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(NEW YORK) — The off-campus house where four University of Idaho students were killed will be demolished on Thursday, despite mixed feelings from victims’ families.

In the early hours of Nov. 13, 2022, roommates Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen and Xana Kernodle, and Kernodle’s boyfriend Ethan Chapin, were stabbed to death inside the girls’ home in Moscow, Idaho. Two other roommates survived.

The suspect, Bryan Kohberger, who was a criminology Ph.D. student at nearby Washington State University at the time of the murders, was arrested weeks later. He has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting a trial date.

The University of Idaho announced on Dec. 14 that demolition of the house would begin on the morning of Dec. 28. Demolition could take several days, the university said.

University officials said they decided to tear down the house during winter break to try “to decrease further impact on the students who live in that area.”

Kaylee Goncalves’ family is firmly against knocking down the house at this time, saying doing so would “destroy one of the most critical pieces of evidence in the case” before a trial date is even set.

“It is obvious from the two recent visits to the house, by both the Prosecution and the Defense, that there is still evidentiary value in having the King Road house still standing. There may be additional discovery by either party that prompts one side or the other to go back to the scene of the crime,” the Goncalves family said in a statement this month. “Jurors are notoriously unpredictable and they tend to make decisions on a variety of facts and circumstances. It would be foolish of us to try and foresee what they will want or need to make a just verdict in this case.”

“It’s like screaming into a void,” the family said. “Nobody is listening.”

The Goncalves and Kernodle families issued a strong new statement on the eve of the demolition pushing for a trial date to be set and urging the university to not tear down the house until the trial is completed.

They cited eight reasons they say the house could hold evidentiary value for the trial, including: all of the entry and exit points in the home; where any potential biological evidence was found inside or outside the house; and if the house itself could have been a target for the crime.

But Ethan Chapin’s parents said they’re supportive of the demolition. Ethan was a triplet and his brother and sister are both current University of Idaho students.

The Chapins said the demolition is “for the good of the University, its students (including our own kids), and the community of Moscow.”

University President Scott Green said, “While we appreciate the emotional connection some family members of the victims may have to this house, it is time for its removal and to allow the collective healing of our community to continue.”

The university added, “After the trial was delayed earlier this fall, both prosecution and defense asked for access to the house and have both gone into the house in the last two months. Neither has asked for the house to be retained.”

 

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(NEW YORK) — Much of the Northeast was soaked by heavy rainfall overnight and into Thursday morning, after daily records were set in several areas of Pennsylvania and Delaware on Wednesday.

The heavy rain overnight targeted Philadelphia, New York City and New Haven, Connecticut.

The bulk of the rain was moving fast enough that widespread flooding was not an issue, but pockets of torrential rain were leading to localized flash flooding.

Several cities in the mid-Atlantic saw daily records on Wednesday, including Allentown, Pennsylvania, which received about 2.05 inches of rain. That topped the previous record of 1.55 inches, which was set in 1930.

Two other Pennsylvania areas broke or tied their records on Wednesday. Mount Pocono’s rainfall hit 1.49 inches, beating the 1.39-inch record set in 2011. And Reading logged 1.4 inches, matching the record from 1930.

Wilmington, Delaware, also recorded a new daily rainfall record at 1.84 inches, besting a record of 1.76 inches in a single day in 1930.

As Thursday morning progresses, rain is expected to continue to hit New England from Massachusetts and Vermont to New Hampshire and Maine.

 

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(NEW YORK) — This year, state legislators introduced and passed a record-breaking number of legislative efforts targeting LGBTQ healthcare, access to public accommodations, inclusion in education, and more in the U.S.

The American Civil Liberties Union said it recorded at least 508 bills impacting the community in 2023, adding 84 of these bills were passed into law.

The rise in legislation coincided with an increase in threats of violence against the LGBTQ community, with federal security agencies sounding the alarm. However, activists say that despite the record-breaking wave of anti-LGBTQ bills, other lawmakers have stepped up to combat such efforts.

