A new protest movement is gathering strength in Iran, driven by public outrage over the death of 19-year-old Amir Mohammad Khaleghi, an undergraduate business student at the University of Tehran who was robbed and killed near the dormitory last week.
The post Protests Resurge in Iran After Teen Student Killed near Dorm appeared first on Breitbart.
Newsweek’s profile of a former death row inmate and convicted murderer, who is transitioning into a woman, shocked readers who called it "puff piece."
Steven Joseph Hayes was previously sentenced to death in 2010 for the killing of a Connecticut mother and her two daughters after an attempted burglary. Hayes’ death sentence was later commuted to life without parole in 2015.
Since being convicted, Hayes has transitioned to Linda Mai Lee and gave exclusive comments to Newsweek, claiming to finally feel "comfortable living as a woman."
"For the first time in my life I am happy to be alive and do not want to die," Lee told Newsweek.
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The article was criticized as a "puff piece" about a convicted murderer because the inmate was transgender.
"This man held a family of four hostage in their home for hours, beating them, raping the 11 year old daughter and the mother, then strangling the mother, and finally setting the house on fire, killing both children from smoke inhalation. Newsweek now publishes a puff piece on how he is now happy and at peace since he came to terms with his gender confusion. They claim his ‘former anger’ had been fueled by this distress. Now he is seeking treatments to feminize his appearance. (Undoubtedly funded by taxpayers.) You don’t hate the media enough," civil liberties attorney Laura Powell wrote.
Live Action founder Lila Rose wrote, "A man convicted for the murder and rape of a mother and her two young daughters has a puff piece in Newsweek today about how happy he is now that he has ‘transitioned’ and gets to live in a WOMEN’S prison and wear lipstick and ‘panties.’ Unbelievable evil."
Author Helen Joyce asked, "He raped an 11 year old and her mother, and murdered both, as well as the 11 year old's sister. And we're supposed to pity him because his crimes were supposedly because of his confusion about his gender identity? And to give a toss that he's ‘happy to be alive’?"
"He murdered a mother and her two daughters and raped two of them before doing so. But now he's kind of sorry for what he did, but he’s also at peace with it. The feel-good story of the year," National Review columnist Becket Adams wrote.
"’I raped and murdered a little girl and her mother, and murdered the teenage daughter, because of my feminine gender identity’ Siri show me the definition of ‘misogynistic garbage.’ Shame on Newsweek for publishing this repulsive crap," British columnist Hadley Freeman wrote.
"Newsweek is total trash. Used to be a respected and respectable. No more," former professional tennis player Martina Navratilova wrote.
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In the Newsweek piece, Lee (formerly Hayes) described the murders as "wrong on every level" and "the behavior of someone deeply mired in addiction and gender identity issues." Newsweek similarly reported on how Lee was diagnosed with gender dysphoria at the age of 16 and how "intolerance" likely contributed to the crimes.
"Had Lee accepted herself earlier, Hawke-Petit and her daughters may still be alive, she said," the article read.
An MS-13 gang leader convicted of murdering six people in Virginia was sentenced to life in prison on Thursday.
The post MS-13 Gang Leader Sentenced to Life in Prison in Virginia for Murdering Six appeared first on Breitbart.
The convicted rapist who horrified France by drugging his wife so other men could rape her is now being investigated in other cases.
The post Infamous French Rapist Pelicot Questioned Over Historic ‘Cold Case’ Murder and Rapes appeared first on Breitbart.
Islam critic Salwan Momika shot dead just hours before he was due in court for the Swedish govt's prosecution of him for burning Qurans.
The post Shot Dead: Qur’an-Burning Islam Critic Assassinated While Livestreaming in Sweden appeared first on Breitbart.
The jailing of Axel Rudakubana, who rushed into a children's party and tried to kill everyone inside has triggered a debate on legal reform.
The post Southport Child Slayings Reignites Debate on UK’s Abolition of The Death Penalty appeared first on Breitbart.
Rudakubana won't necessarily spend his whole life in jail because he was days shy of his 18th birthday when he attacked.
