Tag: crime

Judge Orders Colorado to Stop Throwing Prisoners in Solitary for Refusing to Work

In 2019, while incarcerated at the Centennial Correctional Facility in Colorado and assigned to shifts in the kitchen, Nadia Reed refused to work for two days in one month. All incarcerated people in Colorado are required to labor, and are typically paid mere cents an hour. Her punishment for that decision was being confined to her cell alone for 23 hours a day for 30 days, unable to interact with any other incarcerated people, not even during the hour she was allowed out for exercise and to shower. She was also denied the ability to talk to her loved ones. In court testimony, she described the isolation as “very depressing,” leading her to self-harm. 

The following year, after Reed completed her assigned shift in the kitchen, she was ordered to stay longer to do additional work. She refused, for which she was handcuffed, shackled, strip searched, put in solitary confinement and once again confined to her cell for 23 hours a day, according to her testimony. As a result of the incident, Reed was reclassified from medium security to a higher level, and she says she was sexually assaulted when she was moved into that part of the prison.

Experiences like Reed’s are common in Colorado, with Bolts reporting in 2023 that incarcerated people there are routinely subjected to solitary confinement and other punishments for refusing to work. But that could soon be a thing of the past. In a groundbreaking ruling last month in a lawsuit filed against the state by Harold Mortis and Richard Lilgerose, men who were punished for refusing to work in crowded prison kitchens during the COVID-19 pandemic, a state district court judge found that Colorado is violating incarcerated people’s rights by the way it punishes them for refusing to work. 

The judge ruled that Colorado has failed to abide by a change voters made to their state constitution in 2018 that erased language allowing “slavery and involuntary servitude as punishment for a crime.”

While the 13th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution abolished slavery at the end of the Civil War, it included a carveout that sanctions it as punishment for people convicted of crimes. Many state constitutions include the same loophole, which has allowed prisons to force incarcerated people to work under threat of discipline, often for little pay; seven states don’t pay anything for most prison jobs. 

Keep reading

California’s “Stop Nick Shirley Act” Would Penalize Journalism

California’s Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee voted 11-2 on April 7 to advance a bill that would let employees and volunteers at immigration service organizations demand the deletion of their images and personal information from the internet, backed by civil penalties starting at $4,000 and the threat of criminal charges.

AB 2624, authored by Assemblywoman Mia Bonta, is already being called the “Stop Nick Shirley Act.”

We obtained a copy of the bill for you here.

The bill arrives just weeks after investigative video creator Nick Shirley published a 40-minute video on alleged hospice fraud in California that racked up 42 million views on X.

Other investigations have found that a single program is causing the state to lose an alleged $6 billion in fraud annually. Shirley had already reported on over $110 million in Somali daycare fraud in Minnesota in December 2025, with empty facilities billing taxpayers while kids were nowhere to be found.

His California reporting uncovered an alleged $170 million in similar fraud in daycares and hospices, with ghost operations registered to empty lots and strip malls. Sacramento’s response to this flood of documented waste and abuse was not an audit, not an investigation into the programs themselves, but a bill to make it harder to film the people running them.

Under AB 2624, anyone affiliated with an organization providing “designated immigration support services” can send a written demand prohibiting the publication of their personal information or image online.

That demand remains effective for four years, even after the person leaves the organization. If the demand is ignored, the person can go to court for an injunction or declaratory relief.

Fines run up to three times the actual damages, with a floor of $4,000, meaning the minimum penalty triples to $12,000 in cases where a takedown demand is defied. If a journalist or anyone else is accused of posting information with the intent to incite harm, they face criminal charges and fines of $10,000.

Keep reading

Singer d4vd Finally Arrested in Gruesome Killing of 14-Year-Old Girl — Seven Months After Her Body Was Found Decomposing Inside His Tesla

Rising alt-pop singer d4vd, real name David Anthony Burke, has finally been arrested for the horrific murder of a 14-year-old girl whose dismembered, decomposing body was discovered rotting inside the front trunk of his Tesla.

Los Angeles Police Department officials confirmed Thursday that the 20-year-old Houston-born singer was taken into custody without bail in connection with the September 2025 slaying of Celeste Rivas Hernandez.

The teen’s remains, wrapped in cadaver bags, partially frozen, decapitated, and hacked into pieces, were found by horrified first responders responding to reports of a foul odor emanating from an abandoned, dented Tesla towed from the Hollywood Hills.

