3 women found dead inside of Ohio home, homicide detectives investigating
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(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — Three women were found dead inside a Columbus, Ohio, home on Saturday, according to police.
Shortly before 4 p.m., officers received a report from a person who found their friends in medical distress inside a home, officials said.
“We are working through the manner of death to determine what actually happened before we release any of that information,” said Sgt. James Fuqua, public information officer for Columbus Police.
Once at the home, responders found three female victims inside and all were pronounced dead at the scene, Fuqua said.
“It’s unfortunate when someone loses their life, but particularly this time of year during the holidays,” Fuqua said. “It’s going to be very difficult for all of these victim’s families to come to the grips that, unfortunately, these family members will no longer be in their lives.”
No drugs were found at the scene and officials are considering it an active homicide investigation and are working to confirm the manner of death, officials said.
No one is in custody at this time, and the person who called in the incident is not a suspect.
Fuqua called it a “very complex scene.”
“It’s going to take a little bit longer to make sure that we’re very careful and going through the scene meticulously, so we do not miss any key piece of evidence because unfortunately, it’s very unusual to have so many victims in one incident,” he added.
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(DELANO, Calif.) — A convicted murderer remained on the loose Tuesday and was the subject of a massive manhunt in Central California, where authorities allege he escaped from a prison van while being transferred to a courthouse.
Cesar Hernandez, who was convicted of first-degree murder in Los Angeles County in 2019 and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison, escaped Monday morning in the Central San Joaquin Valley town of Delano.
“The public should not confront this suspect as he is considered dangerous,” the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) said in a social media post Tuesday afternoon.
The CDCR released new details on 34-year-old Hernandez’s escape. Authorities said Hernandez was being driven to a court appearance at the Kern County Superior Court in downtown Delano when he escaped around 10:40 a.m. local time on Monday.
“Upon arrival, Hernandez evaded staff custody, jumped out of the van, and is currently at large,” the CDCR said in a statement.
Hernandez was last seen wearing an orange prison jumpsuit and white thermals, the CDCR said. He is described as 5-foot-5 and weighing about 161 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes.
Hernandez was convicted of murder in Los Angeles County in 2019 and sentenced to 25 years to life with the possibility of parole for first-degree murder, a second-strike offense, according to the CDCR.
Multiple law enforcement agencies — including agents from CDCR’s Special Services Unit, the California Highway Patrol and the Delano and McFarland police departments — were continuing to search for Hernandez Tuesday afternoon in the Delano area, about 33 miles north of Bakersfield.
In a safety alert to the Central California community, authorities urged people to “report any suspicious activity or sightings immediately.”
(NEW YORK) — A parade of storms is continuing to pound the West Coast, bringing high waves, strong winds, heavy rain, snow and the threat of avalanches.
In the Rocky Mountains, where another 2 to 4 feet of snow is forecast though the weekend, an avalanche watch has been issued from 5 p.m. Friday until 5 p.m. Monday.
More rain is headed to the West Coast on Friday night and Sunday morning. Local rivers will continue to rise and flooding is expected in Washington and Oregon.
High wind alerts have been issued for Northern California, Oregon, Wyoming and Montana, where wind gusts could reach 70 mph.
The West Coast will finally get a break from the severe weather next week.
Meanwhile, in the South, a strong storm brought eight reported tornadoes to Texas and Louisiana on Thursday.
On Friday, more damaging winds, hail and an isolated tornado are possible from New Orleans to Mobile, Alabama, to Pensacola, Florida.
A new storm system is bringing another tornado threat this weekend.
On Saturday, an elevated tornado threat is forecast from Louisiana to Alabama. Cities in the bull’s-eye include Jackson, Mississippi; Hattiesburg, Mississippi; and Alexandria, Louisiana.
On Sunday, this storm system will move into the Southeast and could bring severe weather from Georgia to the Carolinas to southern Virginia. Damaging winds and a few tornadoes will be possible.
