Authorities revealed that the illegal immigrant accused of killing the mother of a young child in Virginia grabbed a weapon and filled a bottle with gasoline before the fatal stabbing.
Salvadoran national Alexis Antonio Cedillos-Campos, 19, allegedly murdered Carmen Lizet Puch, 42, at a park in Great Falls, Virginia. During a press conference Wednesday afternoon, authorities shared that Cedillos-Campos and Puch worked together at a local restaurant and were involved in an &#8220;intimate relationship.&#8221;
Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said the two planned to meet at the park on Monday morning. The night before the killing, Cedillos-Campos left the restaurant armed with a fixed-blade knife, black latex gloves, and a water bottle that he later filled with gasoline, all of which he took from the business, Davis said, adding that it was &#8220;all very premeditated.&#8221;
&#8220;He ended up siphoning gasoline out of his motorcycle. He filled the water bottle with gasoline after he dumped the water,&#8221; Davis said.
Authorities believe Cedillos-Campos fatally stabbed Puch inside her car before dumping her body in the parking lot.
&#8220;We know that our killer stabbed our victim repeatedly and eventually doused her in gasoline and tried to set her on fire. He was unsuccessful in the attempt to burn our victim,&#8221; he said.
The suspect confessed to the murder after his arrest in Prince George&#8217;s County, Maryland, Davis added. He is charged with second-degree murder, according to police.
Just before 7 a.m. on Monday, a jogger in the park discovered Puch&#8217;s lifeless body near her 2011 Honda Civic, according to 7News.
Cedillos-Campos crossed the border illegally near El Paso, Texas, in April 2024 and was quickly released into the United States, despite telling federal agents he wasn&#8217;t afraid to return to his home country, law enforcement sources told The Daily Wire.
In a statement Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security accused Biden administration officials of &#8216;hand-delivering&#8217; Cedillos-Campos to Fairfax County before they &#8220;recklessly unleashed millions of unvetted illegal aliens into American communities and abused the law to do so.&#8221;
The spokesperson also called out Democratic Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger for turning her state into a &#8220;hotbed of illegal alien crime&#8221; by adopting sanctuary policies.
&#8220;During her first days in office, Governor Spanberger signed executive orders banning state cooperation with ICE as well as terminating 287(g) state and local agreements. We are urging Governor Spanberger to put her community first and turn over this criminal illegal alien to ICE,&#8221; the spokesperson said.

Untitled design – 2026-08-19T135559.931

Disturbing Details Emerge After Illegal Immigrant Kills Mother Of Young Child

Crime

Illegal Immigration

Murder

Virginia

The judge who oversaw the murder conviction of Karmelo Anthony was tossed from the case on Wednesday as Anthony moves forward with an appeal for a new trial.
Anthony, now 19 years old, was convicted in June of murdering high school junior Austin Metcalf during a track event in Texas, in April of last year. Evidence from the trial showed that Anthony refused to leave another team’s tented area, and when approached by an unarmed Metcalf, Anthony fatally stabbed him.
During a hearing on Wednesday, Anthony’s legal team argued that a retrial was warranted because District Judge John Roach enforced overly strict courtroom rules and gave an interview days after the trial was over. A visiting judge ordered Roach removed from the case. A retrial effort is still pending.
Cheers from Anthony supporters reportedly erupted in the courthouse hallways when visiting Judge Sid Harle ordered Roach to be removed. Some people chanted, “Free Karmelo!”
Two days after a jury rendered a guilty verdict against Anthony, Roach gave a television interview in which he said he believed the jury got the decision right. Roach said the jury listened to the facts, deliberated, and ultimately fulfilled its duty in finding Anthony guilty.
Generally, a judge can give a post-trial interview and comment on the outcome after a verdict has been rendered. The Anthony defense team, however, argued that Roach’s comments were improper because post-trial proceedings were still pending and Anthony had already filed a notice of appeal.
“The TV interview with the judge is the only evidence Anthony’s lawyers are going to submit,” reporter MaryAnn Martinez, who was in the courtroom Wednesday, said. Anthony’s lawyer Russell Wilson also made the case “that Judge Roach should not have given an interview 2 days after the verdict since he knew there was a pending appeal that had already been filed by Karmelo Anthony,” she said.
<div id="attachment_1161209" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1161209" class="wp-image-1161209 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/GettyImages-2281722389-864x576.jpg" alt="udge John Roach Jr., the presiding judge of the 296th District Court, poses for a photo with his Boykin Spaniel named Justice in his courtroom in the Collin County Courthouse in McKinney, TX, Friday, June 12, 2026." width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/GettyImages-2281722389-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/GettyImages-2281722389-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/GettyImages-2281722389-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/GettyImages-2281722389.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Judge Roach; Credit: Juan Figueroa/The Dallas Morning News via Getty Images</div>
The parents of Anthony and victim Austin Metcalf were reportedly in the courtroom for the hearing. According to Martinez, Anthony looked very different than he did during the trial. “He is wearing a dark green inmate jumpsuit and has a mustache. He is also shackled, with his feet bound together. The hearing is not being streamed,” she reported.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Karmelo Anthony has just walked into the courtroom looking very differently than during his trial. He is wearing a dark green inmate jumpsuit and has a mustache. He is also shackled, with his feet bound together. The hearing is not being streamed. Select reporters are allowed in,…
— MaryAnn Martinez (@MaryAnnreports) <a href="https://x.com/MaryAnnreports/status/2090079901734797378?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 19, 2026</a></blockquote>