“We’ve also witnessed incredible moments of strength in states and communities across the country who have made sure this political assault does not go unnoticed or is made any easier for politicians opposed to our very existence,” said Gillian Branstetter, Communications Strategist at the ACLU, in a statement to ABC News.

The vast majority of legislation passed across the country has impacted gender-affirming care for minors, blocking trans youth from accessing treatments in some cases including puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and surgeries.

These laws do not restrict such treatments for cisgender or intersex youth.

“For transgender people and our families across the country, 2023 was a devastating year of attacks on our safety, our dignity, and our freedom,” said Branstetter. “The spreading bans and restrictions on our health care are an especially acute threat to our liberty and well-being, one we only expect to grow more dangerous in the next year.”

Supporters of these laws believe that gender transitioning is harmful to youth and young adults. Some say patients should wait until they are older to make this kind of health decision.

In a March post on X, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said he signed the bill in his state that banned doctors from starting hormone therapy for transgender youth under the age of 18 “to ensure we protect the health and wellbeing of Georgia’s children.”

“As Georgians, parents, and elected leaders, it is our highest responsibility to safeguard the bright, promising futures of our kids — and SB 140 takes an important step in fulfilling that mission,” he continued.

In September, a judge allowed the state to enforce the ban after a suit was filed, the Associated Press reported.

Major national medical associations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and over 20 more agree that gender-affirming care is safe, effective, beneficial, and medically necessary.

Transgender youth are more likely to experience anxiety, depressed mood, and suicidal ideation and attempts, often due to gender-related discrimination and gender dysphoria, according to the CDC. Gender-affirming hormone therapy has been proven to improve the mental health of transgender adolescents and teenagers, according to a recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine.

At least 14 laws impacting the LGBTQ community – including restrictions on drag performances, LGBTQ content in schools and gender-affirming care – are in the midst of court battles.

Even as the year comes to an end, some of these legislative efforts continue to trudge their way forward.

The Ohio legislature passed a bill restricting certain transgender rights for minors in the state on Dec. 13, and it is being considered on the desk of Republican Gov. Richard DeWine.

In Wisconsin, the legislature is considering legislation restricting transgender participation in sports. However, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has vowed to combat legislation he considers harmful to the LGBTQ community. He previously vetoed a bill that would outlaw gender-affirming care for minors.

However, several states have instead passed protections for the LGBTQ community this year, including Minnesota, Michigan, New York, and California.

“The silver lining in this year of challenge is the way LGBTQ people and our allies showed up for our community and for everyone’s fundamental freedoms,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of LGBTQ media advocacy group GLAAD.

She continued – pointing to LGBTQ support in pop culture, politics, and religious spaces – “Using our visibility, voices, and power, LGBTQ people have so much to be grateful for and continue to fight for in 2024.”

New protections included historic civil rights amendments protecting LGBTQ+ people, bans on conversion therapy, cultural competency programs in schools, and more.

The Equality Act, which would protect LGBTQ+ people from discrimination on a federal level, was also reintroduced in Congress by four Democratic legislators amid a nationwide rise in anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment that has led to an increase in violence and threats against the queer community. However, the act has yet to gain traction.

“Despite these setbacks, however, we have still achieved numerous wins for equality: from Minnesota passing a conversion therapy ban into law to Michigan enacting its historic civil rights amendment protecting LGBTQ+ people,” said Sarah Warbelow, the vice president of legal efforts at Human Rights Campaign, in a statement to ABC News.

“Looking ahead to next year, we will remain steadfast in the fight against legislation targeting peoples’ lives and the radical hate that comes with it,” Warbelow added.

 

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(NEW YORK) — The off-campus house where four University of Idaho students were killed will be demolished on Thursday, despite mixed feelings from victims’ families.

