Crime

New Orleans’ NBC affiliate reports: A former New Orleans priest who pleaded guilty to rape and kidnapping has died at 93, according to his attorney, Bobby Hjortsberg. Lawrence Hecker was sentenced to life in prison Wednesday, Dec. 18, after pleading guilty to aggravated kidnapping, aggravated crime against nature, first-degree rape, and theft. He died at Elayn Hunt Correctional Center on …

CBS News reports: Mount Prospect, Illinois police said 11 teenage boys, one 16 and the others 17, were charged with felonies, including aggravated battery, criminal damage to property, and mob action. Police said around 9:45 p.m., a 41-year-old man walked into the department and reported that he was beaten by a group of teens in the parking lot of a …

NBC News reports: The office of New York’s attorney general released body camera footage Friday showing the fatal beating of a state prisoner this month by correctional officers who punched and kicked him repeatedly while he was handcuffed on an infirmary bed. The incident, which has drawn outrage from political leaders and was condemned by the officers’ union as “incomprehensible,” …

The Associated Press reports: A Colorado man is facing possible bias-motivated charges for allegedly attacking a television news reporter after demanding to know whether he was a citizen, saying “This is Trump’s America now,” according to court documents. Patrick Thomas Egan, 39, was arrested Dec. 18 in Grand Junction, Colorado, after police say he followed KKCO/KJCT reporter Ja’Ronn Alex’s vehicle …

The New York Times reports: For a crime to be considered terrorism, the government must prove that the perpetrator intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population, influence the policy of a unit of government or affect the conduct of a unit of government. Prosecutors can use criminal charges both as a means to punish people for what they have …

The Associated Press reports: Defense lawyers say the former longtime CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch may have dementia, and a competency hearing is necessary to determine if he can face sex charges. Lawyers for Michael Jeffries said in court papers unsealed Monday in federal court in Central Islip on Long Island that a neuropsychologist who examined Jeffries in October concluded …

NBC News reports: Shane Lamond, the former head of the Metropolitan Police intelligence unit in Washington who was indicted last year for feeding information to a Proud Boys leader, was found guilty on Monday. Proud Boys chief Enrique Tarrio is serving 22 years after being convicted of seditious conspiracy in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. …

From the Justice Department: U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang sentenced Brian Patrick Werth, 40, of Beltsville, Maryland, to 37 years in federal prison, followed by 25 years of supervised release, for two counts of producing child sexual abuse material. Erek L. Barron, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge Michael S. …

Bloomberg News reports: Luigi Mangione pleaded not guilty to New York state murder charges Monday over the shooting of a top UnitedHealth Group Inc. executive, kicking off a high-profile case that will likely be the first to go to trial.  The 26-year-old Maryland native appeared with his lawyers in a Manhattan courtroom to be arraigned on multiple counts, including first- …

Ars Technica reports: Craig Wright, the man who claims he invented bitcoin and has been filing lawsuits asserting intellectual property rights, was sentenced to a year in prison yesterday for committing contempt of court. The sentence is suspended and can be enforced if Wright continues violating court rulings—but he may be able to avoid imprisonment by staying away from countries …

Jonesboro, Arkansas’s CW affiliate reports: A former Craighead County pastor accused of sexual assault will spend the next decade behind bars. Second Judicial Circuit Court Judge Scott Ellington sentenced 58-year-old Anthony Lee Strickland, of Bono, after pleading guilty to two counts of sexual assault. He was charged Nov. 16, 2021, with one count of rape and one count of sexual …

The New York Times reports: Federal prosecutors late on Thursday unsealed a murder case against the suspect in the shooting of UnitedHealthcare’s chief executive, holding out the possibility of the death penalty even after a trial on separate state charges. The federal criminal complaint against the suspect, Luigi Mangione, 26, includes one count of using a firearm to commit murder, …

The Daily Beast reports: Mangione’s arrival was unusually circus-like, even for a high-profile suspect in a federal case, according to John Miller, CNN’s chief law enforcement analyst, who was once a deputy commissioner for the NYPD. Someone accused of a “particularly heinous” crime might receive some increased security measures, like a bullet-proof vest, for their own protection. “In this case, …

New Orleans’ NBC affiliate reports: A former New Orleans priest who pleaded guilty to rape and kidnapping has been sentenced to life in prison. Lawrence Hecker, 93, was sentenced Wednesday, just weeks after he entered his plea moments before jury selection was slated to begin in his trial He does not have the eligibility for parole. District Attorney Jason Williams …

The New York Times reports: The suspect in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare’s chief executive on a Manhattan sidewalk this month will now face federal charges in addition to the state murder indictment brought against him, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. It was not immediately clear what charges the suspect, Luigi Mangione, would face in the …

MSNBC reports: Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, waived extradition on Thursday, paving the way for him to be transported to New York to face the criminal charges against him. Mangione, 26, was indicted Tuesday by a New York City grand jury on 11 counts: one count of first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism; …

New York City’s NBC affiliate reports: Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old Ivy League grad arrested last week in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, is receiving mail while in jail in Pennsylvania awaiting an extradition hearing. The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections said Mangione has received 33 emails and six pieces of mail while in custody. When asked by NBC News …

NBC News reports: The Dow fell 267 points Tuesday, closing 0.6% lower after nine straight days of declines — its longest losing streak since 1978. The downturn has coincided with a steep drop in the shares of UnitedHealthcare’s parent company since CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed in New York City on Dec. 4. UnitedHealth Group’s stock has tumbled …

AM New York reports: A grand jury has indicted alleged Midtown assassin Luigi Mangione for the Dec. 4 murder United HealthCare CEO Brian Thompson outside a hotel, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced Tuesday. Two of the counts in the indictment were elevated as acts of terrorism or in furtherance of terrorism. Mangione, 26, remains locked up in Pennsylvania following …

Detroit’s CBS affiliate reports: The Michigan Court of Appeals ruled to uphold charges against two men accused of issuing robocalls to intimidate Detroit voters during the 2020 election. The court ruled there was enough evidence to show that the robocalls issued by Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl were “intentionally false,” according to a news release. The decision comes after the …