A Georgia judge on Tuesday granted the father of the Apalachee High School shooting suspect a $500,000 bond.

On Sept. 4, 2024, Colt Gray, 14, allegedly killed two teachers and two other 14-year-old students when he opened fire inside the high school.

Colt pleaded not guilty to 55 criminal counts, including 25 counts of aggravated assault, and his 54-year-old father, Colin Gray, pleaded not guilty to 29 criminal counts, including two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of involuntary manslaughter.

The father is accused of buying the AR-15-style firearm his son allegedly used in the shooting. He would have to pay at least $50,000 of the total $500,000, in cash, to be released from jail.

BODYCAM FOOTAGE RELEASED OF 2023 INTERVIEW WITH COLIN GRAY

Prosecutors had asked the judge to set Colin Gray's bond at $1 million, noting that he lived in seven different residences over five years with Colt, and if he returned, he would pose a significant threat to his wife and his other children, whom the state intends to call as witnesses at trial.

Colin Gray's attorney, Brian Hobbs, argued that his client was not a threat to the community. Fox News Digital reached out to Hobbs for comment.

GEORGIA SCHOOL SHOOTING SUSPECT ON FBI RADAR SINCE 2023 AS POSSIBLE THREAT AFTER ONLINE REMARKS

During Tuesday's hearing, the court heard several impact statements from victims of the shooting. Jerry McIlhenny, the grandfather of victim Taylor Jones, said his granddaughter still has an iron rod in her leg from a bullet wound.

"You’ve taken her childhood away from her," McIlhenny said. "She’s 14!"

COLT GRAY PLEADS NOT GUILTY, DEMANDS JURY TRIAL 

Breanna Schermerhorn, mother of 14-year-old victim Mason Schermerhorn, testified that she has suffered and struggled personally since the murder of her son.

"He was an amazing son and brother," Schermerhorn said, adding that Colin Gray "should have no influence going forward on any child."

Georgia is one of 42 states in the U.S. that holds parents criminally responsible for their children.

Last year, a Michigan judge sentenced James and Jennifer Crumbley, parents of Oxford High School shooter Ethan Crumbley, to serve 10 to 15 years in prison for their roles in their son's decision to open fire inside his school, killing four students and injuring multiple others.

The Crumbley parents' trials have been described as historic, as they are the first parents of a school shooter in U.S. history to be tried, setting a new precedent for parents of children accused of committing mass shootings.

Fox News' Chip Bell and Bonny Chu contributed to this report.

Quadruple murder suspect Bryan Kohberber's defense team brought up two DNA samples from unidentified males at the King Road home where he is accused of killing four University of Idaho undergrads, as part of their effort to have his arrest warrants thrown out.

Two unidentified male blood samples, one on a handrail and one on a glove outside, were recovered by investigators after the stabbing deaths of Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncavles, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20 and Ethan Chapin, 20. Neither matched Kohberger, and they came from different subjects.

With the sources of both in question, defense attorney Anne Taylor told Ada County Judge Steven Hippler at a hearing last month that it could mean Kohberger, 30, is not related to the crime at all.

BRYAN KOHBERGER TRIAL: NEW REVELATIONS IN IDAHO STUDENT MURDERS CASE AS DEFENSE GRILLS LEAD DETECTIVE IN COURT

"That was an interesting piece of information," Boise-based defense attorney Edwina Elcox told Fox News Digital. "I think the defense tries to raise the issue and muddy the waters with it."

But in the pretrial stage, the judge seemed unconvinced that the presence of two other DNA samples would be a reason to throw out probable cause for Kohberger's arrest. Detectives made another damning find – a Ka-Bar knife sheath under Mogen's body.

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"His DNA is still on the knife sheath though," Hippler told Taylor in court. "That's the problem, counsel."

Taylor argued that detectives had misled Latah County Magistrate Judge Megan Marshall with their probable cause affidavit by leaving out details about the other blood. Hippler drilled home the connection between the suspect and the DNA found under Mogen's body.

BRYAN KOHBERGER'S MENTAL HEALTH RECORDS GIVEN TO PROSECUTORS AS HE FIGHTS DEATH PENALTY

"How does that, even if disclosed, preclude a finding of probable cause when there's a DNA match between the DNA on the sheath and Mr. Kohberger?" Hippler asked. "Isn't that probable cause every day and twice on Sunday?" 

Taylor argued, "Not in this context." In pretrial motions she unsuccessfully attacked the FBI's investigative genetic genealogy work, which generated a lead that led police to Kohberger. She plans to further dissect the investigatory method at trial.

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"What does a knife sheath at a scene mean?" Taylor posited. "That's going to be the ultimate question."

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"If you're killed by a knife, it probably means a lot," Hippler replied. "Probable cause is not a proof beyond a reasonable doubt standard. It's a probable cause to think that this person might have done it. And I'm not sure how that direct DNA connection to a sheath found on or near one of the victims doesn't close the book on anything on probable cause after that."

But the samples could create reasonable doubt before a jury at trial.

"Of course they will try to use it, but where were the other male blood samples at the scene? What was the weight of the DNA?" said Linda Kenney Baden, a prominent New York defense attorney whose clients have included Casey Anthony and Aaron Hernandez. "All these are questions for the jury but do not preclude the sheath DNA being used both for the search warrant."

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The location of these samples matters, she said. One was found on a handrail inside, another on a glove outdoors.

"Now if the same unknown DNA is in a bedroom and on a victim then it becomes more important, but not for probable cause for the search warrant," she said. 

Taylor will likely argue that the unknown blood came from one or more killers – who have no connection to her client, said David Gelman, a New Jersey-based defense attorney who has been following the case.

"Defense Counsel will pound that theory," he told Fox News Digital. "This is a theme of reasonable doubt they will use. It could actually be a powerful part of the defense."

After the hearing, Hippler said he had not yet decided whether the defense will receive a Franks hearing, which would allow Kohberger's team to attack the warrants in court.

Kohberger is scheduled for trial later this year. Before his defense successfully argued for a change of venue, Latah County Judge John Judge entered not guilty pleas on the suspect's behalf at his arraignment in May 2023.

Kohberger could face the death penalty if convicted.

The Massachusetts woman accused of killing her Boston police officer boyfriend in a snowy collision has lost her Massachusetts Supreme Court appeal seeking to have her case tossed on the grounds of double jeopardy after a chaotic murder trial ended in a hung jury.

Karen Read, 45, is expected to go on trial for the second time as previously scheduled in April on charges of second-degree murder and leaving the scene of a deadly accident.

Boston Police Officer John O'Keefe died from blunt force trauma to the head and hypothermia during a January snowstorm in Canton, Massachusetts, about 15 miles outside Beantown. Prosecutors say Read hit him with her SUV and fled the scene after a drunken fight. She claimed it was an elaborate cover-up and that she had left before he suffered any injuries. Jurors couldn't reach an agreement on which side to believe.

After a lower court denied her motion to dismiss following the mistrial, she appealed to the state's highest court, which handed down a decision Tuesday rejecting her argument that jurors only deadlocked on one of the three charges. She wanted the remaining two thrown out.

WATCH KAREN READ: KILLER OR CONVENIENT OUTSIDER?

"The jury clearly stated during deliberations that they had not reached a unanimous verdict on any of the charges and could not do so," Massachusetts Supreme Court Justice Serge Georges Jr. wrote in the court's 35-page decision.

Jurors told the judge in a series of notes that they were "deeply divided" over Read's guilt of murder and other charges and could not reach an agreement. 

"Only after being discharged did some individual jurors communicate a different supposed outcome, contradicting their prior notes," Georges wrote.

KAREN READ MISTRIAL PUTS COPS IN TOUGH SPOT, OPENS DOOR FOR ACCUSED KILLER OF BOYFRIEND OFFICER TO WALK FREE

Because the jurors broke their silence only after the trial, it was too late, the court ruled.

"Such posttrial disclosures cannot retroactively alter the trial's outcome -- either to acquit or to convict," Georges wrote. "Accordingly, we affirm the trial judge's denial of the motion to dismiss and the defendant's request for a posttrial juror inquiry."

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Read's new trial is expected to be led by a special assistant prosecutor, Hank Brennan, who once represented the mobster James "Whitey" Bulger and has already begun trying to obtain unpublished records from Massachusetts reporters who have interviewed Read.

Read the court's decision

WATCH: DASHCAM FROM THE NIGHT JOHN O'KEEFE WAS FOUND DEAD

"I don't see how that was going to fly, because it was a mistrial, she wasn't found guilty or not guilty," said Paul Mauro, a former NYPD inspector and attorney. "Double jeopardy applies when you have a verdict. It's in the Constitution."

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"This is settled law," he added. "This is not double jeopardy, I agree with the court. Let's get to a new trial and resolve this."

The new trial is scheduled to begin on April 1.

She is also facing a wrongful death lawsuit from O'Keefe's family.

