Brandon Wilson, a convicted murderer who stabbed Matthew Cecchi, a 9-year-old boy, in a public restroom in Oceanside, California, in 1998, has killed himself in his death row cell.
Brandon Wilson, a 33-year-old drifter from Wisconsin, Ohio, was found hanging inside in his cell in San Quentin State Prison, California on Thursday.
The killer death is 13 years to the week that he attacked Matthew Cecchi in a restroom in Oceanside, California while the boy’s aunt waited outside.
Brandon Wilson had been camping when he felt “the time had come to kill a person”, according to a confession statement read in court.
The murderer followed the boy, who was on a family reunion, to the bathroom after watching him in a nearby playground.
Brandon Wilson slit Matthew Cecchi’s throat with a hunting knife and stabbed him five times in the back as the little boy stood at a urinal.
When Matthew Cecchi’s aunt grew concerned that the boy had not come out, she went inside and found him bleeding to death on the bathroom floor.
Brandon Wilson, a convicted murderer who stabbed Matthew Cecchi, a 9-year-old boy, in a public restroom in Oceanside, California, in 1998, has killed himself in his death row cell
At his arraignment, Brandon Wilson,then-20-year-old, said: “I’m guilty, I did it. I did it. I killed him. I killed the little boy.”
But he showed no remorse and said he would “do it again in a second if I had the chance”.
During his trial in San Diego, Brandon Wilson asked the jury to “execute me”.
Brandon Wilson pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity and claimed God had ordered him to kill Matthew Cecchi.
Brandon Wilson was convicted and sentenced to death in 1999.
He was also serving a sentence of life in prison for the attempted murder of a woman he had stabbed in Los Angeles two days after killing Matthew Cecchi.
Police arrested Brandon Wilson after he stabbed the woman on her way to work in Hollywood.
Brandon Wilson had let her run away, before chasing her and stabbing her several more times until her co-workers pulled him off.
A prison spokeswoman said Brandon Wilson was found hanging inside his cell and pronounced dead at 6:47 a.m. He was alone in his single-person cell, she added.
Brandon Wilson is the 19th death row inmate to commit suicide since California reinstated capital punishment in 1978, according to the Department of Corrections.
That means more condemned inmates have died of suicide than the 13 prisoners who have been executed in the state since 1978. There are currently 719 inmates on death row in California.
Following the murder of Matthew Cecchi, campaigners demanded more protection for children in public places.
The appeal led to the creation of the Matthew Cecchi Public Safety Act.
The ruling allowed for unisex family restrooms in public parks and campgrounds in San Diego, California to be built to ensure the safety of children.
All renovated or newly constructed parks in the county now include these restrooms in their plans.
As Demi Moore has officially announced she is ending her six year marriage to Ashton Kutcher after reports of his alleged infidelities became public, the couple’s issues seem to have been a lot more complex.
It is believed Demi Moore, 49, and Ashton Kutcher, 33, embarked on an “open marriage”, with suggestions hinting that the actress is bisexual.
An insider told Star: “Demi is attracted to women just as much as men, so she didn’t always get all she needed from Ashton.”
Speaking of Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher’s agreement to have an open marriage, the source added: “Everyone in Hollywood knows about their arrangement, but they’ve managed to keep it a secret from the general public.
“She was cool with Ashton having flirtatious relationships too. Somehow they made it work all these years. Both of them were respectful of each other. It was a lot of fun for them.”
However, it all changed when Ashton Kutcher’s alleged affairs became public and it seems their liberal outlook soon turned sour.
As Demi Moore has officially announced she is ending her six year marriage to Ashton Kutcher after reports of his alleged infidelities became public, the couple's issues seem to have been a lot more complex
Comedienne Chelsea Handler seemed to echo the sentiments, speaking to Piers Morgan on CNN.
While Chelsea Handler admitted she didn’t know Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher well personally, she said: “I think it’s pretty obvious that they’ve probably had a lot of open marriage type situations.
“I think they probably had a lot of good times with some other women… Clearly they had a lot of threesomes, that led to twosomes without Demi and that leads to a divorce. I absolutely feel for her.”
Brittney Jones, Ashton Kutcher’s first alleged mistress, who came forward with the affair story in September 2010, insisted at the time that the actor had an “open marriage” with his wife.
At the time, Brittney Jones’ credibility was quashed by Ashton Kutcher’s lawyer who insinuated she was lying.
Yet today, Brittney Jones told TMZ: “Although divorce is often sad I do feel somewhat vindicated.
