(NEW YORK) — The criminal hush money trial against former President Donald Trump is drawing to a close, with deliberations expected to begin as early as Wednesday.
But before that can happen, a fundamental step must take place: the charging of the jury.
The charging — or as it’s also known, instructing — of the jury is a standard procedural step in any jury trial, during which the judge advises jurors on how they should go about reaching their verdict. The judge will lay out the particulars of the law in question, often defining esoteric legal terminology, in order to guide the jury into an understanding of what would constitute a violation of said law.
Jurors are instructed on how to apply these guidelines to the evidence presented during trial — which in this case, includes the testimony of 20 witnesses and over 250 exhibits — to determine whether the prosecution has proven their case against the defendant.
How Judge Juan Merchan instructs the jury — and how the jury understands those instructions — will be critical to how this historic case is decided, experts told ABC News.
“I can’t overemphasize the importance of the judge’s instructions — jurors cling very tightly to the roadmap the judge provides,” Cheryl Bader, a professor at Fordham Law, told ABC News. “The verdict is not just a determination of what facts the jury believes, it is the intersection of facts and law together.”
In a pre-charge conference Tuesday, during which the prosecution and defense sparred over what should be included in jury instructions, Merchan said he would ensure the instructions were clear and comprehensible.
“We want to make it as easy as possible for the jury,” he said.
Merchan will instruct jurors that they must find Trump guilty “beyond a reasonable doubt” in order to convict. As with any criminal case, the burden of proof lies with the prosecution — meaning prosecutors must prove Trump is guilty, and the defense does not have to prove Trump’s innocence.
Merchan is also likely to inform jurors that they must only consider evidence presented during the trial, and not allow bias or sympathy to sway their decision. They will also be instructed they cannot hold Trump’s decision not to testify against him.
Trump is charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records — a crime that can be tried as a misdemeanor, but may be elevated to a felony when the act was done in an effort to cover up an underlying crime. Prosecutors have suggested Trump violated election laws by concealing a hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in order to protect damaging information about himself from coming out ahead of the 2016 presidential race. Trump has pleaded not guilty and denied any wrongdoing.
The crime-within-a-crime nature of the felony charge means instructing the jury may be a complicated task. In a motion earlier in the case, Merchan ruled against requiring prosecutors to specifically identify the underlying crime they believe Trump committed — but jurors will need to have a solid grasp on what that alleged underlying crime is in order to decide whether Trump is guilty of the felony charges.
The prosecution and the defense have disagreed over what exactly the jury must find proven in order to convict. Defense attorney Emil Bove has argued they must find Trump acted willfully in order to be found guilty, saying “there must be a criminal object” of the alleged conspiracy to hide damaging information from voters ahead of the 2016 election.
Prosecutors argued the jury should be told that Trump could be convicted because he caused false entries into the Trump Organization’s general ledger through controller Jeff McConney and his deputy Deb Tarasoff, both of whom testified at trial. The defense suggested in opening statements that Trump could be acquitted since he himself did not enter accounting records but left it to others.
“Explaining the law around the specific charges here will likely be more challenging and contentious than in a typical assault or robbery case because of the way this case is charged,” Bader said. “It will be interesting to see what federal or state election law is explained to the jurors in the judge’s charge.”
Much of the case will hinge on whose story jurors believe — do they trust Trump, whose attorneys say he paid the hush money not to influence the election, but to protect his family and reputation? Or do they believe former Trump fixer Michael Cohen and the other witnesses who support his claims? The defense has painted the prosecution’s star witness as a serial liar with a vendetta against the former president.
But how the jury approaches the issue of credibility is inherently subjective and impossible to predict.
“They can choose to accept all, part or none of the testimony of any witness — as they are the sole arbiters of credibility,” Bader said.
If Trump is found guilty, the defense can be expected to appeal the conviction, in which case jury instructions can play a pivotal role.
“Because a judge’s charging decisions rest on determinations of law, they are fertile ground for appeal,” Bader said.