Read, in a recent round of interviews, argued that she was framed by the real killers, whom she believes are other members of law enforcement O'Keefe got into a fight with after she dropped him off at the home of fellow Boston Police Officer Brian Albert. O'Keefe was found dead in the snow on Albert's front lawn.

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Testimony from Massachusetts State Trooper Michael Proctor, one of the key investigators, severely hurt prosecutors in court.

Jurors were seen shaking their heads in court as Read's defense team read some of his text messages.

In them, he called Read a "wack job," a "babe … with no a--" and a "c---." He wrote that he wished she would kill herself and joked about looking for nude selfies while searching her phone.

A 24-year-old woman accused of knifing a 65-year-old Boston lawyer to death on his houseboat before taking measures to dump his body out at sea found her protests drowned out in the courtroom during her arraignment Friday morning.

Joseph Donohue suffered multiple stab wounds before police found him around 11 p.m. Sunday wrapped up on his vessel after his son asked for a wellness check at a marine in Charlestown, according to authorities.

Suspect Nora Nelson, who appeared in court wearing white sweats and shackles, answered his door when officers arrived, Assistant District Attorney Rita Muse told the court during the hearing.

"When asked about Mr. Donohue's whereabouts, she was evasive and unresponsive," Muse said. "Her statements were contradictory, and frankly, she lied."

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She allegedly claimed her name was "Casey" and told police Donohue was at a strip club. An officer, suspicious of her claims, searched the houseboat anyway.

"He made his way through the residence towards the back bedroom," Muse said. "When he opened the sliding doors in the bedroom leading to a patio area, he saw what would later be identified as 65-year-old Joseph Donohue's body, wrapped in a white and blue covering, secured with duct tape and affixed with weights."

Additional officers arrived and found Donohue's dog dead in the water nearby and alleged evidence that someone had tried to clean up the crime scene.

Nelson allegedly gave "nonsensical answers" to homicide detectives along with a second fake name, Muse said. 

KAREN READ MISTRIAL PUTS COPS IN TOUGH SPOT, OPENS DOOR FOR ACCUSED KILLER OF BOYFRIEND OFFICER TO WALK FREE

Police arrested her at the scene on unrelated warrants. She was formally charged with Donohue's murder Thursday after an autopsy found his cause and manner of death to be a homicide by stabbing. 

Without going into specifics, Muse told the judge that forensic evidence recovered from Donohue's remains linked Nelson to the crime.

The defendant, who had her eyes turned downward as Muse spoke, appeared to wipe a tear from her eyes when the prosecutor told the judge there was probable cause to believe she had murdered Donohue.

Defense attorney Ian Davis asked for time to review discovery before filing a potential bail request. 

The court entered a not guilty plea on Nelson's behalf before the judge granted the prosecution's request to have her held without bail, prompting the defendant to speak up.

"No one ever told me that this –" Nelson began, before her voice was drowned out by others in the courtroom trying to cut her off. "This is the first time I've ever heard this –."

She is due back in court on March 6.

The investigation is ongoing and Boston police are asking anyone with information on the case to call homicide detectives at 617-343-4470.

Donohue's connection to his suspected killer was not immediately clear. Public records show he lived on the houseboat and has been licensed to practice law since the 1980s.

A Texas man convicted of killing a pastor in his own church during a robbery, days after being released from a court-order anger-management program, is slated to be executed Wednesday. 

Steven Lawayne Nelson was sentenced to death for the 2011 murder of Rev. Clint Dobson, 28, who was beaten, strangled and suffocated with a plastic bag inside NorthPointe Baptist Church in Arlington. Nelson allegedly suffocated Dobson by putting a plastic bag over his head as he was sitting in his office writing a sermon. 

He was captured after going on a shopping spree using the victims’ stolen credit cards, Fox Dallas reported.

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"It is hard for me to fathom that you did what you did for a car and a laptop and a phone," Dobson's father-in-law, Phillip Rozeman, said in a statement after the sentencing. "The world is going to miss a leader. It's sad to know all the people that won't be helped because Clint is not here."

Nelson is expected to receive a lethal injection Wednesday evening at the state penitentiary in Huntsville.

Three days before the killing, Nelson was released from a court-ordered anger-management program as part of a deal with Dallas County prosecutors after he was arrested for aggravated assault on his girlfriend. 

Nelson previously served prison time for theft, and spent much of his teen years in juvenile facilities after committing various crimes.

After the sentencing for Dobson's killing, he was accused of angrily breaking a sprinkler head in his holding cell, which flooded the courtroom.

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He also regularly unshackled his handcuffs and ankle restraints by using a key he was hiding in his genitals.

In addition, while awaiting trial, he was indicted for allegedly killing another inmate. He was never charged after receiving the death sentence for the Dobson murder. 

During his murder trial, Nelson testified that he waited outside the church for about 25 minutes before going in and seeing that Dobson and Judy Elliott had been beaten. He insisted Dobson was still alive. 

Nelson said he took Dobson’s laptop and that one of the other two men who participated in the robbery gave him Elliott’s car keys and credit cards.

The victims were later found by Elliott’s husband, the church’s part-time music minister, who didn’t immediately recognize her because she had been so severely beaten.

Despite his insistence that he merely acted as lookout, prosecutors presented evidence of Nelson’s fingerprints and pieces of his broken belt at the crime scene and drops of the victims’ blood on his sneakers.

His attorneys appealed the conviction, claiming he had bad legal representation at his trial, saying they failed to challenge the alibis of the two other men and didn't present mitigating evidence of a troubled childhood in Oklahoma and Texas.

Two potential witnesses who say they ran into OJ Simpson on June 12, 1994 – the night his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman were brutally hacked to death outside her upscale condo – are sharing their stories in a new docuseries decades after they were left out of the ensuing murder trial.

One, who later sued prosecutors for libel, could have placed Simpson within a mile of the crime scene after she said she narrowly missed crashing into his SUV. 

The other said he saw Simpson acting oddly and dumping a wrapped item in a trash can at Los Angeles's largest airport 30 minutes later.

Due to his fame as a football star, a TV sports commentator and actor, he was highly recognizable at the time.

FBI RELEASES HUNDREDS OF PAGES ON OJ SIMPSON MURDER INVESTIGATION

Both appear in Netflix's new docuseries, "American Manhunt: O.J. Simpson."

The first is Jill Shively, who lived in Santa Monica at the time and encountered Simpson in a traffic altercation around 11 p.m. on the night of the murders. 

Less than a mile from the crime scene, Shively told investigators she nearly crashed into a white Ford Bronco with no headlights on.

"I could see who it was and I knew it was a football player, but I wasn't sure who," she elaborated to People Wednesday. "He was yelling at another driver, ‘Move, move.’ I recognized his voice because I had just seen a Naked Gun movie. It was O.J. Simpson." 

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Shively testified before the grand jury, then sold her story to the tabloid TV show "Hard Copy" for $5,000, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Her then-boyfriend also allegedly told prosecutors that she was a "felony probationer" and not a credible witness. She sued him and county officials over the latter claim but was never called to the stand at trial. 

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The other is Skip Junis, who claimed to have seen Simpson arrive at Los Angeles International Airport around 11:30 p.m. the same evening.

PHOTOS: OJ SIMPSON THROUGH THE YEARS

As he was waiting to pick up his wife, he claimed, he saw Simpson get out of a limo with a duffle bag.

"O.J. went to a trash can and plopped the bag on top," Junis told People. "What was really peculiar is when he unzipped the bag, he pulled out a long item that was covered with a white rag or cloth and put it in the trash can."

A murder weapon was never found in connection with the case.

Simpson's lawyers had maintained that he was home at the time of the murders, waiting for a limo to LAX. He took a red-eye flight to Chicago for a golf outing but was asked to return to Los Angeles by police the next morning. 

Junis said he told police what he had seen but was not called to the witness stand during the trial.

"I think Marcia Clark forgot about me," he told the outlet, referring to the lead prosecutor on the case.

Clark declined to comment when contacted by Fox News Digital. She also declined to appear in the docuseries, according to Netflix. 

Simpson had an elite team of attorneys known as the "Dream Team" that included Johnnie Cochran, Alan Dershowitz, Robert Kardashian, Shawn Holley, Robert Shapiro and others. They ultimately convinced jurors of enough reasonable doubt to acquit Simpson in the murders.

A Heisman Trophy winner from USC nicknamed "Juice," Simpson went on to a stellar NFL career as a running back with the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers. But after briefly flirting with Hollywood stardom, he became the most prominent U.S. figure to face murder charges after the brutal double stabbing left Brown Simpson and Goldman dead at her Brentwood condo.

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The two victims were not believed to have been romantically involved. 

Although he was acquitted in that case, Simpson later lost a civil lawsuit connected to the deaths. Years later, at the age of 61, he took part in an armed robbery to steal some of his own memorabilia. He served the minimum nine years of a 33-year sentence before receiving parole.

