(NEW JERSEY) — Bear hunting season has begun in New Jersey – a controversial decision that state officials say is intended to curb the population of black bears interacting with humans.
Segment A of bear hunting season began on Monday and will last through Oct. 19, with the first three days open for bowhunters only. The final three days, from Oct. 17-19, will be open for bowhunters and muzzleloader rifles, according to the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife (NJFW).
For Segment B of black bear season, lasting Dec. 9-14, bear hunting will be permitted in New Jersey for shotgun and muzzleloader rifles only, according to the NJFW. Hunting hours during both segments begin 30 minutes before sunrise and end 30 minutes after sunset.
Hunters are limited to one bear over 75 pounds – or 50 pounds dressed – per segment, regardless of the number of permits the hunter holds, according to the Division of Fish and Wildlife. Hunters are not permitted to harvest black bears weighing less than 75 pounds live or 50 pounds dressed, nor can they hunt any adult bears in the presence of cubs.
The NJFW also said they may close the season early or extend it, depending on the number of bears harvested.
If the cumulative harvest rate reaches 30% of bears tagged in 2024, the season will be closed, according to the division. If the harvest rate doesn’t reach 20% for the period, the hunt will be extended to Dec. 18-Dec. 21.
This year marks the third opening of bear hunting season in New Jersey since 2022, when the NJFW’s Fish and Game Council voted unanimously to reinstate the state’s annual bear hunt, citing a significant increase in bear sightings around the state.
Animal conservationists criticized the decision at the time, telling ABC News that the measure wouldn’t lead to a decrease in human and bear interactions.
“New Jersey’s reactive bear management approach is ineffective, as it focuses on managing the bears, not managing the source of the problem,” Anjuli Ramos-Busot, New Jersey director of the Sierra Club, said in a statement in December 2023, after the bear hunting season was extended.
The black bear population in New Jersey has been increasing and expanding its range since the 1980s, with sightings in all 21 counties in the state, according to the NJFW.
In 2020, there were more than 3,150 black bears in the region north of Interstate 78 and west of Interstate 287 alone, a roughly 30% increase from the 2019 estimated population of 2,208 for the same region, according to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), which further notes that the population is expected to grow to 4,000 bears by 2027.
Dense populations of black bears can also lead to inadequate natural sources of food for the animals and territory for young males, causing wider dispersion of bears into areas where they are even more likely to come into conflict with people as they seek to feed from human trash, pet food left outside, seed from bird feeders, and agricultural crops, poultry and livestock, according to the NJFW.
Bear-involved incidents reported to the NJDEP from January 2022 through October 2022 increased by 237% compared to the same period in 2021, according to state data. The incidents included 62 aggressive encounters with humans, one attack on a human, 12 attacks on dogs, 12 home entries, 15 attempted home entries, 84 instances of property damage exceeding $1,000, and 52 attacks on protected livestock, according to the data.
The number of incidents decreased by more than 37% between 2022 and 2023, after bear hunting was reinstated, according to state data.
“Analysis of data from New Jersey reveals no correlation between the number of bears killed and human safety,” Wendy Keefover, senior strategist for native carnivore protection for the Humane Society of the United States, told ABC News via email. “Instead, researchers know that the most effective way for reducing conflicts with bears is to reduce access to human-food attractants.”
It is especially important during this time of year for residents to remove unsecured garbage cans and bird feeders, as bears preparing to go into hibernation typically eat about 20,000 calories per day, Keefover said.
“Hunting bears will never stop negative interactions with bears, but taking commonsense precautions like using bear-resistant trash cans and taking down bird feeders will,” Keefover said.
A total of 11,000 black bear hunting permits are available to properly licensed hunters and farmer hunters every year, according to the state. Firearm black bear hunters are required to wear a hat of solid fluorescent hunter orange or an outer garment containing at least 200 square inches of fluorescent orange material visible from all sides at all times while bear hunting, regulations state.
The 2022 reinstatement of bear hunting in New Jersey came four years Gov. Phil Murphy enforced a ban on the sport months after taking office in 2018. Murphy had run on a campaign promise that the bear hunts would not exist while he was in office.
“While I committed to ending the bear hunt, the data demands that we act now to prevent tragic bear and human interactions,” Murphy told reporters in a news conference in November 2022.
(NEW YORK) — Attorneys for two former Memphis police officers convicted of obstruction in the beating death of Tyre Nichols filed motions for acquittal on Friday, both arguing that the government failed to prove the charge during the federal trial.
Tadarrius Bean, Justin Smith and a third former Memphis police officer, Demetrius Haley, were initially charged with four counts in the beating death of Nichols, who ran from officers during a routine January 2023 traffic stop.
Bean, Smith and Haley were found guilty of the charge of obstruction through witness tampering on Oct. 3 when a jury returned mixed results in the federal case.
