitan Police Department (DC Police / MPD) Aug 28

DC officer dies after gun he retrieved from storm drain goes off

Metropolitan Police Department (DC Police / MPD) Aug 29

‘That type of impact': Fallen DC officer Wayne David remembered fondly

Officers with MPD’s Robbery Suppression Unit were canvassing Quarles Street NE when they saw a man get out of a suspicious car. Officers tried to make contact with him, but he ran to I-295 and stashed the gun in a storm drain, police said. He fled onto the back of a passing motorcycle.

D.C. police have not said whether Bailey will face additional charges.

“I want to thank the members of the Metropolitan Police Department and express my appreciation for the community for their tips and information that led to identifying and the arrest of this individual,” MPD Chief Pamela A. Smith said in a statement about the arrest.

“Our focus is on honoring the memory and legacy of Investigator Wayne David and giving him an exceptional sendoff during his funeral services next week,” the police chief said. “Our department continues to heal, and we’ll continue to support the family as they grieve and heal.”

Bailey was sought by local and federal authorities and a $60,000 reward was available in the case.

‘I do think he is liable for the death’

Bailey appeared in federal court on Thursday wearing a T-shirt that said “Rule 1: F— what they think.”

Court documents reveal new details on the moments before and after David was fatally shot.

Bailey ran out of his shoes after he saw officers and bolted, the documents say. Officers said he was holding his hand like he had a gun in his waistband. Images show him jumping over a wall and onto I-295. That’s where police say he threw a handgun into a drain on the shoulder of the southbound lanes.

Bailey, who had years of experience in gun recovery, was working to remove the gun from the drain when it fired and a bullet struck him.

Court records show Bailey served a multiyear prison sentence for a 2017 crime involving a gun and is therefore prohibited from possessing one.

The charges against him include possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number and unlawfully discarding a gun. They do not include murder.

Ward 2 D.C. Council member Brooke Pinto told News4 she believes Bailey should be held accountable for David’s death.

“I do think he is liable for the death that resulted in his weapon, that was thrown carelessly, and that’s exactly what happens when firearms are thrown carelessly,” she said.

Court documents show the motorcyclist who gave Bailey a ride from the crime scene immediately called police when made aware of what had happened. The motorcyclist said Bailey was a stranger and had yelled that he had been robbed and people were trying to kill him. As Bailey hopped onto the bike, the motorcyclist saw that the passenger wasn’t wearing shoes.

Police say the motorcyclist, who dropped Bailey off in Bladensburg, Maryland, had no idea he was linked to the deadly shooting of David until being told by a relative who had seen the news.

News4 sends breaking news stories by email. Go here to sign up to get breaking news alerts in your inbox.

Stay with NBC Washington for more details on this developing story.

Speaking in a calm and clear voice, Gisèle Pélicot detailed to the court in the southern French city of Avignon the horror of discovering that her former spouse systematically filmed the suspected rapes by dozens of men — storing thousands of images that police investigators later found.

“It’s unbearable,” she testified. “I have so much to say that I don’t always know where to start.”

Dominique Pélicot, now 71, and 50 other men are standing trial on charges of rape and face up to 20 years in prison. The trial started on Monday and is expected to run until December. Thursday marked the first time that Gisèle Pélicot had testified.

The Associated Press doesn’t generally identify victims of sexual crimes. But Gisèle Pélicot’s lawyer, Stéphane Babonneau, said she accepted that her name be published in the same way that she insisted that the trial be held in public.

She told the court that she hopes her testimony might help spare other women from similar ordeals. She said she pushed for the trial in open court in solidarity with other women who go unrecognized as victims of sexual crimes.

She and her husband of 50 years were living in their family home in a small town in Provence with their three children before her world was torn apart in late 2020.

“I thought we were a close couple,” she told the court.

But a security agent caught her husband taking photos of women’s crotches in a supermarket, leading investigators to search Dominique Pélicot’s phone and computer. They found thousands of photographs and videos of men appearing to rape Gisèle in their home while she appears to be unconscious.

Shocked, she left her husband after police showed her some of the images.

“For me, everything collapses,” she testified. “These are scenes of barbarity, of rape.”

She left with two suitcases, “all that was left for me of 50 years of life together.” Since then, she said, “I no longer have an identity. … I don’t know if I’ll ever rebuild myself.

