Latest news with #Prosecutors
ABC News
9 hours ago
- ABC News
Erin Patterson grilled about deadly mushroom lunch
Prosecutors have accused mushroom cook Erin Patterson of telling more lies as they attempt to unpick her version of events of the deadly mushroom lunch in 2023.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Sheriff accused of killing judge seeks dismissal of indictment
(NewsNation) — Defense lawyers for former Letcher County, Kentucky, Sheriff Mickey Stines — accused of fatally shooting a judge in his chambers last year — have filed a motion to throw the case out. They argue prosecutors violated grand jury proceedings. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New York Times
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
What's Changed, and What Hasn't, From Weinstein's First Trial to Now
Good morning. It's Thursday. Today we'll look at the Harvey Weinstein trial, which is expected to go to the jury today. We'll also look at Environmental Protection Agency employees who are unsettled by the presence of immigration agents in the office building where they work. The witnesses, the prosecutors and Harvey Weinstein's lawyers have had their say. The case against the disgraced former Hollywood power broker is expected to go to the jury today. The testimony has been similar to what was said at Weinstein's first trial five years ago, and his lawyers have again worked to discredit his accusers. The jury in 2020 convicted him of two felony sex crimes, including rape, but found him not guilty on three other charges, including the most serious one he had faced: being a sexual predator. A jury in Los Angeles convicted him in a separate case two years later. Weinstein appealed both verdicts. The one in Manhattan was overturned last year. The Manhattan district attorney's office opted for a retrial, and in the six weeks since it began, prosecutors have sought to establish that Weinstein used his power to sexually assault the three women whose accusations are at the center of the case. Shannon Lucey, an assistant district attorney, told the jury on the trial's first day that Weinstein had dangled scripts and the possibility of fame but had wielded 'those dream opportunities as weapons.' He 'wanted their bodies,' Lucey said. She added: 'The more they resisted, the more forceful he got.' Juries reflect their moment, and this is a different moment from the one that shaped Weinstein's first trial, a significant time for the #MeToo movement and its demand for accountability for workplace sexual harassment and assault by powerful men. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
CBS News
7 days ago
- General
- CBS News
New filings in Karen Read trial include proposed instructions for jury deliberations
On Tuesday, Norfolk Superior Court released a number of requests by both defense attorneys and prosecutors that could shape the way the jury deliberates about Karen Read's fate. The defense is three days into presenting its case, which is expected to take one-and-a-half to two weeks, so the case will be wrapping up and going to the jury soon. As a result, lawyers are requesting a number of proposed jury instructions, among other things. Read is charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence of alcohol, and leaving the scene of personal injury and death. A hung jury during her first trial led to a mistrial. Prosecutors accuse her of hitting and killing John O'Keefe, a Boston police officer who she was dating, with her SUV in 2022. The defense says she is being framed and O'Keefe was killed during a fight. Karen Read attorneys seek "missing witness instruction" The defense team has requested the jury receive what's called a "missing witness instruction" for Brian Albert, Brian Higgins, and Michael Proctor. Albert and Higgins were in the house at 34 Fairview in Canton on January 28 and 29, and have been repeatedly called alternate suspects in the death of O'Keefe by the defense. Michael Proctor is a former Massachusetts State Police Trooper who was fired in connection to his behavior in this investigation, including offensive text messages he sent about Karen Read. None of the three men were called as witnesses by prosecutors, unlike in Read's first trial. Based on a filing dated June 2, the defense also doesn't plan to call these men as witnesses, and instead wants to be able to argue they are "missing witnesses" in closing arguments to the jury. A missing witness argument and jury instruction means that the court "may instruct the jury that an adverse inference may be drawn from a party's failure to call a witness" under Massachusetts law. To meet the requirements, the witness must be available, friendly (or not hostile) to the party, expected to give non-repetitive testimony, and where "there is no logical or tactical explanation for the failure to call the witness." The defense is requesting that they be allowed to argue this issue in their closing arguments, and that the judge should instruct the jury on the issue when she gives them instructions before deliberations. Karen Read attorneys' proposed jury instructions Ahead of closing arguments and jury deliberations, lawyers from both sides propose jury instructions for the judge to consider. The judge will ultimately read instructions to the jurors before they deliberate, which will include an explanation of the law in question, the legal standards, advice for deliberations, and any particular defenses or specifications relevant to the case at hand. Karen Read's defense team has requested instructions for the missing witnesses described above, as well is what's known as a Bowden instruction, which allows the jury to consider the consequences of a substandard police investigation. The defense requested the following line: "If you find that any omissions in the investigation were significant and not adequately explained, you may consider whether the omissions tend to affect the quality, reliability or credibility of the evidence presented by the Commonwealth." However, the defense did not request a third-party culprit instruction. In Read's first trial, the defense argued that either Brian Albert, Brian Higgins, or Colin Albert could have killed John O'Keefe, rather than Karen Read. In Read's retrial, the defense appears to have shifted strategy, focusing instead on an insufficient police investigation and not requesting an instruction for a third-party culprit theory. Prosecution's suggested jury instructions The Commonwealth separately filed a motion for its own proposed jury instructions, as is typical at this stage in a trial. In particular, the Commonwealth requested a "consciousness of guilt" instruction that would read in part, "you have heard evidence suggesting that the defendant: may have intentionally tried to destroy, conceal or falsify evidence in this case and may have intentionally attempted to harass and intimidate witnesses whom the defendant believed would testify against her." "If the Commonwealth has proved that the defendant did, you may consider whether such actions indicate feelings of guilt by the defendant and whether, in turn, such feelings of guilt might tend to show actual guilt on these charges," the proposed instruction continues. Judge Beverly Cannone ultimately will read these proposals, conference with lawyers, and come up with jury instructions that are considered fair to both sides.
The Independent
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Diddy supporter dragged out of courtroom by cops after profanity-laden outburst
A supporter of Sean 'Diddy' Combs was dragged out of a New York courtroom by cops after making a profanity-laden outburst. It's the fourth week of testimony in the rap mogul's sex trafficking trial and, on Tuesday, the federal court experienced its first significant disruption. A woman in the court's gallery yelled, 'Diddy, these motherf***** laughing at you' and 'it's not right what they're doing to him!" according to reports by CNN and NBC News. The judge overseeing the case, U.S. District Court Judge Arun Subramanian, told court officers to 'escort her out right now!' Combs turned around after Subramanian ordered her removal. The outburst came shortly after prosecutors complained about the real identity of Comb's former assistant, known as ' Mia,' who is a witness in the case, being publicly shared. Prosecutors said a man had violated a pseudonym order by referring to 'Mia' by her real name on his YouTube channel, CNN reported. The man was in the courtroom on Monday, and was also seen recording outside. Prosecutors asked Subramanian to ban the man from the courtroom, which the judge agreed to. According to The Washington Post, the woman removed from courthouse said she believed people were unfairly mocking Combs. 'I wanted to make my voice heard,' she said. The Post reported that the woman got angry when approached by a reporter and started cursing. 'I'm tired of seeing everyone treating Diddy the way they are. I said my piece,' the supporter said. Diddy stands accused of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. If convicted, he could be sentenced to life in prison. Prosecutors have accused Diddy of threatening, abusing, and coercing victims 'to fulfill his sexual desires' from 2004 to 2024.