Simpson died last April after a private cancer battle. Near the end of his life, he remained in Las Vegas and returned to the public eye on X, posting reactions to current events.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

It’s been 18 years since a South Florida community was rocked by a series of murders and a kidnapping at a local mall, and a retired FBI agent who worked on the cases for over a decade believes the crimes are connected and that the killer may still be "out there."

After shopping at the Boca Raton Town Center Mall, mother of two Randi Gorenberg and Nancy Bochicchio and her 7-year-old daughter Joey were murdered, and another mother known as Jane Doe was kidnapped with her 2-year-old son, all within a nine-month timeframe in 2007.

"I heard about them just like everybody else on the news, and it was just horrible," retired FBI Agent John MacVeigh, who investigated the three cases for 10 years, told Fox News Digital. "We contacted Boca Police Department, knowing that it was something that, you know, we could possibly assist." 

'DATING GAME' SERIAL KILLER'S RISE TO FAME WAS KEY TO HIS DOWNFALL, ARRESTING OFFICER REVEALS FOR FIRST TIME

Gorenberg, 52, was last seen on surveillance video walking out of the Town Center Mall in the early afternoon of March 23, 2007. About 45 minutes later, someone called 911 from a park about five miles away, claiming to hear gunshots and seeing someone being pushed out of a vehicle. Authorities soon found Gorenberg's body at Governor Lawton Chiles Memorial Park. 

"It does appear that she resisted at some point," MacVeigh said of Gorenberg. "She was shot and basically thrown out the car while the suspect drove away."

Less than five months later, Jane Doe and her young son were kidnapped from the parking lot at the same mall. MacVeigh described the harrowing incident as Jane Doe got into her SUV Aug. 7, 2007. 

"She puts her son from the passenger side into the center car seat. She walks around to the trunk," MacVeigh said. "She opens the trunk. She puts the stroller in. She walks back around. As she opens the door to get in the driver's seat, the suspect had already jumped in the back passenger seat. Now, you're talking seconds … so he had to be extremely close to her."

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The suspect forced Jane Doe to drive to an ATM and take out $600. 

"Just terrified. I mean, she's in the car with her 2-year-old, and this man has got a gun on her and threatening her," MacVeigh said. 

Unusually, the perpetrator seemed to be "a little bit sympathetic" toward the mother and son, the retired FBI agent added. The gunman decided to drive them back to the mall, where he put blacked-out swim goggles over her eyes and handcuffed her wrists before fleeing. 

MacVeigh said, to escape, Jane Doe "took the handcuffs and went up under her feet around to get out from behind her back" and then drove to the valet and reported the attack. 

"It was just so blatant and bizarre because you just wouldn't think that somebody would be accosted in the middle of the day — handcuffed, blindfolded — forced to go to an ATM and then brought back to the same location and dropped off," he said. "It wasn't the norm." 

'DATING GAME KILLER' KEPT 'TROPHIES' THAT ULTIMATELY LED TO HIS DOWNFALL: DETECTIVE

Four months later, 47-year-old Bochicchio and her young daughter Joey went shopping at the Boca Raton Town Center Dec. 12, 2007. And, just like in the case of the abduction, authorities believe they were attacked as they were trying to leave the mall's parking lot.  

Investigators believe they were abducted and taken to an ATM, where they were forced to withdraw $500 and that the suspect used duct tape, plastic ties, handcuffs and goggles to bind and control Bochicchio and her daughter, according to the Boca Raton Police Department's website. 

"Nancy resists. She breaks her handcuffs. We do believe that she tried to get Joey out of the car, and then he turned around and shot both of them," MacVeigh said. 

Officers found the mother and daughter dead shortly before midnight in their vehicle in the mall's parking lot with the car's engine still running, police say. 

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Now a private investigator, MacVeigh observed an similar theme in all three attacks tied to the local mall. 

"The suspect was trying to control women," he explained. In both the Jane Doe and Bochicchio cases, the suspect used a pair of blacked-out swim goggles, as well as other material, to bind and control the victims.  

MacVeigh said another repeated detail was the time of day. All three crimes took place in "broad daylight" and "right around the same time." 

"It's not a small little coincidence. There's not … one or two small things. This is an accumulation of things," he added, referring to the related details among the cases.  

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Detectives with the Boca Raton Police Department and Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office created a task force in January 2007 to work together on solving the Gorenberg and Bochicchio murders, according to the Boca Raton Police Department website. However, the task force later disbanded, and both departments continued working on the individual cases with the FBI's assistance, MacVeigh said. 

Investigators collected several hundred pieces of evidence from the Bochicchio crime, including DNA samples, and "a massive investigation involving resources from around the country" unfolded, the Boca Raton police website added. Detectives went through hours of surveillance video, searched various locations and followed up on leads. 

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"We sent agents to the mall because they were interested in trying to find out if maybe it was somebody that had worked there," MacVeigh said. "We issued subpoenas, and we went door to door. It was pretty overwhelming because you don't realize how many people work at that mall. And I think the number when we were done was somewhere in the neighborhood of 14,000." 

After her abduction, authorities spoke with Jane Doe about the individual who attacked her and created a composite sketch to try to determine his identity.

"You and I could both be that composite. I mean, it's just you have a hat on with glasses and all you're seeing is the bottom part of the face," MacVeigh explained about the drawing's details. 

COP WHO SURVIVED SERIAL KILLER AS A TEEN IS NOW ON TRACK TO BECOME A DETECTIVE

Despite two people of interest being initially identified in the Bochicchio case, according to police, all three cases remain unsolved, and MacVeigh believes the crimes are all connected. 

"It's just so hard to believe that it's not the same person," MacVeigh said. "Three of these incidences … in the same area, and very similar. Here you have a very affluent mall … and, you know, you are targeting people that you suspect have money.

"While there is presently no physical or forensic evidence directly linking this case to any other investigations, there are enough similarities to lead Boca Raton investigators to believe this case is related to the August 7, 2007 Town Center Mall carjacking incident," the Boca Raton Police Department states on its website, referring to the Bochicchio murders being related to the Jane Doe abduction. 

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MacVeigh said he continues to get calls from investigators who are still tracking down new leads and working on the case today. 

"As technology changes and evolves regarding DNA testing, this case is continuously being reevaluated. We remain optimistic that technological advances will lead our investigators to a breakthrough in the investigation," Jessica Desir, a spokesperson for the Boca Raton Police Department, told WPTV last month regarding the Bochicchio murders. 

MacVeigh explained that although the Boca Raton Town Center Mall might have more security measures in place today, a killer is still "out there probably committing other crimes." 

"You want to feel safe going to the mall," MacVeigh added, stressing the importance of finally solving the cases and getting justice for the Gorenberg and Bochicchio families.

The Boca Raton Police Department, Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office and Boca Raton Town Center Mall did not immediately respond for comment. 

Two Oregon teens are facing murder and robbery charges after allegedly shooting and killing a man who tried to intervene when they robbed a grocery store.

Police received reports of gunshots at a Fred Meyer grocery store in Portland's Hazelwood neighborhood around 3:50 p.m. on Jan. 13., the Portland Police Bureau wrote in a press release.

There, they found 47-year-old Jonathan Trent on the ground with a gunshot wound. He was taken to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead, according to local station KOIN.

"The initial investigation suggests that Trent was shot after witnessing a robbery and attempting to stop the suspect," the police wrote in their press release.

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In an update shared on Jan. 23, police announced that they arrested a 15-year-old and a 16-year-old on murder and robbery charges in connection with the incident. Another 15-year-old, who knows the other two teens, was arrested for a separate Jan. 1 robbery. 

Police believe the 16-year-old was involved in a string of four other robberies that took place in the area during the first two weeks of the year. 

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Sgt. Matt Jacobsen of the police department's major crimes unit told KPTV that investigators arrested the teens after learning that several crimes that occurred in the area in the 48 hours after the shooting were all related.

"Throughout the course of the investigation, we’re able to identify five events that were related to this group," he said. "This type of crime with these youths is fairly uncommon. Unfortunately, guns are available in this community and it's deeply concerning to see youth of this age, armed with firearms."

The Multnomah County District Attorney's Office is deciding whether the two teens charged with murder will be tried as adults, KPTV reported. Fox News Digital could not reach the office for comment at press time. 

The three teens, whose identities have not been released due to their minor status, are all being held at Donald E. Long Juvenile Detention Facility. 

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A GoFundMe initiative was launched to help the man's son and his son's mother in the wake of his death.

"Jon was a man of warmth, kindness, and joy who brought light to everyone around him," a friend who organized the fundraiser wrote on the page. "He was a constant presence at the pool, supporting [his son] and inspiring our community with his positivity and generous spirit... His loss has left a profound void in our hearts and the lives of those who knew him."

Authorities are investigating an apparent murder-suicide after a family of four was found dead last week in their Pennsylvania home. 