(NEW YORK) — A father and his teenage son have drowned at a lake in Virginia after the child’s father tried to rescue him, according to authorities.
The incident occurred at approximately 1:10 p.m. on Saturday afternoon when authorities from the Louisa County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call regarding a drowning child in the area of Carrs Bridge Road in Lake Anna, Virginia — some 60 miles northwest of Richmond, according to a statement from the Louisa County Sheriff’s Office released on Sunday.
“While en route deputies were advised that the father of the child had attempted to locate/rescue his son,” according to police. “It was reported that witnesses observed the father struggling, just before losing sight of him as well. Several people went into the water in an attempt to locate them but were unsuccessful.”
Louisa County Sheriff’s Office Marine Units, Mineral Volunteer Fire, Lake Anna Volunteer Rescue, the Department of Wildlife Resources, and Spotsylvania County Fire & EMS Dive Team divers helped with locating and recovering the bodies of the 42-year-old father and his 14-year-old son, who were pronounced dead on the scene.
Both of the victims were subsequently transported to the Office of the Medical Examiner in Richmond for examination.
Authorities have not yet identified the victims but did confirm that neither of them were from the area and that their names were being withheld pending notification of next of kin. The Louisa County Sheriff’s Office does not suspect any type of foul play.
Police say that this is currently an active investigation and anyone who has information about this incident is asked to call the Louisa County Sheriff’s Office CID Unit at (540) 967-1234 or anonymously at Louisa Crime Solvers at (800) 346-1466. All calls to LOUISA CRIME-SOLVERS are confidential and callers can remain anonymous and be eligible for a reward.
Omarion Hookfin, Jamarcus Cyprian, Travon Johnson and Avery Guidry in photos released by police. (Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office)
(NEW YORK) — Police in Louisiana said Monday they caught two of the four inmates who escaped from jail over the weekend, unbeknownst to the guards who were supposed to be watching them.
Omarion Hookfin, 19; Avery Guidry, 19; Jamarcus Cyprian, 20, and Travon Johnson, 21, who were all incarcerated at the Tangipahoa Parish Jail, escaped through a weak portion of the jail’s chain-linked fence on Saturday and Sunday, Chief Jimmy Travis of the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office told reporters during a news conference Monday.
The jail’s officials did not know about the breakouts until they received a phone call Sunday afternoon from a family member of one of the escapees, Travis said. The relative alerted them that two inmates escaped Saturday and came to a relative’s house in the middle of the night looking for a place to stay, Travis said.
By the time jail staff acted, two other inmates had already escaped, according to the chief.
“It’s very concerning. If the proper head counts had been conducted, we would [have] known about it immediately,” Travis said.
The chief, however, said it wasn’t long before investigators found Johnson and Guidry, according to police, after receiving a call from someone who said they saw them.
The pair, who were arrested in connection with a 2022 homicide in Hammond, Louisiana, were hiding in a dumpster behind a Dollar General store roughly 22 miles from the jail, according to police.
Hookfin, who was also arrested in connection with the same 2022 homicide, and Cyprian, who was serving time for armed robbery and weapon charges, according to police records, are still on the loose and likely outside of Tangipahoa Parish, Travis said.
Travis said the investigation into the breakout is still ongoing as investigators are reviewing all evidence and clues, but he said it appeared the suspects allegedly broke through a corroded piece of the fence during recreation time.
“Apparently they made their way, they hid and after dark, they went under a wall and they were able to scale two fences and get away,” Travis said about the Saturday escape.
Travis could not immediately reveal which detainee escaped when, only that two fled on Saturday and two fled on Sunday.
The chief acknowledged that the jail was short-staffed and some staffers were inexperienced, but he said that was no excuse for what happened.
“We had a failure within that we have to correct and move forward,” Travis said.
Anyone with information on the suspects can call Crime Stoppers of Tangipahoa’s anonymous tip line at 800-554-5245 or visit www.tangicrimestoppers.com.
