Mom says airline allowed unaccompanied daughter to exit plane alone after flight

Mom says airline allowed unaccompanied daughter to exit plane alone after flight
Mom says airline allowed unaccompanied daughter to exit plane alone after flight
Gary John Norman/Getty Images

(MIAMI) — A Georgia mom is speaking out after she said her 12-year-old daughter, who was traveling solo as an unaccompanied minor, exited an American Airlines flight at a Miami airport by herself after landing — without an adult guide.

The family paid extra for the unaccompanied minors service. According to the airline’s unaccompanied minors travel policy, the service assigns airport escorts to help children deplane, make flight connections, and meet the authorized adult picking them up.

Monica Gilliam told “Good Morning America” that on July 2, her daughter Kimber flew on an American Airlines flight from Chattanooga, Tennessee, to Miami, Florida, to visit her father. After Kimber’s flight landed, Gilliam said she received a distressing phone call from American Airlines.

“The manager from American Airlines called and said, ‘Your child is missing.’ I was like, ‘How did you lose my child? How do you lose an unaccompanied minor?'” Gilliam recalled.

Gilliam said her daughter — who had flown unaccompanied before when she was 5 and 6, with different airlines — told her she felt she had to get up and leave the aircraft once it landed, following other passengers who were disembarking, and claimed a flight attendant even waved goodbye to her.

“She was seated in between two people on row eight. And when the person at the window got up, she felt like she was supposed to get up, too, and move into the aisle,” she said. “And then they just waved her on and she said, I didn’t know what to do, so I kept walking.'”

The family had not gone over specifics with Kimber about what to expect in the unaccompanied travel process, or detailed safety instructions on flying alone, but said she was familiar with air travel in general — according to Gilliam, the family flies together frequently, “and so [Kimber] knows that our typical protocol is that we get off the plane and we go to baggage claim together” — and had been told she would be looked after on this flight.

“I told her when she got on at Chattanooga that they would be there with her and they would make sure she stayed safe until she reached her dad,” she said.

“You know, she’s flown unaccompanied before. I have other children that have, too. And it never crossed our minds that this could be a possibility,” she added.

Gilliam said Kimber’s father ultimately used FaceTime to help his daughter navigate the Miami airport by herself after she had disembarked the plane, and eventually was able to guide her to a baggage claim area where he could reunite with her.

“She was nervous and she was scared. But she did exactly what her dad told her to do to get her to safety,” she said.

Gilliam said that airline officials had since refunded the full ticket price and additional unaccompanied minor fees for the trip, and had offered her several free flights with American Airlines, along with a number of other VIP services, which she said she turned down.

“They were very apologetic,” she said. Still, she added, “[Kimber] doesn’t want to fly now. … So I’ll be driving down to get her after her visit is over with her dad.”

American Airlines says children between the ages of 5 and 14 are required to use the company’s unaccompanied minor service when they fly alone. The service includes early boarding and an airport escort is supposed to meet the child and take them to their gate, flight connection, or to an “authorized adult” or guardian who has to pick up the child after a flight lands, according to the airline’s website.

Additionally, the website states that there is a “$150 unaccompanied service fee (plus tax, where applicable) each way” added to the ticket price for those using the service.

In response to the incident, American Airlines told ABC News in a statement that the company “cares deeply” about its young passengers and is “committed to providing a safe and pleasant travel experience for them.” The airline added that it is “looking into what occurred” and is taking the incident “very seriously.”

Emily Kaufman, a travel expert and the CEO and founder of “The Travel Mom,” told “GMA” that parents with children flying solo need to make sure their kids are adequately prepared.

“Inform them about the plan on the plane, getting off the plane and when they’re in need of something that they can ask a flight attendant,” Kaufman said.

Kaufman also recommends parents give their child a list of important contacts and phone numbers and to put the list in their pocket as well as their carry-on luggage. Parents may also want to consider using a tracking tool like the “Find My Friends” feature on an iPhone and they should always monitor a child’s flight in case it arrives early or late.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Trevor Reed speaks out on Russia’s detention of Brittney Griner, Paul Whelan

Trevor Reed speaks out on Russia’s detention of Brittney Griner, Paul Whelan
Trevor Reed speaks out on Russia’s detention of Brittney Griner, Paul Whelan
ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP via Getty Images

(NEW YORK) — As American basketball star Brittney Griner remains detained in Russia, Trevor Reed said he knows her grim reality all too well.

