82-year-old woman dies from injuries suffered in Boulder Molotov cocktail attack: Prosecutors
Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images
(BOULDER, Colo.) — An 82-year-old woman hurt in the Molotov cocktail attack in Boulder, Colorado, has died, prosecutors announced, as they updated an attempted murder charge to a murder charge.
Karen Diamond “died tragically as a result of the severe injuries that she suffered” on June 1, the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office said.
She is the only person to die from the attack, prosecutors said.
“Our hearts are with the Diamond family during this incredibly difficult time,” District Attorney Michael Dougherty said in a statement. “Our office will fight for justice for the victims, their loved ones, and the community.”
The district attorney’s office also said it has found 14 more victims during the investigation and added 66 counts to the state indictment against Mohamed Soliman.
On June 1, Soliman allegedly threw Molotov cocktails at a group of marchers who were advocating for the release of the Israeli hostages outside the Boulder courthouse, prosecutors said. More than a dozen people were injured, officials said.
Soliman allegedly yelled “Free Palestine” during the attack, which he told police he was planning for one year, according to court documents.
Soliman allegedly told police “he wanted to kill all Zionist people,” court documents said. He also allegedly said “this had nothing to do with the Jewish community and was specific in the Zionist group supporting the killings of people on his land (Palestine),” documents said.
State charges against Soliman include first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and first-degree assault, prosecutors said. Soliman’s preliminary hearing in the state case is set for July 15.
(EVANSTON, Ill.) — Officials in Illinois are searching for a Northwestern University professor who was reported missing after leaving home to go on a walk, according to the Evanston Police Department.
Nina Kraus, a 72-year-old professor at the university’s school of communication, was last seen on Monday after she left her Evanston home to go on a walk at approximately 9 a.m. local time, officials said. Her family reported her missing the same day, officials said.
“The University is hopeful that with the community’s help, we can find Professor Kraus and assure her safety,” Northwestern said in a press release on Monday.
She was last seen wearing long pants and a windbreaker, and was believed to be carrying a dark backpack, officials said.
Kraus is 5 feet, 4 inches tall, weighs approximately 140 pounds and has long silver hair, police said.
On Tuesday, police said they would be flying drones along the waterfront of Lake Michigan as part of the investigation.
According to her faculty bio, Kraus’ is a “scientist, inventor and amateur musician who studies the biology of auditory learning.”
“My research on sound and the brain aims to understand how our life in sound, for better or worse, alters the processing of sound in the brain, makes us us, and affects the world we live in,” Kraus wrote in her bio.
Officials said anyone with information on Kraus’ whereabouts should contact police at 847-866-5000.
Martin County Sheriff’s Office / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — Jury selection in the case of the man accused of trying to kill Donald Trump on his golf course last year got off to a rocky start Monday morning.
Ryan Routh, who is representing himself despite not being a lawyer and having limited legal experience, was barred by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon from asking most of his proposed jury questions due to them being “politically charged” and irrelevant.
According to Cannon, Routh proposed asking jurors about Trump’s proposed acquisition of Greenland and that country’s stance on Palestine. Routh also wanted to ask jurors what they would do if they were driving and they saw a turtle in the middle of the road — a question he suggested could speak to their character and mindset.
“They are all really off base and have no relevance to the jury selection process,” Judge Cannon said of Routh’s proposed questions.
Routh, a 59-year-old construction worker from North Carolina and Hawaii, has pleaded not guilty to five criminal charges that risk sending him to prison for life, including attempting to kill a presidential candidate and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
He entered the federal courthouse in Fort Pierce, Florida, Monday morning for what is expected to be three days of jury selection followed by a month-long trial.
Attorneys will question three sets of 60 people to settle on twelve jurors and four alternates.
Routh also disclosed Monday that two of his proposed witnesses will likely not be able to testify. One witness has planned a trip to Vietnam during the trial, and the other fears being deported to his home country of Costa Rica if he testifies in Routh’s defense, Routh claimed.
“He doesn’t want to be deported. He likes being in America,” Routh said. Neither the prosecutors nor Judge Cannon addressed the alleged risk of deportation.
Routh has been sitting by himself on the far side of the courtroom, far from the long row of federal prosecutors who intend to send him to prison for life.
Despite lacking any legal training, Routh has spoken confidently in court and defended his proposed questions. But Judge Cannon has so far had little patience for some of his behavior, cutting him off occasionally and reminding him to follow the court’s rules.
