End of Pitino era at Louisville

By JUSTIN STEVENS

This past Tuesday, the FBI announced that 10 people, with four being college basketball assistant coaches, have been charged and arrested in connection to fraud, bribery and corruption in the world of college basketball.

Coaches from prominent universities such as the University of Miami and the University of Arizona were linked to the investigation. But no school was connected more than the University of Louisville. Athletic Director Tom Jurich and infamous Coach Rick Pitino were both placed on administrative leave.

The basketball program acknowledged it was part of the scandal and allegedly collaborated with Adidas to pay an unnamed basketball recruit $100,000 to attend the University. The player in question is most likely five-star Brian Bowen, who was just suspended indefinitely by the university.

This scandal around Pitino is just one piece of a tarnished career. Two years ago Pitino was suspected of hiring prostitutes to entice basketball recruits into attending Louisville and was to serve a five game suspension this upcoming season because of that scandal.

Bleacher Report writer Jason King hits the nail on it’s head in his article titled, “FBI Bribery Scandal Reveals Rick Pitino Wasn’t Just a Hall of Famer, but a Phony.” In this article, King outlines Pitino’s fall from grace as a former mastermind of college basketball, who at his best, should be placed in the conversation with legendary coaches such as John Wooden and Mike Krzyzewski. Instead Pitino did acts that cost him his credibility and destroyed his name.

King accurately looked at Pitino as the perpetrator, not the victim, which he so rightfully deserved. He also took quotes from other Coaches in college basketball and related pitino to other successful coaches who did not break the rules.

In the end, Pitino did all of this to himself. From a fantastic coach who led Providence to a Final Four berth to all the way to 2013 where he won a national championship with only one player who is currently in the NBA. He started colluding and started to dig his own grave. Although Pitino pleaded ignorance, it’s hard to believe that a coach as smart as him, wouldn’t know what’s going on in his own program.

Miami-Dade installing cameras in parks

By ANAEL GAVISON

Miami-Dade County is developing a project that consists of implementing high technology surveillance cameras in several public parks and spaces around the area.

The plan started by installing four cameras that take a 360-degree angle at Haulover Marina. Other than giving a wide and clear view, the cameras send the information through a private signal only available to government entities.

According to local crime statistics, there have been almost 50 car robberies in this location during the past year.

“Although it is important to protect private property, it is also important the safety of our citizens and mostly our children,” said Victoria Galan, public information officer for Miami-Dade’s Parks and Recreation Department.

For all these purposes, the cameras are able to recognize people and take a digital image of them. All the images are sent directly to the central offices of the county, later compared and identified as possible suspects. These parks are the first ones with this system and the county is looking forward to adding more to their list.

This story was reported by Sandra Peebles yesterday for Univision Channel 23. Peebles, currently teaching a class in television performance at the University of Miami, mentioned in her class how she did that story and the ethics a reporter needs to have when reporting. In agreement with what we said in our reporting class about the code of ethics, Peebles mentioned that, when doing this story, the county didn’t want her to release the information. However, she considered that it was significant news to any citizen who is near the area and goes to the park, prioritizing the safety of adults and their children.

Peebles also faced another obstacle with her story. Police said that, according to a jury, the reporter couldn’t say that the surveillance cameras had facial recognition due to the fact that the digital image or footage of the suspect wouldn’t be the only evidence to convict him. Police can use the new system as a tool, but not as the only proof.

Lastly, Peebles told the class that some television news channels have more strict ethic codes than others and that moral decisions some times lay on the reporter.

Bullet aimed at pit bull kills teen

By ALEJANDRO GRANDA

A teen, 17-year-old Armando Garcia-Muro, was fatally shot Friday morning when two deputies opened fire at a pit bull and one of the bullets bounced on the concrete, hitting him in the chest in Palmdale, Calif.

The pit bull survived the shooting, but was later euthanized.

Roberta Alcantar, the teen’s mother, said he was “a very loving person” who loved dogs and planned to go into construction after finishing high school this upcoming year.

The deputies had first been called to the Palmdale complex at about 3:45 a.m., responding to noise complains of a loud party.