“There is absolutely no record evidence that supports an individual finding of Mr. Bean guilty of obstruction of justice,” Bean’s attorney John Perry argued in Friday’s motion. Meanwhile, Smith’s attorney Martin Zummach argued in his motion that “the government’s own proof established that Justin Smith had no intentional knowing desire to obstruct justice or withhold information in the reporting process or persuaded, or attempted to persuade, a witness in order to hinder or delay any investigation.”
Asked for further comment, Perry referred ABC News to the motion on Monday, saying that “it speaks for itself.”
“With God’s help, I will do my best to speak through and within the judicial process on behalf of Justin,” Zummach told ABC News via email on Monday.
ABC News reached out to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) but requests for comment were not immediately returned.
All three former officers were also initially charged with three additional counts — violating Nichols’ civil rights through excessive use of force, unlawful assault, failing to intervene in the assault and failing to render medical aid. Bean and Smith were found not guilty on those charges.
Meanwhile, Haley was acquitted of depriving Nichols of his civil rights causing death but found guilty on the lesser charge of depriving him of his civil rights resulting in bodily injury. He was also found guilty of conspiracy to commit obstruction.
The former officers did not take the stand in their own defense during the federal trial and pleaded not guilty to all charges.
According to the DOJ, Bean and Smith each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, while Haley faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for both the violations of depriving an individual of their civil rights “and for being deliberately indifferent to the known serious medical needs of a person in his custody.” Haley faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for witness tampering charges, the department noted.
A federal judge for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee on Oct. 7 ordered Haley to be held without bond until sentencing on Jan. 22, 2025, according court documents, but ruled that Bean and Smith were allowed to be on supervised release until the sentencing date.
According to court documents, Haley’s attorney filed a motion on Oct. 10 for Haley’s bond to be reinstated, arguing that the judge “erred in concluding that Mr. Haley was convicted of a crime of violence and subject to mandatory detention,” citing the fact that Haley was “acquitted of violating civil rights resulting in death and convicted of the lesser included offenses of violating civil rights resulting in bodily injury.”
ABC News reached out to the court but requests for comment were not immediately returned.
Body camera footage shows Nichols, 29, fled after police pulled him over on Jan. 7, 2023, for allegedly driving recklessly, then shocked him with a Taser and pepper-sprayed him.
Officers allegedly then beat Nichols minutes later after tracking him down. After the police encounter, Nichols was transferred to the hospital in critical condition. Nichols died in the hospital on Jan. 10, 2023.
Two additional officers – Emmitt Martin III and Desmond Mills Jr. – were also charged in the federal case and testified during the trial for Bean, Smith and Haley after pleading guilty to some of the federal charges.
The five former officers charged in the case were all members of the Memphis Police Department SCORPION unit — a crime suppression unit that was disbanded after Nichols’ death. All of the officers were fired for violating MPD policies.
All five former officers are also facing state felony charges, including second-degree murder, in connection with Nichols’ death. Bean, Smith and Haley pleaded not guilty to these charges. They pleaded not guilty to these charges.
(NEW YORK) — 7-Eleven will close more than 400 of its “underperforming stores” across the U.S. and Canada in an effort to reduce costs and bolster earnings before the end of the year.
Seven & I Holdings, the Tokyo-based parent company of the convenience store chain, announced the news during an earnings call last week, saying 444 stores will be shuttered due to the cumulative factors of inflation, slower customer traffic, and declining cigarette sales.
“All of these have impacted our sales and merchandise gross profit,” the CEO and President Joe DePinto said on the call.
As a result of the “macroeconomic conditions and evolving industry trends,” DePinto added that the company has revised its earning guidance.
The company reported a 7.3% decline in store traffic back in August and and said during its latest earnings reporting that the pattern corresponds with the “pullback of the middle- and low-income consumer.”
The total number of closures accounts for just over 3% of the more than 13,000 7-Eleven stores in North America.
(ASHE COUNTY, N.C.) — There have been threats against Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) employees responding to Hurricane Helene in North Carolina, according to a local sheriff.
“Recently in the mountain region, there have been threats made against them,” Ashe County Sheriff Phil Howell posted on Facebook regarding the alleged threats against FEMA employees. “This has not happened in Ashe County or the surrounding counties,” Howell added. “Out of an abundance of caution, they have paused their process as they are assessing the threats.”
Ashe County is located about three hours northeast of Asheville, NC, which was hard-hit by Helene. Sheriff Howell did not specify in his post who allegedly made the threats.
Threats to FEMA employees have been consistent during the Hurricane response, along with misinformation, federal authorities told ABC News.
Search and rescue efforts in the affected areas continue, a federal source told ABC News. However, while FEMA assesses potential threat information, disaster survivor assistance teams are currently working at fixed locations and secure areas instead of going door to door, out of an abundance of caution, the source said, adding that FEMA will monitor threat information and make adjustments to this posture on a regular basis in coordination with local officials.
A FEMA spokesperson told ABC News that the agency continues to support communities impacted by Helene and to help survivors apply for assistance.
