Attorneys for Johnny Depp have asked a Virginia judge to deny Amber Heard's post-trial motions asking for a mistrial, calling the legal arguments "frivolous."

Heard and Depp were both found liable for defamation in their lawsuits against each other last month. The jury initially awarded $15 million in damages to Depp and only $2 million to Heard. Though, because punitive damages in the state of Virginia are capped at $350,000, the judge reduced Depp's $5 million in punitive damages to that amount.

Attorneys for Heard asked the court to declare a mistrial and order a new trial in a motion filed last week.

Depp's attorneys argued in a memo filed Monday that a judge cannot arbitrarily substitute their judgment for that of a jury.

The memo also said Heard's contention that the damages awarded to her ex-husband are excessive and unsupported by the evidence is "baseless."

"While Ms. Heard slings an exceptional amount of mud at the wall in the hope that something might stick, the jury's verdict on damages was perfectly reasonable and supported by the evidence and testimony in this case," Depp's legal team states in the memo.

Attorneys for Heard also claimed in a court filing last week that the information on the jury panel list sent to counsel ahead of trial does not appear to match the demographics of one of the jurors, compromising Heard's rights to due process.

Heard waived her right to challenge the accuracy of the jury panel information because her team didn't raise the issue with the court at the time, Depp's attorneys argue.

"Mr. Depp respectfully requests that this Court deny Ms. Heard's frivolous motion in its entirety and reject her outlandish requests to set aside the jury verdict, dismiss the complaint, or, in the alternative, order a new trial and investigate Juror 15," the memo says.

Depp sued Heard for defamation over a 2018 op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post in which she described herself as a "public figure representing domestic abuse." Though Depp was not named in the article, he claimed it cost him lucrative acting roles.

Heard countersued Depp, to whom she was married from 2015-2016 before divorcing, for defamation over statements Depp's attorney made about her abuse claims.

After several weeks of testimony, the jury found that Heard defamed Depp in three separate statements in The Washington Post piece, and that Depp defamed Heard with one statement his attorney made.

CINCINNATI —

The two men involved in the mass shooting in Cincinnati's Over-the-Rhine district last August appeared in court on Monday for their pretrial hearing.

Cincinnati Police Department says 21 shots were fired in the shooting that injured eight on Aug. 7, 2022.

The first barrage of bullets included a shot fired by Cincinnati police officer Joe Shook, who hit a suspect named Diablo McCoats, 29, in the leg.

At the press conference last year, officials said 29-year-old McCoats has been indicted on 16 counts of felonious assault and one count of having weapons while under disability.

If convicted on all charges, McCoats faces a maximum sentence of 91 years, per court docs.

Jarvis Barnes, 34, has been indicted on seven counts of felonious assault and one count of having weapons while under disability.

If convicted on all charges, Deters said Barnes faces up to 80 years in prison.

Tuesday's hearing established that Sept. 12 will be the final pre-trial before the trial begins on Sept. 18.

BRAZOS COUNTY, Texas — A Texas man is moving to appeal his death sentence after stating that a Comedy Central special violated his constitutional rights to a fair and speedy trial.

Grabiel Hall, 29, is set to face lethal injection after being convicted of murder in Texas' Brazos Valley.

Hall's legal team is now arguing that footage from a special on the television comedy network was later used to influence the sentencing of their client.

On October 10, 2011, Hall entered a residence where he is said to have fatally stabbed and shot a 68-year-old male. He was also convicted of stabbing the victim's 69-year-old wife, who survived the attack.

Hall was a student at A&M Consolidated High School in Texas at the time.

While Hall was serving time in jail, comedian Jeff Ross filmed a special featuring the maximum-security areas of the facility, including Hall's unit where he was being held.

Ross can be seen in the segment conversing with inmates in the segment called, "Jeff Ross roasts criminals: Live at Brazos County Jail."

Hall's legal team is claiming that additional footage, outside that televised segment, was later presented to a Texas jury before they deliberated, and he was handed a death sentence.

His legal team is now taking the case to the Texas Supreme Court, alleging that the evidence should be thrown out because it violates Hall's Sixth Amendment rights.

The team's decision comes after the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals denied a previous appeal.

This story was originally published by KXXV in Waco, Texas; with additions from Scripps National News.

Disgraced South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh was convicted of murder Thursday in the shooting deaths of his wife and son in a case that chronicled the unraveling of a powerful Southern family with tales of privilege, greed and addiction.The jury deliberated for less than three hours before finding Murdaugh guilty of two counts of murder at the end of a six-week trial that pulled back the curtain on the once-prominent lawyer’s fall from grace.Murdaugh, 54, faces 30 years to life in prison without parole. His sentencing has been scheduled for Friday morning.Through more than 75 witnesses and nearly 800 pieces of evidence, jurors heard about betrayed friends and clients, Murdaugh’s failed attempt to stage his own death in an insurance fraud scheme, a fatal boat crash in which his son was implicated, the housekeeper who died in a fall in the Murdaugh home, the grisly scene of the killings and Bubba, the chicken-snatching dog.In the end, Murdaugh’s fate appeared sealed by cellphone video taken by his son, who he called “Little Detective” for his knack for finding bottles of painkillers in his father’s belongings after the lawyer had sworn off the pills. Testimony culminated in Murdaugh’s appearance on the witness stand, when he admitted stealing millions from clients and lying to investigators about being at the dog kennels where the shootings took place but steadfastly maintained his innocence in the deaths of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh.“I did not kill Maggie, and I did not kill Paul. I would never hurt Maggie, and I would never hurt Paul — ever — under any circumstances,” Murdaugh said.Murdaugh’s 52-year-old wife was shot four or five times with a rifle and their 22-year-old son was shot twice with a shotgun at the kennels near at their rural Colleton County home on June 7, 2021.Prosecutors didn’t have the weapons used to kill the Murdaughs or other direct evidence like confessions or blood spatter. But they had a mountain of circumstantial evidence, led by a video locked on Paul Murdaugh’s cellphone for more than a year — video shot minutes before the killings that witnesses testified captured the voices of all three Murdaughs.Alex Murdaugh, 54, had told police repeatedly after the killings that he was not at the kennels and was instead napping before he went to visit his ailing mother that night. Murdaugh called 911 and said he discovered the bodies when he returned home.But in his testimony, Murdaugh admitted joining Maggie and Paul at the kennels, where he said he took a chicken away from a rowdy yellow Labrador named Bubba — whose name Murdaugh can be heard saying on the video — before heading back to the house shortly ahead of the fatal shootings.Murdaugh lied about being at the kennels for 20 months before taking the stand on the 23rd day of his trial. He blamed his decadeslong addiction to opioids for making him paranoid, creating a distrust of police. He said that once he went down that path, he felt trapped in the lie.“Oh, what a tangled web we weave. Once I told a lie — I told my family — I had to keep lying,” he testified.Prosecutor Creighton Waters grilled Murdaugh about what he repeatedly called the lawyer’s “new story” of what happened at the kennels, walking him moment by moment through the timeline and assailing his “fuzzy” memory of certain details, like his last words to his wife and son.A state agent also testified that markings on spent cartridges found around Maggie Murdaugh’s body matched markings on fired cartridges at a shooting range elsewhere on the property, though the defense said that kind of matching is an inexact science.Murdaugh comes from a family that dominated the local legal scene for decades. His father, grandfather and great-grandfather were the area’s elected prosecutors for more than 80 years and his family law firm grew to dozens of lawyers by suing railroads, corporations and other big businesses.The now-disbarred attorney admitted stealing millions of dollars from the family firm and clients, saying he needed the money to fund his drug habit. Before he was charged with murder, Murdaugh was in jail awaiting trial on about 100 other charges ranging from insurance fraud to tax evasion.Prosecutors told jurors that Murdaugh was afraid all of his misdeeds were about to be discovered, so he killed his wife and son to gain sympathy to buy time to cover his tracks.Murdaugh’s lawyers will almost certainly appeal the conviction based on the judge allowing evidence of the financial crimes, which they contend were unrelated to the killings and were used by prosecutors to smear Murdaugh’s reputation.

