21-year-old allegedly plotted mass casualty attack on police

(MADISON, MS) — Three people died after a medical transport helicopter crashed in Madison County, Mississippi, on Monday afternoon, according to the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

The aircraft was a Eurocopter EC-135 helicopter, which crashed into a wooded area around 1:15 p.m. local time, the Federal Aviation Authority said in a statement.

It was owned and operated by Med-Trans, UMMC said.

UMMC confirmed that no patients were on board, and that the victims were two crew members and a pilot. Their families were being contacted, the medical center said.

“Earlier this afternoon, AirCare 3, our Columbus-based medical transport helicopter, had an accident in rural Madison County, north of the Reservoir,” UMMC said in a statement on Facebook. “Sadly, there were no survivors.”

The FAA was investigating in the immediate aftermath of the crash, and the National Transportation Safety Board said it was “launching a go-team to investigate” starting Tuesday.

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves released a statement on X saying, “It’s a tragic reminder of the risks Mississippi’s first responders take every day to keep us safe. Our state will never forget the sacrifice of these heroes.”

ABC News’ Benjamin Stein and T. Michelle Murphy contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(MOSCOW, Idaho) — University of Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger returned to court on Wednesday for a high-stakes hearing to decide what evidence will be allowed at his trial, which is set to begin in August.

The use of particular language has been a major point of contention in the ongoing hearing.

Judge Steven Hippler agreed to the defense’s request to ban the words “psychopath” and “sociopath” from the trial.

The defense asked that the phrases “touch DNA” and “contact DNA” be excluded, arguing that it is misleading and can be misunderstood by a jury.

Hippler said he was not inclined to “police phraseology” and noted the concern that if a “banned word” is accidentally used in the courtroom it could result in a mistrial. Hippler encouraged council to avoid the terms but said he will not “police experts in the field” and encouraged legal teams to not “underestimate the reasonableness and intelligence of jurors.”

Kohberger’s defense team also worked to ensure their client will have the opportunity for physical support from his family during the trial.

The judge asked the state to call Kohberger’s family members who are witnesses early in the trial so they can sit behind him in the courtroom after they testify.

“I think their ability to be here to see the trial is important,” Hippler said.

Kohberger is accused of fatally stabbing Ethan Chapin, Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen and Xana Kernodle at the girls’ off-campus house in Moscow in the early hours of Nov. 13, 2022. Chapin, Kernodle’s boyfriend, was sleeping over at the time.

Kohberger, a criminology Ph.D. student at nearby Washington State University at the time of the murders, was arrested in December 2022. He’s charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary, and a not guilty plea has been entered on his behalf.

The judge said Wednesday that he will allow a 3D model of the home at trial.

Many arguments have still yet to be ruled on by the judge.

One point of contention is a description of the intruder from one of the two roommates who survived the murders. The roommate said in the middle of the night she saw a man with “bushy eyebrows” walking past her in the house, according to court documents.

The defense wants that description banned during trial. The defense argues the roommate’s account lacks credibility, claiming that in interviews with police she admitted to drinking heavily throughout the day and that she had an “absolute lack of certainty.”

The defense is also pushing for the death penalty to be taken off the table if Kohberger is convicted, citing what they say is Kohberger’s autism spectrum disorder.

“When it comes to evidentiary hearings, the prosecution’s goal is trying to admit as much damning evidence as possible,” ABC News legal contributor Brian Buckmire said, while the defense tries “to limit how much evidence comes in that is detrimental to their case.”

The hearing is ongoing Wednesday and may continue on Thursday.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(LOS ANGELES) — Erik and Lyle Menendez’s 85-year-old aunt, Terry Baralt, has been hospitalized after prosecutors showed graphic crime scene images at the brothers’ hearing, the family said.

The relatives are slamming the Los Angeles County Attorney’s Office for their “cruel” presentation in court on Friday and said they’re taking formal action to demand DA Nathan Hochman’s office be removed from the case.

Lyle and Erik Menendez — who are serving life in prison without the possibility of parole for the 1989 murders of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez — are fighting to be released after 35 years behind bars. Over 20 of their relatives are pushing for their release, arguing they endured horrific abuse, have admitted guilt and apologized, and have used their decades in custody to help others.

Baralt, who is Jose Menendez’s sister, is battling colon cancer. But she traveled from her home in New Jersey to Los Angeles to support her nephews at their hearing, where the family said she was forced to — without warning — witness grisly images, including her brother’s body.

“No physical pain has ever kept her from being there for her nephews,” the family said in a statement on Sunday. “But the display put on by the DA’s office pushed her past the brink.”

Baralt was found unresponsive on Sunday morning and was hospitalized in critical condition, the family said.

“We are devastated,” the family said.

“Terry may not recover from what was done to her — and to all of us — in that courtroom,” the family said. “We deserve better. We firmly believe that if the DA’s office had shown even an announce of consideration for us, as victims, we would not be hoping for one more day with Terry right now.”

The family said the graphic display violated Marsy’s Law — California’s bill of rights for victims — specifically noting it states that a victim is entitled “to be treated with fairness and respect” and be “free from intimidation, harassment, and abuse.”

“Being tough on crime is important, it’s good,” Menendez family attorney Bryan Freedman said. “But that’s tough on crime — not creating fear and pain and trauma in family members.”

The DA’s office apologized “for not giving prior warning,” saying in a statement Sunday, “We never intend to cause distress or pain to individuals who attend a court hearing.”

“However, by design, these hearings are intended to be a place where the truth, no matter how painful, is brought to light,” the DA’s office added. “That truth starts with the abject brutality and premeditation of the murders themselves. … There has never been an objection to describing this highly brutal, murderous conduct in words, nor did anyone object to this office when such crime scene images were recently shown on a Netflix documentary.”

“We caution anyone attending a hearing in person to be prepared for some of the difficult details and images surrounding these tragic circumstances,” prosecutors added.

The family initially asked for Hochman’s removal from the case last month, calling his behavior “hostile,” “patronizing” and “re-traumatizing.”

“[The prosecutors] have shown again and again that they are incapable of handling this process with the fairness, care, or neutrality required by law,” the family said Sunday.

Friday’s hourslong hearing was regarding Hochman’s motion to withdraw the brothers’ resentencing petition — submitted under the previous district attorney, George Gascón, who supported the brothers’ release. Hochman, who defeated Gascón in the November election, has argued Lyle and Erik Menendez haven’t taken responsibility for their actions and he called their claims of self-defense part of a litany of “lies.”

The judge on Friday denied Hochman’s motion and said the brothers’ official resentencing hearing will proceed as planned on April 17 and 18, bringing them one step closer to potential freedom.

ABC News’ Matt Gutman and Lisa Sivertsen contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.