Paul Swarner, 35, Karen Swarner, 32, and their two young children were found dead in their house in Hempfield Township, Pennsylvania, on the morning of Friday, Jan. 24, according to police and a public report by the Westmoreland County Coroner.

Law enforcement believe Paul Swarner shot and killed his wife and two children before killing himself, Trooper Steve Limani of the Pennsylvania State Police explained in a press conference Friday, covered by WTAE. 

"It's unthinkable, unfathomable. To be honest with you, I don't have the words to describe how awful it is," Limani said. "You're talking about your wife, but then a 5-year-old and a 1-year-old. It's just devastating."

HUSBAND OF NURSE, MOM OF THREE FOUND DEAD AT BOTTOM OF STAIRCASE WENT FOR BEER AFTER FINDING BODY: POLICE

Authorities believe the last person to have spoken with the family had "a normal conversation" with Karen on Wednesday, Limani said, adding, "There was no, what you'd consider strife or any type of concern of, fear of endangerment."

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The following day, Paul's parents tried calling the family in the afternoon but did not hear back from them. Karen's father then called 911 at 11:30 p.m. Thursday. 

Limani noted that authorities recovered a Ruger .22 from the home, adding, "It appears that was the firearm that was used." 

FAMILY OF MISSING PREGNANT WOMAN REVEALS SUSPICIONS ABOUT DISAPPEARANCE

When asked about a possible motive, Limani said, "We're trying to see if there's a reason. There's maybe a baby-camera… that we're trying to look through to see if there's anything that took place. To see if there was a triggering point or something that would've caused Paul to have these, experience these thoughts."

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"We don't have any domestic violence history when it comes to the state police being involved in anything [in] that particular household," he added.

Limani said the couple was married for about 10 years and had an "all-American family," adding, "It looked like a very loving household with pictures and all the things that you would ever think that you would walk into a home and see." 

WEALTHY FLORIDA REAL ESTATE BROTHERS' 'TROPHIES' UNCOVERED AS JUDGE DENIES BAIL: FEDS

A reporter at Friday's conference noted that this incident marked the second murder-suicide in Westmoreland County since Christmas Eve, 2024.

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"Generally in the holidays we do have most of our problems…when it comes to mental health," Limani said.

"I don't know what was going on with Paul. I don't know why it would've happened," he added. "I hope we're able to find some answers." 

Authorities asked that anyone with information contact state police in Greensburg. 

Idaho lawmakers are moving to bolster their newly restored firing squad as the state's primary means of execution with eight current death row inmates and the capital murder trial of student murders suspect Bryan Kohberger approaching.

"I, along with many others, believe the firing squad is more certain, has less appellate issues, and is more humane than other forms of execution," Idaho state Rep. Bruce Skaug, who introduced the legislation, told Fox News Digital. "We had a botched lethal injection attempt in Idaho last year."

In March 2023, the state revived the firing squad as a backup option for when lethal injection, a troubled and increasingly controversial method of execution, is not available.

IDAHO SERIAL KILELR SURIVES LETHAL INJECTION ATTEMPT, PROMPTING RENEWED PUSH FOR FIRING SQUAD

Then last year, condemned serial killer Thomas Eugene Creech survived his lethal injection, prompting renewed interest in the firing squad.

The new move would make the firing squad the state's primary means of capital punishment – without any additional cost to taxpayers, since funding for the execution chamber was included in the previous bill.

Kohberger's defense, meanwhile has sought to have the death penalty taken off the table and is challenging warrants and DNA evidence used in his arrest.

Two days of hearings on defense motions in the quadruple murder case against University of Idaho student stabbings suspect ended without any official decisions but revealed new details ahead of his highly anticipated trial later this year. The judge is expected to deliver his decisions within a couple of weeks.

IDAHO'S MOVE TO RESURRECT FIRING SQUAD ‘MAKES SENSE’ AS ‘QUICKEST, SUREST’ DEATH PENALTY OPTION, EXPERT SAYS

Fordham Law School professor Deborah Denno, a leading expert on the death penalty in the U.S., previously told Fox News Digital that the firing squad is accepted as the most efficient and humane means of execution.

"We've had three modern firing squad executions, and they have gone off as intended, and the inmate has died quickly and with dignity," she said after Creech's failed execution. "So, I think that is something to emphasize."

Lethal injections have been plagued by mishaps, drug shortages and botched attempts. Creech was the fourth person to survive a lathe execution in just the last few years.

IDAHO GOVERNOR SIGNS LAW ALLOWING FIRING SQUAD EXECUTIONS

Denno has advocated for giving inmates a choice in their means of execution.

"I have a hunch that more inmates would choose firing squad," she told Fox News Digital, noting that Tennessee inmates have begun choosing electrocution over lethal injection when given the choice.

Only four states have an option for the firing squad, although its use is extremely rare, according to the Death Penalty Information Center, which also describes lethal injections as the "most-botched" execution method.

Matt Mangino, a former Pennsylvania prosecutor who wrote a book on capital punishment, "The Executioner's Toll, 2010," said in the current political climate, he believes the new Idaho bill will pass.

IDAHO STUDENT MURDERS SUSPECT BRYAN KOHBERGER COULD FACE DEATH BY FIRING SQUAD UNDER PROPOSED LAW IF CONVICTED

Lethal injections look modern and even "clinical," he said, but can be far more gruesome than they appear. One of the drugs in the typical injection cocktail is a paralyltic meant to keep the condemned from writhing – for witness' comfort not their own. 

Idaho currently has eight death row inmates, including Creech, and is gearing up or a high-profile trial over the stabbing murders of four college students. Suspect Bryan Kohberger, a 30-year-old former criminology Ph.D. student, could face the death penalty if convicted.

Kohberger is scheduled for trial later this year in connection with the home invasion murders of Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, an Ethan Chapin, also 20.

The firing squad bill remains in committee. A hearing and public testimony has not yet been scheduled, Skaug said.

As Idaho student murders suspect Bryan Kohberger's trial approaches, his defense is drawing comparisons to another high-profile case that rocked the state, the murder trial of "cult mom" Lori Vallow, who, along with her fifth husband, killed her two children and his ex-wife in 2019.

She's scheduled to go on trial for two additional homicides in Arizona, the murders of her ex-husband Charles Vallow and a man named Brandon Boudreaux, who had been married to her niece.

Kohberger, accused of massacring four University of Idaho students in a 4 a.m. home invasion in November 2022, asked a Boise judge to punish prosecutors for their handling of discovery in his case.

IDAHO MURDERS SUSPECT BRYAN KOHBERGER IN COURT AS DEFENSE CHALLENGES PROSECUTION METHODS

The University of Idaho victims were Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20. All four died of multiple stab wounds.

Police said they found a Ka-Bar knife sheath under Mogen's body with DNA on it that led them to arrest Kohberger at his parents' house in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania. He was a Ph.D. student studying criminology at Washington State University at the time of the slayings.

The school is a 10-minute drive from the site of the crime.

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"Kohberger’s defense team is going to try every way possible to get the death penalty off the table," said Edwina Elcox, a Boise-based defense attorney who previously represented Vallow. "To accomplish that would be a massive win. But, at this stage, I do not think the defense’s arguments regarding discovery will accomplish that. However, they are clearly paving the way to raise this in the future. "

She said she could not comment on Vallow specifically due to their past attorney-client relationship.

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Kohberger's defense last month asked for sanctions against the prosecution. Defense lawyers did not ask for those sanctions to include striking the death penalty, but, down the line, they could ask for more.

"There’s a strategic reason the defense is doing this. If the judge agrees that the prosecution hasn’t complied with its discovery obligations, he can sanction the prosecution, and one of those sanctions may be taking the death penalty off the table," said Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor who first noted the Vallow sanction earlier this month, when Kohberger's defense asked the judge to punish prosecutors for delays.

Kohberger could face the death penalty if convicted, but in Vallow's Idaho murder trial, capital punishment was taken off the table after prosecutors missed a deadline.

BRYAN KOHBERGER DEFENSE WANTS PROSECUTION PUNISHED OVER DELAYS

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"That’s what happened in the recent Lori Vallow doomsday ‘cult mom’ case in Idaho," Rahmani said. "The judge in that case removed the death penalty because of the prosecution’s delay in turning over evidence. Saving Kohberger’s life would be a huge win for the defense."

The defense only needs to convince one juror of reasonable doubt to upend the case, said David Gelman, a New Jersey-based defense attorney who is also following the case closely.

"Vallow uses reasonable doubt perfectly and keeps hounding that nobody can place her there," he said. "The Kohberger attorneys are doing the same thing."

Kohberger has been in court multiple times this week and is due back later Friday as he seeks to have key evidence tossed. His lawyers have also accused prosecutors of repeated delays in the discovery process.