“They do not like Americans and they don’t try to hide that,” Reed, 30, told ABC News in an interview airing Friday on Good Morning America.

The U.S. Marine veteran was imprisoned in Russia for nearly three years. Reed, a Texas native, was arrested in Moscow in the summer of 2019 while visiting his Russian girlfriend. Russian authorities accused him of assaulting officers while being driven to a police station after a night of heavy drinking. He was convicted by a Russian court in mid-2020 and sentenced to nine years in a prison camp.

“There’s pretty horrible conditions there,” Reed said. “Some of those places don’t have a toilet — there’s just a hole in the floor for where the toilet should be.”

“There’s rats, [the] food there could be, you know, really bad,” he added. “In the summer, it’s very hot there. There’s no air conditioning obviously, or even fans inside of those cells.”

Reed was ultimately freed on April 27 as part of a prisoner swap agreed between the United States and Russia.

“The real fear that you have that just kind of sits on you like this weight the whole time, is that, you know, you could be there forever,” he said.

Griner, who plays professional basketball for the Phoenix Mercury, was returning to Russia to play in the off-season when she was detained at Sheremetyevo International Airport near Moscow on Feb. 17, after being accused of having vape cartridges containing hashish oil, which is illegal in the country. On Thursday, the two-time Olympic gold medalist pleaded guilty to drug possession charges on the second day of her trial in a Russian court.

Griner, 31, also told the court that she had no “intention” of breaking Russian law, adding that she was in a rush when packing and did not mean to leave the cartridges in her bag. The trial was then adjourned until July 14.

Her detention has been extended repeatedly, most recently through Dec. 20, which was the expected length of her trial. If convicted, Griner faces up to 10 years in Russian prison and also has a right to an appeal.

The U.S. government has classified Griner’s case as “wrongfully detained,” meaning Washington will more aggressively work to negotiate her release even as the legal case against her plays out, according to the U.S. Department of State.

The White House said in a statement Wednesday that President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have called Griner’s wife, Cherelle Griner, to discuss efforts to release her.

Griner had personally reached out to Biden in a handwritten letter that the White House received on Monday, when Americans were celebrating Independence Day. In the letter, she urged Biden to help her and other American detainees get out of Russia.

“As I sit here in a Russian prison, alone with my thoughts and without the protection of my wife, family, friends, Olympic jersey or any accomplishments, I’m terrified I might be here forever,” Griner wrote to the president. “It hurts thinking about how I usually celebrate [the Fourth of July] because freedom means something completely different to me this year.”

Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine and Michigan-based corporate security executive, has been detained in Russia since his December 2018 arrest on espionage charges, which both he and the U.S. government claim are false. Whelan, 52, was left out of the April prisoner exchange that led to Reed’s release.

Reed said the Biden administration is “not doing enough” to free Griner and Whelan.

“I hope that President Biden and his administration will do everything possible to get both, you know, Brittney and Paul out of Russia, and that they will do that immediately,” he told ABC News. “Because every day that, you know, they sit here and wait to make a decision is one more day that, you know, Paul and Brittney are suffering.”

Reed noted that freeing Whelan “needs to be the no. 1 priority there, just simply based off of the fact that he’s been there the longest.” He also criticized the Biden administration for contacting Griner’s family but not Whelan’s.

“They called Brittney’s family, and I’m extremely excited that they did that. I think that’s a step in the right direction,” Reed said. “But, at the same time, they did not contact Paul Whelan’s family and he’s been there for longer than I was even in Russia.”

During a news briefing Thursday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre declined to say whether Biden has plans to call Whelan’s family, telling reporters that she didn’t have a telephone call to “announce or preview.” But she described regular contact between the Biden administration and the Whelans.

“The president is getting regularly updated,” Jean-Pierre told reporters. “This is top of mind.”

