Latest news with #MurderCharges
Daily Mail
30-06-2025
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Woman, 82, attacked with flamethrower at Israel protest DIES as cops upgrade charges against suspect
An 82-year-old woman injured in the June 1 attack on Boulder protesters supporting the release of Hamas hostages as died, officials said Monday - as they upgraded charges against suspect Mohamed Soliman to murder. He will now face two murder charges in connection with the death of Karen Diamond, who 'died tragically as a result of the severe injuries that she suffered in the attack,' the office of Boulder District Attorney Michael Dougherty said in a release. 'This horrific attack has now claimed the life of an innocent person who was beloved by her family and friends,' Dougherty said. 'Our hearts are with the Diamond family during this incredibly difficult time.' Soliman, an Egyptian national who'd been living in Colorado Springs with his wife and five children, has also been charged with an additional 66 counts in relation to 14 new victims identified through the ongoing investigation. Soliman has also been charged with a federal hate crime. According to his arrest affidavit, Soliman had been planning the attack for a year - waiting for his teenage daughter to graduate from high school before executing it. She graduated just days before he launched the attack with homemade flamethrowers on a Run For Their Lives event on Boulder's Pearl Street pedestrian mall. Karen Diamond died on June 25 and 'there was a private burial with the family before Shabbat,' Boulder rabbi Marc Soloway wrote in Boulder Jewish News. 'This event and the tragic loss of someone who has given so much of herself over the years to the Bonai community and beyond, has impacted us all and we are sad and horrified,' he wrote. 'We will need to support each other as we process this loss.' She is survived by her husband, two sons and daughters-in-law and five grandsons. The family has appealed for privacy. In addition to the murder charges filed in connection with her death, 'the amended complaint names a total of 29 victims in the attack,' according to the release from the DA's office. 'Of the 29 victims, 13 suffered physical injury during the attack. 'The complaint now contains the 2 counts of first degree murder, 52 counts of attempted first degree murder, 8 counts of first degree assault, 18 counts of attempted first degree assault, 2 counts of using an incendiary device, 16 counts of attempted use of an incendiary device and one count of animal cruelty.'
The Herald
13-05-2025
- The Herald
Confession in Usindiso fire case is admissible, court rules
The Johannesburg high court on Monday ruled that the confession made by Lawrance Sithembiso Mdlalose, accused of starting the Usindiso building fire, is admissible as evidence. 'The judgment was made after an interlocutory application by the state, requesting a trial within a trial to determine the admissibility of the accused's confession, which was reduced to writing before a magistrate at Johannesburg magistrate's court,' National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane said. Mdlalose is accused of setting fire to the building in Johannesburg in 2023, resulting in the deaths of 76 people and leaving 12 others injured. After the incident, a commission of inquiry led by former justice Sisi Khampepe to probe, among other aspects, the circumstances that led to the deaths was established in September 2023. Mdlalose gave testimony on January 23 2024, allegedly implicating himself as the person who started the fire, resulting in an order by Khampepe that he be taken to a magistrate to reduce his confession to writing. He is facing 76 counts of murder, one count of arson and 12 counts of attempted murder. 'Despite the defence's argument that the accused's confession was made under duress and when he was high on drugs, state advocates Thamsanqa Mpekana and Percy Monareng submitted that the statement given to the magistrate was made voluntarily and in sound and sober senses an unequivocal admission of guilt,' Mjonondwane said. They asserted that all legal requirements had been satisfied and, therefore, the statement should be admitted as evidence. Judge Cassim Moosa ruled that the accused's confession was admissible evidence. He found that the statement was made freely and voluntarily and in sound and sober senses without any undue influence. The case will continue on Tuesday with the main trial. TimesLIVE