NEW YORK —

Live updates on former President Donald Trump's expected surrender on charges stemming from 2016 hush money payments.

Video above: Trump deplanes in NY ahead of court date

What to know:

PROSECUTOR ARRIVES

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg arrived at court Tuesday morning in New York ahead of former President Donald Trump's arraignment.

Bragg became Manhattan’s first Black district attorney in 2022, following his election the previous November. He inherited a years-long grand jury investigation into hush money paid on Trump’s behalf during his 2016 presidential campaign.

After taking office, Bragg slowed his office’s move toward an indictment of Trump and said he had concerns about the strength of the case. That sparked a public protest by two prosecutors who were leading the investigation and resigned.

But Bragg convened a new grand jury this year after convicting Trump’s family company for tax fraud. He called that result a “strong demarcation line” for proceeding with other parts of the probe.

___

TRUMP ATTORNEY: ‘NO GUILTY PLEA'

Trump attorney Joe Tacopina said the former president's appearance in court for Tuesday’s arraignment would be brief because the processing “does not take long.”

“It won’t be a long day in court,” he said on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

"We know the basis of the indictment and the factual allegations in the indictment,” Tacopina said, adding Trump would maintain his innocence.

“One thing I can assure you as I sit here today, there’ll be no guilty plea in this case. That’s one thing I can guarantee you,” he said.

Tacopina appeared to predict the case would ultimately be dismissed.

“I don’t think this case is going to see a juror,” he said. “I think there’s a legal challenge that will be made and should be made successfully.”

Video above: Get the Facts: What is a grand jury and how does it work?

___

SPECTATORS LINE UP

Spectators, many of them members of the news media, lined up overnight to get a seat inside the courtroom, or even just a glimpse of Trump, who wasn’t expected until Tuesday afternoon.

The building was surrounded by barricades, and people were undergoing layers of security checks. The reporters waiting in line were camped out under tents with lawn chairs, blankets and pizza boxes.

The nation’s 45th commander in chief was expected to be escorted from New York City’s Trump Tower — also surrounded by barricades — into a lower Manhattan courthouse by the Secret Service.

Police braced for protests from supporters of Trump, a Republican who is running for the White House again in 2024. He called the decision by a grand jury to indict him “political persecution and election interference at the highest level.”

Prosecutors investigated money paid to porn actor Stormy Daniels and ex-Playboy model Karen McDougal to keep the women from going public with claims that they had sex with him.

Video above: NYC says its ready for unprecedented arraignment of former president Donald Trump

SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP, Ohio —

Another shoe has dropped in the investigation of suspected abuse at Hillcrest Academy.

Hamilton County and Juvenile Court announced Wednesday afternoon they will end their contractual ties to Rite of Passage, which runs the treatment program for at-risk youth at Hillcrest.

The decision comes in the wake of allegations that surfaced within the past few days from a worker there.

An investigation is underway into whether a female staff member sexually assaulted at least one student.

There was an emergency Juvenile Court meeting about it over the weekend.

According to a joint statement this afternoon from Hamilton County Juvenile Court and Hamilton County Job and Family Services, "On Saturday, HCJC held an emergency shelter hearing to remove all 12 of the children the Court placed at Hillcrest. HCJFS is also in the process of relocating its residents. In addition, the County Administrator and the Administrative Judge have given notice that it intends to terminate its contract with Rite of Passage."

The statement mentioned there were 50 current residents at Hillcrest.

A dozen were placed there by Juvenile Court, six by Jobs and Family Services.

The rest of the residents were sent to Hillcrest by other entities from out of state.

Neither Hamilton County leaders nor anyone from Juvenile Court would say anything further about the separation, referring all questions to the Hamilton County Prosecutor.

As for the criminal investigation, the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office said there is nothing new to release at this time.

The man accused of crashing a U-Haul truck into a security barrier near the White House Monday night praised Adolf Hitler to investigators after his arrest and said that he aimed to “kill the President” if necessary to overthrow the government and install himself in power, according to court documents.

Sai Varshith Kandula, 19, of Chesterfield, Missouri, is in custody and has been charged in federal court with one count of depredation of property of the United States in excess of $1,000. US Park Police originally arrested Kandula on several charges, including threatening to kill or harm a president, vice president or family member. It’s possible that prosecutors add additional charges as the case progresses.

Kandula, in handcuffs and wearing a t-shirt and shorts, appeared in DC Superior Court Tuesday afternoon, US Park Police told CNN, and was held in custody without bail. He has not yet entered a formal plea in federal court – where his case is expected to continue with an initial appearance on the single charge Wednesday – and a lawyer for him in that case has not yet been named publicly.

The Secret Service said no agency or White House personnel were injured in the incident.

The truck, which carried a Nazi flag among other items, crashed into security barriers on the north side of Lafayette Square at 16th Street just before 10 p.m. ET, the US Secret Service said. A preliminary investigation revealed the driver may have intentionally struck the barrier, the agency later said.

Kandula made threatening comments regarding the White House at the scene, including that he wanted to kidnap and harm President Joe Biden, law enforcement sources told CNN. Authorities are considering the role mental health may have played in this incident, one source said.

In court documents unsealed Tuesday, investigators said that a US Park Police officer saw Kandula drive up onto the sidewalk and into metal barriers, sending several pedestrians running. When the truck failed to go through the barriers, Kandula allegedly backed up before striking the barriers a second time.

After the crash, Kandula allegedly removed the flag “from a black backpack he was carrying.”

In an interview after the arrest, investigators asked Kandula about the Nazi flag he displayed after the crash. The 19-year-old said he bought the flag because “Nazi’s have a great history,” adding that he admires their “authoritarian nature, Eugenics, and their one world order,” according to court documents. Investigators wrote that “when asked if he looks up to any leaders, Kandula answered ‘Hitler, because he was a strong leader.’”

Kandula told officers that he had been planning the attack for six months and had flown to Washington from St. Louis earlier that evening, according to court documents.

Prosecutors said Kandula also told officers that he aimed to “get to the White House, seize power, and be put in charge of the nation,” and was prepared to “kill the President if that’s what I have to do and would hurt anyone that would stand in my way.”

The White House said Biden was not in danger during the incident. National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby told CNN’s Kate Bolduan that it was “difficult to know for sure” what the suspect’s motivations were and that the incident was still being investigated.

Video taken by a witness showed the 26-foot moving truck stopped on the sidewalk near Lafayette Square before the driver accelerates and crashes into a set of security bollards that ring the White House complex to prevent unauthorized vehicular traffic.

After the crash, the truck was searched by bomb technicians and no explosives or incendiary devices were found, a law enforcement source familiar with the investigation told CNN.