(NEW YORK) — Bill Walton, the legendary basketball player and sportscaster, died Monday at 71, according to the NBA.
The two-time NBA champion and Hall of Famer died of cancer and was surrounded by family, the NBA said.
In a statement, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver called Walton “truly one of a kind.”
“As a Hall of Fame player, he redefined the center position,” Silver said. “His unique all-around skills made him a dominant force at UCLA and led to an NBA regular-season and Finals MVP, two NBA championships and a spot on the NBA’s 50th and 75th Anniversary Teams.”
(NEW YORK) — The Pennsylvania father who was held in Turks and Caicos over ammunition in his baggage said he was preparing for “doomsday” as he waited to learn if he would be sent to prison for more than a decade.
In an exclusive interview with “Good Morning America,” Bryan Hagerich and his wife, Ashley Hagerich, said they put together a list of everything he would need if he was given the full 12-year sentence by a judge. Turks and Caicos has one of the Caribbean’s strictest gun laws.
“Prison is a whole different feeling that, even to this day, right now, I don’t think you can ever prepare yourself for it,” Hagerich told “GMA” correspondent Matt Rivers.
Watch more of Brian and Ashley Hagerich’s interview on “Good Morning America,” Tuesday, May 28, at 7 a.m. ET.
Bryan Hagerich, a father of two, pleaded guilty to possession of 20 rounds of ammunition after he was arrested in February, saying he forgot hunting ammunition was in his bag while he was traveling. He was forced to stay in Turks and Caicos until his court case was finished.
Ashley Hagerich told “GMA” that she brought two suitcases to Turks and Caicos in preparation for last Friday’s sentencing hearing.
“The black suitcase was home [and] the green suitcase was doomsday,” she said.
In the end, the doomsday suitcase wasn’t needed.
A judge sentenced Bryan Hagerich to a suspended 52-week sentence with a fine of $6,700, which he soon paid. He was given his passport and returned to the United States without serving the sentence.
He arrived back in Pennsylvania late Friday, hugging his kids at the airport.
Bryan Hagerich was one of five American tourists arrested in Turks and Caicos in the last six months over the country’s gun control laws that ban civilian possession of firearms and ammunition.
Defendants face a minimum 12-year sentence for violating the laws.
Ryan Watson of Oklahoma, Michael Lee Evans of Texas, Tyler Scott Wenrich of Virginia, and Sharitta Shinise Grier of Florida, have all been charged after ammunition was found in their luggage.
Each of the defendants said they did not intentionally pack the ammunition. Evans was able to leave the island due to a medical condition while out on bail and is awaiting sentencing.
The remaining Americans are out on bail but aren’t allowed to leave Turks and Caicos.
ABC News’ Meredith Deliso contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden, in his Memorial Day message to the nation, said Americans have a “responsibility” to uphold democratic ideals for which so many service members and their families have sacrificed
In a speech at the amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery, on a cloudy morning in Washington, Biden honored those who served in every major conflict since the Civil War.
“Every generation, our fallen heroes have brought us closer,” he continued. “Today we are not just fortunate heirs of their legacy. We have a responsibility to be the keepers of their mission. That truest memorial of their lives. The actions we take every day to ensure our democracy endures. The very idea of America endures.”
Biden, addressing military families of those who have lost loved ones, said he knows how difficult it can be after losing his son Beau to brain cancer in 2015. President Biden on Monday reiterated his belief the cancer stemmed from exposure to burn pits during his deployment in Iraq.
“I know it hurts. The hurt is still real, still raw,” he said, noting this week will mark the 9th years since Beau’s death. “The pain of his loss is with me everyday as it is for so many of you. Still sharp, still clear but so is the pride I feel in his service as if I can still hear him saying, ‘It’s my duty, dad, it’s my duty.'”
The video player is currently playing an ad. You can skip the ad in 5 sec with a mouse or keyboard “On this day we came together again to reflect, to remember but above all, to recommit to the future they fought for,” he added. “A future grounded in freedom, democracy, opportunity and equality not just for some but for all.”