Garcia-Muro helped restrain the dog in the back of his apartment complex after it first charged the group of deputies and bit one of them. But then the dog broke loose and charged again, which was when deputies shot and wounded the pit bull about 10 feet away and then chased it as it tried to run to the back of the building.

That was when they saw the boy about 30 to 40 feet away, who was hit in the chest by a bullet ricocheted off the concrete, calling it a “skip round.”

He died an hour later in the hospital

NBCNews did a great job reporting the horrible tragedy that occurred that morning, but should have mentioned when the dog had attacked.

Texas’ mom arrested children die in hot car

By NEYDJA PETITHOMME

The Parker County, Texas, Sheriff’s Office arrested Cynthia Marie Randolph, 24, for the deaths of her 2-year-old daughter and 16-month-old son, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

According to Randolph, she left them in the car to teach her daughter a lesson.

“Throughout multiple interviews, Randolph created several variations of the events which led to the death of her children,” the release said.

On May 26, Randolph found her children fooling off around the car at 12:15 p.m. To teach them a lesson, Randolph closed the car door “to teach her daughter a ‘lesson,’ thinking ‘she could get herself and her brother out of car when ready.”

Randolph then went inside and smoked marijuana before falling asleep for two or three hours. According to authorities, Randolph purposely broke into the car window to make the deaths look like an accident.

The children “entered the vehicle on their own and had locked themselves inside,” according to the release. She claimed that she broke one of the car’s windows to try to save them, said Randolph.

This incident is very unfortunate, knowing that the mother of her children lacks the love to care for her children. The real question, though, lies in whether marijuana and sleep was logically more important than the well being of her children left unattended and uncared for prior to the time of her death.

Life is something one cannot get back. The past will no longer return, life has been lost, future doctors, lawyers, engineers or even journalists that could potentially change the world, gone due to a woman’s lack of responsibility. This is problematic of her standing and this crime should not go unnoticed.

Randolph facing a two felony charges in the deaths of her children, the sheriff’s office said.

Muslim teenager’s death not hate crime

By ISAIAH TAYLOR

A group of teenagers observing Ramadan traveled from the All Dulles Area Muslim Society mosque in Virginia to a local McDonald’s at around 3 a.m. on Sunday. As they left, the fast food restaurant on bikes or on foot, a car appeared behind them.

After getting into a verbal altercation with one of the teenagers, the driver, believed to be 22-year-old Darwin Martinez Torres, drove his car over a curb towards the group.

The teenagers continued on their way, but were later met by the same man who allegedly chased them with a baseball bat, hitting Nabra Hassanen before taking her into his car and leaving.

Police units from two counties, a helicopter, and search dogs banded together before 5 in the morning. A car was seen returning multiple times to where Nabra had been abducted, and the driver, Martinez Torres, was arrested. The 17-year-old Nabra was later found dead near the suspect’s apartment building.

Although officers in Fairfax are unsure about the motivation behind the seemingly random murder, they have stated that it was probably a road rage incident. However, Nabra Hassanen’s family believes otherwise. Her father, Mohmoud Hassanen, declared that the attack must have been due to religion, explaining that the suspect knew nothing of Nabra except that she was wearing Islamic clothing, yet still chose to target her.

Darwin Martinez Torres also has family members defending him. He is a construction worker and the father to a four-year-old son. An aunt of his stated that his whole family is confused about the charges, and see him as a nice man. Martinez Torres was also said to be at a park with his mother just hours before the kidnapping of Nabra Hassanen.

​Outraged citizens have spoken up on social media about the death, arguing that it was a hate crime and cannot be justified as road rage because the teenagers were pedestrians. The incident also came at a similar time to a terrorist attack outside of a mosque in London, injuring 10 persons. One post on social media cites four different crimes from the past weekend, with the caption, “Hate has devastating consequences.”

YouTube star accused of child porn

By NEYDJA PETITHOMME

Alternative pop vocalist from Chicago and youtube star with 543,600 subscribers was arrested.