Video from CNN affiliate WUSA shows a remotely operated police robot approaching the rear of the truck and lifting the cargo door, followed by an FBI bomb technician who inspected the vehicle. A Park Police officer was later seen taking inventory of the U-Haul truck, packing up several pieces of evidence.

The incident prompted road closures as authorities investigated the crash, and the nearby Hay-Adams hotel was evacuated at the request of the Secret Service, a hotel employee told CNN. The hotel guests and employees were allowed back in when police deemed it safe a short time later.

The FBI’s National Capital Response Squad is assisting Park Police and the Secret Service in the investigation.

Agents from the U.S. Secret Service and the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force Tuesday executed a federal search warrant at Kandula’s Missouri home, according to a federal law enforcement official. They searched for notes, computers or any evidence of planning that led up to or motive behind Monday’s events.

Former high school classmates of Kandula described him as quiet and someone who didn’t get into trouble.

Errion Barfield, a former classmate of Kandula’s at Marquette High School, described him as a “good dude” who “never got in trouble” and “never made a scene in school.”

LOUISVILLE, Ky. —

Witnesses continue to present evidence in the trial for one of the officers who was involved in the deadly raid of Breonna Taylor's apartment on March 2020.

Brett Hankison, now a former Louisville police officer, fired 10 shots in the raid, none of which hit Taylor, but prosecutors said they endangered the couple and child who lived next door.

During opening arguments Wednesday, prosecutors told jurors the case is not about the killing of Taylor, who was Black, or police decisions that led to the raid.

“Breonna Taylor should not have died that night,” said Barbara Maines Whaley, a prosecutor with the Kentucky attorney general's office. Whaley told jurors the city of Louisville paid millions in a civil suit, “but the money did not bring her back. Nothing will.”

Hankison is charged with three counts of wanton endangerment, a felony with a range of one to five years in prison.

Hankison's attorney, Stewart Mathews, told jurors that when the gunfire began, Hankison “was attempting to defend and save the lives of his fellow officers" and followed his police training.

He said Hankison’s shooting was justified during a chaotic scene lasting just 10 to 15 seconds.

Taylor, 26, worked as an emergency medical tech and was settling down for bed on March 13, 2020, when officers kicked in her door. They drew fire from Taylor’s boyfriend, who thought an intruder was breaking in. Two officers at the door returned fire, killing Taylor.

Taylor’s neighbor, Cody Etherton, was first on the stand and testified that he was nearly hit by Hankison's bullets in the apartment next door.

Several Louisville police officers who were with Hankison the night of the raid testified they served the warrant at Taylor's ground floor apartment as “knock and announce,” even though a no-knock warrant was approved. Several officers said they knocked at the address for minutes longer than usual.

Sgt. Michael Campbell testified that just before the shooting began, he was standing with Hankison, but like his colleagues, testified that he couldn’t tell what Hankison did.

“I don’t remember where he was at that point. I didn’t see him shoot,” Campbell said.

Hankison fired five of the bullets through the glass door and several more through a bedroom window.

Myles Cosgrove, who fired the bullet that killed Taylor, is scheduled to appear as a witness in Hankison's trial. The other officer present that night, former LMPD detective Jonathan Mattingly, has said he will plead the Fifth Amendment and refuse to testify, citing the pending U.S. Department of Justice investigation into the LMPD.

In all, more than 30 witnesses are slated to testify in a trial expected to last two to three weeks.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.

AUSTIN, Tex. — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing Facebook owner, Meta.

Paxton alleges that Meta illegally collected users’ biometric data, including facial recognition technology, without their consent.

The lawsuit goes on to accuse Meta of sending the information to others for profit.

According to the suit, Facebook violated a Texas law that requires people to get permission before capturing a person’s biometric information.

The suit also alleges that Facebook failed to destroy the data in a reasonable amount of time, which violates state law.

The Attorney General’s Office says Facebook violated state law billions of times.

Meta is also accused of violating Texas’ Deceptive Trade Practices Act because it reportedly misled users.

There is a $25,000 penalty for each unlawful capturing of a biometric identifier.

The lawsuit asks for an additional $10,000 civil penalty for each violation.

Paxton estimates that the penalties could add up to billions of dollars.

This lawsuit out of Texas is similar to another suit out of Illinois in 2021, where Facebook was accused of using its Tag Suggestions tool to store users’ biometric data without their consent.

The suit ended with a class action privacy settlement.

Facebook was ordered to pay $650 million.

Meta has not commented on the recent lawsuit in Texas.

Democrats, stung by a series of election-year failures to deliver legislative wins for their most loyal voters, hope they'll be buoyed by the prospect that President Joe Biden will name the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court.

Justice Stephen Breyer's pending retirement couldn't have come at a better time for a Democratic Party reeling from the collapse of Biden's legislative agenda last week.

Seeing Biden's campaign pledge to appoint the first Black woman to the Supreme Court fulfilled, Democrats hope they will be able to energize a dejected base, particularly Black voters whose support will be crucial in the November midterm elections.

Among the names being circulated as potential nominees are California Supreme Court Justice Leondra Kruger, U.S. Circuit Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, prominent civil rights lawyer Sherrilyn Ifill and U.S. District Judge Michelle Childs — whom Biden has nominated to be an appeals court judge.

Replacing Breyer won't ultimately change the court's 6-3 conservative majority, which has stymied Biden on major priorities including his recent vaccine and testing mandate for large businesses.

If every Senate Republican unites to oppose Biden's nominee, the president would need to secure support from every Democrat in the chamber. That could potentially revive recent fights in which moderate Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona bucked the party and defeated its priorities.

In a letter made public Thursday, Breyer said he plans to retire when the court goes into recess this summer. He added that he hopes his replacement is nominated and confirmed by that time.

Biden said Thursday he plans to name a nominee by the end of next month.

This story was originally published by Newsy. Additional reporting by The Associated Press.

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Trending stories at Newsy.com

DENVER, Colo. (KMGH) — The Colorado First Judicial District Attorney's Office will ask the court to reduce a truck driver's 110-year sentence to 20-30 years at an upcoming sentence reconsideration hearing, the district attorney announced in a statement Thursday.

Rogel Aguilera-Mederos was sentenced to 110 years in prison after he was convicted in the deadly crash on I-70 in April 2019.

In the statement, First Judicial District Attorney Alexis King said the decision to request a sentence reconsideration was made "based on the facts of the case and input from the victims and their families."

Millions expressed disappointment in the lengthy sentence.

More than 4.8 million people have signed a Change.org petition calling for Aguilera-Mederos to have his sentence commuted or to be pardoned, saying the crash was a tragedy but the sentencing is unfair. On social media, posts are also petitioning for truck drivers to boycott Colorado until Aguilera-Mederos is released or a mandatory minimum sentencing law is changed.

During the sentencing, Judge A. Bruce Jones said his hands were tied when it came to sentencing because of mandatory minimum laws in the state. On Oct. 15, a jury convicted Aguilera-Mederos, 26, on most of the 42 counts he faced, including vehicular homicide, first-degree assault, attempted first-degree assault, reckless driving and careless driving.

The sentence reconsideration hearing has been scheduled for Monday, Dec. 27 at 11 a.m.

This story was originally reported by Sydney Isenberg on thedenverchannel.com.

