Tag: murder charges

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Breaking News U.S.

Two Albuquerque Police Officers Face Murder Charges in Shooting

murder charges, Albuquerque police officers
murder charges, Albuquerque police officers

Two Albuquerque police officers are now facing murder charges as a result of an on duty shooting which killed a homeless camper and that ignited protests which have turned violent at times. The shooting has also started a federal investigation because of excessive force complaints against the Albuquerque police department. The incident which led up to the shooting is not in dispute, 38 year old James Boyd was holding two knives and caused a standoff with police that lasted hours. A helmet camera worn by an officer captured the shooting on tape, and the video seems to show Boyd surrendering when he was shot. Second District Attorney Kari Brandenburg has charged Keith Sandy, a former detective, and Dominique Perez, a SWAT team member, with one count of open murder each.

The open murder charges against the two Albuquerque police officers will allow the prosecutor to seek either first or second degree murder convictions against each of the officers involved. James Boyd had struggled with mental illness in the past. The results in this case are far different from recent police related deaths in Ferguson, Missouri and New York City, New York. In the previous cases the officers involved were not charged at all, causing protests around the country. Defense attorney Sam Bergman who is representing Sandy in this case told the media that “Keith, as a police officer, had not only the right, but the duty to defend a fellow officer from a mentally unstable, violent man wielding two knives.”

 

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U.S.

Guilty Plea to Murder Charges in Beating Death of WW2 Veteran

WW2 veteran, beating death, murder charges
WW2 veteran, beating death, murder charges

The beating death of 88 year old Delbert Belton, a WW2 veteran, has led to a 17 year old entering a guilty plea to murder charges. Belton was killed when he was robbed by two 16 year olds, Demetruis Glenn and Kenan Adams-Kinard. The pair beat Belton so badly that he died in the medical facility where he was taken for treatment the next day. The murder occurred in 2013 when Belton was getting into his car after leaving a bar in Spokane, Washington. During WW2 Belton served in Okinawa and his small stature earned him the nickname Shorty. Everyone who knew the veteran liked him immensely, and his death sparked outrage in the community. Adams-Kinard entered a guilty plea to first degree murder charges, and as a result of his plea bargain other charges were dropped.

The beating death of WW2 veteran Delbert Belton was a violent crime, and the teens facing murder charges tried to cover their tracks. Adams-Kinard even went so far as to tell his mother in a letter that Belton was dealing drugs and had ripped the teens off on crack cocaine, which police stated was not true at all. By pleading guilty to murder charges Adams-Kinard saved the state the cost of trying him in court, and the teen will spend the next 20 years in prison. Kenan will also have to spend 3 years on probation once he is released from prison in 20 years, and he will do his time in a juvenile facility until he turns 21, when he will be transferred to an adult prison.

 

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Breaking News U.S.

Murder Charges Filed in Florida Infant Starvation Death

murder charges, infant starvation death, Florida
murder charges, infant starvation death, Florida

Murder charges have been filed against the parents in Florida in the case of an infant starvation death. The 22 day old baby died from starvation and both parents of the infant have been charged with first degree murder. For most people the thought of neglecting a newborn in any way is unacceptable, and to allow an infant to starve to death is inexcusable. According to the assistant chief of the Lakeland Police Mike Link”She suffered tremendously over the 22 days that she was alive.” According to police the photographs of the baby are very disturbing, and the medical examiner determined that the baby girl was murdered by starvation due to neglect. When the infant was weighed in death she weighed roughly two and a half pounds less than at birth, and she had not been fed much for the previous 24 hours before dying.

First degree murder charges in the Florida infant starvation case are warranted according to the medical examiner, and an infant lost her life because she was not valued or loved by her mother. After being confronted with the facts the mother of the infant admitted that the baby had not been fed much during the day long trip to Florida, and that it was difficult to feed the infant because they would have to exit the highway in order to do so. The baby girl had an appointment with a physician before the trip but the mother failed to keep the appointment. The male half of the couple, Roy Stephens, is not the biological father of the infant and did not have much to do with the baby according to the mother. Two other children aged 1 and 2 were also with the couple, and these children were taken into protective custody.