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Wife found dead before sentencing in husband’s slaying died by ingesting antifreeze: Officials

August 13, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — A Connecticut woman who was found dead hours before she was scheduled to be sentenced for killing her husband died by suicide after ingesting antifreeze, officials said Monday.

Linda Kosuda-Bigazzi, 76, was found dead at her home on July 24. Troopers responded to the house that morning after an individual reported they were at her residence but were unable to make contact with her, state police said at the time.

Her cause of death is ethylene glycol toxicity, according to the Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

Kosuda-Bigazzi had pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in March in the 2017 death of her husband, 84-year-old Pierluigi Bigazzi, according to the Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice. Police found the University of Connecticut Health doctor and professor dead in the basement of the couple’s Burlington home while responding to a welfare check call from his employer, who had not heard from him for several months, prosecutors said.

Kosuda-Bigazzi also pleaded guilty to first-degree larceny for continuing to receive her husband’s pay following his death, according to the Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice. Investigators found checks from her husband’s employer were deposited into the couple’s joint checking account from his death in July 2017 until the discovery of his body in February 2018, prosecutors said.

Her hearing was scheduled for 2 p.m. the day she was found dead.

“We were honored to be her legal counsel and did our very best to defend her in a complex case for the past six years,” her attorney, Patrick Tomasiewicz, said in a statement last month following her death. “She was a very independent woman who was always in control of her own destiny.”

ABC News has reached out to the Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice for comment on the case.

Kosuda-Bigazzi had been out of jail while awaiting sentencing after posting more than $1.5 million in bail.

Her husband’s death was ruled a homicide by blunt injuries to the head, according to the medical examiner’s office.

Police found handwritten documents at the home in which she claimed she had killed her husband in self-defense, according to court records.

If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide or worried about a friend or loved one, call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 for free, confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Mother arrested 37 years after her newborn was found dead in dumpster: Police

August 13, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — A woman has been arrested for the murder of her newborn 37 years after the baby girl was found dead in a dumpster in California, authorities said.

On Oct. 13, 1987, a man rummaging for recyclables found a dead newborn in a dumpster behind a business, Riverside police said.

Authorities believe the baby was born within hours of being abandoned, police said. The baby girl’s death was ruled a homicide, police said.

Decades went by without answers.

In 2020, police said the case was reopened, and investigators joined forces with Othram labs to try to solve the case with DNA technology.

Forensic evidence was submitted to Othram in 2021 and scientists used that evidence to build a DNA profile for the unnamed baby, according to Othram.

Riverside police then turned to forensic genetic genealogy, in which unknown DNA is identified by comparing it to family members who voluntarily submit DNA samples to a database, Othram said.

The forensic genetic genealogy investigation led authorities to potential relatives of the unknown baby, Othram said.

Authorities said they identified the suspect as 55-year-old Melissa Jean Allen Avila, who was 19 at the time of the newborn’s death.

A motive is not known, police said.

Avila was arrested in North Carolina and extradited to Riverside County, California, police said. She was booked for first-degree murder on Aug. 5, police said.

“Detectives have no reason to believe the baby’s father had any criminal culpability in the murder,” police added.

Avila’s arraignment is set for Sept. 9.

Riverside police stressed that California’s Safe Arms for Newborns law — enacted in 2001 — allows a parent to leave a baby three days old or younger at a fire station or hospital emergency room.

“If the baby has not been abused or neglected, the person may surrender it without fear of arrest or prosecution for child abandonment,” police said.

Maryland house explosion killed two people, caused ‘millions’ in damage: Authorities

August 12, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(BEL AIR, Md.) — Two people were found dead and another was injured after an explosion Sunday morning leveled a home and damaged multiple neighboring residences in a suburban Baltimore neighborhood, authorities said.

The blast was reported around 6:42 a.m. ET on Arthurs Woods Drive in Harford County, in the town of Bel Air, about 30 miles northeast of Baltimore, according to officials.

The two people killed in the explosion were identified Monday afternoon by the Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office as 35-year-old Jose Rodriguez-Alvarado, a contractor for Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE), and 73-year-old Ray Corkran Jr., the owner of the house that was destroyed.

Rodriguez-Alvarado was found in the widespread blast debris field and pronounced dead soon after firefighters arrived on the scene Sunday morning, according to the Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office.

Search-and-rescue crews located Corkran’s body Sunday afternoon. It was buried under the rubble of his home, according to the fire marshal’s office.

“With the assistance of heavy machinery, investigators located the victim within the debris,” the fire marshal’s office said of Corkran.

Investigators said Corkran was the only person inside the house at the time of the explosion.

A female neighbor living adjacent to the home was also injured and treated at the scene, said Master Deputy Fire Marshal Oliver Alkire.