“For the safety of our dedicated staff and the disaster survivors we are helping, FEMA has made some operational adjustments,” the spokesperson said. “Disaster Recovery Centers will continue to be open as scheduled, survivors continue to register for assistance, and we continue to help the people of North Carolina with their recovery.”
Sheriff Howell said that FEMA locations in Ashe County are open this week.
“Stay calm and steady during our recovery, help folks and please don’t stir the pot,” he said.
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell told ABC News Friday during a press briefing that threats to FEMA employees are a “shame” and a “distraction.”
“We continuously monitor the social media, channels, other outlets where we’re seeing this information, because we want to make sure we’re providing for the safest environment for our employees, and making sure that they know that their safety is first and foremost for us as they go out into these communities,” Criswell said in response to a question from ABC News.
FEMA hires people from local communities when disaster hits, Criswell said, noting that “many” leave their families behind to go and help communities who are impacted by disaster.
(LONDON) — The Israel Defense Forces continued intense air and ground campaigns against Hezbollah in Lebanon and against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The uptick in offensive operations came after Israel marked the anniversary of Hamas’ Oct. 7 assault, and as Israeli leaders planned their response to Iran’s latest ballistic missile attack.
54 killed, 258 wounded in Lebanon in past 24 hours
In the past 24 hours, 54 people have been killed and 258 have been wounded in Lebanon, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health.
The total number of casualties since Israel’s increased attacks on Lebanon in mid-September is now 2,309 people killed and 10,782 people injured, the ministry said.
A situational report from the Lebanese Prime Minister’s Office on Monday said 200 airstrikes and shellings were recorded in various parts of Lebanon over the past 48 hours.
The Israel Defense Forces said in a release Monday that they found an underground compound in southern Lebanon stocked with “weapons, ammunition and motorcycles ready to be used in an invasion into Israel.”
-ABC News’ Ghazi Balkiz and Jordana Miller
Netanyahu: ‘We will continue to hit Hezbollah mercilessly in all parts of Lebanon’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel “will continue to hit Hezbollah mercilessly in all parts of Lebanon” while visiting the Golani camp, which was hit by a Hezbollah drone Sunday evening, killing four IDF soldiers and injuring dozens.
“I want to make it clear: We will continue to hit Hezbollah mercilessly in all parts of Lebanon — also in Beirut, all according to operational considerations. We have proven this in recent times, and we will continue to prove it in the coming days as well,” Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu extended his condolences to the families of the fallen soldiers and said he would visit the injured later on Monday.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
Doctors Without Borders staffer killed in northern Gaza
A Doctors Without Borders staffer has been killed in northern Gaza, the organization announced Monday.
Nasser Hamdi Abdelatif Al Shalfouh, 31, was struck by shrapnel Tuesday and died of injuries to his legs and chest two days later, according to the organization.
He is survived by his wife and two children.
In a statement, Doctors Without Borders condemned Israeli forces for having “systematically dismantled the health system in Gaza, impeding access to life-saving care for people.”
“He was unable to receive the necessary level of care due to the hospital’s lack of capacity and an overwhelming number of patients in the facility,” the organization said of Al Shalfouh.
Al Shalfouh joined Doctors Without Borders as a driver in March 2023, but had not been able to work for them recently as operations have been impacted by the war, the group said.
He is the seventh Doctors Without Borders staffer to be killed in Gaza since the war began, the organization added.
“We are horrified by the killing of our colleague which we strongly condemn and call yet again for the respect and protection of civilians,” the NGO said. “In this tragic moment, our thoughts are with his family and all colleagues mourning his death.”
Americans in Lebanon should ‘depart now,’ embassy says
American citizens in Lebanon “are strongly encouraged to depart now,” the U.S. Embassy in Beirut said in a new alert Monday.
The embassy has been urging Americans to depart Lebanon via commercial flights in recent weeks. Monday’s warning was the starkest yet.
The embassy noted it had helped add thousands of extra seats to commercial flights to help Americans leave amid the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
“Much of this capacity has gone unused,” Monday’s alert said. “Please understand that these additional flights will not continue indefinitely.”
“U.S. citizens who choose not to depart at this time should prepare contingency plans should the situation deteriorate further,” the embassy said.
“These alternative plans should not rely on the U.S. government for assisted departure or evacuation,” the notice read.
The embassy has been warning citizens not to travel to Lebanon since July.
Airstrike kills 18 in north Lebanon, Red Cross says
Eighteen people were killed and four wounded in an airstrike in the town of Aitou in northern Lebanon on Monday, the Lebanese Red Cross wrote on X.Seven Red Cross teams were dispatched to the area in the Zgharta district, the organization said. “Our teams are working to provide first aid and evacuate the wounded,” it added.
-ABC News’ Ghazi Balkiz and Guy Davies
Hezbollah launches dozens of cross-border attacks, marking daily record
Hezbollah issued 38 statements claiming cross-border attacks into Israel on Sunday — the highest tally since renewed fighting began on Oct. 8, 2023, per ABC News’ count.
