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Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court upholds conviction of Andrew MacCormack, who murdered wife Vanessa Masucci

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:48 GMT

The state’s highest court has upheld the conviction of Andrew MacCormack, who in the summer of 2017 brutally murdered his wife, a beloved Lynn elementary school teacher.“Having carefully reviewed the record, we discern no error that would warrant vacating the conviction, or ordering a new trial, and no reason to grant relief,” Supreme Judicial Court Justice Serge Georges, Jr. wrote in the Tuesday ruling.A Suffolk Superior Court jury in November 2019 found Andrew MacCormack guilty of murdering Vanessa, who in the SJC ruling goes under the married name MacCormack but in previous reporting on the case was identified as Vanessa Masucci. MacCormack was sentenced to life in prison.Prosecutors at the time said that it happened in a fit of domestic violence when she threatened to leave him over his erratic behavior which included destroying the couple’s finances — and even pawning their wedding rings — to support his rampant cocaine and steroid habit.“Vanessa Masucci’s future was viol...

North Dartmouth man charged with murdering girlfriend in her Chelsea apartment is ordered held without bail

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:48 GMT

A North Dartmouth man responded to his girlfriend’s attempt to end their relationship by stabbing her to death, prosecutors say.Angel T. Alvarez, 65, is charged with murder and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon in the stabbing death of Margarita Morehead, 59, at her Chelsea apartment Monday. Chelsea District Court Judge Christopher Henry ordered Alvarez held without bail and scheduled a probable cause hearing for June 12.“Instead of dealing with the reality of an ended relationship with restraint and dignity, this man chose a shocking act of violence that ended Margarita Morehead’s life and ushered in eternal grief for her family, friends and relatives,” Suffolk DA Kevin Hayden said in a statement. “They will receive all the support they need from our office as this case moves forward.”Chelsea Police officers responded to an apartment building on Lafayette Avenue just before 10 a.m. Monday and found Morehead lying in a pool of her own blood, according to prosecutor Erin Mu...

Feds nab alleged Chinese spy working in Boston

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:48 GMT

A man the feds say is a spy for the Chinese government was arrested by the FBI in Boston.Litang Liang, who was born in 1959 making him 63 or 64, has been federally indicted on conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government and acting as an agent of a foreign government without notice to the attorney general.He was arrested Tuesday, the same day his indictment was unsealed.Liang made an initial appearance in federal court in Boston where an interpreter was sworn in and he was informed of the charges against him. Aziza Hawthorne of the federal defender’s office in Boston was provisionally appointed for Liang’s defense for this hearing only. Magistrate Judge Jennifer C. Boal scheduled an arraignment and detention hearing for May 11 at 2:30 p.m.The indictment alleges that Liang worked with a handler and additional People’s Republic of China officials — the number of people listed as “PRC OFFICIAL” in the document numbers at least seven — out of the consulate in New York City to s...

Trump to appear for ‘fake news’ New Hampshire town hall event

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:48 GMT

Former President Donald Trump will appear on what he has called a “fake news” network for what is sure to be must-see TV.Trump, the leading candidate in the field of conservatives vying for the Republican nod toward the White House, will appear on CNN Wednesday evening at 8 for a town hall-style forum aimed at te 2024 election.He’s taking the risky step to reach more potential voters, one observer says.“It’s a chance to reach a big audience, including people beyond the conservative mediasphere with whom he normally interacts. If Trump hopes to beat Biden, he will need to win back independents and some Democrats. He needs to make his case to CNN watchers,” David Greenberg, a presidential historian and professor of media studies at Rutgers University, told the Herald.As to why the network would host the man who could arguably be labeled one of its most famous critics, well, that’s a no-brainer, according to Greenberg.“Trump’s town hall is news,” he said. “He is the odds-on...

Trump did not rape E. Jean Carroll, jury finds, but still owes her $5 million

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:48 GMT

Former President Donald Trump is financially liable for the sexual abuse of author E. Jean Carroll but did not rape her, a jury in New York unanimously decided.The 45th president sexually abused Carroll, six men and three women determined after about three hours of deliberation Tuesday, but jurors would not hold Trump to account for his alleged actions during a three-decade-old encounter between the pair that Carroll has maintained led to her rape.“I have absolutely no idea who this woman is. This verdict is a disgrace — a continuation of the greatest witch hunt of all time,” Trump said on his Truth Social media platform following the verdict.“The Democratic Party’s never-ending witch-hunt of President Trump hit a new low today. In jurisdictions wholly controlled by the Democratic Party our nation’s justice system is now compromised by extremist left-wing politics. We have allowed false and totally made-up claims from troubled individuals to interfere with our elections, doing...

