Latest news with #Uribe
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
FDLE investigating Orange County commissioners' use of Skybox tickets
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating how Orange County commissioners are using Skybox tickets. 9 Investigates obtained an email showing FDLE investigators requesting records from Orange County on all Skybox ticket receipts. FDLE specifically asked for the tickets issued to each county commissioner for each event from December 1, 2018 to the present day, in an email sent to the county on May 14. In a statement to 9 Investigates, the agency said it would not comment on complaints received or active investigations. Our 9 Investigates team has investigated how Commissioner Mayra Uribe gave hundreds of free Skybox tickets to her husband's former charity, All Star Dads. Some of these were tickets to big games like USA v Brazil and big-name acts like Bad Bunny, Travis Scott and Def Leopard. After our investigation, the county changed its Skybox policy. When Uribe announced she was running for Orange County mayor, she also told Channel 9's Ashlyn Webb that she would release information clearing up questions surrounding her use of Skybox tickets. Uribe said she would release that information by May 20. However, she hasn't released any new information so far. Check back with Channel 9 for updates. Do you have a story for WFTV's 9 Investigators? Click the banner below to submit a tip.
NBC News
25-04-2025
- Health
- NBC News
With insulin killings, the murder weapon is often hiding in plain sight
When a lifesaving drug — insulin — is used as a murder weapon, medical professionals are likely unprepared to consider that the difficult-to-detect medication was used to commit a crime, according to a forensic pathologist who worked on the recent case of a West Virginia pharmacist convicted of fatally dosing her husband. Dr. Paul Uribe, a former military medical examiner who consults as a pathologist across the United States and helped solve a string of insulin murders at a West Virginia veterans hospital, told NBC News that there appear to be few protocols showing pathologists and emergency room doctors how to best handle the cases. 'You're not going to stumble across an insulin homicide,' Uribe said. 'You have to have a suspect and you have to look for it, because if you're not looking for it, you're not going to find it.' For more on the West Virginia murder, tune in to 'Devil's in the Details' on 'Dateline' on April 25 at 9 ET/8 CT tonight. While such crimes are rare, Uribe said, some recent cases in the U.S. have had a staggering number of victims. In Pennsylvania, a nurse confessed to trying to kill 19 people with insulin at five facilities between 2020 and 2023. Seventeen of her patients died. At the West Virginia veterans hospital, a nurse admitted in 2021 to killing seven elderly patients with insulin. Uribe said he knows of no protocols promoted by organizations for ER doctors or medical examiners and knows of only one state — West Virginia — where lawmakers have sought to reckon with this apparent lack of awareness. A bill introduced this year in the state Legislature seeks to require emergency rooms to test patients for insulin when they're admitted with possible symptoms of insulin poisoning. Jonathan Jones, the former president of the American Academy of Emergency Medicine, said that while the organization is concerned about insulin overdoses, it does not believe in 'legislating medical care.' 'The best medical care is provided by properly educated, trained and board-certified physicians and not by legislators,' he said in an email to NBC News. 'We believe in continuing medical education around this issue and all others applicable to the physician's specialty but oppose treatment mandates and repercussions.' He did not respond to a request for comment about whether ERs need stronger guidelines. Asked if forensic pathologists need better protocols, Reade Quinton, president of the National Association of Medical Examiners, said: 'I am not sure that is the right question. What medical examiners need is unobstructed access to scene information, witness statements and medical records so we can perform a complete and independent death investigation.' The lead sponsor of the West Virginia bill did not respond to requests for comment. But the parents of Michael Cochran — who was killed by his pharmacist wife and for whom the bill is named — believe the legislation could serve as a model for the country. And it could help others avoid the gut-wrenching search for answers that they endured for years. 'They won't have to wait for a result like we had to wait,' Cochran's mother, Donna Bolt, told 'Dateline.' 