The attacks included the drone strike on an Israel Defense Forces training base in northern Israel, which killed four soldiers and injured 55.
Hezbollah has expanded its attacks into Israel despite the IDF’s monthslong campaign of targeted killings of top commanders and airstrikes on Hezbollah military facilities and weapons caches.
-ABC News’ Ghazi Balkiz and Guy Davies
IDF claims killing of Hezbollah anti-tank commander
The Israel Defense Forces said Monday it killed a Hezbollah commander responsible for anti-tank missile forces.
The IDF said in a statement posted to social media that Muhammad Kamal Naim was killed in an airstrike in the Nabatieh region of southern Lebanon.
Naim, it said, was responsible for the elite Radwan Force’s anti-tank weapons.
Naim “was responsible for planning and carrying out many terrorist plots, including firing anti-tank missiles at the Israeli rear,” the IDF wrote.
Israel kills 20 in strike on UNRWA school, health ministry says
At least 20 people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East school-turned-shelter in central Gaza, the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza said.
The school was being used to shelter displaced people in Nuseirat camp, health authorities said. It was bombed on Sunday.
The school was earmarked for use in the planned second round of the Gaza polio vaccination campaign, which was due to begin on Monday.
-ABC News Diaa Ostaz and Guy Davies
10 killed amid ‘total siege’ in northern Gaza
Ten people were killed in shelling at an aid distribution center in the Jabalia camp in northern Gaza on Monday morning, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in the strip.
The area has been the focus of intense recent Israeli military activity, with the Israel Defense Forces reporting fierce fighting with Hamas militants there.
The IDF has ordered residents of northern Gaza — of whom there are an estimated 200,000 to 400,000 — to leave the region, which it has classified as a military zone.
Hamas is urging residents to stay, suggesting Israel will not allow those who leave to return.
Gaza’s Civil Defense said there was a “complete siege” of Jabalia. Aid agencies have said that no food has been allowed to enter the north of Gaza since Oct. 1.
-ABC News’ Nasser Atta and Guy Davies
Israel to probe deadly drone attack on troops, Gallant says
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant visited the scene of a deadly Hezbollah drone strike in northern Israel on Monday, telling soldiers there the incident “was a difficult event with painful results.”
Four troops were killed and 55 wounded in Sunday’s attack on the Golani Training Base close to the town of Binyamina, some 20 miles south of Haifa.
“We must investigate it, study the details and implement lessons in a swift and professional manner,” Gallant said, according to a Defense Ministry readout.
“We are concentrating significant efforts in developing solutions to address the threat of UAV attacks,” he added
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
IDF claims 200 strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon
The Israel Defense Forces said Monday its warplanes targeted around 200 “Hezbollah terror targets” in its continuing operation against the Iranian-backed group in southern Lebanon.
The targets included “launchers, anti-tank missile launch posts, terrorist infrastructure and weapons storage facilities containing launchers, anti-tank missiles, RPG launchers and munitions,” the IDF wrote on X.
Ground forces, meanwhile, “eliminated dozens of terrorists in close-quarters encounters and aerial strikes” in their ongoing cross-border incursion, the force reported.
The IDF is still describing its ground operation as consisting of “limited, localized, targeted raids” in southern areas close to the border.
Airstrikes, though, continue across southern Lebanon. Around a quarter of all Lebanese territory is under IDF evacuation orders and some 1.2 million civilians are displaced, according to the government in Beirut.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
Hezbollah drone attack on IDF base ‘painful,’ commander says
The Israel Defense Forces identified the four soldiers killed in a Hezbollah drone attack on a training base in the north of the country on Sunday.
Sgt. Omri Tamari, Sgt. Yosef Hieb, Sgt. Yoav Agmon and Sgt. Amitay Alon were killed, an IDF press release said. The strike occurred at the Golani Training Base close to the town of Binyamina, some 20 miles south of Haifa.
Around 55 more are reported to have been injured.
IDF Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Herzi Halevi addressed Golani Brigade troops on Sunday night following the attack.
“We are at war, and an attack on a training base in the rear is difficult and the results are painful,” the commander said according to a post on the IDF’s official Telegram channel.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
Israel strike on Gaza hospital kills 4, wounds dozens
At least four people were killed and 40 others wounded Monday in an Israeli airstrike on tents housing displaced Palestinians inside the Al-Aqsa Hospital in the central Gaza’s city of Deir al-Balah, health officials said.
The Israeli military said it targeted militants operating from a command center inside the compound. Israel accuses Hamas of routine use of civilian facilities such as hospitals for military purposes — a charge Hamas denies.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Defense Secretary Austin discusses safety of UNIFIL forces with Israel’s Gallant
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant by phone on Sunday to express his condolences for the IDF soldiers killed in a Hezbollah drone attack and discuss the IDF’s military operations in Lebanon.