Police investigators found communications Dominique Pélicot allegedly sent on a messaging website commonly used by criminals, in which he invited men to sexually abuse his wife. The website has been shut down.

Crude details of the alleged abuses, which investigators said began in 2011, and of the elaborate system Pélicot put into place over 10 years have emerged during the trial.

Men invited to the couple’s home had to follow certain rules — they could not talk loudly, had to remove their clothes in the kitchen, could not wear perfume nor smell of tobacco, French media reported.

They sometimes had to wait up to an hour and a half on a nearby parking lot for the drug to take full effect and render Gisèle Pélicot unconscious.

“I was sacrificed on the altar of vice,” she testified. “They regarded me like a rag doll, like a garbage bag.”

Because Dominique Pélicot videotaped the alleged rapes, police were able to track down — over a period of two years — a majority of the 72 suspects they were seeking.

Besides Pélicot, 50 other men, aged 22 to 70, are standing trial. Several defendants are denying some of the accusations against them, alleging they were manipulated by Pélicot.

Over the next few months, the defendants will appear in small groups before a panel of five judges, with Pélicot scheduled to speak next week. Psychologists, psychiatrists and computer experts will also testify.

Montgomery County police say the same 12-year-old boy broke into five Montgomery County dealerships in August. News4 reported that police said they couldn’t charge him because he’s too young, due to a juvenile justice law.

The boy broke into a Porsche dealership in Bethesda on Monday, police said. Workers say he walked around inside before Montgomery County police arrested him.

“That young individual is in need of some supervision, and I think that it’s critical that he gets that,” said Assistant Chief David McBain.

Investigators say the 12-year-old has broken into six high-end dealerships, including BMW, Jaguar, Audi and Porsche. In some break-ins, he managed to steal cars.

“That is a D.C. resident, and we are actually actively working with the D.C. government,” McBain said.

Police say they weren’t able to take the 12-year-old into custody because of his age and a Maryland juvenile justice reform law passed in 2022. The legislation says children under 13 can’t be charged with property crimes.

“The system we are stuck in now has allowed these repeated occasions to occur,” Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy said.

Maryland state legislators passed a revised juvenile justice bill earlier this year that’s set to go into effect Nov. 1. The bill broadens consequences for 10 to 12-year-olds who commit crimes. It also expands probation, creates diversion programs and details when state’s attorneys can review certain juvenile cases.

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McCarthy said he believes the legislation was a great first step but that additional legislation is needed for young offenders who don’t live in Maryland.

“A juvenile offender who does not live in Maryland who has hit many of our car dealerships here shows you some of the shortcomings that exist in the solutions that were crafted last year by the legislature and it’s not, you know — sometimes these fixes are more complex than that,” McCarthy said.

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An indictment filed Wednesday alleges a media company linked to six conservative influencers — including well-known personalities Tim Pool, Dave Rubin and Benny Johnson — was secretly funded by Russian state media employees to churn out English-language videos that were “often consistent” with the Kremlin’s “interest in amplifying U.S. domestic divisions in order to weaken U.S. opposition” to Russian interests, like its war in Ukraine.

In addition to marking the third straight presidential election in which U.S. authorities have unveiled politically charged details about Russia’s attempted interference in U.S. politics, an indictment indicates how Moscow may be attempting to capitalize on the skyrocketing popularity of right-wing podcasters, livestreamers and other content creators who have found successful careers on social media in the years since Trump was in office.

The U.S. Justice Department doesn’t allege any wrongdoing by the influencers, some of whom it says were given false information about the source of the company’s funding. Instead, it accuses two employees of RT, a Russian state media company, of funneling nearly $10 million to a Tennessee-based content creation company for Russia-friendly content.

After the indictments were announced, both Pool and Johnson issued statements on social media, which Rubin retweeted, saying they were victims of the alleged crimes and had done nothing wrong.

“We still do not know what is true as these are only allegations,” Pool said. “Putin is a scumbag.”

In his post, Johnson wrote that he had been asked a year ago to provide content to a “media startup.” He said his lawyers negotiated a “standard, arms length deal, which was later terminated.”

Kostiantyn Kalashnikov and Elena Afanasyeva are charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering and violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act. They are at large, and it was not immediately clear if they had lawyers.

