(PHOENIX, Ariz.) — Arizona performed its first execution in nearly eight years, after the U.S. Supreme Court denied an eleventh-hour request from attorneys who said the man had schizophrenia and should not be put to death.
The high court denied a request for a stay of execution early Wednesday, clearing the way for Arizona to move forward with the execution of 66-year-old Clarence Dixon by lethal injection at 10 a.m. local time. The drugs were administered at 10:19 a.m. and he was pronounced dead officially at 10:30 a.m.
Dixon was convicted of murder and sexual assault in connection with the death of 21-year-old Arizona State University student Deana Bowdoin in 1978.
The case went unsolved for decades until DNA connected Dixon to the murder in 2001, according to authorities. He was convicted and sentenced to death in 2008.
A judge ruled on Friday that he was mentally fit to be put to death.
Dixon gave his last words before a doctor administered the drugs for the lethal injection.
“Maybe I’ll see you on the other side, Deana,” Dixon said in part, according to officials. “I don’t know you and I don’t remember you.”
Bowdoin’s sister, Leslie James, gave a statement to the press following the execution and said that it was her late mother’s wish that her sister’s name be remembered.
“It was way too long. This process was way, way, way too long,” James said of the decadeslong case.
“I don’t know how I’m going to feel,” she said. “The process is final.”
This was Arizona’s first use of the death penalty since the execution of Joseph Wood in 2014. That execution took almost two hours and witnesses reported Wood gasped and snorted, prompting his lawyers to request an emergency halt to the procedure.
Officials said the only time Dixon showed any signs of discomfort was when the IV was put in.
Dixon was the sixth inmate to be put to death in the U.S. so far this year.
(HOUSTON) — Nearly 2,400 people required medical treatment following last year’s deadly Astroworld music festival in Houston, according to a new court filing.
Attorneys representing thousands of people suing promoter Live Nation, headliner Travis Scott and dozens of other companies over the tragedy said in a court document filed this week that 732 claimants sustained an injury requiring “extensive medical treatment” during the concert on Nov. 5, 2021. Another 1,649 claimants suffered an injury requiring “less extensive medical treatment,” according to the filing, which does not define the injury categories.
Additionally, the injuries of another 2,540 claimants are under review, attorneys said.
“Plaintiffs will continue to evaluate and update this for the Court as additional information and details are received and reviewed,” the attorneys stated in the document, filed in the 11th Judicial District in Harris County on Monday.
Ten people died in a massive crowd surge during Scott’s set, including a victim as young as 9 who was trampled in a crowd of 50,000 people at NRG Park, according to officials.
According to Houston Police and witness accounts, a wave of tens of thousands of people surged toward the stage when Scott — and later rapper Drake — appeared. Concert attendees say they were pushed into one another from all sides. As the crowd pressed its way forward, some began to fall, pass out and get trampled by others in the audience.
Hundreds of lawsuits filed against the event organizers, managers and performers in the wake of the tragedy were consolidated and are being handled by one judge.
Following the concert, Scott released a statement on Twitter, saying, “I’m absolutely devastated by what took place last night. My prayers go out to the families and all those impacted by what happened at Astroworld festival.”
In an extensive interview with radio host Charlamagne Tha God in December, the rapper said he was unaware of the injuries and fatalities among fans until after his performance was over.
Asked if he feels responsible for the tragedy, Scott said, “I have a responsibility to figure out what happened here. I have a responsibility to figure out the solution.”
In a statement to ABC News in the days after the concert, Live Nation said it was working with law enforcement to get answers.
“We continue to support and assist local authorities in their ongoing investigation so that both the fans who attended and their families can get the answers they want and deserve, and we will address all legal matters at the appropriate time,” Live Nation said.
The Houston Police Department is investigating the deadly concert. The House Oversight and Reform Committee also launched a probe into the deaths late last year.
ABC News’ Kiara Alfonseca and Josh Margolin contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — A judge in New York on Wednesday said he would purge his contempt finding against former President Donald Trump provided he met certain conditions by the end of next week, including paying a daily fine that had accompanied the order.