Karmelo Mugshot

Convicted Killer Karmelo Anthony Gets Big Break In Fight For New Trial

Judge Removed From Karmelo Anthony Case As Austin Metcalf Killer Seeks New Trial 

Austin Metcalf

Karmelo Anthony

Texas

trial

The prosecution is making a final push for the death penalty, asking a Utah judge to send Tyler Robinson to trial on all seven charges in the assassination of Charlie Kirk, while accusing Robinson’s attorneys of misrepresenting evidence and violating their ethical duty of candor to the court.
In a 19-page <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/prosecutors-hammer-tyler-robinson-bid-derail-death-penalty-charlie-kirk-murder-case">filing</a> Tuesday, prosecutors sharply rejected the defense’s arguments that the evidence is insufficient to support the charges or the aggravating circumstance that could make Robinson eligible for the death penalty. 
The state specifically accused Robinson’s lawyers of relying on a Utah Court of Appeals decision that the Utah Supreme Court later rejected, while failing to inform the judge of the subsequent ruling. “Defendant’s counsel ignore this controlling caselaw and have therefore violated their ethical duty of candor to the court,” prosecutors wrote.
The dispute centers in part on the legal standard governing Robinson’s preliminary hearing. His attorneys argued that prosecutors were asking the judge to speculate when choosing between competing interpretations of the evidence. Prosecutors countered that the Utah Supreme Court has explicitly rejected that reasoning, holding that choosing between reasonable inferences is a normal part of determining guilt.
Prosecutors also argued that the evidence overwhelmingly supports the charges, saying Robinson does not dispute the substance of evidence showing that he allegedly crawled to the Losee Building rooftop, fired the fatal shot, hid the rifle, discarded clothing, and instructed his roommate to delete incriminating text messages.
The state’s filing also added to its argument that Robinson knowingly placed other people in danger when he allegedly shot at Kirk from the rooftop. Prosecutors allege Robinson had previously taken practice shots with the suspected murder weapon and “seldom hit the bullseye and sometimes missed the target completely.” The state argues that his poor accuracy demonstrated he knew firing toward Kirk from a rooftop, with thousands of people gathered below and around him, created a substantial risk that someone other than Kirk could be killed.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🔎Accused Charlie Kirk assassin Tyler Robinson allegedly &#8220;seldom hit the bullseye and sometimes missed the target completely&#8221; when taking practice shots with the suspected murder weapon, according to Utah prosecutors, who are trying to show that Robinson allegedly knew shooting… <a href="https://t.co/S3D3NbwT92">https://t.co/S3D3NbwT92</a> <a href="https://t.co/2ENUhKyRB5">pic.twitter.com/2ENUhKyRB5</a>
— Michael Ruiz (@mikerreports) <a href="https://x.com/mikerreports/status/2090073665647816895?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 19, 2026</a></blockquote>
That allegation is particularly significant because prosecutors must establish the aggravating circumstance that Robinson knowingly created a great risk of death to others for him to potentially face the death penalty upon conviction.
Robinson, 23, is accused of killing Kirk, 31, at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025. He has not entered a plea. Judge Tony Graf is expected to decide at a September 1 hearing whether prosecutors have established sufficient probable cause to send Robinson to trial.

Tyler Robinson

Prosecutors Make Final Push For Death Penalty In Tyler Robinson Case

Utah Prosecutors Make Final Push For Death Penalty, Slam Robinson Defense For Ethics Violation