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Gen. C.Q. Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also delivered remarks during Monday’s ceremony thanking service members and their families.
Before his remarks, Biden took part in the traditional wreath-laying at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. After presenting the wreath at the memorial, also known as the Tomb of the Unknowns, Biden made the sign of the cross.
He was joined at the ceremony by Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary Austin. The three leaders stood with their hands over their hearts as the taps played.
Earlier Monday, Biden hosted a breakfast at the White House with administration officials, military leadership, veterans and Gold Star family members to mark Memorial Day.
Next week, President Biden will travel to Normandy, France to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
In his speech on Monday, Biden highlighted those who fought on that day as “members of the greatest generation who, 80 years ago next week, liberated a continent and saved the world.”
The president went on to praised all those who’ve battled against fascism, communism and terrorism.
“Decade after decade, tour after tour, these wars fought for our freedom and the freedom of others because freedom has never been guaranteed,” Biden said.
“Every generation has to earn it, fight for it, defend it in battle between autocracy and democracy, between the greed of a few and the rights of many,” he continued. “It matters. Our democracy is more than just a system of government. It is the very soul of America.”
Austin arrive for a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington As President Biden spent the morning at Arlington National Cemetery, former President Donald Trump — the presumptive Republican nominee and Biden’s 2024 challenger– posted some messages to his social media platform to mark Memorial Day.
One post included a photo of Trump giving a salute with the caption, “We can never replace them. We can never repay them, but we can always remember. Today, that is what we are doing — we remember.”
In a subsequent post, however, Trump briefly mention Memorial Day before attacking E. Jean Carroll, who successfully brought a defamation case against him, and Judge Arthur Engoron, who oversaw his civil business fraud trial in New York.
“Happy Memorial Day to All, including the Human Scum that is working so hard to destroy our Once Great Country, & to the Radical Left,” Trump wrote.
(NEW YORK) — Over the last six weeks, the jury in Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial witnessed a marathon of testimony.
Among the 22 witnesses who took the stand, jurors heard from Trump’s former lawyer, an adult film actress, two of Trump’s executive assistants, a tabloid executive, a top White House aide, and a flurry of custodial witnesses as prosecutors sought to show that Trump falsified business records to hide the reimbursement of a hush money payment his then-attorney Michael Cohen made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels to boost Trump’s electoral prospects in the 2016 presidential election.
Defense lawyers told a markedly different story, pinning the responsibility for the invoices on Cohen and suggesting that Trump — who has denied all wrongdoing — was simply protecting his family from false allegations.
Ahead of closing arguments on Tuesday, here is a summary of what each witness said on the stand.
David Pecker, former publisher of the National Enquirer Pecker told jurors that he agreed to serve as the “eyes and ears” of Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign by flagging any potentially negative stories to Cohen, who could then coordinate a way to kill them.
Pecker testified that his company made two catch-and-kill payments to honor his agreement with Trump, paying $30,000 to a former doorman who falsely alleged that Trump had a child out of wedlock, and $150,000 to former Playboy model Karen McDougal in exchange for her silence about an alleged affair with Trump that he denied took place.
Pecker also said he flagged Stormy Daniels’ potential story to Cohen in October 2016, but declined to make the $130,000 hush money payment out of his own pocket.
Rhona Graff, Donald Trump’s longtime executive assistant During 35 minutes of testimony, Graff testified that she created contact entries in the Trump Organization’s computer system for both McDougal and Daniels. She also testified that at one point she saw Daniels in Trump Tower on the same floor as the former president’s office.
Gary Farro, former Managing Director at First Republic Bank Farro described what he said was Michael Cohen’s frantic effort in October 2016 to create bank accounts for two shell companies, Resolution Consultants LLC and Essential Consultants LLC, which were described in applications as real estate consulting companies.
