Irvo Otieno prosecutor seeks one trial for 10 defendants in his killing

Irvo Otieno prosecutor seeks one trial for 10 defendants in his killing
Irvo Otieno prosecutor seeks one trial for 10 defendants in his killing
Courtesy Otieno Family

(NEW YORK) — The prosecutor in the Irvo Otieno case on Wednesday filed a motion seeking one trial for all 10 people accused in Otieno’s killing in Virginia in March.

Otieno, a Richmond resident, died in police custody after he was held down by seven Henrico County, Virginia, sheriff’s deputies and three hospital employees for about 12 minutes, according to Ann Cabell Baskervill, the commonwealth’s attorney for Dinwiddie County.

The 10 have been charged with second-degree murder.

Each of the defendants will be able to argue for or against the motion at their pretrial hearings. G. Russell Stone Jr., who is representing defendant Brandon Edwards Rodgers, told ABC News that he has received the motion and will be reviewing it.

ABC News has contacted each of the attorneys for the other defendants in the case. None of the 10 have yet entered pleas.

Cabell Baskervill described the incident as “cruel and a demonstration of power that is unlawful.” She said Otieno’s preliminary cause of death was positional and mechanical asphyxia with restraints.

Virginia State Police were not called for three-and-a-half hours after Otieno’s death, the commonwealth’s attorney has said. In that time, his body was moved, his handcuffs and leg irons were removed and washed and a funeral home had been called instead of the medical examiner’s office.

In the commonwealth’s motion for one trial for all 10 defendants, Cabell Baskervill argued that “the cause and dynamics of Otieno’s death support a joined trial in ways that, say, a single gunshot wound might not.”

Cabell Baskervill wrote in the motion that Otieno’s asphyxiation “reflects severe compression of the chest by a heavy weight. Here, that heavy weight was the Henrico deputies and the Central State staff.”

She wrote that the 10 defendants allegedly acted together causing the death of Otieno. The autopsy couldn’t determine which defendant “was on which of Otieno’s body parts at any given time. The most culpable persons as first degree principals would be those on his torso.”

“If one person here had acted differently, then Otieno may very well have been able to survive,” Cabell Baskervill wrote.

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Rare Bob Dylan drawings going on display in New York City

Rare Bob Dylan drawings going on display in New York City
Rare Bob Dylan drawings going on display in New York City
Dave J Hogan/Getty Images for ABA

Some unique and original drawings by Bob Dylan will be on display in New York this week. Billboard reports that the drawings, which Dylan made during the 1967 recording sessions for The Basement Tapes, will be on display at the 63rd annual ABAA New York International Antiquarian Book Fair, taking place April 27 to 30 at the Park Avenue Armory in Manhattan. 

The three captioned drawings all appear on the side of a Columbia Records Handelok record bag. One drawing depicts a man waving with a guitar and saying a line similar to a lyric from the tune “Long Distance Operator.” Another shows a figure ready to strike a person who’s telling them to shut up. The third picture looks like an object with guitar strings and features captions identifying the “swift key,” “gas lock,” “tune-up supporter” and more. 

And Dylan fans with some money to spare have a chance to own the rare piece of memorabilia. It’s up for sale at the Schubertiade Music & Arts gallery for $60,000. 

“There’s a lot of fake stuff on the market,” the gallery’s owner, Gabe Boyers, tells Billboard. “It’s not just a rare item. We know exactly when this was created, who it was made for, and who the other person’s handwriting is on it. It’s a special piece.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Former ’Bachelorette’ Becca Kufrin pregnant, expecting first child with fiancé Thomas Jacobs

Former ’Bachelorette’ Becca Kufrin pregnant, expecting first child with fiancé Thomas Jacobs
Former ’Bachelorette’ Becca Kufrin pregnant, expecting first child with fiancé Thomas Jacobs
ABC/Craig Sjodin

Another Bachelor baby is on the way!

Former Bachelorette Becca Kufrin is expecting her first child with fiancé Thomas Jacobs, the couple announced Wednesday. 

Sharing a video montage of the happy couple — complete with ultrasounds, sonograms, and their two pups — the parents-to-be captioned the post. “Party of 5 coming September 2023.”

“Little Bebe, we can’t wait to meet you, hold you, and watch you grow,” they added. “We already love you to the moon and back – mom & dad. #pregnanyannouncement #bebe #momanddad #pregnantnotpasta.”

Becca, 33, and Thomas, 30, who met on season 7 of Bachelor in Paradise, were flooded with congratulatory messages from other members of Bachelor Nation. 