She added: “We’re going to do everything that we can to bring home Brittney Griner safely, and to also make sure that we bring Paul Whelan back home as well.”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Police determined Highland Park shooting suspect posed ‘clear and present danger’ after past threat

Police determined Highland Park shooting suspect posed ‘clear and present danger’ after past threat
Police determined Highland Park shooting suspect posed ‘clear and present danger’ after past threat
ANTONIO PEREZ/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

(HIGHLAND PARK, Ill.) — Highland Park Police Department three years ago determined that the alleged Fourth of July massacre suspect posed “clear and present danger” after a family member claimed he was threatening to “kill everyone,” a newly released police record shows.

The record is part of a series of police documents released Thursday that detail Highland Park shooting suspect Robert “Bobby” Crimo III’s troubled past and family turmoil, including an incident in which he threatened to “kill everyone” in the house in September 2019, just months before he went through background checks in his application for a firearm owner identification card.

The police reports confirm Lake County Sheriff’s Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli’s revelation during a Tuesday press conference that Crimo was approved for a gun license despite the two troubling run-ins with police that apparently did not surface in his background checks.

Highland Park police, which responded to the call in September 2019, removed a 24-inch Samurai blade, a box containing a 12-inch dagger and 16 hand knives from Crimo’s house that day, according to an incident report. Crimo told the police that he was depressed and had a history of drug use, the incident report shows. He also told the police that he had no intention of harming himself or others, according to the report.

No charges were filed in the incident when his family declined to press charges, Covelli said.

But the incident, labeled “well-being check,” prompted Highland Park police to file a report titled “Person Determined to Pose a Clear and Present Danger” on Crimo, which states Crimo is identified as a person “who, if granted access to a firearm or firearm ammunition, pose an actual, imminent threat of substantial bodily harm to themselves or another person(s) that is articulable and significant or who will likely act in a manner dangerous to public interest.”

According to the record, the “Clear and Present Danger form” was faxed to the Illinois State Police.

The revelations from the newly released records raise further questions about whether the incident should have prevented the alleged shooter from obtaining firearms.

Crimo had already had a police encounter earlier that year in late April, when an unnamed caller reported an alleged suicide attempt with a machete by Crimo a week before, another Highland Park police incident report shows.

The police noted in the incident report that the alleged suicide attempt had already been “handled by mental health professionals” the previous week and that no threats of harm were made by Crimo against himself or others that day.

In an interview with ABC News, the suspect’s father, Robert Crimo Jr., alleges he was not aware of his son’s alleged suicide attempt, but the incident report indicates that both parents were at the location when police were called a week after the alleged attempt. A source close to the matter told ABC News the report is incorrect and Crimo Jr. was not present for the police call.

“I’m not aware — I’m not aware of that one,” Crimo Jr. said. “You know, we live — we live in separate households.”

Despite the two alarming prior encounters, in December 2019, Crimo III passed four background checks to purchase weapons, the Illinois State Police said.

Because he was under the age of 21, his father sponsored his application, and at the time it was reviewed, “there was insufficient basis to establish a clear and present danger and deny the FOID application,” the state police said.

The state police said that before they approved Crimo III’s FOID application, they reviewed his criminal history and only found a January 2016 ordinance violation for being a minor in possession of tobacco.

Several other police reports between 2009 and 2014 revealed numerous incidents of domestic violence among Crimo III’s father, Crimo III’s mother and her boyfriend, who is not named.

Among the police reports was a 911 call from Crimo III’s mother Denise Pesina-Crimo’s boyfriend who alleged she tried to kill herself, which Pesina-Crimo disputed. In another incident, Pesina-Crimo was accused of biting the caller in 2012. In another incident, Pesina-Crimo allegedly struck Crimo III’s father with a screwdriver.

Several of these incident reports indicate that the suspect’s mother was allegedly intoxicated.

Another police record released on Thursday is a 2002 arrest card for Crimo III’s mother for endangering the life of a child, now identified as Crimo III.

Crimo III is accused of opening fire at an Independence Day parade, killing seven people and injuring dozens of others. The suspect plotted another attack in Madison, Wisconsin, authorities said Wednesday, but did not follow through.

