RFK Jr. says Trump has ‘promised’ him ‘control of the public health agencies’

(NEW YORK) — Melissa Lucio, the death row inmate who was convicted of capital murder in the death of her 2-year-old daughter, is speaking out in an exclusive statement and audio recording to ABC News for the first time since a judge found last month that the Texas mother who has been behind bars for nearly 17 years is “actually innocent.”

“More than words. There are truly no amount of words, no matter how eloquently spoken, that can begin to convey the thanks I feel in this moment,” Lucio said in a statement and audio recording that was shared Tuesday exclusively with ABC News by Lucio’s close friend, filmmaker Sabrina Van Tassel. “I want to thank everyone that has fought so hard. Not just for me, but more importantly for Mariah’s memory.”

Van Tassel’s 2020 Hulu documentary, “The State of Texas vs. Melissa,” propelled Lucio’s case to the national spotlight ahead of a scheduled April 2022 execution that was delayed amid public pressure for the court to review her case.

In a 62-page ruling that was signed on Oct. 16, 2024, and reviewed by ABC News, Senior State District Judge Arturo Nelson recommended that Lucio’s conviction and death sentence be overturned in the 2007 death of her daughter Mariah.

The judge found that prosecutors suppressed evidence and testimony – including statements from Lucio’s other children – that could support the argument that Lucio was not abusive and that her daughter’s death was accidental after a fall down the stairs.

“This Court finds (Lucio) has satisfied her burden and produced clear and convincing evidence that she is actually innocent of the offense of capital murder,” Nelson wrote.

“(T)his Court concludes there is clear and convincing evidence that no rational juror could convict Applicant of capital murder or any lesser included offense,” Nelson added.

“It is safe to say I find myself still in shock and awe of everything that has transpired this past week,” Lucio said in the statement, reflecting on the judge’s recommendation.

“But this story began long before this moment and I want to thank each and every person who has played such a significant part, and not only bringing the truth to light, but fighting so very hard to do so,” she added, proceeding to thank her supporters for being instrumental in getting her execution delayed in 2022 as the court reviews her case.

Lucio thanked her attorneys at the Innocence Project, the coordinator of the “Free Melissa Lucio” campaign, Abraham Bonowitz, and namely, Van Tassel, who Lucio credits with bringing attention to her story through the documentary.

In her statement to ABC News, Lucio recounted the first time she met Van Tassel, who was working on a story about women on death row when Lucio agreed to an interview with her, and said that she “felt led” to speak to her.

“Without her tireless dedication to me and my cause, I do not believe I would be alive today. She brought worldwide attention to the system that has been sweeping issues like mine under the proverbial rug for decades and getting away with it,” she added, reflecting on the 2020 documentary.

Amid growing calls for the court to review her case in 2022, Lucio was granted a stay of her scheduled April 27, 2022, execution by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on April 25, 2022 – after nearly 15 years on death row.

In an exclusive statement to ABC News, Van Tassel said that in the wake of the judge’s ruling, “there is real hope that her death sentence could be overturned, paving the way for Melissa Lucio to finally walk free.”

“This possibility exceeds all my expectations, and I pray for the day we can finally hold each other in our arms,” she said.

The judge’s recommendation was sent to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals for review.

ABC News reached out to the Cameron County District Attorney’s Office, which prosecuted this case, but a request for comment was not immediately returned.

Vanessa Potkin, director of special litigation at the Innocence Project, and one of Lucio’s attorneys, said in a statement last week that “After 16 years on death row, it’s time for the nightmare to end. Melissa should be home right now with her children and grandchildren.”

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(CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis.) — More than two dozen people were injured, including three critically, after a wagon overturned at an apple orchard in Wisconsin, authorities said.

The incident was reported Wednesday morning at Bushel and a Peck Apple Orchard in Chippewa Falls.

Elementary school-age children, parents and other chaperones were on a field trip at the time and were on a wagon ride, according to Chippewa County Sheriff Travis Hakes.

A tractor was pulling two wagons at a “low speed” on a public road when the accident occurred, Hakes said.

One of the wagons began to lose control and turn sideways as it descended a hill and overturned, resulting in injuries to both children and adults, Hakes said.

“It’s a traumatic day for a lot of people,” Hakes told reporters during a press briefing Wednesday afternoon.

Emergency personnel were dispatched for a “tractor accident involving two hay wagons with kids and adults,” Chippewa Fire District Deputy Chief Cory Jeffers told reporters.

The fire department activated its mass casualty protocol so that outside agencies could help respond to the incident, Jeffers said. One helicopter from the Mayo Clinic was called in, he said.

Twenty-five individuals were transported from the scene to various agencies, Jeffers said. One patient was transported via the helicopter and nine via ambulance, Hakes said. Some were also transported in personal vehicles, he said.

Three people have life-threatening injuries and five have serious injuries, according to Hakes.

Marshfield Medical Center-Eau Claire received seven patients from the incident who are being treated for minor to serious injuries, a spokesperson confirmed to ABC News.