Judge Arthur Engoron held Trump in contempt, and fined him $10,000 a day, for failing to comply with a subpoena for documents issued by the New York Attorney General’s Office as part of a civil investigation into Trump’s business practices.
Trump’s attorney said he had no documents responsive to the subpoena, but the judge faulted Trump’s failure to swear, under oath, that he even bothered to look.
If Trump provides satisfactory affidavits, if an outside firm he hired to search his files completes a report and if he pays the fine, Engoron said he would lift the contempt order.
“I want the fine paid,” Engoron said. “That fine is now $110,000.”
Trump had said in a sworn affidavit on April 29 that he did not possess any documents related to Attorney General Letitia James’ investigation into how the Trump Organization valued its real estate holdings while applying for loans and tax benefits.
“To the best of my knowledge, (i) I do not have any of the documents requested in the subpoena dated December 1, 2021 in my personal possession; and (ii) if there are any documents responsive to the subpoena I believe they would be in the possession or custody of the Trump Organization,” Trump’s affidavit said.
He added, “At all relevant times, I have authorized, and continue to authorize, the release of a responsive document to the Office of the Attorney General.”
(BURLINGTON, Mass.) — As her alleged would-be kidnapper was set to appear in court, a Massachusetts mother spoke out about the terrifying random roadside attack and was reunited Wednesday with the good Samaritan who stopped to save her.
The suspect, Tyler Healey, 23, was arrested Tuesday after Burlington, Massachusetts, police released security video of what they described as a random attempted abduction that only ended when a passing female motorist intervened and called 911.
The suspect was arraigned Wednesday in Woburn District Court on charges of assault with intent to rape, attempt to commit a crime, assault with intent to commit a felony and indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or older.
During the arraignment, a prosecutor said Healey’s father recognized his son’s brightly colored sneakers and distinctive tattoo from the security video and identified him to police. Healey’s father told authorities his son suffers from mental health issues and was violent at times, the prosecutor said.
A judge ordered Healey to remain in custody pending a hearing next week.
The incident unfolded around 8:20 p.m. Sunday as the victim, 37-year-old Zayra Mendoza, was walking down a street in Burlington. The security video captured the attacker following Mendoza on foot, then quickly closing the gap between them and grabbing her.
The grainy black-and-white footage appears to show the assailant dragging Mendoza and ripping off her top as she tried to fight back.
Ariel Naylor said she was driving by in her SUV when she saw the assault in progress and called 911. Naylor said that when she slammed on her brakes and stopped, the attacker released Mendoza and ran away.
Mendoza and Naylor were reunited on Wednesday morning and in an exclusive interview with ABC’s Good Morning America, Mendoza said of Naylor, “God sent me an angel.”
Naylor said she didn’t hesitate to stop and help.
“I did what any person should do when you see somebody in trouble,” Naylor said.
Naylor applauded Mendoza for fighting and trying to stay in the light of street lamps so she could be seen.
“She knew to get to the light and to get to the side of the road so somebody could help her,” Naylor said. “So she made it possible for me to help her.”
In an earlier interview with ABC affiliate station WCVB in Boston, Mendoza recounted the horrifying ambush.
“When I looked, the man was right on top of me,” Mendoza said following Healey’s arrest in the Boston suburb of Winthrop, 21 miles south of Burlington. “I thought this man is going to rape me, going to kill me.”
Mendoza, speaking in Spanish as her brother interpreted, added, “I was screaming. I was trying to fight him off. I was running out of strength. He was dragging me by one arm.”
Mendoza said she thought of her 9-year-old daughter as she was being dragged off and wondered what would have happened to her had Naylor not stopped.
“Thanks to her, it all came to an end,” Mendoza said.
Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan praised Naylor for intervening and stopping the attack.
“The person who made that call really prevented this from being so much worse,” Ryan said.
Police are continuing to investigate if there are similar incidents involving Healey.
(NEW YORK) — Nearly two years after her son was murdered at home, a New Jersey judge is fighting to get a federal bill passed that would limit access of public officials’ private information.
U.S. District Judge Esther Salas says the Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act would be vital in protecting federal judges and justices.