In the early hours of Nov. 13, 2022, roommates Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen and Xana Kernodle, and Kernodle’s boyfriend Ethan Chapin, were stabbed to death inside the girls’ home in Moscow, Idaho. Two other roommates survived.

The suspect, Bryan Kohberger, who was a criminology Ph.D. student at nearby Washington State University at the time of the murders, was arrested weeks later. He has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting a trial date.

The University of Idaho announced on Dec. 14 that demolition of the house would begin on the morning of Dec. 28. Demolition could take several days, the university said.

University officials said they decided to tear down the house during winter break to try “to decrease further impact on the students who live in that area.”

Kaylee Goncalves’ family is firmly against knocking down the house at this time, saying doing so would “destroy one of the most critical pieces of evidence in the case” before a trial date is even set.

“It is obvious from the two recent visits to the house, by both the Prosecution and the Defense, that there is still evidentiary value in having the King Road house still standing. There may be additional discovery by either party that prompts one side or the other to go back to the scene of the crime,” the Goncalves family said in a statement this month. “Jurors are notoriously unpredictable and they tend to make decisions on a variety of facts and circumstances. It would be foolish of us to try and foresee what they will want or need to make a just verdict in this case.”

“It’s like screaming into a void,” the family said. “Nobody is listening.”

The Goncalves and Kernodle families issued a strong new statement on the eve of the demolition pushing for a trial date to be set and urging the university to not tear down the house until the trial is completed.

They cited eight reasons they say the house could hold evidentiary value for the trial, including: all of the entry and exit points in the home; where any potential biological evidence was found inside or outside the house; and if the house itself could have been a target for the crime.

But Ethan Chapin’s parents said they’re supportive of the demolition. Ethan was a triplet and his brother and sister are both current University of Idaho students.

The Chapins said the demolition is “for the good of the University, its students (including our own kids), and the community of Moscow.”

University President Scott Green said, “While we appreciate the emotional connection some family members of the victims may have to this house, it is time for its removal and to allow the collective healing of our community to continue.”

The university added, “After the trial was delayed earlier this fall, both prosecution and defense asked for access to the house and have both gone into the house in the last two months. Neither has asked for the house to be retained.”

 

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(NEW YORK) — The Powerball jackpot has grown from an estimated $700 million to $760 million after no one matched all of the numbers in Wednesday night’s drawing.

The winning numbers drawn for Wednesday’s jackpot were: 4, 11, 38, 51, 68 and red Powerball 5. The power play was 3.

Wednesday’s drawing was one of two remaining Powerball drawings this year. The Powerball prize now rolls over to Saturday’s drawing.

Before Wednesday night, there had been 32 consecutive drawings without a jackpot winner, Powerball said. The last jackpot was won on Oct. 11.

Wednesday’s prize was the fourth jackpot this year to exceed more than $500 million.

This year’s largest jackpot prize of $1.765 billion was won on Oct. 11 in California. The second largest prize this year of $1.08 billion was won on July 19 in California, according to Powerball.

Powerball tickets are $2 each play.

The game’s largest prize ever — $2.04 billion — was won on Nov. 7, 2022.

 

 

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(NEW YORK) — Gypsy Rose Blanchard, the Missouri woman sent to prison for the murder of her mother, Clauddinnea “Dee Dee” Blanchard, who allegedly abused her daughter and kept her sick for years, was released on Thursday.

She was released from the Chillicothe Correctional Center at 3:30 a.m. local time, according to the Missouri Department of Corrections.

Gypsy Blanchard and her boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, were arrested in 2015 for the murder of “Dee Dee” Blanchard, who was found stabbed to death in her Springfield home.

Gypsy Blanchard pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 10 years.

The case garnered national headlines and was even made into a streaming series on Hulu in 2019. Patricia Arquette won an Emmy for playing “Dee Dee” Blanchard in the series, called “The Act.”