“Speechless! Beyond happy! Sending so much love,” wrote season 10 Bachelorette Andi Dorfman

“WHAT!!!! Omg I’m crying,” chimed Becca Tilley. “I’m so thrilled for y’all!”

Ashley IaconettiKaitlyn BristoweWells Adams, former Bachelor host Chris Harrison and more also left well wishes for the couple.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Scoreboard roundup — 4/26/23

Scoreboard roundup — 4/26/23
Scoreboard roundup — 4/26/23
iStock

(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Wednesday’s sports events:

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

INTERLEAGUE
Cincinnati 5, Texas 3
Cleveland 4, Colorado 1
Milwaukee 6, Detroit 2
Arizona 2, Kansas City 0
Philadelphia 6, Seattle 5

AMERICAN LEAGUE
NY Yankees 12, Minnesota 6
Toronto 8, Chi White Sox 0
Baltimore 6, Boston 2
Houston 1, Tampa Bay 0
LA Angels 11, Oakland 3

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Pittsburgh 8, LA Dodgers 1
Atlanta 6, Miami 4
Washington 4, NY Mets 1
San Diego 5, Chi Cubs 3
San Francisco 7, St. Louis 3

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS
New York 106, Cleveland 95 (NY wins 4-1)
Memphis 116, L.A. Lakers 99 (LA leads 3-2)
Miami 128, Milwaukee 126 (OT) (Miami wins 4-1)
Golden State 123, Sacramento 116 (Golden State leads 3-2)

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Florida 4, Boston 3 (OT) (Boston leads 3-2)
Seattle 3, Colorado 2 (Seattle leads 3-2)

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Teen driver, 3 others seriously injured after head-on crash with school bus in New York

Teen driver, 3 others seriously injured after head-on crash with school bus in New York
Teen driver, 3 others seriously injured after head-on crash with school bus in New York
WABC

(NEW YORK) — Four people, including an unlicensed teenage driver, were seriously injured when their car crashed head-on into a school bus in New York state on Wednesday, authorities said.

The incident occurred around 2:13 p.m. local time in Westchester County, in the area of Mount Kisco.

The New Castle Police Department said officers responded to a “head-on accident” involving a Yorktown Central School District bus and a 2016 Honda Accord driven by an unlicensed 16-year-old from Bedford Hills.

The preliminary investigation found that the driver of the Honda Accord “lost control while rounding a curve, crossed into oncoming traffic and struck the bus head-on,” the New Castle Police Department said in a statement.

The driver and his three passengers were transported to Westchester Medical Center with life-threatening injuries, police said, who did not specify how many people were on board.

Westchester Medical Center told ABC New York station WABC that nine people total were injured in the crash.

Aerial footage from the scene showed extensive damage to the front of the Honda Accord and the school bus.

Multiple police, fire and EMS agencies responded to the scene.

Residents were advised to avoid the area “due to a serious accident and investigation.”

The Westchester County District Attorney’s Office is assisting with an investigation into the crash, police said.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

K.Flay premieres new single, “Raw Raw”

K.Flay premieres new single, “Raw Raw”
K.Flay premieres new single, “Raw Raw”
GIANT Music

K.Flay has premiered a new single called “Raw Raw.”

The track reflects the “Blood in the Cut” artist’s mindset after she completely lost hearing in her right ear last year.

“‘Raw Raw’ is the start of my next chapter,” K.Flay shares. “After losing half my hearing last fall, I was faced with a sudden and intense episode of fear and vulnerability. Like, could I even make music again? Once I got into my recovery and started writing and recording, I knew that I could. And what I wanted to create was music that felt properly rock but also properly future oriented. Uninhibited and different.”

“With ‘Raw Raw’ I wanted to capture what vulnerability really feels like,” she continues. “Outwardly it might seem tender, but on the inside it’s messy and bloody and somewhat terrifying. It’s a chainsaw buzzing at your throat.”

You can listen to “Raw Raw” now via digital outlets and watch its accompanying video streaming now on YouTube.

“Raw Raw” will appear on the next K.Flay album, due out this fall. It’ll be the follow-up to 2022’s Inside Voices/Outside Voices.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Avatar premieres video for ‘Dance Devil Dance’ track “Chimp Mosh Pit”

Avatar premieres video for ‘Dance Devil Dance’ track “Chimp Mosh Pit”
Avatar premieres video for ‘Dance Devil Dance’ track “Chimp Mosh Pit”
Black Waltz Records/Thirty Tigers

Avatar has premiered the video for “Chimp Mosh Pit,” a track off the band’s new album, Dance Devil Dance.

