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New prosecutor given days to prepare for big murder trial

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:24:48 GMT

ST. LOUIS – Five days to prepare for one of St. Louis’ biggest murder trials. That’s the challenge given Thursday morning to a new prosecutor brought in to help the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office through its staffing crisis.It came out in a pre-trial hearing involving the five-year-old Charl Howard murder case.Judge Bryan Hettenbach came right out of the gate, saying, “I am not going to continue this case,” a first-degree murder case that’s already been in the system since 2018. So now, a brand prosecutor, who knew little about the case before today, must be ready to tell a jury about it beginning Tuesday.Gregory Stevens was stabbed to death in March 2018. Howard spent four years in jail awaiting trial for the murder, until a judge released him on bond because of repeated prosecutorial delays. The case is extremely complex, as Judge Hettenbach wrote on April 7: “There are no eyewitnesses, no surveillance video, no fingerprints or DNA, and no confession. It is the proverbial cir...

St. Louis police to zero in on downtown as crime concern grows

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:24:48 GMT

ST. LOUIS – There's growing concern ahead of Mother's Day weekend in the heart of downtown St. Louis after last weekend's chaos and murders.Barbara Forest doesn't live far from the Arch grounds and said she wanted to get out before the storm."Good time for a walk," Forest said. "I'm always on the lookout."She said there's a need for a stronger police presence after last weekend's 639 calls for service in 12 hours. Man convicted of killing St. Louis County police officer challenges guilty verdict Brandy Thomas lives near St. Louis has avoided downtown because of crime but decided to come during the day.Thomas said extra officers downtown could help put a dent in some of the issues."Maybe an officer on the corner. Police on bikes, mobile, walking," she said.Major Ryan Cousins, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, said earlier this week the department will approach this weekend with different tactics."We will be increasing our police presence in downtown," Cousins said.The depar...

Contact 2 helps ease south St. Louis man’s fence frustration

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:24:48 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Daniel Bright’s south St. Louis property looks like a mini lumberyard. He’s got 2x4s stacked in his front yard, fence pickets piled up in his driveway, and 4x4s posted up in his backyard. Bright said three posts are the root of this problem.“They put three fence posts in the wrong spots, about six feet in front of my property line," he said.Bright booked the job through Lowe’s for $3,500. Lowe’s subbed it out to a third-party contractor. Bright shared a drawing worksheet with FOX 2 he got from Lowes detailing plans for the fence project. The document features instructions to install the fence as close to the tree as possible.“During the survey and during the quote, they never mentioned anything about the tree being an issue," Bright said. Man convicted of killing St. Louis County police officer challenges guilty verdict But it was an issue. Bright said he confronted the contractor.“From there, they never came back. They sent me some documents to try to resolve it," Bri...

2 people shot in Simi Valley; gunman questioned and released

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:24:48 GMT

Police in Simi Valley are investigating a shooting that sent two victims to the hospital with serious injuries, authorities announced Thursday.  The incident occurred on Monday, at around 9 p.m., in the 1300 block of Arcane Street, according to a news release from the Simi Valley Police Department.  When officers arrived at the scene, they found one victim with a gunshot wound to the neck. A second victim with a gunshot wound to the chest had already been taken to Simi Valley Hospital by parties who fled the facility before law enforcement arrived. "Both gunshot wound victims were eventually transported to Los Robles Hospital where they remain in critical, but stable condition," police said. While at the scene of the shooting, the man responsible for the shooting identified himself to officers. He was briefly detained and cooperated with detectives who took over the investigation.  Right now, authorities say the shooting occurred after a physical confrontation between...

Southern California shelters helping expected surge of migrants as Title 42 ends

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:24:48 GMT

Southern California shelters are bracing for a surge in migrants following the end of Title 42 on Thursday night.Title 42 is the pandemic-era public health order that was put in place in March 2020 that restricted migrants from claiming asylum at the border in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus between countries. The order will expire at 11:59 p.m. on Thursday.Local officials are concerned that resources for helping migrants will be stressed to their limits. The Galilee Center in Riverside County is preparing to help the influx of migrants with food, shelter and other basic needs.Many migrants traveling through the eastern Riverside County area hail from a variety of locations including Somalia, Ecuador, Peru and more.When they arrive at The Galilee Center in Mecca or Coachella, they can access shower and laundry facilities, a bed to sleep in, and health necessities such as toiletries, diapers and more.With a long, uncertain journey, Diana Yadira, a migrant staying at The Ga...

