Why is America so slow to exonerate the wrongly convicted?
As the old saying goes, the wheels of justice turn slowly but with great precision, but as the civil rights activist Rev. Benjamin Chavis told me nearly 50 years ago, “the wheels seldom turn in the opposite direction.” At the time, I was covering Chavis' post-conviction trial for The New York Times. Wilmington TenChavis's criminal […]
Judge attacked by convicted felon in court chokes back tears, says she feared for her life as he pleads guilty
A Las Vegas judge who was attacked and viciously attacked by a convicted felon during his sentencing hearing in January fought back tears in court Thursday as he said he thought he was going to die. Clark County District Court Judge Mary Kay Holthus grew emotional, removing her glasses and wiping away tears, during the […]
Alabama sets execution date for convicted ax murderer Derrick Dearman
A convicted murderer who killed five people with an axe will be executed by lethal injection in Alabama, the state's governor announced Tuesday, making him the fifth inmate to be executed in the state this year. Derrick Dearman, 35, was convicted of killing five friends and family members of his then-girlfriend, including a pregnant woman […]
Controversial bill that would have freed convicted felons serving life sentences stalls
A controversial California bill that would free some convicted felons serving life sentences has stalled in the Legislature and is not expected to move forward. SB 94, authored by California State Senator Dave Cortese, would give certain people serving life sentences for crimes committed before June 5, 1990, the opportunity to petition for a review […]
Ex-Nevada politician Robert Telles convicted of investigative journalist's murder
A Nevada jury convicted former county employee Robert Tellez on Wednesday of the 2022 murder of a Las Vegas journalist who wrote an article critical of the former politician. According to the Associated Press, jurors deliberated for nearly 12 hours after hearing evidence in the trial connected to the stabbing death of Las Vegas Review-Journal […]
Convicted Kidnapper, Pedophile Could Be Released from Life Sentence Under California Law
A convicted pedophile who kidnapped and sexually assaulted his friend’s 5-year-old daughter may be freed from a 350-year prison sentence under a recent change in California law. Charles William Mix was 47 when he committed the horrific crime in 2003, smuggling the girl in a stolen vehicle hundreds of miles from his family home in […]
Illegal migrant, caught and released at border, convicted of sex crimes against Virginia child
A series of Bolivian illegal immigrants have been arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Virginia on suspicion of child sex crimes. According to the Washington, D.C., Enforcement and Removal Operations Office (ERO), 36-year-old Jose Fabricio Bayzaga Vargas was arrested in Annandale, Virginia on August 19th. Fox News confirmed that the Bolivian migrant […]
Maryland cop convicted for assaulting Capitol police on Jan. 6
A Maryland police officer was convicted Friday of participating in the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of the U.S. Capitol with rioters and throwing smoke bombs and other weapons at officers guarding a tunnel entrance. U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden convicted Montgomery County Police Officer Justin Lee of two felony counts and three misdemeanors this week […]
Susan Lorincz convicted in fatal shooting of black neighbor
A white Florida woman was convicted Friday of shooting and killing her black neighbor in a dispute over the victim’s children playing outside her home. On June 2, 2023, in an Ocala, Florida courtroom, 60-year-old Susan Lorincz was found guilty of manslaughter by an all-white jury after two and a half hours of deliberation in […]
Ex-cop Shawn Jordan convicted of raping teen gets just 10 weekends in jail
A disgraced Rochester police officer who raped a 13-year-old girl was sentenced Wednesday to just 10 weeks in prison for his sickening crime, but activists denounced the punishment as “the epitome of injustice.” Sean Jordan, 40, admitted in March to assaulting the girl in the summer of 2022. It was one of at least two […]