He was charged with seven counts of first-degree murder on Tuesday. Prosecutors said that Crimo III confessed to Monday morning’s parade massacre. He did not enter a plea during a bond hearing on Wednesday.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Families forced out of homes due to city’s property tax demand seek justice

Families forced out of homes due to city’s property tax demand seek justice
Families forced out of homes due to city’s property tax demand seek justice
ABC

(DETROIT) — Sonja Bonnett and her family built their lives in a home a few blocks south of Eight Mile in northeastern Detroit. The family spent years dreaming of owning the property, but then a letter arrived that quickly tore that life apart.

“One day, I get a letter in the mail that says there’s a $5,000 tax debt,” said Bonnett.

In 2011, Bonnett and her family entered a contract to become full owners and made monthly payments that they thought were covering property tax. The Bonnett family soon discovered multiple years of unpaid property taxes.

Bonnett and her husband could not afford to pay those back taxes and, in 2017, the couple, along with their seven children, were forced out of their home.

“The trauma of losing the house, and the way I lost it, killed a lot of how I felt about the neighborhood and the house,” said Bonnett. “But I still care about the people.”

City records showed that the unpaid taxes owed on Bonnett’s home from 2012 and 2013 added up to less than $5,000. A 2020 investigation by the Detroit News estimated Detroit residents, like the Bonnetts, were overtaxed by $600 million from 2010 to 2016.

Based on estimates by the Detroit News investigation, Bonnett’s former home was overtaxed by more than $1,500 in 2012 and 2013.

For years the city of Detroit greatly over-assessed the value of Bonnett’s home and many others like it. From 2011 to 2015, one in four Detroit homes went into foreclosure because of failure to pay property tax, according to a 2018 study.

Alvin Horhn is the deputy CFO and assessor for the city of Detroit. According to city records, the assessed value of the Bonnetts’ home in 2011 was $22,838, but when the property was reassessed in 2017 – it fell to $10,4000 – less than half of what it was valued before.

“There is no question the city lost control of its assessment roll,” said Horhn.

At the time, Horhn said that the city didn’t have the resources for a citywide reappraisal. In 2013, the city filed for bankruptcy and reportedly $18 billion in debt.

“There’s 400,000 properties in the city of Detroit, over 200,000 houses. I would never tell anyone that every single one of them is valued correctly, but that’s why we have a review,” said Horhn.

According to Michigan’s state constitution, property cannot be assessed at more than 50% of its marketable value.

Bernadette Atuahene is a property law scholar who works with the Coalition for Property Tax Justice and is fighting to end over-assessments in Detroit and to get compensation for affected residents. She said her research found that 53% to 84% of Detroit homes were assessed in violation of that rule from 2009 to 2015.

“We find that the burden of these illegally inflated property taxes is being borne on the most vulnerable homeowners, the ones in the lowest valued homes,” said Atuahene.

While Detroit acknowledges the over-assessment problems in past years, the city told ABC News that the problem is no longer happening.

“There are no systemic over-assessments in this city. If I were to tell you that 95% of the assessment roll is correct, that’s still 5% [or] 20,000 houses that could possibly be overvalued,” said Horhn.

But Atuahene and other housing advocates would argue otherwise. A 2020 study from the University of Chicago found that while fewer Detroit homes were being assessed in violation of the constitution, the city’s lower-valued homes were still being over-assessed.

The problem is not unique to Detroit. A 2021 study found that property rates are 10%-13% higher for Black and Hispanic residents nationwide. In recent years, investigative reports have uncovered disproportionate assessments in Cook County, Illinois, and Philadelphia.

“Detroit is just ground zero for a national problem. We see these inflated property taxes. It’s a national racial justice issue that our country has yet to come to tackle with,” Atuahene said.

In 2020, Detroit proposed a plan offering benefits for homeowners affected between 2010 and 2013, including discounts for properties owned by the Detroit Land Bank, authority and priority access to affordable housing and city jobs. The plan was voted down by Detroit’s city council, with critics saying it didn’t go far enough.

“The city does not have the money to hand people cash. It’s against state law and the city is not going to do anything that could bring the FRC back in control of their finances,” said Horhn.

Residents like the Bonnetts said if the city can admit it was wrong, they have the obligation to make it right.