(WASHINGTON) — Former President Donald Trump has a massive personal stake in the upcoming election, which could either send him back to the White House — or to a courtroom for what could be years of legal proceedings under the looming threat of incarceration.
No other presidential candidate in history has faced the possibility of such drastically different outcomes, in which Trump’s legacy, personal fortune, and individual liberty could be decided by a few thousand swing state voters.
If he returns to the White House, Trump has vowed to fire Jack Smith, the special counsel who has brought two federal cases against him, “within two seconds”; he has said he would punish the prosecutors and judges overseeing his cases; and he will likely avoid serious consequences for any of the criminal charges he continues to face.
“If he wins, say goodbye to all the criminal cases,” said Karen Friedman Agnifilo, who previously served as the chief of the Manhattan district attorney’s trial division.
“The criminal cases are over, whether it’s legally or practically,” added Friedman Agnifilo, who said a Trump victory would be a “get out of jail free card” for the former president.
If he loses the election, Trump faces years of court proceedings, hundreds of millions in civil penalties, and the possibility of jail time, beginning with the sentencing for his New York criminal case on Nov. 26.
Here is what could happen in each of Trump’s criminal cases.
New York hush money case
Trump’s most pressing legal issue following the election is his Nov. 26 sentencing on 34 felony counts for falsifying business records to cover up a 2016 hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.
Defense lawyers were able to successfully delay the sentencing twice — first by asking to have the case dismissed based on presidential immunity and the second time by highlighting the political stakes of a pre-election sentencing. Describing Trump’s case as one that “stands alone, in a unique place in this Nation’s history,” New York Judge Juan Merchan opted to delay the sentencing until November to ensure the jury’s verdict would “be respected and addressed in a manner that is not diluted by the enormity of the upcoming presidential election.”
While first-time offenders convicted of falsifying business records normally avoid incarceration, legal experts told ABC News that the unique factors of Trump’s case — including him being held in criminal contempt ten times and the finding that he falsified business records to influence an election — could push Judge Merchan to impose some prison time. When ABC News surveyed 14 legal experts about Trump’s sentence in June, five believed an incarceratory sentence was likely, two described the decision as a toss-up, and seven believed a prison sentence was unlikely.
The sentencing could still proceed in November if Trump wins the election, though the new circumstances could influence Judge Merchan’s decision, according to Boston College law professor Jeffrey Cohen. Merchan could opt to impose a lighter sentence — such as a day of probation — or opt to delay the sentence until Trump leaves office.
“A sitting president wouldn’t be forced to be incarcerated while they’re serving their presidency, and so he could theoretically serve it once he’s out of office,” said Cohen, who noted that a delayed sentence could incentivize Trump to remain in office as long as possible.
“If he wins, I think realistically speaking, not there will be no meaningful sentence because of it,” said Friedman Agnifilo.
Trump’s lawyers could also attempt to delay the sentencing in light of the outcome of the election, and the former president still has multiple outstanding legal efforts to delay the case. On Nov. 12, Judge Merchan plans to issue a ruling on Trump’s motion to throw out the case because of the Supreme Court’s recent ruling granting him immunity from criminal prosecution for official acts undertaken as president — and if Merchan denies that motion, Trump could attempt to immediately appeal it to try to delay the sentencing further.
Trump has also asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit to move the state case into federal court, which his lawyers could use to prompt a delay of the sentencing. Unlike his federal cases — for which Trump could theoretically pardon himself — the state case will likely remain outside the reach of a presidential pardon, even if Trump successfully removes the case to federal court, according to Cohen.
Federal election interference case
In the shadow of the presidential race, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan has been considering how Trump’s federal election subversion case should proceed in light of the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling, which delayed the case for nearly a year. Fifteen months after Trump pleaded not guilty to charges of undertaking a “criminal scheme” to overturn the results of the 2020 election, Judge Chutkan has set a schedule for the case that stretches beyond the election, with deadlines for key filings set for as late Dec. 19.