“I think we have to start asking ourselves why are our leaders not passing this law. Why are they not moving it? To my knowledge, there is nothing controversial about protecting judges’ home addresses and our social security numbers,” Salas told ABC News’ Good Morning America Wednesday. “The Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act is ready to go. It’s been ready to go for months. It’s narrowly tailored to address this immediate interest, this governmental interest that is vital to democracy.”
The act is named after Salas’ son, Daniel Anderl, who was 20 when he was shot and killed at home on July 19, 2020. A gunman had targeted the family’s home, also critically injuring Salas’ husband, Mark Anderl.
The assailant was identified as Roy Den Hollander, a lawyer who posed as a FedEx delivery driver to carry out what was later determined to be a racially motivated attack. Hollander had allegedly been upset with the way Salas had handled a case he had been involved in and kept a detailed dossier of private information on the judge, including her home address, according to the FBI. The day after the attack, Hollander was found dead in a car from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Daniel’s Law, which “protects the home addresses and telephone numbers of judges, prosecutors, and law enforcement officers from public disclosure,” was signed by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy in November 2020, according to a press release from the governor’s office.
A similar law, the Supreme Court Police Parity Act, has been introduced at the federal level and the U.S. House is set to vote on the proposal Wednesday. The act passed unanimously in the Senate Monday and would grant Supreme Court justices and their families the same level of security that is given to other government officials in the legislative and executive branches. If it passes in the House, the act would get sent to President Joe Biden’s desk.
The act has gained more support in recent days as protesters have been gathering at the homes of Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Samuel Alito, following the leak of a draft opinion last week that indicated the nation’s highest court may overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case that made abortion legal in the country.
But for Salas, the Supreme Court Police Parity Act doesn’t go far enough. She said the priority should be on the Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act.
“I think of Daniel the moment I opened my eyes in the morning and I think about him every single moment of my life. And you know what? We need to know that we can do our jobs. without fear of retribution, retaliation or death. That is all that judges are asking for,” Salas said.
Ty O’Neil/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images, FILE
(NEW YORK) — Fire danger is back down to critical after reaching extreme levels on Monday, but red flag warnings continue across six states in the Southwest, from Nevada to Oklahoma.
More than a dozen wildfires continued to burn on Tuesday across the region. The San Rafael fire in Arizona is 12% contained over 11,000 acres. The Hermit Creek and Calf Canyon fires are 39% contained over 200,000 acres.
Low humidity, gusty winds and dry brush continue to pose a high risk for fire to spread.
Above-normal heat has also spread into the Midwest, with temperatures soaring 20 degrees or more above average on Tuesday.
Even as far north as Des Moines, Iowa, could see temperatures of 90 degrees, and Chicago could see temperatures in the mid-80s.
Numerous record highs were reported across parts of the Plains and Midwest on Monday. Abilene, Texas, reached 103 degrees, a record high for the third day in a row.
Temperatures were in the 90s from San Antonio to Kansas City on Monday. More record heat was expected Tuesday from Texas to Memphis, St. Louis and Kansas City.
The heat will spread into parts of the eastern Great Lakes and parts of the inland Northeast by Thursday, as western New York and Pennsylvania could see possible record high temperatures.
Temperatures in Syracuse, New York, could be in the 80s by Thursday, while temperatures from New York City to Philadelphia are expected to be in the 70s.
(RED WING, Minn.) — Years after two infants were discovered dead along a stretch of the Mississippi River in Minnesota, police have identified and arrested their mother in connection with one of their deaths.
Jennifer Lynn Matter, 50, is charged with two counts of second degree murder in connection with the December 2003 death of her newborn son.
Four years before the body of her son was discovered, police had found a female infant’s body in the river. Investigators had suspected the two infants were siblings and their DNA profiles were run against criminal databases over the years to find their parents, but no match had been found, Drew Evans, the superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, told reporters during a press conference.
Genetic genealogy ultimately provided the lead that led to Matter’s arrest by connecting officers to two persons of interest, Evans said. Investigators learned of a relative of the children in Goodhue County, Minnesota, and then worked to narrow their search, identifying Matter as the most “logical and likely” mother, he said.
