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(NEWTON, Mass.) — It was supposed to be a day of celebration with the renewal of the wedding vows they took 50 years ago, but when Bruno and Gilda “Jill” D’Amore failed to show up for the ceremony at their church on Sunday, a friend went to their Newton, Massachusetts, home and discovered the couple and Jill D’Amore’s 97-year-old mother stabbed and bludgeoned to death, authorities said.

Now, questions are swirling around why a 41-year-old man arrested Monday and charged in the triple homicide allegedly targeted the three elderly victims, described by their parish priest as “salt of the earth people.”

The suspect, Christopher Ferguson, was arraigned Tuesday afternoon in Newton District Court on one count of murder and two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury. Ferguson’s attorney, Dmitry Lev, entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.

The single murder count is based on an autopsy by the state’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, which ruled 73-year-old Jill D’Amore’s death to be a homicide, Middlesex Assistant District Attorney Nicole Allain said in court. The autopsies for Jill D’Amore’s husband, 74-year-old Bruno D’Amore, and her mother, Lucia Arpino, are scheduled to be completed later Tuesday, and prosecutors said they anticipate filing two more murder counts against Ferguson.

Ferguson attended the hearing via Zoom. Lev did not object to the prosecution’s request to hold Ferguson without bail. Ferguson’s next court date is scheduled for July 25.

The brutal crime has shaken to the core residents in the Boston-area city ranked in a 2022 SafeWise report as the second safest city for families in America.

“At this time, we know of no established connections between the family members and Mr. Ferguson,” Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan said at a Monday night news conference announcing Ferguson’s arrest.

Police have described the crime as a possible “random” act of violence.

Ryan disclosed that an autopsy performed on Jill D’Amore determined she suffered more than 30 stab and blunt force trauma injuries, primarily to the upper part of her body and head. The prosecutor also said investigators found obvious signs of an intense struggle in one of the bedrooms of the D’Amore home, including broken furniture and a crystal paperweight covered in blood.

Ryan said video surveillance footage from a home near the D’Amore residence captured Ferguson in the neighborhood at 5:20 a.m. on Sunday shirtless, barefooted and walking with a staggering gait.

The prosecutor said several Newton police officers recognized Ferguson from prior contact with him. She said Ferguson is believed to live at a residence four-tenths of a mile from the D’Amore’s home.

A neighbor of the suspect told ABC Boston affiliate station WCVB that Ferguson “struggles with mental health issues.

“He needed more help than he was getting and people who love him dearly were trying to make that happen,” the neighbor said.

Ryan said Ferguson was hospitalized for an undisclosed reason following his arrest, but she declined to comment when asked about his possible mental health problems.

A friend found the bodies just after 10 a.m. on Sunday, Allain said in court. She said the friend entered the home through an unlocked side door and found all three family members dead in one bedroom and called 911.

Allain said police investigators found signs of a break-in in the basement of the D’Amore’s home.

“There was a window that was opened and screens were pulled out,” Allain said. “There was also a door on the garage which was open and there was a window screen that was dislodged there.”

Allain said forensics investigators used the chemical agent leucocrystal violet which enhances the visability of non-visible blood and found bare footprints on the tile floor in a hallway between the bedroom where the bodies were found and the kitchen door with blood droplets next to them. She said state police investigators determined that at least one of the footprints found in the hallway matched Ferguson’s footprint, which was obtained through a court-ordered warrant.

Allain said at least that footprints matching Ferguson were found inside the D’Amore home. She said fingerprints were taken from several of the windows and doorknobs of the home, which are still being analyzed.

The last time anyone had communication with the D’Amores was about 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, Allain said.

As investigators attempt to determine a motive in the slayings, those who knew Bruno and Jill D’Amore and Arpino are mourning their deaths.

“Three beloved parishioners — salt of the earth people, just great, great people — and it’s a terrible tragedy,” Rev. Dan Riley of Our Lady Help of Christians told WCVB.

Riley said the D’Amores were scheduled to celebrate their golden wedding anniversary and renew their vows at a ceremony scheduled Our Lady Help of Christians following Mass on Sunday morning.

“When they didn’t show up — I can’t go into the details about who discovered them — but we became notified, and myself and a number of the staff spent the day there” at the D’Amore home, Riley said.

In a statement released Monday by Our Lady Help of Christians Church called the slayings a “senseless act of violence.”