“For so long people have thought that I was dishonest or just making up my passionate nights with Ashton, when in fact I was being used.
“Ashton told me that both he and Demi had an <<open relationship>> and that he was not in fact cheating.
“Now I can tell all the facts about how Ashton really was, and hopefully people will believe my side of the story.”
Demi Moore said in a statement today that she is filing for divorce with “great sadness and a heavy heart”.
New research from Hillblom Center for the Biology of Aging, San Francisco, claims the secret to anti-ageing could lie with roundworms.
Biochemist Cynthia Kenyon and her team at the Hillblom Center for the Biology of Aging, have managed to prolong the life of roundworms six-fold.
The tiny roundworm has an exceptionally short lifespan; elderly at 10 days and dead within two weeks.
Cynthia Kenyon’s team have slowed the species’ ageing process and bred roundworms to the age of 84 days – which in human terms would make them 480 years old.
“You have something you never thought was possible,” Cynthia Kenyon told ABC News.
“These worms should be dead, a long time ago. But they’re not dead. They’re moving. They’re young.”
The reaserchers did it by manipulating one particular gene in its DNA, known as daf-2.
New research from Hillblom Center for the Biology of Aging, San Francisco, claims the secret to anti-ageing could lie with roundworms
The same gene is present in humans and people who live to 100 tend to exhibit mutations to the gene, said Cynthia Kenyon at the Technology, Entertainment and Design (TED) conference in Edinburgh.
Mutations to the daf-2 gene would help to explain why different animals have such significantly differing lifespans.
While the roundworm is dead inside a fortnight and the mayfly inside a day, tortoises can live for up to 188 years and koi fish can live to 200.
As a result of the research, Cynthia Kenyon claimed that youth-boosting drugs could be available within 15 years.
Matthew Denton, a distraught teen from Lander, Wyoming, killed himself and another four people in a head-on crash when he drove into van at 97 mph to commit suicide.
The crash happened on November 10 just after midnight at four miles south of Lander, when Matthew Denton, 17, deliberately drove his Chevrolet Suburban into oncoming traffic.
His car was going 97 mph when it crashed head-on into the Dodge Caravan, instantly killing all four people inside.
Matthew Denton, who was alone in the car, died at a Casper hospital shortly after the crash.
The van was going between 50 and 55 mph. There was no evidence Matthew Denton was targeting anyone inside the van, officials said.
“I don’t think he had a clue who he was running into. It was dark. He picked the next vehicle that was coming down the road, is what it looked like to us,” Wyoming Highway Patrol Lt Tom Adams said.
Matthew Denton, a distraught teen from Lander, Wyoming, killed himself and another four people in a head-on crash when he drove into van at 97 mph to commit suicide
The four people killed in the minivan were Corina Surrell-Norman, 41, her ex-husband Arvin Surrell, their 25-year-old son Ethan Surrell, who was driving the minivan and his 20-year-old girlfriend, Melinda Escamilla.
Matthew Denton was from Lander, and the Surrells lived in Fort Washakie about 20 miles north of the crash, a town of approximately 1,500.
Authorities determined the crash was intentional after inspecting a vehicle data recording device in Chevrolet Suburban. The “black box’ device showed how fast the car was going and that Matthew Denton didn’t attempt to brake.
Matthew Denton was “well into the throttle, almost to floor” when the crash happened, Lt Tom Adams said.
He also said text messages on Matthew Denton’s phone revealed he was having “personal problems” leading up to the wreck.
Lt Tom Adams declined to release the texts or say more about Matthew Denton’s personal issues.
Fremont County Coroner Ed McAuslan’s official report was that Matthew Denton’s death was a suicide and the deaths of the four others were homicides.
“He did an intentional act that took the lives of four people,” Ed McAuslan said.
Toxicology reports are pending.
Dodge Caravan tumbled off the highway and was engulfed in flames upon impact. Melinda Escamilla and Ethan Surrell were ejected from the van and Corina and Arvin Surrell were burned beyond recognition inside.
All four were killed instantly.
Matthew Denton died in hospital a few hours later.
Ten-year-old Jasmine McClain from Chadbourn, North Carolina, has been found dead in her bedroom after allegedly being bullied at school.
The girl was found hanged by her mother Samantha West at their home on Monday evening.
Samantha West said: “She was just such a loving child. I just lost it because she took her last breath in my arms.”