“Choosing what songs to make videos out of from Dance Devil Dance was harder than ever, with some very strong candidates,” says vocalist Johannes Eckerström. “Having battle tested ‘Chimp Mosh Pit’ on stage over and over makes me feel we made a very good choice.”

“It’s a fun ride,” Eckerström adds of the clip. “I like how it leans into the good rock ‘n’ roll times we like to mix with the destructive energy of the metal stuff. It feels like we are the only band who could’ve made this video.”

You can watch the “Chimp Mosh Pit” video streaming now on YouTube.

Dance Devil Dance was released in February. It also includes the single “The Dirt I’m Buried In.”

Avatar will kick off a U.S. tour in support of Dance Devil Dance April 28 in Omaha, Nebraska.

(Video contains uncensored profanity.) 

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

2nd American dies amid violence in Sudan, 2nd American dies amid violence in Sudan, White House official says

2nd American dies amid violence in Sudan, 2nd American dies amid violence in Sudan, White House official says
2nd American dies amid violence in Sudan, 2nd American dies amid violence in Sudan, White House official says
Mohammed Sami / EyeEm/Getty Images

(SUDAN) — A second American has been killed in the violence in Sudan, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby confirmed on Wednesday.

While Kirby did not name the victim, a family spokesperson identified him to ABC News as Bushra Ibnauf Sulieman, a doctor who was helping educate physicians in Sudan and whose children live in the U.S.

“We can confirm the death of a second American citizen yesterday. We extend our deepest condolences to the family,” Kirby said. “We continue to make clear, at the highest levels of our government, to the leadership of both the Sudanese armed forces and the rapid support forces, that they are responsible for ensuring the protection of civilians and non-combatants, including people from third countries and humanitarian staff that are working to save lives.”

Kirby did not elaborate on the circumstances of Sulieman’s death, but a press release from his family stated that the University of Khartoum professor of internal medicine was killed while escorting his father to a dialysis appointment.

Kirby also indicated the ceasefire is largely holding despite sporadic reports of gunfire.

“I know you’ve heard that there was a ceasefire that the U.S. brokered started at midnight on the 24th. Although there are some reports of violence and sporadic shelling and firing, we’re glad to see that the levels generally appeared, levels of violence generally appear to have gone significantly down. We urge both military factions that fully uphold this ceasefire, and to further extend it,” he said.

Sulieman, a father of four, had been in Sudan with his wife and two young children taking care of his parents, teaching and practicing medicine in a much-needed area of Sudan, his longtime friend, Dr. Khidir Dalouk, told ABC News.

Dalouk said the doctor was stabbed to death Tuesday.

“I think that the world, not just Sudan or his family, it has lost a human soul. A good person who did not think about himself. He always thought about his family first, his patients first, his students first,” an emotional Dalouk said. “We’re sorry that he’s gone”

Last week the State Department confirmed that one American died in the conflict in Sudan.

As of Tuesday evening, five United Nations staffers were also among the hundreds that have been killed amid the ongoing clashes between forces loyal to two rival generals, according to officials.

Kirby also said the U.S. is actively facilitating the departure of a “relatively small number of Americans” who have indicated their desire to leave the country.

“We continue to deploy U.S. intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets on manned assets to support land evacuation routes, which Americans are using, and we’re still moving naval assets within the region to provide support along the coast. American citizens are arriving in Port Sudan, and we are helping to facilitate their onward travel as appropriate,” Kirby said.

An estimated 16,000 Americans — most of whom are dual U.S.-Sudanese citizens — remain in Sudan, according to Kirby.

“These are people that grew up in Sudan, work in Sudan, families are in Sudan and they want to stay in Sudan, so it’s a number that is difficult to plan to specifically,” Kirby told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos in an interview Monday on “Good Morning America.”

Kirby did not have much to offer on the growing concern over the need for humanitarian assistance in Sudan. He noted USAID has a team on the ground, but deferred to USAID Ambassador Samantha Power on any effort to increase humanitarian aid, saying the ceasefire really needs to hold, in order to expand.

ABC News’ Katherine Carroll, Morgan Winsor and Teddy Grant contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Elizabeth Holmes’ prison sentence delayed following new appeal

Elizabeth Holmes’ prison sentence delayed following new appeal
Elizabeth Holmes’ prison sentence delayed following new appeal
Hitoshi Nishimura/Getty Images

(CALIFORNIA) — Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes will not have to report to prison this week after filing an appeal with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.