assassination

Charlie Kirk

Courts

Criminal Justice

Death Penalty

Judge

Political Violence

Utah

An illegal immigrant from El Salvador is accused of fatally stabbing a Virginia mother before dumping her lifeless body near a jogging trail in Great Falls, Virginia, The Daily Wire has learned.
Police in Fairfax County said Wednesday that authorities had arrested 19-year-old Alexis Antonio Cedillos-Campos in connection with the homicide of Carmen Lizet Puch. Cedillos-Campos crossed the southern border into El Paso, Texas, in April 2024 and was quickly released into the United States, law enforcement sources told The Daily Wire.
At the time of his border crossing, Cedillos-Campos said he did not fear returning to his native country of El Salvador, but he was released anyway, sources said.
A jogger discovered Puch&#8217;s body just before 7 a.m. on Monday near her 2011 Honda Civic, which was parked in the lot at Difficult Run Park along Georgetown Pike near Old Dominion Drive, according to 7News.
&#8220;In Great Falls, it’s probably one of the safest places ever in the world,&#8221; Clare, who was out hiking with a friend Tuesday, said. &#8220;To have something happen like that feels personal, scary.&#8221;
Authorities said more details would be provided Wednesday afternoon.
&#8220;There is no immediate indication that this was a random act,&#8221; Capt. Jason Chandler said during a news conference on Monday.
Puch was the mother of a young daughter and worked with Cedillos-Campos at Bitez restaurant in Herndon, according to NBC Washington. Cedillos-Campos allegedly stabbed Puch while she was inside her vehicle.
Abdul Anwari, the owner of Bitez, said he and his employees were shocked after learning of Puch&#8217;s murder, NBC Washington reported.
“I don&#8217;t know if you can process something like this. It&#8217;s not something you expect. It&#8217;s not something that anyone would ever want to happen,” he told News4. “But you know, we&#8217;re still taking it [a] minute at a time.”
Anwari said a fundraiser has been set up to support Puch&#8217;s surviving daughter.
“We have a GoFundMe account set up, but we&#8217;re actually doing, we are personally donating to the family as well,” Anwari said. “But anyone in the community that can help, obviously, this is going to go directly to the family, and as far as I&#8217;m concerned, it should go to the daughter and make sure that she&#8217;s OK.”
Puch&#8217;s family members, who live in New Jersey, immediately drove to Virginia after learning of her killing to take care of her daughter, according to NBC Washington.

Untitled design – 2026-08-19T100359.432

Illegal Immigrant Fatally Stabbed Mother And Left Her Lifeless Body In Park, Police Say

Death

illegal immigrant

Stabbing

Lindsay Clancy had a heart rate of just 57 beats per minute just before, or potentially as she started to fatally strangle each of her three young children on January 24, 2023.
Testimony from digital forensic specialist Ian Whiffin <a href="https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/lindsay-clancy-trial-day-14-live-stream-live-updates-defense-witnesses-next/3998775/">revealed</a> Monday that Clancy&#8217;s Apple Watch recorded a heart rate of 57 bpm at 5:23 p.m. on the day of the killings. Prosecutors&#8217; digital timeline appears to place the killings in the roughly 5:23-5:38 p.m. window, although the Apple Watch did not record a heart rate throughout that period.
The recording sheds light on Clancy&#8217;s physiological state. Many people online reacted to the revelation, calling it &#8220;chilling.&#8221; Some suggested it showed Clancy&#8217;s methodical and planned approach to the horrific incident, while others viewed it as a sign to bolster the defense&#8217;s case that the mother was in psychosis, as opposed to a fit of rage.
<a href="https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/lindsay-clancy-trial-day-14-live-stream-live-updates-defense-witnesses-next/3998775/">According</a> to NBC Boston, Whiffin further revealed searches from Clancy&#8217;s devices in the days leading up to the killings. On January 12, a search was made for &#8220;how quickly does Wellbutrin [a prescription medication used to treat depression] work for depression.&#8221; Six days later, there was a search made for &#8220;ketamine for suicidal ideation.&#8221; And on January 19, searches were made for &#8220;symptoms of postpartum psychosis&#8221; and &#8220;psychosis symptoms.&#8221;
Clancy has not denied that she strangled her children, but her defense team is leaning on what&#8217;s commonly referred to as the insanity defense to argue that she was not criminally responsible for the killings because of her mental state.
The former labor and delivery nurse is on trial for three counts of first-degree murder. Clancy&#8217;s children were just 5 years old, 3 years old, and 8 months old. She has pleaded not guilty.
Clancy killed the children inside the family’s home in Duxbury, Massachusetts, after she sent her then-husband Patrick Clancy to pick up takeout food and medication. Prosecutors say Clancy then attempted suicide by jumping from a second-story window after cutting both her wrists. All three children died, and Clancy was left paralyzed from the waist down.
The case has gained national attention for a number of reasons, including the laundry list of psychiatric medications Clancy was prescribed after having her third child. Court records and medical reports indicate she was prescribed or took more than a dozen medications, including Zoloft, Ativan, Benadryl, trazodone, Prozac, Ambien, Remeron, Klonopin, Seroquel, Valium, and amitriptyline, with doctors changing or adjusting medications over time as her symptoms persisted.
Several of the psychiatric medications listed potential side effects including agitation, insomnia, suicidal thoughts, confusion, and, in rare cases, hallucinations or psychotic symptoms. According to court filings, Clancy’s medication regimen changed multiple times during the fall and winter of 2022 before the killings in January 2023.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/lindsay-clancy-strangled-her-three-children-why-some-people-want-her-set-free">Lindsay Clancy Strangled Her Three Children. Why Some People Want Her Set Free.</a>