The mother described Jasmine McClain as “sweet and fun-loving” and said she was unaware that the girl was so tormented by bullying at her local elementary school.
Samantha West told local TV station WRAL-TV: “It’s a shame that kids are that cruel.”
Ten-year-old Jasmine McClain from Chadbourn, North Carolina, has been found dead in her bedroom after allegedly being bullied at school
Chadbourn Police Chief Steven Shaw ruled the death a suicide but his investigation lead him to Facebook where comments had been posted by Jasmine McClain’s classmates that she had been targeted.
Chief Steven Shaw said: “Children started coming forward and making accusations that she was bullied – and bullied bad – in school.”
The police chief was unable to comment on whether anyone was liable for Jasmine McCain’s death but said that the investigation was ongoing.
It is believed that Jasmine McCain was tormented at Chadbourn Elementary, where she was picked on her about her clothes and shoes.
The girl didn’t attend school for a short while before returning to classes last month. Her mother said she had dreaded going back.
Chadbourn Elementary, where the flag flew at half-mast following Jasmine McCain’s death, said they had conducted their own internal investigation and were working closely with the police.
Concerns have been raised after several children committed suicide in recent months following reports of bullying.
Joanna Findlay, a Scottish university lecturer from Hollywood, US, faces 50 years in jail for trying to murder her husband Gary Trogdon after finding his child porn.
Joanna Findlay, 41, blasted her husband in the chest at their home in Hollywood, Maryland, but failed to kill him.
Gary Trogdon, 55, a former U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel, then took the gun and killed himself.
Jurors at St Mary’s County Circuit Court found Joanna Findlay, originally from Blairgowrie, Perthshire, guilty of attempted second degree murder following a two-and-a-half-day trial.
Joanna Findlay was also found guilty of the statutory firearms offence of using a handgun in the commission of a felony.
Joanna Findlay, a Scottish university lecturer from Hollywood, US, faces 50 years in jail for trying to murder her husband Gary Trogdon after finding his child porn
State attorney Richard Fritz said Joanna Findlay now faces a potential 30 years in jail for attempted second degree murder, and potentially another 20 years on top for the firearms offence.
Richard Fritz said: “The jury found that she tried to murder him before he shot himself. They decided there was not enough evidence as to whether he committed suicide or she murdered him.
“The jury maybe thought that he committed suicide, but found that she had tried to murder him as well.”
Joanna Findlay, who was an English lecturer at Maryland University, insisted throughout that Gary Trogdon had in fact shot himself over the embarrassment at his child porn cache.
The trial heard that Gary Trogdon had gone to a local support group the morning before he died, after his wife insisted he seek help for his obsession with child pornography.
Later that day, on October 30, 2010, they were seen in good spirits and had gone to a Mexican restaurant in California, Maryland, for dinner with a neighbour after helping work on their chicken coop.
However, the court heard there was a rapid deterioration in their behaviour and later that night Joanna Findlay tried to overdose on drugs but her husband took them off her.
Joanna Findlay claimed in court that he later assaulted her after she again brought up the child pornography.
The woman said: “He pushed me down on the bed and he laid on top of me… He wouldn’t let me up.”
After more struggling, Joanna Findlay said she eventually freed herself and took a .22-calibre pistol from a coffee table drawer in the living room.
Joanna Findlay said she shot the gun into the floor to scare him away and then called police.
Richard Fritz, prosecuting, said her husband took the gun off her but she then got hold of another pistol, this time a .38 calibre weapon, and then shot her husband at close range.
Joanna Findlay’s lawyer, John Ray, said that police seized several computers that have thousands of images of child porn from a computer owned by GaryTrogdon, who lectured in military history.
Gary Trogdon, a former U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel, killed himself after his wife Joanna Findlay attempted to murder him
Officers found 10 guns in total in their home, but local medical examiner Dr Ana Rubio said it was difficult to say how Gary Trogdon had died.
Dr. Ana Rubio said: “The wound itself allows to be any of those three possibilities – homicide, suicide or accidental.”
Another medical expert, physician Dr. Jonathan Arden, concluded that the death was a suicide.
“You could put it in a textbook as an example of a suicidal gunshot wound,” Dr. Jonathan Arden said.
Joanna Findlay had originally faced a charge of murder in the first degree. If she been found guilty of that, she could have become the sixth person to have been executed in Maryland since the death penalty was reinstated in the U.S. in 1976.
Christopher and Mary Sultze, of Appleton, Wisconsin, starved their baby girl for months claiming they were afraid she would end up obese, a court has heard.
