University of Idaho murders: House to be demolished despite mixed feelings from families

December 28, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(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.”

Powerball jackpot jumps to $760 million after no ticket matches winning numbers

December 28, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(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.

Gypsy Rose Blanchard released from prison after serving time for mom’s murder

December 28, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(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.

Federal judge blocks Idaho gender-affirming transgender care ban

December 27, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(IDAHO) — A federal judge has preliminarily blocked an Idaho law banning gender-affirming healthcare treatments for transgender people under 18 years old. The law was set to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2024, and would have made it a felony to provide such care.

District Court Judge Lynn Winmill ruled Wednesday that the law’s restrictions violate the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause under the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

“Transgender children should receive equal treatment under the law,” Winmill stated in his decision. “Parents should have the right to make the most fundamental decisions about how to care for their children.”

He continued, “Time and again, these cases illustrate that the Fourteenth Amendment’s primary role is to protect disfavored minorities and preserve our fundamental rights from legislative overreach … and it is no less true for transgender children and their parents in the 21st Century.”

HB 71 was signed into law by Governor Brad Little in April. The law bans puberty blockers — which allow children to explore their gender identity and pause the growth of permanent sex characteristics — hormone therapies, as well as surgeries. Physicians interviewed by ABC News have said that surgeries on adolescents are rare and only considered on a case-by-case basis.

The legislation provides an exception for children with “medically verifiable genetic disorder of sex development,” also known as intersex.

Any medical professional convicted of providing such care could be convicted of a felony and imprisoned in the state prison for up to 10 years, according to the law’s text.

At least 20 states have implemented restrictions on access to gender-affirming care, many of which have faced legal challenges. The law in Arkansas, the first legislation of its kind in the U.S., was also ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge.

Supporters of these restrictions argue that they protect children from “medically unnecessary interventions that result in irreparable infertility, chronic health problems, and mutilated reproductive organs,” stated conservative Christian lobbying group Idaho Family Policy Center in a press release following the signage of the bill.

The teenage plaintiffs at the center of this lawsuit, who would be impacted by the legislation, say that gender-affirming care has been vital to their mental health. It’s a sentiment that several studies have shared.

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.

One plaintiff said puberty blockers “had near immediate positive effects” on her. “By pausing the physical changes that were causing her depression and anxiety, her mental health greatly improved,” Winmill’s decision states.

The second plaintiff began taking puberty blockers after “several months of therapy, additional visits with her doctor, and lab work.” After a few months, she began taking low-dose hormone therapy, according to the filing.

“Since receiving gender-affirming medical care, Jane’s mental health has significantly improved, but the debate over HB 71 and other anti-transgender bills has affected her mental health and her grades,” read the filing, using a pseudonym for the plaintiff. “When the bill passed, Jane wept in the hallway at school, and her parents had to take her home. The passage of the bill has also caused the Doe family to consider leaving Idaho so that Jane can continue to access the medical care that has helped her so significantly.”

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.

Fishermen help rescue man who had been trapped in crashed truck for nearly a week

December 27, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(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.

1 sibling killed, 1 injured in Christmas Eve argument over presents

December 27, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(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.”

Florida mall shooting: Reward up to $10,000 as police hunt for suspect

December 27, 2023 by WDNY Radio

First responders are shown at the scene of a shooting at the Paddock Mall in Ocala, Fla., on Dec. 23, 2023. — Ocala Police Department

(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.

Powerball jackpot grows to estimated $700 million for Wednesday night drawing

December 27, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(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.

Trump should be barred from blaming others for Jan. 6 riot at trial: Special counsel

December 27, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Donald Trump shouldn’t be allowed to make “irrelevant” claims targeting President Joe Biden or say others are to blame for the Jan. 6 Capitol riot during his federal election interference trial, special counsel Jack Smith wrote in a court filing Wednesday.

“Through public statements, filings and argument in hearings before the court, the defense has attempted to inject into this case partisan political attacks and irrelevant and prejudicial issues that have no place in a jury trial,” the filing states.

“Although the court can recognize these efforts for what they are and disregard them, the jury — if subjected to them — may not,” it continues. “The court should not permit the defendant to turn the courtroom into a forum in which he propagates irrelevant disinformation, and should reject his attempt to inject politics into this proceeding.”