Matter of Red Wing, Minnesota, had declined to voluntarily provide police with a DNA sample, according to the complaint. After obtaining a search warrant for the sample, police were able to identify Matter as the mother of the two children, the complaint says.
Charges have not been filed against Matter in connection with the 1999 death of Matter’s infant daughter, Stephen O’Keefe, the Goodhue County attorney, said at a press conference Monday. He declined to give a reason, but said the investigation is ongoing. Charges could be added or amended at a later time as more evidence comes to light, he said.
Information on an attorney for Matter was not immediately available.
During a bail hearing on Tuesday, a judge denied Matter’s application for a public defender, according to ABC affiliate KSTP in St. Paul, Minnesota. Her bail was set at $1.5 million without conditions, according to court records.
Investigators interviewed Matter on May 5, which is when she admitted the child born in November 1999 was hers, according to the criminal complaint. Matter told investigators she was in a bad mental state that year saying she was “in and out of jail, drinking too much, doing a lot of stupid things and had experienced chaotic life circumstances for a long time,” the complaint says.
Matter said that she was not aware she was pregnant when she started bleeding after dropping off her two other children. When she returned home, she said she began giving birth in the bathroom, according to the complaint.
She said the baby was born blue, was not breathing and was not crying so she “freaked out,” according to the complaint. Matter said she wrapped the child in a towel while she tried to figure out what to do. She said she was drinking heavily, according to the complaint.
Matter told investigators that a day later she drove the baby to Bay Point Park in Red Wing in the middle of the night and put her in the water, the complaint says.
A boater found the baby wrapped in a towel in the water, according to the complaint.
An autopsy of the newborn concluded that the manner of death was homicide, but the cause of death was undetermined, the complaint shows.
Matter said she gave birth to the second baby on a beach in nearby Florence Township in December 2003 while she was “laying low” because there was a warrant out for her arrest and she believed cops were looking for her, the complaint revealed.
Matter told investigators she did not remember whether she wrapped the second baby in a towel or a blanket and said she did not look to see the gender of the child. Matter said she remembered leaving the baby on the beach before driving away.
Matter later told investigators the child was breathing and may have been crying, but she did not remember it. Matter said she did not call 911 and hoped someone in the houses nearby would find the baby, according to the complaint.
A group of teenagers found the infant’s body along the shoreline of the river, the complaint shows.
An autopsy found that the male infant had force head injuries, “possibly due to the birth process,” according to the complaint. The infant’s manner of death was determined to be homicide, but the cause of death was undetermined, according to the complaint.
(PHILADELPHIA) — Philadelphia police are seeking a suspect in a recent string of sexual assaults that they believe may be the work of a serial rapist.
Authorities have identified a “pattern of sexual assaults” that occurred in the Kensington neighborhood and involved a man who sexually assaulted women in his car, according to Captain James Kearney, commanding officer of the Philadelphia Police Special Victims Unit.
“We’ve got three cases,” Kearney told reporters during a briefing Tuesday. “We have a pattern going on here.”
The incidents occurred in the early morning hours of March 15, April 5 and April 21, police said. Two victims were approached by the suspect and got in his car, one after being offered a ride, police said. A third victim was forced into the car, police said.
Philadelphia Police Department
In all three cases, the suspect drove to a location, pulled out a handgun and demanded oral sex from the women, police said. In the most recently reported assault, the suspect also punched and raped the victim and stole her cellphone, Kearney said. A rape kit was conducted, where DNA evidence was collected and is in the process of being compared to other cases, he said. The iPhone was recovered as well, he said.
Police described the suspect’s car as a 2016 to 2020 charcoal gray Dodge Charger four-door sedan, with tinted windows and “distinct rims.” Detectives were able to locate surveillance video of the car but were unable to pick up a license plate, Kearny said.
The victims ranged in age from 28 to 35 and were all Black women, police said. Kearney described them as “the most vulnerable people out there,” and noted that the area is known for sex work.
“He’s preying on these women who we believe he feels that’s not going to report it,” he said.
Authorities believe that additional assaults involving other women may have occurred and are asking potential survivors to step forward.