Since taking over his own defense, Routh, according to court filings, has requested a “beatdown session” with Trump, asked to compete for his life in a round of golf with the president, and proposed being part of a prisoner swap instead of going to trial.
Judge Cannon — a Trump appointee who oversaw and dismissed one of the president’s criminal cases — is allowing Routh to defend himself but has imposed strict rules to prevent the trial from spiraling into what she called “calculated chaos.”
“I will be representing myself moving forward; It was ridiculous from the outset to consider a random stranger that knows nothing of who I am to speak for me,” Routh wrote in a letter to Judge Cannon in July. “I am so sorry, I know this makes your life harder.”
‘I tried my best’
Prosecutors allege that Routh planned his attack for months, then hid in the bushes of Trump’s Palm Beach golf course with a rifle in the predawn hours of Sept. 15.
With Trump just one hole away from Routh’s position, a Secret Service agent spotted a rifle poking out of the tree line, according to prosecutors. Routh allegedly fled after the agent fired at him, and was later arrested after being stopped on a nearby interstate.
Routh faces five criminal charges, including attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, using a firearm in furtherance of a crime, assaulting a federal officer, possessing a firearm as a felon, and using a gun with a defaced serial number.
To secure a conviction, prosecutors will need to prove that not only did Routh intend to kill Trump, but that he also took at least one “substantial step” to carry out his plan.
According to prosecutors, Routh set his plan into motion after the unsuccessful attempt on Trump’s life in Butler, Pennsylvania, which Routh was not involved in. Prosecutors say Routh acquired a military-grade rifle, purchased more than a dozen burner phones, and researched Trump’s movements and campaign events.
Prosecutors also allege that Routh tried to purchase anti-aircraft weapons the month before his alleged assassination attempt, coordinating with someone he believed was a Ukrainian with access to military weapons. He allegedly shared a photo of Trump’s private plane, discussed the price of the weapon, and wrote, “I need equipment so that Trump cannot get elected.”
In addition to ammunition and the weapon allegedly used by Routh, which federal agents plan to bring into the courtroom to show the jury, prosecutors plan to use Routh’s own words against him during the trial.
According to court filings, Routh, in the months leading up to the assassination attempt, dropped off a box with a friend that included a note detailing his plans..
“This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump, but I failed you. I tried my best and gave it all the gumption I could muster. It is up to you now to finish the job; and I will offer $150,000 to whomever can complete the job,” the handwritten letter said. “He [the former president] ended relations with Iran like a child and now the Middle East has unraveled.”
Routh has argued in court filings that prosecutors are misrepresenting the letter by only using a portion of it. and that the entire note is about “gentleness, peacefulness, and non-violent caring for humanity.”
Prosecutors also allege that Routh expressed similar sentiments in a 2023 self-published book, in which he encouraged readers to “assassinate Trump” in part due to his foreign policy with Iran. They also allege that Routh boasted about his alleged crimes in emails from jail.
Prosecutors have disclosed more than 40 potential witnesses and hundreds of exhibits, including forensic evidence allegedly tying Routh to the weapon found at the crime scene.
‘Character is the whole of this entire case’
After being represented by federal defense lawyers for months, Routh dismissed his lawyers earlier this year. Though his former lawyers will be present in court on standby, Routh will address the jury, question witnesses, and participate in the jury selection process.
In handwritten letters from prison while awaiting trial, Routh suggested his defense would center on his character as part of an effort to prove he lacked the intent to kill Trump.
“Character is the whole of this entire case — there is nothing else,” he wrote. “If one argues lack of intent then that totally hinges on character and character alone.”
Judge Cannon has warned Routh against representing himself and threatened to sanction him or revoke his ability to maintain his pro se status if he engages in “vexatious, obstructionist, or obstreperous behavior.”
Routh will wear business attire during the trial and be permitted to use a podium; however, he will not be allowed to roam the courtroom freely.
Prosecutors have expressed concern about Routh’s antics.
Routh’s self-representation has already created issues, according to Judge Cannon, who has sharply rebuked some of his tactics in court filings. She accused Routh of using the Federal Rules of Evidence to create “calculated chaos” and called one of his potential witnesses “a farce to bring about obviously ludicrous and absurd results in a court proceeding.”
Routh’s witness list included two dozen people, including a group of Palestinian activists and professors, his own son, a former girlfriend, and Trump himself.