According to CNN, Austin Jones, 24, had been arrested for child pornography on Friday. Jones is a famous for his acapella cover video. Jones  was accused of encouraging two minors to send him sexually explicit video. As told, Jones asked two 14-year-old girls to film themselves dancing while exposing themselves in a sexual manner.

“I’m just trying to help you!” Jones wrote in a message. “I know you’re trying your hardest to prove you’re my biggest fan. And I don’t want to have to find someone else.”

Authorities found dozens of pornographic videos in Jones’ phone when he was arrested and taken into custody at the Chicago O’Hare International Airport. Jones said he was deeply distraught about his mistake.

“It’s not something that I am proud of,” Jones said.

According to authorities, this was not Jones’ first rodeo.

In 2015, he posted an apology video to his YouTube fans account after being allegedly accused of asking fans to send him videos of themselves twerking in a sexual manner.

The problem with this situation is that authorities needed to nip in the bun since 2015. Due two the fact that authorities needed to wait until another little girl is harmed to take action is absurd. This situation needed to be solved since 2015.

Force him to take down his YouTube channel or fine him a penalty that will cause him to never do it again, but to accept that the fact that he say it is the cause of depression that forced him to to take action in such a way, is illogical.

Jones was charged with two felony counts of production of child pornography.

Robbers dressed as cops invade home

By ALEJANDRO GRANDA

Two robbers impersonating police officers handcuffed a South Miami-Dade couple and stole cash from their safe at 3 a.m. on Tuesday.

No one was injured and all three of the couple’s children stayed asleep during the robbery.

Miami-Dade police Detective Argemis Colome said police don’t know how much was taken from the home just west of Palmetto Bay and robbers wore long-sleeved shirts with “Police” on a side along with police insignia, law enforcement-like vests and fake badges.

I believe The Miami Herald could have included safety tips and instructions when answering the door to someone who is believed to be of authority, especially so late at night, to prevent themselves from being in a situation that could possibly be more dangerous.

Man imprisoned for 17 years freed

By NEYDJA PETITHOMME

Convicted 17 years ago, Richard Jones, 41, has been overturned when University of Kansas School of Law helped uncover what was believed to be an unjust conviction.

“I hope and prayed every day for this day to come, and when it finally got here it was an overwhelming feeling,” Jones said in an interview with ABC News’ “Good Morning America.”

Nearly 20 years ago, Jones was wrongfully convicted after trying to steal a purse in the parking lot of a Wal-Mart in Roeland Park, Kan. According to authorities, Jones had an alibi as to her whereabouts. It was told that DNA and fingerprints never linked Jones to the crime.

This is problematic, if Jones can be wrongful conviction due to eyewitness misidentification, what does this mean to countless of innocent victims placed in prison due to being unlawfully accused Jones teamed with “the Midwest Innocence Project and the Project for Innocence at the University of Kansas School of Law.” During his time in prison, Jones overheard of a man in incarceration who looked just like him.

The Kansas state system followed in on a man named Ricky Amos, 39. Both men executed the age, similar skin tone, the same facial hair and cornrows.

“Once I had seen his picture beside mine and I seen the resemblance me and him had, I just knew,” Jones said. “It was understandable why other people would say the same thing.””It was hard,” Jones said. “I won’t say it was easy because it wasn’t, but I made it through.”

What need to be done, is figuring out a better solution to figuring out who the victim is, we cannot continue figuring out who is who just out of looks, and merely no facts. This cannot continue, if the country what to find better result. Because of the lack of focus, and integrity to get it right, we the people placed an innocent man before bars for 17 years. Thankfully, he is not looking to press charge on the government for lost of years.

Jones said he is enjoying his family, keeping his faith in God and wants to work with The Innocence Project to give freedom to others who are wrongfully convicted.

Workplace shooting kills five in Orlando

By ISAIAH TAYLOR

On Monday, June 5, just a week before the anniversary of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, another shooting occurred.

An Army veteran identified as John Robert Neumann Jr., shot five people at his former business. He was fired for “unspecific reasons” from Fiamma, Inc. in April, and it has been suggested that the motive was issues in the workplace.