The D’Amores were the parents of three grown children and were dedicated to serving their church, according to the statement. Prior to the COVID pandemic, Arpino never missed a 10 a.m. mass in her more than 60 years as a parishioner, the statement said. Arpino and her late husband, Alberto Arpino, who died in 2014 at the age of 87, attended services together, always sitting in the north end section of the church, according to the statement.

Lucia Arpino participated in the church’s Mt. Carmel Festival weekend every summer, walking in the festival’s procession through the streets of her neighborhood in the Nonantum section of Newton well into her 90s, the statement reads.

Jill D’Amore took on the task of beautifying the church, spending countless hours caring for the flowers and decorations for the liturgical sessions, according to the statement. Bruno D’Amore was known for his big voice and “exuberant personality,” the statement says. He was also described as the church’s “head chef,” flipping burgers at church picnics, according to the statement.

The couple is also survived by five grandchildren, according to the statement.

Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller said in a statement that the slayings of the three family members have impacted residents of the community far beyond their church.

“I have heard from so many neighbors and friends about how much these three people meant to their tight-knit neighborhood. I speak for the people of Newton when I say our hearts and prayers are with you,” Fuller said of the family of the D’Amores and Arpino.

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(CHICAGO) — Canadian wildfire smoke is infiltrating the Midwest on Tuesday and the air in Chicago has deteriorated to the Air Quality Index’s “very unhealthy” category.

The AQI in hazy Chicago reached 209 on Tuesday afternoon. Any number over 100 is considered unhealthy for sensitive groups.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson warned in a statement Tuesday, “We recommend children, teens, seniors, people with heart or lung disease, and individuals who are pregnant avoid strenuous activities and limit their time outdoors. For additional precautions, all Chicagoans may also consider wearing masks, limiting their outdoor exposure, moving activities indoors, running air purifiers, and closing windows.”

The worst air quality in the world Tuesday morning was in Wisconsin.

The state’s Department of Natural Resources issued a statewide air quality advisory in effect until Thursday.

On Tuesday afternoon the AQI in Milwaukee registered in the “very unhealthy” category.

“The most significant air quality and health impacts are anticipated between noon on Tuesday, 6/27 and noon on Wednesday, 6/28,” Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources said. “This is a dynamic situation, and conditions may change rapidly over the next few days. It is important to pay close attention to the air quality in your area and take action, especially if you don’t feel well.”

Earlier this month the Canadian wildfire smoke drifted toward the Northeast, blanketing New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., in a dangerous orange haze and prompting serious air quality alerts in over a dozen states. On June 7 New York City’s AQI hit 484, the highest level on record.

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(OCALA, Fla.) — The family of Ajike “AJ” Owens, the Black woman who was killed by her neighbor on June 2 in Florida, called on prosecutors to upgrade the charges against Susan Lorincz from manslaughter to second-degree murder during a virtual press conference on Tuesday.

Lorincz, who is white, has been charged with first-degree felony manslaughter in the death of her neighbor, Ajike “AJ” Owens, a Black mother of four who was fatally shot on June 2 through the door of the suspect’s home when she confronted her in a dispute over where her children were playing, according to prosecutors.

Anthony Thomas, an attorney for the Owens family, told ABC News in a statement on Tuesday that the family was “deeply disappointed” by the charges, but “our resolve remains unwavering, and we will continue to fight.”

“We are devastated,” Owens’ mother Pamela Dias said in a statement to ABC News. “How do I explain to AJ’s children, my young grandbabies, that the loss of their mother’s life is still not being taken seriously? Only a living breathing AJ would be true justice, and today’s charge could not be further from that.”

Lorincz, 58, was arrested on June 6 and the family has been calling for murder charges to be filed in this case, but Florida State Attorney William “Bill” Gladson said there was insufficient evidence to prove such a charge in court.

Lorincz allegedly fired a shot through the door of her Ocala, Florida, home, killing the 35-year-old Owens in front of her 10-year-old son after Owens banged on the door of Lorincz’s home, according to police.

Gladson announced Monday his office has formally charged Lorincz with one count of felony first-degree manslaughter with a firearm and one count of assault. If convicted, Lorincz faces 30 years in prison, Gladson said.

“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.

According to a June 6 statement from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Lorincz shot Owens through a door after the mother of four went to speak with Lorincz about a dispute over Owens’ children playing near Lorincz’s home.

“Evidence gathered during the investigation established that over a period of time, Lorincz had become angry at Owens’ children who were playing in a field close to her home,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement on June 6. The sheriff’s office said that Lorincz “engaged in an argument with the children and was overhead yelling at them by a neighbor.”