IDAHO PROSECUTORS REJECT BRYAN KOHBERGER'S MANY ATTACKS ON SEARCH WARRANTS

"The bulk of the State’s expert disclosures fail to include opinions and reports. These inadequate disclosures greatly prejudice Mr. Kohberger who is obligated to submit defense guilt phase expert disclosures by January 23, 2025," Kohberger defense lawyers Anne Taylor, Jay Logsdon and Elisa Massoth wrote in a court filing in late December. 

The sanctions considered must be the exclusion of the experts or, at a bare minimum, an order compelling proper disclosure and an extension of Mr. Kohberger’s January 23, 2025 deadline."  

Without the disclosures, they argued, they have no idea what expert evidence to prepare to fight in court.

"In a perfect world, they would have had everything by now, but this case is so big that there’s always more discovery that comes up," Gelman said.

Judge Steven Hippler on Wednesday denied a defense motion to unseal documents related to some of the disputed DNA evidence in the case, agreeing with prosecutors that letting it out before trial could potentially influence the jury pool. 

"The best defense is a good offense, and I’m not surprised Kohberger’s team is aggressively going after the prosecution," Rahmani said. "Discovery is one way in criminal cases, which means the state has to turn over all of its evidence, including expert witness reports."

Kohberger could face the death penalty if convicted. He faces four charges of first-degree murder and another of felony burglary.

Shortly before leaving office Monday, former President Joe Biden commuted the life sentence of Leonard Peltier, a far-left activist convicted in the 1975 murders of two FBI special agents, Ronald Williams and Jack Coler, who were gunned down in a shootout in South Dakota.

Peltier's most recent bid for parole failed in July. Former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama both denied clemency requests for him, but he had supporters among other prominent Democrats, including Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, as well as former Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland.

The move outraged the FBI Agents Association and came days after outgoing FBI Director Christopher Wray sent a letter to Biden urging him not to free the killer.

"The FBI Agents Association (FBIAA) is outraged by President Biden’s decision to commute the sentence of Leonard Peltier, a convicted cop killer responsible for the brutal murders of FBI Special Agents Jack Coler and Ronald Williams," FBIAA President Natalie Bara told Fox News Digital. "This last-second, disgraceful act by then-President Biden, which does not change Peltier’s guilt but does release him from prison, is cowardly and lacks accountability. It is a cruel betrayal to the families and colleagues of these fallen Agents and is a slap in the face of law enforcement."

DOJ PANEL DENIES PAROLE FOR FAR-LEFT ACTIVIST CONVICTED IN SLAYINGS OF 2 FBI AGENTS

On Jan. 10, Wray implored Biden not to do it.

"I hope these letters are unnecessary, and that you are not considering a pardon or commutation," Wray wrote. "But on behalf of the FBI family, and out of an abundance of caution, I want to make sure our position is clear: Peltier is a remorseless killer, who brutally murdered two of our own – Special Agents Jack Coler and Ronald Williams. Granting Peltier any relief from his conviction or sentence is wholly unjustified and would be an affront to the rule of law."

Peltier, now 80 and in poor health, is serving two consecutive life sentences for the slayings, plus another seven years for an armed escape attempt. He repeatedly failed to appeal his case. His supporters feared he would die in prison and looked to President Biden to set him free.

"For nearly 50 years, no fewer than 22 federal judges, multiple parole boards, and six presidential administrations have evaluated the evidence and considered Peltier’s arguments," Wray wrote. "Each has reached the same conclusion: Peltier’s claims are meritless and his convictions and sentence must stand."

Biden overruled him.

PRESIDENT BIDEN PARDONS HIS SIBLINGS JUST MINUTES BEFORE LEAVING OFFICE

It's the latest in a string of pardons, commutations and sweetheart plea deals Biden has given to convicted murderers on his way out of office. He took 37 out of 40 federal inmates off of death row, and his attorney general, Merrick Garland, took the death penalty off the table for a brutal MS-13 leader responsible for seven murders. Two victims, teen high school girls, were massacred with machetes and baseball bats.

He also gave last-minute preemptive pardons to his family members and allies, including his siblings, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Mark Milley and members of the January 6 Committee. He had previously pardoned his son, Hunter.

Read FBI Director Wray's letter to Biden on Leonard Peltier:

Haaland praised Peltier's commutation.

"I am beyond words about the commutation of Leonard Peltier," she wrote on X. "His release from prison signifies a measure of justice that has long evaded so many Native Americans for so many decades."

TEEN MS-13 VICTIM'S FATHER SLAMS LAST-MINUTE BIDEN DOJ PLEA DEAL

On June 26, 1975, Williams and Coler were looking for a group of armed robbery suspects in the Oglala Sioux Indian Reservation in Pine Ridge, South Dakota. Although Peltier wasn't one of them, he was traveling in a vehicle that caught the agents' attention.

The agents weren't aware that Peltier was also the subject of an arrest warrant for the attempted murder of an off-duty police officer in Wisconsin.

According to court documents, Williams warned Coler over the radio that someone in the vehicle was about to start shooting at them. Gunfire erupted. Both agents were wounded. According to the FBI, both agents were executed with point-blank gunshots to the head from Peltier's AR-15.

Coler, originally from Bakersfield, California, had been an LAPD officer before joining the FBI in 1971. Williams was also a California native, from Glendale. He joined the FBI in 1972.

"The pardon of Leonard Peltier is not an act of justice but an abandonment of it," said Nicole Parker, a former FBI agent who lost two colleagues of her own to line-of-duty violence.

"I myself lost my dearest friend and colleague, FBI Special Agent Laura Schwartzenberger, and Special Agent Daniel Alfin when they were murdered February 2, 2021, executing a search warrant to stop a child predator," she told Fox News Digital. "The crushing heartbreak of losing mighty warriors who selflessly protect others is indescribable."

Four men were arrested in their deaths, but only Peltier was convicted, according to the FBI. The government dropped charges against James Eagle, the robbery suspect Williams and Coler were looking for at the start of the shootout. Two other men, Robert Robideau and Darrelle Butler, were acquitted at trial in 1976. 

After his release from federal prison, he is expected to be placed on house arrest.

"Agents Coler and Williams gave their lives in service to this nation, and their families continue to bear the heavy burden of that sacrifice," Bara said. "The loss of these heroes is felt as deeply today within the FBI family as it was in 1975. Leonard Peltier has never expressed remorse for his actions. Special Agents Coler and Williams were stolen from their families, robbed of the chance to share precious time and milestones with their loved ones. Leonard Peltier should not have been granted a mercy he so cruelly denied to the Coler and Williams families."

New Orleans terrorist attacker Shamsud-Din Jabbar was radicalized by ISIS online "within weeks," according to FBI Director Christopher Wray.

Jabbar killed 14 civilians when he rammed a rented Ford F-150 truck through a New Year's crowd celebrating on Bourbon Street around 3:15 a.m. on Jan. 1. He then began shooting at police, who returned fire, killing the attacker.

"[H]e appears to have been inspired — from afar — by ISIS. And it is, in many ways, the most challenging type of terrorist threat we face," Wray told "60 Minutes" in a wide-ranging interview that aired Sunday. "You're talking about guys like this, who radicalize not in years but in weeks, and whose method of attack is still very deadly but fairly crude. And if you think about that old saying about connecting the dots, there are not a lot of dots out there to connect. And there's very little time in which to connect them."

The FBI noted earlier this month that Jabbar, 42, traveled to Cairo, Egypt, from June 22 to July 3, 2023, then returned to the U.S. In a separate trip on July 10, 2023, he traveled to Ontario, Canada, and returned to the U.S. a few days later.

BODY LANGUAGE EXPERT SAYS NEW ORLEANS ATTACKER EXHIBITED ‘RED FLAGS’ BEFORE ATTACK

The Texas native was a twice-divorced Army veteran who, despite a lucrative job at a large consulting firm, had a history of financial struggles and missed child support payments, records show.

Prior to the New Orleans attack, he visited the city twice — once in October and again in November. He used Meta smart glasses to take videos of his surroundings as he rode a bike through the French Quarter months before carrying out the deadly attack.

BOURBON STREET TERROR VICTIMS SUE NEW ORLEANS AS LOUISIANA AG INVESTIGATES SECURITY LAPSES

On Dec. 31, Jabbar rented the Ford truck in Houston and then drove it to New Orleans, where he checked in to an AirBnb. Authorities would later find bomb-making materials and remnants of a fire at the property, saying Jabbar likely attempted to cover up his crime by attempting to burn evidence at the rental home in the St. Roch neighborhood, about two miles from the French Quarter.

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT VICTIMS OF NEW ORLEANS TERRORIST ATTACK

"It's pretty clear so far that this is a guy who was radicalized online and who was determined to try to murder as many innocent people as he could in the name of ISIS," Wray said in his interview with "60 Minutes."

He added that these kinds of lone wolf threats are becoming more common in the United States.