The five victims ranged in ages from 43 to 69, and were identified as Brenda Montanez-Crespo, Kevin Lawson, Kevin Clark, Jeffrey Roberts and Robert Snyder. Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings stated that the shooter had multiple charges on his record, but they were minor. Neumann was also said to have lived alone in Orlando with no relatives in the area.

Demings said that some of the victims had multiple gunshot wounds and others had taken shots directly to the head. Four of the deceased were pronounced dead at the scene, while another passed away after being taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center. There were another eight people present at the business at the time of the attack who escaped injury. After what Demings determined to be a “premeditated plan of action,” Neumann committed suicide with the same gun just before deputies arrived.

Sheila McIntyre, a woman who was in the building at the time of the shooting, had reportedly been on the phone with her sister, Shelley Adams, during the attack. She assured her sister that she was alright, but kept repeating that her boss was dead. Two witnesses who owned businesses near Fiamma gave statements on their sight of law enforcement swarming the location, both expressing their disbelief that something so tragic could happen so close to home.

The Pulse shooting, which happened on June 12 last year, saw 49 deaths and another 53 injuries. Although the two tragedies were not similar in motive or magnitude, they are tragedies all the same, and have both rocked the Orlando community.

Both Florida Gov. Rick Scott and Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs have issued statements about the shooting, with prayers for the victims and their families as well well as a call for all citizens to keep their eyes open and be aware for their safety.

Cop suspected in aiding murder working

By ALEJANDRO GRANDA

Miami Police officer Adrian Rodriguez is working again after refusing to cooperate with homicide detectives in his involvement in a murder and getting fired.

He is suspected of helping set up a robbery at a Miami cell phone store that ended with the death of store manager Yosbel Millares back in 2007.

This is outrageous news, especially for the victim’s family, who is still grieving today. “We’re in shock,” said Magnolia Millares, the victim’s sister. “We can’t believe he was able to get his job back. We’re all very sad and disappointed.”

The reporters of The Miami Herald tried to sound neutral and hopeful about the whole thing by saying he “gets his job back” but “won’t return to patrolling the streets because he remains a suspect in the 2007 killing of Millares. He will most likely be relegated to desk duty – while drawing a paycheck” and “won’t be getting back pay, under the arbiter’s ruling.”

But I believe they should have been more aggressive. Instead, they sound like they’re somewhat in favor of the ruling.

“He exercised his U.S. constitutional right to assert the Fifth Amendment. He was thoroughly interviewed the day of the shooting. It was our position that he shouldn’t have been terminated,” said Eugene Gibbons, Rodriguez’s union-appointed attorney.

But they seem to remain hopeful as they include Miami Police Chief Rodolfo Llanes saying: “I’m disappointed with the outcome and will be meeting with our city attorney to look at our options.”

Tulsa officer receives $35,000 back pay

By MYLES VALENTINE

Tulsa police officer Betty Shelby was acquitted of manslaughter after fatally shooting an unarmed black man, Terrence Crutcher, back in September. It’s been less than a week since she’s been cleared and she’ll reportedly return to work and receive back pay.

Why would Betty Shelby be receiving $35,000?

The deadly encounter started when Crutcher’s SUV broke down on Sept. 16, 2016. Two other drivers called 911, they were reporting a man running away from the SUV and saying it was going to blow up.

Police helicopter footage later showed Crutcher with his hands in the air as he walked toward his broken-down SUV.

This is were it gets a little bit iffy. As Crutcher nears the driver’s side door, part of the camera’s view is blocked. By the end of the video, Crutcher is on the ground with a large bloodstain on the front of his T-shirt.

Shelby testified that she called for backup and ordered Crutcher to get on his knees.

Crutcher ignored her order and also ignored orders from her and another officer, Tyler Turnbough, who arrived on the scene, Shelby said.

She said Crutcher put his hands on the SUV and then moved to reach into the vehicle. Shelby fired one shot from her weapon while Turnbough fired his Taser, she testified.

An attorney for Crutcher’s family has said that Crutcher’s window was rolled up, making it unlikely he was reaching in it. After everything Officer Shelby was charged by the district attorney’s office six days later.