Nearly 17 years after being sentenced to die, Scott Peterson was resentenced to life without parole Wednesday during an emotional hearing in which family members of his slain pregnant wife, Laci, called him out for the killing in 2002 and his apparent lack of remorse.

“I still feel the grief every day, after 19 years,” said her mother, Sharon Rocha. “Your evil, self-centered, unforgiveable selfish act ended two beautiful souls. And for what reason? There was no reason other than that you just didn’t want them anymore. You didn’t want a baby nor the responsibility of being a father. You’re a coward."

“I have dreams about her,” she added about her daughter, who was 27 and eight months pregnant when she was killed carrying the boy the couple planned to name Connor. “And sometimes when I wake up, I cry because they’re so realistic and I know I’ll never see her again.”

Laci Peterson's brother and sister, Brent Rocha and Amy Rocha, added their own emotional comments during the hearing.

The California Supreme Court ruled a year ago that Peterson's jury was improperly screened for bias against the death penalty. Stanislaus County District Attorney Birgit Fladager, who came to fame as one of three prosecutors in Peterson’s trial, opted this time to settle for life without parole.

Peterson’s attorney, Pat Harris, said his client has shown no remorse because he’s not guilty. He said, as he has in the past, that the defense can now prove that burglars were nearby on the day Laci disappeared — though investigators say they were ruled out as suspects.

Peterson was uniformly described as a loving husband and expectant father, Harris said, until it became public that he was having an affair at the time of his wife’s disappearance.

Then “he quickly became the most hated man in America,” Harris said, with a billboard outside the courtroom asking if he was a “man or monster.”

Peterson was prepared to speak, something Peterson didn’t do during his initial trial and sentencing, Harris said, but Superior Court Judge Anne-Christine Massullo didn't allow it.

Peterson’s supporters were in the courtroom to show their support, but they were not allowed to speak.

Massullo resentenced Peterson without adding her own significant comment. She is separately considering if Peterson was prejudiced by juror misconduct.

But she opted to resentence Peterson first, over the objections of his lawyers, to resolve a problem with his status.

He had been in San Quentin State Prison, home to California’s death row, since he was condemned to death in March 2005. That followed his conviction in November 2004 during a trial that was moved 90 miles to San Mateo County because of worldwide publicity.

But Massullo said he couldn’t stay on death row once prosecutors said they would not again seek his execution. He was moved to the county jail for resentencing and is expected to remain there until Massullo decides on whether he should get a new trial.

She plans about a weeklong hearing from Feb. 25 through March 4 to hear defense claims that the woman known as Juror 7 falsely answered questions during the selection process.

They say she actively sought to join the jury and later co-authored a book on the case. Richelle Nice has not been named in court papers but co-authored the book with six other jurors.

Defense lawyers contend she was biased because she had been a crime victim, which she did not disclose during jury selection. They learned only later that she had been beaten by a boyfriend in 2001 while she was pregnant. She obtained a restraining order during another pregnancy against a boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend because she was fearful the woman would harm her unborn child.

Nice said in a court filing that she didn’t think the restraining order was a lawsuit that she had to disclose on her jury form, nor did she “feel ‘victimized’ the way the law might define that term.”

Massullo will have 90 days after next year’s hearing to decide if Peterson should get a new trial.

Prosecutors say Peterson took his wife’s body from their Modesto home on Christmas Eve 2002 and dumped her from his fishing boat into the San Francisco Bay, where they washed ashore in April 2003.

Defense attorneys say new evidence points to nearby burglars, though investigators say they were ruled out as suspects.

Supreme Court justices said in their August 2020 decision overturning his death sentence that there was considerable circumstantial evidence incriminating Peterson in the first-degree murder of Laci and the second-degree murder of Connor.

It included that the bodies washed ashore near where Peterson admitted he was fishing on the day they disappeared. He had researched ocean currents, bought a boat without telling anyone, and couldn’t explain what type of fish he was trying to catch that day.

Also, in the weeks after Laci disappeared but before the bodies washed ashore, he sold his wife’s car, looked into selling their house, and turned the baby nursery into a storage room.

Peterson was eventually arrested after Amber Frey, a massage therapist living in Fresno, told police that they had begun dating a month before his wife’s death, but that he had told her his wife was dead.

BRUNSWICK, Ga. —

Jurors in the trial of three white men charged in Ahmaud Arbery’s killing saw graphic photos of the shotgun wounds that killed him.

They heard a defendant’s description of having the 25-year-old Black man “trapped like a rat” during the five-minute chase that ended in his death. And they heard the men’s explanation for thinking Arbery was suspicious and possibly armed.

The trial of father and son Greg and Travis McMichael and their neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan wrapped up its first full week of testimony Friday. Each is charged with murder and other crimes in the death of Arbery, who was fatally shot last year after he was spotted running in the defendants' coastal Georgia neighborhood.

Bryan's cellphone video of the shooting dramatically raised the killing's profile, making it part of a larger national outcry over racial injustice.

The trial is expected to continue through at least next week. Here are some key moments so far.

___

GRUESOME IMAGES

Several jurors squirmed when a Glynn County police investigator walked them through dozens of crime scene photos of Arbery's body as it lay in the street where he fell dead after being shot three times on a Sunday afternoon in February 2020. They included close-up images of shotgun wounds to his wrist and grievous injuries to his chest and underneath one of his arms.

Arbery's mother remained in the courtroom throughout the presentation, while his father stepped outside before it began.

___

SHIFTING SUSPICION

The jury heard from two police officers about Greg McMichael changing his story on the day of the shooting, when asked why he initiated the deadly chase.

Officer Jeff Brandeberry said McMichael told him at the scene that Arbery had been recorded by security cameras “breaking in all these houses out here.” Later that day, McMichael told Detective Parker Marcy that Arbery had been recorded inside a single home — one that was still under construction, with no doors or windows. He noted there had been other break-ins in the neighborhood, and “logic tells you this guy may be the one that’s doing it."

Prosecutors say there's no evidence Arbery took anything from the unfinished home.

___

‘INACTIVE’ INVESTIGATION

Prosecutors have called to the witness stand eight officers who took part in the initial investigation by Glynn County police — which ended up making no arrests in the case. Arbery had been dead for more than two months when the McMichaels and Bryan were charged with murder. That happened only after the video of the shooting leaked online and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation took over.

Stephan Lowrey, the lead county investigator in Arbery's killing, testified that he hadn't closed the case before it got handed to the bureau. “It was still open but not getting much traction,” Lowrey testified. He added: “I think ‘inactive’ was a fair summary.”

___

‘TRAPPED LIKE A RAT’

Glynn County investigators testified that on the day of the shooting, both Greg McMichael and Bryan described using pickup trucks to prevent Arbery from fleeing the Satilla Shores neighborhood, named for the Little Satilla River that flows past its homes on Brunswick’s edge.

McMichael said he wanted the running man detained until police could arrive and question him. “He was trapped like a rat,” McMichael told police Sgt. Roderic Nohilly.

Bryan said he joined the pursuit without knowing Arbery, the McMichaels or why they were chasing him. Lowrey testified that Bryan several times mentioned maneuvering his truck to edge Arbery off the road, though the investigator said none of the actions Bryan described struck him as a serious crime.

“I didn’t hit him,” Bryan said. “Wish I would have. Might have took him out and not get him shot.”