"There was a guy, a Pakistani citizen, who, just a few months ago, we worked with our Canadian partners to arrest," Wray explained to host Scott Pelley. This guy was trying to get into the U.S., get into New York City, to conduct a mass shooting at a Jewish Center in Brooklyn. … In his words, he wanted to conduct the largest attack in the U.S. since 9/11."

The FBI continues to investigate the attack and said that while Jabbar apparently acted alone, authorities are still investigating whether he had any accomplices.

Fox News' Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.

A 17-year-old Florida TikToker who posted videos of himself racing his expensive BMW sports car plowed into the back of a small SUV three years ago at a speed in excess of 150 mph – killing six farmworkers leaving their shift. 

The crash in Palm Beach County was one of the county's deadliest road traffic incidents, according to local reports. 

On Monday, Noah Galle, now 20, reached a plea deal with prosecutors in which he was sentenced to 12 and a half years in prison after he pleaded guilty to six counts of vehicular homicide.

Galle, the son of prominent local attorney Craig Galle, prepared a statement of remorse which his defense attorney Liz Parker, a former traffic homicide prosecutor, read out, according to The Palm Beach Post.

FLORIDA TRAIN SLAMS INTO FIRE TRUCK, LEAVING FIREFIGHTERS, PASSENGERS INJURED

The deal means Galle avoided trial where he could have been hit with a minimum 55-year sentence or a maximum of 90 years in prison, although consecutive sentences for each count are almost never imposed by the courts unless a defendant has a significant prior record of crimes, a spokesperson for West Palm Beach Chief Assistant State Attorney Al Johnson told Fox News Digital. 

Johnson said the deal was fair and it had the backing of the victims' family members. 

"This is a significant punishment. What is the proper sentence in a tragic case like this?" Johnson told Fox News Digital via a statement.

"No amount of prison time will bring the victims back to their families. The families have written to us that they did not object to this plea. Some of them didn't even want him to go to jail at all. One wanted us to drop the case entirely."

TRUMP, DESANTIS JOIN THOUSANDS TO MOURN 3 FLORIDA DEPUTIES KILLED IN ROADSIDE CRASH

Johnson said it was significant that Calle was 17 years old when the crime was committed and he had no prior involvement with the law. 

"We feel this is an appropriate resolution."

According to prosecutors, Galle was driving his BMW M5 at the breakneck speed of 151 mph on State Road 7 near Delray Beach when he barreled into the SUV, which had six people riding in it, on Jan. 27, 2022, at around 11 p.m. The speed limit on that road is 55 mph.

The SUV swerved into the median and rolled over several times. Five of the six were killed instantly and the sixth later died.

The crash killed the SUV’s driver, Mirlane Julceus, 45, as well as her passengers: Michel Louis Saint, 77, Marie Michelle Louis, 60, Remzie Michel, 53, Filaine Dieu, 46, and Vanice Percina, 29.

The six victims were leaving Pero Family Farms on State Road 7 near Atlantic Avenue at the time of the wreck.

Aaron Wayt, a senior trial attorney with Pumphrey Law, a Tallahassee-based criminal defense firm, said that the plea deal is in line with such arrangements in the state. Neither Wayt nor his firm were involved in the case.  

"In Florida, sentences for vehicular homicide cases have a wide range depending on the unique circumstances of each case," Wayt told Fox News Digital.

"A 12-year prison sentence is within that range. When cases resolve like this one did with a plea, prosecutors and defense attorneys work together to balance accountability with fairness. Occasionally, that can result in a plea deal that appears lenient to the public but is consistent with the specific facts of the case and how prior cases have been resolved."

Galle, meanwhile, did not comment as he left the courtroom, WPEC reports. He was flanked by his father and his attorneys as he entered and left the court. 

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He will have to serve a minimum of 85% of his prison sentence and the sentence will be followed by seven years' probation, per WPEC. His driver's license was also revoked for three years.

Galle agreed to turn himself in on Feb. 3.

As part of his sentence, Galle must post a video to social media sharing his story and advocating for the importance of safe driving, according to The Palm Beach Post. He must also perform 800 hours of community service, complete a 12-hour driving course and attend a panel where crash victims share their stories about how their injuries affected their lives.

Daniel Penny's legal team wants a civil judge to dismiss the lawsuit filed by Jordan Neely's father – and make him cover the legal costs – after Penny was acquitted of criminally negligent homicide for a chokehold that put an end to a violent outburst of death threats on a Manhattan subway car.

Andre Zachery sued Penny in December, alleging that Penny negligently assaulted, battered and seriously injured Neely, causing his death.

"All injuries or damages sustained by Plaintiff as alleged in the Verified Complaint, if any, were caused in whole or in part by the culpable conduct, negligence, carelessness, and lack of care on the part of Plaintiff, and any recovery against this Defendant must be diminished in proportion to Plaintiff’s relative wrongdoing, fault, misfeasance, malfeasance, failure to exercise due care and/or other culpable conduct," Penny's attorneys countered in an answer to the lawsuit filed on Monday.

DANIEL PENNY FOUND NOT GUILTY IN SUBWAY CHOKEHOLD TRIAL

Zachery's lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

The filing comes a month after Penny's acquittal in a high-profile and controversial manslaughter trial. Prosecutors asked the court to dismiss the top charge of manslaughter to avoid a hung jury, and jurors ultimately found Penny not guilty of the lesser charge.

Penny, a 26-year-old Marine veteran and architecture student, was charged for the subway chokehold death of Neely, a 30-year-old homeless man with schizophrenia who barged onto the train shouting death threats while high on a type of synthetic marijuana known as K2. It happened on May 1, 2023.

JORDAN NEELY'S DAD FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST DANIEL PENNY

Neely had a lengthy criminal record, an active arrest warrant, a history of psychosis and was high. He also had the sickle cell trait genetic disorder.

Subway crime has plagued the city in recent years, and there was an atmosphere of fear among riders.

Just three days earlier, a straphanger had been stabbed with an ice pick on a J train, according to reports from the time. It was about a month after a PBS reporter got sucker punched on a No. 4 train. There was a shove a week before that, and the victim hit the side of a moving R train and survived.

Read Daniel Penny's verified answer to the civil complaint from Jordan Neely's father

In that climate of fear, witnesses said they were terrified by Neely, who shouted death threats at them.

But legal experts have predicted Neely's family may fare better in civil court, where there is a lower standard of guilt.

Prosecutors have to convince jurors of criminal charges beyond "reasonable doubt." In a civil case, the plaintiff's attorneys must prove their case based on a "preponderance of evidence," more likely true than not.

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman met Friday with the family of Lyle and Erik Menendez as the new top cop weighs resentencing the brothers.

The meeting and subsequent press conference came after the Menendez family called for a new sentence that "reflects Erik and Lyle's abuse, trauma, and demonstrated rehabilitation over the last 35 years."

"As we prepare to meet with DA Hochman, our family is hopeful for an open and fair discussion," the family said in a statement released Thursday evening ahead of the meeting with Hochman. "Despite the abuse they endured as children and the unfairness of their current sentence, Erik and Lyle Menendez have spent the last three decades taking responsibility for their actions and contributing positively to their community through leadership and rehabilitation."

The brothers are serving life sentences without parole for the 1989 shotgun slayings of their parents in their Beverly Hills, California, mansion. The case returned to the national spotlight after former Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón voiced his support for resentencing.

MENENDEZ BROTHERS RESENTENCING PUSHED BACK, JUDGE EYES LATE JANUARY

At a press conference, the newly sworn-in district attorney said the meeting with the family was "productive."

"It was a very productive session where they gave me all their thoughts about what should happen in this case, their experiences that they wanted to share, the directions that they wanted this case to go," Hochman said. "It was a very productive conversation over a number of hours." 

The district attorney said his office is working diligently to review the thousands of pages of transcripts and court records from the case.

"Right now, the resentencing hearing is set for Jan. 30 and 31. That date is the date we’re working against. And if that changes, we will certainly let you know," he said. "We will continue to do this difficult but important work of reviewing the facts of the law to make the right decision in this case."

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Hochman said his office expects to have a decision by the Jan. 30 hearing date.

WATCH ON FOX NATION: MENENDEZ BROTHERS: VICTIMS OR VILLAINS?

Hochman did not reveal what he spoke about with the family, saying it was an "informal, off-the-record conversation."

"We’re going to spend the time necessary to get this decision right," he said. "There’s not a lot of free time in my life right now, but that’s OK. I didn’t sign up for a job that said I was going to have a lot of free time."

A Connecticut man facing multiple charges in the deaths of a mother and her infant son allegedly killed them over money the woman owed him.

New details were released about the November arrest of Lance "Macho" Morales, 23, following his first appearance in a Hartford, Connecticut, courtroom on Monday.

Morales is accused of killing 20-year-old Jessiah Mercado and her 4-month-old son Messiah Diaz in a drive-by shooting on Nov. 19.