GettyImages-2289661751

Chilling Testimony Reveals Lindsay Clancy’s Physiological State At Time Of Child Killings

Chilling Testimony Reveals Lindsay Clancy’s Low Heart Rate At Time Of Child Killings

anti-depressants

Court

Depression

Lindsay Clancy

Massachusetts

Medication

murder trial

postpartum depression

The mother of Lindsey Clancy took the stand Monday to describe the disturbing thoughts and mental deterioration that consumed her daughter in the weeks before Clancy strangled her three young children in their Massachusetts home.
Paula Musgrove testified for the defense in her daughter’s high-profile murder trial, describing changes she observed leading up to the January 24, 2023 killings of Clancy’s 5-year-old daughter, Cora, 3-year-old son, Dawson, and 8-month-old son, Callan. 
“I remember her being very nervous. I remember her saying, ‘I just have to tell you, guys something,’ and then she told us she had thoughts of harming the children,” Musgrove said before reading aloud a text she received from Lindsey in October 2022:
<blockquote>“Mom, will you please come up and stay with me for a bit. I’m really sick. Something is wrong. I had horrible insomnia all night, and I just don’t know how I’m going to get through the day. I started taking the medicine my doctor prescribed for anxiety and I think it’s made things worse. It’s just really scary and I don’t want to be alone.” </blockquote>
Clancy was prescribed 13 different medications over a four-month period, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-shocking-number-of-drugs-lindsay-clancy-was-prescribed?author=Brecca+Stoll&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=5&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=The+Shocking+Number+Of+Drugs+Lindsay+Clancy+Was+Prescribed">The Daily Wire previously reported</a>. The medications included amitriptyline, buspirone, clonazepam, diazepam, fluoxetine, hydroxyzine, lamotrigine, lorazepam, mirtazapine, quetiapine, sertraline, trazodone, and zolpidem.
In December 2022, Clancy also contacted psychiatric nurse practitioner Rebecca Jollotta through her patient portal about her reaction to Remeron, the brand name for mirtazapine.
“I really don’t like the way I feel on the Remeron, and I know that I can’t stick with taking it,” Clancy told psychiatric nurse practitioner Rebecca Jollotta through her patient portal in December 2022. “I started having very intrusive thoughts that I never had before.”
Musgrove testified that her daughter became increasingly concerned that officials at her children’s school were becoming aware of her deteriorating mental state. She also recalled Clancy losing a significant amount of weight and becoming paranoid about things that did not appear logical to her family.
“Lindsey had lost a lot of weight. She had become, during this whole time, paranoid about different things that really weren’t logical to become paranoid about,&#8221; Musgrove testified.
&#8220;She would mention that this wasn&#8217;t her mind,&#8221; Musgrove continued. &#8220;She would say to me, &#8216;This isn&#8217;t me. I&#8217;ve never been like this before.&#8217;”
 Musgrove said her daughter also complained of memory problems and blamed the medications she had been taking. 
“She said that she couldn&#8217;t remember anything. The medication was pretty much just destroying her mind, and it wasn&#8217;t her,&#8221; Musgrove testified. &#8220;She said that this isn&#8217;t me. I just want to feel better and enjoy my kids.” 
Clancy has pleaded not guilty to murder charges for strangling all three of her young children. Prosecutors say she strangled her three kids with <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/lindsay-clancys-courtroom-outburst-brings-trial-to-a-halt">exercise bands</a> before cutting her own wrists and throat and jumping from the second-story window. Clancy survived the fall but was left paralyzed from the waist down and has attended the trial in a wheelchair. 
The defense has not argued that Clancy did not strangle her three young children, but has instead argued that she is not criminally responsible for the killings by reason of insanity. Clancy, the defense says, was suffering from severe postpartum psychosis — made worse by a series of mood-altering medications — at the time of the killings.
The weeks-long trial has captivated much of the nation. It has sparked a heated debate in the court of public opinion about the role mental illness plays in criminal responsibility. 
Supporters of Clancy argue a failed medical establishment and postpartum psychosis led to the deaths of the three children. A <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-for-lindsay-clancys-parents">GoFundMe</a> for Clancy’s parents has raised a staggering $860,000 to help absorb what they called “the travel, lodging, and living costs required to remain close to their daughter.” 
The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh <a href="https://x.com/MattWalshBlog/status/2089375867545731075?s=20">pushed back</a> Monday on arguments that Clancy&#8217;s reported intrusive thoughts should lessen her responsibility for the killings. 
“All parents have intrusive thoughts in the sense that they worry about all the horrible things that might happen to their children. But a desire for that thing to happen, or a desire even to cause that thing to happen, is an entirely different matter,” Walsh said. 
“The former just makes you a normal person. It means you love your kids and are worried about their wellbeing. The latter means you’re a sick monster,” he added. “The latter is not normal or okay, and it’s also not something that any therapist or drug can easily solve for you.”

