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Subway Death: Judge Dismisses Manslaughter Charge Against NY Ex-Marine After Jury Deadlocks Subway Death: Judge Dismisses Manslaughter Charge Against NY Ex-Marine After Jury Deadlocks
Subway Death: Judge Dismisses Manslaughter Charge Against NY Ex-Marine After Jury Deadlocks A New York judge dismissed the top criminal count against an ex-Marine accused of choking a New Jersey street artist to death aboard a Manhattan subway after the jury deadlocked. Manhattan Judge Maxwell Wiley granted a defense motion to dismiss the manslaughter charge against Daniel Penny late Friday afternoon, Dec. 6, after jurors were unable to reach a verdict on the top count, NBC News reports. The dismissal came hours after jurors told Wiley they were deadlocked on whether Penny was guilty of second-degree manslaughter and the judge ordered them to continue deliberations.…

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by Michael Mashburn
Politics
Accused Pelosi Laptop Thief's Dad Convicted Of Child Abuse Year After Daughter's DC Conviction Accused Pelosi Laptop Thief's Dad Convicted Of Child Abuse Year After Daughter's DC Conviction
Accused Pelosi Laptop Thief's Dad Convicted Of Child Abuse Year After Daughter's DC Conviction The father of a Pennsylvania woman who was accused of stealing Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's laptop was convicted of sexually abusing a girl on Wednesday, Oct. 30 — just two days after the trial began, according to court documents and the Dauphin County District Attorney's office.  Rickey Williams, 55, — a security guard from Dauphin County — touched the girl when she was between the ages of 8 and 18. Judge William T. presided over the trial.  She came forward about the abuse within two weeks after police allegedly caught him soliciting a video of a 14-ye…

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by Jillian Pikora
Police & Fire
Mass. Hammer Murderer Gets Life In Prison For Killing Sleeping Wife: DA Mass. Hammer Murderer Gets Life In Prison For Killing Sleeping Wife: DA
Mass. Hammer Murderer Gets Life In Prison For Killing Sleeping Wife: DA A Massachusetts man who beat his estranged wife to death with a hammer as she slept will spend at least the next 25 years in prison, authorities said.  Michael A. Cook Sr., of North Adams in Berkshire Country, was convicted of second-degree murder last week and was sentenced to life in prison on Thursday, Oct. 10, the Berkshire County District Attorney's Office said. However, he will be eligible for parole in 25 years.  Charli Cook, a 41-year-old CNA at the former Willowood Health Care Center, was asleep when Michael Cook broke into her North Adams home in July 2019 and hit h…

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by Josh Lanier
News
John Gotti Jr's Wife, Daughter Dodge Assault Charges After HS Basketball Brawl In NY John Gotti Jr's Wife, Daughter Dodge Assault Charges After HS Basketball Brawl In NY
John Gotti Jr's Wife, Daughter Dodge Assault Charges After HS Basketball Brawl In NY John Gotti Jr.’s wife and daughter will avoid criminal charges in connection with a fight at a youth basketball game on Long Island. A Nassau County judge cited “procedural grounds” for dismissing the misdemeanor assault charges against Kimberly Gotti, age 55, and Gianna Gotti, age 23, on Tuesday, Oct. 1. “We await the judge’s written decision and will review our options,” a spokesperson for the DA’s office told Daily Voice. The fight broke out in the Oyster Bay village of Lattingtown, during a basketball game at Locust Valley High School against visiting Oyster Bay High School, on Thursd…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Gilgo Beach Murders: New Images Of 'Asian Doe' Released In Effort To ID Male Victim Gilgo Beach Murders: New Images Of 'Asian Doe' Released In Effort To ID Male Victim
Gilgo Beach Murders: New Images Of 'Asian Doe' Released In Effort To ID Male Victim Investigators are hoping newly released images will lead to the identification of another victim in the Gilgo Beach serial murders. On Long Island, the Gilgo Beach Task Force distributed facial reconstructions of who they've long referred to as "Asian Doe" during a press conference in Brentwood on Monday morning, Sept. 16. Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said the man’s skeletal remains were found along Ocean Parkway in Gilgo Beach on April 4, 2011, though it’s believed he “suffered a violent death” sometime before 2006. Earlier Report: Heuermann Used 'Planning Doc' …

