Texas murder suspect on the loose after escaping before court appearance
Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office
(VAN ZANDT COUNTY, Texas) — A murder suspect is on the loose in north Texas after allegedly removing his ankle monitor before a court appearance, according to the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office.
Trevor McEuen was due in court on Monday for a murder charge in Kaufman County, the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
Kaufman County, which is east of Dallas, has an active warrant for bail revocation for capital murder for McEuen, officials said.
“If you are aware of anything suspicious in the area, please contact 911. Do not attempt to apprehend McEuen,” the sheriff’s office said.
“Our number one priority is the safety of all citizens of Van Zandt County. We are working diligently with our partner agencies to ensure the safety of all our citizens,” Sheriff Kevin Bridger said in a statement.
McEuen is accused of shooting his neighbor to death in May 2023, according to Dallas ABC affiliate WFAA. Aaron Martinez, 35, was found dead in his truck, which had been riddled with bullets.
Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, had called for hate crime charges when the shooting happened, saying, “Three weeks ago, Aaron Martinez was murdered in cold blood by a man who wanted to drive Hispanics out of Kaufman County. … If Kaufman County authorities continue to drag their feet on filing hate crimes charges against Trevor McEuen, federal prosecutors need to step in to ensure that justice is served.”
McEuen was arrested again in September 2024 after he posted a photo of Martinez and Martinez’s uncle on Instagram and threatened to shoot the uncle.
ABC News’ Bonnie McLean contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — A federal judge in New York will hear arguments Tuesday over whether to extend an order that prevents Columbia University from the sharing student disciplinary records of a number of pro-Palestinian activists with a House of Representatives committee.
The request for an injunction was filed by a group of Columbia students and graduates, including Mahmoud Khalil, the pro-Palestinian activist detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement who is separately fighting his detention by the Trump administration.
Khalil and the others said the Republican-controlled committee’s request for their records violates the First Amendment and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and made Columbia “feel pressure to cooperate with the government in its efforts to chill and punish protected speech.”
Judge Aruba Subramanian has temporarily blocked Columbia from disclosing the student records and will hear arguments Tuesday afternoon over whether to permanently block sharing of the records or allow the school to cooperate with the committee.
The government arrested Khalil on March 8 after invoking a rarely used provision of immigration law that they said allows the secretary of state to revoke the legal status of people whose presence in the country could have “adverse foreign policy consequences.” He continues to be held in Louisiana awaiting further court proceedings.
Last week, Columbia University ceded to Trump administration demands after President Donald Trump threatened to withhold $400 million in federal funds. The school agreed to ban masks on campus, one of the Trump administration’s key demands, as well as stricter controls over its Middle East Studies department, which will now be overseen by a new senior vice provost who “will conduct a thorough review of the portfolio of programs in regional areas across the University, starting immediately with the Middle East.” The university also agreed to hire 36 new police officers empowered to make arrests of student protesters on campus.
The Trump administration canceled $400 million worth of grants and contracts to Columbia University, accusing the university of “continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students.” The administration sent a letter to Columbia interim President Katrina Armstrong on March 13, listing nine demands the university needed to comply with by last Thursday “as a precondition for formal negotiations” regarding federal funding.
Columbia’s response was closely watched by other schools that became flashpoints for pro-Palestinian protests last year. The university has come under intense scrutiny for its handling of pro-Palestinian protests, which led to arrests, property damage and backlash.
Former Columbia President Minouche Shafik resigned last August, months after the protests. She was the third Ivy League president to step down within a few months.
Harvard President Claudine Gay and University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill previously announced their resignations following congressional testimony on the handling of antisemitism on campus.
Angela Palermo/Idaho Statesman/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
(MOSCOW, Idaho) — University of Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger will be back in court on Wednesday for a high-stakes hearing to decide what evidence will be allowed at his trial, which is set to begin in August.
The judge is expected to hear arguments over what evidence should be presented to the jury, including Kohberger’s Amazon search history, witness descriptions and testimony about DNA.
Kohberger is accused of fatally stabbing Ethan Chapin, Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen and Xana Kernodle at the girls’ off-campus house in Moscow in the early hours of Nov. 13, 2022. Chapin, Kernodle’s boyfriend, was sleeping over at the time.