91339420007-clancy-mom-testimony-thumb

Mom Testifies About Lindsay Clancy’s Twisted Thoughts Before Killing Children

courtroom

Lindsey Clancy

Mental Illness

News

True Crime

Artificial intelligence giant OpenAI was instrumental in catching a South Palm Beach, Florida, man who turned to ChatGPT to plot a horrific, violent revenge scheme against his former girlfriend.
Darren Zhou, a 25-year-old former Goldman Sachs analyst, thought he was privately venting to an online chatbot after a brief six-month relationship ended. Instead, his digital confessions led him straight to federal law enforcement.
&#8220;I&#8217;m gonna kill her by the end of this month,&#8221; the finance worker wrote to AI, according to court documents. &#8220;If I can&#8217;t have her then nobody can.&#8221;
What started as a sob story about a breakup quickly spiraled into a nightmare roadmap of violence. Investigators say Zhou used the platform to lay out explicit blueprints to stalk, kidnap, rape, and murder the 21-year-old victim, saying he would &#8220;draw a gun, kill her, then shoot myself,” also writing he would &#8220;rape her with the gun too.&#8221; He also wrote, &#8220;I texted her I was gonna rape her tonight.&#8221;
He bragged to the bot about lying in wait at her local gym armed with weapons, threatening to force her to his home at gunpoint to assault and hold her hostage. He even claimed he texted her photos of zip ties, latex gloves, and firearms.
Zhou may not have known OpenAI’s strict safety protocols <a href="https://www.bgr.com/1990603/openai-monitors-chatgpt-to-prevent-threats/?zsource=yahoo">flag users</a> who post explicit threats of violence. The tech firm blew the whistle, handing over two months’ worth of Zhou&#8217;s disturbing chat logs to federal agents, who passed them to the Palm Beach County Sheriff&#8217;s Office.
“A deputy who reviewed the logs — which included only Zhou&#8217;s messages, not ChatGPT&#8217;s responses — said they weren&#8217;t ‘vague emotional outbursts’ but instead showed a pattern of rehearsal and planning,” The Palm Beach Post <a href="https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/crime/2026/08/14/openai-reported-florida-man-darren-zhou-chatgpt-murder-messages-fbi/91285875007/">reported</a>.
While Zhou was busy confessing his dark fantasies to his computer screen, he was terrorizing his ex in real life. The terrified young woman had blocked him across multiple platforms due to his stalker behavior. Zhou bombarded her from burner app numbers, sending vile, sexually explicit texts, and chilling location drop-ins like sending just the name of her gym while she was inside.
Deputies arrested the Northeastern University graduate in May. He was hit with felony charges including aggravated stalking, written threats to kill, and illegal use of a cell phone, which could lead to as much as 25 years behind bars.
But in a shocking courtroom twist, Zhou managed to walk away without serving a single day in prison or taking a felony conviction on his record.
State prosecutors struck a plea deal on August 13 that allowed Circuit Judge Scott Suskauer to withhold judgment, handing Zhou eight years of probation instead. The judge noted he only allowed the deal because the victim signed off on it.
Zhou’s attorney brushed off the horrific saga as a &#8220;difficult mental health episode,&#8221; claiming his client didn&#8217;t actually own guns and was &#8220;not a violent person.&#8221;
Judge Suskauer offered Zhou some blunt advice for his next relationship: &#8220;Get over it and move on. &#8230; No one deserves the type of conduct that you exposed this lady to.&#8221;
Zhou will now wear an ankle monitor for two years while completing court-mandated counseling.

