Latest news with #StateAttorney
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Father of man wrongfully arrested on murder charges seeks to clear son's name
9 Investigates is uncovering new details in the arrest of a man wrongfully accused of murder. Channel 9 obtained hundreds of pages of newly released documents that show how DNA initially pointed to Yesnin Salvado Bonilla-Iscoa for the 2023 murder of a woman stabbed to death in her car. A nearly 300-page document released by the State Attorney's office details how a communal kitchen knife used by Bonilla and the now accused murderer, Luis Narvaez, led to the DNA confusion. Yesnin Bonilla's family says that for months, Bonilla was painted as a killer. Bonilla's father spoke exclusively with Channel 9 to clear his son's name. 'My son is a good person and a hard worker,' said Freddy Bonilla in Spanish, 'I'm speaking to clear his name. Because this was a mistake, and he didn't do anything.' On Monday, Channel 9 obtained an audio recording of Bonilla's in-custody interview with detectives taken after his arrest. Yesnin Bonilla expressed confusion and desperation, telling detectives he couldn't understand how he got mixed up in a murder case during the 2-hour interview. 'I would never kill a person. How could I do that. I don't understand what's happening,' said Bonilla, in the Spanish interview. According to Orange County deputies, Bonilla's phone was the last to call the victim, Maria De Los Angeles Paulino. Plus, his DNA was found on the murder weapon, a knife used to stab Paulino 16 times. According to detectives, Yesnin admitted to knowing the victim because he had previously purchased drugs from her, but he told detectives on the night of the murder that his roommate, Luis Alfredo Narvaez, was with her and admitted to killing her. Deputies said a DNA sample was taken and later confirmed that Luis' blood matched the blood found in the car where Maria was murdered. According to detectives, Narvaez ultimately confessed to killing her. 'Even though there's DNA that may be at the scene of the crime, that doesn't necessarily mean the person whose DNA was left behind is the killer, and that's precisely what this shows,' said Criminal Defense Attorney Thomas Fighter, with Fighter Law. Bonilla's Father told Channel 9 his whole family suffered for months as Yesnin was labelled an accused killer. According to Freddy Bonilla, Yesnin came to this country from Honduras to work and provide for his wife, who's now expecting a child. Feddy Bonilla told Channel 9, his son Yesnin was released from jail and had been living in Texas with his wife, however he was recently picked up by ICE and faces deportation. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
‘Taken aback': Former colleagues of Hillsborough assistant state attorney react to child porn charges
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Tampa's tight-knit legal community is reeling from the news that an assistant state attorney was charged with viewing and sharing child pornography. William Andrew Jones, 32, was arrested Wednesday on child pornography charges. The assistant state attorney for Hillsborough County is accused of viewing and transmitting child pornography. Hillsborough assistant state attorney arrested on child porn charges: HCSO Detectives said those files were of girls between 6 and 10 years old engaging in sexual acts. Defense attorney Shanna Bailey said she spent three years working with Jones as assistant state attorneys. She was shocked to hear the charges he's now facing. 'Mr. Jones was always a trusted friend and colleague, well-liked and well-respected,' she said. 'I don't think there was anything untoward about his behavior or his prosecutorial conduct that would ever cause anybody to believe anything like this could ever happen.' 'These are just allegations at this point, but I think everybody that worked with him was taken aback,' she continued. Criminal defense attorney Bryant Camareno echoed that sentiment, saying, while he would defend his clients, Jones would prosecute those facing criminal charges. 'We've been colleagues [and] friendly adversaries,' Camareno said. 'It's been a great relationship and I'm shocked.' In a statement to 8 On Your Side, State Attorney Suzy Lopez condemned the alleged crimes and said Jones was fired from his position. I am deeply disturbed and sickened by Andrew Jones' actions, and he was terminated from his position as an Assistant State Attorney immediately following his arrest. As prosecutors, our duty is to protect the public, especially our children. There is no place in this office or community for this behavior. I want to thank law enforcement for their important work in identifying and arresting child predators. No one is above the law, and this office will never tolerate anyone who violates the trust of the people we serve.' State Attorney Suzy Lopez, 13th Judicial Circuit Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
06-05-2025
- CBS News
Former Coppin State University police officer pleads guilty to forcibly touching teen girl