“I want the world to take a look at what’s going on here… When you talk to Detroiters who went through this, we want our money back,” she said. “Why am I just accepting whatever they can give me?”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Highland Park mayor recalls being Cub Scout leader to alleged July 4 gunman

Highland Park mayor recalls being Cub Scout leader to alleged July 4 gunman
Highland Park mayor recalls being Cub Scout leader to alleged July 4 gunman
Jim Vondruska/Getty Images, FILE

(HIGHLAND PARK, Ill.) — Before Nancy Rotering was mayor of Highland Park, she served her suburban community in another way: as a Cub Scout leader. One of the members of her troop was Robert “Bobby” Crimo III, the alleged gunman accused of opening fire on a Fourth of July parade, killing seven residents and injuring at least 30 others.

“I hadn’t seen him in probably 15 years. But, you know, at the time I knew him he was a little boy,” the mayor said Thursday in an interview with ABC News Live. “I’m not sure what has happened in his life that brought him to this point.”

The mayor noted that despite Highland Park’s relatively strict gun laws, the suspect was able to travel outside his hometown to legally purchase firearms.

“He didn’t buy this gun in Highland Park,” she said. “We need better laws throughout, not just the state of Illinois, but throughout our nation.”

Rotering said she attended her first vigil on Wednesday evening, hours after Crimo appeared in court for the first time. Authorities say he confessed to the massacre and that he had contemplated another attack the same day in Madison, Wisconsin.

Authorities said he “had not done enough planning,” and decided not to go through with the Wisconsin attack.

Crimo is charged with seven counts of first-degree murder, and Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said more charges are expected.

The mayor said that while she believes the suspect deserves a life behind bars, she’s “not sure there will ever be justice in this case.”

As the funerals will soon begin for the victims, and as many remain in the hospital being treated for serious gunshot wounds, she described her suburban neighborhood outside of Chicago as completely shattered.

Rotering said this massacre has severely affected the mental health of the entire city, especially those who witnessed the attack and are mourning loved ones.

“It’s any time I’m walking down the street, we are hugging, we’re crying. People are gathering around what is still an active investigation, saying it’s brought such an unbelievably deep wound into the heart of our community,” she said. “No city should have to go through this.”

The mayor, who led the parade, said the holiday will now always be remembered as a day of tragedy. She said that until there is change on a national level many more celebrations will be turned into violence.

“We are a small ship in an ocean of a lot of guns,” she said. “This country needs to have a true reckoning of: Is this how we really want to remember our Independence Day? As a day of massacre and gun violence? Because this will be brought up every Fourth of July from now on.”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

NYPD says murders and shootings are down, despite recent high-profile incidents

NYPD says murders and shootings are down, despite recent high-profile incidents
NYPD says murders and shootings are down, despite recent high-profile incidents
Tim Drivas Photography/Getty Images

(NEW YORK) — The New York City Police Department said Thursday that murders and shootings are down in the city, despite three people being killed within an hour the night before.

In June, murders were down 12% compared to the same period last year and shootings decreased by 13% last month compared to June 2021, the department said.

“This is real, tangible progress against violence in this city,” New York City Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said during a press conference.

Three homicides rocked the city in three different boroughs on Wednesday.

A 37-year-old man was killed by a suspect who rode up to his Jeep Grand Cherokee on a bicycle and opened fire in Brooklyn, authorities said. A 31-year-old female driver, believed to be a relative, attempted to drive away but blacked out and crashed the vehicle. She was not struck by the gunfire, according to police.

A 32-year-old man was also fatally shot in the backseat of his car outside his home in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, police say. A 28-year-old man later walked into Jamaica Medical Center, saying he was also shot. He is in stable condition, authorities say.

In the Bronx, a 30-year-old man was stabbed multiple times in the Baychester section of the borough, according to police. He jumped into a livery vehicle and attempted to drive away but crashed into a pole. He was pronounced dead at the scene, police say.

The motive for the stabbing is unclear, according to police.

No arrests have been made in any of the killings, police say.

The NYPD said that overall crime in New York City increased over 31% last month compared to June 2021. Rape, robbery, felony assault, burglary, grand larceny and grand larceny auto were all up year-over-year.

From Monday night into Tuesday morning, 21 people were injured in shootings across the city, authorities reported.