Farro said that had Cohen been truthful about the purpose of the accounts — which were created to make hush money payments as part of the catch-and-kill plan –the accounts and wire transfers would have likely been delayed or not approved.
Robert Browning, Executive Director of C-SPAN Archives Browning served as a custodial witness to verify two campaign videos of Trump in 2016, and one speech after Trump was elected.
In one of the videos, Trump denied any of the allegations made against him by women and suggested that the accusations could result in him losing the 2016 election. Prosecutors say that concern prompted Trump to make the Stormy Daniels hush money payment.
Philip Thompson, Esquire Deposition Solutions Thompson served as a custodial witness to authenticate the transcript and video from Trump’s deposition in E. Jean Carroll’s defamation case.
Keith Davidson, ex-attorney for Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels Davidson testified about his role brokering the hush money payments for Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels. While Davidson testified that Cohen ultimately made Daniels’ payment out of his own pocket, he said that he understood that Trump would effectively fund and be the beneficiary of the payment.
During his testimony, jurors also heard a secretly made recording of a conversation between Davidson and Cohen, in which Cohen spoke about Trump’s alleged take on the Daniels payment.
“I can’t even tell you how many times he said to me, you know, ‘I hate the fact that we did it.’ And my comment to him was, ‘But every person that you’ve spoken to told you it was the right move,'” Cohen said in the recording.
Douglas Daus, Analyst for Manhattan DA’s Office Daus testified as a custodial witness about his work extracting the contents of Michael Cohen’s two iPhones. During Daus’ testimony, prosecutors introduced into evidence a recording that Cohen secretly made of a 2016 conversation with Trump.
“I need to open up a company for the transfer of all of that info regarding our friend, David, you know, so that — I’m going to do that right away,” Cohen said on the recording.
“So, what do we got to pay for this? One-fifty?” Trump said in an apparent reference to the $150,000 hush money payment to Karen McDougal.
Georgia Longstreet, Paralegal for Manhattan DA’s Office Longstreet testified as a custodial witness to introduce evidence that included Donald Trump’s social media posts.
Hope Hicks, former White House Communications Director Hicks, formerly one of Trump’s most trusted advisers, told jurors that Trump told her in 2018 that he preferred the story of Stormy Daniels’ affair allegations come out then, rather than before the 2016 election.
“I think Mr. Trump’s opinion was it was better to be dealing with it now, and that it would have been bad to have that story come out before the election,” Hicks said before breaking down on the witness stand.
Hicks also said Trump told her that Cohen had made the payment to Daniels on his own — but that she doubted that was true, because, she said, “I didn’t know Michael to be an especially charitable person, or selfless person. He was the kind of person who seeks credit.”
During her cross-examination, Hicks helped corroborate a defense argument that Trump was a family man who cared about the impact of the allegations on his family.
“I don’t think he wanted anyone in his family to be hurt or embarrassed by anything that was happening on the campaign,” Hicks said. “He wanted them to be proud of him.”
Jeffrey McConney, Former Trump Organization Controller McConney told jurors about his role reimbursing Michael Cohen in 2017 for his $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels and other expenses.
According to McConney, then-Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg instructed him to approve twelve $35,000 payments to Cohen for the Daniels payment reimbursement, as well as for another reimbursement and his annual bonus.
Deborah Tarasoff, Trump Organization Accounts Payable Supervisor Tarasoff testified about her role processing Michael Cohen’s 2017 invoices, which were labeled as payment for legal services but actually reimbursed Cohen for the Daniels payment and other expenses.
According to Tarasoff, McConney instructed her to approve the invoices as legal expenses, which she did when she processed the invoices in the Trump Organization’s system.
Sally Franklin, Penguin Random House Executive Testifying as a custodial witness, Franklin read quotes from two of Trump’s books, “Think Like a Billionaire” and “How to Get Rich” that highlighted Trump’s frugality and hands-on approach to business.