Kohberger, a criminology Ph.D. student at nearby Washington State University at the time of the murders, was arrested in December 2022. He’s charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary, and a not guilty plea has been entered on his behalf.
Among the evidence prosecutors want to include at trial is that Kohberger’s DNA was allegedly found on a knife sheath at the murder scene.
The murder weapon was never recovered, but prosecutors allege Kohberger bought a KA-BAR knife with a sheath and a sharpener on Amazon. The defense argued anyone in the family could have made that purchase on Amazon, but prosecutors said they have a witness who will testify it was Bryan Kohberger.
The prosecution also plans on critical testimony from the two roommates who survived the murders, including one roommate who said in the middle of the night she saw a man with “bushy eyebrows” walking past her in the house.
The defense wants that description banned during trial.
The defense argues the roommate’s account lacks credibility, pointing to her phone records showing she was on social media and checking job websites the morning after the murders — hours before 911 was called.
“When it comes to evidentiary hearings, the prosecution’s goal is trying to admit as much damning evidence as possible,” ABC News legal contributor Brian Buckmire said, while the defense tries “to limit how much evidence comes in that is detrimental to their case.”
The defense is also pushing for the death penalty to be taken off the table if Kohberger is convicted, citing what they say is Kohberger’s autism spectrum disorder.
A woman was charged for allegedly holding her “severely emaciated” stepson in captivity for over 20 years, since he was 11 years old, and forcing him to endure “prolonged abuse, starvation, severe neglect, and inhumane treatment,” police said. Facebook / Waterbury Police Department
(WATERBURY, Conn.) — A woman was charged for allegedly holding her “severely emaciated” stepson in captivity for over 20 years, since he was 11 years old, and forcing him to endure “prolonged abuse, starvation, severe neglect, and inhumane treatment,” police said.
The discovery of the now 32-year-old man happened on Feb. 17, when Waterbury Police Department officers in Connecticut, along with personnel from the Waterbury Fire Department, responded to a report of an active fire at a residence on Blake Street at approximately 8:42 p.m.
The fire was quickly extinguished by authorities and two occupants were found inside the home at the time. The first person was identified as 56-year-old Kimberly Sullivan, the owner of the property who called authorities for help, and the second person was identified as a 32-year-old man who was later determined to be Sullivan’s stepson.
Sullivan was evacuated to safety following the fire but the male occupant, who had suffered smoke inhalation and exposure to the fire, had to be assisted from the home by Waterbury Fire Department personnel and was placed in the care of emergency medical services.
However, the case immediately took a turn when police began to speak with the man.
“While receiving medical care, the male victim disclosed to first responders that he had intentionally set the fire in his upstairs room, stating, ‘I wanted my freedom,’” officials said in their statement regarding the case. “He further alleged that he had been held captive by Sullivan since he was approximately 11 years old.”
“Following these alarming statements, the Waterbury Police Department Major Crimes Unit, in collaboration with the Waterbury State’s Attorney’s Office, launched an extensive investigation,” authorities continued. “Detectives determined that the victim had been held in captivity for over 20 years, enduring prolonged abuse, starvation, severe neglect, and inhumane treatment.”
The 32-year-old was also found in a “severely emaciated condition and had not received medical or dental care” during his time in captivity inside the home over the past two decades, according to police.
“Investigators further discovered that he had been provided with only minimal amounts of food and water which led to his extremely malnourished condition,” police continued.
As a result of the investigation, Sullivan was identified as a suspect, and an arrest warrant was issued on Tuesday.
Sullivan was located by police on Wednesday and taken into police custody by the Waterbury Police Department on charges of assault in the first degree, kidnapping in the second degree, unlawful restraint in the first degree, cruelty to persons and reckless endangerment in the first degree, police said.
“The suffering this victim endured for over 20 years is both heartbreaking and unimaginable,” said Waterbury Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo. “This case required relentless investigative effort, and I commend the dedication of our officers and the Waterbury State’s Attorney’s Office. Their unwavering commitment ensured that justice is served, and the perpetrator is held fully accountable for these horrific crimes.”
Sullivan was subsequently arraigned in court and her bond was set at $300,000. She is now expected to be placed in the custody of the Connecticut Department of Corrections while she awaits trial.
