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(NEW YORK)– A clinical psychologist told the jury that former Elle magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll displays elements of post-traumatic stress disorder at the start of the sixth day of Carroll’s civil defamation and battery case against former President Donald Trump.

Carroll, who brought the lawsuit in November, alleges that Trump defamed her in a 2022 Truth Social post by calling her allegations “a Hoax and a lie” and saying “This woman is not my type!” when he denied her claim that Trump raped her in a Bergdorf Goodman department store dressing room in the 1990s.

She added a charge of battery under a recently adopted New York law that allows adult survivors of sexual abuse to sue their alleged attacker regardless of the statute of limitations. Trump has denied all allegations that he raped Carroll or defamed her.

Dr. Leslie Lebowitz, who evaluated Carroll, testified that she did not formally diagnose Carroll with PTSD, but said Carroll met some of the criteria for it.

Lebowitz said Carroll exhibited signs of memories affected by trauma, describing a moment during her evaluation when Carroll “began to squirm in her seat” because she was “re-experiencing” elements of the alleged assault.

She also told the jury that rape victims commonly experience self-blame.

During her testimony earlier this week, Carroll said, “I was ashamed. I thought it was my fault.”

“Why did you think it was your fault, Ms. Carroll?” her attorney, Michael Ferrara, asked.

“Because I was flirting with him and laughing and having one of the great times. It was high comedy. It was funny,” Carroll said.

Trump attorney Joe Tacopina told Judge Lewis Kaplan at the conclusion of testimony Tuesday that Trump himself would not be testifying in the case.

“It’s his call,” the judge said. “I understand that. You understand that. He understands that.”

Trump is not required to appear, as the trial is a civil case and not a criminal one.

The nine-member jury of six men and three women is weighing Carroll’s defamation and battery claims and deciding potential monetary damages.

Carroll’s lawsuit is her second against Trump related to her rape allegation.

She previously sued Trump in 2019 after the then-president denied her rape claim by telling The Hill that Carroll was “totally lying,” saying, “I’ll say it with great respect: No. 1, she’s not my type. No. 2, it never happened. It never happened, OK?” That defamation suit has been caught in a procedural back-and-forth over the question of whether Trump, as president, was acting in his official capacity as an employee of the federal government when he made those remarks.

If Trump is determined to have been acting as a government employee, the U.S. government would substitute as the defendant in that suit — which means that case would go away, since the government cannot be sued for defamation.

This month’s trial is taking place as Trump seeks the White House for a third time, while facing numerous legal challenges related to the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, his handling of classified material after leaving the White House, and possible attempts to interfere in Georgia’s 2020 vote. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said last week she would decide whether to file criminal charges against Trump or his allies this summer.

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(NEW YORK) — Alex Murdaugh, the former South Carolina lawyer serving a life sentence for killing his wife and son, said he “invented” the story about a dog causing his housekeeper’s fatal fall at the family’s hunting property, Moselle, in February of 2018, causing her to die, according to court documents.

The Murdaugh family’s housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield, died in what was initially described as a “trip and fall” accident. One of Murdaugh’s dogs got under Satterfield and caused her to fall, hitting her head, Murdaugh said at the time.

But that story turned out to be fabricated.

“No dogs were involved in the fall of Gloria Satterfield on February 2, 2018,” according to statements made by Murdaugh in court documents filed on Monday in federal court. “After Ms. Satterfield’s death, Defendant invented Ms. Satterfield’s purported 2 statement that dogs caused her fall to force his insurers to make a settlement payment, and he stated that she was not on the property to perform work.”

The documents were filed as part of a lawsuit filed against Murdaugh by an insurance company accusing him of committing insurance fraud in relation to the Satterfield fall.

Murdaugh has been accused of stealing settlement money from the Satterfield children and pocketing it for himself.

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(FLINT, Mich.) — A school district in Michigan has banned all backpacks from school buildings, in response to growing safety concerns.

