Tag: murder

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Trump Finally Admits Saudi Arabia Responsible For Journalist’s Death

Donald Trump

After spending days accepting Saudi Arabia’s explanation for the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, despite the skepticism of world leaders, Donald Trump changed course saying, “Somebody really messed up.”

According to HuffPost, Trump told reporters at the White House today, “They had a very bad original concept. It was carried out poorly and the cover-up was one of the worst cover-ups in the history of cover-ups. Very simple. Bad deal, should have never been thought of. Somebody really messed up.”

On Tuesday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey told lawmakers in his country that he did not believe Saudi Arabia’s initial explanation for Khashoggi’s death and openly accused Saudi officials of carrying out premeditated murder.

“The information obtained so far and the evidence found shows that Khashoggi was murdered in a ferocious manner,” Erdogan said.

Trump, who’s known for his own blunt style, called Erdogan’s comments “pretty rough.”

Trump also indicated that Congress should decide how to proceed on the matter.

“In terms of what we ultimately do, I’m going to leave it very much — in conjunction with me — I’m going to leave it up to Congress,” Trump said.

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Saudi Arabia Changes Story: Kashoggi Murder Was “A Rogue Operation”

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir

In an appearance on Fox News today, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir presented the new version of events that led to the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Turkey.

As expected for days, the new version describes the murder of Khashoggi as “a rogue operation.”

Adel al-Jubeir told the Fox News viewers that Khashoggi was killed in a “criminal” act committed by individuals operating “outside the scope of their authority.”

“There obviously was a tremendous mistake made and what compounded the mistake was the attempt to try to cover up. That is unacceptable in any government,” he said.

The foreign minister denies any involvement by the crown prince of Saudi Arabia.

Republican lawmakers are NOT happy.

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Donald Trump Shifts Tone On Saudi Arabia’s ‘Explanation’ Of Journalist’s Death

Donald Trump

After days and days of defending the Saudi Arabian government, Donald Trump is finally shifting his position (in the face of mounting evidence) regarding the Saudi’s story regarding the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggie.

Frpm The Washington Post:

President Trump retreated late Saturday from his stance that Saudi Arabia’s story about the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside their Turkish consulate was credible but still gave a strong vote of confidence to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, arguing the United States’ relationship with the kingdom is key to his administration’s policy objectives in the Middle East.

“Obviously there’s been deception and there’s been lies,” Trump said in an interview with The Washington Post when pressed on the many discrepancies in the changing accounts from the Saudis. “Their stories are all over the place.”

He did not call for the ouster of Mohammed and instead praised his leadership, calling the prince “a strong person, he has very good control.” During the 20-minute interview, Trump repeatedly talked about the importance of the economic ties between the United States and Saudi Arabia and Mohammed’s role in that relationship.

During an appearance on Fox News this morning, Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky said that he does not believe Saudi Arabia’s explanation that Khashoggi died in a fist fight gone wrong at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2.

“There’s no way 15 people were sent to Turkey to kill a dissident without the approval of the crown Prince,” Paul said, referencing the fifteen Saudis reportedly involved in Khashoggi’s death.

“I think we really need to discontinue our arms sales to Saudi Arabia and have a long and serious discussion about whether or not they want to be an ally or they want to be an enemy,” added Paul.

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Killer Gets Prison Sentence Reduced Using “Gay Panic” Defense

A 35-year-old man in India had been found guilty of the stabbing murder of his friend and was in the 7th year of his sentence when he appealed to the Bombay High Court crying 'gay panic.'

Another murderer has successfully utilized the ‘gay panic’ defense in an effort to see his prison sentence reduced.

A 35-year-old man in India had been found guilty of the stabbing murder of his friend and was in the 7th year of his sentence when he appealed to the Bombay High Court crying ‘gay panic.’

From Gay Star News:

Originally convicted for murder and given a life sentence, the court reduced his sentence. The court’s changed the man’s sentence to culpable homicide and released him for time already served.

The man appealed his original sentence saying his friend was trying to have ‘unnatural sex’ with him and that’s why he attacked him.

In their ruling the court Justices said the man’s story seemed ‘plausible’.

‘If a person is asked to indulge in an unnatural sex act and assaulted, it is quite probable such a person in the heat of passion would assault the person demanding such unnatural act,’ the justices said.

Gay panic defenses in the U.S. have been banned in California, Rhode Island and Illinois.

In 2013, the American Bar Association approved a resolution condemning the practice.

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Convicted Murderer: “Homosexuals Are A Disease To Mankind And Must Be Put Down”

Peter Avsenew

 A 33-year-old Florida man, who was convicted of the 2010 double homicide of a gay couple in the gay-centric neighborhood of Wilton Manors, will receive the death penalty.