U.S. officials have previously warned of Russia’s use of unwitting Americans to further influence operations in the 2024 election, but Wednesday’s indictment is the most detailed description of those efforts to date. Intelligence officials have said Moscow has a preference for Trump.

Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized influence operations to help Trump in the 2020 election, while his 2016 campaign benefited from hacking by Russian intelligence officers and a covert social media effort, according to U.S. law enforcement and intelligence officials.

With the decline of traditional media like newspapers and limits on direct advertising on social media platforms, influencers are increasingly playing a key role in politics and shaping public opinion. Both the Republican and Democratic parties invited scores of influencers to their respective national conventions this summer. But with little to no disclosure requirements about who is funding influencers’ work, the public is largely in the dark about who is powering the messaging online.

Though the indictment does not name the Tennessee-based company, the details match up exactly with Tenet Media, an online media company that boasts of hosting “a network of heterodox commentators that focus on Western political and cultural issues.” Tenet’s website lists six influencers who provide content, including Pool, Johnson, Rubin, Lauren Southern, Tayler Hansen and Matt Christiansen.

Tenet Media’s six main influencers have more than 7 million subscribers on YouTube and more than 7 million followers on X.

Fueled by public outrage and online fandom, the influencers who make up the bench of talent at Tenet Media have amassed millions of loyal followers who agree with their staunch conservatism and brazen willingness to voice controversial opinions. Their channels also have created communities for conservative Americans who have lost trust in mainstream media sources through Trump’s 2020 loss and the COVID-19 pandemic. Several of them have faced criticism for spreading political misinformation.

The indictment shows that some of the influencers were paid handsomely for their work. One unidentified influencer’s contract included a $400,000 monthly fee, a $100,000 signing bonus and an additional performance bonus.

Tenet Media’s shows in recent months have featured high-profile conservative guests, including Republican National Committee co-chair Lara Trump, former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake. The nearly 2,000 videos posted by the company have gotten more than 16 million views on YouTube alone, prosecutors said.

Pool, a journalist-turned-YouTuber who first gained public attention for livestreaming the Occupy Wall Street protests, hosted Trump on his podcast earlier this year.

Johnson is an outspoken Trump supporter and internet personality who was fired from BuzzFeed after the company found evidence he’d plagiarized other works.

Rubin was previously part of the liberal news commentary show “The Young Turks” but has since identified as a libertarian. He boasts the largest YouTube following of Tenet’s influencer roster and hosts a show called “The Rubin Report.”

Tenet Media President Liam Donovan is the husband of Lauren Chen, a Canadian influencer who has appeared as a guest in several Tenet Media videos. Chen is affiliated with the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA and has hosted shows for the right-wing network Blaze Media. RT’s website also lists her as a contributor of several opinion articles from 2021 and 2022.

___

Suderman reported from Richmond, Virginia. AP reporter Garance Burke contributed from San Francisco and researcher Rhonda Shafner contributed from New York.

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The Associated Press receives support from several private foundations to enhance its explanatory coverage of elections and democracy. See more about AP’s democracy initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

The suspect, 25-year-old Arturo Elmore-Adon, is already in custody for alleged crimes against a minor. Now, he’s charged with several more felonies.

“Holding a really disturbing and sick man accountable for his actions that targeted little, little children,” Fairfax County Chief of Police Kevin Davis said.

The investigation started at a Safeway in Reston Aug. 10, where, police say, he touched a 7-year-old girl’s buttocks. According to a police search warrant, Elmore-Adon walked toward the victim and knelt directly behind her. A black object appearing to be a cellphone was placed under the victim’s legs. Police believe Elmore-Adon then filmed the victim.

Detectives executed search warrants on his Reston home and his cellphone.

“What our detectives discovered inside Elmore-Adon’s phone was nothing short of disturbing and disgusting,” Maj. Dan Spital said.

Police say they discovered more than 400 pictures and videos of child sexual abuse material downloaded from the internet. They also found several videos allegedly taken by Elmore-Adon in which he filmed up the shorts of young girls, police say.

He’s charged with unlawfully filming two girls, ages 7 and 8, at Fox Mill Elementary School in 2023. There are several charges from Churchill Road Elementary School in 2023, including one incident in which Elmore-Adon is accused of having an 8-year-old girl look for something while he filmed up her shorts and pulled down the victim’s shirt.