A former Coppin State University Police officer pleaded guilty last week to a sex offense after forcibly touching a teen while the officer was on duty, according to the Baltimore City State's Attorney's Office. Court records show former officer Jamar Brockington offered to drive a 16-year-old girl from the university's Baltimore campus to her home on January 1, 2025. Once inside his patrol car, Brockington started making sexual advances toward the girl. Court records show this led to three instances of unlawful physical contact. When the girl got home, she told someone about the abuse, and it was reported to Baltimore Police. Video from the campus showed two of the three instances of contact, according to court records. Brockington turned himself in on January 10 and was held without bond for two months before being released on house arrest. He pleaded guilty to misconduct and a sex offense. He was ultimately sentenced to 110 days served and three years of probation. Brockington has also been ordered to register as a sex offender for up to 15 years. "Offenses like this are intolerable and inexcusable in any circumstances, but even more so where a police officer, whose very job it is to protect our youth from predatory behavior like this, is the one who commits the crime," said State's Attorney Ivan Bates. "He not only assaulted this teen, but he violated the public's trust." According to our partners at The Baltimore Banner, Brockington was a 17-year veteran on the force. He is no longer working for the university, court officials said. Brockington's attorney said the former officer is a married father of three who is taking responsibility for his actions. During a court hearing, Brockington said he looked at the teen as his child, but "let her down," the Banner reported. Police-involved sex offenses in Maryland There have been several similar instances of police being involved in sex offenses in Maryland. In early April, retired Baltimore Police officer James Weems was sentenced to life in prison for sexually abusing children at his former wife's daycare. He drove the van for the daycare in Owings Mills. Weems' former wife was sentenced to four years in prison for shooting Weems after learning about the allegations. She testified against him during his trial. In March, a former Harford County Police detective was indicted on sexual exploitation charges. Ryan Christopher Hall, a former domestic violence detective, allegedly abused two children. He was arrested in October 2024 and charged with filming child pornography and sexual abuse. If convicted, he could face a minimum of 15 years in prison.
Arab News
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Israeli authorities raid East Jerusalem bookstore for second time in a month, arrest owner
LONDON: Israeli police have raided a prominent Palestinian bookstore in East Jerusalem for the second time in a month, seizing dozens of books and arresting one of the owners. Local reports said 61-year-old co-owner Imad Muna was detained for several hours after Israeli officers arrived at the Educational Bookshop on Tuesday morning without a warrant. During the raid, they confiscated about 50 books after searching the stock using Google Translate. 'At 11:15 a.m., the police arrived at the store, and my parents were there at the time,' Muna's son, Ahmad, said. 'The police asked for the business licenses and reviewed the account books. I arrived, but they wouldn't let me in. They went through the books, stacked a pile of books that they took.' In February, police arrested Ahmad and Muna's brother, Mahmoud, holding them for several days without the State Attorney's office approval to launch an investigation. They were later placed under house arrest for five days but have not been charged. During the first raid, police cited a children's coloring book as evidence of incitement to terrorism. Similar to the latest incident, authorities confiscated books based on titles, appearance, and authors, including works by British artist Banksy, Israeli historian Ilan Pappé, and US academic Noam Chomsky. Books containing visual elements associated with Palestine were also seized. 'They chose books by the cover, taking books that had a Palestinian flag, or just the word Palestine in the title,' another one of Muna's brothers, Morad, said. 'They were using Google Translate and took photos to send to their bosses.' Police said the second raid followed a complaint from a man who visited the bookstore earlier that day, claiming to have seen books containing inciting content. Officers detained Muna 'to verify his identity and details of the store,' police said, adding that they are reviewing three books seized during the operation. 'Based on the findings, a determination will be made on whether to refer the matter to the State Attorney's office for further investigation into the suspected sale of inciting materials,' the statement said. After Muna was released on Tuesday afternoon, most of the books were returned and the shop reopened. However, the bookstore's owners said the raids are part of an escalating effort by Israeli authorities to suppress Palestinian culture and should not be seen as isolated incidents. Rights groups and intellectuals condemned the first raid as an attempt to create a 'culture of fear' among Palestinians and an attack on freedom of expression.