“The children then went and told their mother, Owens, about what had happened,” the sheriff’s office said. “Owens approached Lorincz’s home, knocked on the door multiple times, and demanded that Lorincz come outside. Lorincz then fired one shot through the door, striking Owens in her upper chest. At the time she was shot, Owens’ 10-year-old son was standing beside her.”

According to the sheriff’s office, Lorincz claimed in her interview with police that she was acting in “self-defense” and claimed that Owens was trying to “break down her door,” but through the investigation “detectives were able to establish that Lorincz’s actions were not justifiable under Florida law.”

“The family will continue to not only advocate for accountability in all forms, but they also will continue to say her name so that Florida officials remember this tragic loss of life. There is still much that needs to be done to make Florida a place where Black women and children feel safe and protected,” Crump said in a statement to ABC News in response to the charges.

Lorincz’s attorney could not be reached for comment. Lorincz has entered a not guilty plea. Her next court hearing is set for July 11.

Gladson said the decision on what to charge Lorincz with was carefully examined. He said he concluded that a second-degree murder charge would require prosecutors to prove beyond reasonable doubt “the existence of a depraved mind toward the victim at the time of the killing.”

“Depraved mind requires evidence of hatred, spite, ill will or evil intent toward the victim at the time of the killing,” Gladson said in a statement.

Gladson added, “As is always true in criminal cases, failure to prove beyond a reasonable doubt even one element of a crime will result in a not guilty verdict.”

“I am aware of the desire of the family, and some community members, that the defendant be charged with second-degree murder. My obligation as State Attorney is to follow the law in each case that I prosecute,” Gladson said. “I did so in this case, and while some may not agree with that decision, I can assure you that the decision was thoughtful and made without consideration of any factors other than the specific facts of this terrible crime. Simply stated, my obligation is to follow the law.”

Owens’ son alleged in an interview with investigators that the shooting unfolded after Lorincz threw a skate at him but did not hit him when she found him and other children playing in a field outside her home, and became angry, according to Gladson.

Lorincz initially claimed she acted in self-defense, alleging Owens attacked her in the past, according to Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods. According to a police report, Lorincz also told investigators that she did not intend to hit Owens when she fired the gun.

But in a video statement released the day Lorincz was arrested, Woods said the shooting was not a stand-your-ground self-defense case but “simply a killing.”

Owens’ death sparked protests and demands that Lorincz be arrested immediately. National civil rights attorney Ben Crump agreed to represent the Owens family.

It took sheriff’s officials about a week after the shooting before they arrested Lorincz, who was jailed on suspicion of manslaughter and held without bail.

The Rev. Al Sharpton, a national civil rights leader and president of the National Action Network, slammed Gladson’s decision not to file murder charges in the case.

“The legal system failed AJ Owens and her family today by refusing to recognize that this brazen shooting was plain murder,” Sharpton said in a statement. “It was an outrageous decision to not bring murder charges against a shooter who fired blindly through the door. Florida officials have failed AJ throughout this entire process.”

Sharpton called on the U.S. Justice Department to investigate the shooting as a federal hate crime.

“We urge the DOJ to intervene in this case, so the appropriate level of justice is delivered for AJ and her family,” Sharpton said.

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(NEW YORK) — A new Justice Department Inspector General report details the failures that occurred beginning one month before Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide while in custody of the Bureau of Prisons. The report also makes clear that foul play was not possible.

When officers discovered Epstein unresponsive in his cell on Aug. 10, 2019, Officer Michael Thomas, who was charged criminally in the case, said, “Breathe, Epstein, Breathe,” according to the new report issued Tuesday.

When Thomas saw Epstein dangling from the bed, he said, “We’re going to be in a lot of trouble,” according to the report.

Epstein died by hanging at New York City’s Metropolitan Correctional Center while he was awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.

The disgraced financier hanged himself in his jail cell with an orange noose he fashioned from “a sheet or a shirt,” the report said.

When Epstein’s room was searched after his death, investigators found extra bedsheets, another mattress and a noose, according to the report.

On Aug. 10, the Inspector General said Epstein was in his cell at 8 p.m. Officials said he made an unrecorded call on a landline that was not monitored by prison communications. Epstein told the officers he was calling his mother, according to the report, but she had died before that date. The report said staffers should have been monitoring this call made by Epstein.

After 10:40 p.m., Epstein was not checked on nor was he monitored until officers discovered him hanging from his cell, according to the report.

Epstein first attempted suicide in custody on July 23, 2019, and the Inspector General report said Bureau of Prisons employees should have been put on alert then.