Elmore-Aaron worked as a contractor for Fairfax County Public Schools during the 2022-23 school year, helping with afterschool programming.

“The background check on this individual was done in 2022, and our human resources department reviewed and cleared the candidate at that time,” Superintendent Michelle Reid said.

Fairfax County Public Schools says Elmore-Adon worked afterschool programming at six other elementary schools, and police are urging parents to take a look his picture and let them know if they believe their children may also be victims.

Reid said the suspect worked for Overtime Athletics, which is a vendor of Baroody Camps that Fairfax County and several other school districts have used and still use in various capacities.

Reid said they are working with the families of the victims and giving them every resource available.

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Judge Michael S. Sharrit granted a motion to dismiss and wrote in his order Tuesday that the case does not meet “exceptional” criteria required for the women to have anonymity. The women used pseudonyms “Jane Doe I” and “Jane Doe II” in the lawsuit.

“Fairness requires Plaintiffs be prepared to stand behind their charges publicly in the same way Defendant McManus must openly refute them,” Sharrit wrote.

The women have 10 days to file an amended complaint using their legal names, which their attorney said they would do.

“Most defendants in sexual assault cases file these types of motions thinking that the victims won’t proceed if they have to publicly reveal their names,” attorney Tony Buzbee said in a statement. “We anticipated this ruling. To be clear, these women have no intention of running and hiding and will comply with the court’s order in a timely fashion. We look forward to continuing to pursue this important case.”

McManus’ attorney, Brett Gallaway, called the allegations “baseless.”

“We look forward to him returning to the NFL playing field as soon as possible,” Gallaway said.

The Washington Commanders released McManus days after the lawsuit was filed in May.

The women were working as flight attendants on Jacksonville’s charter flight to London last September and accused McManus of trying to kiss one of them and grinding and rubbing up against both of them while they were trying to work. They are seeking in excess of $1 million in damages.

The suit claimed the trip “quickly turned into a party” as McManus and other players disregarded the flight attendants’ personal space, air travel safety and federal law. The women said McManus passed out $100 bills to encouraged them and other flight attendants to drink and dance inappropriately.

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A New York grand jury has been convened to weigh whether to bring new charges against the disgraced former movie mogul, a source with knowledge of the proceedings told NBC News, adding that a decision could be announced as early as Friday.

Weinstein’s attorney, Arthur Aidala, said Wednesday in a statement: “We will be prepared for whatever comes our way, they are going to do whatever they can to make sure Harvey doesn’t see the light of day.”

The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office declined to comment in an email to NBC News.

Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction was overturned in April by the New York Court of Appeals, which said in a 4-3 decision that Weinstein’s trial judge should not have allowed certain witnesses to testify because their allegations were not part of the charges filed against him.

The DA announced in July that it was going to retry Weinstein on the original charges from the 2020 trial but that it planned to interview other alleged victims.

A few weeks later, Judge Curtis Farber set a trial date for Nov. 12, and a source with knowledge of the case said any potential new charges likely would be folded into one trial.

Weinstein, who was originally sentenced to 23 years in prison for forcibly performing oral sex on a former TV and film production assistant in 2006 and rape in the third degree for an attack on another woman in 2013, is serving time at the Rikers Island jail complex in New York for a 2022 conviction in a separate rape case in Los Angeles.

Weinstein’s legal team is appealing that conviction and its sentence of 16 years in prison.

In all, more than 80 women have accused the Oscar-winning producer of sexual assault or harassment. The allegations, first reported by The New York Times and The New Yorker, set off the #MeToo movement, in which powerful Hollywood men were called out for alleged abuses of power.

Weinstein has maintained that any sexual encounters were consensual.

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Christian Whalen was at a bonfire party in a wooded area off Spotswood Furnace Road when another teenager shot him. A sheriff’s deputy drove him from the scene to a rescue station, from where he was taken to a hospital, where he died from his injuries.

Whalen’s girlfriend, Lacy Milling, said she warned him against going to the party and became worried when he didn’t return her text messages. Then she saw frightening posts on social media.

“Then I go on Snapchat and I see people posting on their story ‘pray for Christian,’” she said. “Just, it was everywhere.”

Soon she got a message from Whalen’s father confirming her fears. 

“I see a notification from his dad saying, ‘Christian died,’” she said. “Literally, those two words.” 