___

A WITNESS, NOT A SUSPECT

Lowrey also told Bryan's attorney, Kevin Gough, from the witness stand that he considered Bryan to be a witness to the shooting. Asked by Gough if he thought Bryan committed aggravated assault or any other felonies with his truck during the chase, the investigator replied: “No, that wasn’t the way I interpreted it at the time.”

Meanwhile, Glynn County police Officer Robert Rash noted that 12 days before Arbery was shot, Travis McMichael reported seeing him trespassing in the neighborhood. McMichael told police Arbery reached toward his pocket as if reaching for a gun. Rash's body camera video showed him searching that night for Arbery with a flashlight and his gun drawn.

“So it’s standard procedure when you’re going into a possibly armed situation to be sure you have your gun ready, for your protection?” Robert Rubin, one of Travis McMichael's attorneys, asked the officer. Rubin added: “Travis McMichael has a right to carry a gun. He has a right to protect himself.”

___

OBJECTION OVER SHARPTON

The Rev. Al Sharpton visited the Glynn County courthouse to pray with Arbery's parents outside and then joined them in the courtroom to hear some of the trial testimony.

The civil rights activist's visit upset Bryan's attorney, Gough, who told the judge he believed Sharpton was trying to influence the jury.

“Obviously there’s only so many pastors they can have,” Gough said. “And if their pastor’s Al Sharpton right now that’s fine, but then that’s it. We don’t want any more Black pastors coming in here."

Sharpton shot back that Gough's comments showed "arrogant insensitivity” to Arbery's family.

There was no ruling from the judge, as Gough made no formal motion to exclude pastors from court.

BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) — A police officer says he would have given Ahmaud Arbery a warning for trespassing inside the unfinished home from which the young Black man was seen running before he was chased and fatally shot.

Glynn County police Officer Robert Rash testified Friday he had been looking for Arbery, whose identity wasn't known until he was killed, after the owner of the home under construction shared security camera videos of him inside the home.

Rash said none of the videos showed Arbery stealing.

Greg and Travis McMichael and a neighbor, William “Roddie” Bryan, are being tried on murder charges in Arbery's death.

Defense attorneys say they suspected Arbery was a burglar and Travis McMichael shot him in self-defense.

Bryan's defense attorney started the day with an apology. On Thursday, he objected to Rev. Al Sharpton attending the trial to support the victim's family.

"We don’t want any more Black pastors coming in here or Jesse Jackson, or whoever was in here earlier this week, sitting with the victim’s family trying to influence a jury in this case," defense attorney Kevin Gough said.

Gough told the court Friday that his statements were too broad.

"I will follow up with a more specific motion on Monday, putting those concerns in the proper context. And my apologies to anyone who may have been inadvertently offended," he said.

KENOSHA, Wis. —

A man who suffered a severe arm injury when he was shot by Kyle Rittenhouse during a night of protests against racial injustice is expected to testify this week as prosecutors near the end of their case in Rittenhouse's murder trial.

Gaige Grosskreutz, 27, who had a gun in his hand as he stepped toward Rittenhouse, was shot in the arm moments after Rittenhouse fatally shot two others in the streets of Kenosha, Wisconsin. Testimony during the first week of Rittenhouse's trial showed bystanders came to Grosskreutz's aid and placed a tourniquet on his arm before loading him into a vehicle that rushed him to a hospital.

Rittenhouse, 18, is charged with shooting Grosskreutz and fatally shooting Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber on Aug. 25, 2020. The one-time police youth cadet from Antioch, Illinois, was 17 when he went to Kenosha with an AR-style rifle and a medical kit in what he said was an effort to safeguard property from the demonstrations that broke out over the shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, by a white Kenosha police officer.

Rittenhouse is white, as are the three men he shot, but the case has raised polarizing questions about racial justice, policing, firearms and white privilege.

In the first week of Rittenhouse's trial, prosecutors played numerous videos that showed the events of that night from different angles. Jurors heard testimony from people who were with Rittenhouse, as well as from police officers and loved ones of the men who died.

Jason Lackowski, a former Marine who was on the streets of Kenosha carrying his own rifle, testified Friday about Rosenbaum, the first man Rittenhouse shot. Lackowski said Rosenbaum was acting "belligerently" but did not appear to pose a serious threat.

Lackowski said he considered Rosenbaum a "babbling idiot," and turned his back and ignored him. He acknowledged that he didn't see everything that went on between Rittenhouse and Rosenbaum, including their final clash.

Other witnesses testified last week that a "hyperaggressive" Rosenbaum angrily threatened to kill Rittenhouse that night and that Rosenbaum was gunned down after he chased Rittenhouse and lunged for his rifle.

Prosecutors have portrayed Rittenhouse as the instigator of the bloodshed as well as an inexperienced teen who misrepresented his age and medical training to others that night. Rittenhouse's lawyer has argued that he acted in self-defense, suggesting among other things that Rittenhouse feared his weapon would be taken and used against him.

The prosecution suffered a potential blow when Rosenbaum's fiancée, Kariann Swart, disclosed that he was on medication for bipolar disorder and depression but hadn't filled his prescriptions because the local pharmacy was boarded up due to the unrest — information Rittenhouse's lawyers could use in their bid to portray Rosenbaum as the aggressor.

On the day he was killed, Rosenbaum, 36, had been released from a Milwaukee hospital. The jury was told that much, but not why he had been admitted — after a suicide attempt.

Rosenbaum's killing has emerged as one of the most crucial moments that night because it set in motion the bloodshed that followed moments later.

Rittenhouse shot and killed Huber, a 26-year-old protester seen on bystander video hitting Rittenhouse with a skateboard. Rittenhouse then wounded Grosskreutz.

Rittenhouse could get life in prison if convicted. The case has stirred furious debate over self-defense, vigilantism, the right to bear arms and the racial unrest that erupted around the U.S. after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and similar cases.

Two jurors were also dismissed last week. One man was dismissed for potential bias after he told a joke about the Blake shooting to a court security officer, and a woman who is pregnant was dismissed after she said she was experiencing some discomfort. Eighteen jurors remain, and 12 will ultimately be picked to deliberate.

BRUNSWICK, Ga. —

Opening statements began Friday in the murder trial of three white men charged in the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery, with a prosecutor telling jurors that faulty assumptions led them to chase down the 25-year-old Black man. Arbery's killing was largely ignored until a leaked cellphone video stirred outrage that deepened a national reckoning over racial injustice.

Greg McMichael and his adult son, Travis McMichael, armed themselves and pursued Arbery in a pickup truck after they spotted him running in their neighborhood just outside the Georgia port city of Brunswick on Feb. 23, 2020. A neighbor, William "Roddie" Bryan, joined the chase and recorded graphic video of Travis McMichael shooting Arbery three times with a shotgun.

The killing has become part of a broader reckoning on racial injustice in the criminal legal system after a string of fatal encounters between police and Black people such as George Floyd in Minnesota and Breonna Taylor in Kentucky.

“All three of these defendants did everything they did based on assumptions — not on facts, not on evidence,” prosecutor Linda Dunikoski told the jury as the trial began Friday morning. “And they made decisions in their driveways based on those assumptions that took a young man’s life.”

Georgia's response to the killing has become part of a broader effort to address racial injustice in the criminal legal system after a string of fatal encounters between police and Black people such as George Floyd in Minnesota and Breonna Taylor in Kentucky.

Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley swore in the disproportionately white jury Friday before proceedings began. All three defendants are standing trial together, charged with murder and other felony counts.

Arbery had been dead for more than two months before the McMichaels and Bryan were charged and jailed last year. Greg McMichael, a retired investigator for the local district attorney, told police the men were trying to stop Arbery because they suspected he was a burglar. Security cameras had recorded him entering a nearby house under construction.

Greg McMichael said his son had killed Arbery in self-defense after Arbery attacked with his fists and tried to take Travis McMichael's gun.

Prosecutors say Arbery was merely out jogging, was unarmed and had committed no crimes in the neighborhood. When Bryan's video of the killing leaked online in May 2020, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation took over the case from local police. Its agents arrested the McMichaels the next day, and charged Bryan two weeks later.

The killing of Arbery has dominated news stories and social media feeds in Brunswick and surrounding Glynn County, a coastal community of about 85,000 people.

It took the judge and attorneys 2 1/2 weeks to select a jury. Nearly 200 people summoned to jury duty were questioned extensively about what they knew about the case, how many times they had seen the video and if they had any personal connection to Arbery or the defendants.

Controversy erupted on Wednesday, the final day of jury selection, when prosecutors objected to a final jury consisting of 11 whites and one Black juror. They argued that defense attorneys had cut eight potential jurors from the final panel because they are Black, which the U.S. Supreme Court has declared unconstitutional.

The judge agreed there appeared to be "intentional discrimination," but said Georgia law limited his authority to intervene because defense attorneys stated non-racial reasons for excluding Black panelists from the jury.

One juror, a white woman, was dismissed Thursday for medical reasons. Fifteen total panelists will hear the trial — 12 jurors plus three alternates. The judge has not given the races of the alternate jurors, and they were not asked to state their race in open court.

Court officials have said the trial could last two weeks or more.

If the defendants are acquitted, their legal troubles won't be over. They have also been indicted on federal hate crime charges. A U.S. District Court judge has scheduled that trial to begin Feb. 7.

Video above: U.S. mandates vaccines or tests for big companies

More than half of the states in the country have filed or signed on to lawsuits challenging the Biden administration's federal vaccine mandate for large companies.

The law, which is set to take effect Jan. 4, would require companies with 100 employees or more as well as any federal contractors to mandate the vaccine or start weekly testing of their workers. This would impact more than 84 million workers, roughly 31 million of whom are unvaccinated.

At least 27 states s0 far, most of which are Republican-led, have decided to take legal action against the new rules, claiming the mandate is an example of federal overreach and both "unlawful and unconstitutional."

Florida kicked off the states' legal pushback against the mandate, with Gov. Ron DeSantis announcing the Sunshine State's lawsuit on Oct. 29.

"Just months ago, Joe Biden was saying that it wouldn’t be appropriate or lawful for the federal government to mandate these COVID shots," DeSantis said. "But now we have somehow gone from 15 days to slow the spread to 3 jabs to keep your job. The federal government is exceeding their power and it is important for us to take a stand because in Florida we believe these are choices based on individual circumstances."

Labor Secretary Marty Walsh said he stands by the mandate, adding that the administration is well-prepared for the avalanche of legal battles.

"We're confident about the rule put together, and I think it's unfortunate that this rule has been out for about eight hours now and people already are suing on it," Walsh said on "All Things Consider," an NPR news program. "This is about protecting workers in the workplace. This is about protecting Americans. This is about increasing our number of people in this country that are vaccinated."

Hearst station WPBF contributed to this report.

Warning: This live video may contain violent and/or disturbing images with strong language. Viewer discretion is advised

The trial for a man charged with killing two men and wounding a third with an assault-style rifle during protests last summer began Tuesday morning in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Kyle Rittenhouse, now 18, formerly of Antioch, Illinois, has been charged with six felonies and one misdemeanor.

He has pleaded not guilty by self-defense in the August 2020 shootings of three men as protests ensued after the police shooting of Jacob Blake.

Two of those victims died.

Witness: Martin Howard

Kenosha Police Detective Martin Howard is on the witness stand.

He was assigned to surveillance in squad cars to watch crowds on the night of Aug. 25.

Howard said he went to gas stations to shut off pumps to prevent arsons.

He testified he was also stationed near the interstate off ramps, looking for groups of cars getting off in Kenosha, possibly with license plates removed.

Howard is one of the lead detectives on the homicide case.

A lot of jurors were taking vigorous notes as Howard is on the stand.

Howard testified about when he went to interview Rittenhouse after he turned himself into police in Antioch, Illinois.

He said Rittenhouse had a few cuts, scrapes, and small bumps on the head.

Prosecutor Thomas Binger showed the jury another livestream video from TheRundownLive but the defense objected to audio from the man recording the video, saying it's editorialization.

The judge said the defendant's statements are allowed.

Witness: Koerri Washington

The prosecution's third witness was self-described social media influencer Koerri Washington, of Kenosha.

He began his testimony Tuesday afternoon.

"In my opinion, people like myself make things better for everyone because it helps show another side of the full picture," Washington said.

He said he followed the protests after the Blake shooting to document what happened.

The jury watched as the prosecution played a portion of Washington's Facebook Live video from the night of Aug. 25.

His video shows a crowd yelling at a group of armed men, including Rittenhouse, who was smoking a cigarette while holding the AR-15.

Washington's testimony continued Wednesday morning.

Jurors began the day watching two monitors just outside the jury box as prosecutors seek to enter extensive video they say will support their case.

Just before the trial started, Rittenhouse's mother, Wendy Rittenhouse, walked over to her son at the defense table to speak with him and a lawyer.

Rittenhouse, in a blue suit and tie, hunched forward at the defense table to watch the same video as jurors on a desktop screen.

Many jurors jotted down extensive notes when testimony turned to levels of violence at the Kenosha protests.

They seemed especially attentive when a defense attorney during a cross-examination displayed video of dozens of cars ablaze in a Car Source lot the day before the shootings, orange flames billowing above the business.

For their part, prosecutors have emphasized an absence of deadly violence in Kenosha, other than from Rittenhouse, on the day he shot three protesters.

Police reform has been at the forefront of protests the past few weeks, following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

The qualified immunity doctrine is getting a lot of attention.

“Qualified immunity is a doctrine that was created by the Supreme Court in 1967 in a case called Pierson v. Ray, and when the Supreme Court announced the existence of qualified immunity, they described it as a good faith defense,” Joanna Schwartz, a professor at the UCLA School of Law, said.

However, there have been debates on how this doctrine can be used.

In recent weeks, Congressman Justin Amash proposed the “Ending Qualified Immunity Act” (H.R. 7085).

“Qualified immunity is just another example of a justice system that is not working for people, and preventing people from getting the redress they deserve,” Representative Justin Amash (L-Michigan) said.

So, we dove into qualified immunity with Joanna Shwartz, a law professor who studies civil rights litigation, and Justin Smith, a sheriff in Larimer County, Colorado.

“Qualified immunity first of all has nothing to do with criminal immunity,” Sheriff Justin Smith said.

Smith has been with the Larimer County Sheriff’s Department for nearly three decades.

“Who in their right mind would build a career on running towards gun fire and confronting an armed suspect? Why would you do it without some type of civil protection?,” he explained.

We sat down with him as he explained why qualified immunity is important for his officers.