The incident was caught on police helicopter video and a dashboard camera and footage from the shooting was released later, triggering protests as the latest in a high-profile string of unarmed police shootings in recent years.

According to Tulsa spokeswoman Michelle Brooks, Shelby has been on unpaid leave since Sept. 22 and will be taking home about $35,000 in back pay.

Tulsa Police Chief Chuck Jordan said Shelby will not be working in a patrol capacity, so in other words… she will be working at a desk.

Tiger Woods arrested for DUI

By ISAIAH TAYLOR

Since his career began 20 years ago, Tiger Woods has been involved in multiple scandals including a car crash and adultery. However, his most recent journey into news headlines is by far the worst.

At 3 a.m., on Monday, Woods was pulled over in Jupiter, Fla., and charged with driving under the influence. Woods spent eight hours in custody and released a statement on Monday night explaining the issue.

In his statement, he acknowledges his behavior and assures the public that he was not under the influence of alcohol, but “prescribed medications.” He then apologizes to his fans and thanks the police department and sheriff’s office that dealt with the matter. He also stated that he cooperated fully with them, yet there have been reports that Woods refused to take a Breathalyzer test after the police who arrested him smelled alcohol.

The medications in question were prescribed after he underwent surgery one month ago, for unbearable pain due to back issues. This was his fourth back surgery, yet he claimed in his statement that he had an “unexpected reaction” to the medications he was given.

Whatever the cause of his state, Woods was not the first athlete to get in trouble due to a DUI and he certainly will not be the last, although he may have been the most famous. Other high profile DUIs in the athletic community include Abby Wambach, an Olympic women’s soccer player who won two gold medals, and Bernard Pierce, a running back for the Baltimore Ravens.

Woods had kept mostly under the radar since his affair scandals years ago and hadn’t played competitive golf for months due to his back problems. He is still remembered for his amazing accomplishments, but only time will tell what will happen to his legacy after this arrest.

Shooting may end Urban Weekend

By ALEJANDRO GRANDA

Over the weekend, there was a dispute that started over a parking spot where 30-year-old Ladarian Tyrell Phillips died, one of the victims of the police shooting.

Shots were fired around 10:35 p.m. in the 200 block along Ocean Drive and two men were injured from all the gunfire, Phillips being one of them.

In the wake of the incident, a Miami Beach commissioner has expressed thoughts on getting rid of Urban Beach Weekend altogether.

In a way, this may be a good idea because fewer people will be injured and killed. But the commissioner must take caution with that decision as Miami and Miami Beach generate revenue through tourism, especially Miami Beach.

In order to go along with this decision, I believe there should be events replacing Urban Beach Weekend. I believe that doing so would save the city from losing money while addressing the safety of others.

If tourists are too scared to come down to Miami, the city will not be able to make as much money as that’s where it makes majority of its money. Replacing the event will not only eliminate the risk of safety but also the risk of losing money that the city makes every year.

Golf great Woods arrested in Jupiter

By NEYDJA PETITHOMME

Winning 14 major tournaments — second only to Jack Nicklaus, Golfer Tiger Woods was arrested around 3 a.m. Monday morning in Jupiter, Fla. According to Jupiter police spokeswoman Kristin Rightler, Woods was taken into custody in a local jail and was released the same with no bond. According to Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, it was unclear if Woods was tested positive for alcohol consumption.

According to the information that I have been given, it should be necessary to arrest a person due to alcohol or drug assumption. Either a person tests positive or not. In this specific situation, whether a person is successful or not and even famous or not, the safety of the people around us, who are on the road is just as important. Whether Woods tested positive for drugs or alcohol, taking him off the road is just as important.

“I want to thank my doctors for their great work and support throughout this process. I also want to thank the fans for your phenomenal support. It means more than you know. There’s a long way to go, but as I said, words cannot convey how good it feels to be pain-free.” Woods said about his recovery from back problems earlier this year.