She was not surprised to learn investigators believe he was trying to stop trouble. 

“He does not like arguing at all,” she said. “He hates it so much.”

Lacy said she lost the love of her life. She had been in a serious relationship with Whalen for almost a year. Her father said Whalen lived with their family for several months.

“He’s the most, like, kindest person,” Lacy said. “He would help anybody, like, even it came down to his worst enemy.”

Kenneth Watson, 18, is charged with homicide, accused of firing the fatal gunshot.

“He took what I wanted the most, which was almost a family to grow up with,” Lacy said. “I almost had what I wanted, but he took it from me.” 

The sheriff’s office wants to hear from anyone with information about the shooting.

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Detectives responded to the scene, and crime tape was seen up along a stretch of the road as evidence was collected. A foot or a shoe appeared to be hanging out of the luggage.

“I came over and I got out of the car and I approached it and I said ‘Oh my God it stinks here,’ and the flies. And I said, we need to call the police,” said Chris Smocer, whose daughter first noticed the black suitcase with a foul odor during a morning walk.

The person has not yet been identified. Police have not shared how they believe the victim was killed. The county medical examiner will determine a cause of death.

Further information was not immediately available. An investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information regarding the body is asked to contact Suffolk County Police Homicide Squad detectives at (631) 852-6392 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS.

Joe Cornelius Sr., 82, and Keisha Miles, 31, were found dead Sunday morning after officers were dispatched to the former official’s home in Minden, a city of nearly 12,000 east of Shreveport, the city’s police chief said.

Police Chief Jared McIver identified the boy as a relative of Cornelius’ but declined to provide additional details and said authorities have not determined a possible motive.

“Our city is in shock,” McIver said. “How does [someone this young] commit something so malicious?”

The boy is being held on two counts of first-degree murder, McIver said. He said it was unclear whether the child has a lawyer to speak on his behalf.

The bodies of Cornelius and Miles were found with multiple gunshot wounds, said McIver, who said that two handguns were used and that their magazines were emptied.

A 6-year-old child who was at the home at the time of the shooting was not injured, McIver said.

The older boy initially provided a different account of the deaths but by Sunday afternoon had confessed to the shooting, McIver said. 

His grandmother was with him at the time of the confession, McIver said.

Cornelius was a well-known community activist, City Council member and deputy ward marshal for the Webster Parish Sheriff’s Office, NBC affiliate KTAL of Shreveport reported.

In 2013, while on the City Council, Cornelius was appointed interim mayor after the mayor died in office, the station reported.

In a statement Sunday, Minden Mayor Nick Cox said he was grateful for Cornelius’ friendship and “the many ways he supported me and others in our city.”

“Joe Cornelius’s years of service to Minden were marked by his commitment and dedication to the betterment of our community,” Cox said, adding: “Let us come together as a community to honor Joe’s memory and support one another through this time of grief.”

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The mother and partner were arrested Aug. 15 and the boys, age 9 and 7, are safe and living with their father, police told News4.

The 9-year-old told News4 police were alerted when the child borrowed a cellphone and called an adult, sending a picture of the handcuffs and chains.

Officers rescued the brothers after the adult called for help.

The boys’ father, who does not live at the apartment and is not charged, said his sons did not tell him when they visited him that they were being chained. News4 is not sharing his name, to protect the identity of the children.

“When I heard, I was like, Wow, why did this happen? Children don’t deserve to be treated like this. We don’t have the right to treat them like this. Maybe a criminal, but not innocent children. They’re children,” he said in Spanish.

‘It infuriates me inside that people would actually do that to children’

A search warrant filed by Fairfax County police says both children were chained to a table next to where they slept. They would remain chained until 3 to 6 p.m., when adults arrived home.

The older brother told Telemundo44 that he was chained up after he went outside without asking.

The boy said he could only take six to seven steps while chained and is relieved to be in his father’s care.

One woman, who asked News4 to protect her identity, said she spoke to the person who called the police. She said the kids called her for help and showed her the photo the child sent.

“I was shocked, scared. They don’t even tie up animals like this. It was a huge chain. It was four times bigger than a door chain. I told her that‘s inhumane,” the woman said in Spanish.

Franklin Viera Guevara, 29, and Wedni Del Cid Rodriguez, 46, were charged with child cruelty, child neglect and abduction.

