Latest news with #WSFA
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Yahoo
Boy, 4, Shoots Himself — Then Police Find 30 Snakes and Crocodile in Tank of Bathroom of His Home
An Alabama couple is under arrest after their young child accidentally shot himself — prompting an investigation that allegedly revealed a home overrun with mice, snakes, and unsecured firearms. Cassandra Lynn Lutz, 39, and 27-year-old Alexander Andrew Corrie, were arrested after their 4-year-old son shot himself in their Oneonta, Ala., home on April 4, Blount County Sheriff's Office said at a press conference last week. ` Officers were notified after the child was taken to the emergency room following the shooting. During the investigation, investigators executed a search warrant at the child's residence and found 'several interesting pieces of evidence,' the sheriff's office said at the conference. They found several snakes — dead and alive — which investigators believe belonged to the constrictor family. Many of the snakes were dead and covered in maggots and had been left in the same containers as some of the living snakes, per the sheriff's office. Several boxes of mice were also found in the same room. The snakes were kept in plastic containers without lids and placed on shelves. There were other animals at the scene as well, the sheriff said. There were about 30 snakes, of which six were dead, and WSFA reported. Authorities also found a reptile, which the outlets reported was a crocodile. The reptile was inside an aquarium that covered the entire bathroom counter, the sheriff's office child, who was injured in his arm and leg, is expected to make a full recovery, per the sheriff's office. Lutz and Corrie were charged with reckless assault, chemical endangerment to a child, 10 counts of cruelty to animals and six counts of failure to bury/burn livestock, according to WSFA, which cited information from the Blount County District Attorney Pamela Casey. For more information on safe firearm storage and the most effective ways to protect children from unsecured firearms, visit Read the original article on People
Miami Herald
09-04-2025
- Miami Herald
17-year-old fatally shot in iPhone robbery, Alabama cops say. 2 brothers charged
Two brothers are accused of fatally shooting a 17-year-old boy during a robbery, Alabama police said. Authorities responded to the shooting at about 7 p.m. Friday, April 4, in a modest residential area of Montgomery, police said in an April 8 news release. The Montgomery Police Department said the teen, identified as Zaveon Simpkins, was found with a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead there. A pair of brothers — 19-year-old Christopher Kelly and 18-year-old Christian Kelly — were arrested April 8 and charged with capital murder and first-degree robbery in connection with the shooting, police said. According to court records, the brothers are accused of taking $500 and an iPhone, WSFA and WAKA reported. Simpkins was with another teen at the time of the robbery, according to the news reports. Police said the investigation is ongoing.
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Yahoo
Trans woman Kaitoria Bankz killed in attempted carjacking in Alabama
Black transgender woman Kaitoria 'Kai' Bankz, 31, was shot to death Monday night — on Transgender Day of Visibility — in what was likely an attempted carjacking in Autaugaville, Alabama. Keep up with the latest in + news and politics. Bankz was a staff member with the Knights and Orchids Society, a regional LGBTQ+ rights organization. Her brother, whose name has not been released, was shot in the head but survived, TV station WSFA reports. Kelmen Merrell King, 27, of Autaugaville, turned himself in to police Tuesday morning. He has been charged with murder and attempted murder, Autauga County Sheriff Mark Harrell told WSFA. King and Bankz had communicated online before meeting and had apparently planned a sexual encounter, the sheriff said. It wasn't clear why Bankz's brother accompanied her or if she was targeted for being trans. But when they connected, King tried to commit a carjacking, according to Harrell, who said there will probably be more arrests in the case. Bankz was 'a cherished staff member' at the Knights and Orchids Society, and she 'was taken far too soon in a senseless act of violence' said a statement from Executive Director TC Caldwell. 'Kai was a bright light in our organization,' Caldwell continued. 'Her bold presence inspired everyone around her. She was making significant contributions in LGBTQ+ work through health coordination, community support, and advocacy.' 'Kai was the embodiment of TKO's mission to build power within our community,' Caldwell added. 'Her drive and dedication to providing life-saving services to our clients exemplified our commitment to helping Black TLGB+ people across the South live full and healthy lives free from harm. 'Kai was actively involved in fellowships and worked with various advocacy groups, constantly seeking ways to improve not only her own life but the lives of those around her. Her clients, many of whom relied on her for critical support services, will deeply feel her absence.' 'My heart breaks hearing about the death of Kaitoria Bankz,' said a statement from Victoria Kirby York, director of public policy and programs at the National Black Justice Collective. 'It is clear with Kai, like all our trans siblings taken too early, that they had plans for the future, a full life they hoped to live, and goals they wished to accomplish. It is essential that we remember the lives taken are not just statistics in the ongoing epidemic of violence, but real people with full lives, hopes, and desires. As Kai died on Trans Day of Visibility, we must make sure trans people are not only visible when they are suffering, but when they are joyful and thriving. I also want to thank Kai for all the work she did to serve the community and mourn all she would have accomplished. It is up to all of us to honor her with actions supporting and uplifting the transgender community and her life's mission to connect mental health care to those who need it most.' Bankz, a native of Montgomery, Alabama, "liked Beyonce, Kelly Rowland, Kehlani, Ciara, Doja Cat, Big Freedia and many other musical artists," Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents reports. "Her Facebook profile is filled with her colorful hair, makeup, and nail styles." A memorial balloon release will be held Saturday at 5 p.m. at the Monticello Apartments complex in Montgomery.