CONNECTICUT MANHUNT UNDERWAY AFTER SUSPECT ALLEGEDLY KILLS MOTHER, INFANT IN DRIVE-BY SHOOTING

An arrest warrant alleged Morales opened fire on the car the two were in because Mercado owed him $400 for using his Mazda SUV, The Associated Press reported. 

He was charging her $100 a day to rent the vehicle, and she reportedly fell behind on the payments.

Before the deadly shooting in broad daylight, an exchange took place between Morales and Mercado, in which she told him her infant son was inside the SUV. A witness told police that Morales said he didn't care, The AP reported.

Two other people were inside the car during the brazen crime, but only one of them was wounded.

STRANGE CONNECTICUT LAWS, SUCH AS RECEIVING A $99 FINE FOR SELLING SILLY STRING TO A MINOR

Morales' firearm was believed to be fully automatic, according to the arrest warrant.

A massive four-day manhunt took place for Morales following the deadly shooting, and he was ultimately arrested in Puerto Rico on Nov. 23. He was extradited to Connecticut on Saturday.

Morales is charged with two counts of murder, assault and other crimes, and is facing life in prison without parole if convicted.

He was ordered to be held on $5 million bail during Monday's court hearing.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

New Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman's office is pushing back against a "meritless" claim of a potential conflict of interest in the Menendez brothers’ case amid reports that their relatives are looking to have their potential resentencing handled by the state attorney general's office instead of county prosecutors.

"The conflict of interest issue, raised to the media first before it was raised to the District Attorney’s Office, is meritless," a DA spokesperson told Fox News Digital. "All Menendez victim family members who want the opportunity to personally speak with the District Attorney before any final decisions are made have been invited to do so and these discussions should be completed in the coming weeks."

Hochman's predecessor, former DA George Gascon, had allegedly met only with relatives who supported the brothers' freedom and not their 90-year-old uncle, Milton Andersen. He has opposed any leniency for his nephews, who were convicted of shotgunning their parents, who were Andersen's sister and brother-in-law, in their Beverly Hills living room in the late 1980s.

MENENDEZ BROTHERS RESENTENCING PUSHED BACK, JUDGE EYES LATE JANUARY

Erik and Joseph "Lyle" Menendez snuck up behind their parents, Jose and Mary "Kitty" Menendez, and opened fire on Aug. 20, 1989. The brothers went on a $700,000 spending spree as investigators initially suspected a mob hit, but they were eventually arrested.

Their first trial ended with a hung jury, and they were later convicted and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole – a punishment they are hoping to have reduced under California's new resentencing law.

Andersen and Kitty's sister, Joan Andersen VanderMolen, 92, is among two dozen other relatives who support freedom for the brothers. There has also been public support for their release after a series of documentaries explored their claims of child abuse at the hands of their father, a former RCA Records executive.

WATCH ON FOX NATION: MENENDEZ BROTHERS: VICTIMS OR VILLAINS?

Their attorney also says new evidence bolsters their case: Roy Rosello, a member of the 1980s boy band Menudo, came forward with his own allegations of abuse against Jose Menendez last year. And a letter, purportedly written by Erik Menendez to his cousin, Andy Cano, eight months before the murders, could support some of the latter's trial testimony about Jose Menendez. Cano died in 2003, and the letter's authenticity has been called into question in court filings.

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Andersen VanderMolen's attorney, Bryan Freedman, plans to ask for their potential resentencing to be transferred to the California Attorney General's Office after a supportive Los Angeles district attorney lost his re-election bid, according to ABC News. 

In the final weeks of his term, Gascon pushed for a resentencing that could have led to the brothers' freedom under a new California law. But he lost in a landslide to Hochman, an independent, who said he would fully review the facts of each brother's case before taking a stance.

Freedman is claiming there is a conflict of interest because Andersen's former attorney, Kathleen Cady, has taken a job in Hochman's office, according to the ABC report.

LYLE MENENDEZ, WHO SHOTGUNNED PARENTS TO DEATH WITH BROTHER, PLANS FOR LIFE AFTER PRISON

Cady, who spent decades as a deputy district attorney before becoming a victims' rights advocate, will become director of the LA County DA's Bureau of Victim Services on Jan. 6. She declined to comment, citing her new role. She no longer represents Andersen.

The brothers claimed self-defense, arguing they killed their father because they were afraid he would kill them if they planned to expose him as a child molester.

But they also unloaded so many shells into their mother that they had to go outside and get more before finishing her off as she tried to crawl to safety.

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THE MENENDEZ BROTHERS: MONSTERS OR MISUNDERSTOOD?

Andersen vehemently opposed the idea of reducing their sentences and said in a statement to Fox News Digital this year that he does not believe the brothers' claims of sexual abuse at the hands of their father.

"Mr. Andersen loved his sister deeply and mourns her every day," his new attorney, R.J. Dreiling, told Fox News Digital in a statement. "He appreciates that the new DA seems genuinely committed to reviewing all the evidence, listening to everyone impacted by his sister’s murder, and ensuring justice is served."

A separate habeas corpus petition is making its way through the court, which would be an additional path to freedom for the brothers if successful. That petition relies on the Cano letter and Rosello's allegations.

Gov. Gavin Newsom also declined to grant a clemency petition for the brothers – at least for now – stating he would defer to Hochman's pending review of the case before making a decision.

A South Carolina man convicted in the brutal double murder of two bank employees in 2017 is asking for a "compassionate release" days after President Biden spared his life and commuted his death sentence. 

Brandon Council, 28, was convicted in September 2019 in the 2017 double murder of Conway bank employees Katie Skeen, 36, and Donna Major, 59. Council was then sentenced to death by a federal court one month later.

Council was one of 37 federal inmates on death row who had their sentences commuted to life in prison by Biden.

On Friday, Council filed a motion in the U.S. District Court in Florence arguing that he deserved a "compassionate release" because he had been subjected to "severe, unnecessary, and unjustifiable psychological harm" that "can only be accurately construed and assimilated as an act of torture," since he was permanently housed in solitary confinement since Nov. 4, 2019, according to records obtained by WBTW. 

TRUMP EXECUTION RESTART TO PUT BOSTON MARATHON BOMBER, CHARLESTON CHURCH SHOOTER, MORE KILLERS IN HOT SEAT

A compassionate release is described by the American Bar Organization as the process by which those incarcerated may seek early release, whether to community supervision or to their communities, due to extraordinary or compelling circumstances.

Several people have openly disagreed with Biden’s decision to commute the death sentences, including Rep. Russell Fry, R-S.C., who said the decision was "shameful."

"Biden’s move to pardon 37 federal death row inmates - including 3 men from South Carolina who committed unspeakable acts - continues to shock Americans nationwide. This decision is shameful. It is high time to return America to a country of law and order," Fry wrote in a post on X.

Fry added in another post following the announcement that Biden's decision "disgraces victims’ memories nationwide."

"Joe Biden’s clemency for death row inmates disgraces victims’ memories nationwide, like Donna Major of Conway and Katie Skeen of Green Sea. This shows shocking disregard for innocent families’ pain, right at Christmas. January 20 cannot come soon enough," Fry wrote in his post on X. 

Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Pa., echoed Fry and called Biden's actions "senseless."

"President Biden's decision to commute the sentences of 37 federal death row inmates is not just senseless—it's an outrageous example of this administration's upside down and backwards ideology," Meuser wrote in a post on his X account.

FAMILY OF MURDERED SC WOMAN RAGES AT BIDEN FOR COMMUTING KILLER'S DEATH SENTENCE: 'SHE WAS SHOWN NO MERCY'

During an interview with "Fox & Friends," Major's family said they were livid after Biden commuted her killer's death sentence just days before Christmas.

"I was angry. I'm still angry. I am upset that this is even happening, that one man can make this decision without even talking to the victims, without any regard for what we've been through, what we're going through, and completely hurt, frustrated and angry," Major's daughter Heather Turner said during the Christmas Eve interview.  

"She was shown no mercy at all. This man walked into the bank, never said two words to her. Shot her three times in total. He went and shot her coworker, Katie Skeen as well, who was totally defenseless and unaware of anything happening," Major's husband, Danny Jenkins, added during the show.

"I can't even believe that this is actually happening…"

Council spent a week at a motel across from the CresCom Bank in Conway, South Carolina, where he watched the movie "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" before he went in with a gun and killed both Skeen and Major. 

Council already had a prior felony conviction at the time and told an FBI agent that he went into the bank knowing he would kill someone during the robbery.

He had been on parole for a month at the time of the murders, which came during his second bank robbery since leaving prison.

FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR IN DEATH ROW CASE SPEAKS ON BIDEN COMMUTING MURDERER'S SENTENCE: 'MY HEART ACHES'

President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to end the Biden-Harris administration's moratorium on federal executions when he returns to office.

Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, on Christmas Day to call out Biden for his commutation decision. 