'Six years.' Seven dead patients at VA hospital Uribe's first insulin homicide case was at the veterans hospital in Clarksburg, West Virginia. Then a pathologist with the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System, Uribe said he was asked in late 2018 to examine a series of mysterious deaths among elderly patients, all of whom were found to have had severe hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar. The condition can be caused by excessively high doses of insulin, which acts as a lifesaving regulator of blood sugar for people with diabetes. Some of the veterans were diabetic, Uribe recalled, but others were not. He said he was asked to find a 'smoking gun' that could prove insulin was the murder weapon. For emergency room physicians and pathologists, he said, this can be a difficult task because of how quickly the body metabolizes insulin. The test cited in the West Virginia legislation — known as a 'c-peptide' test — can measure insulin, Uribe said, but timing is key: It has to be conducted before doctors provide treatment for low blood sugar, he said. 'Because once you give that person glucose, that triggers the body's natural release of insulin, and it'll throw off the insulin c-peptide measure,' he said. Many smaller hospitals often do not have the tests available, he added. Uribe cited two possible methods for pathologists to document insulin. One of the most common ways of administering the medication is through an injection, and it can briefly linger in the body's tissue at an injection site, he said. Researchers have also documented insulin in postmortem vitreous fluid, a substance found in the eyeball, he said. In West Virginia, the bodies of seven veterans were exhumed and Uribe tested injection site tissue samples, he said. The tests revealed trace amounts of insulin in some of the victims, including those who were not diabetic and had never been prescribed the medication, he said. 'That was the definitive proof they had been injected with insulin,' he said. Reta Mays, a nursing assistant at the hospital, was eventually identified as a suspect in the killings. She admitted to administering the lethal doses, pleading guilty to seven counts of second-degree murder and one count of assault with intent to commit murder in connection with the death of an eighth man. Mays was sentenced to seven life sentences. A fatal dose from a pharmacist In Uribe's second case, pharmacist Natalie Cochran was convicted in January of giving her husband a fatal dose of the drug in a plot that prosecutors said was aimed at covering up a multimillion-dollar fraud that she perpetrated on friends and family. But it took years for the case to be resolved. In February 2019, Michael Cochran was hospitalized in an unresponsive state before he was removed from a ventilator and placed in hospice. He was 38. His death certificate listed his manner of death as 'natural.' Michael Cochran's emergency room records showed that when he was admitted to the hospital, his blood sugar had plummeted, even though he had no history of diabetes, Uribe said. No insulin test was done at the time, he said. But Tim Bledsoe, a detective with the West Virginia State Police, came to suspect that Natalie Cochran may have played a role in her husband's death, and during a search of her home, he discovered a partially used vial of insulin in her fridge. Knowing that no one in the home was diabetic, he asked Natalie Cochran about the vial, Bledsoe told 'Dateline.' She told the detective she kept it there for a neighbor's diabetic son, Bledsoe said. But the neighbor, Jennifer Davis, denied this and told 'Dateline' that Natalie Cochran said she'd asked for the insulin for herself, claiming that she was using it to recover from a cancer diagnosis that prosecutors later said she faked. She asked for the insulin the morning Michael Cochran first became sick, Davis said. Two years after Michael Cochran's death, his wife was indicted on a murder charge. An autopsy had been performed seven months after his death, but by then his body was in an advanced state of decomposition and the medical examiner ruled his cause of death undetermined, Bledsoe said. It isn't clear why an autopsy was not done immediately after his death, nor is it clear if any steps were taken in the examination to try and document postmortem insulin. The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, which oversees the state medical examiner, did not respond to a request for comment. Uribe said it's unlikely any postmortem evidence of insulin could have been found given how much time passed between when Michael Cochran would have been given the drug and when he died. The undetermined finding, combined with a lack of physical evidence, led the Raleigh County district attorney to drop the case, according to the county's current top prosecutor, Tom Truman. 