According to a readout of the call from the Pentagon, Austin, “reinforced the importance of Israel taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety and security of UNIFIL forces and Lebanese Armed Forces, and the need to pivot from military operations in Lebanon to a diplomatic pathway to provide security for civilians on both sides of the border as soon as feasible.”
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is a peacekeeping mission in Lebanon established by the U.N. Security Council.
The conversation comes after the IDF has repeatedly fired on the UNIFIL headquarters in southern Lebanon.
Additionally, Secretary Austin “reaffirmed the deep U.S. commitment to Israel’s security,” which he says is demonstrated by the deployment of the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD).
According to the Department of Defense, THAAD employs interceptor missiles, using “hit-to-kill” technology, to destroy threat missiles.
During the call, Austin “again raised concern for the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza and stressed that steps must be taken soon to address it,” the Pentagon said.
At least 3 killed in IDF strike on Gaza hospital
At least three people were killed and dozens more were injured after Israel Defense Forces struck Al Aqsa Hospital in Gaza on Sunday.
Nicole Hallingstad credits her cat, Rudy, with finding her breast cancer.
Despite an unremarkable mammogram screening just seven months earlier, the 42-year-old knew something was wrong when Rudy kept pawing at something on the right side of her chest.
Hallingstad had another mammogram, which this time found a golf-ball-sized tumor in her breast that she said was from a fast-growing form of breast cancer.
After surgery, she needed both radiation and chemotherapy – but neither were available where she lived.
Hallingstad faced a difficult decision. Her options were to travel more than 1,000 miles once a month for chemotherapy and then relocate for six weeks of radiation treatment, or move to another state where she could get chemotherapy and radiation in one place. Hallingstad chose the latter.
“I was very fortunate that I was able to take the option to move and continue working and receive the care I needed,” Hallingstad told ABC News. “But that is a choice that is unsustainable for far too many Native women, and frankly, uncertain.”
Why was cancer care so inaccessible for Hallingstad? Because she lived in Alaska.
Hallingstad, a member of the Tlingit and Haida Native Indian Tribes of Alaska, faced profound barriers to breast cancer care that are shared by many American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) women. These barriers have contributed to growing disparities over the last three decades.
“It’s often really difficult to get to a qualified health care center that is close to the rural areas where so many of our people live,” Hallingstad said. “And transportation is not readily available for many people to get the trip to the center, to get their screening to even have access to the kind of machinery that is needed for this important treatment work.”
A recent report by the American Cancer Society (ACS) showed that the rate of breast cancer deaths among U.S. women has decreased by 44% from 1989 to 2022. But that progress has not held true for all women, including AI/AN women, whose death rates have remained unchanged during that same time.
While AI/AN women have a 10% lower incidence of breast cancer than white women, they have a 6% higher mortality rate, according to the ACS.
The ACS also found that only about half of AI/AN women over 40 years old surveyed for the report said they’d had a mammogram in the last two years, compared to 68% of white women. That lack of timely screenings increased the risk of discovering cancer in more advanced stages, which in turn could result in higher death rates.
“This is a population for which we are very concerned,” Karen Knudsen, CEO of the American Cancer Society, told ABC News. “Given the mammography rates [of AI/AN women] that we’re actually seeing, which are well behind other women across the country.
Knudsen emphasized the need to “create that additional awareness about the importance of getting screened for breast cancer early because of the link to improved outcomes,” especially in Indigenous communities.
There are also cultural barriers to cancer care and awareness. “Culturally, we don’t often speak about very deep illness, because we don’t want to give it life,” Hallingstad said.
That fear, not necessarily shared by all Indigenous communities, is a common reason people from any background may choose not to discuss cancer risk, or to seek help if they think they have a serious health problem.
Melissa Buffalo, an enrolled member of the Meskwaki Nation of Iowa, is the CEO of the American Indian Cancer Foundation, where she works alongside Hallingstad. Her organization recently received a grant to study the knowledge and beliefs surrounding cancer and clinical trials among Indigenous people in Minnesota. Buffalo said she hopes to “create resources and tools that are culturally relevant, culturally tailored, so that we can help to build trust within these healthcare systems.”
Advocates like Buffalo and organizations like the ACS are also creating toolkits to help existing systems increase their outreach to AI/AN women. However, “there is not a ‘one size fits all’ approach to everything,” Dr. Melissa Simon, an OB/GYN at Northwestern University and founder of the Chicago Cancer Health Equity Collaborative, told ABC News.
“We have to also acknowledge that the patient has some variation too, just like the cancer itself. To treat it has some variation,” Simon said.
“We have to talk about it,” Hallingstad said about breast cancer in the Indigenous community. “We need to understand treatment options. We need to bring care facilities closer and we need to make sure our populations are being screened and are following treatment.”
Jade A. Cobern, MD, MPH is a physician board-certified in pediatrics and preventive medicine and a medical fellow of the ABC News Medical Unit.
Sejal Parekh, M.D., is a board-certified, practicing pediatrician and a member of the ABC News Medical Unit.
