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Judge vacates double-murder conviction of a Chicago man; cites evidence supporting innocence

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:18:52 GMT

A judge on Tuesday vacated the double-murder conviction of a Chicago man who has spent the last 34 years in prison for the shooting deaths of two 14-year-old boys.Francisco Benitez, 52, maintained his innocence in a motion for post-conviction relief, saying he had an alibi for the April 28, 1989, slayings of Prudencio Cruz and William Sanchez and that he was being framed by Chicago police detectives.Cook County Judge Sophia Atcherson made the ruling, citing evidence supporting Benitez’s innocence presented during a hearing earlier this year. She released Benitez on a personal recognizance bond with electronic monitoring.However, Benitez still faces murder charges because prosecutors haven’t dropped the case. “This has been a very, very long road, and I’m glad my son is coming home,” his mother, Betty Benitez, said. “This is not normal,” said Joshua Tepfer, one of Benitez’s attorneys from the Exoneration Project, of the volume of overturned convictions in Cook County. “It’s an ...

Guatemala’s president-elect faces legal challenges that seek to weaken him. Here’s what’s happening

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:18:52 GMT

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Guatemala’s Aug. 20 presidential election has been bogged down in court and legal challenges despite the fact the results were clear: Progressive candidate Bernardo Arévalo won about 61% of the vote to conservative Sandra Torres’ 39%. After weeks of uncertainty, the top electoral court finally certified Arévalo as the winner Monday. But federal prosecutors are seeking to suspend his party, throwing into doubt whether he will have any support in congress. And Torres has filed court challenges seeking to overturn the election result, alleging fraud in the vote count — something none of the independent election observer groups reported. How did it get so complicated?FIRST, YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND CORRUPTIONGovernmental corruption and impunity was so bad in Guatemala that in 2006 the country had to call in a United Nations-backed commission, known as CICIG, to combat it. The commission’s work led to some serious results: In 2015, Guatemala became one of the fe...

India’s moon rover confirms sulfur and detects several other elements near the lunar south pole

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:18:52 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s moon rover confirmed the presence of sulfur and detected several other elements near the lunar south pole as it searches for signs of frozen water nearly a week after its historic moon landing, India’s space agency said Tuesday.The rover’s laser-induced spectroscope instrument also detected aluminum, iron, calcium, chromium, titanium, manganese, oxygen and silicon on the lunar surface, the Indian Space Research Organization, or ISRO, said in a post on its website.The lunar rover had come down a ramp from the lander of India’s spacecraft after last Wednesday’s touchdown near the moon’s south pole. The Chandrayan-3 Rover is expected to conduct experiments over 14 days, the ISRO has said.The rover “unambiguously confirms the presence of sulfur,” ISRO said. It also is searching for signs of frozen water that could help future astronaut missions, as a potential source of drinking water or to make rocket fuel. The rover also will study the moon’s...

6 men killed in ambush in southern Mexico town near Guatemala border known for migrant smuggling

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:18:52 GMT

TAPACHULA, Mexico (AP) — Prosecutors in southern Mexico said Tuesday that at least six men were killed in an apparent ambush in a township near the Guatemalan border that is known as a migrant smuggling route. Prosecutors in the southern state of Chiapas said the killings occurred Tuesday along a rural road in the township of Siltepec, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) from the border with Guatemala. The victims all appear to have been riding in the same pickup truck when attackers opened fire on them from the roadside.According to videos posted on social media, most of the victims appeared to be wearing black T-shirts and jeans with short haircuts.The area has long been known as a migrant smuggling route. But it has also become the scene recently of bloody turf battles between the Jalisco and Sinaloa cartels for control of the smuggling and extortion businesses. In the nearby city of Motozintla, the largest population center in the area, residents and taxi and bus drivers marched to p...

Convicted rapist who escaped from Arkansas prison using jet ski in 2022 is captured, authorities say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:18:52 GMT

LEWISBURG, W.Va. (AP) — A convicted rapist who authorities say used a jet ski during an escape from an Arkansas prison last year was arrested Tuesday in West Virginia, the U.S. Marshals Service said.Samuel Paul Hartman, 39, was arrested along with his wife, his mother and his mother’s boyfriend at a hotel in Lewisburg, the Marshals Service said in a news release. The women are accused of helping Hartman escape in August 2022 from the East Arkansas Regional Unit in Brickeys, 96 miles (155 kilometers) east of Little Rock. Hartman was on a work detail in a field near the detention facility when a pickup truck with the women inside approached. Several gunshots were fired at a corrections officer from the waiting vehicle as Hartman ran to it. The vehicle fled to two jet skis staged near the Mississippi River not far from the prison, the statement said.Police have said the abandoned jet skis were found on the Mississippi side of the river and that a witness reported seeing one man a...