Flint Community Schools announced last week that backpacks would be banned and the ban would be in place for the rest of the school year. The new policy went into effect on Monday.

“We are doing all that we can to create a safe and secure environment for our scholars, families, teachers and staff,” Superintendent Kevin Jones wrote in a letter posted on the school district’s website.

Jones cited growing threatening behavior happening across the country, including weapons being brought to schools, as the reason for the backpack ban.

“Backpacks make it easier for students to hide weapons, which can be disassembled and harder to identify or hidden in pockets, inside books, or under other items,” he said.

Following the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, last May, where 19 students and two teachers died, schools began implementing policies requiring students to use clear backpacks. However, Flint Community Schools have gone a step further and banned clear backpacks from school buildings, with the superintendent saying that it doesn’t resolve the issue.

“By banning backpacks altogether and adding an increased security presence across the district, we can better control what is being brought into our buildings,” Jones said.

Students are allowed to store personal items like wallets, keys, hygiene products and phones in small purses, bring lunchboxes or place their gym clothes in clear plastic bags, all of which will be subject to searches.

If a student brings a backpack to school, parents or guardians must pick it up from the school, according to Jones.

The Flint Board of Education, the district’s administration and principals approved the policy change, Jones said, adding that the district received support from the Flint Police Department.

“We have thought long and hard about this decision, knowing that it will impact how scholars and families prepare for their days and operations in the classroom,” Jones said. “However, based on the issues we continue to see across the country regarding school safety, we believe that this is the best solution for those we serve.”

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(NEW YORK) — An “up-and-coming” teenage equestrian has died following an accident during a competition in Florida over the weekend.

The incident occurred when 15-year-old Hannah Serfass was riding Quaxx — a 12-year-old Holsteiner gelding — and “the horse tripped and suffered a rotational fall” while competing at the Fox Lea Farm Spring Concours I in Venice, Florida, according to the U.S. Equestrian Federation.

“The fall was unrelated to a jumping effort,” the U.S. Equestrian Federation said in a statement confirming Serfass’ death. “The EMT responded immediately, and Hannah was transported to Sarasota Memorial where she was pronounced dead.”

The horse was uninjured in the accident.

A Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office report that was obtained by the Sarasota Herald-Tribune said the accident happened just moments after the horse successfully landed a jump when it planted its left front hoof which subsequently caused the horse to lean significantly.

“This action caused the rider to then topple forward and off the horse in the same direction and onto the ground. The horse then continued to fall in the same direction falling over and onto the rider’s head on the ground,” the report said.

Serfass was described by the U.S. Equestrian Federation as a “very talented up-and-coming young rider … She was known for her passion for horses, her natural ability, and her work ethic.”

“The USEF, USHJA, and Fox Lea Farm team wish to extend our deepest condolences to Hannah’s family, support team, and friends,” the USEF said in their statement. “The Federation takes every accident very seriously and will be reviewing the accident thoroughly to learn what we can do to minimize risk and increase safety in equestrian sport.”

Fox Lea Farm, where the accident occurred, released a statement expressing their condolences on social media.

“Fox Lea Farm had a tragedy occur today,” the statement read. “Out of respect to the family, no information will be shared at this time. We send our sincere condolences to the family, trainer, friends, & the whole equestrian community. We are all heartbroken.”

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(LOS ANGELES)– Up to a foot of snow is expected to fall in parts of Southern California less than a week after the region experienced record-high temperatures.

A late season cold storm system will move into the region Wednesday night, bringing heavy snow to the mountains and rain to large cities like Los Angeles and San Diego, forecasts show.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory from 11 p.m. Wednesday to 6 p.m. Thursday for communities surrounding the eastern San Gabriel Mountains, including Mount Wilson, Mount Baldy, Wrightwood and the Angeles Crest Highway, as well as Big Bear City and Big Bear Lake and other cities above the San Bernardino County Mountains.

