SANTA ANA (CBSLA) — An Anaheim man prosecutors say killed his wife on Christmas Day, then propped her body on a couch while her children opened their presents, was convicted Wednesday of second-degree murder.
William Wallace, 39, is scheduled to be sentenced on June 4 and faces a maximum sentence of 15 years to life in prison.
Wallace was indicted by a grand jury in 2012 for one felony count of murder in the killing of his wife, 26-year-old Zazell Preston. Prosecutors say he hit Preston in the head, rendering her unconscious, and later called 911 to report she was in need of medical attention. Preston was found unresponsive and pronounced dead at a hospital.
Police say Wallace previously spent time in jail for beating his wife, who had been taking college classes in the hopes of becoming a domestic violence counselor. Her children, 3-year-old and 8-year-old daughters from a previous relationship and a 7-week-old son she shared with Wallace, were in the apartment at the time of the murder.
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said it was already tragic that a young mother had lost her life after years of violence at the hands of her husband.
“That heartbreak is only exacerbated by the fact that her children witnessed much of the violence and were forced to celebrate Christmas in the presence of their dead mother. That is not a Christmas memory any child should be forced to have,” Spitzer said in a statement.
Griselda Records heavy spitter and Drumwork Music Group CEO, Conway the Machine, gifts fans with a new banger titled "Blood Roses." The song, which is off of Conway's forthcoming "La Maquina" album features his artist Jae Skeese.
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — A man who served nearly 44 years in prison for a crime he says he didn’t commit has received compensation from the state of North Carolina.
Ronnie Long told The Charlotte Observer that it’s not nearly enough.
North Carolina law states anyone wrongfully convicted of a crime can receive $50,000 for each year they were imprisoned, but the catch is the amount caps at $750,000. That means Long, who is 65, will not be compensated for 29 years of the time in prison.
Long’s attorney, Duke University law professor Jamie Lau, said the amount is inadequate for people who were imprisoned for decades.
"He entered prison healthy & left broken. His ongoing financial security is the least he deserves after so much was taken over those 44 years," Lau said.
Long was convicted of raping the widow of a Cannon Mills executive in 1976 by an all-white jury in Concord. Potentially exculpatory evidence was either intentionally withheld from his defense team or disappeared. And there was a tampered pool of potential jurors.
A federal court overturned Long’s conviction. He was released from prison in September. And he was pardoned by Gov. Roy Cooper.
“Fair? What’s fair?” Long told newspaper. “Ask yourself that question when these people took away your 20s, your 30s, your 40s, your 50s & they started in on your 60s.”
Long said his mother & father both asked if he was home in the last moments of their lives. He walked free six weeks after his mother’s death.
This is that hard as concrete, ugly face music you have come to expect from OBH Pretty Flock who teams up with Lik Moss to deliver some new fire and an accompanying music video titled "PLUG."
Mike Tyson and this week's co-host Brendan Schaub from Below the Belt & Food Truck Diaries sat down with newly-crowned UFC Heavyweight Champion, Francis Ngannou. Fresh off of his win over Stipe Miocic, in this episode of#HotBoxinpresented by Smart Cups, the guys spoke about Francis's recent victory at UFC 260, a potential matchup against Jon Jones & Derrick Lewis, growing up poor in Cameroon, pursuing a career in boxing after MMA, overcoming losses, fighter pay, and so much more.
DMX has not regained any brain function nearly a week after his overdose, and the family may soon be faced with a tormenting decision ... whether to withdraw life support.
Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ, the battery of tests performed on X Wednesday showed no improvement in brain activity since he was rushed to the hospital after suffering the OD late Friday night. As we reported, he had little brain function after being deprived of oxygen for nearly half an hour.
DMX remains in a coma & as it was put to us, the test results are "not good." We're told the family has asked X's longtime friend & manager, Steve Rifkind, to fly to New York Friday ... another sign that hope is dwindling.
