Category: Breaking News

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Breaking News U.S. World

Did Sony Cave to Hackers Over the Interview?

Sony, hackers, The Interview
Sony, hackers, The Interview

Recently even President Barack Obama has waded into the debate over the hackers who threatened Sony over the release of the comedy The Interview, which features James Franco and Seth Rogen. A few days ago Sony announced that the movie would no longer be released in theaters on Christmas Day because there was concern by many theater owners about the safety of the patrons due to threats that were made. It is suspected that the hackers are from North Korea, the country whose leader is supposed to be assassinated in the movie. There was immediate push back and criticism of the decision to cancel the release from celebrities in Hollywood, government officials, and even the President of the United States of America.

Many have accused Sony of giving in to hackers by canceling The Interview, and President Obama accused the studio of giving in to terrorist threats. Sony is fighting back though, and studio executives have stated that they did not cancel the release but that most theater owners refused to show The Interview on Christmas Day. The movie producer has stated that they are looking at other ways to get the movie out there, and they issued a public statement saying that they want anyone who wants to view the film to be able to watch it. Bit Torrent has offered to act as a distributor for the movie using it’s paid subscriber service but so far they have not received an answer. Hopefully the hackers do not win and the movie is eventually released.

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Breaking News World

Lone Wolf Hostage Taker in Australia a Violent and Troubled Man

loan wolf hostage taker in Australia, violent past
loan wolf hostage taker in Australia, violent past

The lone wolf hostage taker in Australia who held a cafe in Sydney at gunpoint and was killed by police during the siege had a very violent past and was a deeply troubled man who was mentally ill. Iranian refugees Man Haron Monis had past criminal charges for being an accessory to murder and also for numerous sex offenses, yet he was still free to walk around in civilized society. Monis held people in the Lindt Chocolate Cafe hostage for more than 16 hours before police stormed the cafe and ended the standoff by killing the armed gunman. Sydney has a large Muslim community however Man was a loner even among people who shared his religious beliefs. If past crimes were an indication the gunman should have been in prison already.

In the past year alone the lone wolf hostage taker in Australia was charged with being an accessory to the murder of his ex-wife, who was stabbed and then set on fire. Monis was also charged this year for over 40 counts of indecent assault and sexual assault against females in the Sydney area. In 2012 Monis was convicted of sending letters that included threats to the families of 8 soldiers who fought for Australia and died in Afghanistan, and he was sentenced to 2 years in prison but did not serve even half of the sentence before being released. The signs were all visible, but the lone wolf hostage taker in Australia was released time and time again without any real requirement to seek mental health treatment.

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Breaking News U.S.

Police Manhunt for Pennsylvania Murder Suspect Intensifies

police manhunt, murder suspect
police manhunt, murder suspect

The police manhunt for a Pennsylvania murder suspect who is wanted for killing 6 people has intensified. What makes the story eve more of a tragedy is that the 6 people who were killed were family members of the murder suspect, including a 14 year old niece. 35 year old Bradley William Stone is a veteran of the Iraq war, and the police manhunt for him is focused on Pennsburg, Pennsylvania. Police have advised residents in the local community to stay inside and to keep their doors locked until the murder suspect has been apprehended. Law enforcement warns that Bradley Stone should be considered armed and dangerous, and residents should not make any attempt to apprehend Stone if he is spotted.

Stone is considered the prime murder suspect and a police manhunt has been started. The victims in the case are Stone’s relatives and family members from his previous marriage. It is suspected that Stone shot and killed his ex wife, her mother, her grandmother, his own 14 year old niece, and two other family members before he took off. At a news conference District Attorney Risa Ferman stated “As we stand here right now, we don’t know where he is.” After the shooting spree Bradley Stone took both of his young daughters away from the scene and left them with neighbors in the area. That means that the girls have lost their mother and their father right before the Christmas holidays, as well as their grandmother and great grandmother.

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Breaking News U.S.