While a court-appointed lawyer asked for mercy saying Peter Avsenew had been sexually abused by his stepfather as child and lost his sister to murder, Broward County Circuit Judge Ilona Holmes upheld the unanimous recommendation of the jury that he be put to death.

Avsenew was convicted last fall of the murders of Kevin Powell and Stephen Adams, a gay couple who had been together for 30 years.

According to prosecutors during the trial, Avsenew met the men through a sexually suggestive ad on Craigslist. After killing the couple, he stole their car, belongings and money.

At his sentencing hearing in January, the convicted killer flipped off members of the family in the court room after hearing the jury’s recommendation for the death penalty.

He told the judge at the time of sentencing he had no regrets and he was “proud of the decisions” he’d made in his life, according to the local ABC news affiliate.

While the judge could have spared his life, Avsenew sealed his own fate by writing a letter to the Holmes saying “It is my duty as a white man to cull the weak and timid from existence.”

“Homosexuals are a disease to mankind and must be put down,” he added. “These weren’t the first and won’t be the last.”

Missy Badget, a family member of one of the victims, said at the time, “After what happened in that courtroom just now, I’m happy that he’s being put to the death penalty.”

Avsenew is the first convicted felon to receive the death penalty since a new law went into effect requiring a jury to be unanimous in its recommendation for execution.

(h/t Sun-Sentinel)

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California Man Denies Alleged Murder Was Hate Crime

A 21-year-old man from Newport Beach accused of killing a former classmate could face life in prison without parole after prosecutors added a hate crime enhancement to murder charges.
Samuel Woodward is accused in the stabbing death of Blaze Bernstein

A 21-year-old man from Newport Beach accused of killing a former classmate could face life in prison without parole after prosecutors added a hate crime enhancement to murder charges.

Samuel Woodward is accused of murder in the stabbing death of his former high school classmate Blaze Bernstein.

Bernstein was reported missing by his parents in January while he was visiting home during the winter break at the University of Pennsylvania. His body was eventually found in a shallow grave in Borrego Park with over 20 stab wounds.

DNA evidence found in Woodward’s car and Borrego Park led to his arrest.

At the time the hate crime component was added to charges, Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas told CBS News that a search of Woodward’s social media and cellphone data revealed “graphic” and “chilling” photos and text messages.

Rackauckas said the material, which was “homophobic, anti-Semitic, misogynistic and anti-government” showed Woodward’s “dark side.”

CBS News also reports that Woodward has been linked to white supremacist group.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Woodward denied the hate crime enhancement during a court appearance on Wednesday even though Woodward admits it was a kiss that sparked the altercation.

According to an affidavit, Woodward told investigators that Bernstein kissed him while they were sitting in a parked car Jan. 2. Woodward told authorities the kiss was unwanted and that he pushed Bernstein away.

After Wednesday’s court appearance, Woodward’s attorney, Edward Munoz, said his client has been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, a developmental disorder that can hinder a person’s ability to socialize or communicate.

Munoz said that “there’s going to be some evidence that comes out to say he’s very confused” about both his sexual identity and “his own identity.”

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Los Angeles: Mother Charged In Murder Of Her 10-Year-Old Son

Heather Barron, the mother of 10-year-old Anthony Avalos, was arrested Friday and charged in the murder of the boy, who authorities say was the victim of child abuse.
Anthony Avalos 

Heather Barron, the mother of 10-year-old Anthony Avalos, was arrested Friday and charged in the murder of the boy, who authorities say was the victim of child abuse.

Both the mother and boyfriend are accused of torturing the boy to death possibly in connection to his recently coming out saying “I like boys.”

From The LA Times:

Heather Barron, 28, was arrested Friday morning and charged with murder, child abuse resulting in death, and torture, said Nicole Nishida, a spokeswoman with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Barron’s boyfriend, Kareem Leiva, 32, was also arrested earlier this week. He was charged Friday with murder, torture and assault on a child causing death, the district attorney’s office said in a statement.

Barron appeared in a Lancaster courtroom Friday, but her arraignment was postponed to Monday. Leiva, who is being treated for a laceration to his neck, will be arraigned after he is medically cleared. If convicted as charged, Barron faces a possible maximum sentence of 22 years to life in prison, and Leiva faces 32 years to life.

Anthony was found with severe injuries at his family’s apartment in Lancaster on June 20 and died the following day. Investigators classified the death as suspicious, and county officials removed other children from the home as the investigation continued.

The L.A. County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday called for a comprehensive review of Anthony’s case history and shortcomings in the child welfare and law enforcement systems that may have contributed to his death.

Before he died, young Anthony had been beaten, starved, forced to eat food from garbage and locked in tiny spaces. Anthony has six siblings who were apparently subjected to the same horrors.