On July 30, the Inspector General said an email was sent to 70 staffers of the prison physiological unit instructing that Epstein was to be housed with a cellmate. But the Inspector General said that warning went unheeded by Bureau of Prisons staff so that when his cellmate was moved on Aug. 8, another inmate was not placed there.

The Inspector General makes clear that Epstein’s death was in fact a suicide.

“The Medical Examiner who performed the autopsy detailed for the OIG [Office of Inspector General] why Epstein’s injuries were more consistent with, and indicative of, a suicide by hanging rather than a homicide by strangulation,” the report said. “The Medical Examiner also told the OIG that the ligature furrow was too broad to have been caused by the electrical cord of the medical device in Epstein’s cell and that blood toxicology tests revealed no medications or illegal substances were in Epstein’s system. The Medical Examiner also noted the absence of debris under Epstein’s fingernails, marks on his hands, contusions to his knuckles, or bruises on his body that would have indicated Epstein had been a struggle, which would be expected if Epstein’s death had been a homicide by strangulation.”

The Inspector General report also found the camera system was defunct and the prison had severe understaffing and structural issues.

Members of the staff also allegedly repeatedly mislead the Inspector General, including one supervisor who allegedly said she didn’t know Epstein was supposed to have a roommate, even though she was on the email sent in July 2019 stating he should have one.

“We further found that multiple BOP employees submitted false documents claiming that they had performed the required counts and rounds and that several MCC New York staff members lacked candor when questioned by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) about their actions,” the report said.

The report is coupled with nearly 4,000 pages of documents obtained by reporters earlier this month under a Freedom of Information Act request.

The documents show that toward the end of his life, Epstein sat alone in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, repeatedly calling himself a coward out loud.

Thomas and his partner were charged with doctoring the log books to make it seem like they completed their rounds when they had not, according to officials. Both pleaded guilty.

Ghislaine Maxwell, a longtime associate of Epstein, was convicted in December 2021 of conspiring with Epstein to recruit, groom and abuse minors and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. She has appealed the verdict.

If you are experiencing suicidal, substance use or other mental health crises, please call or text the new three digit code at 988. You will reach a trained crisis counselor for free, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also go to 988lifeline.org.

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(MIAMI) — Former President Donald Trump’s longtime aide, Walt Nauta, could not be arraigned on federal charges Tuesday in Florida as scheduled, after his lawyer told the judge that Nauta has been unable to retain local counsel.

Nauta was charged alongside Trump earlier this month as part of the classified documents case brought by special counsel Jack Smith.

The charges against Nauta include conspiracy to obstruct justice and making false statements.

Nauta’s lawyer, Stan Woodward, also told the judge Tuesday that Nauta’s flight out of Newark, New Jersey, was canceled and that they were unable to rebook him.

Nauta wanted to “express his sincerest condolences to the court,” his lawyer told the judge. “He takes very seriously the charges,” Woodward said.

The judge granted a request for a delay. Arraignment is now set for July 6.

Members of the special counsel’s team did not oppose a delay in the arraignment, but asked that the delay be as “brief as possible.”

Jay Bratt, a member of the special counsel’s team, said they “would like to move forward.”

Smith was not present in court.

Trump pleaded not guilty this month to 37 criminal counts related to his handling of classified materials, after prosecutors said he repeatedly refused to return hundreds of documents containing classified information ranging from U.S. nuclear secrets to the nation’s defense capabilities. He has denied all charges and denounced the probe as a political witch hunt.

Prosecutors allege that Nauta moved boxes containing classified documents around Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate at Trump’s direction, in an effort to prevent the documents from being turned over to authorities.

In one instance, prosecutors allege that boxes were moved out of a storage room at the Palm Beach estate before Trump’s attorney searched the room for documents to hand over to investigators in compliance with a grand jury subpoena seeking their return.

According to the indictment, Nauta was seen on surveillance footage moving boxes.

Prosecutors also accuse Nauta of lying to investigators when questioned about his knowledge of the boxes’ whereabouts.

Nauta, a Guam native who enlisted in the Navy in 2001, worked in the Trump White House, where in 2021 he was promoted to the rank of Senior Chief Culinary Specialist, according to Navy records. Trump, according to investigators, subsequently promoted Nauta to be his valet, otherwise known as a “body man.”

After Trump left the White House and moved to Florida, Nauta left the Navy and continued to work for the former president. In August 2021, Nauta became Trump’s executive assistant, serving as his personal aide, a role in which he “reported to Trump, worked closely with Trump and traveled with Trump,” according to the federal indictment.