A neighbor and young father who watched the arrests unfold was horrified to learn what had been going on nearby.

“It infuriates me inside that people would actually do that to children,” he said.

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News4 doesn’t yet know for how many days or weeks the boys were chained up. Neighbors said the children attended school last school year.

Their mother is back in the apartment after bonding out. Viera Guevara, the man arrested, was held without bond.

News4 knocked on the apartment door where the boys’ mother lives to see if she wanted to comment on the charges but she did not answer.

Criminal justice experts say the two cases appear to involve investigative missteps that highlight the need to scrap the Massachusetts model of investigating high-profile crimes.

“Understatement of the century but Massachusetts has a serious problem with murder investigations involving police suspects, witnesses, and leads,” criminal justice journalist Susan Zalkind posted on X on Wednesday. “Poor Sandra Birchmore. Beyond depraved.”

Federal prosecutors allege former detective Matthew Farwell groomed Birchmore, 23, and began sexually abusing her as a teen, when he worked with the Stoughton Police Explorers Academy, a youth program she was in. He was arrested Wednesday, with prosecutors alleging he killed Birchmore, who had told him she was pregnant with his child, and attempted to stage the scene as a suicide so that the sexual abuse allegations would stay hidden. 

Farwell has pleaded not guilty. 

Birchmore was killed in Canton, the same Norfolk County town where Boston police officer John O’Keefe, 46, was found dead on Jan. 29, 2022. His girlfriend, Read, was tried in his death. A jury failed to reach a verdict after her legal team argued that Read had been framed by other law enforcement officers attempting to cover up O’Keefe’s death. She will be retried next year on the charges. 

Federal investigators have been involved in both cases, but officials have not announced any links between the two. However, at the heart of both: allegations of botched investigations and law enforcement misconduct. 

‘Incompetence or corruption?’

“Given these two cases, I would say it’s not just in Norfolk County, but certainly throughout Massachusetts. The question that arises is, is it incompetence or corruption, or both?” said Tom Nolan, a former Boston police lieutenant and criminal justice professor. 

In Massachusetts, detectives with the state police are assigned to district attorneys’ offices, which can lead to the bungling of cases, Nolan said. 

An alternative, he said, is the model used in other states, including Florida and Georgia, where there is an independent investigative agency to oversee the cases, rather than relying on an agency that enforces laws on highways. 

“We saw on full display for several weeks during the Karen Read trial, the bumbling incompetence of the Massachusetts State Police, who were assigned to the Norfolk DA’s Office. Her defense counsel just basically eviscerated the State Police troopers who were testifying as witnesses and experts, — ‘expert witnesses.’ Their credibility was completely undermined,” Nolan said.

State police did not respond to requests for comment.

Hours after a mistrial was declared in Read’s trial, the top official at Massachusetts State Police said the lead detective in the case had been relieved of duty after allegations of “serious misconduct” were raised in court.

After the agency launched an internal affairs investigation into the allegations, the detective was suspended without pay last month.

Zalkind, who wrote “Waltham Murders: One Woman’s Pursuit to Expose the Truth Behind a Murder and a National Tragedy,” which focuses on a Massachusetts triple-slaying and the Boston Marathon bombing, told NBC News that without an independent investigative agency and proper checks and balances, prosecutors and police can get too cozy and politics can come into play.  

“When you imbue that culture to the good old boys’ club, to homicide cases, there are serious issues,” she said. “Our homicide investigations are politicized. The DAs in the state, all except for one are Democrats. Our AGs are Democrats. … Our government is Democrat. So there is a lack of incentive to do a vigorous follow-up.”

No matter what the legal outcomes in the Read and Birchmore cases, public trust has been compromised, said Zalkind. 

A staged suicide

In announcing the charge Wednesday more than three years after Birchmore’s death, acting U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy called the arrest of Farwell, a police officer who swore to protect the public, “disheartening.”

Farwell is charged federally with one count of killing a witness or victim.

“Giving voice to the voiceless, ensuring that no one is above the law, protecting the vulnerable people of Massachusetts, that’s the highest calling of people in law enforcement,” Levy said. “Mr. Farwell violated those principles, and now he faces very grave consequences.”

Farwell’s attorney could not be reached for comment.

State police initially handled the investigation into Birchmore’s death. Nolan said it’s “strikingly unusual” that the case was taken over by federal authorities because homicides are usually prosecuted as state crimes.