Stormy Daniels, Adult Film Actress and Producer Stormy Daniels, the stage name of Stephanie Clifford, detailed her alleged sexual encounter with Trump that prosecutors say the then-Republican nominee attempted to illegally hide from voters before the 2016 election. Trump has denied the encounter ever took place.
“When I opened the bathroom door to come out, Mr. Trump had come into the bedroom and was on the bed, basically between myself and the exit,” Daniels told jurors about the alleged 2006 sexual encounter. “I wasn’t expecting someone to be there, especially minus a lot of clothing. That’s when I had that moment where I felt the room spin in slow motion. I felt the blood basically leave my hands and my feet.”
According to Daniels, Cohen’s offer to buy her story for $130,000 in 2016 was the “perfect solution” because it allowed her to profit from the story without having to go public and put her safety at risk.
Rebecca Manochio, Trump Organization Junior Bookkeeper Manochio testified about the next step in the process to repay Cohen in 2017: taking unsigned checks from Tarasoff and sending them to the White House for Trump’s signature.
Tracy Menzies, HarperCollins Executive Menzies read quotes from Trump’s book “Think Big” to highlight the former president’s emphasis on loyalty.
Madeleine Westerhout, Former Director of Oval Office Operations Westerhout told jurors that she normally received bundles of checks in the mail from Manochio, which she would hand to Trump for his signature. Once Trump signed the checks, Westerhout said she mailed the checks back to the Trump Organization in New York.
Westerhout offered conflicting descriptions of Trump’s attentiveness and intentionality when signing checks, first telling jurors that Trump examined all documents before signing them, then later testifying on cross-examination that Trump sometimes signed documents without looking them over.
Daniel Dixon, Analyst for AT&T Dixon testified as a custodian of records for AT&T, allowing prosecutors to enter Michael Cohen’s cellphone records into evidence.
Jenny Tomalin, Analyst for Verizon Tomalin testified as a custodial witness to allow prosecutors to get Allen Weisselberg’s cellphone records into evidence.
Jaden Jarmel-Schneider, Paralegal for Manhattan DA’s Office Jarmel-Schneider testified that he created several summary charts to simplify the display of the phone records and the allegedly falsified business records in the case.
Michael Cohen, Trump’s Former Attorney Across four days of testimony, Cohen testified that he was acting on Trump’s orders when he worked to kill negative stories, and that he kept Trump apprised of every step along the way, telling jurors “everything required Mr. Trump’s signoff.”
“What I was doing, I was doing at the direction and for the benefit of Mr. Trump,” Cohen testified.
Cohen said he spoke with Trump more than 20 times in October 2016 to discuss how to handle the allegations from Stormy Daniels.
“He said to me, ‘This is a disaster, total disaster. Women are going to hate me,'” Cohen testified about a meeting in Trump Tower.. “Guys may think it’s cool, but this is going to be a disaster for the campaign.”‘
Cohen also recounted a 2017 meeting with Trump and Weisselberg in Trump Tower just days before the inauguration where Trump agreed to the plan to reimburse Cohen for the Daniels hush money payment.
“He approved it,’ Cohen said. “And he also said, ‘This is going to be one heck of a ride in D.C.'”
Defense lawyer Todd Blanche delivered his most successful blow to Cohen’s credibility when he presented evidence to suggest that an Oct. 24, 2016, phone call — which Cohen testified he made to confirm the plan to go forward with the $130,000 payment to Daniels — was actually just Cohen complaining about a teenage prank caller to Trump’s security guard.
Defense lawyers also confronted Cohen about stealing $30,000 from the Trump Organization when he requested a $50,000 reimbursement for an IT expense that actually cost him $20,000.
Daniel Sitko, Legal Analyst at Blanche Law Sitko testified about a summary chart he created about phone calls between defense witness Bob Costello and Michael Cohen.
Robert Costello, Former Legal Adviser to Michael Cohen Costello, then a close associate of Rudy Giuliani, told jurors about his meetings and phone calls with Cohen in 2018 after FBI agents raided Cohen’s office and hotel room seeking evidence in the Stormy Daniels case. Costello advised Cohen and offered to pass messages to the White House through Giuliani, according to Cohen, but Costello never formally represented Cohen as his lawyer.