“I’d simply ask the question to the average American, is a police officer expected to be perfect in all of their actions in a split second?,” he asked.

Smith said without qualified immunity, one incorrect decision made by an officer could cost a lot.

“If you didn’t call that exactly right by one judges interpretation, that's a lawsuit,” he said.

“Every time the officer puts on the shirt, the badge, straps on the firearm, comes to work, every action they take responding to a case essentially is as if they went to Vegas and they walked up to the table, placed a five dollar bet, and in Colorado for example, would cost them up to $100,000. Who's going to make that bet?,” Smith explained.

However, those who want qualified immunity removed say the doctrine has changed over the years and it’s not necessary to protect officers who act in good faith when it comes to protection of rights.

“Concerns about split second decision making...are already protected from liability by the Supreme Court's construction of what the Fourth Amendment allows. Qualified immunity is unnecessary to do that,” Schwartz explained.

She went on to explain why she believes that qualified immunity isn’t necessary for the protection of money, either.

“I studied lawsuit payouts across the country over several years, I found that police officer personally contributed .02 percent of the total dollars paid to plaintiffs,” she said.

Schwartz said while the doctrine was originally created as a good faith defense, it has changed over the years to make it harder for people to file lawsuits against officers.

“In order to defeat qualified immunity, find a prior case with virtually identical facts in which a court announced that that conduct was unconstitutional,” she said.

Which has been an issue for James King from Michigan, who told a reporter he was assaulted by an officer in plain clothes in a mistaken identity case. The incident was caught on camera back in July 2014.

“The simple fact is the majority of this time this situation happens to anyone, they have no recourse,” King said.

Officers are often forced to make decisions in a split second.

“This is a risk taking profession,” Smith said. “We can say the criminal justice system isn't perfect and that's accurate. Nothing in society is perfect. I think it’s overall improved significantly over the years.”

But Schwartz thinks officers acting in good faith can be protected by other measures.

“Qualified immunity is not necessary or well suited to play that role in weeding out insubstantial cases,” she said.

Both Smith and Schwartz agree that when looking at proposed changes to qualified immunity on the federal and state level, it’s important to look at what officers the bill is including -- whether that be local, county, state, or federal officers.

“Congress’ bills at this moment only end qualified immunity for state and local officials,” Schwartz explained. “As we are thinking about state and local law enforcement, we should not overlook the role of federal law enforcement and other government officials.”

LEBANON, Ohio —

The trial continued Tuesday for a former youth sports coach on trial for sex crimes involving children.

Eric Schmidt is charged with one count of rape, two counts of gross sexual imposition and two counts of public indecency.

Tuesday's testimony centered around text messages one of the accusers sent to friends the night she claims she was molested.

That accuser is 19 years old, but she was 12 in 2015 — the year prosecutors say crimes against her were committed.

The teenager said she was friends with Schmidt's daughter and was at their house for a sleepover in April 2015.

During her testimony, she read text messages she sent to friends that night from Schmidt's home in Mason.

"I said, 'I really don't understand why you find that funny. No, seriously, it's a remarried man trying to rape a freaking 12-year-old kid," the accuser said.

She said Schmidt exposed himself and touched her inappropriately in the theatre room of the house after his daughter fell asleep.

Assistant prosecutor Travis Vieux asked her, "Did the defendant touch your hand?"

"Yes," she said.

Vieux asked, "Did he touch your arm?"

"Yes," she said.

Vieux asked, "Did he rub up your arm?"

"Yes," she said.

Vieux asked, "Did he touch your shoulder?"

"Yes," she said.

Vieux asked, "Did he touch your breast?"

"Yes," she said.

While prosecutors are trying to use the accuser's texts as proof that Schmidt is guilty of gross sexual imposition and public indecency, defense attorneys tried using the messages to their advantage.

During cross-examination, defense attorney Bill Gallagher asked, "Eric is trying to touch you?"

"Yes," she said.

Gallagher asked, "You don't yell, right?"

"No," she said.

Gallagher asked, "You said you just sort of froze?"

"Yes," she said."

Gallagher questioned how could she be frozen at the same time she carried on text message conversations with multiple friends.

"Does it shock you at all, in all of your text messaging in here, there's not a single spelling mistake, but you're stressed out and trying to figure out what to do?" Gallagher said.

"It's called autocorrect," the accuser said.

Mason Detective Jeff Wyss also took the stand Tuesday. He said he began to investigate the 2015 allegations, but the case was closed when the accuser's family decided not to pursue charges.

That case was reopened in 2019 after a second accuser, also 12 at the time, made allegations against Schmidt.

He's been charged with rape in that case.

Prosecutors said that accuser was sexually assaulted at a party for football families in the Kings and Mason area.

Schmidt had coached youth football, baseball and softball.

That girl is 14 years old now and is expected to testify Wednesday.

Before calling her to the stand, prosecutors called a relative of Schmidt's to testify about what she said she witnessed in January 2015 when she was temporarily staying with the family.

She was 19 years old at the time.

She said she was alone with Schmidt watching Vampire Diaries when he suggested they watch the show downstairs.

She said they relocated to the theater room and continued watching Netflix.

Vieux asked her to describe what Schmidt did that she thought to be sexually inappropriate.

"When we were watching Netflix, after some time, the notice on the Netflix screen says 'Do you wish to continue? Click yes or no.' That had popped up. I looked to my right to see if the remote was near me to click yes. It wasn't there. I had turned to my left and Mr. Schmidt was sitting there with his genitals out," the relative said.

Schmidt has not been charged with any crime in connection to that incident.

Schmidt maintains his innocence. Gallagher previously said Schmidt passed a polygraph test.

Stockton, California, police said that an arrest was made after a man was shot seven times in what authorities had been investigating as a possible hate crime. The San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office confirmed later that it will be moving forward with hate crime charges.Detectives with the Stockton Police Department arrested Michael Hayes, 31, in connection with the Friday shooting of 45-year-old Bobby Gayle Jr., a news release said. Hayes was booked into the San Joaquin County Jail and is facing attempted homicide, assault with a deadly weapon and weapons charges.“I would like to thank the anonymous tipster and the hard work of our detectives for bringing a quick resolution to this case for the victim and his family,” Stockton police Chief Eric Jones said in a prepared statement. “Gun violence is not tolerated in our community.”Part of Friday night's violence was captured in surveillance footage obtained by KCRA 3. Bobby, a cement mason, was preparing to do some work with a friend near the Wells Fargo Bank on Pacific Avenue near Rivara Road when a driver going backward almost hit them, said Bobby's brother, Dr. Marlon Gayle."My brother threw his hands up, was like, 'Hey, man, slow down. What's going on, like slow down,'" Marlon said. “And the guy got out his truck, parked his truck, got out, and he started saying the 'n' word and just started shooting."Bobby is seen on the right of the video holding his hands up as a gunman on the left shoots. Marlon said two of the shots hit Bobby in his face.Even though he was injured in the shooting, Bobby managed to call for his brother, Marlon recalled, and played a voicemail that said, "Marlon, I've been shot. Pray for me. I swear to God. Please. In the name of Jesus. Hallelujah."Marlon said none of the bullets pierced any major arteries. He is expected to survive.Gayle remains in the hospital, but his family said he's recovering."I'm in pain a little bit right now. But it's a good pain and just I can feel myself being carried by the lord. This is the lord's work. My brother wants me to slow down — I can't go back out there and work," Gayle said in a recorded video to KCRA 3.The San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office said Hayes could be arraigned on Monday.