In this photo illustration, the OpenAI (Open AI – Chat GPT)

ChatGPT Reports Man To FBI After Disturbing Threats

ChatGPT

Open AI

Luigi Mangione is expected to plead guilty Friday to federal stalking charges carrying life sentences in connection with the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson — a move that could have major implications for his upcoming murder trial. 
A guilty plea would mark a dramatic turnaround for the 28-year-old, who has long maintained his innocence and previously pleaded not guilty as he barrels towards a separate high-stakes murder trial in New York state court. 
The Department of Justice does not know whether Mangione will agree to plead guilty, but prosecutors would pursue a life sentence if he does, a source familiar with the matter told The Daily Wire.
The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/13/nyregion/luigi-mangione-guilty-plea-federal.html">stressed</a> that negotiations over a potential plea remain “sensitive” and could collapse at any moment. 
In his federal case, the Maryland native faces one count of interstate stalking resulting in death and one count of stalking through the use of interstate facilities resulting in death. Both charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison, <a href="https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/luigi-mangione-charged-stalking-and-murder-unitedhealthcare-ceo-brian-thompson-and-use">according to the Department of Justice.</a> A judge tossed out a firearms charge that would’ve made Mangione eligible for the federal death penalty.
“Mangione planned his attack for months and stalked his victim for days before murdering him — methodically planning when, where, and how to carry out his crime,” then-Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said at the time. 
In state court, Mangione faces eight charges, including second-degree murder, which carries a maximum sentence of 25 years to life. If he pleads guilty in federal court, his lawyers may argue that New York’s double-jeopardy protections prevent state prosecutors from trying him for murder because the state charges stem from the same criminal act as the federal case, the Times reported. 
“If a plea in the Federal case against Luigi Mangione is indeed being announced tomorrow, it sure seems the timing is intended to block the State trial,” Rich Schoenstein, a trial lawyer, <a href="https://x.com/LawfulRiches/status/2087899313259069841?s=20">said</a> on X. “Whether that succeeds remains to be seen.” 
“The State is a separate sovereign, and the charges are arguably quite different. If New York wants the trial to go forward anyway, it has an argument, and the issue will be hotly contested,” he added. 
The legal drama comes days after <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/luigi-mangione-trial-gets-anonymous-jury-over-fears-of-intimidation">The Daily Wire</a> reported that the high-profile murder case will proceed with an anonymous jury and expanded courtroom access after a judge finalized several key details ahead of the September proceedings.
Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Gregory Carro ruled that the identities of jurors will be kept from the public during the trial, which is scheduled to begin September 8 and is expected to last roughly six weeks. 
The anonymous jury comes as prosecutors warn that Mangione’s sizable and highly vocal supporter base could pressure witnesses and potential jurors. 
“The media attention surrounding this case — and the efforts of some of the defendant’s supporters both to intimidate witnesses and to interfere with the functioning of the jury — will place extraordinary pressure on witnesses and potential jurors alike,” Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Joel Seidemann wrote in a Monday letter to Carro obtained by <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/prosecutors-warn-luigi-mangione-supporters-may-intimidate-witnesses-jurors-murder-trial">Fox News</a>.
Prosecutors had asked the court to limit access to the proceedings and raised concerns that supporters could secretly record proceedings in an overflow room and distribute the footage. Carro nevertheless ordered that an overflow room be made available for members of the media and the public, after Mangione’s attorneys argued that limiting courtroom access would unfairly restrict coverage of the case.
The judge also warned that anyone who takes out a cellphone in either the courtroom or the overflow room will be removed.

Luigi Mangione Appears In Court Ahead Of September Trial For United Healthcare CEO Killing

Luigi Mangione Weighs Unusual Plea Move That Could Derail State Murder Trial

Luigi Mangione Could Plead Guilty To Federal Charges To Derail State Murder Trial

