Singapore executed Tangaraju Suppiah, 46, on Wednesday for abetting the trafficking of 1 kilogram of cannabis, despite his family's pleas for clemency and activists protesting the weak evidence against him. The death penalty is a mandatory sentence for anyone found guilty of trafficking more than 500 grams of cannabis in Singapore, and the execution has sparked outrage among activists and human rights groups who argue that it is an inhumane punishment. The Singapore government has defended its use of capital punishment, saying it is necessary to deter drug trafficking and other serious crimes.
Posts published in “Crime”
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR) has requested documents from Harlan Crow, a Texas billionaire who has donated millions to conservative causes, to investigate whether his gifts to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas violated federal tax law. Chief Justice John Roberts has responded to a request from Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) for Roberts to testify about Thomas’s relationship with Crow by providing a statement of ethics principles and practices to which all current Supreme Court members subscribe. Wyden's letter to Crow requests documents and communications related to the gifts, as well as any records of payments made to Thomas or his wife, to investigate whether the gifts violated federal tax law.
Ed Sheeran is facing a copyright infringement lawsuit in a Manhattan federal courtroom, with the heirs of Marvin Gaye's co-writer claiming that Sheeran's hit "Thinking Out Loud" violates the copyright of the soul classic. At the start of the trial, attorney Ben Crump said they had "smoking gun" proof of the infringement, and Sheeran was called to the stand to face questioning. The jury will get to see concert footage of Sheeran flipping between the two songs, and the outcome of the trial is yet to be determined.
Sheila Keen-Warren has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the 1990 shooting of Marlene Warren, a case that was solved decades later due to advances in DNA technology. The plea deal will likely see her released from prison in no more than two years, and the family of Marlene Warren has agreed to the deal.
Jury deliberations began Wednesday in the seditious conspiracy trial of former Proud Boys national chairman Enrique Tarrio and four co-defendants, who are accused of plotting to keep President Donald Trump in the White House after the 2020 election. Attorneys for the Proud Boys placed blame for the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol on Donald Trump during closing arguments on Tuesday. If convicted, the defendants could face up to 20 years in prison, and the jury's decision will be closely watched by both sides of the political aisle.
A senior administration official has confirmed that the mastermind behind the deadly August 2021 attack at Kabul International Airport, which claimed the lives of 13 U.S. service members and more than 150 Afghans, has been killed by the Taliban in Afghanistan. The U.S. has intelligence and other sources confirming his death, and the death of the ISIS leader is a major victory for the U.S. and its allies in the fight against terrorism. It is hoped that his death will bring some measure of justice to the families of the victims of the attack.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office has accused Stephan Gevorkian, 44, of Studio City, of practicing medicine without a license on thousands of patients for several years. Gevorkian is facing five felony counts and could face up to five years in prison if convicted. The District Attorney's Office is asking anyone who may have received medical advice or treatment from Gevorkian to contact them.
Prince William has reportedly received a "very large sum of money" in a 2020 settlement with Rupert Murdoch's media empire for phone hacking. The lawsuit, brought against News Group Newspapers, alleges the newspapers unlawfully gathered information in a scandal dating back two decades. Prince Harry's lawyer revealed the settlement in a summary of arguments why his lawsuit against the publisher of The Sun and News Of The World should not be thrown out. The amount of money received by Prince William has not been disclosed, and the outcome of the case is expected to have a significant impact on the ongoing phone hacking scandal.