NBC Los Angeles reported:

According to the filing in LA Superior Court to compel the appearance of an out-of-state witness, prosecutors wrote that Rivas Hernandez’s remains were discovered on Sept. 8 after a tow yard manager reported the smell of decay coming from the Tesla, which was registered to Burke.

[…]

The Texas judge rejected the efforts to block the enforcement of the demands for testimony Feb. 2, according to a transcript of a hearing.

The Burke witnesses were ordered to appear for testimony the week of Feb. 9, but because grand jury proceedings are secret until an indictment is produced, it’s not known if they ever appeared.

Citing the ongoing investigation the LA County Department of Medical Examiner removed public information about the case last November, which indicated at the time that the cause of Rivas Hernandez’s death was still undetermined.

Law enforcement sources told NBC4 Investigates last year that they believe Rivas Hernandez died in the spring of 2025, and that more than one person may have been involved in her death and the attempted disposal of her body.

Keep reading

Far-Left Minnesota District Attorney Announces FELONY Assault Charges Against ICE Agent in Minneapolis

One of the most radical district attorneys in the entire country has escalated her war against the Trump Administration and ICE in dramatic fashion.

As KTTC reported, Hennepin County District Attorney Mary Moriarty announced that her office had filed two counts of assault charges against an ICE agent during a Thursday press conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

“Today, our office has charged Gregory Donnell Morgan, an ICE agent, with two counts of second degree assault,” Moriarty said. “There is now a warrant for Mr. Morgan’s arrest which allows law enforcement to arrest him anywhere in the country.”

Moriarty, who is backed by leftist billionaire George Soros, went on to say that the case is from a February 5th incident on Highway 62. Morgan was allegedly driving an unmarked, rented SUV illegally on the shoulder of the eastbound lanes near the Portland Avenue exit.

Moriarty said Morgan was appearing to bypass slower traffic and going after the victims in their car.

Keep reading

Arraignment set for transgender woman in decade-old murder of 13-year-old

An arraignment hearing for a person accused of killing a 13-year-old boy nearly a decade ago will be held later this month.

That’s the result of a very brief hearing in Tazewell County Circuit Court where Keith A. Brackett made an initial appearance on the murder allegations.

Brackett, 48, wasn’t in the courtroom, rather appearing via video conference from the county jail. Brackett was arrested Wednesday morning and charged with strangling and then hiding the body of Robert “Bonzai” Bee in a wooded area off Illinois Route 29.

During the initial appearance, Brackett requested the court address her as a woman.

The charges — murder and concealment of a homicidal death — allege that Brackett asphyxiated the boy and then hid his remains in a wooded area of property he was maintaining.

Brackett, who was recently paroled from the Illinois Department of Corrections, was arrested Wednesday morning and served with the warrants.

The first-degree murder charges carry a possible 20 to 60-year prison term. The concealment of a homicide carries a possible 10-year prison term.

Prosecutors have asked Presiding Judge Chris Doscotch to order Brackett held pending the outcome of the allegations. However, Public Defender Luke Taylor said his office wasn’t ready to proceed on that hearing on Thursday.

Taylor said there were around 4,000 pages of discovery—evidence—that would be delivered to his office after the hearing.

As such, Taylor said his office would allow Brackett to concede detention without prejudice, meaning she could come back at another time and ask to be released. That’s an important legal distinction. Once a detention is ordered, a person can only contest it if new evidence is presented.

Keep reading

Gay D.C. police lieutenant arrested on child porn charges

D.C. police announced on April 14 that they have placed one of their lieutenants, Matthew Mahl, on administrative leave and revoked his police powers after receiving information that he was arrested in Maryland one day earlier.  

Although the initial D.C. police announcement doesn’t disclose the reason for the arrest it refers to a statement by the Harford County, Md. Sheriff’s Office that discloses Mahl has been charged with sexual solicitation of a minor and child porn solicitation.

“On Tuesday, the Harford County Sheriff’s Office contacted MPD’s Internal Affairs Division shortly after arresting Lieutenant Matthew Mahl,” the D.C. police statement says.

“The allegations in this case are extremely disturbing, and in direct contrast to the values of the Metropolitan Police Department,” the statement continues. “MPD’s Internal Affairs Division will investigate violations of MPD policy once the criminal investigation concludes,” it says.