At least 12 families have been displaced by the blast, according to officials, who noted the total number of damaged structures is still being counted.

“While they continue to collect information on exact damages, the cost is expected to be in the millions,” according to the sheriff’s office.

A photo posted on X by Harford County Fire and Emergency Medical Services showed firefighters battling a small fire and searching the remains of the home, which was reduced to splintered pieces of wood, insulation and other debris.

“I’ve been on the job for 18 years and this was one of the largest explosions I’ve seen,” Alkire said during a news conference.

Alkire said firefighters from the Harford County Fire Department were responding to a report of a gas leak in the area when the explosion occurred.

Alkire said at least two BGE contract workers had responded to the area before the explosion to investigate an electrical issue. He said the workers were aware of reports of an odor of gas in the area when the explosion occurred.

Alkire confirmed that the house was for sale. Officials described the house as being a “total loss.”

The cause of the explosion remained under investigation Monday by the Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office, the Harford County Sheriff’s Department and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. There is no evidence of criminal activity involved in the explosion and investigators are focusing on accidental causes, according to the Fire Marshal’s Office.

“Investigators will now focus on reviewing the evidence and data they collected yesterday. This includes physical items such as gas and electrical piping, interviews, video surveillance, and data from BGE,” the state fire marshal said in a statement Monday morning.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which investigates pipeline accidents that occur during the transport of natural gas or other hazardous liquids, announced Monday that it had also launched an investigation into the house explosion. An NTSB team has arrived in Bel Air and plans to spend a week “documenting the scene and conducting an initial visual examination of the pipeline and equipment involved,” the agency said in a statement.

“NTSB investigations involve three primary areas: human factors, the pipeline system, and the operating environment,” the board said.

Residents in the neighborhood reported hearing the loud explosion and feeling their houses shake, authorities said.

Jefferey Beyers, who lives near the home that was destroyed by the blast, told ABC News that he and his wife were awakened by a “deafening explosion coupled with the kind of feeling of an earthquake.” Beyers pointed out windows in his house that he said were blown out from the frames.

“I think it’s important to get to the bottom of it, like understand what happened so that this kind of thing doesn’t happen again,” Beyers said.

Another neighbor, Marshall Garrett, told ABC News that he immediately rushed to the scene, beating the fire engines there. He described the scene as complete devastation and said it looked like something out of a movie.

“At first, we just saw the rubble,” Garrett said. “And then we started to see the flames streak out and the smoke goes in the air.”

ABC News’ Davone Morales, Perry Russom and Tia Humphries contributed to this report.

‘Significant’ earthquake rocks Los Angeles

August 12, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(LOS ANGELES) — A 4.4 magnitude earthquake rocked the Los Angeles region early Monday afternoon.

The epicenter was located near the city’s Highland Park neighborhood, a few miles north of downtown Los Angeles, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The Los Angeles Fire Department said it’s examining transportation infrastructures, apartment buildings, power lines and large places where people gather, like universities and Dodger Stadium.

The Los Angeles Police Department is warning residents to “be prepared for aftershocks” following the “significant” quake.

Cal Tech officials said the quake is believed to be along the lower Elysian Park Fault, but a number of faults are in the area.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Trial begins for Nevada official accused of murdering journalist

August 12, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(LAS VEGAS) — The trial against Robert Telles — the former Nevada county official who allegedly murdered a journalist he blamed for ruining his career and marriage — began Monday with jury selection.

The former Clark County public administrator is accused in the death of 69-year-old Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jeff German, who was found stabbed to death outside his home in September 2022.

Telles, 47, was arrested days later after DNA evidence found in his home tied him to the crime scene, police said. He has been held without bail ever since.

A day before the murder, according to police, Telles was spotted approaching German’s house, where he allegedly had an altercation with him.

The next day, Telles allegedly disguised himself in a straw hat and reflective vest, left his phone at home, then headed to German’s home, where he was accused of stabbing the journalist seven times, according to police.

While executing a search warrant at the local politician’s home, police found the hat, as well as a pair of shoes with blood on them — both of which they said had been cut up, purportedly in an effort to destroy evidence.

His DNA was also found on German’s hands and fingernails, police said.

Police took Telles into custody with what they said were non-life-threatening, self-inflicted stab wounds.

Telles has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and could face life in prison if convicted.

“He’s been looking forward to trial,” Telles’ defense attorney, Robert Draskovich, told The Associated Press. “He wants to tell his story.”

Draskovich did not immediately respond to a request for comment from ABC News.

Prior to his death, German had published an investigation into the hostile work environment in Telles’ office, which included accusations of bullying, retaliation and an “inappropriate relationship” between Telles and a staffer. Telles denied the allegations.