(DELPHI, IN.) — Jury selection begins Monday in the long-awaited trial of a Delphi, Indiana, man accused of killing two teenage girls while they hiked on a local trail in broad daylight in 2017.
The case garnered national intrigue, and remained a mystery for over five years until suspect Richard Allen was arrested in October 2022. He’s pleaded not guilty to murder charges.
Here’s everything you need to know about the case.
The murders
On Feb. 13, 2017, best friends Abby Williams, 13, and Libby German, 14, were enjoying a day off from school in their hometown of Delphi, a quiet, small town of nearly 3,000 residents in central Indiana.
They were on a hiking trail, walking, chatting and snapping photos, when they disappeared.
Their bodies were found the next day.
Abby, who was raised by her single mother, hoped to pursue a career in forensic science.
Libby, a gifted athlete raised by her grandparents, wanted to work with the FBI and solve crimes.
Police have never released how the eighth graders were killed.
According to video recovered from one of the victim’s phones, Abby or Libby mentioned “gun” as a man approached them, and a .40-caliber unspent round was found less than 2 feet away from one of the bodies, according to a probable cause affidavit. But court documents also mention the involvement of a knife in the killings.
‘Down the hill’
In the aftermath of the shocking double slayings, authorities released a clip of the suspect’s voice — a recording of him saying “down the hill” — which was recovered from Libby’s phone.
According to the probable cause affidavit, a man was seen and heard telling the girls, “Guys, down the hill,” and Abby and Libby then went down the hill.
Authorities also released a grainy image of the suspect, who they say was on the trail the day the girls went missing. State police later circulated a brief video clip recovered from Libby’s phone that showed the suspect walking on the bridge near where the girls were last seen.
The arrest
For more than five years, the case remained unsolved, haunting Delphi residents.
Police released disparate sketches of possible suspects, and authorities announced that, while investigating the case, they “uncovered” a fake Snapchat and Instagram profile called “anthony_shots,” where the user used photos of a male model and communicated with underage girls in an attempt to meet them. The man suspected to be behind the “anthony_shots” account was later identified and not linked to Abby and Libby’s murders.
No suspect was named in the murders until Allen was arrested in October 2022.
Community members were shocked to learn that the suspect was a 50-year-old husband, father and Delphi resident who worked at the local CVS.
“How can somebody do that and then just go on living life like nothing happened?” Libby’s grandfather, Mike Patty, told ABC News hours after the arrest was announced.
Allen admitted to police that he was on the trail that day, but he denied any involvement in the murders, according to court documents.
Police analysis of Allen’s gun determined that the unspent round discovered within 2 feet of one of the victims “had been cycled through Richard M. Allen’s Sig Sauer Model P226,” the probable cause affidavit said.
“When asked about the unspent bullet, [Allen] did not have an explanation of why the bullet was found between” the girls’ bodies, the probable cause affidavit said.
When Allen voluntarily spoke to police on Oct. 26, 2022, he said he never allowed anyone to borrow that gun, which he said he owned since 2001, the document added.
Video from Libby’s phone showed a man wearing a dark jacket and jeans on the trail. In an October 2022 interview, Allen told investigators that he wore jeans and a blue or black Carhartt jacket that day on the trail, and Allen’s wife confirmed to police that he owns a blue Carhartt jacket, according to the probable cause affidavit.
Investigators believe Allen is the grainy suspect seen on Libby’s cellphone video. Investigators also claim he forced Abby and Libby down the hill to the spot where they were killed, according to the probable cause affidavit.
Investigators believe Allen was seen walking back to his car with “clothes that were muddy and bloody,” according to the probable cause affidavit.
Allen allegedly confessed to the killings several times in a jail phone call with his wife in April 2023, according to unsealed court documents.
“Soon after” that call with his wife, Allen’s attorneys filed an emergency motion saying his mental state had declined and he should be moved, alleging Westville Correctional Facility was unfit, the document said. He was evaluated by two psychiatrists and a psychologist who determined he didn’t need involuntary medication and didn’t need to be moved, according to the document.
The trial
The trial will be held at Delphi’s Carroll County courthouse. But jurors will be selected from residents of Allen County, which is over 100 miles away and encompasses Fort Wayne, Allen County Judge Frances Gull ruled last year.
Jury selection begins Monday in Fort Wayne, and once the jury is selected, the case will move to Delphi.
Gull said it makes sense to keep the trial in Carroll County, where witnesses and families live, saying the expense to move the proceedings would be “extraordinary.”
But she added, “It’s painfully clear that it would be impossible to find a jury in Carroll County not involved in this case.”
(LONDON) — The Israel Defense Forces continued intense air and ground campaigns against Hezbollah in Lebanon and against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The uptick in offensive operations came after Israel marked the anniversary of Hamas’ Oct. 7 assault, and as Israeli leaders planned their response to Iran’s latest ballistic missile attack.
