Criminal justice news covering prison reform, sentencing, prosecutors, public defenders, and reforms to the American justice system.
UK police bodycam footage reveals 18-year-old Henry Nowak being handcuffed after being fatally stabbed by Vickrum Digwa, who falsely claimed Nowak racially abused him. The release sparked political firestorm and violent protests in Southampton, injuring police. Digwa was sentenced to life with a minimum of 21 years.
A murder victim found in 2000, known as Chelsea Jane Doe, has been identified as 16-year-old Tiffany Bradley from Pennsylvania. She was trafficked to Boston before her death. Eugene McCollom of Lynn, Massachusetts, was convicted of her murder and remains incarcerated; he confessed and led authorities to her head and hands buried in Nahant.
The court reversed Anthony Bankston's death sentence because a prosecutor compared him to a Bengal tiger, the first such reversal under the 2020 Racial Justice Act. The murder conviction stands, and the case returns to trial court for resentencing.
Olumuyiwa Akindahunsi, 29, faces charges for assaulting five women at UCLA on May 28. He is accused of sexually assaulting two and attempting a third, plus two physical assaults. Police found zip ties, duct tape, and paracord on him. Four victims were students; Akindahunsi is homeless.
A new arrest warrant for Jan Carlos Berrios Otero adds a sixth victim, a 4-year-old boy who said he was touched during nap time about 10 times. Bail was set at $100,000 with no contact with anyone under 16. Attorneys have spoken with over 100 potentially impacted families.
Former West Midlands Police superintendent Syed Hussain, 54, and Farah Ullah, 43, face fraud and criminal property charges over a £720,000 investment scam. The alleged offending occurred between November 2022 and April 2023. They are due in court on 1 July.
Federal investigators obtained a DNA sample from an unknown juvenile male who allegedly had sex with Anna Kepner before her death on a Carnival cruise. The DNA was excluded as a contributor to evidence found in Kepner's vaginal swabs, while Timothy Hudson remains the primary suspect.
Stephen McCullagh received a 31-year sentence for murdering his pregnant partner Natalie McNally in Lurgan, Northern Ireland. He stabbed, strangled and bludgeoned her, then faked an alibi by livestreaming a prerecorded video of himself playing Grand Theft Auto. The judge noted he intended to kill both McNally and their unborn child.
Westchester County science teacher Raymond Szczerba was arrested for allegedly attempting to sexually assault and entice a minor in Connecticut. He was placed on leave and banned from Westlake High School and school events pending investigation.
Kamaljit Arora received a life sentence with no parole for 25 years for drowning his two children in their Laval, Quebec home in 2022. He also received concurrent sentences for attempted murder of his eldest daughter and strangling his wife.