Online Petition Seeks to Deny Mark Wahlberg Pardon Request

Mark Wahlberg, pardon request
Mark Wahlberg, pardon request

Mark Wahlberg recently filed a pardon request with the Board of Pardons for Massachusetts in order to expunge his criminal record of crimes that he committed in 1988 when he was 16 years old, and this has caused the 18MR group to start an online petition to prevent a pardon from being granted to the famous actor. Wahlberg recently starred in Transformers: Age of Extinction, and some believe that the actor should not be pardoned just because he became famous due to the violent nature of the crimes involved. When Mark was 16 he was convicted on felony charges after he attacked two Vietnamese individuals in two different incidents, and the well known actor spent 45 days in jail as a result.

According to the pardon request filed by Mark Wahlberg the actor claims that he is no longer the same person, and that is why the felony convictions should be eliminated from his criminal record. 18 MR, a group with strong ties to the Asian American community, has started an online petition asking the Massachusetts Board of Pardons and the governor of the state to deny the request by Mark Wahlberg. One the website for the group it states “We demand that the Massachusetts State Parole Board and Governor Patrick deny Mark Wahlberg a pardon for his hate crimes. Not only is granting a pardon an affront to justice, but even asking for one completely disrespects Wahlberg’s victims.” The online petition already has more than 8,000 signatures. 18MR stands for 18 Million Rising.

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Breaking News U.S.

Sexual Predator in Florida Hits Lottery Jackpot

sexual predator, lottery jackpot
sexual predator, lottery jackpot

A sexual predator in Florida has hit the lottery jackpot, winning $3 million dollars and choosing to take a lump sum payment in the amount of $2,219,807.90. There are some who believe that the man should not be able to keep his lottery winnings and that the money should go to the victims instead, but under Florida law there is no way to prevent a sexual predator from keeping any winnings from the lottery. In 2002 Timothy Dale Poole was legally convicted for the charge attempted sexual battery of a victim under age 12 years according to the police records. The sentence that Poole received was very light to begin with, he was sentenced to 10 years of probation and the 13 months of time that he served while going through the process and being convicted.

Sexual predator Timothy Pool, the recent lottery jackpot winner, had his probation revoked in 2003 and was given a 3 year prison sentence because he was terminated from the sex offender counseling program that was mandatory under his probation. Pool was terminated from the program because he missed 4 group sessions according to the report by Orlando’s WKMG. Poole stands 6 foot tall and weighs 450 pounds, and he is listed on the state registry of sex offenders as a sexual predator. Last Saturday Timothy purchased a scratch off lottery ticket at a Mount Dora 7-11 and won the jackpot prize. The only way the victims of Timothy Poole would be entitled to recovery any of his lottery jackpot winnings is if the victims had filed a claim with the court and received a judgment against Poole.

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Breaking News U.S.

Jessica Padgett Murder in Pennsylvania Linked to Necrophilia

Jessica Padgett, murder, necrophilia
Jessica Padgett, murder, necrophilia

The murder of Jessica Padgett has been linked to necrophilia by law enforcement officials on the case. Padgett, a 33 year old newlywed and the mother of three, disappeared shortly after leaving work in November of this year. Family and law enforcement frantically searched for the young mother, and Padgett’s body was found 5 days after she disappeared. The man responsible, 53 year old Gregory Graf, was the stepfather of Jessica Padgett and is currently still married to Jessica’s mother. Graf murdered Jessica by shooting her in the back of the head, and then he engaged in necrophilia with the body. What is even more shocking is that Graf videotaped his sexual acts with the woman’s corpse, and law enforcement seized the video when it was discovered.

According to the prosecutor involved in the Jessica Padgett murder case, John Morganelli “There is videotape … apparently self recorded by Mr. Graf, of him engaging in sexual acts with the deceased body of Jessica Padgett. This is the first case of what is now shaping up to be necrophilia homicide. We are doing research on this now. It’s a bizarre type of homicide.” What is even sadder in this case is that apparently Jessica Padgett and her stepfather Graf had a good relationship until the murder, with Padgett stating on social media that Graf was like a second father to her. In an unusual twist Graf asked for a taxpayer funded attorney to defend him against the charges, because the suspect told the judge that he did not want to use his own money even though he has the financial resources to hire a legal professional. This request was denied by the court.