Israel to probe deadly drone attack on troops, Gallant says
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant visited the scene of a deadly Hezbollah drone strike in northern Israel on Monday, telling soldiers there the incident “was a difficult event with painful results.”
Four troops were killed and 55 wounded in Sunday’s attack on the Golani Training Base close to the town of Binyamina, some 20 miles south of Haifa.
“We must investigate it, study the details and implement lessons in a swift and professional manner,” Gallant said, according to a Defense Ministry readout.
“We are concentrating significant efforts in developing solutions to address the threat of UAV attacks,” he added
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
IDF claims 200 strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon
The Israel Defense Forces said Monday its warplanes targeted around 200 “Hezbollah terror targets” in its continuing operation against the Iranian-backed group in southern Lebanon.
The targets included “launchers, anti-tank missile launch posts, terrorist infrastructure and weapons storage facilities containing launchers, anti-tank missiles, RPG launchers and munitions,” the IDF wrote on X.
Ground forces, meanwhile, “eliminated dozens of terrorists in close-quarters encounters and aerial strikes” in their ongoing cross-border incursion, the force reported.
The IDF is still describing its ground operation as consisting of “limited, localized, targeted raids” in southern areas close to the border.
Airstrikes, though, continue across southern Lebanon. Around a quarter of all Lebanese territory is under IDF evacuation orders and some 1.2 million civilians are displaced, according to the government in Beirut.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
Hezbollah drone attack on IDF base ‘painful,’ commander says
The Israel Defense Forces identified the four soldiers killed in a Hezbollah drone attack on a training base in the north of the country on Sunday.
Sgt. Omri Tamari, Sgt. Yosef Hieb, Sgt. Yoav Agmon and Sgt. Amitay Alon were killed, an IDF press release said. The strike occurred at the Golani Training Base close to the town of Binyamina, some 20 miles south of Haifa.
Around 55 more are reported to have been injured.
IDF Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Herzi Halevi addressed Golani Brigade troops on Sunday night following the attack.
“We are at war, and an attack on a training base in the rear is difficult and the results are painful,” the commander said according to a post on the IDF’s official Telegram channel.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
Israel strike on Gaza hospital kills 4, wounds dozens
At least four people were killed and 40 others wounded Monday in an Israeli airstrike on tents housing displaced Palestinians inside the Al-Aqsa Hospital in the central Gaza’s city of Deir al-Balah, health officials said.
The Israeli military said it targeted militants operating from a command center inside the compound. Israel accuses Hamas of routine use of civilian facilities such as hospitals for military purposes — a charge Hamas denies.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Defense Secretary Austin discusses safety of UNIFIL forces with Israel’s Gallant
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant by phone on Sunday to express his condolences for the IDF soldiers killed in a Hezbollah drone attack and discuss the IDF’s military operations in Lebanon.
According to a readout of the call from the Pentagon, Austin, “reinforced the importance of Israel taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety and security of UNIFIL forces and Lebanese Armed Forces, and the need to pivot from military operations in Lebanon to a diplomatic pathway to provide security for civilians on both sides of the border as soon as feasible.”
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is a peacekeeping mission in Lebanon established by the U.N. Security Council.
The conversation comes after the IDF has repeatedly fired on the UNIFIL headquarters in southern Lebanon.
Additionally, Secretary Austin “reaffirmed the deep U.S. commitment to Israel’s security,” which he says is demonstrated by the deployment of the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD).
According to the Department of Defense, THAAD employs interceptor missiles, using “hit-to-kill” technology, to destroy threat missiles.
During the call, Austin “again raised concern for the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza and stressed that steps must be taken soon to address it,” the Pentagon said.
At least 3 killed in IDF strike on Gaza hospital
At least three people were killed and dozens more were injured after Israel Defense Forces struck Al Aqsa Hospital in Gaza on Sunday.
(OAKLAND, Calif.) — A suspect has been arrested and charged with murder in connection to a Michigan home invasion in which two men are believed to have gained entry by posing as utility workers.
The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office identified him as Carlos Jose Hernandez, 37, and said they are seeking his extradition from Louisiana.
The second suspect remains at large, and the sheriff’s office is urging anyone with information that could lead to an arrest to get in touch.
On Friday, a 72-year-old man was found dead in the basement of his Rochester Hills home, according to the sheriff’s office. His wife, who called 911, had been tied up with her hands duct-taped.
It is not yet clear how the man, identified as Hussein Murray, was killed.
“Because of the gruesome nature of the injuries, it was not immediately clear if he had been shot or bludgeoned to death,” the sheriff’s department said in a press release.
The woman told law enforcement officials that the night before the attack, the two suspects had also shown up to the home claiming to be responding to a gas leak, but they were not allowed inside.
When they showed up again on Friday, they were let into the home, and her husband went with them into the basement, “ostensibly to look for the leak,” according to the sheriff’s department.
When they came back upstairs without her husband, they tied her up and taped her hands, the woman said. She did not see him come out afterward and “assumed he had been kidnapped.”