Hakes said he believes all patients are in stable condition.

Authorities did not release additional details on the victims, including how many were children.

Hakes called the incident “heart-wrenching.”

“As a parent myself, it’s a parent’s greatest fear that something happens to their children,” he said.

He said he responded to the scene and helped calm the children and reunite them with their parents.

“The children were extremely brave, very resilient,” he added.

The scene has since been cleared, Jeffers said. All of the children who were still at the scene have been reunited with their families, he added.

The children attended St. Mark Lutheran School in Eau Claire, the school’s principal confirmed.

“At this point, we are focusing on reuniting the children with their caregivers,” Principal Peter Micheel said in a statement to ABC News. “Whenever we face a challenging time, we commit everything to the Lord’s care and trust his guiding hand.”

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ABC News left a message with the orchard seeking comment.

Chippewa Falls is located about 12 miles northeast of Eau Claire.

ABC News’ Alexandra Faul contributed to this report.

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(LONDON, Ky.) — Joseph A. Couch, the man authorities have named as a suspect in a Kentucky freeway shooting that left seven people injured, bought the weapon used in the incident legally on the morning of the shooting, authorities said Sunday night.

Laurel County Sheriff’s Commander Richard Dalrymple said at Sunday night’s news briefing that Couch purchased about a thousand rounds of ammunition, most of which has been recovered.

The suspect remains at large despite a massive search in the area of Saturday’s shooting north of London, Kentucky.

The shooting unfolded around 5:30 p.m. local time on Saturday evening, officials said. Arriving deputies initially found nine vehicles had been shot in both the north and southbound lanes of I-75, Laurel County Sheriff John Root said at a news conference late Saturday night. By Sunday night, that number had jumped to 12 vehicles, according to officials.

Root said deputies found five people with serious gunshot wounds, including one who was shot in the face. He said one vehicle contained two people who were shot.

Laurel County Sheriff’s Deputy Gilbert Acciardo said Sunday that none of the victims suffered life-threatening injuries and were all in stable condition.

“A couple of our deputies, because of the severity of the injuries, loaded the people up, the injured persons, and transported them to London Hospital,” Root said.

Two additional people were injured in a car crash that occurred during the shooting, authorities said.

Root said I-75 was immediately shut down in both directions, saying that at the time, deputies didn’t know where the bullets came from.

“We couldn’t risk somebody else being shot,” Root said.

Authorities previously said they found an AR-15 rifle in the woods near the crime scene on Interstate 75, about eight miles north of London, Kentucky. Couch’s vehicle was also found abandoned in the same area Saturday night, officials said Sunday afternoon.

Couch was first named as a person of interest in the incident but upgraded to a suspect on Sunday. Root said the decision to name Couch a suspect was based on evidence collected in the investigation. Asked to elaborate, Root said that the recovery of the weapon and Couch’s vehicle, as well as “some information” he could not share, prompted investigators to elevate Couch to a suspect in the shooting.

The sheriff’s office earlier released a photo of Couch, who allegedly fled the freeway shooting and was believed to still be in the area, Root said.

Root said Couch has an address in Woodbine, Kentucky, and the sheriff’s office described him as about 5-foot-10-inches tall and 154 pounds.

Dalrymple said Sunday night that the suspect allegedly fired from a ledge about 30 feet down from a cliff by Exit 49. To find the location, Dalrymple said he had to hold onto a tree and look down to see the site to find the location.

Earlier, Acciardo described the shooting as “sniper-like” and said it was not the result of road rage. He said investigators do not believe the shooter knew any of the victims or had contact with them before the shooting.

Up to 60 members of law enforcement searched the area of the shooting until 3 a.m. Sunday before halting the search due to safety concerns, saying it was pitch black on the highway and describing the terrain where the search was being conducted as very rugged.

More than 150 individuals were involved in the search for Couch on Sunday, with efforts set to resume on Monday morning, according to Root.

The FBI, the U.S. Marshal’s Service and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are assisting local authorities in the investigation, officials said.

A motive for the shooting remained under investigation.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said in a statement on X on Saturday that he was monitoring the situation.

In an interview Sunday on ABC’s Good Morning America, Christina Dinoto said she was driving with a friend southbound on I-75, heading to Tennessee, when the shooting erupted.

“All of a sudden, we just heard this loud, deafening sound,” Dinoto said. “And my ear, my right ear, started ringing, and we didn’t know what the sound was, but we both looked at each other and said, was that a gunshot?”

Dinoto said that when she pulled off the interstate in Knoxville, she discovered damage to her vehicle that she suspects was caused by a bullet that may have ricocheted off another car.

The Kentucky shooting came less than a week after six people were injured in six shootings that occurred on Sept. 2 on Interstate 5 in Washington state between 8:26 p.m. and 11:01 p.m. local time, officials previously said. A suspect whose vehicle was sought in connection with several of the shootings was arrested in the Tacoma area on Sept. 3, police said.

ABC News’ Alex Presha contributed to this report.

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