“Michael Cohen said, numerous times, that President Trump knew nothing about those payments, that he did this on his own, and he repeated that numerous times,” Costello testified about the Stormy Daniels hush money payment. But Cohen testified that he lied to Costello about Trump’s involvement in the arrangement because he didn’t trust him. Prosecutors also cast doubt on Costello’s credibility by highlighting a series of emails that suggested he was acting to advance Trump’s interests, not Cohen’s.
During one of the most dramatic moments of the trial, Judge Juan Merchan cleared the courtroom during Costello’s testimony and threatened to kick Costello off the witness stand for his “contemptuous” conduct.
Following Costello’s testimony, the defense rested without Trump taking the stand in his own defense.
(KAUAI, Hawaii.) — Scientists may have found the mechanism behind the unusual explosive eruptions seen at one of the most active volcanoes in the world.
Kilauea, located at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island, experienced at least a dozen instances in 2018 when lava was spewing from the crater like a “stomp-rocket toy,” a children’s toy that involves launching a rocket into the air after stomping on the release mechanism, according to a paper published Monday in Nature Geosciences.
The unusual eruption behavior likely contributed to the severity of that lava flow that year that destroyed more than 600 properties, Josh Crozier, a geologist at Stanford University and lead researcher of the study, told ABC News.
The eruptions — sometimes up to 30 feet high — were atypical because explosive eruptions are typically driven by either rising molten rock — magma — or by expanding steam from magma heating underground water. The stomp-rocket toy mechanism geologists believe caused the 2018 eruptions likely stemmed from the collapse of the magma reservoir, which suddenly increased the pressure of gas trapped in the chamber and lead to an explosive eruption.
A combination of seismic and geodetic instruments indicate a large, abrupt inflation of all the ground around the magma reservoir, while infrasound measurements that essentially measure low frequency sounds suggest a drop in air pressure, Crozier said.
“It’s really quite different from a typical spectrum of groundwater-driven, magma-driven eruptions,” he said.
The findings also may help to explain the formation of atmospheric plumes of hot gas and rock particles erupted by the volcano, the researchers said.
When the plumes are that high, it creates aviation hazards, falling ash and the release of gases, Crozier said.
Abnormal eruptions at Kilauea have been documented as early as the 1920s, which began a series of relatively large explosive eruptions, said Crozier, who conducted the study during his time with the U.S. Geological Survey.
In 2018, the extra explosive activity at the summit helped to drive the heavy outpouring of the magma, Crozier said. The lava then poured along the east rift zone of the volcano, damaging hundreds of homes on its path toward the ocean, he added.
Each time there was a collapse event at the summit, it pushed up the explosive plumes and increased the pressure at the summit magma reservoir, which then increased the rate at which the magma was pushed out, Crozier said.
The stomp-rocket mechanism may not be unique to Kilauea and may have also occurred eruptions at other volcanoes around in the world, several of which have occurred in the past century, according to the study.
Similar eruptions at Kilauea could occur in the future, but it would be “highly unlikely” in the next decade, Crozier said.
“Importantly, they can happen in potentially conditions where you wouldn’t otherwise necessarily expect an explosive eruption to come out of the volcano summit,” Crozier said of the unique mechanism. “So it’s certainly something to be aware of is a possibility in these volcanoes.”
Understanding the dynamics of plume formation, especially those that contain hot gas and rock particles that can be hazards to human health, are important to forecast to residents living nearby, the researchers said.
(Plymouth, Mass.) — A 26-year-old man will face charges including assault with intent to murder, and two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, after police allege, he stabbed two people at a local rest-stop restaurant on Saturday.
Authorities identified the suspect Sunday afternoon as 26-year-old Jared Ravizza.
Ravizza was arrested Saturday night, but is currently in a local hospital receiving medical treatment for non-life-threatening injuries.