Federal authorities did not elaborate on why they took the case, except to say investigators had received new evidence that made the indictment and arrest possible.

David Traub, a spokesperson for the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office, said the office has long been working with other law enforcement to secure an arrest.

“This office has been collaborating with both the Massachusetts attorney general and the FBI for months on investigations into the Birchmore matter. Two of our detectives were present at the command post … while federal authorities were attempting to take Matthew Farwell into custody,” Traub said.

“Much of the information that they [federal authorities] built on originated with our investigation, including the collection of thousands of text messages, and then going through those text messages to see what criminal conduct might be substantiated from their contents,” he said.

Prosecutors allege that Farwell killed Birchmore on Feb. 1, 2021, in her apartment, when he could no longer control her and as word began to get out that he had been having sex with her for years. Authorities initially ruled Birchmore’s death a suicide.

Prosecutors contend that after Farwell strangled Birchmore, he repositioned her body and staged her apartment to look as if she had died by suicide.

The medical examiner determined Birchmore’s death was a result of “asphyxia by hanging” and she was eight to 10 weeks pregnant when she died, according to an affidavit in support of the motion to detain Farwell.

The Massachusetts Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, which made that finding, did not respond to a request for comment Friday. A spokesperson for the agency told WFXT-TV of Boston that the office was aware of Farwell’s indictment and had cooperated with the U.S. Attorney’s Office. 

An expert retained by federal prosecutors, Dr. William Smock, concluded the death was a homicide, arguing that some of Birchmore’s injuries are more common in cases of strangulation than hangings, like abrasions on Birchmore’s nose, the affidavit said.

Farwell’s arrest came nearly two years after Stoughton’s police chief announced that Farwell and two other former officers at the agency had inappropriate relationships with Birchmore. That conclusion came from a lengthy internal affairs investigation prompted by Birchmore’s death, said Chief Donna McNamara, who called the former officers’ behavior “deeply disturbing.”

The chief said all three men resigned before they could be interviewed. The department recommended that their certifications as police officers be permanently revoked so they cannot serve in law enforcement anywhere in the country, McNamara said.

Lawyers for the other former officer did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the status of their decertifications.

Questions in Read investigation 

After a nine-week murder trial that captured national attention, a judge declared a mistrial for Read on July 1. 

Prosecutors have said the relationship between Read and O’Keefe was deteriorating when she plowed into him with her SUV. She was charged with second-degree murder, motor vehicle manslaughter while driving under the influence, and leaving the scene of a collision causing death.

She has maintained her innocence and is set to face another trial early next year. An attorney for Read did not respond to a request for comment Friday. 

The Norfolk District Attorney’s spokesperson said prosecutors are preparing for Read’s upcoming trial, and that the only appropriate forum for determining her innocence or guilt is a courtroom. 

No federal charges have been filed in the case. 

During the original trial, Read’s lawyers said she watched her boyfriend enter the Canton, Massachusetts, home of a now-retired Boston police sergeant for a party after a night out with other current and former law enforcement officers. Hours later, the defense team said at trial, she discovered O’Keefe had never come home and raced back to the house, where she found his body.

Read’s lawyers have alleged that O’Keefe was most likely beaten inside the home and left outside in the snow.

The defense has blamed authorities for failing to carry out a “real” investigation and instead focusing on Read. 

They have alleged the lead investigator in the case, Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctor, was one of the chief reasons the investigation was biased. They say he manipulated evidence and made derogatory comments about Read.

Proctor has denied the allegations and said his comments were unprofessional and regrettable but they didn’t compromise the case.

Proctor has not responded to requests for comment. 

Tim Stelloh contributed.

This article first appeared on NBCNews.com. Read more from NBC News here:

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Arlington County Police first responded to the fashion Centre at Pentagon City mall for reports of shots fired around 3:30 p.m. on Sunday. Investigators say no shooting happened, but that the alleged thieves broke into the Tourneau watch store using hammers.

Cellphone video from a shopper inside the mall shows the suspected thieves sprinting away after robbing the store. They can be seen trying to pick up some of the watches as some of the leftover spray from the fire extinguisher lingers in the air.

Those inside the mall thought it was gunshots.