Eye drop recall grows after FDA warning, reports of 'adverse events'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:18:52 GMT

(WJW) – A nationwide recall of tainted eye drops is growing after bacterial and fungal contamination were found in sample tests, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).Dr. Berne's Whole Health Products is now voluntarily recalling all lots of the company's MSM Drops 5% Solution, 15% Solution, Organic Castor Oil Eye Drops and MSM Mist 15% Solution.The FDA says Dr. Berne's has received reports of "two adverse events" related to the recall and warns that the contamination could cause the loss of vision or a life-threatening infection.According to the Dr. Berne's website, Dr. Sam Berne has helped patients in New Mexico for over 25 years "to improve their vision and overall wellness through holistic methods." Stop using these two types of eye drops, FDA warns At the bottom of the website is the disclaimer: "These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease."(Credit: FDA...

Canada warns residents visiting US about anti-LGBTQ laws

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:18:52 GMT

(The Hill) — Canada is warning LGBTQ travelers to the U.S. they may face discrimination and possible harassment because of dozens of recently passed state laws that target LGBTQ people.The Canadian government in an update posted Tuesday said LGBTQ Canadians considering a trip to the U.S. should “check relevant state and local laws” before visiting, warning that “some states have enacted laws and policies that may affect 2SLGBTQI+ persons.”The updated travel advisory does not specify which states LGBTQ travelers should avoid, and the risk associated with travel to the U.S. is still the lowest possible. Visitors are advised to “take similar precautions to those you would take in Canada” when traveling to the U.S. Airline starts weighing passengers: Here’s why Canada’s warning comes amid a historic year for anti-LGBTQ state legislation in the U.S., with nearly 500 bills introduced by lawmakers in 46 states, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). A...

The Effigies singer John Kezdy dies at 64

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:18:52 GMT

CHICAGO — John Kezdy, an Illinois prosecutor and the singer for the Chicago punk rock band The Effigies, died on Saturday from injuries sustained in a bike crash in the northern suburbs earlier in the week. 64-year-old Kezdy was hospitalized after the crash on Wednesday, August 23, which occurred near the intersection of Sheridan Road and South Avenue in Glencoe. He succumbed to his injuries on Saturday, August 26, after several days in the hospital. Highland Park man dies, ID’d after crashing bike in northern suburbs Kezdy, a Highland Park resident was riding his bike along Sheridan Road when he crashed into the back of a stopped Dodge Ram ProMaster, according to Glencoe Public Safety. Officials say an investigation into the crash by the North Regional Major Crash Assistance Team is ongoing.Paul Zamost, a member of The Effigies, confirmed the death to WGN News on Tuesday afternoon."He was a unique individual," Zamost said.The Effigies formed in Chicago 1980 and released five stud...

All Paxton impeachment witnesses ordered to appear on first day of trial

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:18:52 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — More than 100 witnesses in the impeachment trial for suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton must appear in-person to the Texas Senate at the start of the trial next week. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick — the presiding officer of the trial as Senate president — signed an order on Tuesday compelling "each person appearing as a witness in the trial of impeachment" to appear outside the front of the Senate chamber on Sept. 5, the first day of Paxton's trial.Attorneys presenting the case on behalf of the House impeachment managers plan to call Paxton himself to the witness stand, according to a Dallas Morning News report after obtaining copies of witness lists. Nexstar has not independently confirmed the potential witnesses.Paxton's lawyers have said he will not testify, although the managers argue if subpoenaed as a witness, they can compel him to take the witness stand even if Paxton's refuses to answer questions under his constitutional rights. Sources: Paxton will not resi...

Myon Burrell, freed after teenage imprisonment, arrested in Robbinsdale for alleged gun/drug possession

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:18:52 GMT

Myon Burrell, who was sent to prison for life as a teenager but was set free after 18 years behind bars, was arrested in a Minneapolis suburb Tuesday after police said they found a handgun and drugs in his SUV.Burrell, now 37, was released in 2020 after Minnesota’s pardons board commuted his sentence in a high-profile Minneapolis murder case. The Black man’s prosecution and harsh punishment raised questions about the integrity of the criminal justice system that put him away for the death of a young girl killed by a stray bullet.The Associated Press and APM Reports in 2020 uncovered new evidence and serious flaws in the police investigation, ultimately leading to the creation of an independent national legal panel to review the case.The Robbinsdale Police Department said in a news release that an officer on routine patrol Tuesday spotted an SUV veering out of its lane and followed it. The SUV continued to drive erratically, above the speed limit, and went over the lane d...