For those unaware, Woods has not won a major tournament event since 2008. He has had a rough process since his divorce. According to CNN’s contributor, David Close, Woods took time off from professional golf, to think about his actions towards his fans and family back in 2010.

It’s clear when a person goes through a troubling time in their lives, it can be hard to come back from it. Woods was never the same again after his divorce.

After nine months, an officer charged

By COURTNEY ADELMAN

The issue of black lives matter and police shootings is extremely prevalent in today’s society.

After shooting an unarmed caretaker, a North Miami police officer will face criminal charges.

Officer Jonathan Aledda was arrested and charged on Wednesday, April 12. with attempted manslaughter and a misdemeanor of culpable negligence.

Aledda shot and wounded a behavioral therapist who was laying on his back on the ground with his hands up in the air, begging officers not to shoot.

This was caught on video by a nearby bystander.

This was an off-duty shooting.

Miami-Dade State attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle has concluded that Aledda was more than 150 feet away from caretaker Charles Kinsley. Two other officers were about 20 feet away and did not feel threatened.

According to a press release, Aledda was not even close enough to be in the position to assess the situation and shoot.

Prosecutors have been discussing this for months and confirmed that Aledda’s shots were unjustified.

Many people believe that Aledda shot the wrong target and was trying to shoot the autistic man because he believed he had weapons and was a threat to Kinsley.

This case is resurfacing, but is very confusing. Why did this cop shoot this man and was there a valid reason?

He should be charged for no reason, because essentially he shot an innocent man and he was too far away to even see what this man was doing and if he was a threat.

The news media have covered this in a very interesting way because there is no way of telling exactly what happened.

Some people think that the police officer was just protecting himself, but other people believe that it was way more than that and it should be an influential case in the black lives matter movement.

Students arrested for prostitution

By CHELSEA LOVELL

University of Miami students Acacia Friedman, 23, and Maury Noun, 21, along with Florida International University student Samara Charlotin, 19, were arrested last week after Friedman and Noun were surprised by an undercover cop.

This all took place at the at the Colonnade Hotel. The undercover policeman then asked them to verify “what he was getting” for the money he handed over and, while at first, the women said that it would be a “hang out,” they did agree that there would be sex with a condom.

Both women were charged for prostitution. Charlotin was also charged with possession of one gram of cannabis and one Oxycodone pill. Noun was hit with a charge of aiding and abetting.

Judge Mindy Glazer ordered Charlotin in court on Thursday to stay away from the other two, saying, “You’re a smart girl, and if you want to see age 20, you need to find a new line of employment. A very risky thing you are doing, alright, for someone with a lot of potential such as yourself. You need to stay away from them.”

Noun met with the undercover officer at the restaurant at the hotel. He then directed his girls to a room after the officer paid the $3,000. Noun was arrested on charges including deriving proceeds from prostitution.

Every local news station featured the story on their evening newscast, including NBC6, CBS4, Fox Channel 7 and ABC Channel 10.

UM, FIU students arrested in Gables

By COURTNEY ADELMAN

Students from the University of Miami and Florida International University were arrested yesterday during a prostitution sting in Coral Gables.

Acacia Friedman, a 23-year-old from UM, Maury Noun, age 21 from UM, and Samara Charlotin, a 19-year-old FIU student were all charged with prostitution after an undercover police investigation on Wednesday night.

Friedman and Charlotin were said to have met with and undercover detective at the Colonnade Hotel after they agreed to have sex for $5,000.

Once inside the Colonnade, the detective handed Friedman the money and asked for reassurance as to what was happening.

Both Friedman and Charlotin faced additional charged for having drugs on them.

Noun was charged with aiding or abetting prostitution.

Local 10 news reported the judge saying, “You’re a smart girl, and if you want to see age 20, you need to find a new line of employment…. A very risky thing you are doing, alright, for someone with a lot of potential such as yourself. You need to stay away from them.”

UM has declined information about the ongoing investigations.

Pair arrested for counterfeit jewelry

By COURTNEY ADELMAN

Miami-Dade County recently arrested two jewelry store owners for selling high-end jewelry that was fake.