As we reported, there's been a massive show of support for DMX. Hundreds of people -- including his kids, fiancee & mothers of some of his children -- crowded outside the hospital Monday night for a prayer vigil. We're told only a limited number of family members have been allowed inside the ICU because of COVID-19 restrictions.
It's currently unclear when X's family will make their decision on his medical future, although Rifkind told us earlier this week ... the tests were critical & once the results were in "the family would determine what's best from there."
MIDDLETOWN, Ohio (FOX19) - The Middletown mother charged with killing her 6-year-old son is accused in new court records of, along with her boyfriend, hog-tying the boy & his 2 siblings up by their hands & feet, putting cloth in their mouths, & leaving them that way for hours leading up to his death.
This was done “with purpose to terrorize and/or inflict serious harm” to the children, prosecutors wrote.
According to Middletown police, Brittany Gosney confessed to killing her youngest child on Feb. 26 as he tried to get back into her minivan when she abandoned him & his & siblings, 9 & 7, at Rush Run Wild Life Area in Preble County.
Gosney left the park but went back for the children about 30 or 40 minutes later, police have said. She put them in the van & returned to their Middletown home.
That’s where prosecutors say Gosney and her boyfriend, James Hamilton, put her son’s body in a spare room & left it there 48 hours before driving to the Ohio River in Lawrenceburg, Indiana.
At some point, a concrete block was tied to the first grader’s body before they threw it into the water.
The latest court records also allege Gosney & Hutchinson removed the hard drive from video cameras at their residence along with tape & rope & hid them at another location.
Gosney, 29, & Hamilton, 43, face a combined 31-count indictment in connection with the slaying of her son.
Both initially pleaded not guilty, but now Gosney is pursuing the insanity defense & changed her plea to not guilty by reason of insanity.
YORK COUNTY, S.C. (WLTX) — Alonzo Adams, A man claiming to be the father of the suspect in a mass shooting that left prominent Rock Hill Dr. Robert Lesslie & four other people dead said his son took his own life after shooting 6 people in York County, South Carolina, Wednesday.
"I can say he's a good kid," Phillips said. "I think the football messed him up."
"The person we believe is responsible, we have found the person we believe is responsible," Trent Faris, a spokesperson for the sheriff's office, said early Thursday. "We are with them at this time. That's all I can say about the suspect."
According to the York County Sheriff's Office, 70-year-old Dr. Robert Lesslie & his wife, 69-year-old Barbara Lesslie, both with apparent gunshot wounds. Their grandchildren, ages 9 & 5, were also killed. A fifth person, identified as 38-year-old James Lewis, who was working at the home at the time, was shot & killed. A sixth person was seriously injured & is in the hospital.
"I don't think he ever did anybody any harm," Adams said, before saying he knew the family. "All I can say is we pray for the family. He used to be my doctor a long time ago. I know they were good folks down there. We're gonna keep them in our prayers."
Adams told WCNC Charlotte's Richard DeVayne his son Phillip Adams had recently moved to Rock Hill from Fort Mill. Alonzo Adams said investigators came to his house Wednesday night & his son took his life inside the home.
Phillip Adams played football at South Carolina State University from 2006 to 2009. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the seventh round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He last appeared in an NFL game with the Atlanta Falcons in 2015.
DALLAS (AP) — A judge on Wednesday ordered the release of a former Dallas police officer accused of ordering two killings in 2017 after prosecutors said that they don’t have enough evidence to move forward with the capital murder case against him.
After listening to more than three hours of testimony by a Dallas homicide detective, Dallas County Criminal Court Judge Audrey Moorehead said there was no probable cause and ordered the release of Bryan Riser. The 13-year veteran of the Dallas Police Department was fired after his colleagues arrested him in March on charges in an alleged murder-for-hire scheme.
During a hearing Wednesday to decide whether the case should go forward to a grand jury to consider an indictment, prosecutors disagreed with the detective’s assessment that they had enough evidence to prosecute.
“Where we stand as a district attorney’s office right now today, we do not feel there’s sufficient probable cause for this case,” Dallas County prosecutor Jason Fine told the judge.