ABC News’ Ivan Pereira contributed to this report.

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(NEW YORK) — There were more than 300 severe storm reports in the United States on Monday, mostly along the East Coast from New Hampshire to South Carolina, as threatening weather and dangerous heat plagues the nation.

Gusty winds of 60 to 66 miles per hour were reported from New York to North Carolina, with golf ball-sized hail damaging cars in the latter.

Some areas in New Jersey received close to half a foot of rain, which flooded roadways. There were even tornado warnings in the Garden State but, as of Tuesday morning, no actual twisters reported.

More thunderstorms are in the forecast for Tuesday, with lightning, flooding rain and gusty winds expected from North Carolina all the way up to New England. The areas along Interstate 95 will begin seeing storms develop after 3 p.m. ET that will last into the night.

The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch from Delaware to Maine, where local rainfall amounts of 4 inches are possible.

Another severe weather system moving eastward across the country will hit the central Plains and parts of the South on Tuesday, from South Dakota to Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. Damaging winds and huge hail will likely be the biggest threat there, though a few tornadoes can’t be ruled out. Monday’s storms spawned seven reported tornadoes in Wyoming and Nebraska.

Meanwhile, a heat wave continues in the South and is expected to expand over the coming days, moving into southern parts of the Midwest and the Mid-South, including Memphis and Nashville in Tennessee as well as parts of southern Illinois and Indiana. The hottest days will be Tuesday through Thursday, with temperatures forecast to feel like nearly 120 degrees Fahrenheit in some areas across the southern half of the country.

As of Tuesday morning, 13 states were under a heat alert from Arizona up to southern Illinois and down to northern Florida. Major cities such as Houston, Austin, New Orleans and even Orlando could see record high temperatures on Tuesday.

A record high of 111 degrees Fahrenheit was reported in Del Rio, Texas, on Monday for the ninth consecutive day. Another record high of 112 degrees Fahrenheit was reported in San Angelo, Texas.

The extreme heat will continue into the weekend for parts of Texas and the Deep South.

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(MIAMI) — The longtime aide to former President Donald Trump who was federally charged alongside him earlier this month is set to be arraigned Tuesday morning in Miami as part of the classified documents case brought by special counsel Jack Smith.

Walt Nauta, who first worked with Trump in the White House, is charged with six counts as part of the criminal case involving Trump’s handling of classified documents.

The charges include conspiracy to obstruct justice and making false statements.

Nauta, 40, appeared in court in Miami with Trump earlier this month, but was not arraigned because he did not have local counsel. The pair sat with each other at the defendants’ table for the duration of that hearing, separated by Trump’s attorney.

Trump, who was indicted on 37 felony counts, pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Nauta is not expected to appear in court on Tuesday.

Prosecutors allege that Nauta moved boxes containing classified documents around Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate at Trump’s direction, in an effort to prevent the documents from being turned over to authorities.

In one instance, prosecutors allege that boxes were moved out of a storage room at the Palm Beach estate before Trump’s attorney searched the room for documents to hand over to investigators in compliance with a grand jury subpoena seeking their return.

According to the indictment, Nauta was seen on surveillance footage moving boxes.

Prosecutors also accuse Nauta of lying to investigators when questioned about his knowledge of the boxes’ whereabouts.

Nauta, a Guam native who enlisted in the Navy in 2001, worked in the Trump White House, where in 2021 he was promoted to the rank of Senior Chief Culinary Specialist, according to Navy records. Trump, according to investigators, subsequently promoted Nauta to be his valet, otherwise known as a “body man.”

After Trump left the White House and moved to Florida, Nauta left the Navy and continued to work for the former president. In August 2021, Nauta became Trump’s executive assistant, serving as his personal aide, a role in which he “reported to Trump, worked closely with Trump and traveled with Trump,” according to the federal indictment.

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(COLUMBUS, Mont.) — Parts of a freight train carrying hazardous materials remain in the Yellowstone River in southern Montana after a bridge collapsed over the weekend.

Nine mangled cars — six that contained hot asphalt, three holding molten sulfur and one with scrap metal — were still in the rushing water on Monday evening as cleanup work continued, according to Columbus Fire Chief Rich Cowger.

“Some divers were brought in to see about how we would attach to those cars,” Cowger said during a press conference. “While those assessments were being done, it was noticed that there is still some products of asphalt that’s leaking out of those cars that are damaged.”

The incident occurred early Saturday near the town of Columbus, about 40 miles west of Billings, in a rural area of the Yellowstone River Valley. The train was traveling over a bridge when it collapsed and 16 cars derailed, sending 10 of them into the river below, some 110 miles downstream from Yellowstone National Park. No injuries were reported.