Jimmy Hernandez, 40, and Tania Varona, 57, were co-owners of Joyeria The Lord of the Rings Collection. Both were arrested for counterfeiting services and good worth more than $20,000.

investigators say that they see name-brand jewelry sold at its normal retail price.

This jewelry included items from Bvlgari, Cartier, Chanel, Christian Dior, Gucci, Hermes, Lous Vuitton, Micheal Kors, Movaddo, Ray Ban, Rolex, Tiffany, Tory, Tous, Van Cleef & Arpels and Yves St. Laurent.

If all of this jewelry were authentic and new the arrest would have claimed for counterfeiting about $31,000.

Whether or not this is important news is hard to say. This arrest and incident did not hurt anyone. I feel that it wouldn’t be until they continued this business that the store owners would get into worse things.

However, I don’t see this story posing any threat to people in nearby areas. I did fin it interesting because I enjoy jewelry and would not want to buy something fake.

So in that sense, it is important to report this so people know that if they have ever bought something from this store, it is counterfeit.

Pair accused of ordering hit man

By COURTNEY ADELMAN

A couple in Houston allegedly hired a hit man to kill their ex-partners. Talk about a fun couple activity.

The hit man was an undercover police officer posing as a hit man.

On Monday, a judge set bail at $50,000 for 48-year-old Valerie Busick McDaniel. He denied bail for 39-year-old Leon Philip Jacob who was already on bail for assaulting and stalking his ex-girlfriend. He and McDaniel were both arrested on Friday.

The couple remained in jail for the whole weekend and will stay much longer in jail if convicted.

The Miami Herald reported this week that “the couple are charged with solicitation of capital murder. Prosecutors say McDaniel wanted her ex-husband killed, while Jacob sought to have his ex-girlfriend kidnapped and later killed to prevent her from testifying against him in the assault case.”

Investigators with Harris County District Attorney’s Office Special Crimes Bureau had found out that Jacob had already planned to kill his ex-girlfriend and was willing to pay someone $10,000 to do it.

The undercover cop who was posing as a hit man met with Jacob and during the meeting, McDaniel came in and said she would also pay $10,000 for the hit man to kill her husband.

This is crazy to hear. People hear horrible stories about relationships, but not necessarily to the extent of killing a previous partner.

It is very interesting that this case has news media coverage in Miami because it occurred in Texas.

However, this is a unique case that has a lot of issues with it. It could even be noted as a semi-famous case because it deals with so many issues.

High school students stabbed in Utah

By FRANCESCA CIUFFO

A school stabbing occurred at Mountain View High School in Orem, Utah, injuring five students, who are all expected to survive.

It happened just before 8 a.m. in the boy’s locker room. The five students and the suspected attacker were taken to the hospital for treatment.

Inside the locker room, police say a 16-year-old straight-A student with no record of disciplinary trouble had attacked his classmates with a knife as they changed into their gym clothes.

Students were in shock and fear after the gruesome scene that they just saw. Police reported that the blade used was three inches long.

The 911 recordings were released from the police. One caller told dispatchers: “There’s someone at Mountain View killing people! He’s stabbing people! He’s stabbing people!”

Another woman called about a student in the attendance office with wounds to his neck and that another victim was on his way. She said, “We just need some help.”

The parents of the suspect later posted a letter apologizing for their son’s horrific actions and insuring everyone that the attacks were not racially or ethnically motivated.

“We are at a loss to express how deeply sorry we are for the pain and injury caused,” the letter said.

There were no indications the suspect was having problems or being bullied, so police are still investigating if there were any motivations behind these attacks.

Right after the attack, the school went on lockdown for about an hour until the police were able to decide that the school was safe. School then resumed normally, but some parents took their children out of school that day.

The school plans to investigate if the student’s actions were caused by anything that could have been addressed or stopped beforehand.

The news media addresses topics like this because a school stabbing is something that is not seen everyday, so when it happens people want to hear about it so that they can make sure that their loved ones that are in that area are safe and pray for anyone that was injured in the process. Anything that has to do with younger children is usually newsworthy because it appeals to the emotional side of audiences.