Malta jury sentences 2 men to life in prison for supplying bomb that killed journalist
Jamie Vella and Robert Agius were accused of supplying the bomb that killed Caruana Galizia. Both were found guilty of the charges last week and on Tuesday were given the maximum sentence of life in prison.
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Yahoo
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- Yahoo
Ex-Space Force Analyst Suspected Teens of Stealing His Wife's Car, and Killed 1 — Now He's Sentenced to 54 Years
Orest Schur has been sentenced for second-degree murder and second-degree attempted murder following his June 2025 conviction NEED TO KNOW Former U.S. Space Force signals intelligence analyst Orest Schur was sentenced to 54 years in prison for second-degree murder and second-degree attempted murder In July 2023, the Afghanistan veteran shot at the 13-year-old and 14-year-old boys after they allegedly attempted to steal his wife's car Schur fired 11 shots at the two teens, fatally shooting one of them, Xavier Kirk, 14 Orest Schur, a former U.S. Space Force signals intelligence analyst, has been sentenced to more than five decades in prison after shooting two suspected teen car thieves and killing one of them, per a news release from District Attorney Brian Mason. On Friday, Aug. 15, Judge Caryn Datz sentenced Schur, 29, to 54 years in prison after he was convicted of second-degree murder and second-degree attempted murder in June 2025. He will serve 36 years behind bars for the murder charge and 18 years for the attempted murder, which will be served consecutively. Schur, an Afghanistan veteran, could have faced a maximum of 80 years in prison or a minimum of 26. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. In July 2023, in Aurora, Colo., Schur, who at the time was a U.S. Space Force technical sergeant, chased the 13-year-old and 14-year-old boys down after he allegedly caught them attempting to steal his wife's car. As the unarmed teens drove away and ultimately crashed the car, Schur fired 11 shots at them, per the forensic testing results — some of which hit 14-year-old Xavier Kirk in the back and head. He was rushed to the hospital, where he died. The 13-year-old, whose identity has not been publicly revealed, was shot in the back but was able to get to a relative's home for help. The teen was taken to the hospital, and he survived his injuries. Ahead of Schur's sentencing, he addressed the court and apologized for his actions. "I am sorry for the events that occurred that night, for the pain, for the grief and trauma that have followed and for the impact that my case had on so many lives,' per CBS News. At Schur's sentencing, the boys' family members condemned the boys' actions, but said they did not deserve to die. "You know, kids make mistakes, and so, I always teach my kids in my family, like my nephews and nieces, about consequences and repercussions,' one family member said, per CBS News. 'We're not trying to excuse any wrongdoing of Xavier, or wrong they were involved in. The part that's messed up is Orest Shur's car was never stolen." Additionally, prosecutors read the surviving teen's statement in court. "An adult chose to use deadly force against two unarmed teenagers. That is not justice, that is not safety, that is not accountability,' the statement read, per CBS News. 'I survived, but I am not the same. My friend didn't survive at all. And no matter what we did that night, I didn't deserve to be shot, and Xavier didn't deserve to die." District Attorney Mason also issued a statement, calling Schur's actions 'vigilante violence at its worst.' 'Now a young man is dead,' the statement read. 'The defendant took the law into his own hands, chasing down a fleeing vehicle and opening fire on its occupants. A 14-year-old boy will now never grow up because of the defendant's actions. I'm grateful to the Aurora Police Department for their investigation and to my team at the DA's Office for securing justice in this case.' Read the original article on People
Yahoo
a minute ago
- Yahoo
Texas prison agency names senior official as its next chief
Bobby Lumpkin will be the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's next executive director, leading one of the largest state agencies that is also in the midst of a correctional staffing crisis. Lumpkin, who is currently the agency's chief operations officer, will assume the top role on Sept. 1, TDCJ's governing board announced Tuesday. He replaces Executive Director Bryan Collier, who is set to retire on Aug. 31 after nine years on the job. Lumpkin, who joined TDCJ in 1990 as a correctional officer, will soon head an agency that oversees over 100 prisons and around 140,000 inmates. This work is taking place amid a statewide staffing shortage, including high vacancy and turnover rates that could pose risks to employees and inmates, according to a 2024 report from the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission. The state Legislature has recently approved funding for TDCJ that would go toward pay raises, targeted salary adjustments and other initiatives to address staffing. He will also have to continue addressing the lack of air conditioning in prisons, which a federal judge has ruled earlier this year as unconstitutional and pushed for a trial. TDCJ is working on installing cool beds, but the majority of Texas prisons are still not fully air conditioned. The staffing shortage also contributes to the challenge. A trial over the issue is currently scheduled to take place next year. At the same time, Lumpkin will take the reins of an agency that is undergoing a shift in focus towards rehabilitation, as outlined in its '2030 Vision' plan. Collier announced his intention to retire in June. He first joined the agency as a clerk in 1985 and rose through its ranks over four decades, before being named its leader in 2016. On Tuesday, the TDCJ's governing board also named a new training facility in Huntsville after him. As of July, Collier's annual salary as executive director was nearly $300,000. More all-star speakers confirmed for The Texas Tribune Festival, Nov. 13–15! This year's lineup just got even more exciting with the addition of State Rep. Caroline Fairly, R-Amarillo; former United States Attorney General Eric Holder; Abby Phillip, anchor of 'CNN NewsNight'; Aaron Reitz, 2026 Republican candidate for Texas Attorney General; and State Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin. Get your tickets today! TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase.
Associated Press
3 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Court sets Oct. 17 date for Arizona's second execution this year
PHOENIX (AP) — A man convicted of violently killing four members of a family in an act of revenge at their Phoenix home over 30 years ago is scheduled to be executed on Oct. 17 in what would be Arizona's second use of the death penalty this year. In an order Tuesday, the Arizona Supreme Court granted a request by prosecutors for a warrant to execute Richard Kenneth Djerf. The court also declined a request by his lawyers for a delay in issuing the warrant so they can recover documents in the case that were lost in a cyberattack in March at the federal public defender's office and that his attorneys say are needed in his efforts to seek clemency. Djerf, 55, had pleaded guilty to four counts of murder in the killings of Albert Luna Sr., his wife, Patricia, and their 18-year-old daughter Rochelle and 5-year-old son Damien on Sept. 14, 1993. A judge later sentenced Djerf to death. Prosecutors say Djerf blamed another Luna family member for an earlier theft of home electronic items at his apartment, became obsessed with revenge and months later entered the home under a ruse in which he claimed to be delivering flowers. Authorities say Djerf sexually assaulted Rochelle and slashed her throat; beat Albert Luna Sr. with an aluminum baseball before stabbing and shooting him; and taped Patricia Luna and Damien to kitchen chairs before fatally shooting them. He acknowledged carrying out the killings, and a friend told authorities that Djerf revealed details of the crimes to him. The Associated Press left a voicemail and email with one of Djerf's attorneys. Authorities plan to execute Djerf with a lethal injection of pentobarbital. Arizona, which currently has 108 prisoners on death row, last used the death penalty in mid-March when it executed Aaron Brian Gunches in the 2002 killing of Ted Price. The state also carried out three executions in 2022 following a nearly eight-year hiatus brought on by criticism that a 2014 execution was botched and because of difficulties obtaining drugs for execution. In the 2014 execution, Joseph Wood was injected with 15 doses of a two-drug combination over two hours, leading him to snort repeatedly and gasp hundreds of times before he died.
