The man accused of killing a top Minnesota Democratic lawmaker and her husband is due to change plea
The man charged in the political assassinations of the top Democrat in the Minnesota House and her husband, as well as the attempted murders of a state senator and his wife, is due to appear in federal court to change his not-guilty plea, after federal prosecutors said they would not seek the death penalty against him. Vance Boelter is charged with killing former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, and attempting to kill state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette Hoffman. The victims were shot by a man who came to their doors in the early hours of June 14, 2025, disguised as a police officer and driving a fake squad car.
U.S. prosecutors say they will not seek the death penalty as part of a plea agreement with the man charged in the political assassinations of the top Democrat in the Minnesota House along with her husband, as well as the attempted murders of a state senator and his wife. Vance Boelter has a change-of-plea hearing scheduled for Thursday morning in federal court in Minneapolis. Former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, and state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette Hoffman, were shot by a man who came to their doors in the early hours of June 14, 2025, disguised as a police officer and driving a fake squad car.
Feds won't seek death penalty in plea deal with man accused of killing a leading Minnesota Democrat and her husband.
A Texas teenager who fatally stabbed a 17-year-old athlete from a rival track team has been found guilty of murder. Jurors on Tuesday convicted 19-year-old Karmelo Anthony and sentenced him to 35 years in prison in the death of Austin Metcalf. The killing last year stunned the booming Dallas suburb of Frisco. Both teens attended different schools there. Prosecutors accused Anthony of egging on a confrontation after being asked to leave the tent of Metcalf's team. Anthony’s attorney claimed the stabbing was self-defense. The case drew wide attention, in part because of social media posts about race. Anthony is Black. Metcalf was white. But prosecutors and defense attorneys said the case had nothing to do with race.
A federal judge has permanently blocked Alabama from executing an inmate with nitrogen gas, declaring the method violates the ban on cruel and unusual punishment. U.S. District Judge Emily C. Marks issued the decision after an appeals court reversed her earlier ruling. Jeffery Lee was scheduled for execution Thursday. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall’s office is appealing the decision. Marks noted the state has other execution methods, like lethal injection and the electric chair. She also mentioned the state could switch to a firing squad, which Lee prefers. Lee was convicted of capital murder in 1998.
A federal judge on Tuesday permanently blocked Alabama from executing an inmate with nitrogen gas after declaring the method violates the ban on cruel and unusual punishment. States have various execution methods, including lethal injection, electrocution, lethal gas and firing squad. Lethal injection is the primary method in most states, but it has faced issues including drug shortages and botched executions. Some states are exploring alternatives like firing squads. The federal appellate court's decision highlights ongoing debates about execution methods and their constitutionality.
Ex-Taliban commander gets 42 years in prison in killings of US soldiers and journalists' kidnappings
A former Taliban commander has been sentenced in New York to 42 years in prison for crimes including the 2008 kidnapping of a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist. Haji Najibullah’s sentencing Tuesday capped a daylong proceeding in Manhattan federal court. The reporter, David Rohde, described how Najibullah took part in the abduction of him, another reporter and their driver. Rohde, who is MSNOW’s national security reporter and previously worked for The New York Times and other publications, told Judge Katherine Polk Failla that he was “surprised and disappointed” that Najibullah was trying to blame others and circumstances for his role in the crime. The three escaped from a Taliban-controlled compound in Pakistan's tribal areas after seven months in captivity.
Jury convicts Texas teen of murder in fatal stabbing of 17-year-old athlete from rival team at a high school track meet.
US Appeals Court reverses lower court ruling, raises concerns about constitutionality of Alabama's nitrogen executions.
Actor James Handy has been stabbed to death, and police have charged the son of his girlfriend in the killing. Michael Gledhill was charged after police say officers found the 81-year-old Handy stabbed in the chest and unconscious outside a home in Los Angeles on Wednesday. They say Gledhill was arrested after telling police he was the person they were looking for. Handy was a character actor in films and on TV for decades, including appearances in a variety of television crime procedurals.