The post Judge Sentences Rudakubana to 52 Years: Southport Killer Tried to Decapitate Six Year Old Girl appeared first on Breitbart.
The UK Prime Minister is "hiding behind the contempt of court argument" which is "simply untrue", Brexit boss Nigel Farage says.
The post Cover Up Keir: Starmer Points Finger of Blame on Southport Response, Hails Transparency While Vowing Censorship Crackdown appeared first on Breitbart.
Virginia Republicans announced their top legislative priorities for the new year, with curbing fentanyl deaths chief among them.
Under current case law, it is difficult to charge a drug dealer with the murder of a user who died from fentanyl they had purchased unless they are in the proximity of that dealer, according to GOP legislators.
State Senate Minority Leader Ryan McDougle, R-New Kent, told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that Virginia hopes to address that legislative insufficiency.
"This [law] would say if you sell the drugs, it doesn't matter if you're in physical proximity," he said.
McDougle and Senate Republican Caucus Leader Mark Obenshain are spearheading the effort.
Fox News Digital reached out to Obenshain, of Harrisonburg, for additional comment.
However, at a related press conference, Obenshain said that as long as people are "dying in every corner of Virginia, of every socioeconomic background, that means there’s people out there peddling this poison."
A pair of Senate special elections on Tuesday were set to determine whether Republicans will take a slightly belated majority in the chamber this term, as Democrats currently control it by one seat.
Voters went to the polls in both Loudoun County and a swath of more red counties, including Buckingham, Fluvanna and Goochland.
On Wednesday, multiple outlets projected Democrats will hold their slim single-seat majority – requiring one liberal to side with McDougle and Obenshain on their counter-fentanyl proposal.
In 2022, the Old Dominion ranked 14th among states for total fentanyl-related deaths, with 1,973 fatalities, and was positioned near the national average in terms of death rate per capita, according to CDC data.
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For comparison, neighboring West Virginia leads the nation in fentanyl deaths per capita, but total deaths were 1,084, less than Virginia.
Seven out of 10 pills seized by the DEA contain a lethal dose of fentanyl, according to OnePillCanKill Virginia.
A representative for Gov. Glenn Youngkin said he believes prosecuting fentanyl dealers should receive bipartisan support:
"As Governor Youngkin has said time and time again, any person who knowingly and intentionally distributes fentanyl should be charged and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," spokesman Christian Martinez told Fox News Digital.
"We cannot continue to let makers and dealers get away with murder – and it is time Democrat lawmakers side with victims' families over fentanyl makers and dealers."
In April, Youngkin signed Obenshain’s prior fentanyl-related bill, SB 469, which made unlawful possession, purchase or sale of encapsulating machines for the purpose of producing illicit drugs a Class 6 felony.
It also imposed felony penalties for subjects who allow a minor or mentally incapacitated person to be present during the manufacture of any substance containing fentanyl.
"People are dying in every corner of Virginia, of every socioeconomic background, that means there’s people out there peddling this poison. I was proud of our bipartisan effort last year to crack down on pill presses and their deadly effects and I hope that our colleagues will bring the same bipartisan spirit to this effort," Obenshain told Fox News Digital.
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares previously said an average of five people die each day from fentanyl overdoses throughout the state.
"By enhancing penalties and criminalizing the possession and use of machines to produce counterfeit drugs, we are supplying law enforcement personnel with the tools they need to hold drug dealers accountable for poisoning our communities," Miyares said.
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After her husband signed the 2023 legislation, Virginia first lady Suzanne Youngkin said there is "nothing more important" than protecting families and communities in Virginia. "I applaud all persons working hard to fight the spread of this illicit drug taking the lives of far too many Virginians," she said.
Virginia Republicans also indicated this week that they will work to put Youngkin’s December plan curtailing taxation of gratuities into law. The plan somewhat mirrors President-elect Donald Trump’s "No Tax on Tips" campaign pledge.
"Hard-working Virginians deserve to keep the tips they earn for their service," McDougle said. "Governor Youngkin’s inclusion of this policy in the budget is an important step in our support of hard-working Virginians, and we’re proud to introduce the bill to put it in the Code of Virginia."
