Texas mom arrested for murder in death of 15-month-old ‘intentionally’ left in hot car for over 2 hours: Police
The booking photo for Vanessa Esquivel. Frisco Police Department
(FRISCO, Texas) — A Texas mother has been arrested for murder after her 15-month-old was left in a hot car for over two hours and died, police said.
Police said 27-year-old Vanessa Esquivel “intentionally” left the child in a vehicle while at work on Aug. 16 in Frisco.
“At that time, detectives believe Esquivel intentionally left her 15-month-old child for over two hours in a vehicle she knew did not have working air conditioning with an outside temperature of at least 95 degrees,” the Frisco Police Department said in a press release Thursday announcing the arrest.
Frisco police officers responded to a hospital in Plano on Aug. 16, after local police alerted them to an infant death that likely occurred in Frisco.
Officers learned that the child had been left in a car for over two hours, after the child’s mother arrived at her workplace in Frisco around 2 p.m. that day, police said.
Detectives obtained a warrant for Esquivel’s arrest for first-degree murder, and Dallas police arrested her on Aug. 20, police said. She has since been booked into the Collin County Jail, where she remains held on $250,000 bond, online jail records show.
If convicted, Esquivel faces between five years and up to life in prison, police said. It is unclear if she has an attorney at this time.
Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen; Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
(FREMONT, Neb.) — A man and two children were killed in a large explosion at a Nebraska plant, officials said Wednesday.
The incident occurred midday Tuesday at Horizon Biofuels, a manufacturer of fuel pellets and animal bedding located in Fremont, located approximately 40 miles northwest of Omaha.
The three people were missing following the explosion, with search efforts hindered by the fire and structure concerns, Fremont Mayor Joey Spellerberg said. The response has since moved to a recovery effort, as crews continue to battle the fire, authorities said.
“My heart hurts,” Spellerberg said during a press briefing on Wednesday. “It hurts for this situation, which is a tragedy. We pray for all the families involved.”
The employee was in building with two girls who are believed to be under the age of 12 when the explosion occurred, the mayor said. Their names are not being released at his time, he said.
“The two children were there just waiting for him to get off to go to a doctor’s appointment,” Spellerberg said.
Crews are continuing to battle an active fire on Wednesday and assessing how to safely access the building to recover the victims, Nebraska Task Force One program manager Ashley Engler said during Wednesday’s briefing. The steel warehouse is becoming more unstable as the fire continues to burn, she said.
“We are using all search and rescue resources and capabilities we have, including structural engineers, to obtain access in a safe manner to get to these to these victims,” she said.
Responding firefighters were initially met by “heavy smoke and a lot of flames coming out,” Fremont Fire Chief Todd Bernt said during a press briefing Tuesday afternoon. “We had a lot of structural collapse.”
Fire crews were unable to access the building to conduct a search, Bernt said.
“Early on, we tried to get access, but just due to the collapse with the mangled steel, we were unable to get inside,” Bernt said.
Due to the structural issues, the fire department requested support from Nebraska Task Force One, the chief said.
Bernt said the plant has a lot of wood and some alcohol-based materials stored inside.
The cause of the explosion remains under investigation. The Nebraska State Fire Marshal’s Office and other agencies were on scene.
Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen said he is closely monitoring the incident.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with all involved — and we’re ready to help any way we can,” he said in a statement Tuesday.
One woman who came out to the scene to give out water to first responders on Tuesday said she saw a “large black puff of smoke” following the explosion.
“I was just instantly praying that nobody was hurt,” she told reporters. “That’s all we can hope for. We’re a good community. Everybody will rally together and help each other.”
(NEW YORK) — Scandal-plagued former congressman George Santos reported to federal prison Friday to begin his more than seven-year sentence after pleading guilty to a series of fraudulent schemes after being convicted of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
The ex-congressman did not speak with reporters as he entered the facility. However, in the days leading up to his incarceration, Santos had a lot to say.
On Wednesday, Santos posted a clip of Frank Sinatra singing a portion of “My Way,” beginning with the lyrics “…and now, the end is near, and so I face the final curtain.”
He offered one final, emotional goodbye in an hour-and-a-half long spaces conversation on X Thursday evening.