Brian Thompson

Luigi Mangione

New York

United Healthcare

A parent dropping off a child at a home daycare in Hopkins, Minnesota, on Wednesday witnessed a brutal attack that turned into a murder scene. 
Authorities said a 41-year-old woman and her 7-year-old daughter were later found stabbed to death at the home daycare the woman owned after a parent who witnessed the attack in the home&#8217;s basement called police. The killer was the woman&#8217;s husband and the young girl&#8217;s father, according to police.
Authorities said the husband shot himself after killing his wife and daughter. Six other children were at the home daycare at the time of the attack, but none of them were physically harmed. Authorities have not released the names of the victims or the suspect.
The Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families lists Kristen Brown as the owner of the home daycare and shows that she was licensed on February 1, 2019. The Daily Wire also reviewed a Facebook page belonging to Kristen Brown that featured photos of a daycare called Brown Bear Childcare.
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<div id="attachment_1156507" style="width: 639px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1156507" class="wp-image-1156507 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-12-at-3.57.43-PM-1-629x576.png" alt="" width="629" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-12-at-3.57.43-PM-1-629x576.png 629w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-12-at-3.57.43-PM-1-300x275.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-12-at-3.57.43-PM-1-768x703.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-12-at-3.57.43-PM-1.png 1136w" sizes=" (max-width: 629px) 100vw, 629px" />Google Earth Image</div>
&#8220;This is a horrific, tragic situation for any community, especially here in Hopkins, where we don’t see this type of crime,&#8221; Hopkins Police Chief Brent Johnson said.
&#8220;There&#8217;s no worse scenario than this, where you drop off your child somewhere you think is safe, and you get that phone call,&#8221; Johnson added. 
He confirmed six children who “were all very, very young children” were removed from the home daycare. Neighbor Amanda Marx witnessed the massive police response unfold from across the street around 9 a.m. CT.  
“Then they came out from the back and said, ‘Get the crime scene tape,” she said. Shortly after, she watched police escort the remaining children out of the house. Marx <a href="https://www.audacy.com/wben/news/national/minnesota-daycare-killings-brown-bear-hopkins-a4057d1d7c5a166e10bc3298f7f184fb">said</a> she had never met the couple and was unaware there was a daycare. 
At 12:23 p.m., Burnsville police <a href="https://www.fox9.com/news/burnsville-homicide-connected-hopkins-daycare-deaths-police-say">responded</a> to a separate stabbing at a home where they found a 78-year-old woman dead. Burnsville Police Chief Matt Smith said the victim was a &#8220;close family relative&#8221; of the suspect in the Hopkins incident, and that the suspect had recently lived in the home where the woman was found dead.
Brown&#8217;s Facebook shows she opened the daycare center in 2019 so that she could work from home with her firstborn, who was born in October 2018. 
“As much as I loved my previous positions, I believe that it is time to return to child care so that I can be home with her,” she <a href="https://www.facebook.com/brownbearmn">said</a>. She described the day-to-day routine in her home daycare as a “well-rounded experience.”

Crime scene

Routine Daycare Drop Off Turns Into Scene Of Unspeakable Horror

Daycare

Domestic Violence

Minnesota

A Los Angeles County grand jury has indicted Nick Reiner on murder charges in the brutal slayings of his parents, actor and director Rob and photographer and producer Michele Reiner. There was an additional allegation that he was lying in wait before the attack.
The <a href="https://da.lacounty.gov/media/news/nick-reiner-indicted-murder-charges-slaying-parents-rob-and-michele-reiner-brentwood">indictment</a> was returned on July 20 and was unsealed Wednesday, when Nick Reiner entered a plea of “not guilty.”
The grand jury indictment allows prosecutors to skip California’s preliminary hearing process. Because Nick is accused of lying in wait to attack, prosecutors are able to seek the death penalty, though they have not specified whether or not they intend to do so, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nick-reiner-rob-reiner-murder-indictment-5be8501d3ec21690ea031e3c33fb1c63">The Associated Press</a> reported.
“This was a profound betrayal by someone who was loved and trusted by the very people he is accused of killing,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said. “The indictment unsealed today also adds a special circumstance allegation that the defendant committed the murders by means of lying in wait. We hope that by having a grand jury return an indictment in this case it will bring us one step closer to a trial and achieving justice.”
Nick is currently being held without bail. He is scheduled to return to court for a pretrial hearing on September 15.
The deaths of Rob and Michele Reiner, who were discovered in their home on December 14, stunned Hollywood. Their son, Nick, was charged with their murders shortly afterward. Witnesses have alleged he was behaving erratically at a party hosted by Conan O’Brien shortly before the killings.
Nick Reiner’s two siblings, Romy, 28, and Jake, 34, issued a statement after their brother’s first court appearance in December.
“Words cannot even begin to describe the unimaginable pain we are experiencing every moment of the day. The horrific and devastating loss of our parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, is something that no one should ever experience. They weren’t just our parents; they were our best friends,” the statement read.
According to police documents, when Romy discovered her parents’ bodies, she told responding officers that her brother had been living in on the property and described him as “dangerous.”
Nick Reiner’s attorney, Alan Jackson, withdrew from the case for undisclosed reasons in January, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nick-reiner-loses-high-profile-attorney-ahead-of-arraignment-public-defender-appointed">reported</a>.