"They know that their only chance of survival is getting pardons from a man who has absolutely no idea what he is doing," Trump's post read. 

"Also, to the 37 most violent criminals who killed, raped, and plundered like virtually no one before them, but were just given, incredibly, a pardon by Sleepy Joe Biden. I refuse to wish a Merry Christmas to those lucky ‘souls’ but instead, will say, GO TO HELL!" Trump continued. 

The U.S. government has executed 50 inmates since 1927, according to the Bureau of Prisons, including Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh and Cold War spies Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. That's far fewer than the individual states, which have executed more than 1,500 condemned inmates in the last 50 years.

The government carried out death sentences for 13 federal prisoners during Trump's first term, the most under any president in a century.

Fox News Digital's Michael Ruiz and Taylor Penley and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

When several Americans planned to travel abroad for relaxing vacations, their dream vacations quickly turned to real-life nightmares and terror. 

Here are some of the crimes against American tourists that happened during 2024.  

An American woman died in the crossfire of an apparent drug deal gone bad at a popular Mexican beach resort in the municipality of Tulum. 

The victim was 44-year-old Los Angeles native Niko Honarbakhsh.

CALIFORNIA WOMAN SHOT DEAD IN MEXICAN RESORT TOWN POPULAR WITH AMERICANS

Prosecutors maintain that Honarbakhsh died as a result of a stray bullet.

Other tourists in recent years have died in gang-related crossfire in Tulum, including a California travel blogger and a German, who were killed in 2021 while eating in a restaurant after rival drug dealers started shooting each other. 

Last year, the U.S. issued "Do Not Travel" warnings for parts of Mexico ahead of the popular March spring break travel period, citing gang violence and noting that U.S. citizens have "become seriously ill or died in Mexico after using synthetic drugs or adulterated prescription pills." 

In November, an Oregon nurse was found dead during her vacation in Hungary after she disappeared from a nightclub.

Budapest police said 31-year-old Mackenzie Michalski, a nurse practitioner from Portland, was killed by a man she met.

Michalski's friends alerted authorities after she missed her departing flight and her belongings were left in her Airbnb. 

OREGON NURSE MURDERED WHILE ON EUROPEAN VACATION BY SUSPECT SHE MET AT NIGHTCLUB: POLICE

Authorities were able to track down surrounding security footage and identified a male suspect who was last seen with Michalski.

Police later detained an Irish citizen in connection to Michalski's disappearance, who admitted he met her at a local nightclub and danced before leaving together for his apartment. 

Police said that the pair had "gotten intimate, and he killed her in the process."

Authorities said that after the murder, the suspect cleaned his apartment, placed her body in a wardrobe cabinet and went out to purchase a suitcase. He allegedly placed Michalski's body in the suitcase, rented a car and drove it to Lake Balaton, approximately an hour and a half drive from Budapest.

Police said he hid Michalski's body in the woods before driving back to Budapest, where he was arrested outside his apartment.

Authorities, who have not released the suspect's name, said he confessed to killing Michalski but claimed it was an accident.

Last week, the bodies of two Americans from California were found  after being found shot to death in a pickup truck in Mexico, according to officials.

Authorities located Gloria Ambriz, 50, and Rafael Cardona, 53, while responding to a report of a shooting in Angamacutiro in the western state of Michoacán on Wednesday night, according to Fox 11 Los Angeles, citing the state attorney general's office.

AMERICAN COUPLE KILLED IN MEXICO, FOUND SHOT IN PICKUP TRUCK: OFFICIALS

The couple, who were on vacation visiting family, was traveling in a black 2016 Ford Platinum pickup truck when gunmen opened fire near an intersection.

Ambriz was pronounced dead on the scene, and Cardona succumbed to his injuries shortly after being taken to a hospital in Puruándiro, officials said.

The Michoacán State Attorney General's Office has put together a team of prosecutors, police and forensic experts to determine the motive and identify those responsible for the killings.

Michoacán is listed as a "do not travel" spot in Mexico, according to the U.S. State Department.

In May, Mexican authorities confirmed two Australians and an American were killed on a surfing trip because thieves wanted the tires from their truck.

The three men, brothers Jake and Callum Robinson from Australia and American Jack Carter Rhoad, were on a camping and surfing trip along a stretch of coast south of the city of Ensenada when they disappeared.

All three bodies were later found with gunshot wounds to the head, Reuters reported, citing a source from the attorney general's office.

Chief state prosecutor María Elena Andrade Ramírez theorized that the killers drove by and saw the foreigners' pickup truck and tents and wanted to steal their tires. But "when [the foreigners] came up and caught them, surely, they resisted."

TRIPLE MURDER SUSPECT IN MEXICO SURFER DEATHS ALLEGEDLY CONFESSED TO GIRLFRIEND HE KILLED '3 GRINGOS': REPORT

Ramírez said the thieves allegedly went to what she called "a site that is extremely hard to get to" and allegedly dumped the bodies into a familiar well. 

One of the suspects believed to be connected to the murders allegedly admitted to his girlfriend that he killed all three, Ramírez said.

The BBC reported that Ari Gisel, the girlfriend of suspected killer Jesús Gerardo Garcia Cota, said he showed up at her house on April 28 and told her he did something to "three gringos."

After admitting to the crime, Garcia Cota reportedly took Gisel outside to show her his vehicle, which reportedly had the tires on it that were allegedly stolen from the victims' truck, Gisel explained in court. 

During a tribute, the Robinsons' mother, Debra Robinson, said, "Our hearts are broken, and the world has become a darker place for us. They were young men enjoying their passion of surfing together," the Associated Press reported.

A dream vacation turned into a nearly fatal nightmare after two Oklahoma State University students were allegedly poisoned after ordering water from a poolside bar at a Cancun resort.  

Photos shared by Zara Hull and her family show the moment Hull and Kaylie Pitze say they became unconscious after drinking the tainted water on Aug. 1. 

Hull and a group of friends were in Cancun for a four-day trip that was quickly cut short.

Stephanie Snider, whose son, Jake, is Hull's boyfriend, said in a series of Facebook posts that Hull and Pitze were slipped a drug while they were at the resort in Cancun.

"What started out as a fun vacation with friends for them ended up as our worst nightmare," Snider wrote.

OKLAHOMA COLLEGE STUDENTS SAY THEY WERE DRUGGED AT CANCUN RESORT POOL BAR IN VACATION NIGHTMARE

After leaving the pool, Jake explained that Pitze was taken back to their room in a wheelchair, while he carried Hull. Hull began throwing up and having what he thought was a seizure. 

"Zara started having what the resort doctor called a ‘seizure’ and said she needed to be taken to the hospital. Once she was there, the hospital demanded $10K just to look at her to help her and start treating her. The money was sent. By the next morning, we were told more money was needed to continue treatment," Snider said.

Snider said Pitze did not end up in the hospital but struggled the following day after the incident.

"Neither of the girls have any memory of what happened after they took that last drink, which happened to have been a glass of WATER. We think it was whatever was put in that glass of water that did it. Both girls collapsed at the very SAME time. They both are battling feelings of not knowing what happened and ‘why them?’" Snider said. 

Nearly 27 hours later and after spending thousands of dollars, Hull's family was able to negotiate with the U.S. Embassy and have her flown to Dallas to continue medical treatment. 

Snider said she hopes this is a warning for others traveling to resorts like this.

"They did exactly like we told them. Don't leave the resort. You have no reason to leave that resort. You stay there," said Snider.

"Like people say, 'Don't leave the resort, and you'll be fine.' It started at the resort. The resort was not safe," Hull said. "They say the resort is the safest place; don’t leave it. That’s not true."

Snider said the name of the resort or hospital is not being released at this time due to legal and privacy issues. 

In November, a 60-year-old American tourist was found "beaten to death" at a lavish five-star hotel in Ireland, police said.

According to a release from Ireland’s national police and security service, Garda Síochána, an unidentified American citizen was found unconscious in his hotel room at Ballyfin Demesne, a luxurious hotel in Laois, Ireland.

The victim was later pronounced dead by police.

AMERICAN TOURIST, 60, FOUND 'BEATEN TO DEATH' AT 5-STAR HOTEL IN IRELAND FREQUENTED BY CELEBRITIES

Police in Ireland arrested and detained a 30-year-old man in the assault.

The suspect and victim traveled together, the Irish Times reported. The outlet noted that the suspect is also an American.

The Ballyfin Demesne is a five-star hotel in Ireland that has hosted celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, who stayed there for their honeymoon in 2014. 

Actor George Clooney and his wife, Amal, have also stayed there.

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Local independent councilor James Kelly told local outlet RTE that nearby communities were "shocked" to hear about the incident at the distinguished hotel.

"There would be a lot of staff from the area, and they're totally shocked by what has happened here," he said. "It's something we didn't think we'd be waking up to this morning."

Fox News’ Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Peter Aitken and Bradford Betz contributed to this report.