“MPD is not involved in the criminal investigation and was not aware of the investigation until yesterday,” the statement adds.

Mahl served as acting supervisor of the MPD’s then Gay & Lesbian Liaison Unit in 2013 when he held the rank of sergeant. D.C. police officials placed him on administrative leave and suspended his police powers that same year while investigating an undisclosed allegation.

A source familiar with the investigation said Mahl was cleared of any wrongdoing a short time later and resumed his police duties. Around the time he was promoted to lieutenant several years later Mahl took on the role as chairman of the D.C. Police Union, becoming the first known openly gay officer to hold that position.

NBC 4 reports that Mahl, 47, has served on the police force for 23 years and most recently was assigned to the department’s Special Operations Division.

Records related to Mahl’s arrest filed in Harford County District Court, show Sheriff’s Department investigators state in charging documents that he allegedly committed the offenses of Sexual Solicitation of a Minor and Child Porn Solicitation on Monday, April 13, one day before he was arrested on April 14.   

The court records show he was held without bond during his first appearance in court on April 14. A decision on whether he would be released while awaiting trial or continue to be held without bond was scheduled to be determined during an April 15 bond hearing. The outcome of that hearing could not be immediately determined.  

Keep reading

Police Dispatch Audio Reveals Moments After Former Virginia Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax Kills His Wife and Himself

Horrifying dispatch audio of the 911 call that came in after Justin Fairfax and his wife died in a murder-suicide was released Thursday afternoon.

Former Virginia Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax shot and killed his wife, Cerina and then shot himself dead early Thursday morning.

According to NBC4 Washington, Justin Fairfax had just lost custody of his teenage children and was ordered to move out of the marital home before he murdered his wife and turned the gun on himself.

“The wife testified that heavy daily alcohol consumption by the father has become the norm,” a judge wrote in the custody opinion, the outlet reported.

“The court documents say Justin spiraled into alcoholism and isolated himself from family involvement following the 2019 sexual assault allegations against him while he was in office. They’re allegations he denied but that weighed on him tremendously, the judge wrote,” according to NBC 4 Washington.

Justin and Cerina’s two teenage children, a son and a daughter were home at the time of the bloody murder-suicide.

Fairfax’s 16-year-old son, Cameron dialed 911 and reported his mother had been shot.

Keep reading

SPAIN: Prolific Serial Killer Transitions While Serving 127-Year Sentence, Is Now Being Held In A Women’s Unit

One of Spain’s most prolific serial killers is now being held in a women’s correctional unit after beginning to identify as transgender while behind bars. Joan Vila Dilmé, also known as the Olot nursing home killer, is reportedly now going by the name “Aida.”

Vila, 60, was sentenced to 127 years in prison in 2013 for the murders of 11 elderly residents at the care home he worked at.

Dubbed “the angel of death” by Spanish media, Vila was arrested following the death of an 85-year-old resident at the La Caritat nursing home in the northeastern Catalan town of Olot. Medical staff determined that the woman had died after ingesting a corrosive substance, prompting authorities to classify the case as suspicious.

Police soon identified Vila, a caregiver at the facility, as a person of interest after establishing that he had been present at the time of the woman’s death. During questioning, he confessed to the killing, admitting that he had forced her to drink a corrosive substance.

Although Vila initially confessed to just three murders, a subsequent investigation revealed a far more extensive pattern of abuse. Authorities ultimately linked him to at least 11 deaths at the nursing home—nine women and two men. The victims, all of whom were between 80 and 90 years of age, were identified as:

  • Rosa Barbures Pujol
  • Francisca Matilde Fiol
  • Teresa Puig Boixadera
  • Isidra García Aseijas
  • Carme Vilanova Viñolas
  • Lluís Salleras Claret
  • Joan Canal Julià
  • Montserrat Canalias Muntada
  • Sabina Masllorens i Sala
  • Montserrat Guillamet Bartolich
  • Paquita Gironès i Quintana

The murders were carried out between August of 2009 and October of 2010.

Investigators determined that Vila had evaded detection for an extended period by initially employing methods that were difficult to trace. In early cases, he administered cocktails of barbiturates and other drugs mixed with water, or delivered high doses of insulin intravenously to diabetic patients. These methods often led to the deaths being mistakenly classified as natural or medical.

By September of 2010, colleagues began noticing a marked shift in Vila behavior. He reportedly became increasingly aggressive and expressed frustration with caring for elderly residents, stating that he wanted to leave his job. Following one of his later killings, he allegedly compelled a co-worker to remain in the victim’s room and watch over the body.