“Dee Dee” Blanchard allegedly abused her daughter for years by convincing Gypsy and the public that she was extremely sick, when she wasn’t.

Gypsy Blanchard, now 32, grew up believing she suffered from conditions including leukemia, muscular dystrophy, vision and hearing impairments and seizures. She used a wheelchair, a feeding tube and underwent multiple surgeries that were later deemed to be unnecessary. “Dee Dee” Blanchard allegedly lied about Gypsy’s age, making her appear younger on documents.

Gypsy Blanchard said her mother kept her weak, isolated and dependent on her, and said her mother became more controlling as she got older.

“She physically chained me to the bed and put bells on the doors and told … anybody that I probably would’ve trusted that I was going through a phase and to tell her if I was doing anything behind her back,” Gypsy Blanchard told ABC News’ “20/20” in 2017.

Gypsy Blanchard said she eventually grew more curious about the outside world, and she made a dating profile and began an online relationship with Godejohn.

She said her mother “got jealous, because I was spending a little too much attention on him, and she had ordered me to stay away from him.”

Gypsy Blanchard told “20/20” she wanted her mother dead “because I wanted to escape her.”

In June 2015, Godejohn stabbed “Dee Dee” Blanchard in her bedroom, he later told police. Godejohn said he wanted to protect his girlfriend.

Godejohn was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.

In 2017, Gypsy Blanchard told “20/20” she felt freer in prison than she did living with her mom.

 

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(INDIANA) — Two Indiana fishermen happened upon a crashed motorist who survived nearly a week by drinking rainwater while trapped in his mangled truck after it overturned into a creek, police said.

“Quite frankly, it’s a miracle that he’s alive,” Indiana State Police spokesperson Sgt. Glen Fifield said during a press briefing Tuesday, after the 27-year-old driver was freed from the truck with severe, potentially life-threatening injuries.

The two fishermen were scouting Salt Creek in Portage for fishing holes Tuesday afternoon when they saw a vehicle partially in the creek underneath the I-94 overpass, Fifield said.

“I looked inside and moved the white airbag and there was a body in there,” one of the fishermen, Mario Garcia, told reporters during the briefing. “I went to touch it and he turned around. It almost killed me there because it was kind of shocking, but he was alive and he was very happy to see us. I’ve never seen a relief like that.”

The second fisherman, Nivardo Delatorre, called 911. The crash was reported around 3:45 p.m. local time Tuesday, police said.

While waiting for help, Delatorre said the motorist asked the stunned fishermen their names.

“He was grateful, he thanked us for helping him out,” Delatorre said.

The driver — identified by police as Matthew Reum, of Mishawaka, Indiana — told the fishermen he crashed on Dec. 20 and had been pinned and unable to reach his phone, Garcia said.

“He says he tried yelling and screaming but nobody would hear him,” Garcia said.

“He said to me that he’s been there for a long time, that he had almost lost all hope because nobody was there,” Garcia added. “One more day and something could have been very different here.”

After a lengthy, challenging rescue due to the location of the crash, Reum was extricated from the truck and air-lifted to a South Bend hospital for treatment, Fifield said.

Reum is a welder who belongs to the Boilermakers Local 374. In a statement to ABC News, the union said Reum had surgery Wednesday morning to amputate his leg from the mid-shin down and he is currently in the intensive care unit.

“Matt’s strong will and toughness speak volumes through this ordeal,” Brad Sievers, the Boilermakers Local 374 business manager and secretary-treasurer, said in the statement. “Since I have known Matt, he has always been a positive, kind, and energetic person. We will continue to pray and support our brother as he begins his recovery. We thank God that Matt is still with us.”

Reum was driving a 2016 Dodge Ram truck westbound on I-94 when, for currently unknown reasons, it left the roadway, missing a protective guardrail and overturning in the creek, police said. Fifield said he was not aware of any missing person’s report being filed for Reum.