McDougle said Tuesday the chamber will also pursue a ban on transgender women competing in women’s and girls’ sports.
On his way out the door, then-North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper commuted the sentences of 15 individuals on the Tarheel State’s death row.
Cooper, a Democrat whose name has been floated as one of the party’s topline names for the 2028 presidential contest, acted similarly to outgoing President Biden — who caught heat last week for commuting sentences for almost all federal death row inmates.
"These reviews are among the most difficult decisions a governor can make and the death penalty is the most severe sentence that the state can impose," Cooper said in a statement.
"After thorough review, reflection, and prayer, I concluded that the death sentence imposed on these 15 people should be commuted, while ensuring they will spend the rest of their lives in prison."
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No executions have occurred in North Carolina since 2006 due to ongoing litigation.
One of the inmates who saw his sentence commuted to life was felony murder inmate Hasson Bacote. Bacote had originally filed suit in 2010 challenging his death sentence under North Carolina’s Racial Justice Act, which reportedly allows defendants to challenge sentences if they can determine racial bias.
Bacote, who is Black, had been convicted of shooting an 18-year-old by a White-majority Johnston County jury.
Rayford Burke, an Iredell County murder convict who received a commutation, also reportedly sought relief under the Racial Justice Act, according to WCNC.
Another commutation recipient, Christopher Roseboro, has been in prison for about 30 years. In 1994, Roseboro was indicted on first-degree rape and other charges stemming from allegations he and another man robbed an elderly neighbor who was later found dead along with evidence she had been sexually assaulted.
The co-defendant, Roger Bell, is already serving a life sentence.
A Union County man, Darrell Strickland, was convicted of manslaughter following a tragic Jan. 1, 1995, argument. He also saw his sentence commuted to life without parole.
Vincent Wooten, a Pitt County man sentenced for the 1993 murder of Edward Wilson, also saw his sentence commuted, according to the Greenville Daily Reflector.
Wooten, then 20, saw evidence presented at his trial alleging he shot Wilson with a modified-to-automatic AR-15 rifle after a safe, filled with cocaine and cash, was stolen from the mother of Wooten’s girlfriend.
Another commuted convict, Guy T. LeGrande, had been sent to prison following a murder-for-hire incident. LeGrande was later diagnosed with a mental disorder, according to Mother Jones, and had previously claimed to be able to communicate with Oprah Winfrey through a television.
Cooper’s commutations follow Biden’s flurry of orders reclassifying death sentences to life without parole for 37 convicts.
"President Biden has dedicated his career to reducing violent crime and ensuring a fair and effective justice system," the White House said in a December statement.
"He believes that America must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level, except in cases of terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder — which is why today’s actions apply to all but those cases."
A man sentenced to death for a 2003 Tennessee shooting said he was surprised Biden commuted so many convicts’ terms.
"I resolved not to squander this act of mercy, this grace of life. I resolved to be part of Biden's legacy — by the way I contribute to the betterment of society and prisons," Rejon Taylor told Newsweek.
"Biden doesn't realize this now, but his act of mercy will resound through me, bearing fruit that will outlive his time on this earth."
Some of Biden’s other commutations, including a Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, judge jailed in a "kids-for-cash" scandal where juveniles were aggressively prosecuted and sent to for-profit prisons, have sparked bipartisan outrage.
Cooper’s 77 total pardons and commutations over his two terms, however, are dwarfed by the nearly 700 from fellow Democratic Gov. James B. Hunt Jr., who served four terms in two non-consecutive eight-year periods, according to NC Newsline.
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Only three men remain on federal death row after Biden’s actions: Robert Gregory Bowers, Dzhokar Anzorovich Tsarnaev and Dylann Storm Roof. Bowers was convicted in the 2018 Pennsylvania synagogue shooting; Roof massacred several Black churchgoers in South Carolina; and Tsarnaev — along with his now-deceased brother Tamerlan — masterminded the Boston Marathon bombing.
Then-North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, a Democrat, was sworn into the governor's office to succeed Cooper in Raleigh on Wednesday.
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