The San Gabriel Mountains are expected to get the most snow — with accumulations of up to 14 inches. Wind gusts as high as 45 to 50 mph are forecast, according to NWS.

Travel could be “very difficult to impossible” on some of the mountain roadways, NWS said.

The unseasonable chilly weather began earlier in the week. Up to 7 inches of snow fell overnight Tuesday in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Rain will inundate much of the coast in lower elevations from San Francisco to Los Angeles. The Los Angeles hills could get up to an inch of rain.

The cool weather comes just days after the large parts of the West Coast experienced a heat wave with record-high temperatures.

The soaring temperatures caused rapid melting of the snowpack that has accumulated this past winter. Some areas in California have received up to 221% more snowpack than average, according to the state’s Department of Water Resources.

Officials are especially concerned about the agricultural lands surrounding the Tulare Lake Basin, which began flooding even before temperatures rose.

“There’s nowhere else for this water to go in the Tulare Lake Basin,” Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles, said last week during an “office hours” session he streams on YouTube.

After this week’s cool down, temperatures are expected to continue to rise as summer nears, Swain said.

Last month, the California Department of Water Resources advised those living in snow melt areas to take steps to prepare for heavy flooding.

“Be aware of your flood risks, know where you’re headed, know where your house or your business sits within or around potential for flooding,” DWR officials said.

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(CLEVELAND, Texas) — Francisco Oropesa, the man accused of gunning down five people in an “execution-style” mass shooting in Cleveland, Texas, was taken into custody Tuesday evening after a multiday manhunt, officials said.

Oropesa, 38, was apprehended at a house in Montgomery County, about 20 miles from Cleveland, uninjured and without incident, San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers said.

The suspect was “caught hiding in a closet underneath some laundry,” Capers said at a news conference.

“I believe he thought he was in a safe spot,” Chief Deputy Sheriff Tim Kean said.

Oropesa’s wife was also detained at the scene where the suspect was found, San Jacinto County District Attorney Todd Dillon said at a news conference Wednesday.

She allegedly provided “him with material aid and encouragement — food, clothes — and had arranged transport to this house,” Dillon said.

A second person, a friend, was taken into custody in San Jacinto County, he added.

Authorities also recovered a weapon that may have been used in the shooting, Kean said, adding that officials were waiting for ballistics information.

The tip for the suspect’s location came in through the FBI tip line, FBI assistant special agent in charge Jimmy Paul said.

“We just want to thank the person who had the courage and bravery to call in the suspect’s location,” he said.

Reward money will be given to the person who called in the tip, officials said. It wasn’t immediately clear how much the person would receive. The total reward increased to $100,000 earlier Tuesday, after the U.S. Marshals announced a contribution of $20,000 on top of $25,000 from the FBI, $50,000 from the state and $5,000 from Multi-County Crime Stoppers.

A Border Patrol Tactical Unit, or BORTAC, apprehended the suspect, and air and marine operations assisted with surveillance, Troy Miller, the acting commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said in a statement.

“In small towns and communities like Cleveland, Texas, the men and women of U.S. Customs and Border Protection — in particular, the U.S. Border Patrol — provide integral law enforcement support to local authorities, protecting and serving the communities they live in,” he said.

The suspect will be taken from Montgomery County to the San Jacinto County Jail in Coldspring, Capers said, and is expected to be held on a $5 million bond.

The massacre unfolded Friday night after neighbors asked Oropesa, 38, to stop shooting his AR-15 in his yard because a newborn was trying to sleep, authorities said.

Oropesa then allegedly stormed the neighbors’ home, killing five of the 10 people inside, including a young boy, authorities said. Two of the women killed were found in a bedroom lying on top of two surviving children, authorities said.

The San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office received a call around 11:31 p.m. Friday detailing harassment, Sheriff Greg Capers told reporters on Sunday. When deputies arrived at the home, they found five victims at the property, Capers said.