Araiza was not present at time of alleged rape, witness says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:48 GMT

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Former Buffalo Bills punter Matt Araiza was not present when an alleged gang rape of a minor occurred at an October 2021 party in San Diego nor was he visible in videos recovered after the incident, which led to a police investigation and a lawsuit by the woman who said she was attacked, according to witness testimony.The testimony was included in evidence that prompted the San Diego District Attorney to not press criminal charges against Araiza last year.ESPN obtained and reviewed audio from a Dec. 7, 2022, meeting during which the details were discussed. The meeting was attended by San Diego deputy district attorney Trisha Amador and the woman, as well as the woman’s attorney, district attorney investigator Ted Mansour and a selected victim advocate.The purpose of the meeting was largely for Amador to explain why criminal charges could not be filed and answer questions after the San Diego Police Department concluded its investigation in August 2022. Amador told th...

New stage play helps Canadian veterans heal through the arts

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:48 GMT

Tunnel at the end of the Light is a play that focuses on the emotions Canadian veterans felt after serving in Afghanistan. The cast involves four Canadian veterans, four actors and a service dog.Torontonians can watch the cast take the stage Tuesday at Alumnae Theatre in Toronto.The play was written and directed by Jonathan Guy Lewis specifically for Canadians.“It’s trying to make sense of what happened in Afghanistan particularly for Canadians. We left 12 years ago, but we’ve just seen what happened (with) the fall of Kabul and the mess, the carnage, the confusion, and a lot of veterans are distressed by that, their service, what was it all for?” says Lewis.Lewis who lives in England, is a veteran and the artistic director of an organization called the Soldiers Arts Academy in the UK.In Canada, there is a similar program called Soldiers in the Arts (SITA). It’s a program that offers support to these veterans through the arts and they’re the group behind this play.According to...

Trans minors protected from parents under Washington law

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:48 GMT

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Minors seeking gender-affirming care in Washington will be protected from the intervention of estranged parents under a measure Gov. Jay Inslee signed into law Tuesday.The new law is part of a wave of legislation this year in Democratic-led states intended to give refuge amid a conservative movement in which lawmakers in other states have attacked transgender rights and limited or banned gender-affirming care for minors.Licensed shelters and host homes in Washington had generally been required to notify parents within 72 hours when a minor came into their care. Under the new law, facilities can instead contact the state Department of Children, Youth and Families, which could then attempt to reunify the family if feasible. Youths will also be allowed to stay at host homes — private, volunteer homes that temporarily house young people without parental permission.“With this bill, Washington leads the way by taking a more compassionate, developmentally appropriate,...

Biden: US-Mexico border will be ‘chaotic for a while’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:48 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden predicted Tuesday that the U.S.-Mexico border would be “chaotic for a while” when pandemic-related restrictions end, as 550 active-duty troops began arriving and migrants weighed whether or when to cross. The restrictions have been in place since 2020, and allowed U.S. officials to quickly return migrants over the border. They are ending later this week and the U.S. is putting into place a set of new policies that will clamp down on illegal crossings while offering migrants a legal path to the United States if they apply online through a government app, have a sponsor and pass background checks. Biden said his administration was working to make the change orderly. “But it remains to be seen,” he told reporters. “It’s going to be chaotic for a while.” Biden and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador spoke for roughly an hour Tuesday to discuss the border. Mexico shares a 1,951-mile border with the United States, so ...

Officials prepare for another bout of wildfires in Alberta as temperatures to rise

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:48 GMT

Officials say they are preparing for hotter weather this coming weekend in central Alberta, posing a risk for more active wildfires after a brief reprieve.“The fire danger remains high in many northern areas of the province, which means that we can still see active wildfire behaviour there,” Christie Tucker, with Alberta Wildfire, told reporters Tuesday. “But in much of the southern and central parts of the province, firefighters have been helped by cooler temperatures and humidity.”Tucker said the mild conditions make it easier for crews to access fires and bring in heavy equipment to help create fire breaks around communities.As of Tuesday afternoon, there were 88 wildfires burning in the province, with 24 out of control. There were 24,000 people displaced. Indigenous Services Canada said in a release that nine First Nations were under threat. That includes Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation, 360 kilometres northwest of Edmonton, where 1,600 people were forced to le...