Trump has vowed to fire Smith if he’s reelected, but that might not be necessary since long-standing DOJ policy bars the prosecution of a sitting president — meaning the federal cases against Trump may be stopped immediately should Trump take office.
While Smith could attempt to continue his prosecution in the two months between the election and the inauguration, there’s little he could do to revive the case, according to Pace University law professor Bennett Gershman.
“They can continue to do what they’re doing, but it’s not going to really matter if, at the end of the day, Trump is able to appoint an attorney general who will then make a motion to dismiss the charges,” Gershman said.
While his federal case will inevitably go away if Trump wins, the exact way it happens is uncertain. Smith could attempt to issue a final report about his findings, Trump could face a standoff with Congress or the acting attorney general about firing Smith, or Judge Chutkan could push back against the Justice Department’s eventual move to dismiss the charges.
If Trump loses the election, Judge Chutkan is expected to continue to assess whether any of the allegations in the case are protected by presidential immunity. Her final decision will likely be appealed and could return to the Supreme Court, likely delaying a trial for at least another year, according to experts.
Federal classified documents case
After U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed Trump’s criminal case for retaining classified documents and obstructing the government’s efforts to retrieve them, Smith asked an appeals court to reinstate the case, arguing that Cannon’s decision about the appointment and funding of special counsels could “jeopardize the longstanding operation of the Justice Department and call into question hundreds of appointments throughout the Executive Branch.”
If Trump wins the election, prosecutors will likely have no choice but to withdraw their appeal, according to Friedman Agnifilo, cementing Judge Cannon’s dismissal of the case.
If Trump loses the election, the case faces a long road before reaching a trial. Prosecutors need to successfully convince the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to reverse Cannon’s dismissal, and Trump’s team has already raised a defense based on presidential immunity, which could become the basis for a future appeal.
Faced with a series of adverse rulings, Smith would also face a key decision about whether to ask for Judge Cannon to be recused from the case, according to Cohen.
“I’m not sure what their reasons are now, except ‘We don’t really like what she’s decided,'” said Cohen, who was skeptical about the government’s grounds for recusal based on the trial record alone.
In a separate case overseen by Judge Cannon, defense lawyers for Ryan Routh — the man accused of trying to assassinate Trump at his Florida golf course in September — moved to have Cannon recused, in part citing ABC News’ reporting that a personnel roster circulating through Trump’s transition operation included Cannon’s name among potential candidates for attorney general should Trump be reelected. Cannon on Tuesday rejected that motion, describing the argument about a potential appointment as “‘rumors’ and ‘innuendos.'”
“We had a brave, brilliant judge in Florida. She’s a brilliant judge, by the way. I don’t know her. I never spoke to her. Never spoke to her. But we had a brave and very brilliant judge,” Trump said about Cannon last week.
Fulton County election interference case
Trump’s criminal case in Fulton County, Georgia, related to his effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election in that state, has been stalled since June while an appeals court considers the former president’s challenge to Judge Scott McAfee’s decision not to disqualify District Attorney Fani Willis for what McAfee called a “significant appearance of impropriety” stemming from a romantic relationship between Willis and a prosecutor on her staff. A Georgia appeals court scheduled oral arguments about whether Willis can continue her case on Dec. 6.
When asked about the future of the case if Trump wins the election, Trump defense attorney Steve Sadow told Judge McAfee last December that a trial would likely have to wait until after Trump completes his term in office.
Since August 2023, when Trump was charged in Fulton County with 13 criminal counts, Judge McAfee has chipped away at the indictment by tossing five of the counts with which Trump was originally charged.
If he loses the election, Trump could attempt to stall the case by continuing to push to have Willis disqualified or by mounting a presidential immunity defense.
“The indictment in this case charges President Trump for acts that lie at the heart of his official responsibilities as President,” Trump’s lawyers wrote in a January motion.