Man killed in Pittsburg stabbing, woman arrested

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:24:48 GMT

(KRON) -- A woman is in custody after a man was stabbed and killed in a domestic violence incident in Pittsburg on Thursday, the Pittsburg Police Department said.The stabbing happened at about 3:30 p.m. at the Belmont Apartments, 1010 Power Avenue. Video released of 2 men fighting over Costco parking space in Danville PPD said the couple was involved in a fight outside an apartment and the man was stabbed in the chest. First responders attempted life-saving procedures, but the man was pronounced dead. The suspect will be taken to the Martinez Detention Facility. PPD's investigation is ongoing. A similar killing occurred in Dublin on May 5. Crystal Angelina Espinoza, 23, was arrested and charged with murder over the stabbing death of 23-year-old Jesus Gallegos in what police described as a domestic violence incident. KRON ON is streaming news live now.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container ifra...

San Quentin prison program pairs trainers with puppies

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:24:48 GMT

SAN QUENTIN, Calif. (KRON) -- A new training program is underway at San Quentin Prison. People who are incarcerated train puppies to become service animals.This kind of program has proven to be very successful for the dogs as well as their incarcerated trainers. San Quentin. It's the kind of place that can make your blood run cold.Just the name can evoke dark and scary thoughts. But tell that to these two little guys: Wendel and Artemis. The puppies don't know the powerful effect they have just by showing up. 49ers players visit San Quentin State Prison, bring in gifts to inmates’ children "It's an honor to be a part of this program. We've all been real excited about it," said one inmate.San Quentin is teaming up with canine companions to train Wendel and Artemis to be service animals. The pups will spend their days learning basic skills, socializing with the inmates and at night, bed down with their handles in their cells."Some of the handlers have expressed not having communica...

Woman accused of pepper-spraying Sausalito Target security guard during robbery

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:24:48 GMT

(KRON) -- A Berkeley woman was arrested after she allegedly pepper-sprayed a Sausalito Target security guard while committing a robbery on Monday, the Marin County Sheriff's Office said. The incident happened at about 10:12 a.m. at the Target located at 180 Donahue Street. MCSO deputies learned that the suspect walked out of the store pushing a shopping cart loaded with items. CNN to air hour-long ‘What Happened to San Francisco?’ special According to MCSO, security confronted the woman, asking her to pay for the goods. That's when she allegedly pulled out the pepper spray and sprayed a guard in the face. "The suspect took the stolen items to her car where they were loaded in the trunk," MCSO said. "She entered her vehicle and sped off at a high rate of speed, nearly striking pedestrians."The suspect dropped her cell phone at Target, and police used a search warrant to find the identity of the owner. Eaquoiya Scott, 22, of Berkeley was arrested. KRON ON is streaming news live now...

Nuggets blow past Suns 125-100, advance to Western Conference finals

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:24:48 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — Nikola Jokic scored 32 points in another triple-double, Jamal Murray added 26 and the Denver Nuggets advanced to the Western Conference finals for the first time since 2020 by beating the short-handed Phoenix Suns 125-100 in Game 6 on Thursday night.Denver’s series victory comes two seasons after the Nuggets were embarrassed in a second-round postseason sweep by the Suns. This time, it was the Suns getting blown out on their home floor to end the season for the second straight year.The Nuggets will play in the conference finals for the first time since they lost to the Lakers in five games in the Florida bubble during the COVID-19 pandemic. They have never reached the NBA Finals. Nikola Jokic jokingly tosses basketball to Suns owner Ishbia The top-seeded Nuggets used a 23-2 run during the latter part of the first quarter to take a 44-26 lead and never looked back. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope — averaging 9.5 points in the playoffs — scored 17 in the first quarter while ...

Half-baked ‘Hypnotic’ more meh than mesmerizing

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:24:48 GMT

MOVIE REVIEW“Hypnotic”Rated R. At AMC Boston Common, AMC South Bay and suburban theaters.Grade: D“Hypnotic” the film is not hypnotic at all. It’s numbing, derivative and meaningless and features a surprisingly terrible performance by lead actor Ben Affleck. Nothing you see on the screen is real. Or so this is what you are repeatedly told. I believe it. Films as bad as “Hypnotic” should be collected and studied by future filmmakers like a pandemic so it doesn’t happen again.I guess we shouldn’t be surprised that Affleck and his wife Jennifer Lopez have films opening on the same weekend (hers is Netflix’s “The Mother”). “Hypnotic” begins with Austin Police Detective Daniel Rourke (Affleck) losing his beloved preteen daughter Minnie aka Dominique (Hala Finley) at a park. Some detective. At the same time, a mysterious stranger played by actor William Fichtner tells a woman it is “hot as a furnace” and she strips off some of her clothes, causing a traffic accident...