Sewell admitted that the increase in crime and the recent spate of shootings may lead people to believe that New York City is very dangerous but said the “perception among criminals is that there are no consequences for their actions.”

In March, the department recruited specially trained police officers and deployed them in neighborhoods across the city as part of its new Neighborhood Safety Teams. According to the NYPD, NST has removed 150 illegal guns from neighborhoods around the city.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Police called to suspect’s home ‘a number’ of times before July 4 shooting

Police called to suspect’s home ‘a number’ of times before July 4 shooting
Police called to suspect’s home ‘a number’ of times before July 4 shooting
avid_images/Getty Images

(HIGHLAND PARK, Ill.) — Police have been called to the home of the alleged Highland Park parade shooter “a number of times” since 2002, Lake County Police Deputy Chief Chris Covelli tells ABC News.

Lake County police were called for various reasons, mostly domestic-related. Very few incidents involved the suspected shooter, 21-year-old Robert Crimo III, according to Covelli.

Documents released by the city Thursday show that in one instance, police conducted a well-being check on April 29, 2019, a week after Crimo “attempted to commit suicide by machette [sic].”

Crimo “has a history of attempts,” the police report stated while noting that the then-18-year-old did not make any threats against himself or others on the day of the visit.

Police returned to the home several months later, on Sept. 5, 2019, for another well-being check after Crimo “had made a threat in the household … that he was going to kill everyone,” according to the police report.

Officers seized a 24-inch “Samurai-type blade,” a 12-inch dagger and 16 hand knives belonging to Crimo’s father, according to the report.

Other records show that police responded to the home following reports of domestic disturbances, including verbal alteractions, on multiple occasions between 2009 and 2014.

Crimo is accused of opening fire at an Independence Day parade, killing seven people and injuring dozens of others. The suspect plotted another attack in Madison, Wisconsin, authorities said Wednesday, but did not follow through.

Crimo is charged with seven counts of first-degree murder in the wake of Monday morning’s mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois. More charges are expected, Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said.

According to prosecutors, Crimo confessed to the shooting.

State police said Wednesday there will be an investigation into the culpability of Crimo’s father, who signed a consent form for his son to apply for gun ownership in 2019, in the massacre.

His father, Bobby Crimo Jr., told ABC News he is not culpable in the July 4 attack.

ABC News’ Josh Margolin contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

US Marshals detail hunt for murder suspect Kaitlin Armstrong in Costa Rica

US Marshals detail hunt for murder suspect Kaitlin Armstrong in Costa Rica
US Marshals detail hunt for murder suspect Kaitlin Armstrong in Costa Rica
Austin Police Department

(AUSTIN, Texas) — Kaitlin Armstrong, a suspect in the murder of professional cyclist Anna Moriah Wilson, changed her appearance and used several aliases after fleeing to Costa Rica, federal authorities said Thursday.

Armstrong, 34, was arrested on June 29 at a hostel on Santa Teresa Beach in Provincia de Puntarenas after a 43-day search, according to the U.S. Marshals Service. She has since been deported and returned to the U.S., where she was booked on Tuesday in Travis County Jail by the Austin Police Department.

Armstrong was charged with felony first-degree murder in connection with the fatal shooting of Wilson, 25, in Austin on May 11. Wilson was romantically linked to Armstrong’s boyfriend, professional cyclist Colin Strickland, and was found shot hours after meeting up with him, police said.

Days after being questioned by police about the incident, Armstrong, a yoga instructor and realtor, fled Austin, authorities said.

During a press briefing Thursday, authorities detailed the hunt for the fugitive, which had been upgraded to “major case status” by the U.S. Marshals.

Investigators learned through a confidential source that the suspect was provided transportation to Newark Liberty International Airport on May 18, a day after Austin police officers issued a homicide warrant for her arrest, the U.S. Marshals said. She boarded a flight that day to San Jose, Costa Rica, using a fraudulent passport, according to Deputy U.S. Marshal Brandon Filla.

Armstrong “presented a passport that did not belong to her but belonged to someone that was closely associated with her,” Filla told reporters during a briefing Thursday.

Upon arriving in Costa Rica, Armstrong used several different aliases, including the name Beth Martin, at various lodgings and yoga studios, according to Filla.