The victims were identified as Sonia Argentina Guzman, 25; Diana Velazquez Alvarado, 21; Julisa Molina Rivera, 31; Jose Jonathan Casarez, 18; and Daniel Enrique Laso Guzman, 9. Five other people who were in the home were not harmed.

Oropesa is a Mexican national who was previously deported four times, a source familiar with the investigation told ABC News.

Oropesa was deported on March 17, 2009, after an immigration judge ordered his removal, the source said. He unlawfully returned to the U.S., and he was then apprehended and deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in September 2009, January 2012 and July 2016, the source said.

Kean on Wednesday said he wouldn’t talk much about the suspect — or even mention his name.

“I don’t think he deserves the glory for what he’s done,” he said.

ABC News’ Matt Rivers, Jack Date, Luke Barr, Julia Jacobo, Armando Garcia and Kevin Shalvey contributed to this report.

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(LAKE WALES, Fla.) — A mother and her three children have been gunned down in a Florida apartment in a “senseless” mass shooting, according to authorities.

On Tuesday night, after family members called 911, officers responded to the Sunrise Apartments and found a mother, her son and two daughters shot dead, said Lake Wales police.

The victims were ages 40, 21, 17 and 11, according to police.

Al Stenson, who knew the victims, allegedly shot them in the apartment around 5 a.m. Tuesday and then fled, according to police.

The motive is unknown, police said.

“Completely senseless. It makes absolutely no sense,” Lake Wales Police Chief Chris Velasquez said at a news conference.

When authorities tracked 38-year-old Stenson to the Slumberland Motel in Sanford, “Stenson made statements that he would kill himself or force law enforcement to kill him,” police said in a statement.

An hourslong standoff ended with an officer-involved shooting and Stenson was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

ABC News’ Robinson Perez contributed to this report.

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(JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla.) — Florida prosecutors intend to seek the death penalty for the man who is accused of masterminding the murder of Microsoft executive Jared Bridegan, prosecutors said at a court hearing Wednesday.

Mario Fernandez Saldana, the new husband of the victim’s ex-wife, committed the crime for “pecuniary gain” and did so in a “cold calculated and premeditated manner without any pretense of moral or legal justification,” prosecutors alleged.

Those “aggravating factors” allow Florida to seek capital punishment pursuant to Fernandez Saldana’s first-degree murder charge, prosecutors added.

Under Florida’s new death penalty law, signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in April, only eight out of 12 members on a jury would be needed to send Fernandez Saldana to death row. First, he would have to be convicted unanimously by a jury, or plead guilty.

He has pleaded not guilty.

Fernandez Saldana was arrested in March after prosecutors discovered a link between him and Henry Tenon, who was previously charged in the murder of Bridegan.

Fernandez Saldana was Tenon’s landlord, authorities said, and wrote three checks to Tenon, according to his arrest warrant. Authorities also discovered dozens of phone calls between Saldana and Tenon in February 2022, the month of the murder.

Bridegan, 33, a father of four, was driving with his then-2-year-old daughter in Jacksonville Beach when he came upon a tire “purposefully” blocking his path, police said earlier this year. When he stepped out of the car he was “gunned down in cold blood,” police added.

Tenon has pleaded guilty and is cooperating with prosecutors.

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(NEW YORK) — The U.S. Marshal leading the investigation for the two Virginia inmates that escaped from jail earlier this week detailed how he believes the two men escaped from jail.

Alder Marin-Sotelo, 26, and Bruce Callahan, 44, both federal detainees, escaped over the weekend from the Piedmont Regional Jail in Farmville, which is about 70 miles west of Richmond, according to law enforcement.

“They somehow, we think, were potentially able to manipulate some locks, crawled through an opening that led them out into the rec-yard area. And then from there, they scaled two fences to get away from the jail,” U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of North Carolina Larry Moltzan told ABC News in an exclusive interview.

Moltzan told ABC News one left 20 hours before the other, but he believes they might’ve talked about the escape.