May Barron and Leiva rot in prison for the rest of their miserable lives.

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Mother’s Boyfriend Charged With Murder Of 10-Year-Old Boy

Anthony Avalos was found unresponsive after suffering major injuries. He died the next day. His mother's boyfriend has been charged with his muder. Authorities believe homophobia was a factor in Anthony's death.
Anthony Avalos

On June 20, 10-year-old Anthony Avalos was found unresponsive at his family’s home having suffered severe head injuries and cigarette burns covered his body.

He died on the Thursday 21st.

According to reports, the boy had recently come out as gay saying “I like boys.” Authorities believe homophobia played a part in his death.

The boyfriend of the boy’s mother, who’s a member of a violent gang in Southern California, has now been arrested and charged with the murder of the 10-year-old.

From NBC News:

Anthony Avalos was taken to a hospital on June 20 after his mother, Heather Barron, called 911 to report that he had been injured in a fall, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. He was not breathing and unresponsive when emergency workers found him in his Lancaster home, and he died the next day.

Anthony Avalos’ death bears a striking resemblance to a 2013 case in neighboring Palmdale, less than 10 minutes from Lancaster. Eight-year-old Gabriel Fernandez died in May 2013 after being routinely beaten and starved by his mother and her boyfriend. Prosecutors said Gabriel was systematically abused because his mother’s boyfriend thought the boy was gay.

At a news conference on Wednesday, Sheriff Jim McDonnell said Barron’s boyfriend, Kareem Leiva, 32, had been arrested on murder charges and was being held on $2 million bail.

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Ohio: Convicted Murderer Attempts To Escape Execution Via “Gay Panic” Defense

Back in 1985, Robert Van Hook, pictured left, strangled and stabbed 25-year-old David Self to death in Cincinnati, before stealing some of his belongings and fleeing. He is currently scheduled to be executed on July 18.

Van Hook is now attempting to claim “gay panic” as a defense for his actions in order to save his life.

Prosecutors call the ploy “nonsense,” pointing out it fit into a well established pattern of behavior.

“This is a man who had cynically manipulated homosexuals for years. He posed as a gay [man]; he frequented bars that were gay and he preyed on vulnerable victims who were gay,” the Hamilton County prosecutor’s office said in a filing with the board.

Van Hook’s attorneys say their client was suffering from the effects of abuse he experienced as a child They add he was “troubled by increasing questions about his own sexual identity.”

Currently, two states have laws banning gay or trans panic defenses: Illinois and California.

Last month, James Miller of Texas, successfully used the strategy to avoid a prison.

Miller said he stabbed his neighbor, Daniel Spencer, after he had tried to kiss him.

Miller was sentenced to only ten years probation after being found guilty of criminally negligent homicide.

Think on that for a while…

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Mother Of Murdered 8-Year-Old Boy She Suspected Was Gay Pleads Guilty, Receives Life Sentence

8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez

The mother of an 8-year-old Palmdale boy pleaded guilty to the 2013 death of her son who died after suffering brutal beatings and starvation.

According to prosecutors, the mother and her boyfriend tortured Gabriel Fernandez because they suspected he was gay.

Via The LA Times:

In a downtown Los Angeles courtroom, Pearl Sinthia Fernandez admitted that the 2013 killing of her son Gabriel was intentional and involved the infliction of torture.

Her guilty plea avoided a trial, where prosecutors were expected to seek the death penalty. Fernandez’s defense lawyers had opposed capital punishment, arguing that her low IQ made her ineligible for death row. A judge is scheduled to sentence her June 7 to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Shackled at the waist and wearing a jail-issued smock, Fernandez, 34, spoke in a faint, muted voice on Thursday as she accepted the conditions of the plea agreement.

“You will never be paroled. You will never be released from prison,” Deputy Dist. Atty. Jon Hatami told her. “Do you understand and agree to this?”

“Yes,” said Fernandez as her lawyer, Deputy Alternate Public Defender Julia Dixon, comforted her.

On May 22, 2013, young Gabriel was found by paramedics in an unconscious state. He had a cracked skull, broken ribs, his skin was burned and bruised, he was missing teeth and BB pellets were found in his groin. He died two days later.

The investigation into Gabriel’s death revealed massive lapses by L.A. county social workers who visited the boy’s home six times but never took action despite physical evidence of torture.

Fernandez and her boyfriend, Isauro Aguirre, both brutalized young Gabriel for months leading up to his death. The 8-year-old was forced to sleep in a cabinet bound and gagged, eat his own vomit and cat feces, and was beaten with a belt over and over.

Aguirre was convicted of first-degree murder on Nov. 1. The jury recommended the death penalty. Aguirre will be sentenced on March 8.

More on my reporting of the tragic events surrounding Gabriel’s death here.