“It really reinforces the fact of when you’re traveling that people know where you’re going,” Fifield said. “And be prepared with emergency essentials in your vehicle.”

Reum was able to drink rainwater to stay hydrated while he was trapped in the vehicle, police said. Temperatures in the region have also been mild, which likely helped him survive as well, Fifield said.

“This is a miracle that this gentleman is alive today, and that these two gentlemen just happened to be on that creek today,” Fifield said.

Delatorre said he and Garcia frequently fish together and try to find new spots. He said it was his first time going to the location where they found Reum.

“We were put there for a reason,” Delatorre said.

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(FLORIDA) — Two male Florida siblings have been arrested and charged after one of them allegedly fatally shot their sister amid a Christmas Eve argument over presents. The second brother then allegedly shot the other for shooting their sister.

A 14-year-old brother is accused of fatally shooting his 23-year-old sister, Abrielle Baldwin, in the chest, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday. His 15-year-old sibling then allegedly shot him in response.

The 14-year-old is charged with first-degree murder, child abuse and being a delinquent in possession of a firearm, officials said. His 15-year-old brother is charged with attempted first-degree murder and tampering with physical evidence.

Pinellas County Sheriff’s deputies said they responded to a report of a shooting at a Largo residence on Dec. 24, where they found two individuals suffering from gunshot wounds.

Abrielle Baldwin and the 14-year-old both suffered single gunshot wounds, officials said. Both were transported to a local hospital where Baldwin was declared deceased. The 14-year-old is now in stable condition, according to Sheriff Bob Gualtieri.

Gualtieri said an initial investigation revealed that Baldwin, the 14-year-old and the 15-year-old, all of whom are siblings, went Christmas shopping with their mother and Baldwin’s two sons, an 11-month-old and a 6-year-old.

According to Gualtieri, the younger brother was jealous that their mother was getting his older brother more gifts while they were Christmas shopping, and a “family spat” ensued.

The family then left the store and went to their grandmother’s house where they continued the argument, with Baldwin’s sons intending to stay with her grandmother while she went to work.

The 14-year-old then allegedly produced a pistol and pointed it at his older brother, declaring that he was going to shoot him in the head and attempting to get his brother to fight him, which the older brother refused to do. Their uncle, who was also in the home, then separated the brothers and took the younger brother out into the driveway, according to Gualtieri.

Baldwin then allegedly told the 14-year-old to stop arguing because it was Christmas, which escalated the argument, with the 14-year-old then allegedly declaring that he would shoot her and the infant she was holding in a baby carrier, after which he shot Baldwin in the chest, according to the sheriff.

The 15-year-old then walked outside the home with another firearm and allegedly shot his younger brother in the stomach because he had shot their sister. He then left the scene, tossed the firearm into a nearby yard and fled to a relative’s house, Gualtieri said.

The gun the 15-year-old allegedly threw into the nearby yard has not yet been recovered, according to Gualtieri, who said the gun allegedly used to shoot Baldwin has been recovered.

Law enforcement was able to find the 15-year-old after he contacted his mother. He has been taken to a mental health facility because he made “self-harm statements,” according to the sheriff, who said once he is released from the facility, the 15-year-old will be transferred to the custody of the Pinellas Juvenile Assessment Center.

The younger brother is recovering in the hospital after undergoing surgery for his injuries. Upon his release he will be transferred to the custody of the Florida Department of the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, according to the sheriff.

According to Gualtieri, minors have been obtaining guns through car burglaries or by purchasing inexpensive stolen weapons on the street.

“In the last thirty days, we’ve taken reports where seventeen guns have been stolen from unlocked cars,” Gualtieri said.

According to people interviewed by the sheriff’s department, the teen brothers carried guns on them “all the time,” Gualtieri said.

“This is what happens when you’ve got young delinquents that carry guns – they get upset, they don’t know how to handle stuff so they just take out their guns and start shooting each other and one of them kills his sister,” Gualtieri said.

