Seven Virginia sheriff's deputies have been charged after prosecutors say they smothered a man to death while he was in custody at a state mental hospital, the New York Post reported.
Irvo Otieno, 28, died on March 6 after Henrico County Sheriff’s Office deputies transferred him from a local jail to Central State Hospital. Prosecutors say Otieno died after he was “physically restrained” when he became “combative.”
Those charged with second-degree murder were Randy Joseph Boyer, 57, Dwayne Alan Bramble, 37, Jermaine Lavar Branch, 45, Bradley Thomas Disse, 43, Tabitha Renee Levere, 50, Brandon Edwards Rodgers, 48, Kaiyell Dajour Sanders, 30.
The deputies, who turned themselves in, were placed on administrative leave.
“The events of March 6, at their core, represent a tragedy because Mr. Otieno’s life was lost. This loss is felt by not only those close to him but our entire community,” she said in a statement.
“As Henrico County sheriff and on behalf of our entire office, I extend my deepest sympathies and condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Irvo Otieno,” Sheriff Alisa Gregory added.
Dinwiddie County Commonwealth’s Attorney Ann Cabell Baskervill said Otieno died "from asphyxia due to being smothered to death, thanks to seven people, including the defendant, on top of him, holding him down, adding that the deputies didn’t call state police until three hours after his death."
Read the full report over at the New York Post.
A rape kit was ordered hours after a 19-year-old man’s body was found in 2015 near the Murdaugh family’s hunting estate in Hampton, South Carolina, NewsNation reports.
Stephen Smith’s death was initially believed to be the result of a hit-and-run collision, but South Carolina authorities now believe his death was no accident, and are now giving the case a new look, the report said.
Former South Carolina Highway Patrol Supervisor Michael Duncan said Wednesday during an appearance on NewsNation with host Ashleigh Banfield that troopers were never given the chance to present the findings of their investigation.
Smith’s wounds were inconsistent with injuries that typically occur in a traffic collision, Duncan told Banfield.
IN OTHER NEWS: ‘He really said that’: CNN’s Jake Tapper stunned by Trump’s latest attack on Manhattan DA
“Extremely disappointed. … I’ve never seen wounds like this that come from a car … In totality, it did not make sense why they were calling it a traffic accident,” Duncan said.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division announced that the agency would take a fresh look at the Smith case based “based upon information gathered during the course of the double-murder investigation of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh,” The Daily Beast reports.
A South Carolina jury earlier this month convicted Alex Murdaugh for murder in connection with the 2021 shooting deaths of his wife Maggie and their son Paul, and Judge Clifton Newman sentenced disgraced South Carolina lawyer to two consecutive life terms.
The lawyers representing the Smith family said authorities told them they waited until after the conclusion of Alex Murdaugh’s trial before announcing updated information on the Smith case “out of concern that witnesses would not be as forthcoming under the Murdaugh sphere of influence.”
Watch the video below or at this link.
USNEWSNATION 03 22 2023 22 29 28 www.youtube.com
Far-right pundits at Fox News and Newsmax TV have had a lot to say about "cancel culture" and "woke" progressives they claim are trying to shut down conservatives they disagree with. And many Democrats, in response, have stressed that it is far-right MAGA Republicans — including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — who are trying to abolish, from public schools, books with gay or African-American themes that offend them. DeSantis has drawn criticism for banning an advance placement course on Black studies from Florida high schools.
One of the Democrats who is speaking out is Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Massachusetts). During a Thursday, March 23 speech on the U.S. House floor, McGovern slammed Republicans for pushing book bans in the name of a "Parental Bill of Rights." And he noted that a Florida teacher was "fired for exposing a book-banning spree at the hands of Ron DeSantis that would make the Chinese Communist Party blush."
"Now, I have a few books that Republicans want to ban — too many to go through," the 63-year-old McGovern told fellow House members. "But let me recite a few."
McGovern, who described book bans as "reprehensible" and "disgraceful," went on to cite Kathleen Connors' "The Life of Rosa Parks," Kadir Nelson's "Nelson Mandela" and a book on gay rights activist Harvey Milk as specific examples of books that have come under fire from MAGA Republicans.
The Massachusetts Democrat told House members, "Now, do you notice any pattern here? They want to ban books about Black and brown people, and they want to ban books about LGBTQI+ people. It is sick. It is hateful."
Addressing House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-California), McGovern added, "What is wrong with them, Mr. Speaker? If you don't like a book, don't let your kid read it. But you don't get to tell the rest of us parents what our kids should be allowed to read. Talk to your kids' teachers. Run for school board. But don't take away money from schools that fall down on the wrong side of the MAGA culture wars."
Watch below or at this link.
CNN's Jake Tapper reacted with astonishment at former President Donald Trump's latest attack on Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg on Thursday.
This comes as an indictment has yet to be handed down by the grand jury, but experts believe one is extremely likely at this stage.
"Donald Trump says the prosecutor investigating him in New York is doing the work of the devil. Yes, he really said that," said Tapper. "Trump attacks on another level, belittling the importance of keeping protests peaceful as New York prosecutors weigh an indictment and the D.A. leading the hush money case sends a letter to Republican leaders with a few choice words of his own."
"We start today with our politics lead," said Tapper. "The New York grand jury is in session. The district attorney is really steamed and Donald Trump is back to screaming in all caps on social media. The legal headlines are plenty today, starting in Manhattan, where the grand jury hearing the hush money case involving Stormy Daniels is meeting today. Sources saying, however, they are not discussing Donald Trump in the grand jury, which means the decision on whether to charge the former president in the Stormy Daniels hush money case, that decision slides into next week."
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"Meanwhile, the man prosecuting the case, District Attorney Alvin Bragg, is unleashing on House Republicans, who have been taking steps to investigate the team investigating Donald Trump," said Tapper. "Bragg sent a letter today, claiming that the GOP leaders 'only got involved after Donald Trump created a false expectation that he would be arrested the next day, and his lawyers reportedly urged you to intervene.'"
"We should note that day that Trump was supposed to be arrested, according to Trump — that day was Tuesday, and that day came and went without an arrest or indictment," added Tapper.
Watch video below or at this link.
Jake Tapper on Trump's "devil" remarks www.youtube.com
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