Arlington County Police originally responded to reports of shots being fired inside, but the preliminary investigation reveals that wasn’t the case. Instead, police say the thieves smashed some of the display cases inside the store with hammers.

Witnesses say a mad scramble ensued with people not knowing what was happening as they ran for cover.

“My heart stopped, it was beating so fast the whole time,” said shopper Amelia Evans. “I was in the dressing room changing. I just hear running. Everyone was running at me, like towards me to hide. I froze for a little bit and I was shaking.”

Police say no one was hurt, but the chaotic smash-and-grab led to panic inside the mall. Stores inside quickly closed their doors as people sheltered-in-place.

“I heard the gate close and everyone was just freaking out,” said shopper Chase Gillespie. “People were crying.”

The lockdown lasted for about an hour before customers were able to finally leave the mall.

“It’s Labor Day, and this is ridiculous,” said employee Ashley Paiger.

She works in the store right next to where the robbery happened. She says she’s never seen anything like it.

“I hope these people get caught and are held accountable,” Pager said.

While those News4 spoke with say they’re thankful no one was hurt, they say they’re concerned to hear police believe the suspects are teens.
“This is the times that we’re living in,” said Lee Edmonds, who was inside the mall. “It’s the times we’re living in. That’s all I can say.”

The mall was closed Sunday for the rest of the evening.

Yana’s happy as can be to be back in the loving care of her owner Sophia Radich.
The two had been inseparable until they were forcibly ripped away from each other Saturday morning.

“I’m just very relieved to have Yana back,” Radich said. “I’m so grateful that she’s back in my arms. I tried not to lose hope.”

Radich calls it the scariest moment of her life. She was walking Yana Saturday morning along Avondale Overlook Drive when she was approached by two suspects. Radich says they looked like young teens.

Ring camera video shows one of them tussle over Yana’s leash before pulling out a gun and pointing it at Radich’s head.

“I was like, ‘Wait, is this really happening? This is crazy.’ It didn’t feel real at all, but it was. It was very real and I’m glad it’s over.”

Radich got to work putting up fliers and posting on social media, asking for help in finding her beloved dog.

Radich says she had to deal with painful scam calls from people just trying to swindle the reward money from her, but eventually she got the call she had been desperately hoping for.

Sunday afternoon someone who had seen Yana’s missing poster found the dog at their apartment complex. Radich rushed over and was thrilled when she realized her fur baby was safe and sound.

“I was so relieved, and I was getting emotional when I saw her little face,” she said. “I was like, ‘That’s for sure Yana.’ This isn’t a hoax. This isn’t a prank. It felt really good.”

Radich says what she went through was emotionally exhausting and now no longer feels safe where she lives. Yana is staying with family members for the time being as Radich prepares to move.

Radich says support from loved ones and community members has meant so much to her and now that she’s back with Yana, she’s being spoiled even more than usual.

“She’s so special to me,” Radich said. “I’ve had her since she was just a puppy. She means everything to me. I’m just so grateful to have her back.”

Prince George’s County police continue to search for the suspects.

Police are asking anyone with information on the two suspects to contact them.

In footage from a neighbor’s ring camera, Sophia Radich can be seen walking with her small havanese dog named Yana.

WIthin seconds, two suspects can be seen approaching Radich and the dog. One of the suspects lunged at Radich and tried to take the dog away.

“‘Give me the dog, bleep,’” Radich described a suspect as saying.

“I was like very frazzled and in the moment,”she said.

During the tussle over Yana’s leash, one of the suspects can be seen pulling out a gun and pointing it at Radich’s head.

She tries to duck away. and the thief pulled the dog away.

The ring camera shows the suspect running from the scene.

“Like it does not feel real, it feels like a nightmare that I’m just going to wake up from,” Radich said. “They looked like from 12-15 years old, like throwing your life away just to rob someone’s dog, that’s insane, like that’s insane behavior,”

Radich says she’s had Yana since she was a puppy. The pair were preparing to go on a trip this morning to the beach before the armed robbery.

Now she says she’s hoping she can be reunited with her fur baby.

“She still means everything because I’m going to find her,” Radich said. “I don’t want to speak in past tense because I know we’re going to find her like alive and well.”

Prince George’s County Police are trying to locate the two suspects seen in the video.

Radich says she saw the suspects leaving in a black car.

Anyone with any information about this case is asked to contact police.