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Accused Murderer Ranted About Pronouns, Trump Before Ex-Wife, Her BF Were Slain In NY Home Accused Murderer Ranted About Pronouns, Trump Before Ex-Wife, Her BF Were Slain In NY Home
Accused Murderer Ranted About Pronouns, Trump Before Ex-Wife, Her BF Were Slain In NY Home New details are offering insight into the mind of an accused murderer just hours before he allegedly gunned down his ex-wife and her boyfriend inside their New York home. The Long Island killings happened in St. James, at a residence on Brasswood Road, at around 11:45 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 28. Suffolk County Police said Daniel Coppola, age 50, put his 15-year-old daughter into his car before going inside and shooting his ex-wife, 50-year-old Kelly Coppola, and her boyfriend, 53-year-old Kenneth Pohlman. Earlier Report: Man Kills Ex-Wife, Her BF At St. James Home, Police Say Both vic…

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by Michael Mashburn
Police & Fire
'This Was An Avoidable Crash': Driver Admits To Fatal Charlemont Motorcycle Wreck 'This Was An Avoidable Crash': Driver Admits To Fatal Charlemont Motorcycle Wreck
'This Was An Avoidable Crash': Driver Admits To Fatal Charlemont Motorcycle Wreck A 39-year-old Berkshire County woman admitted to causing a 2023 crash that killed a Franklin County motorcyclist, authorities said on Tuesday, July 30.  Melissa Repka, of North Adams, pleaded guilty to motor vehicle homicide by negligent operation on Tuesday, the Northwestern District Attorney's Office said. A judge sentenced her to two-and-a-half years in prison, though she will only spend nine months behind bars. The remainder was suspended, as she serves two years of probation, the prosecutor said.  Repka was driving her 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee east on Rout…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
No Jail Time For Ex-Mass. Officer Who Punched Handcuffed Man 13 Times: Feds No Jail Time For Ex-Mass. Officer Who Punched Handcuffed Man 13 Times: Feds
No Jail Time For Ex-Mass. Officer Who Punched Handcuffed Man 13 Times: Feds A former Weymouth police officer who was caught on video camera beating a handcuffed suspect will not serve any jail time, federal authorities said.  Justin Chappell, 43, was sentenced to two years of supervised release, with the first six months to be spent under house arrest, the US Attorney for Massachusetts said on Tuesday, July 16. He must also complete 40 hours of community service each year of his supervised release.  Chappell pleaded guilty in May to a single count of deprivation of rights under color of law, the prosecutor said.  The assault happened on July 2,…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
Ex-Boston Prosecutor Gets 5-10 Years For 2021 Rape; Victim Says Her Life Full Of Fear, Paranoia Ex-Boston Prosecutor Gets 5-10 Years For 2021 Rape; Victim Says Her Life Full Of Fear, Paranoia
Ex-Boston Prosecutor Gets 5-10 Years For 2021 Rape; Victim Says Her Life Full Of Fear, Paranoia Gary Zerola, a well-known Boston defense attorney who served as a former prosecutor in Suffolk and Essex counties, was sentenced to five to 10 years in prison after being found guilty of 2021 rape, authorities said.  Zerola, 52, of Salem, was found guilty last month after prosecutors said he broke into a 21-year-old woman's home in the middle of the night and sexually assaulted her.  He had been accused and acquitted of several rapes in 2008, the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office said.  Zerola's victim submitted a letter to the court explaining how her life has chang…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
Springfield School Security Guard An Alleged Gun Trafficker; DA Blasts Judge's Bail Ruling Springfield School Security Guard An Alleged Gun Trafficker; DA Blasts Judge's Bail Ruling
Springfield School Security Guard An Alleged Gun Trafficker; DA Blasts Judge's Bail Ruling The Hampden District Attorney slammed a judge's decision to set the bail for an alleged gun trafficker at just $10,000 after prosecutors had asked for $50,000.  Pablo Correa, 44, was arrested on July 2 and charged with six counts of carrying a firearm and ammunition without a license, five counts of possession of a large capacity firearm or feeding device, and two counts of defacing a serial number on a firearm, the district attorney's office said.  Correa serves as a security guard at the Springfield High School of Science and Technology, where he's worked since 2021. He was plac…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
'Barbaric Attack': 2 Men Who Burned Victim During Springfield Home Invasion Sentenced 'Barbaric Attack': 2 Men Who Burned Victim During Springfield Home Invasion Sentenced
'Barbaric Attack': 2 Men Who Burned Victim During Springfield Home Invasion Sentenced Two men found guilty of torturing and permanently disfiguring a Springfield man during a 2019 home invasion were sentenced to decades in prison on Thursday, June 27, authorities said.  Paul Gayle, 30, and Malik Erskine, 24, both of Springfield, were found guilty of multiple violent felonies in the "barbaric attack," Hampden District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni. Markendall Johnson, now 21, who was charged as a youthful offender because of his age on the day of the robbery, was also convicted in the case. Gayle was sentenced to 35 to 40 years in state prison, and a judge gave …