Holmes, who was convicted of four counts of fraud in January 2022 and sentenced to 11 years and three months in prison by U.S. District Judge Edward Davila in January, had filed a motion earlier this month to remain out of prison pending appeal. However, Davila denied that motion and ordered Holmes begin serving her sentence on Thursday.

However, with her appeal filed Tuesday night, Holmes is challenging that ruling and due to a rule within the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, she will remain free on bail until the court makes a decision.

In the appeal, Holmes’ attorneys state that her conviction was the result of “prejudicial errors that warrant reversal and a new trial.” They argue that Davila’s denial of her release pending appeal “reflects numerous, inexplicable errors” including the courts referral to Holmes’ “patient fraud convictions,” of which Holmes was actually acquitted. They also argue that the court “used the wrong legal standard to assess whether key issues presented were likely to result in reversal.”

The government has 10 days to respond to the motion.

This appeal comes after an amicus brief was filed earlier this week by the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, a nonprofit bar association that works on behalf of criminal defense attorneys to ensure justice and due process for accused criminals. In their brief, filed with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in support of Holmes, they argue that the court should reverse the decision and have a new trial due to what they say is a violation of The Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure and Evidence by the government.

Their brief echos the arguments from Holmes’ appeal of her conviction, filed last week allowing the use of a former Theranos lab director as an expert witness. Holmes’ attorneys also argued that prosecution’s case “largely parroted the public narrative” and that they “lacked the data necessary to present a comprehensive, scientifically reliable expert analysis of Theranos’ technology.”

The government has until May 3 to respond to Holmes’ appeal of the conviction.

Meanwhile, Holmes’ former boyfriend and Theranos COO, Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani reported to prison on April 20 after being denied his motion for release pending appeal by the Ninth Circuit, within three weeks. Balwani was originally ordered to report on March 16 but that was delayed due to the automatic stay from the Ninth Circuit. Balwani is set to serve 13 years at Terminal Island prison, a minimum-security facility in San Pedro, California.

Balwani was convicted in July 2022.

“This is a sad day for Mr. Balwani and for the cause of justice…A nearly 13-year sentence is truly draconian for a man whose sole focus was helping to create a great company without ever putting himself first. We will continue to fight for Mr. Balwani, and are optimistic that the Court of Appeals will correct this injustice when it hears the case,” Jeff Coopersmith, Balwani’s attorney, told ABC News in a statement when he reported to prison.

It is historically rare for an appeals court to allow a defendant to remain free pending their appeal because the likelihood of granting a new trial is rare, according to criminal defense attorney Caroline Polisi.

“The standard is that the government was lacking evidence to such a degree that it is likely that an appeals court would overturn the conviction, that just doesn’t happen very frequently,” Polisi told ABC News, adding, “Appeals courts are loath to second guess jury decisions.”

If Holmes’ appeal of Davila’s denial of her release pending appeal is rejected then she will likely report to the Federal Prison Camp at Bryan, Texas, which is a minimum security prison about 100 miles from where Holmes grew up.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

“Kim K. is retiring”: Kim Kardashian says she’d give up the reality show life for a law career

“Kim K. is retiring”: Kim Kardashian says she’d give up the reality show life for a law career
“Kim K. is retiring”: Kim Kardashian says she’d give up the reality show life for a law career
ABC/Randy Holmes

While Kim Kardashian has conquered reality TV and become a billionaire thanks to her business ventures, she claims she’d leave fame behind for the law.

Kim took part in a 2023 TIME100 Summit Q&A with journalist Poppy Harlow on Tuesday. The mogul, who in 2021 passed California’s First-Year Law Students Examination, commonly called the “baby bar,” sees seeking justice as her future.

“I always joke with my mom — who’s my manager — I say, ‘Kim K. is retiring, and I’m just going to be an attorney,” says Kim, the daughter of the late, famed attorney Robert Kardashian.

Kim, who did not go to law school, revealed she’ll take the full bar exam in February 2025. “There are so many things wrong in our [justice] system,” Kardashian said, adding her pursuit of Alice Marie Johnson‘s release from prison five years ago changed the trajectory of her own life. “But once I saw that I could make a difference, I couldn’t stop.”

Kim said she would “absolutely” consider a professional life off-camera. “I would be just as happy being an attorney full time,” she expressed. “There’s so much to be done.”

She added, “I would totally spend more time doing that, cameras or no cameras.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.