In one court filing, Routh offered to drop his objections to most of the other evidence disputes if prosecutors allowed him to question Trump, whom he has described as a “mad fool.” He has also requested “female strippers,” asked for a putting green to prepare for a golf match with Trump, and proposed brawling with Trump.
“I think a beatdown session would be more fun and entertaining for everyone; give me shackles and cuffs and let the old fat man give it his worst,” he wrote. “A round of golf with the rascist pig, he wins he can execute me, I win I get his job.”
Routh family told investigators that while Routh had no diagnosed mental illness, he “fixated” on things, multiple sources briefed on the investigation told ABC News.
Judge Cannon has curtailed some of Routh’s potential arguments, including trying to justify his actions, claiming he did not plan to follow through with the alleged assassination, and encouraging the jury to exercise its nullification power. She has also clamped down on his witness list, allowing him to call experts and a few friends who could testify to his character.
‘Appearance of impartiality’
Opening statements in the trial are expected to take place as early as Wednesday afternoon, and the trial is scheduled to take 2-4 weeks.
Judge Cannon has opted to keep the jury anonymous and partially sequester them during the trial, with federal marshals picking up and dropping off the jurors from a confidential location daily.
Routh unsuccessfully tried to have Judge Cannon recuse herself from the case to prevent an “appearance of impartiality” stemming from her association with Trump, who appointed Cannon to her position.
Cannon oversaw the criminal case regarding Trump’s retention of classified documents after leaving the White House 2021, and dismissed the case on a novel legal theory that was widely criticized by legal scholars. Trump has repeatedly commended Judge Cannon’s actions overseeing his case — calling her the “absolute model of what a judge should be” — and one of Cannon’s recent law clerks is now in a senior Department of Justice position.
“Although Mr. Trump is the alleged victim here, he previously served as President of the United States. While in office, he nominated Your Honor to her current position as a U.S. District Judge on the Southern District of Florida. Your Honor thus owes her lifetime appointment to the alleged victim in this criminal case,” Routh’s former lawyers argued, adding that Trump could still nominate her to a higher court.
Judge Cannon denied the request to recuse herself, concluding that Routh could not identity a legal basis that required recusal and pushing back against some of his claims.
“I have never spoken to or met former President Trump except in connection with his required presence at an official judicial proceeding, through counsel. I have no ‘relationship to the alleged victim’ in any reasonable sense of the phrase,” she said.
Desmond Holly in a photo released by police. Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office
(EVERGREEN, Colo.) — A 16-year-old student — who authorities say opened fire at his Colorado high school on Wednesday, wounding two classmates and then turning the gun on himself — was believed to be “radicalized by some extremist network,” officials with the local sheriff’s office said.
The gunfire at Evergreen High School broke out at about 12:24 p.m. local time, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
Three students were taken to the hospital in critical condition following the gunfire, including the suspected shooter, who was injured by a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the sheriff’s office said.
The sheriff’s office confirmed the suspect died in a post on social media Wednesday evening.
The suspect was identified as 16-year-old Desmond Holly, Jefferson County Sheriff officials said during a press conference on Thursday. An image of the shooter was also released by officials.
Officials determined the weapon was a revolver that was “fired a lot.” Shots could be seen fired at windows and lockers, authorities said on Thursday.
The suspect allegedly went through the school trying to “find new targets,” but came upon “roadblocks” as doors were locked and he could not keep shooting victims, the sheriff’s department said.
While authorities are still looking into the shooter’s motive, they believe he was “radicalized by some extremist network,” and that he had a “mission,” officials said. Authorities said they are trying to better understand that network, and are searching his phone, home and locker to learn more on who he was communicating with before the shooting.
The sheriff’s office said on Thursday “no one has been released” from the hospital, despite earlier reports from hospital officials saying one of the injured had been released.
Previously, authorities said on Wednesday a fourth student was also transported to the hospital with an unknown injury, but the sheriff’s office said on Thursday they “think it’s just three” who were injured.
The families of the victims are expected to release photos and statements on Thursday, officials said.
In a statement on Wednesday, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said he was “devastated” by the shooting.
“My heart goes out to the victims and their families as they grapple with this senseless act of violence,” Polis said.
After the shooting, the school was placed in a lockdown and officials swept the campus.
“This is the scariest thing you’d think could ever happen,” said Jefferson County sheriff spokesperson Jacki Kelley at a news conference on Wednesday.
“Students and staff were amazing. They did their job and they did it well. Lives were saved yesterday,” Kelli said on Thursday.