It remains unclear whether the derailment caused the bridge to collapse or if the collapse precipitated the derailment.

“We honestly have no idea what happened first, whether it was the bridge or the derailment,” Cowger told reporters on Monday evening. “There was an eastbound train across that bridge an hour before and things were fine with the bridge then. So there’s an investigation to figure what that looks like and what exactly happened. That’ll take some time as cars are pulled out of the river.”

The train’s operator, Montana Rail Link, is developing a cleanup plan and will be responsible for all related costs. Both asphalt and sulfur “harden and solidify quickly when interacting with water and modeling suggests that significant downstream movement of material is unlikely,” according to a statement from Montana Rail Link spokesperson Andy Garland.

Two cars containing sodium hydrosulfide were successfully offloaded and removed on Sunday via a 120-ton crane, according to Cowger. There has been no release involving this material, according to Montana Rail Link.

“We’ve made some good progress today with some cleanup,” Joe Racicot, president of Montana Rail Link, said during the press conference on Monday evening.

Test results from water samples taken on Saturday indicated the materials from the derailment had not affected water quality, according to Shasta Steinweden, complaint coordinator for the Montana Department of Environmental Quality’s Enforcement Program. She said the tests showed no presence of petroleum, while the sulfur levels detected were consistent with upstream water samples.

“We are awaiting results from Sunday’s and Monday’s samples,” Steinweden told reporters on Monday evening. “We will continue to evaluate our sampling plans and locations and expanding those based on the evolving nature of this incident.”

Based on the results so far, Steinweden said officials “don’t foresee any long-term damages” to water quality, though testing will continue for “as long as needed.”

“What we are going to be assessing and looking at as far as long-term cleanup will be asphalt that is on the banks of the river and looking to remove all of that,” she added.

When asked how much substance is being leaked on an hourly or daily basis, Steinweden told reporters: “We can’t determine that at this time. However, when the tank cars are removed, we will do an assessment on what is left product-wise in those cars and from that information, we will be able to tell more accurately what our release estimate is.”

And regarding the possible damages to fish and wildlife in the affected area, Steinweden said: “We don’t know, which is why we’re calling in the experts to sort of make those determinations.”

“What we are concerned about is, you know, the fish and wildlife potentially coming into contact with the product,” she added.

The Colombus fire chief noted that there “isn’t a sheen on the water or anything like that,” since the product is “somewhat solidifying together as it comes out.”

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has invited both federal and state fish and wildlife agencies to come to the site in Montana’s Stillwater County and assess how the derailment has impacted wildlife, according to Joni Sandoval, the EPA on-scene coordinator. A portion of the Yellowstone River remains closed, she said.

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(NEW YORK) — Ralph Yarl, the teenager who was shot after mistakenly going to the wrong house to pick up his siblings, opened up about the harrowing experience for the first time in an exclusive interview with ABC News’ Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts that is set to air on Tuesday morning.

Yarl told Roberts that his mother asked him to pick up his twin brothers from a friend’s house, but he had never been there before and accidentally arrived at the wrong address. According to Yarl, he pulled his car into the driveway and walked up the steps and rang the doorbell and then waited for “a long time” until an older man with a gun opened the door. They were separated by another glass door, Yarl recalled.

“He points [the gun] at me … so I kinda, like, brace and I turn my head,” Yarl told Roberts. “Then it happened. And then I’m on the ground … and then I fall on the glass. The shattered glass. And then before I know it I’m running away shouting, ‘Help me, help me.'”

Yarl was shot in the head and in the right arm on the evening of April 13 by Andrew Lester — a homeowner in Kansas City, Missouri, according to police. The teenager, who celebrated his 17th birthday last month, suffered a traumatic brain injury, his family previously told ABC News.

Lester, 84, was charged with one count of felony assault in the first degree and one count of armed criminal action, also a felony, Clay County prosecuting attorney Zachary Thompson said during a press conference on April 17.

Lester pleaded not guilty and was released on April 18 on a $200,000 bond. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Aug. 31 after a judge agreed to partially seal the evidence in the case in response to a protective order filed by Lester’s attorney, Steven Salmon.

“In this case, the court entered an order prohibiting the dissemination of information from the discovery by both the prosecution and defense,” Salmon told ABC News in a statement on Monday. “As a party to the criminal case, any statement from Mr. Lester would certainly violate that order. I can say Mr. Lester is looking forward to the upcoming preliminary hearing.”

