2 dead in Las Vegas Strip shooting, with suspect known but not yet arrested, police say
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(LAS VEGAS) — Two people were killed in a shooting on the Las Vegas Strip late on Sunday, police said, adding that it appeared to be a targeted killing that followed an online argument.
A suspect had been identified, but not yet arrested, Undersheriff Andrew Walsh told reporters in a news conference.
Police on patrol near the Bellagio Hotel & Casino heard gunshots at about 10:40 p.m., the Las Vegas Metro Police said. As officers arrived on the scene, they found two people with gunshot wounds, both of whom were later pronounced dead, Walsh said.
Walsh described the shooting as an isolated and targeted incident. He said it came after a victim and the suspect argued on social media, he said.
“It is believed that the suspect and the victims knew each other and had previously engaged in conflict over social media prior to the shooting,” police said in a statement.
Police said the shooting was outside on the 3600 block of S. Las Vegas Boulevard. The department in a subsequent messaged said homicide police were responding to the area.
ABC News’ Amanda M. Morris contributed to this report.
(LOS ANGELES) — Erik and Lyle Menendez have been resentenced to 50 years to life in prison, which makes them immediately eligible for parole — a vindication years in the making for the brothers and their family.
But that doesn’t mean an automatic release from prison.
Here’s a look at what’s next:
The new sentence
Erik and Lyle Menendez, who were arrested in March 1990, were initially sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for the 1989 murders of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez. The brothers said they committed the murders in self-defense after years of abuse by their father.
At the conclusion of Tuesday’s resentencing hearing, Judge Michael Jesic granted them a new sentence of 50 years to life in prison, which follows the recommendation made in October by then-Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón.
Gascón recommended the brothers’ sentences of life without parole be removed, and said they should instead be sentenced for murder, which is 50 years to life. Because both brothers were under 26 at the time of the crimes, they’re eligible for parole immediately under California law.
Gascón’s office said its resentencing recommendations took into account many factors, including rehabilitation in prison and abuse or trauma that contributed to the crime. Gascón praised the brothers’ conduct in prison, saying they rehabilitated themselves and started programs to help other inmates.
In November, Gascón lost his reelection bid to Nathan Hochman, who in March filed a motion to withdraw the resentencing petition, calling the brothers’ claims of self-defense part of a litany of “lies.” The judge denied Hochman’s request.
The brothers, who appeared via video at Tuesday’s hearing, addressed the judge directly.
“I killed my mom and dad,” Lyle Menendez told the judge. “I give no excuses.”
He also admitted to committing perjury by lying in court in the ’90s. He apologized to his family for years of lies and the shock and grief of the crimes.
“I committed an atrocious act,” Erik Menendez told the judge. “My actions were criminal, selfish and cowardly. … No excuse.”
He admitted to lying for years and apologized.
What’s next — resentencing case
It could take months before Erik and Lyle Menendez are assigned a parole date for the resentencing case. They are eligible for that parole date right away, as inmates with a sentence of 25 years-to-life or longer can get their hearing during the 25th year of incarceration, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
The brothers will likely each have their own individual hearings in front of a three-member parole board at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility, the San Diego prison where they’re both housed, according to ABC News legal analyst Matt Murphy.
Murphy said the California Board of Parole’s newly completed risk assessment — which was conducted as a part of the brothers’ separate clemency path — does raise serious red flags that the parole board will take under consideration.
The risk assessment concluded that Erik and Lyle Menendez pose a moderate risk to the community if they’re released, noting that the brothers didn’t follow rules in prison so there’s a likelihood they won’t follow the law outside of prison.
The assessment revealed the brothers possessed illegal cellphones. Erik Menendez had a phone as recently as January of this year, which Hochman stressed was during the resentencing effort when he should have been on his best behavior.
“Cellphones are very dangerous in prison because they can be used to commit crime — they can be used to put hits on people, they can be used to intimidate witnesses,” Murphy explained.
For most prisoners, being caught with a cellphone is enough to be denied parole, Murphy said.
Erik Menendez also allegedly bought and traded drugs and allegedly helped inmates commit tax fraud years ago, according to the assessment.