In home security camera footage released by the sheriff’s department, the since-arrested suspect can be seen wearing a utility worker’s uniform and a mask while holding a clipboard.
“We’re DTE. We’re checking for gas leaks,” the man can be heard saying in the video, naming the Michigan-based energy company.
In a statement after the incident, DTE urged customers to “be alert for DTE Energy impersonators.”
“If anyone arrives at your home or business claiming they are from DTE, please ask to see a badge with a photo ID. If the person refuses to show their badge, do not allow them entry into your home. If the person becomes agitated or acts in a strange manner, call 911 immediately,” the company said.
In an interview with a Detroit ABC affiliate WXYZ, Sheriff Michael J. Bouchard described Murray as “a loving guy, owned a business, cared about his neighborhood and his community.”
“[He] shouldn’t have been a target of this — no one should ever be a target of this,” Bouchard said.
Murray owned a jewelry and pawn shop, according to WXYZ.
Bouchard said they believe Murray’s killing was “very targeted.”
“It wasn’t random,” Bouchard said. “They’re not just knocking on doors and doing this.”
(DENVER) — GOP vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance is standing by former President Donald Trump’s false claims that Venezuelan gangs have invaded and conquered Aurora, Colorado.
Trump has repeatedly claimed that members of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang have “taken over” apartment complexes and “overrun” the city, as he did in a rally in the city on Friday.
Mike Coffman, the Republican mayor of Aurora, said Trump’s claims are “grossly exaggerated” and “have unfairly hurt the city’s identity and sense of safety.”
Asked by “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz on Sunday if he supports Trump making those claims, Vance did not back down.
“Well, Martha, you just said the mayor said they were exaggerated. That means there’s got to be some element of truth here,” Vance said.”
Raddatz followed up with Vance, saying the issues in Aurora were limited to a handful of apartment complexes and that the mayor released a statement saying the city’s “dedicated police officers have acted on those concerns and will continue to do so.”
Vance responded, saying Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris caused the issues in Aurora.
“Unfortunately, when you let people in by the millions, most of whom are unvetted, most of whom you don’t know who they really are, you’re going to have problems like this.”
“Kamala Harris, 94 executive orders that undid Donald Trump’s successful border policies. We knew this stuff would happen. Bragged about opening the border, and now we have the consequences, and we’re living with it. We can do so much better, but frankly, we’re not going to do better, Martha, unless Donald Trump calls this stuff out. I’m glad that he did.”
In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, which devastated parts of states in the southeastern U.S., including Florida, North Carolina, and Georgia, Trump has falsely suggested that aid from FEMA meant for the hurricane was going to migrants and that the federal government is going out of their way to not help people in Republican areas.
Asked if he believed that true, Vance defended the president.
“What the President said is that fundamentally, FEMA aid is distracted by going to illegal migrants,” Vance responded. “We’ve got Republican congressmen who are on the ground who represent that area saying that they have to call the White House to get food and water to FEMA? I don’t, frankly, think there’s anything malicious going on here, Martha, but I do think that we’ve had an incompetent response to this particular crisis, particularly in Western North Carolina, which, to be fair, was hit harder than a lot of us expected it.”
Vance called the federal government’s response to the crisis incompetent, saying members of the military are still “trickling” into western North Carolina.
Raddatz pushed back against the false claims that the government is not assisting people in Republican areas and citing Pentagon officials who said that active duty troops were staged and ready to go before being called upon and were instantly out the door.
On Friday in Georgia, Vance said that the attorney general is the second-most important government role after the president.
Raddatz pressed Vance if Trump would go after his political opponents if he won another term.
“No, he was president for four years, and he didn’t go after his political opponents. You know, who did go after her political opponents? Kamala Harris, who has tried to arrest everything from pro-life activists to her political opponents,” Vance said.
To follow up, Raddatz told Vance that Trump has said in the past that those who have cheated will be prosecuted.
“Well, he said that people who violated our election laws will be prosecuted. I think that’s the administration of law,” Vance said. “He didn’t say people are going to go to jail because they disagree with me.”
Vance continues to refuse to acknowledge that Trump lost the 2020 election. In an interview with “This Week” earlier this year, Vance said he wouldn’t have certified the results of the 2020 race until states submitted pro-Trump electors.
Raddatz pressed Vance again on the 2020 election.
“In interview after interview, question after question, and in the debate, you refuse to say that Donald Trump lost the 2020 election,” Raddatz said. “So I’m just going to assume that if I ask you 50 times whether he lost the election, you would not acknowledge that he did. Is that correct?”
“Martha, you’ve you asked this question. I’ve been asked this question 10 times in the past couple of weeks. Of course, Donald Trump and I believe there were problems in 2020,” Vance said.
Pressed again by Raddatz, Vance replied, “I’ve said repeatedly I think the 2020 election had problems. You want to say rigged? You want to say he won? Use whatever vocabulary term you want.”