'If you don't have the medical examiner saying homicide, you've got a big problem,' he told 'Dateline.' Another exhumation — and then a conviction But two years later, the charge was refiled after Uribe was asked to examine the case. During a second exhumation and autopsy, Uribe said that he searched for possible injection sites but that Michael Cochran's remains were skeletal by that point and the examination yielded nothing. Still, Uribe said no other reason that could explain Michael Cochran's plummeting blood sugar — such as sepsis or a rampant infection — had been documented in his medical records. Combined with other circumstances surrounding Michael Cochran's death, Uribe ruled the death an insulin homicide. At trial, an endocrinologist who testified for the prosecution agreed that no other explanation could account for Michael Cochran's hypoglycemia. Natalie Cochran's lawyers acknowledged that she defrauded friends and relatives — she'd pleaded guilty in a separate federal fraud and money laundering case — but they said she had nothing to do with her husband's death, which they attributed to a lethal mix of workout supplements, steroids and possibly his own use of insulin. On Jan. 29, after two hours of deliberation, a jury convicted Natalie Cochran of first-degree murder. She was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. To Uribe, this case and the killings at the veteran's hospital underscore the need for better insulin overdose guidelines. For physicians, he said, those protocols could include watching out for red flags like severely low, unexplained blood sugar in a nondiabetic person, or unexplained low potassium, known as hypokalemia, which can also be fatal and caused by excessive insulin. And they need to ensure that they administer a c-peptide test before treatment, he said. Pathologists should search for possible injection sites, he said, and they should try testing vitreous fluid, he said. 'If you're able to detect that in the vitreous fluid of someone who's not a diabetic, who's never been prescribed this medication and has no history of them being injected, that could legitimately tell you something,' he said.
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Newly formed Florida DOGE team requests city and county help in assessing financial health
As Elon Musk and DOGE work to shrink the federal government, City and County leaders across Florida are hearing from the state's newly formed DOGE team for the first time. Governor Ron Desantis created Florida's EOG DOGE team last month with an executive order, and this week, that team sent letters to local governments asking them to disclose information about their financial health. The letter demands a response by April 8th, stating, 'If we do not receive a response from you within 45 days, it will be presumed that your county is in possible statutory violation and in need of assistance.' The letter states that Florida's DOGE plans to use 'advanced technology to identify, review, and report on unnecessary spending within county and municipal governments.' Much like the Federal Department of Governmental Efficiency, the letter states Florida's DOGE will recommend legislative reforms and eliminate waste. It warns the EOG DOGE team will soon start assessing publicly available information in the coming weeks. The letter also asks officials to confirm whether they've experienced any financial emergencies or distress as defined by the state statute, including failing to pay loans or operating a budget deficit. The letter was sent to officials on Tuesday, and by Thursday evening, Orange County had already sent a response telling the DOGE team, 'We are pleased to report that Orange County Government has NOT experienced any instances of financial emergency or distress as defined in Section 218.503(1), Florida Statutes, nor do we anticipate any potential financial distress in the next six months. " Oviedo Mayor Megan Sladek also publicly posted her response on Facebook, stating, 'This letter came yesterday, and I wasn't kidding when I said Oviedo was ready. YES, we will cooperate.' Sladek told Channel 9 that the city has not experienced any financial issues, adding that the city is audited by a third party every year and that 'checks and balances' exist to keep the city healthy. 'We never spend more than what we bring in. And that's under the state constitution. we're not allowed to,' said Sladek. Meanwhile, this week, the governor also called on local governments to allow DOGE to complete voluntary audits of its finances. 'We are working with the Florida Legislature to get more prescriptive authority to go in and conduct audits of these local governments so taxpayers get the full picture of what's going on. But until that happens, counties that are willing to step up and ask for these audits are really leading by example,' said the Governor in a video posted to 'X.' In that video, the Governor applauded Bay County Officials for volunteering for a DOGE audit. On Friday, Orange County Commissioner Mayra Uribe told Channel 9 she has no issues with letting Florida's DOGE review Orange County's budget. 