In an interview on ABC’s “Good Morning America” shortly after his arrest, Rita Reid — one of Telles’ former coworkers — called German a “hero” for exposing the turmoil in Telles’ office, which she said she and colleagues blew the whistle on.

When she first learned of German’s death, Reid said her “first thought was Robert Telles.”

“His death was absolutely devastating to myself and my co-workers, the people that he advocated for,” Reid said of German. “He was our hero.”

Las Vegas Sheriff Joseph Lombardo previously described it as an “unusual” case, and said that “the killing of a journalist is particularly troublesome.”

“It is troublesome because it is a journalist. And we expect journalism to be open and transparent and the watchdog for government,” Lombardo said. “And when people take it upon themselves to create harm associated with that profession, I think it’s very important we put all eyes on and address the case appropriately such as we did in this case.”

German was the only journalist killed in the U.S. in 2022, with a total of at least 67 journalists killed worldwide that year, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Tropical Storm Ernesto to bring rain, flooding to Puerto Rico: Path

August 12, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — The next tropical system is forming in the Atlantic and is forecast to strengthen into Tropical Storm Ernesto before it reaches the eastern and northern Caribbean.

A tropical storm watch has been issued for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, where up to 10 inches of rain and flash flooding are possible Tuesday night through Wednesday.

After hitting Puerto Rico, most computer models show Ernesto strengthening into a hurricane.

Ernesto is forecast to move east of the U.S. mainland and approach Bermuda by Friday night into Saturday morning.

Ernesto is expected to bring rough surf and rip currents to the East Coast next weekend, but it isn’t forecast to make landfall on the U.S. mainland.

Florida woman set to stand trial for fatal shooting of neighbor Ajike Owens

August 12, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Jury selection is set to begin Monday in the trial of Susan Lorincz, the Florida woman who is charged with fatally shooting her neighbor Ajike “AJ” Owens, a Black mother of four, in 2023 amid a dispute with Owens’ children.

“The remembrance of it is very painful,” Pamela Dias, Owens’ mother, said during a June 2 gathering at Immerse Church in Ocala to commemorate Owens’ life on the one-year anniversary of the fatal shooting.

“You feel this emptiness, this void that nothing can complete, and then you couple that with the fact that you have four babies who have lost their mother,” Dias added.

The charges

Susan Lorincz, who is white, was arrested on June 6, 2023, and charged with first-degree felony manslaughter, which is punishable by up to 30 years in prison if she is convicted, according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. She was also charged with culpable negligence, battery and two counts of assault, but those lesser charges have since been dropped, according to court records.

Lorincz pleaded not guilty on July 10, 2023. She was held on a $150,000 bond and has remained in custody since her arrest last year. Lorincz’s attorney, Amanda Sizemore, previously declined to comment on the charge her client is facing and did not immediately return a request for comment from ABC News ahead of the trial.

Over the past year, Owen’s family has repeatedly called on prosecutors to upgrade the charge against Lorincz to second-degree murder, but Florida State Attorney William “Bill” Gladson said in a June 26, 2023 statement that there was insufficient evidence to prove a murder charge in court.

“As deplorable as the defendant’s actions were in this case, there is insufficient evidence to prove this specific and required element of second-degree murder,” Gladson said.

With jury selection set to begin, ABC News reached out to Owens’ family and their attorney, Anthony Thomas, for further comment.

What the video shows

According to a June 6, 2023 statement from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Lorincz allegedly shot Owens through a closed door in the presence of her now 10-year-old son after the mother of four went to speak with Lorincz about a dispute over Owens’ children playing near her home.

Ahead of Lorincz’s trial, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office released video on June 10, 2024, of Lorincz’s two-hour interrogation, which took place four days after the fatal shooting.

Lorincz claimed in her interview with detectives that she was acting in self-defense when she shot Owens.

“She was saying ‘I’m going to kill you,'” Lorincz claimed in the video.

“No one that we’ve interviewed so far has made any statements about her saying that she wanted to kill you,” one of the detectives told Lorincz.

Body camera footage released on July 3, 2023 by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office showed seven incidents between Feb. 25, 2022, and April 25, 2023 in which Lorincz called sheriff’s deputies to complain about neighborhood children, including Owens’ children, playing near her home.

The body camera videos also show a child alleging in comments to sheriff’s deputies that Lorincz called the children in the neighborhood “the N-word” and another who accused Lorincz of being “racist.”

During the interrogation, Lorincz repeatedly denied using racial slurs towards Owens and her children on the night of the shooting, but according to a police report, Lorincz admitted to calling children in the neighborhood the N-word and other derogatory terms in the past.