The special counsel argues that Trump has suggested “he intends to impeach the integrity of the investigation by raising wholly false claims such as the government’s nonexistent ‘coordination with the Biden administration’ and other empty allegations recycled from the selective and vindictive prosecution motion that he based on anonymous sources in newspaper articles.”

Smith’s team also argues in the filing that Trump should be barred from using “terminology such as the ‘Injustice Department,’ ‘Biden Indictment’ or similar phrases” in front of the jury.

Trump in August pleaded not guilty to the special counsel’s criminal charges of undertaking a “criminal scheme” to overturn the results of the 2020 election by enlisting a slate of so-called “fake electors,” using the Justice Department to conduct “sham election crime investigations,” trying to enlist the vice president to “alter the election results,” and promoting false claims of a stolen election as the Jan. 6 riot raged — all in an effort to subvert democracy and remain in power.

The former president has denied all wrongdoing and denounced the charges as “a persecution of a political opponent.”

In the filing Wednesday, Smith accuses Trump of engaging in a fact-free public disinformation campaign to discredit the indictment that he says must be excluded from tainting his criminal trial, which could be delayed from its anticipated March 4 start date. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is overseeing the case, has stayed proceedings in the case while the appeals process plays out.

The special counsel also argues that Trump should be prohibited from arguing he was personally tricked by foreign disinformation about the election or that foreign disinformation campaigns led to the Jan. 6 riot.

“To begin with, the defendant has not pointed to a single piece of evidence indicating that foreign influence — rather than his own lies –motivated rioters on January 6,” Smith’s team says. “And in any event, whether others — be they civilians or foreign actors — said untrue things on the internet does not exonerate the defendant for the lies he told to his followers or the criminal steps he took to illegally retain power.”

Another area the special counsel says Trump should be prevented from raising is blaming law enforcement or D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser for failing to protect the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

“A bank robber cannot defend himself by blaming the bank’s security guard for failing to stop him,” the filing reads. “A fraud defendant cannot claim to the jury that his victims should have known better than to fall for his scheme. And the defendant cannot argue that law enforcement should have prevented the violence he caused and obstruction he intended.”

Earlier this month, the Supreme Court denied Smith’s request to immediately take up Trump’s claims of immunity from prosecution in his federal election interference case. In a single-line order, the justices declined to grant a writ of certiorari before judgment — meaning they will allow a federal appeals court to hear the matter first, which is what Trump’s legal team had urged the court to do.

The decision effectively keeps the Supreme Court out of the case for now and could mean the case’s March 4 trial date could be delayed.

Senate negotiations on border and Ukraine aid to resume

December 27, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Bipartisan negotiations resume Wednesday between senators on a potential border security package, a source familiar confirms.

ABC News is told the conversations will be held remotely as the Senate is out on recess for the holiday and is not expected to return until Jan. 8.

Before leaving town last week, principal Senate negotiators signaled they were making “progress” on a potential deal and that they would continue discussing it during the recess.

Democrat Sen. Chris Murphy, GOP Sen. James Lankford and Arizona independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema — the trio leading the talks — had been huddling for weeks to try to find a way forward on changes to immigration and border security.

Details on what could be in a potential border security package are still slim, but the main areas of discussion include: toughening asylum protocols for migrants arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border, bolstering border enforcement with more personnel and high-tech systems and deterring migrants from making the journey to the US in the first place.

The senators say they are trying to ensure that migrants who have a credible claim to asylum can safely apply, but that officials can also quickly turn away those who don’t qualify. The goal, senators have said, is to create a more orderly, efficient asylum system that reduces chaos at the border.

Republicans have insisted that a bipartisan compromise on immigration and border security policy is necessary to advance additional funding for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas traveled to Mexico City on Wednesday to discuss historic levels of migration at the U.S.-Mexico border. They plan to meet with Mexican President Andrés Manual López Obrador before returning to Washington later on Wednesday. Their meeting will be focused on “unprecedented irregular migration in the Western Hemisphere and identify ways” each country can address border security challenges, including reopening key ports of entry, the Department of State said in a statement last week.President Joe Biden has previously said he is willing to make “significant compromises” on immigration policy to secure an aid deal for Ukraine in its war against Russia.

The urgent meeting comes as a caravan of an estimated 6,000 migrants makes its way to the U.S. border.

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