'What is wrong with showing our books? It is not our money, it is the public's money,' said Uribe. Uribe told Channel 9 that Orange County remains the only Florida County with an independently elected comptroller who approves county spending and regularly conducts audits. She added the county budgeting process is always open to the public. 'There should never be a fear in having that audit. We're not perfect. But if something has happened, it needs to be corrected. It's better to correct it now and not allow that to continue,' said Uribe. On Friday, Channel 9 checked in with other local counties, which were all in various stages of complying with the DOGE letter. Officials in Osceola County told Channel 9 they had no financial issues and planned to respond soon. Officials in Volusia County said they were 'conducting our due diligence and compiling information for a reply.' Meanwhile, a Brevard County official noted they initially 'viewed the letter as highly suspect " because it did not have a name attached, and they had not previously had contact with the EOG DOGE team. The official told Channel 9 that the county was also reviewing the letter. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Miami Herald
06-03-2025
- Miami Herald
3 Colombians face big prison terms after guilty pleas to kidnapping US soldiers in Bogotá
A trio of Colombians who pleaded guilty in Miami federal court to drugging and kidnapping two U.S. Army soldiers at a sports bar in Bogotá five years ago face long prison sentences. On Wednesday, Pedro Jose Silva Ochoa, 47, was sentenced to more than 27 years by a federal judge after previously pleading guilty to conspiracy to kidnap an internationally protected person. Also on Wednesday, Kenny Julieth Uribe Chiran, 35, pleaded guilty to the same conspiracy charge and awaits sentencing. Last May, Jeffersson Arango Castellanos — whose nickname is 'Harry Potter' — was sentenced to more than 48 years by U.S. District Judge Michael Moore after he pleaded guilty to a six-count indictment charging him with conspiracy to kidnap an internationally protected person and related offenses. READ MORE: US soldiers were kidnapped and robbed in Bogotá — and a man was just sentenced in Miami Moore gave Arango, 37, a harsher sentence than the 30 years federal prosecutors sought in a sentencing memo, in which they said that one of the U.S. soldiers has suffered 'multiple mental health illnesses' and was forced into early retirement from the military. Arango was extradited to the United States in May 2023. The two co-conspirators — his partner, Uribe, and their getaway driver, Silva — were extradited last year. Incident at Bogotá bar According to a factual proffer reflecting the prosecution's case, the two unnamed U.S. soldiers were hanging out at the Colombian Pub, a sports bar in the upscale Zona T area, at about 11 p.m. on March 5, 2020. Silva, driving a green Renault 9, dropped Arango and Uribe off at Colombian Pub and drove off and waited. At the bar, the couple found their targets — the U.S. soldiers, who were on temporary duty in Bogotá. According to Colombian National Police, video surveillance showed Arango and Uribe approaching the two soldiers several times at the bar. 'At some point, [Arango] approached the victims in the pub and, without their knowledge, incapacitated, intoxicated, and otherwise rendered the victims defenseless by putting drugs in their drinks,' according to the proffer filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bertila Fernandez. In a statement to law enforcement, Arango 'explained that he used drugs in a paste or liquid form to put into his victims' drinks.' Toxicology screenings found that the two soldiers had benzodiazepines in their system. Benzodiazepines are depressants that slow down the central nervous system and may cause sleepiness and a relaxed mood, but if overdosed can cause extreme drowsiness, confusion, impaired coordination, decreased reflexes, respiratory depression, coma and possible death, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. 