A spokesman for the Dallas County sheriff’s office said Riser would be released once the jail receives the paperwork for his case from the court.
An exchange between Fine and homicide Detective Esteban Montenegro in court revealed that police and prosecutors first discussed the case in December 2019, but that prosecutors didn’t think police had a solid case. Fine also said that prosecutors told police in March that they still didn’t think there was enough evidence.
Nonetheless, police arrested Riser, 37, in the unconnected killings of Liza Saenz, 31, and Albert Douglas, 61. Police Chief Eddie Garcia said last month that a man had come forward in August 2019 and told authorities he had kidnapped and killed them at Riser’s direction.
Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot said Wednesday that prosecutors don’t have enough “corroboration of co-defendant statements and accomplice testimony” but that the investigation remains open and prosecutors continue to work with police.
In court, Montenegro admitted to a problem with a statement in the police affidavit that led to Riser’s arrest. He said a claim that cellphone records placed Riser at or near where the victims were killed was “an error on my part.”
In a revised arrest warrant affidavit released this week, that line was changed.
The former officer’s lawyer, Toby Shook, has maintained his client’s innocence and said that the evidence against Riser is little more than the word of a man convicted in other killings.
Authorities have alleged that Riser offered to pay three men to kidnap and kill Douglas and Saenz. The men were later charged with capital murder and one came forward and implicated Riser in 2019, according to an affidavit for the officer’s arrest.
Shook previously said Riser knew one of the men charged in Saenz’s killing, Emmanuel Kilpatrick, from high school and that they reconnected in 2017 after a chance encounter. Kilpatrick, 34, is now serving life in prison for the killings of a father and son.
The defense attorney described Kilpatrick as someone who has “all the reason in the world to lie and try to gain an advantage by trying to implicate a police officer.”
Dallas detectives took an interest in Riser as early as 2017. In September of that year, a detective said in court that Riser was the “subject” of an investigation into the killing of Saenz, according to a transcript of the proceeding. In announcing Riser’s arrest, Garcia had said the officer became a “suspect” in 2019.
The detective also had said Saenz lived with Riser’s father and that before her death she had been a witness in another murder case. The testimony came during a detention hearing in a federal drug case against Riser’s dad, Byron Riser.
Shook said Saenz lived with the elder Riser at one point, but that his client “didn’t have a relationship with” her and didn’t know Douglas.
After Riser’s arrest, questions arose about why he was allowed to continue to serve as a police officer while under investigation, and the mayor formed a City Council committee to look into the matter.
Garcia told The Dallas Morning News that he stands behind the decision to fire Riser.
The newspaper reported that internal affairs records show Riser has been investigated multiple times for procedural violations. In 2017, he faced three ongoing internal affairs investigations. And after his arrest he was investigated for “adverse conduct.”
“I feel we have met our threshold on providing the administrative allegations by a preponderance of the evidence,” Garcia said.'
Beats By Dre reportedly is ending its endorsement contract with Deshaun Watson amid 22 lawsuits against the Houston Texans quarterback accusing him of sexual assault or misconduct.
Sarah Barshop of ESPN reported the Apple-owned company is terminating its relationship with Watson. Nike previously announced it was suspending its endorsement of the three-time Pro Bowler.
Reliant Energy also announced it will not be continuing its relationship with Watson.
Watson losing corporate sponsorships comes a day after Ashley Solis became the first woman to publicly come forward as a plaintiff in one of the lawsuits against Watson. Solis said she suffers from panic attacks, anxiety and depression and has sought counseling because of Watson's actions.
"I hope he knows how much pain he's inflicted on me emotionally and physically. And I hope he knows how much pain he's inflicted on these other survivors," Solis said. "People say that I'm doing this just for money. That is false. I come forward now so that Deshaun Watson does not assault another woman."
Another plaintiff, Lauren Baxley, wrote a letter to Watson that was read during the press conference. Houston-based attorney Tony Buzbee is representing the 22 women who have filed lawsuits against Watson, all of whom provided massage services to Watson.