“She was really trying to build something where she could instruct yoga there in Costa Rica,” Filla said.

Investigators went door-to-door, tracking Armstrong “from yoga establishment to other yoga estalishments” and spoke to lodgings that she had “left behind” as they closed in on her, Filla said.

Authorities eventually detained Armstrong at the Don Jon’s hostel on Santa Teresa Beach on an immigration violation for the fraudulent use of a passport, and she was transported back to San Jose, Filla said. During the six-hour drive she “eventually confessed to her true identity,” Filla said.

Armstrong had altered her physical appearance — dying her long, light brown hair a darker shade of brown and cropping it to shoulder length — and had a bandage on her nose, according to Filla.

When asked if they believe that Armstrong may have obtained plastic surgery, Filla said they have been unable to confirm that at this time.

“I will say, she had a bandage on her nose with a little bit of discoloration under her eyes,” he said. “Her statement was that it came from a surfboard incident, and I think we’ll just leave it at that.”

Filla said authorities are investigating the use of the fraudulent passport and won’t be commenting further at this time on any assistance they believe she had.

Authorities were offering a combined $21,000 for any tips leading to Armstrong’s arrest and received over 80 tips nationwide, Filla said.

Armstrong is currently being held at Travis County Jail on a $3.5 million bond. A hearing in a Travis County criminal court has been scheduled for July 20, court records show.

Armstrong’s attorney, Rick Cofer, said in a statement Saturday that “neither Kaitlin nor her attorneys will be making any statements to the media at this time.”

Following Thursday’s briefing, Strickland said he was “grateful that investigators, including the U.S. Marshals, have pursued all leads and opened the path to justice for Moriah Wilson and her family.”

“I will continue to provide my full cooperation for the sake of the Wilson family as they, along with so many others who have been affected, endure the burden of this senseless tragedy,” he said in a statement.

ABC News’ Lisa Sivertsen contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Attorneys considering psychiatric defense for teen suspect in Buffalo mass shooting

Attorneys considering psychiatric defense for teen suspect in Buffalo mass shooting
Attorneys considering psychiatric defense for teen suspect in Buffalo mass shooting
Scott Olson/Getty Images

(BUFFALO, N.Y.) — Defense attorneys for the white teenager charged with killing 10 Black people in a Buffalo, New York, supermarket in what prosecutors described as a racially motivated mass shooting are considering a psychiatric defense.

During a status hearing for 18-year-old Payton Gendron Thursday afternoon in Erie County Court in Buffalo, the defense requested an extension to complete a psychiatric evaluation, according to ABC News Buffalo affiliate WKBW.

The suspect’s attorney said they are not sure if that defense will be used but want time to complete an evaluation, WKBW reported.

Judge Susan Eagan gave the defense 90 days to file a notice of a psychiatric defense, according to WKBW. She also denied another motion by the defense seeking to delay the state prosecution for one year while a separate federal case proceeds, WKBW reported.

Gendron is next scheduled to appear in Erie County Court on Oct. 6. He previously pleaded not guilty to a 25-count indictment, including 10 first-degree murder charges and three attempted murder charges stemming from the May massacre at a Tops market.

The teen is the first person in New York history to face a charge of domestic act of terrorism motivated by hate in the first degree, a crime enacted in the state in November 2020. If found guilty of that charge, Gendron faces a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole, Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn said during a news conference last month.

Gendron is also charged with 10 counts of second-degree murder as a hate crime, three counts of attempted murder as a hate crime and one count of criminal possession of a weapon.

The charges against Gendron reflect the white supremacist rhetoric and invective law enforcement sources told ABC News investigators was found on social media posts linked to the suspect, including a belief in the racist conspiracy theory known as replacement.

Gendron is accused of fatally shooting the six women and four men inside a Tops supermarket on May 14 “because of the perceived race and/or color” of the victims, according to the indictment. He also allegedly shot and wounded three people.

Flynn noted last month that two of the three victims who survived the shooting are white, but that attempted murder charges with a hate crime enhancement were filed on behalf of all the wounded victims because of Gendron’s “alleged intent.”