'The victims recounted buying a couple of beers, listening to music, and dancing by themselves,' according to an FBI affidavit. One of the victims 'remembered seeing two women taking 'selfies,' and that he offered to take photos for them. He recalled asking if he could place his beer on their table to take the photos. Neither victim could remember what happened after that encounter.' Around 2:30 a.m. March 6, the soldiers and the couple left Colombian Pub together. The drugged soldiers stumbled and had difficulty keeping their balance, according to the proffer. Uribe put her arm around the waist of one of the soldiers, and he had his arm on her shoulder. Arango and Uribe steered their victims to Silva's awaiting Renault 9, and they drove off with the soldiers inside the car. Used soldiers' ATM cards to get money There, according to prosecutors, the trio took the soldiers' wallets, debit and credit cards, and cellphones. Uribe 'further manipulated' one of the soldiers to reveal his debit card's PIN code. For the next few hours, the trio drove the intoxicated soldiers around Bogotá and used the stolen credit and ATM cards at numerous locations where they extracted cash — $350 from two transactions and another total $250 from two other transactions of about $125 apiece. The credit card was used later that morning at a meat store and a tire store. Around 6:45 a.m. the trio dropped one of the victims off on the street marked Calle 25. Video footage shows the soldier stumbling and falling down on the street and Uribe lifting him off the street and guiding him to a sidewalk where he was left. A passerby saw the victim staggering and called the police, who then took the soldier to a hospital where he was treated and released. He eventually made his way back to his apartment where he was met by U.S. Embassy personnel, according to the proffer. The second soldier was also dropped off in the same neighborhood and was found by a taxi driver who helped him get to his apartment, where video footage showed him stumbling on the way to his apartment.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tired of explosions and adult ‘figurines', Orange County hones in on nuisance law changes
Standing before an audience that included Orange County's commissioners, Jill Shargaa held up posters made specifically to draw a reaction. 'This is what our January looked like,' she said, indicating the calendar filled with bomb icons. 'Each icon is a bomb that went off. Sometimes it's two or four times a day.' Shargaa and her neighbors are all united against one man: a resident about half-way down their block who sets off the explosions daily and at all hours. On Wednesday, his house was also adorned with snowmen making rude gestures and signs comparing his neighbors to donkeys. Neighbors say those decorations replaced large colorful sex toys that used to greet passers-by. The figurines, they said, can be ignored. The explosions wake everyone up by night and send kids screaming for their parents during the day. 'They don't want to play outside,' Amber Headley said. 'They don't go in the backyard because they're afraid of the fireworks.' WFTV first reported the nuisance in September and the county's desire to crack down on the man. Five months – and many explosions – later, commissioners say they're close to voting on new ordinances, though it appeared the desired changes by community members weren't part of the package. 'The Orange County Sheriff's Office reported that they sent multiple officers on multiple days to the address in question to speak with the homeowner,' a memo from Commissioner Mayra Uribe said. 'OSCO [sic] has stated that they are unable to further address the situation as the launching for the mortars takes place in the backyard behind a privacy fence.' Another issue to be addressed, Uribe's memo said, was the fact that the mortars were launched randomly. In Florida, launching fireworks outside of the two major holidays associated with them (July 4, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day) is illegal. Uribe and others say loopholes are being exploited. 'I personally have seen four Sheriff cars pull up to his house, bang on his door, and he refuses to come out,' Shargaa said. 'He knows the law or something, it seems to be working in his favor. It's not working in our favor.' Commissioners were set to debate and potentially vote on a proposal Tuesday, but had to pull it because staff needed to double check that it wouldn't have any adverse effects. It could create an opening for additional modifications that can give deputies more enforcement power. Despite Uribe acknowledging the need to be as careful as possible, neighbors say the last-minute delay left them feeling ignored again. 'We were there five months ago, and the bombs are still coming fast and furious,' Shargaa said. WFTV briefly spoke to the man, who asked to be left alone, said he was acting within his First Amendment rights and then instructed the news crew to get off his property. Some neighbors, including Shargaa, said they were considering a lawsuit if the county didn't step in quickly. 'You can express yourself how you see fit, but then you have to understand that does come with a level of respect for you and the people around you,' Brando Wattley said. 'You have to account for these things.' Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