Yarl told Roberts that after he was shot, he was bleeding from his head and was surprised that he was as “alert” as he was. He said that his “instincts took over” and he went looking for help, but according to Yarl, he had to approach multiple homes after the first house he approached declined to help him and locked the door.

“So then I go to the next house across the street. No one answers. And the house to the right of that house, I go there and someone opens the door and tells me to wait for the police,” he said.

Yarl’s mother, Cleo Nagbe, told Roberts that after her son didn’t return from picking up his siblings, she was worried and drove around looking for him.

Shortly after, she said she received a phone call from police, telling her that Ralph was shot so she headed straight to the hospital.

“It was traumatic,” she said.

According to a probable cause statement obtained by ABC News, Lester told police that he “believed someone was attempting to break into the house” and grabbed a gun before going to the door because he was scared.

Lester, who is white, claimed that he saw a “Black male approximately 6 feet tall” pulling on the door handle and “shot twice within a few seconds of opening the door.” He said that the Black male ran away and he immediately called 911.

Police spoke with Yarl on April 14 while he was recovering at Children’s Mercy Hospital. According to the probable cause statement, he told police that he rang the doorbell and said that he didn’t pull on the door knob.

Yarl’s aunt, Faith Spoonmore, told ABC News last month that after the shooting her nephew didn’t want to go back home because he was shot in the neighborhood where he also lived.

But since then, Yarl and his family have relocated. He said that he is seeing a therapist and hoping to continue his recovery by focusing on his passions for chemical engineering and for music.

“I’m just a kid and not larger than life because this happened to me,” he said. “I’m just gonna keep doing all the stuff that makes me happy. And just living my life the best I can, and not let this bother me.”

Yarl, who played the bass clarinet during his interview on GMA, also plays the saxophone, the tenor saxophone, the clarinet and the contrabass clarinet. He told Roberts that music helped him cope during his recovery.

“Classical music kinda resonates with me,” he said. “Just the feeling that it creates and the fact that you can make it yourself … it kinda invigorates me.”

Nagbe said that her son’s recovery has been a “blessing” and the family is “overwhelmingly grateful” for the outpouring of love and support that they have gotten since the shooting — from people donating to the fund, to those writing letters of support for Ralph.

“Every day I sit and I read a letter and I cry,” she said.

Nagbe told Roberts that Ralph and his family have been writing thank you notes to the people who sent him letters.

“I just feel that if they took the time to send Ralph a letter, I owe them the time to write them a thank you note,” she said.

Asked what justice looks like for him, Yarl said, “Justice is just the rule of the law, regardless of race, ethnicity, and age.”

“[Lester] should be convicted for the crimes that he made,” he added. “I am past having any personal hatred for him.”

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(NEW YORK) — Nine years before he was accused of killing four college students in Idaho, Bryan Kohberger was arrested in his native Pennsylvania and charged with misdemeanor theft for allegedly stealing his sister’s iPhone, according to records reviewed by ABC News.

It was Kohberger’s father, Michael, who reported the incident to police, according to the court records.

According to the records, Michael Kohberger told law enforcement Bryan had warned him “not to do anything stupid” after learning his son had taken the phone, adding that his son had struggled with drug addiction.

Bryan Kohberger’s earlier run-in with the law, as described in these records, is only now coming to light, as he prepares to defend himself against charges he killed four University of Idaho students last fall.

According to the records, Bryan Kohberger was 19 years old when he was arrested for the alleged theft in 2014. He served no jail time, according to officials. There is now no public record of that arrest or the outcome of the case.

Monroe County, Pennsylvania, offers first-time offenders the opportunity to enter into a pretrial program called “Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition,” which allows for charges to be dropped and the record to be “expunged” once the accused successfully completes probation.

Martin Souto Diaz, an attorney representing the Kohberger family, declined to comment on the record describing the earlier arrest. The district attorney’s office in Monroe County also had no comment.

In a court filing Monday, Idaho prosecutors announced they intend to seek the death penalty against Bryan Kohberger for the alleged murders.

It remains to be seen whether the alleged incident in 2014, and his previous alleged history with substance abuse, will have any bearing — or offer any clues — in relation to what happened in the early morning hours of Nov. 13, 2022, when four college students — Ethan Chapin, 20; Madison Mogen, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21 — were stabbed to death at an off-campus home on King Road in Moscow, Idaho.

A source briefed on the case told ABC News the alleged 2014 incident is now a subject of inquiry for prosecutors in Idaho, as they prepare for an impending capital trial that could start as early as October.