Santos began the stream by addressing questions on whether he would receive a pardon, saying that only President Donald Trump has the answer.
“The only person that could answer that question is, you know, whoever the President of the United States is — in this case, President Donald Trump.”
At one point, over 800 people were on the call as several of his supporters calling on listeners to sign an effort launched prior to the call asking Trump to pardon Santos.
Santos advised listeners not to follow his example.
“I think that the importance here is for people to understand: make better choices, be smarter than me, that’s for sure,” Santos said.
“I’ve made a string of s— choices in my life and for that, I’m sorry. To those I’ve disappointed, to those I’ve let down, to those that I have caused irreparable damage even, I’m sorry,” Santos said.
The event saw a host of supporters bid goodbye to Santos, including Matt Gaetz’s wife Ginger Gaetz. He said he hosted the call because he had been “curled up in a ball … for the last week” and wanted to do “something normal.”
Santos repeatedly thanked fellow speakers and listeners for their support and, at several points, he became choked up as several friends started to cry during their remarks.
“I love you,” Santos said. “We built common ground through trust and transparency, and I wouldn’t have done it any other way.”
Santos, along with some supporters who chimed in, called his sentence unfair.
“Incarceration is not supposed to be a demonic torture or torturous process,” Santos said. “I think a lot of our sentencing in our country tends to be punitive and full of reprisal.”
Santos also criticized the broader criminal justice system.
“There’s something to be said about the prison industrial complex, by the way. They’re selling f—— Twinkies for $5. I mean, they have to be making banging profits,” he said. “I mean, I’m thinking maybe when I get out of prison, I open a prison.”
Santos joked about advice he had gotten about living behind bars, saying he had heard that finding the “biggest person” in prison and beating them up to establish his toughness was not a good idea.
Taking a more serious tone, Santos said he was hoping to teach civics inside the prison and planned to bring a standard white notepad, a Bible his grandmother gave him and a pocket constitution with him.
He also said he had not yet made a decision regarding whether he would keep his social media running throughout his sentence or delete his accounts, but had “spoken to some people who have voluntarily elected” to post on his behalf.
Santos promised to go into and come out of prison in style, saying “I’m surrendering in Ferragamo so I can walk out in Ferragamo.”
Santos said he had learned through the experience the need to be “unapologetically, 100% authentically yourself.”
“I would not change much of what I decided to do with my career, I would just change the how,” he said. “I’m every congressperson and politician’s nightmare because I set such a high standard for transparency and communication.”
Santos ended the call by calling on listeners to come together despite political differences.
“I hope you all keep doing exactly what you’ve been doing, which is keeping each other honest and engaging in very much needed discourse, because we are in a time in our life where we need to come closer as humans and not further,” he said.
(NEW YORK) — Two grandchildren of notorious mob boss John Gotti have been charged with assault after allegedly beating up their brother-in-law in a family dispute in Queens.
John Gotti, 31, and Frankie Gotti, 27, were arrested in the assault on Monday, which came after an alleged Sunday break-in by their relative.
They were both charged with assault and harassment and were set to be arraigned Tuesday.
The family imbroglio began after 31-year-old Gino Gabrielli allegedly broke into a Gotti family home on 157th Avenue in Howard Beach to steal $3,300.
Gabrielli was arrested and charged with burglary, grand larceny criminal possession of stolen property
The Gotti pair then allegedly confronted their brother-in-law Monday afternoon in front of an 84th Street home after he was released from custody
Gabrielli was punched in the face. He refused medical attention, and the Gottis were arrested
John Gotti has had previous run-ins with the law, including a 2012 vehicle arson and an unrelated drug arrest. He is the grandson of the “Teflon Don” and the nephew of “Junior” Gotti
Gabrielli also has a record, having pleaded guilty to arson in December 2015 for torching a Mercedes-Benz during a dispute over a catering contract, and accidentally setting himself on fire in the process
John Gotti, the elder, the head of the notorious Gambino crime family, was known for his flash personality and expensive wardrobe and was convicted in 1992 of multiple counts of racketeering, extortion and ordering the murders of two people. He died in prison in 2002.
