Man who allegedly beat 84-year-old with dementia, set him on fire is charged with murder
Los Angeles County District Attorney placard. (Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
(LOS ANGELES) — A man is charged with murder for allegedly beating an 84-year-old man with dementia and setting him on fire, Los Angeles prosecutors said.
The victim, Bang Cho, had wandered away from a senior care home when he was attacked just before midnight on Sunday in downtown LA, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office said.
The incident unfolded when Cho walked behind the suspect, Lavonta Wilder, and grabbed a bag Wilder was carrying, prosecutors said.
Wilder, a 40-year-old experiencing homelessness, allegedly “viciously” punched and kicked Cho, then lifted the elderly man over his shoulder and slammed him to the ground, and then set him on fire, prosecutors said.
Cho was taken to a hospital where he died the next day, prosecutors said.
Wilder is charged with murder and faces a special allegation of having a prior serious felony, prosecutors said. He’s due in court for an arraignment next month.
“The level of violence alleged here is brutal, callous and extreme,” LA County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a statement.
Cho “was disoriented and living with dementia, conditions that made him particularly vulnerable,” Hochman said. “Our thoughts are with the victim’s family as they endure this unimaginable tragedy.”
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine delivers remarks during the NCAA Football Championship celebration at Ohio Stadium on January 26, 2025, in Columbus, Ohio. (Jason Mowry/Getty Images)
(CLARK COUNTY, Ohio) — Schools and county offices in Ohio’s Clark County received multiple bomb threats targeting the Haitian community on Monday, prompting classes in Springfield to be canceled for the day, according to Gov. Mike DeWine.
There is no credible threat to the public at this time, according to the FBI’s Cincinnati office, which said it is “aware of a number of hoax threats in Central Ohio.”
The emailed threats were directed at schools and public facilities, according to Springfield Mayor Rob Rue. County offices began receiving threats referencing pipe bombs around 7:45 a.m. Monday, DeWine said.
“These are threats that also referenced Haitians,” DeWine said during a press briefing on Monday. “The whole essence of the threats were the Haitians should be out, get rid of the Haitians.”
Duffel bags were found outside the Clark County Municipal Court and Public Safety Building in Springfield, DeWine said.
Police responded and no suspicious devices were found, according to Springfield Police Division Chief Allison Elliott. There are “no substantiated threats to the community,” the chief said in a statement.
The Springfield City School District said it is closing all buildings on Monday “out of an abundance of caution.”
“This is a despicable act,” DeWine said. “It’s caused kids to miss a whole day of school today.”
“We will do whatever we need to do to keep the schools open,” he later said.
Several streets that closed off in downtown Springfield have since reopened, officials said.
The governor said threats were also received in other parts of the state with “similar rhetoric,” but it’s unclear if they were from the same people. The threats were also emailed, according to Elliott.
The FBI is investigating.
“While we have no information to indicate a credible threat, we are currently working with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to gather, share, and act upon threat information as soon as it comes to our attention,” the FBI Cincinnati said in a statement.
The region is no stranger to these kinds of threats. In September 2024, several bomb threats rattled Springfield after then-presidential candidate Donald Trump and running mate JD Vance doubled down on false claims that Haitian immigrants were abducting and eating pets.
These latest threats come as the Trump administration fights in court to end Temporary Protected Status for hundreds of thousands of Haitians.
Addressing Monday’s threats, Rue said the community “has faced a familiar situation that understandably caused concern.”
“I want to be clear, there is no immediate or credible threat to the public at this time,” Rue said in a statement. “These matters are being taken seriously and addressed with the highest level of caution and professionalism.”
In an aerial view Salvadorian armed forces stand guard outside CECOT (Counter Terrorism Confinement Center) where thousands of accused gang members are imprisoned on December 15, 2025 in Tecoluca, El Salvador. John Moore/Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — U.S. District Judge James Boasberg has ordered the Trump administration to facilitate the return of the Venezuelan migrants who were were deported to El Salvador’s CECOT prison last year in violation of a court order.
Boasberg on Thursday criticized the administration’s refusal to offer remedies for the deportees for what he called “flagrant” due-process violations.
“Our starting point is the Court’s prior finding that the deportees were denied due process,” Boasberg wrote. “Against this backdrop, and mindful of the flagrancy of the Government’s violations of the deportees’ due-process rights that landed Plaintiffs in this situation, the Court refuses to let them languish in the solution-less mire Defendants propose.”
The judge’s order requires the government to provide “boarding letters” and cover the financial cost of air travel for the Venezuelans currently in third countries who “so desire” to return to the U.S.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
People walk by the East River in Brooklyn on a day where an ‘extreme cold warning’ is in effect on February 07, 2026, in New York City. T(Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Much of the U.S. will see above-average temperatures this week, except for the Northeast, where a below-average cold will prevail.
The Northeast will thaw out from the life-threatening cold that invaded this weekend. On Sunday morning, New York City plunged to its coldest temperature in three years, recording a low of 3 degrees.
Much of the East Coast, from Maine to North Carolina, remains under cold weather advisories for subzero wind chills through Monday morning.
The Northeast will get some relief by Monday afternoon, reaching 32 degrees in New York City and 34 degrees in Washington, D.C.
Elsewhere in the U.S., temperatures will be above average this week.
Record daily highs are possible on Monday, from 74 degrees in Nebraska to 65 degrees in Atlanta, while in Texas, temperatures will jump to the 80s.
By Friday, much of the nation, from Texas to the Midwest, will be enjoying warmer-than-normal temperatures.
While the Northeast will be warmer than the brutal blast that struck this weekend, temperatures will stay below average, with 35 degrees forecast for New York City and 41 degrees forecast for D.C. on Friday.
Click here for what you need to know to stay safe in the cold.