Gualtieri said both brothers were arrested for committing “numerous car burglaries” in May 2023, while the younger brother has arrests dating back to when he was 12 years old.

“This proliferation of guns on the streets and guns in this area and guns in the hands of these kids is the worst that I’ve ever seen. I don’t think that we’ve ever seen it this bad,” Gualtieri said. “I really think that we need tougher laws to deal with these kids. As you can see with their criminal histories, they are not getting the consequences that they should get that keep them from doing it again and again.”

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(OCALA, Fla.) — Police are still hunting for the man suspected of carrying out a deadly shooting at a Florida mall during the holiday shopping rush.

One person was killed and another was shot and wounded in the apparent targeted shooting at the Paddock Mall in Ocala Saturday afternoon.

The suspect, 39-year-old Albert J. Shell Jr., is wanted on charges of premeditated first-degree murder and attempted premeditated first-degree murder, police said.

A $10,000 reward is available for information leading to his arrest.

The slain victim, 40-year-old David Nathaniel Barron, was found dead in a common area of the mall when police arrived, authorities said.

He is believed to have been the target, Ocala Police Chief Mike Balken said.

A woman was shot and injured and taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, authorities said. Other injuries stemming from the incident included chest pains and a broken arm, Balken said.

Police over the weekend said they were searching for a man who took the suspect’s red hat from the mall.

“That hat may contain valuable DNA evidence,” police said. “If you do not return the hat within the next few hours, we will release your picture … and you will be arrested with a felony charge of tampering with evidence.”

On Wednesday, police said the man who took the hat had “been identified and is cooperating.”

The mall, which was packed with shoppers ahead of the holiday, was evacuated after the gunfire broke out on Saturday.

“This is the worst thing we can imagine right now at this time of the year,” Balken said. “Somebody has suffered a loss in their family. It’s a horrible time of year for this to happen ever. It’s especially sad during the holidays.”

Syriah Williams, 18, told ABC News she was shopping at Bath & Body Works with her mother when she heard several shots ring out and “chaos erupted.”

“The employees opened the back storage area and told everyone to run,” said Williams, who took cover behind the counters at the store.

Ocala Gazette owner Jennifer Hunt Murty told ABC News Radio she was volunteering at a gift-wrapping station when gunfire erupted about 10 feet away from her.

“We dropped to the ground,” she said. “I texted the police chief and said active shooter in the mall, and he responded right away.”

She said she texted the chief where the injured victims were so medics could get to them, and after it seemed safe began interviewing people and taking photos.

“You never know how you’re going to react in those situations, but I went to work,” she said.

Police recovered a gun from the scene believed to have been used in the shooting, Balken said.

ABC News’ Layla Ferris contributed to this report.

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(NEW YORK) — The Powerball jackpot has risen to an estimated $700 million after there was no winner in Monday’s drawing.

The estimated cash value of the prize is $352.3 million, according to Powerball.

The next drawing is on Wednesday night at 10:59 p.m. ET. It’s one of two remaining Powerball drawings this year.

If a player wins the jackpot in Wednesday night’s drawing, they will have two prize options. One is annual payments worth an estimated $700 million — starting with one immediate payment and then subsequent payments over 29 years that increase 5% each year — or they can opt for a lump sum payment estimated at $342.3 million, Powerball said. Both options are before taxes.

There have been 32 consecutive drawings without a jackpot winner, Powerball said. The last jackpot was won on Oct. 11.

Wednesday’s potential prize is the fourth jackpot this year to exceed more than $500 million.

This year’s largest jackpot prize of $1.765 billion was won on Oct. 11 in California. The second largest prize this year of $1.08 billion was won on July 19 in California, according to Powerball.

Powerball tickets are $2 each play.

The odds of winning the jackpot prize are one in 292.2 million, Powerball said.

The game’s largest prize ever — $2.04 billion — was won on Nov. 7, 2022.

 

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