“Simply because they’re eligible does not mean they’ll be released,” Murphy said. “A majority of life prisoners serving time for murder with parole dates are not released if they’ve had problems in prison.”
The parole board is also likely to weigh if the brothers have taken full responsibility, Murphy said.
The brothers admitted to the crime and admitted to lies in court Tuesday, and their family said they’ve “apologized to all of us” and “spent the last 35 years becoming better men worthy of a second chance.” But the DA insists that they’ve still “failed to come clean with the full extent of their criminal conduct, their cover-up, their lies and their deceit.”
The psychologists also found Lyle Menendez to be narcissistic. The brothers will undergo further psychological evaluations beyond the risk assessment, Murphy said.
If granted parole, they’d be eligible for release immediately after the decision is finalized, which takes about five months, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. If parole is denied, the denial could be for either three, five, seven, 10 or 15 years, according to the department.
What’s next — clemency case
In the meantime, the brothers have a special parole hearing on June 13 regarding their bid for clemency from California Gov. Gavin Newsom. As they did Tuesday, the brothers are expected to appear via video from prison.
The clemency path is separate from the resentencing path. The brothers’ defense team submitted the request for clemency in October 2024 and Newsom can grant clemency at any time.
After the June 13 hearing, Newsom will “submit that report to the judge for the resentencing, and that will weigh into our independent analysis of whether or not to move forward with the clemency application to support a commutation of this case,” the governor said in March on his “This is Gavin Newsom” podcast.
The bigger picture
In an exclusive statement to ABC News hours after the resentencing decision, Erik Menendez said he hopes his case can serve as “one step on the path of widespread justice reform that will give us and so many hopeless souls in prison the continued hope to earn personal redemption.”
“My goal is to ensure there are no more people spending 35 years in prison without hope,” he said. “That possibility of having hope that rehabilitation works is more important than anything that happened to me today.”
The brothers’ attorney, Mark Geragos, agreed, saying their case “encourages people who are incarcerated to make the right decisions, to take the right path.”
But Murphy said he’s concerned the brothers’ win on Tuesday shows the success of victim-blaming.
The brothers have “continued to insist that they believe that Kitty Menendez posed a threat of imminent death or great bodily harm to them, which was rejected by every single appellate court,” Murphy said. Now Murphy predicts “every lifer in the state of California is going to ask for their resentencing.”
(WASHINGTON) — NASA is planning on decommissioning the International Space Station (ISS) by the end of 2030. But before that happens, Axiom Space, a privately funded space infrastructure company based in Houston, wants to build a replacement. The company has begun construction of the world’s first commercial space station, Axiom Station.
But Axiom isn’t waiting for their station to be completed before transporting people into space. The company has been launching teams of private astronauts to the ISS since 2022, allowing them to conduct research, train, and participate in scientific activities. And on Wednesday at 8 a.m., Axiom Space will attempt to send its fourth crew to the ISS as part of its AX-4 mission.
“The AX-4 crew represents the very best of international collaboration, dedication, and human potential. Over the past 10 months, these astronauts have trained with focus and determination, each of them exceeding the required thresholds to ensure mission safety, scientific rigor and operational excellence,” said Allen Flynt, Axiom Space’s chief of mission services, during a pre-launch press conference on Monday.
The four-person crew will lift off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and travel to the ISS aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft launched into orbit by a Falcon 9 rocket. It will be the maiden mission for an updated Dragon capsule.
“This is the first flight for this Dragon capsule, and it’s carrying an international crew—a perfect debut. We’ve upgraded storage, propulsion components and the seat lash design for improved reliability and reuse,” said William Gerstenmaier, SpaceX’s vice president of build and flight reliability.
The mission will be led by Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut and the director of human spaceflight at Axiom. During her career at NASA, Whitson completed three long-duration space flights, spending a total of 665 days in orbit. She also commanded Axiom’s AX-2 mission, adding another 10 days in space to her already impressive total. Whitson now holds the record for the most time spent in space by a woman.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Peggy Whitson back. This will be her fifth trip to space—three with NASA and now two with Axiom,” Dana Weigel, NASA’s manager of the International Space Station Program, said. “She’s made substantial contributions to ISS and now helps lay the foundation for future commercial missions.”