Prosecutors said Sunday they believe the man is linked to the alleged stabbing of four girls inside a movie theater in a nearby town.
The DA’s office said Ravizza allegedly stabbed two employees of a McDonald’s in Plymouth, Massachusetts, before being arrested in the town of Sandwich.
At approximately 7:00 p.m. ET, authorities received a 911 call for a stabbing at a McDonald’s, located at the Route 3 rest area in Plymouth, and noted that the suspect had fled the scene, according to a press release from prosecutors.
Upon arrival, emergency personnel discovered two victims — a 21-year-old female and a 28-year-old male, both with knife laceration injuries — prosecutors said, noting they were transferred to local hospitals.
Security footage showed a suspect, believed to be Ravizza, stab the male victim with a large knife through the drive-thru window before parking his car, entering the McDonald’s and stabbing the female victim, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors said Ravizza allegedly fled the scene in his car after the attack.
Authorities arrested Ravizza at approximately 7:15 p.m. in Sandwich.
An hour before the attack at the McDonald’s, there was a stabbing spree at a movie theater in Braintree, Massachusetts, that left four girls injured, according to Braintree Police.
At 6 p.m. Saturday evening, a man entered a theater at the AMC Braintree 10, authorities said.
Once inside the theater, the suspect stabbed four females between the ages of 9 and 17 years old, police said, adding that the attack appeared to be unprovoked and without warning. The four girls sustained non-life-threatening injuries and were transported to Boston hospitals for treatment, police said.
The suspect allegedly left the scene in a black SUV, police said. Using video footage in their investigation, police were able to identify a license plate and alert other law enforcement agencies.
It was after this alert that authorities discovered that a car matching the description was involved in a “similar assault” at the McDonald’s in Plymouth.
Although Ravizza has not been charged in the stabbing of four young girls at AMC, authorities believe the incidents are connected.
An ABC News graphic shows the weather forecast for Memorial Day, May 27, 2024. — ABC News
(NEW YORK) — Severe weather is expected on Memorial Day to move into the East Coast’s I-95 corridor, bringing with it damaging winds, hail and maybe even a few tornadoes.
Sunday was the most active severe weather day so far this year with at least 576 severe storm reports. And 2024 so far has been the most active severe weather year in 13 years, since 2011. So far, the U.S. has had 5,205 severe weather reports.
There were at least 72 reported tornadoes since Friday in 12 states: Wisconsin, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa, North Dakota and North Carolina.
The tornado watch continues until 8 a.m. Monday across the South, where a few tornadoes could be possible.
A severe thunderstorm watch was issued on Monday morning for Alabama, including Birmingham, until 9 a.m. CT, with damaging winds being the biggest threat.
Severe weather is expected on Monday afternoon to move to the East Coast and the Southeast U.S. It will stretch from New York state all the way down to Alabama, including major cities such as: New York City, Philadelphia, D.C., Raleigh, Charleston, Atlanta and Montgomery.
Damaging winds and large hail will be the main threat, but a few tornadoes cannot be ruled out, especially from Pennsylvania to North Carolina, including Philadelphia, D.C., Richmond and Raleigh.
Record heat near the Gulf on Memorial Day
Record heat has been plaguing the South from Florida to Texas for weeks now, and Sunday was no different. Record highs were tied or broken on Sunday in the Gulf States. Del Rio, Texas, hit a record of 112 degrees, while Abilene, Texas, tied its record of 102 degrees.
In Florida, West Palm Beach hit 98 degrees, while both Fort Lauderdale and Miami hit 96 degrees.
More record heat expected Monday with an excessive heat warning issued for Houston for the first time in May. The city might reach a high of 98 degrees today, although the city would feel closer to 114, according to the heat index.
A heat advisory was issued for New Orleans, Louisiana, which could feel like 108 degrees, although the actual temperature is expected at about 93 degrees. Melbourne, Florida, is expected to approach 95 degrees.