“I think it’s like it’s fair to reason that they may have talked about it, given that it was so similar,” Moltzan said. “But they did not escape at the same time and didn’t necessarily help each other in that way.”

Law enforcement believes both are “dangerous men.”

“Bruce Callahan has an extensive criminal history involving firearms and drug offenses,” he said. “Mr. Sotelo was charged federally with weapons possession by an illegal alien, but he is also wanted in Wake County, North Carolina, for a homicide of a law enforcement officer. So we certainly believe that they’re both dangerous men. They certainly could pose a danger to the community. And we would ask that if anybody sees them to contact law enforcement immediately.”

He believes they both have the ability to obtain weapons.

“We would certainly believe that both of them have a potential to be armed and both of them are extremely dangerous,” he said. “The nature of chasing fugitives is they could really be anywhere. We believe there’s a strong possibility that they could be in North Carolina and may be looking to go elsewhere.”

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(CLEVELAND, Texas) — Francisco Oropesa, the man accused of gunning down five people in an “execution-style” mass shooting in Cleveland, Texas, has been taken into custody after a multi-day manhunt, officials said.

Oropesa, 38, was taken into custody in Montgomery County, about 20 miles from where the shooting took place, uninjured and without incident Tuesday evening, San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers said.

The suspect was “caught hiding in a closet underneath some laundry,” Capers said Tuesday night during a press conference. The suspect will be taken from Montgomery County to the San Jacinto County Jail in Coldspring, Capers said, where he will face charges. He’s expected to be held on a $5 million bond.

The tip for the suspect’s location came in through the FBI tip line, FBI assistant special agent in charge Jimmy Paul said.

“We just want to thank the person who had the courage and bravery to call in the suspect’s location,” he said.

Reward money will be given to the person who called in the tip, officials said. It wasn’t immediately clear how much the person would receive. The total reward increased to $100,000 earlier Tuesday, after the U.S. Marshals announced a contribution of $20,000 on top of $25,000 from the FBI, $50,000 from the state and $5,000 from Multi-County Crime Stoppers.

Oropesa was apprehended by the U.S. Marshals, Texas Department of Public Safety and the U.S. Border Patrol.

A Border Patrol Tactical Unit, or BORTAC, apprehended the suspect, and air and marine operations assisted with surveillance, Troy Miller, the acting commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said in a statement.

“In small towns and communities like Cleveland, Texas, the men and women of U.S. Customs and Border Protection — in particular, the U.S. Border Patrol — provide integral law enforcement support to local authorities, protecting and serving the communities they live in,” he said. “Tonight’s actions clearly demonstrate that our agents and officers bring incredible capabilities to bear every day as they work to keep our communities safe.”

The massacre unfolded Friday night after neighbors asked Oropesa, 38, to stop shooting his AR-15 in his yard because a newborn was trying to sleep, authorities said.

Oropesa then allegedly stormed the neighbors’ home, killing five of the 10 people inside, including a young boy, authorities said. Two of the women killed were found in a bedroom lying on top of two surviving children, authorities said.

The San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office received a call around 11:31 p.m. Friday detailing harassment, Sheriff Greg Capers told reporters on Sunday. When deputies arrived at the home, they found five victims at the property, Capers said.

Three minors were found uninjured but covered in blood, authorities said. Two of the female victims were discovered in the bedroom lying on top of two surviving children, authorities told ABC News.

The victims were identified as Sonia Argentina Guzman, 25; Diana Velazquez Alvarado, 21; Julisa Molina Rivera, 31; Jose Jonathan Casarez, 18; and Daniel Enrique Laso Guzman, 9. Five other people who were in the home were not harmed.

Oropesa is a Mexican national who was previously deported four times, a source familiar with the investigation told ABC News.

Oropesa was deported on March 17, 2009, after an immigration judge ordered his removal, the source said. He unlawfully returned to the U.S., and he was then apprehended and deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in September 2009, January 2012 and July 2016, the source said.

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