“You want to get all the puzzle pieces figured out, even as you keep finding new pieces,” said ABC News law enforcement contributor Richard Frankel, a retired senior FBI official and former prosecutor in the New York City suburb of Suffolk County.

“You’re working to figure out how they all fit together,” Frankel said, speaking generally on investigative procedure for building a case.

“One, that’s a big jump to go from [an alleged] non-violent theft — and from a family member — to being charged with multiple homicides. And two, eight years is a long time for nothing to happen,” Frankel said. “So, I would want to know, both as a prosecutor and as the investigator, what he did in those years in between?”

ABC News contributor Robert Boyce, the retired chief of detectives for the New York City Police Department, said, “What you look for now, is, was this a foundational moment, and was this a precursor for things to come.”

A trial in the quadruple homicide has been set for Oct. 2, though that could be delayed.

Bryan Kohberger is due to appear at the Latah County Courthouse Tuesday afternoon, for another in an ongoing series of pretrial hearings connected to the murder case. He is being held without bail at the Latah County Jail.

Bryan Kohberger’s team is pushing for a pause in his case while the defense and prosecution argue over the scope of which grand jury materials can or should be released. His lawyers are looking to determine whether there are grounds to dismiss his indictment based on the way the grand jury was selected, according to court documents.

The defense is asking Idaho prosecutors to disclose more information about their investigation, including more detail on their forensic DNA analyses, and information obtained from cellphone records, according to court filings.

The hearing Tuesday is also expected to focus on Bryan Kohberger’s request for more time to decide whether to offer an alibi at trial, as his attorneys say they are trying to navigate the “voluminous” and “still ongoing” discovery process, according to recent court filings. Prosecutors said they wouldn’t object to a “reasonable extension” to decide, so long as any potential alibi is offered within the next month.

Back in Pennsylvania, on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2014, Bryan Kohberger had “recently exited a rehab center and rejoined the family,” his father told police, according to the records reviewed by ABC News. Home from rehab, Bryan took his sister Melissa’s iPhone, which had an estimated value of $400, Michael Kohberger told police, according to the records.

Authorities said, according to the records, Bryan Kohberger paid a friend $20 to pick him up and take him to a local mall, where he sold the phone for $200 at an automated kiosk for used electronics.

The records say Bryan Kohberger was charged with misdemeanor theft and offer no further explanation about what happened from there.

“With any case, we’d always do a timeline. And on this case, I would want to do the timeline not just of the actual [alleged homicide] incident, minute by minute — but also I would want to do a behavioral timeline from his teens into his adulthood, because I want to know who this guy is,” Frankel said.

“It all goes to the assessment of his character — it may also help me when I interview other people about him, because I may know what the right questions are to ask going in,” Frankel added.

Bryan Kohberger, now 28, was indicted in Idaho last month and charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary.

At his Idaho arraignment in late May, Bryan Kohberger declined to offer a plea, so the judge entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.

Authorities allege that in the early morning hours of Nov. 13, 2022, Bryan Kohberger, a criminology Ph.D. student at Washington State University, broke into an off-campus home and stabbed to death the four students from the nearby University of Idaho.

After a more than six-week hunt, according to police documents, police zeroed in on Bryan Kohberger as a suspect, tracking his white Hyundai Elantra, cellphone signal data, and recovering what authorities say was his DNA on a knife sheath found next to one of the victims’ bodies.

That DNA evidence taken from the knife sheath at the crime scene “showed a statistical match” with a cheek swab taken directly from Bryan Kohberger after his arrest, authorities said in a recent filing.

Bryan Kohberger’s attorneys pushed back on that analysis in several recent court filings, casting doubt on whether that DNA evidence irrefutably implicates their client, saying the “statistical probability is not an absolute,” and pointing to what they called a “total lack of DNA evidence” from the victims in Kohberger’s home or car.

He was arrested on Dec. 30, 2022, at his family’s home in Pennsylvania, after driving cross-country to spend the holidays in Albrightsville.

Some of Bryan Kohberger’s childhood acquaintances have recalled to ABC News that the “quiet” but “funny” person they knew began to alienate some of his friends in high school, as his drug habit developed.

Casey Arntz, who went to high school with Kohberger, told ABC News he would ask her for rides that she later found out were to buy drugs.

“Bryan used me to, you know, drive him around and get heroin,” Arntz said. “A lot of people are like, well, why were you still friends with him after that? And I’m like, because you gotta forgive him. I mean, you can’t fault him for being so sucked down this hole. And I did, I did forgive him.”

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