“I do not have a comment at this time,” Sizemore told ABC News on July 3, 2023, when asked to comment about the release of the body camera footage and the allegation that Lorincz called the children the “N-word.”

Owens’ family also called on Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody and the U.S. Department of Justice in July 2023 to review the case and consider whether the shooting was a hate crime.

Perseid meteor shower is about to peak: Here’s how to see it

August 12, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — The next great sky show is coming late Sunday evening, and it is forecast to be one of the most awe-inspiring shooting star displays of 2024.

Appearing annually between late July and mid-August, the Perseid meteor shower is expected to reach its peak on the evening of Sunday, Aug. 11, and before dawn on Monday, Aug. 12, according to NASA.

Marking one of the most plentiful meteor showers in the Northern Hemisphere, the Perseids showcase approximately 50 to 100 meteors per hour, NASA reports.

In addition to the plentiful showcase, the Perseids — which get their name from the constellation Perseus — are famous for bringing fireballs, bright colors and long meteor tails to the night sky.

“Fireballs are larger explosions of light and color that can persist longer than an average meteor streak,” according to NASA.

Skywatchers in the Southern Hemisphere, from the equator to mid-latitudes, will still get a glimpse of the shower, though it will be less pronounced than in the north.

Unfortunately, the agency notes that viewing the meteor shower this year will be “slightly impacted” by the Moon, which will be waxing at 53% in its cycle, lending more brightness in the sky to take away from the view.

The best time to view the Perseids will be past Midnight and it will become more pronounced as the sky darkens, according to NASA.

Additionally, those viewing the shower in remote locations, away from city lights, will have the best chance at a clear view, NASA says.

So, where do the Perseids come from and why do they appear annually?

Meteors are produced from comet particles and debris from broken asteroids. When comets and asteroids navigate around the Sun, they create a train of dust and debris in their wake.

Each year, the Earth rotates through the trail of debris, allowing it to impact the atmosphere and become visible to the naked eye.

Two people found dead, one injured after Maryland house explosion: Authorities

August 12, 2024 by WDNY Radio

The blast was reported around 6:42 a.m. on Arthur Woods Drive in the Harford County city of Bel Air, about 32 miles north of Baltimore, according to officials.

A 35-year-old contractor for Baltimore Gas and Electric was confirmed as the person killed by the explosion, Master Deputy Fire Marshal Oliver Alkire said Sunday. The name of the BGE contractor was not immediately released. A female neighbor living adjacent to the home that exploded was also injured, suffering cuts and bruises, and treated at the scene, Alkire said.

At 6:00 p.m. Sunday, Harford County officials said another victim was found dead in the rubble, bringing the death toll to two.

The identity of the second individual will be released by the medical examiner’s office, officials said.

At least 12 families have been displaced by the blast, according to officials, who noted the total number of damaged structures is still being counted.

“I’ve been on the job for 18 years and this was one of the largest explosions I’ve seen,” Alkire said during a news conference earlier Sunday.

Alkire said firefighters from the Harford County Fire Department were responding to a report of a gas leak in the area when the explosion occurred.

Jeffrey Sexton, a spokesperson for the Harford County Fire and EMS Association, confirmed that the remains of the BGE worker were found in a large debris field caused by the explosion.

Search-and-rescue crews on Sunday afternoon were still combing “piece by piece” through the rubble, which stretched across multiple blocks, officials said.

Alkire said that at least two BGE contract workers had also responded to the area before the explosion to investigate an electrical issue. He said the workers were aware of reports of an odor of gas in the area when the explosion occurred.

Multiple homes were damaged and a damage assessment was being conducted, according to Alkire. He said no evacuations have been ordered.

Alkire confirmed the house that exploded was for sale, but it was unclear if anyone was inside the house when it exploded. Officials described the house as being a “total loss.”

The cause of the explosion is under investigation by the Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office, the Harford County Sheriff’s Department and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Residents in the neighborhood reported hearing the loud explosion and feeling their houses shake, authorities said.

“I think it’s important to get to the bottom of it, like understand what happened so that this kind of thing doesn’t happen again,” Beyers said.

Another neighbor, Marshall Garrett, who also lives nearby, told ABC News that he immediately rushed to the scene, beating the fire engines there. He described the scene as complete devastation and said it looked like something out of a movie.

“At first, we saw, we just saw the rubble,” Garrett said. “And then we started to see the flames streak out, and the smoke goes in the air.”

1 person found dead, 1 injured after Maryland house explosion: Authorities

August 11, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(BEL AIR, Md.) — At least one person was found dead and another was injured after an explosion Sunday morning leveled a home and damaged multiple neighboring residences in a suburban Baltimore neighborhood, authorities said.