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31 years after Richmond robbery-murder conviction, man to be freed from prison after two key witnesses change their testimony

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:46:21 GMT

RICHMOND – A Bay Area man convicted of a 1992 robbery-murder will be released from prison under a new plea agreement reached after two key witnesses changed or recanted their testimony.Last week, Contra Costa Judge Julia Campins resentenced Ricky Godrey to 24 years in prison, after he pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter and attempted robbery.Godrey has already served 31 years in prison for murder in the same case, so he will be released from California State Prison, Solano under certain terms.He must serve two years parole, pay restitution to and stay away from the victim’s family, and is prohibited for life from possessing firearms. If he violates his parole, Godfrey will go back to prison.Godfrey was 18 when he was arrested and charged with fatally shooting Harvey Norfleet in Richmond, and was later sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. Jurors convicted Godfrey in a 1993 trial where two eyewitness accounts were at the center of the government’s case.But dec...

North Dakota limits bathroom access for transgender people

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:46:21 GMT

By Trisha Ahmed | Associated Press/Report for AmericaTransgender kids and adults in North Dakota won’t be able to access bathrooms, locker rooms or showers that match the gender they identify with in places like college dorms or jails, under a new law signed by Republican Gov. Doug Burgum.The American Civil Liberties Union has said that so far this year, more than 450 bills attacking the rights of transgender people have been introduced in state legislatures.Burgum’s office announced Wednesday that he signed the bill the previous day. It had passed the state House and Senate with veto-proof majorities.Dorms and living facilities controlled by the state board of higher education would be affected, as well as correctional facilities for youths and adults. Restrooms and shower rooms will be designated for use exclusively by males or exclusively by females. Transgender or gender-nonconforming people would need to get approval from a staff member to use the restroom or shower...

Oakland police detective accused of perjury, bribing witness booked into Santa Rita Jail

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:46:21 GMT

OAKLAND — Homicide detective Phong Tran pleaded not guilty Wednesday morning to perjury and other felony charges connected to his handling of a 2011 homicide investigation, a day after he was arrested and booked at Santa Rita Jail.At an arraignment hearing Wednesday in Oakland, Judge James Cramer set the Oakland police officer’s bail at $95,000. Tran, who was initially booked on a no-bail arrest warrant, faces five felony counts including two counts of perjury, and charges of bribery of a witness, attempted bribery of a witness and subornation of perjury under oath.The crimes he is suspected of range from 2012 to 2016 and stem from a 2011 murder the longtime Oakland detective investigated. Tran is accused of paying a key witness — who as an informant helped him with other cases — to testify against two defendants and of committing perjury by saying on the stand that he she was not “paid a dime.”The witness later recanted her testimony and the defendants were freed from j...

Elizabeth Holmes’ last-ditch bid will keep her from going to prison Thursday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:46:21 GMT

Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes has made a Hail Mary bid that will delay her imprisonment for felony fraud.Holmes late Tuesday asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to overturn an order by the judge who oversaw her trial to surrender herself for incarceration tomorrow. Under the court’s rules, she will remain free until a decision is made.It was not immediately clear for how long her motion to the appellate court would keep her from having to report to prison. Holmes’ co-accused, Sunny Balwani, who was tried and convicted separately, went through the same process in appealing his prison-date order, and the Ninth Circuit took three weeks to rule against him, while he remained free pending their decision.Holmes, 39, fought for months to remain free until her appeal of her verdict and sentence is concluded, which could be up to a year or more from now. But earlier this month, Judge Edward Davila ordered her to start serving her sentence of more than 11 yea...

What to watch: ‘The Citadel’ is a sexy, bonkers thriller — and worth your time

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:46:21 GMT

The flood of streaming options surges this week with the release of Prime Video’s hugely hyped actioner “Citadel”; HBO Max’s take on the oft-told Candy Montgomery murder case, “Love & Death”; Paramount+’s redo of the seminal 1987 erotic thriller “Fatal Attraction” (yes, the boiled bunny movie); and Hulu’s adaptation of the daring literary thriller “Saint X.”My pick, though, for the best of the week goes to “Sisu,” the stand-up-and-cheer action thriller from Finland that lands in theaters this week. And I can’t overlook the peppy “Polite Society.”Here’s our rundown.“Citadel”: In this visually arousing spy thriller, the impossibly gorgeous Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Richard Madden are at the center of a smackdown between two rival agencies — one good but put out to pasture, the other dubious and posing a clear and present danger. Old memories re-emerge and fuel a cinematic bullet train that’s built around kickass action, sultry gazes and frenetic editing. Su...