LOS ANGELES —

Britney Spears said in a court filing Wednesday that she agrees with her father that the conservatorship that has controlled her life and money since 2008 should be terminated.

The filing in Los Angeles Superior Court from Spears' attorney Mathew Rosen says she "fully consents" to "expeditiously" ending the conservatorship, which her father James Spears, who has controlled it for most of its 13 years, asked for in a Sept. 7 petition.

It's the first time Britney Spears has called for an end to the arrangement in court documents, though she has called for its termination in hearings.

Her filing emphasizes, however, that it is more important to her that her father be removed, calling it "a necessary first — and substantial — step towards Ms. Spears's freedom and ending the Kafkaesque nightmare imposed upon her by her father, so that her dignity and basic liberties can be restored."

It is urgent that James Spears be suspended from his role of conservator of Britney Spears' finances by Sept. 29, the next hearing date in the case, the filing says.

"Mr. Spears cannot be permitted to hold a position of control over his daughter for another day," the document says.

The documents also reveal that Britney Spears is in the process of putting together a pre-nuptial agreement after getting engaged to her longtime boyfriend Sam Asghari earlier this month. That process will mean the intensive involvement of the conservator of her money, a role her father can't be permitted to play, the filing says.

The flurry of major filings means that next week's hearing could be pivotal.

Judge Brenda Penny, who has remained largely neutral in her oversight of the case, will be pressed to decide whether to remove James Spears or to put the conservatorship on a path to termination.

James Spears stepped aside as conservator of his daughter's person in 2019, maintaining only his role as conservator of her money. He and his attorneys have said that renders many of his daughter's complaints about his control meaningless.

Jodi Montgomery, a court-appointed professional, now acts as conservator of Britney Spears' person. Wednesday's filing from Britney Spears says Montgomery also consents to ending the conservatorship,

Spears had said in a dramatic June 23 speech in court that gave a jolt to the case and galvanized support for her that she was being compelled under the conservatorship to take certain medications and to use an intrauterine device for birth control against her will.

James Spears has denied acting in anything but his daughter's best interest, and has declined demands that he resign immediately, though he said in court documents that he does have a plan to eventually step down.

But in a major reversal and possibly strategic move, he said in his Sept. 7 filing that if she "wants to terminate the conservatorship and believes that she can handle her own life, Mr. Spears believes that she should get that chance."

Mathew Rosengart has sought to keep the focus on James Spears removal since his hiring in July and says he will pursue an investigation of his handling of the conservatorship even after any removal.

The conservatorship was established in 2008 when Britney Spears' began to have very public mental struggles as media outlets obsessed over each moment, hordes of paparazzi aggressively followed her everywhere, and she lost custody of her children.

A Pennsylvania woman facing charges that she helped steal a laptop from the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi during the attack on the U.S. Capitol will be released from jail, a federal judge decided Thursday.U.S. Magistrate Judge Martin Carlson released Riley June Williams into the custody of her mother, with travel restrictions, and instructed her to appear Monday in federal court in Washington to continue her case. Williams, 22, of Harrisburg, is accused of theft, obstruction and trespassing, as well as violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.During the hearing, Carlson said the “gravity of these offenses is great, it cannot be overstated.” But, he noted Williams has no prior criminal record.The FBI says an unidentified former romantic partner of Williams tipped them off that she appeared in video from the Jan. 6 rioting and the tipster claimed she had hoped to sell the computer to Russian intelligence.Video from the riot shows a woman matching Williams' description exhorting invaders to go “upstairs, upstairs, upstairs” during the attack, which briefly disrupted certification of President Joe Biden's electoral victory.Williams' attorney, federal public defender Lori Ulrich, declined to comment on the case. Williams surrendered to face charges on Monday and has been locked up in the county jail in Harrisburg.In adding the theft-related charges on Tuesday, a Virginia-based FBI agent said Williams was recorded on closed-circuit cameras in the Capitol going into and coming out of Pelosi's office.The agent's affidavit said a cellphone video that was likely shot by Williams shows a man's gloved hand lifting an HP laptop from a table, and the caption read, “they got the laptop.”Pelosi’s deputy chief of staff, Drew Hammill, has said a laptop used only for presentations was taken from a conference room.A federal prosecutor earlier this week argued that Williams should not be released on bail pending trial, claiming she might flee or try to obstruct justice.

NEW YORK —

Editor's note: Some of the details in this story may be disturbing to some.

A former tour manager for R. Kelly reluctantly testified Friday that he paid a $500 bribe to a government worker to get the singer Aaliyah a fake identification card so Kelly could secretly marry her when she was 15 years old.

Demetrius Smith told a jury at Kelly’s sex-trafficking trial that after he went into a Chicago-area welfare office in 1994, he brazenly approached an employee who was taking ID photos.

"Hey, want to make some money?" he said he asked the employee before handing over the cash. He was confident the bribe would work because "everybody needs some money," he added.

The welfare card was one of two fake IDs used to clear the way for the R&B legend to marry Aaliyah after he began a sexual relationship with her and believed she had become pregnant. A marriage license that was put into evidence falsely listed her age as 18; Kelly was 27 at the time.

Prosecutors say Kelly wanted to use the marriage, which was later annulled, to shield himself from criminal charges related to having sex with a minor and to prevent her from testifying against him.

Aaliyah, whose full name was Aaliyah Dana Haughton, worked with Kelly, who wrote and produced her 1994 debut album, "Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number." She died in a plane crash in 2001 at age 22.

Kelly, now 54, is charged in the bribery scheme as part of a racketeering case accusing him of sexually abusing several women, girls and boys during the course of his 30-year singing career. He’s vehemently denied the charges, claiming that the women were groupies who wanted to take advantage of his fame and fortune achieved through hits like "I Believe Can Fly."

Forced to testify against his will after being given immunity from future charges, Smith repeatedly told the judge he was uneasy about taking the stand, though he did not give a specific reason. But with prodding from the judge, he detailed how the singer came to him while he was on a 1994 tour and told him, "Aaliyah is in trouble. We need to get home."

They rushed back to Chicago after a concert in another city so they could arrange the marriage meant "to protect him and Aaliyah," Smith said. He said he told Kelly, "'I know how to get her an ID,' and that’s what I did."

Earlier Friday, another former Kelly employee, Anthony Navarro, was called by the government to describe the inner workings of the Chicago-area mansion where Kelly had a recording studio and a constant stream of female visitors.

Being at the mansion "was almost like the 'Twilight Zone,'" Navarro said. "It’s just a strange place."

Navarro's testimony bolstered the government's contention that Kelly controlled everything around him and created an environment where girls and women who entered the space faced strict rules that gave them little choice but to submit to the singer's sexual whims.

Navarro told jurors that he never witnessed Kelly sexually abuse his victims. But there were "girls" who would stay at his home for long stretches and couldn’t eat or depart without Kelly’s permission, he said

"There’s been times where they wanted to (leave) but couldn’t because they couldn’t get a ride or we couldn’t get ahold of Rob" to get approval, he said.

Navarro, who was trained as an audio engineer, spent much of his time doing menial chores for Kelly like driving visitors to and from his home.

"Mainly it was girls who were coming to the studio," he said.