The final series of murders occurred within a five-day span between October 12 and 17, 2010. During this period, Vila killed Sabina Masllorens i Sala, Montserrat Guillamet Bartolich and Paquita Gironès i Quintana. In these cases, he abandoned earlier methods and instead forced victims to ingest bleach or injected corrosive substances directly into their mouths.

Keep reading

Kurt Cobain death mystery reignites as ex-detective points to three clues challenging suicide ruling

Kurt Cobain was found with a lethal gunshot wound to the head on April 8, 1994 at his Seattle, Washington home.

The Seattle Police Department (SPD) took over the investigation, finding a suicide note, a gun in his hands and a nearby heroin kit, which they used to determine the Nirvana frontman, 27, had taken his own life.

Now, in a newly released update tied to his controversial book Case Closed: The Cobain Murder: The Killing and Cover-Up of Kurt Cobain, author Ian Halperin, a journalist known for several bestselling investigative books, claims that an unnamed former Seattle police detective privately told him the investigation into Cobain’s death was mishandled. 

Halperin wrote that he spoke to the former police officer about 18 months ago and quoted the source as saying: ‘I have felt a sense of righteous indignation for years. Finally, I decided to speak out to address a serious wrongdoing.’

Halperin said the unnamed former detective claimed Cobain’s heroin levels were so high that it would have been impossible for him to fire the gun himself. 

‘There were no fingerprints on the gun, and the last five lines of his alleged suicide did not match his own handwriting,’ the source said, according to the book.

‘Just on that, the case should not have been labeled a suicide. A proper investigation should have been conducted, a thorough investigation to find out how, in fact, Cobain died. It was never done.’

When asked about a potential mishandling of Cobain’s death, a SPD spokesperson told the Daily Mail: ‘Kurt Cobain died by suicide in 1994. This continues to be the position of the Seattle Police Department.’

The former SPD office also claimed there was ‘poor management,’ with Halperin writing that the source said they were among several people within the department who believed the entire investigation was ‘one big cover-up.’

Halperin wrote that the source worked under Norm Stamper, the Seattle Chief of Police from 1994 to 2000, who has expressed regret over how Cobain’s case was handled, stating in 2015 that he ‘would reopen this investigation’ if given the opportunity.

While not directly accusing anyone, Stamper previously suggested that investigators should not have immediately discounted the possibility of murder.

Halperin’s source echoed Stamper’s concerns, saying: ‘Too much politics was involved. Not enough facts. Many people were able to advance themselves at others’ expense. As a result, many cases were treated unfairly.’ 

Halperin wrote that when asked why the unnamed former detective questioned the suicide ruling, the source cited several concerns about the investigation. 

Similar concerns have been raised in previous years by other law enforcement figures who later reviewed the case.

Keep reading

UK Southport Inquiry Pushes Mass Surveillance and VPN Restrictions

On July 29 2024, a teenager walked into a children’s Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, England, and murdered three young girls with a knife. He injured ten others.

It was, by any measure, one of the most horrifying attacks on British soil in recent memory, and what followed should have been a reckoning with the catastrophic state failures that let it happen.

Instead, the British government looked at the smoldering aftermath and decided the real enemy was the internet, and the solution just so happens to be the mass surveillance censorship proposals the government is already working on.

After the attack, outrage on social media turned to protests. Protests became riots. And the state’s response landed with a speed and ferocity that it had never managed to direct at, say, the agencies that let a known danger walk free for years.

A former childcarer named Lucy Connolly was jailed for 31 months for a single post on X. That is three months longer than the sentence given to a man who physically attacked a mosque during the same period of unrest.

The UK was already a country where arrests for “offensive” social media posts had nearly doubled in seven years, climbing from 5,502 in 2017 to 12,183 in 2023. The overall conviction rate for those arrests was falling at the same time. Police were locking people up for what they typed at a rate that was going up, while the number of convictions that actually stuck was going down.

The Southport riots became the accelerant. A House of Commons Home Affairs Committee report used the unrest to call for a “new national system for policing” with enhanced capabilities to surveil social media activity, framing public anger as a problem of online “misinformation” rather than a consequence of the state’s own failures.

The state was dodging accountability by demanding censorship and surveillance and blaming the internet for unrest.

Keep reading