“For one reason or another, these survivors, these women are not coming in to talk to us,” said Kearney. “We need to talk to people and stop it from happening again.”
ABC News’ Victoria Arancio contributed to this report.
(BOSTON) — Celebrity chef Mario Batali has been found not guilty of indecent assault and battery for a 2017 incident in Boston.
“It’s an understatement to say that Mr. Batali did not cover himself in glory on the night in question. His conduct and his appearance and his demeanor are not befitting of a public person of his stature at that time,” Boston Municipal Court Justice Judge James Stanton said Tuesday.
But the judge added, “This case is about credibility. And it’s the court’s job to adapt to assess the credibility of the witnesses. … The complaining witness has significant credibility issues.”
Natalie Tene, 32, said Batali forcibly kissed her and grabbed her breasts, buttocks and groin after meeting him in a Boston bar while having a drink with a friend in March 2017.
Under cross-examination, Tene repeatedly said she did not remember text messages she sent to friends that described her meeting Batali as “exciting.” In one message, she suggested to a friend she could “hopefully” get $10,000 for photos of the encounter.
After two days of testimony and two hours of deliberation Stanton ruled that the defendant had a financial motive for making the accusations. Stanton rendered the verdict directly as the sole decider of the case since Batali waived his right to a jury trial.
On Monday, at the start of the trial, Tene said she was speaking out “to be able to take control of what happened,” while a defense attorney for Batali called her a liar who is twisting the truth “for money and for fun.”
Tene claimed Batali was “grabbing me in ways I had never been touched before, squeezing between my legs … pulling me closer to him.”
Batali maintained that he was not guilty of the allegations.
Mario Batali takes leave of absence, apologizes to those ‘I have mistreated and hurt’
The alleged assault took place after the accuser asked the chef for a selfie. He smelled of alcohol and appeared intoxicated, she alleged. Tene has also filed a civil complaint for unspecified damages based on the same allegations that will be tried separately from this case.
Though this case was the only one to go to criminal trial, four women accused Batali of inappropriate touching in December 2017, which prompted him to leave the ABC daytime cooking show “The Chew” and remove himself from his restaurant business. In a statement at the time, Batali said he was “so very sorry” for disappointing his friends, family, co-workers and fans.
ABC News’ Mark Guarino contributed to this report.
(SAN FRANCISCO) — Former world heavyweight boxing champ Mike Tyson will not face charges in an incident last month in which he was recorded getting into a physical altercation with a fellow passenger on a flight at San Francisco International Airport, a California prosecutor announced Tuesday.
San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said he decided not to charge the 55-year-old Tyson after reviewing police reports and videos of the confrontation.
“Our decision is that we will not file any charges against Mr. Tyson based on the circumstances surrounding the confrontation,” Wagstaffe said in a statement. “These include the conduct of the victim leading up to the incident, the interaction between Mr. Tyson and the victim, as well as the requests of both the victim and Mr. Tyson that no charges be filed in this case. We now deem this case closed.”
The incident unfolded on April 20 while Tyson was seated in first-class on a JetBlue flight at San Francisco International Airport waiting to take off for Florida.
A video obtained by the website TMZ Sports appeared to show a passenger seated behind Tyson repeatedly attempting to speak to the boxer, who became annoyed and told the man to “chill.”
“Unfortunately, Mr. Tyson had an incident on a flight with an aggressive passenger who began harassing him and threw a water bottle at him while he was in his seat,” representatives for Tyson said in a statement to The Associated Press.
The video showed Tyson standing up, leaning over the back of his seat and repeatedly punching the passenger, who was later video recorded with blood on his forehead.
San Francisco police officers detained Tyson and the passenger, and opened an investigation.
Wagstaffe said he reviewed the case and determined that allegations Tyson committed misdemeanor battery were not founded.
Tyson’s attorneys David Z. Chesnoff, Richard A. Schonfeld and Martin A. Sabelli issued a joint statement thanking Wagstaffe for conducting a thorough investigation and praising all law enforcement agencies involved in the probe for their “careful, diligent and professional work.”