Nick Reiner

Nick Reiner Faces Death As Prosecutors Say He ‘Lay In Wait’ To Kill Parents

California

Entertainment

Rob Reiner

An Ohio mother and her two trans-identifying live-in lovers stand accused of torturing her 7-year-old to death after he was found bound with duct tape inside a closet at the family’s home.
Veteran homicide detective Kyle Smith testified in court on Friday, calling this case one of the worst he’s seen in his career, as FOX56 reported.
“In my 21 years of law enforcement experience, this is probably one of the most disturbing examples of child abuse that I’ve witnessed: physical beatings and blunt force injuries from striking devices on the face, torso, back, and upper and lower extremities,” Smith <a href="https://fox56.com/news/nation-world/kaitlin-evans-nessa-keaney-kirby-rankin-three-people-charged-murder-young-boy-death-oakley-endangering-children-hamilton-county-coroner-autopsy-madison-road-home-investigation-suspicious-death-court-friday-cincinnati-crime-criminal-acts">said</a>.
Seven-year-old William Evans, who was developmentally disabled, was reportedly beaten, burned, and held underwater for extended periods of time.
Kaitlin Evans, 38, and her live-in lovers Nessa Keaney, 23, and Kirby Rankin, 33, have been charged with abusing and murdering the child. Hamilton County Coroner Dr. Lakshmi Sammarco told reporters at a press conference on Tuesday that she “opened the closet door” and “just froze for a while” upon encountering the scene.
William’s cause of death was determined to be blunt force trauma to the head. The child’s skull was fractured, and his arm was broken, according to the coroner. Investigators were reportedly searching for a weapon associated with the abuse, and as of the latest reporting, sexual abuse had not been ruled out.
Sammarco said the child had likely been dead for &#8220;at least a day&#8221; before he was found.
The boy’s father did not live in the home. Per FOX56, he was openly sobbing in court and said to Evans, &#8220;Willie was my life. I trusted you to care for him.”
He added, “They kept him from me for the past nine months over lies.&#8221;
Evans’ lawyer said that the evidence will prove that “another individual who has been charged with this crime caused the death of this child.”
“We believe the state’s theory as it relates to Ms. Evans will be a failure to act,” the attorney <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/08/11/us-news/mom-trans-lovers-accused-of-killing-disabled-7-year-old-son/">said</a>, per The New York Post, claiming that Evans had not committed the crime herself but had failed to stop the person who did.&lt;
Evans, Keaney, and Rankin have each been charged with murder and child endangerment. They are currently behind bars as they await trial, with bond set at $1 million, with an additional $100,000 for all three of the accused.

trans murderers

Mother And Her Trans Lovers Charged With Torturing, Murdering 7-Year-Old Boy

Child Abuse

Ohio

Transgender

A criminal trial fanatic ambushed the attorney for Lindsay Clancy in her high-profile murder trial, asking one question that first got laughs — and then a detailed story.
Defense attorney Kevin Reddington immediately recognized &#8220;CourtDawgDaniel&#8221; when he came out of the building, and agreed to walk with him down the street. Reddington&#8217;s reaction made it clear he was not prepared for the question that followed.
&#8220;I met you the other day,&#8221; Daniel said, after getting Reddington&#8217;s attention.
&#8220;Court Dawg!&#8221; Reddington replied, realizing he was on camera and adding, &#8220;At least my shirt&#8217;s tucked in.&#8221;
&#8220;Can I walk with you down to the —?&#8221; Court Dawg asked, gesturing toward the end of the street.
&#8220;Of course you can,&#8221; Reddington replied. &#8220;Whatever you want.&#8221;
Court Dawg went on to explain that he loved to attend criminal trials, traveling from court to court in his RV to see as many as he could: &#8220;So I&#8217;ve been coming to your trial and just really enjoying it, but I just have one question for you that probably has nothing to do with this case. Did you always know you wanted to be a lawyer?&#8221;
Reddington, clearly taken aback, laughed: &#8220;That&#8217;s a great question.&#8221;
&#8220;I have a distinct memory of when I was in high school, I think probably junior year,&#8221; Reddington continued, adding that he&#8217;d found himself in a bit of trouble and landed in the dean&#8217;s office. &#8220;And while I was sitting there waiting for him to come in and yell at me, I was bored so I happened to pull out a book — and it was careers, and I read the thing about lawyers, and it had a picture of Abraham Lincoln, and I said, &#8216;Hey, that might be fun.'&#8221;
&#8220;That was the only time I ever thought about it really,&#8221; he said.
&#8220;And you never went back [and changed your mind],&#8221; Court Dawg prompted.
&#8220;Nope, I went to Boston College, and back then everybody wanted to be a lawyer, so then you take the LSATs, you go to law school, and here we are,&#8221; Reddington replied.
Court Dawg admitted that he was trying to &#8220;live vicariously&#8221; through the attorneys he watched, saying, &#8220;I&#8217;m an engineer. I wish I had been a lawyer.&#8221;
Reddington interrupted then: &#8220;But can I tell you, I don&#8217;t want to live vicariously through you as an engineer.&#8221;
Reddington&#8217;s current trial — involving Massachusetts mother <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/lindsay-clancy-diary-entries-puts-focus-on-psych-meds">Lindsay Clancy</a> — is expected to last six to eight weeks. The defense is arguing that Clancy, who was reportedly suffering from postpartum depression at the time, is not criminally responsible for strangling her three young children before attempting suicide herself.

Patrick Clancy describes ex-wife’s mental health struggles leading up to children’s deaths in her murder trial

Lindsay Clancy’s Attorney Asked Unexpected Question After Fiery Cross-Examination

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