Joining Whitson on the AX-4 mission are astronauts from India, Poland and Hungary. This will be the first time that nationally sponsored astronauts from those countries have visited the ISS. It has also been more than 40 years since those three countries sent someone into space.
Indian Air Force pilot and astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, the mission’s pilot, will be the second person from India to go to space and the first since 1984. Polish engineer Sławosz Uznański, a mission specialist and a European Space Agency project astronaut, will be the second person from his country to head to space and the first since 1978. And Tibor Kapu, a mechanical engineer and mission specialist, will be the second Hungarian astronaut to rocket into space. That country’s last space mission was 45 years ago.
“For India, Poland, and Hungary, this mission marks a return to human spaceflight after more than 40 years, and their first missions to the ISS. It’s a powerful reminder of what we can achieve when we work together across borders, disciplines, and cultures,” Flynt said.
The AX-4 mission will last up to 14 days, during which the crew will conduct about 60 scientific studies and experiments. The company said 31 countries have contributed to the research plan and that the projects will focus on biological, life and material sciences, as well as Earth observation. Axiom said that the work done at the station will help the company advance its goal of building Axiom Station, which would be the world’s first commercial space station.
To lay the foundation for its space station, Axiom plans to attach several of its commercial modules to the ISS while it’s still operational. When the ISS is decommissioned, those modules will detach from the station and become part of the privately run Axiom Station.
Unlike space tourism, which is operated independently of NASA and government support, the Axiom mission is part of NASA’s private astronaut mission program. This private-public partnership provides selected commercial space companies with access to the ISS and technical and logistical support from NASA.
“NASA’s framework for private astronaut missions gives industry responsibility for launch, free flight, and landing,” Weigel said.
“It’s an incredible time for spaceflight. These missions help train teams, build partnerships and shape the future of low Earth orbit,” she added.
(ALTOONA, PA) — Pennsylvania authorities denied on Monday they botched the handling of evidence during the arrest of alleged CEO killer Luigi Mangione.
“The Commonwealth avers that police at all times acted within the authority bestowed by law,” prosecutors wrote in a new court filing responding to a defense assertion that Mangione’s arrest was illegal.
Mangione has claimed police in Altoona, Pennsylvania, gave him “a specious and unreasonable” explanation for why officers approached him and failed to read him his Miranda rights when he was taken into custody on Dec. 9, 2024.
He has pleaded not guilty to local charges of forgery, possession of an instrument of a crime and giving a false ID to an officer.
Prosecutors said police body-worn camera “captures his act of producing a forged driver’s license with false name to officers.”
Prosecutors also suggested there was nothing specious about the officers’ approach. According to the filing, a manager of the Altoona McDonald’s where Mangione was spotted described where he was seated, what he was wearing and customer accounts that he “looks like the CEO shooter from New York.”
The caller said she was asking for police assistance because she could not approach or confront Mangione herself.
“The officers had valid reasonable suspicion to support an investigatory detention to identify who Defendant-Mangione was and whether he was a homicide suspect,” the filing, signed by Blair County District Attorney Peter Weeks, said. “Defendant-Mangione voluntary (sic) speaks to officers without police compulsion and willingly provides them with is forged identification. In fact, at no time does Defendant-Mangione ask to leave, attempt to leave or try to disengage from the detention.”
Mangione is charged separately in New York, where the shooting took place, with two counts of stalking, a firearms offense and murder through the use of a firearm in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on Dec. 4. Mangione allegedly shot Thompson outside the Hilton in Midtown Manhattan as he was heading to an investors’ conference. Prosecutors will seek the death penalty for the murder through the use of a firearm charge.
He pleaded not guilty to those charges in a court appearance on Friday. He is next due in court on Dec. 5 — just one day after the anniversary of Thompson’s killing. A trial will be scheduled for 2026.
The case in New York is expected to be tried before the state case in Pennsylvania.