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Yahoo
Alabama to execute inmate who dropped appeals and asked for death
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama has set an April execution date for a man who dropped his appeals and asked to be put to death for the 2010 rape and murder of a woman. James Osgood, 55, will be executed by lethal injection on April 24, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey announced. Osgood was convicted of the 2010 killing of Tracy Lynn Brown in Chilton County. Prosecutors said Osgood cut her throat after he and his girlfriend sexually assaulted her. Osgood over the summer dropped his appeals and asked the state to set an execution date for him. 'I know longer feel as if I'm even existing. I'm tired. I want to complete my sentence,' Osgood wrote in a letter to his attorney last July. The letter was included in court filings about his request to drop his appeal. He also thanked his attorney for her work on his case. Osgood was convicted in 2014 and sentenced to death, but an appeals court threw out the sentence, ruling that a judge gave improper instructions to jurors. But at his resentencing in 2018, Osgood asked for a death sentence, telling the judge he believed in an 'eye for an eye.' 'A couple of years ago I really screwed up. I'm guilty and I deserve death. That's what I want,' Osgood told the judge, WSFA reported. Osgood renewed his appeals after his sentencing until dropping them this summer. Brown was found dead in her home on Oct. 23, 2010, after her employer became concerned when she did not show up for work. She had been stabbed and her throat cut, prosecutors said. Prosecutors said that Osgood told police that he and his girlfriend sexually assaulted and attacked Brown after discussing how they had fantasies about kidnapping and torturing someone. In the 2018 sentencing order handing down the death sentence, a judge noted that Osgood had a difficult childhood that included sexual abuse, abandonment and a suicide attempt. His brain development was potentially hindered because of malnutrition he suffered as an infant, the judge found. But the judge also said it was Osgood who cut Brown's neck and stabbed her during the attack in which Brown begged them not to hurt her. Osgood's girlfriend, the other person charged in the murder, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison. The execution authorization by Ivey comes two weeks after the Republican granted clemency to another death row inmate, commuting the death sentence of Robin 'Rocky' Myers to life in prison. The governor said there were enough questions about his guilt that she could not move forward with his execution. It was the only time Ivey has granted clemency. The last time an Alabama governor commuted a death sentence was in 1999.
The Independent
14-03-2025
- The Independent
Alabama to execute inmate who dropped appeals and asked for death
Alabama has set an April execution date for a man who dropped his appeals and asked to be put to death for the 2010 rape and murder of a woman. James Osgood, 55, will be executed by lethal injection on April 24, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey announced. Osgood was convicted of the 2010 killing of Tracy Lynn Brown in Chilton County. Prosecutors said Osgood cut her throat after he and his girlfriend sexually assaulted her. Osgood over the summer dropped his appeals and asked the state to set an execution date for him. 'I know longer feel as if I'm even existing. I'm tired. I want to complete my sentence,' Osgood wrote in a letter to his attorney last July. The letter was included in court filings about his request to drop his appeal. He also thanked his attorney for her work on his case. Osgood was convicted in 2014 and sentenced to death, but an appeals court threw out the sentence, ruling that a judge gave improper instructions to jurors. But at his resentencing in 2018, Osgood asked for a death sentence, telling the judge he believed in an 'eye for an eye.' 'A couple of years ago I really screwed up. I'm guilty and I deserve death. That's what I want,' Osgood told the judge, WSFA reported. Osgood renewed his appeals after his sentencing until dropping them this summer. Brown was found dead in her home on Oct. 23, 2010, after her employer became concerned when she did not show up for work. She had been stabbed and her throat cut, prosecutors said. Prosecutors said that Osgood told police that he and his girlfriend sexually assaulted and attacked Brown after discussing how they had fantasies about kidnapping and torturing someone. In the 2018 sentencing order handing down the death sentence, a judge noted that Osgood had a difficult childhood that included sexual abuse, abandonment and a suicide attempt. His brain development was potentially hindered because of malnutrition he suffered as an infant, the judge found. But the judge also said it was Osgood who cut Brown's neck and stabbed her during the attack in which Brown begged them not to hurt her. Osgood's girlfriend, the other person charged in the murder, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison. The execution authorization by Ivey comes two weeks after the Republican granted clemency to another death row inmate, commuting the death sentence of Robin 'Rocky' Myers to life in prison. The governor said there were enough questions about his guilt that she could not move forward with his execution. It was the only time Ivey has granted clemency. The last time an Alabama governor commuted a death sentence was in 1999.