LAKE PARK, Fla. (CBS12) — Travis Rudolph, a former FSU football star from Cardinal Newman High School, is facing murder charges in connection to a double shooting in Lake Park.
The shooting happened just after midnight on Wednesday.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said the shooting stemmed from a fight along N. Redwood Drive, near Northlake and U.S. 1.
The first deputies on scene found a person with gunshot wounds and a second man shot to death a short distance away in West Palm Beach.
Deputies arrested Rudolph, 25, on charges of murder and attempted murder with a firearm.
Rudolph is due in court Thursday morning.
The wide receiver made headlines around the world when he befriended a boy living with autism during lunch at Montford Middle School in Tallahassee in 2016.
In 2017, the sheriff's office arrested a man for the murder of Rudolph's father in a shooting at Sugar D's. Paul Senat of Lantana is facing manslaughter charges in that shooting.
Nike has suspended its endorsement deal with Deshaun Watson amid the sexual assault & inappropriate behavior allegations made against the Houston Texans quarterback, the company said in a statement Wednesday.
"We are deeply concerned by the disturbing allegations and have suspended Deshaun Watson. We will continue to closely monitor the situation," Nike said in its statement.
Twenty-two women have filed lawsuits against Watson over the past month that allege "a disturbing pattern" of behavior during massage & therapy sessions.
On Tuesday, Ashley Solis publicly spoke about her allegations, saying Watson "robbed" her of the feeling that she was healing people as a massage therapist.
Watson's brand partnerships also include Rolex, Beats by Dre & local partnerships with H-E-B & Reliant Energy. He also joined Lefty's, a cheesesteak franchise, opening a restaurant in Houston near NRG Stadium in 2020.
The NFL has launched an investigation into Watson under its personal conduct policy & NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy on Tuesday called the allegations against the quarterback "deeply disturbing." The Houston Police Department also has an open investigation into Watson, without specifying what he has been accused of.
Watson has publicly denied any wrongdoing & Rusty Hardin, whose law firm is representing Watson, said last month that he believes "any allegation that Deshaun forced a woman to commit a sexual act is completely false." Hardin said in a statement last week that he & Watson will "fully cooperate with the Houston Police Department."
Philadelphia emcee and Educated Ignorance Music Group CEO, RJ Payne, releases his 2nd lyric video of the week. This one is for "Back On My Shit." Produced by Termanology and Melks.
Rapper T.I. & his wife Tameka "Tiny" Harris are denouncing allegations against them after 3 more accusers have come forward with abuse claims against the couple.
Attorney Tyrone Blackburn, who is already representing 11 other accusers, has retained 3 more accusers seeking a criminal investigation into T.I. (real name Clifford Joseph Harris Jr.), Tiny & their associates.
The latest claims include drugging, sex trafficking & rape. None of the accusers has shared their names.
Steve Sadow, counsel for the couple, called the new allegations "scurrilous," asking for the accusers "to reveal themselves publicly."
One of the most jarring claims comes from a woman who details an encounter with the couple in Miami when she was 20 years old. She says that T.I. forced her to swallow a pill & to take a powdered substance, which drugged her. She alleges Tiny then proceeded to engage in sexual intercourse & she could not consent.
Another woman, also 20 at the time, claims she was drugged & raped by T.I. & 1 of his male friends, again in Miami, in May of 2010. Blackburn says he has received medical records for the victim.
The third accuser says she was sex trafficked in Nevada, California & Florida by the couple.
T.I. & Tiny denied those allegations through Sadow.
"Clifford & Tameka Harris deny in the strongest possible terms these unsubstantiated & baseless allegations," he said. "We are confident that if these claims are thoroughly and fairly investigated, no charges will be forthcoming. These allegations are nothing more than the continuation of a sordid shakedown campaign that began on social media. The Harrises implore everyone not to be taken in by these obvious attempts to manipulate the press & misuse the justice system.”
}