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said last month that at one point during the attack, Gendron allegedly aimed his AR-15-style rifle at a white Tops employee, who was shot in the leg and injured. Garland alleged that Gendron apologized to the victim before continuing the attack.

Investigators allege Gendron drove three hours from his home in Conklin, New York, and spent the day before the rampage conducting a final reconnaissance on the store before committing the mass shooting on a Saturday afternoon.

Authorities allege Gendron was wielding a Bushmaster XM rifle, dressed in military fatigues, body armor and was wearing a tactical helmet with a camera attached when he stormed the store around 2:30 p.m., shooting four people outside the business and nine others inside. Police said the suspect fired a barrage of more than 50 shots during the massacre.

Gendron allegedly livestreamed the attack on the gaming website Twitch before the company took down the live feed two minutes into the shooting.

Among those killed was 55-year-old Aaron Salter Jr., a retired Buffalo police officer who was working as a security guard at the supermarket. Authorities said Salter fired at the gunman, but the bullets had no effect due to the bulletproof vest the suspect wore.

Gendron was also charged last month with 26 federal counts, including 10 counts of committing a hate crime resulting in death; three counts of committing a hate crime involving an attempt to kill; 10 counts of using a firearm to commit murder during and in relation to a crime of violence; and three counts of using and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

During his first appearance in federal court on June 16, a magistrate judge urged federal prosecutors to quickly decide whether to seek the death penalty for Gendron, citing the expense to taxpayers of defending a death-eligible defendant. Prosecutors told the judge they will inform their superiors of his request, but a decision has yet to be announced on whether federal prosecutors will seek capital punishment.

During his first appearance in federal court on June 16, a magistrate judge urged federal prosecutors to quickly decide whether to seek the death penalty Gendron, citing the expense to taxpayers of defending a death-eligible defendant. Prosecutors told the judge they will inform their superiors of his request, but a decision has yet to be announce on whether federal prosecutors will seek capital punishment.

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Relatives of Jacob Blake, Breonna Taylor arrested in protests over Jayland Walker’s death

Relatives of Jacob Blake, Breonna Taylor arrested in protests over Jayland Walker’s death
Relatives of Jacob Blake, Breonna Taylor arrested in protests over Jayland Walker’s death
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images, FILE

(AKRON, Ohio) — Two relatives of police shooting victims were arrested Wednesday in Akron, Ohio, on rioting charges for allegedly protesting the police shooting of Jayland Walker.

Jacob Blake Sr., the father of Jacob Blake — as well as Bianca Austin, a relative of Breonna Taylor — were arrested on first-degree misdemeanor rioting charges, ABC Affiliate WEWS found.

Wednesday night was the first without a curfew since the body camera footage of Walker’s death was published. Walker, a 25-year-old Black man, was reportedly unarmed when eight Ohio officers opened fire on him on June 27, fatally shooting him after a traffic stop turned into a pursuit.

Akron police allege that Walker shot at them before he exited his car and ran away from police. A gun was recovered in the car, according to officials.

The officers involved in the shooting are on paid administrative leave, pending the outcome of the investigation being led by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

The shooting sparked protests similar to those that erupted after other incidents of police violence that also made national headlines — including Blake’s and Taylor’s.

Blake was shot seven times by a white police officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in an incident that left him partially paralyzed. No police officers were charged in Blake’s shooting, with Kenosha County District Attorney Michael D. Graveley saying that he did not believe “the State could prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Officer Sheskey was not acting lawfully in self-defense or defense of others.”

Taylor was fatally gunned down when three Louisville, Kentucky, police officers executed a “no-knock” search warrant on her home. Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, said he thought they were intruders and shot at the officers, who returned fire with more than 25 bullets, killing Taylor.

No police officers were charged directly for Taylor’s death after a grand jury declined to charge any officers.

“According to Kentucky law, the use of force by [the officers] was justified to protect themselves,” Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron said at the time. “This justification bars us from pursuing criminal charges in Miss Breonna Taylor’s death.”

Both of these incidents prompted protests nationwide as they collided with other incidents of police violence such as the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Blake Sr. and Austin were not together when they were arrested. The two were arraigned Thursday morning and its unclear if they have offered pleas to the charges.

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