San Jose firefighters respond to residential fire

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:46:21 GMT

(KRON) -- Firefighters are on the scene of a one-alarm fire at a residential building in the area of the 1400 block of North San Pedro, according to a tweet from the San Jose Fire Department. Streets are closed in the area of Gish and North San Pedro and people are being advised to avoid the area. Suspects who allegedly shot up San Jose store arrested for robbery, attempted homicide Photos tweeted out by the San Jose FD showed serious damage to the interior of the residence with charred furniture and blackened walls.Firefighters are expected to remain on the scene for another hour, according to SJFD.

Suspects who allegedly shot up San Jose store arrested for robbery, attempted homicide

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:46:21 GMT

(KRON) -- Two men who police say brandished a firearm and began shooting into a store during an armed robbery last weekend are in custody, the San Jose Police Department announced. Officers responded to the incident at around 3:45 p.m. on Saturday, April 22 on a report of a disturbance involving a weapon. Charges will be dropped against man arrested for striking ex-SF fire commissioner, statement says Officers arrived at the scene on the 1600 block of Story Road and discovered that the suspects entered the store and took goods without paying for them. An employee confronted the suspects and one of them, who police identified as Miguel Barragan, allegedly brandished a firearm and began shooting into the store.Barragan along with the other suspect, who police identified as Jaime Gonzalez, then fled in a vehicle, firing additional rounds at store employees and security as they drove away. None of the victims were struck by gunfire, according to police.The license plate number of the ...

The First “Wrongful Death” Case for Helping a Friend Get an Abortion

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:46:21 GMT

“Your help means the world to me,” a grateful Brittni Silva texted her best friends, Jackie Noyola and Amy Carpenter, last July. “I’m so lucky to have y’all. Really.”A month after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the Houston mother of two experienced an unplanned pregnancy with her now ex-husband and allegedly sought abortion care with the help of her friends. For nearly a year, Texas had imposed a six-week abortion ban, and a full “trigger” ban would be enacted in just a few weeks. Silva needed to act fast and extricate herself from what appeared to be an emotionally unhealthy relationship with a husband she would go on to divorce in February. Her friends offered their unwavering support.“I just worry about your emotional state,” wrote Carpenter, who had advocated that Silva “remove” herself from her husband, according to court documents. “He’ll be able to snake his way into your head.”“I know either way he will use it against me,” Silva said of her pregnancy. “If I t...

US files charges in Michigan over diesel engine tampering

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:46:21 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — Eleven people have been charged in Michigan in a scheme to evade air-pollution rules by tampering with software and hardware in heavy-duty diesel engines, federal authorities said Wednesday.Nine of the 11 have agreed to plead guilty, along with three companies, according to documents filed simultaneously in federal court in western Michigan.Diesel Freak LLC, based in Gaylord, has agreed to pay a $750,000 fine. Accurate Truck Service, based in Grand Rapids, and a related company, Griffin Transportation, have each agreed to pay $500,000, court filings show.Diesel Freak conducted remote engine reprogramming and counted Accurate Truck and Griffin Transportation as customers, authorities said.Diesel engine modifications can “improve the horsepower, torque, fuel efficiency or other characteristics of diesel engines,” the government said in the charging document. “These unlawful modifications result in a dramatic increase in multiple pollutants being emitted by each vehicle....

WVa GOP governor to reveal plans amid Senate run speculation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:46:21 GMT

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia Republican Gov. Jim Justice is set to reveal his 2024 election plans, ending months of speculation about whether he’ll seek the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Democrat Joe Manchin.Justice is scheduled to make an announcement Thursday evening at The Greenbrier, the posh resort in White Sulphur Springs that he bought out of bankruptcy in 2009. The event will be held on his 72nd birthday.Justice, who is barred by state law from seeking a third consecutive term as governor, has been fielding questions about his Senate plans for months. If he runs for Senate, the announcement would set up what could be a hard-fought campaign against two of the state’s most prominent politicians.Manchin, who endorsed Justice in his first gubernatorial bid before their relationship deteriorated, has said he plans to decide his future plans in December, although Manchin’s federal campaign filings show he already has more than $9.7 million cash on hand. ...