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by Josh Lanier
News
Western Mass Man With History Of Sending Explicit Messages To Children Gets 5 Years In Prison Western Mass Man With History Of Sending Explicit Messages To Children Gets 5 Years In Prison
Western Mass Man With History Of Sending Explicit Messages To Children Gets 5 Years In Prison A Berkshire County man with a history of sexually exploiting children has admitted to filming an 11-year-old in the nude on a social media app, authorities said.  Tom Nelson, 38, of Williamstown, pleaded guilty to posing/exhibiting a child in the nude, posing/exhibiting a child in a sexual act, and dissemination of matter harmful to minors — his second offense, the Berkshire County. District Attorney said.  The prosecutor requested a 10-year prison sentence for the three charges, but the judge sentenced him to 5 years behind bars.  Berkshire County DA Timothy J. Shugrue…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
Springfield Officer Shot In Head May Lose Vision In 1 Eye: Police Springfield Officer Shot In Head May Lose Vision In 1 Eye: Police
Springfield Officer Shot In Head May Lose Vision In 1 Eye: Police An off-duty Springfield officer who was shot in the head and leg as he drove to work Wednesday night, June 6, may lose vision in an eye as a result of the attack.  Officer Nestor Santos was identified as the person who was seriously injured as he was attacked while sitting in his unmarked police car in the 600 block of State Street, Springfield police authorities said.  Related: 7 Arrested After Police Say They Fired At Officers, Sending 1 To ER His squad supervisor and another police officer rushed him to Baystate Medical Center, and he was later airlifted to a Boston hospital f…

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by Josh Lanier
News
'More Playtime': Rex Heuermann Used 'Planning Document' To Guide Gilgo Beach Murders, DA Says 'More Playtime': Rex Heuermann Used 'Planning Document' To Guide Gilgo Beach Murders, DA Says
'More Playtime': Rex Heuermann Used 'Planning Document' To Guide Gilgo Beach Murders, DA Says New details are shedding light on the lengths that accused Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann went to in hopes of getting away with his alleged murder spree. The 60-year-old Long Island resident, of Massapequa Park, was arraigned on two more charges of second-degree murder in Suffolk County Court on Thursday, June 6, in the killings of Jessica Taylor and Sandra Costilla. Heuermann was previously charged with the murders of four Gilgo Beach victims: Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, Amber Lynn Costello, and Maureen Brainard-Barnes. Earlier Report: Gilgo Beach Murders: Suspect …

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by Michael Mashburn
Police & Fire
New York Man Busted Driving To See Western Mass Child He Met Online: DA New York Man Busted Driving To See Western Mass Child He Met Online: DA
New York Man Busted Driving To See Western Mass Child He Met Online: DA A 62-year-old New York man was arrested on Thursday, May 30, in Berkshire County as he was on his way to meet a teenager he was speaking with online, authorities said.  David Stypa was charged with two counts of disseminating obscene material to a minor and attempting to commit a crime, the Berkshire County District Attorney's Office said. He was ordered held on a $100,000 bond.  Investigators said Stypa was speaking with the Pittsfield teen — who was younger than 16 — on multiple platforms.  Police are still investigating. The district attorney's office did not release any …

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
'Horrific': Man Who Admitted To Raping Children In Western Mass Gets 25-30 Years In Prison 'Horrific': Man Who Admitted To Raping Children In Western Mass Gets 25-30 Years In Prison
'Horrific': Man Who Admitted To Raping Children In Western Mass Gets 25-30 Years In Prison A 51-year-old former Athol man who pleaded guilty to raping multiple children and forcing them to make child pornography will spend at least 25 years behind bars, authorities announced.  Jose A. Oquendo pleaded guilty to 27 charges — including rape and sexual assault — on Thursday, May 30, the Northwestern District Attorney said. He was accused of abusing three children for years.  Franklin Superior Court Judge David Hodge called the Oquendo's abuse "horrific" and commended the victims for standing up in court against their abuser.  He said the sentence of 25 to 30…

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by Josh Lanier