Christopher and Mary Sultze were both charged earlier this month with a felony count of child neglect. The couple face up to a year in prison and a $25,000 fine if convicted.
According to doctors, the infant gained just 5 pounds in the 14 months after her birth. She needed to weigh 22 pounds to meet even the minimum growth charts for her age, a doctor told police.
Another doctor noted that the baby girl had no fat on her body and was essentially starving.
Mary Sultze and her husband Christopher starved their baby girl for months claiming they were afraid she would end up obese
Christopher Sultze, 35, reportedly told doctors during a check-up in August that his daughter would “get fat” if she stayed at the hospital, even though it was recommended because the child was dangerously underweight.
Christopher Sultze appeared at Outagamie County Circuit Court yesterday and was released on bail on the condition he had no contact with the child.
The father’s preliminary hearing was scheduled for next week.
Mary Sultze, 36, waived the right to a preliminary hearing yesterday in exchange for her release on bail so that she could return to the couple’s three other children, according to her attorney Brandt Swardenski.
The woman was also ordered to have no contact with the daughter she’s accused of starving.
Brandt Swardenski said: “I have serious reservations about whether there’s any criminal activity here or just misguided parenting intentions.
“This is a case where we need to reserve judgment until we learn more details on exactly what occurred.”
Christopher Sultze, 35, reportedly told doctors during a check-up in August that his daughter would "get fat" if she stayed at the hospital, even though it was recommended because the child was dangerously underweight
Christopher Sultze’s attorney Michael Petersen declined to comment.
According to the criminal report, the baby weighed 8 pounds when she was born in July 2010 and weighed just 13 pounds in September 2011.
Doctors began tracking the girl’s lack of growth and weight gain at her four-month checkup in November 2010, when she weighed just 7 pounds, 9 ounces.
Baby’s parents were irritated that doctors were continually concerned about their daughter’s weight, the report said.
The parents insisted they were feeding her enough, their other children grew slowly and that they believed the girl would eventually gain weight.
Months went by with no significant improvement and tests for potential medical problems came back negative.
In August 2011, the family’s doctor convinced the parents to bring their daughter to Children’s Hospital in Fox Valley for an evaluation.
The girl gained 8 ounces in one a day at the hospital.
A social worker assigned to the family as part of hospital procedure noted that the girl’s parents were upset by recommendations that they needed to feed her more calories.
The parents decided to take their baby home against the advice of her doctors.
Christopher Sultze reportedly told a doctor he didn’t want to have obese children and kept insisting his daughter would “get fat” at the hospital.
The father later told police that his family followed a very low cholesterol diet.
Christopher Sultze said he underwent bypass surgery for a blocked artery when he was 25 years old.
Court records revealed that Mary Sultze was charged with misdemeanor battery and disorderly conduct for biting her four-year-old daughter on the arm in 2009.
At the time, Mary Sultze told police she had bitten her daughter to teach her a lesson after the girl bit her older sister.
The mother of four acknowledged that “it probably wasn’t right to do”.
Mary Sultze ultimately pleaded no contest to the disorderly conduct charge, which is not an admission of guilt but is treated as such for sentencing purposes. Prosecutors dismissed the battery count.
Chaz Bono has been criticized as being a misogynist by Stephen Beatty, Annette Bening and Warren Beatty’s transgender son.
Stephen Beatty, 19, born Kathlyn, has hit out at Chaz Bono, 42, who underwent female-to-male gender transition between 2008 and 2010.
Writing on his blog Super Mattachine, Stephen Beatty took issue with Chaz Bono’s view that transgender people have effectively been born with a “birth defect” – something Chaz Bono said in an interview with the New York Times.
Chaz Bono described being transgender as effectively having a “mismatched” brain and body, as a “birth defect like a cleft palate”.
Stephen Beatty branded Chaz Bono a misogynist and saying that he does no represent the views of the transgender community
Stephen Beatty fiercely disagrees: “I do not have a birth defect. If you feel like you have a birth defect, fine. That’s how you feel. Go feel that.”
“Do not put it onto me. Do not define me that way, and do not define other trans people that way unless they claim that label.”
Stephen Beatty continued, by branding Chaz Bono a misogynist and saying that he does no represent the views of the transgender community.
“[Chaz] has appointed himself as the representative of a group of people who are not all like him.
“He has said misogynistic… things about gender. I take particular issue with his comments on trans embodiment and on women.”
Chaz Bono has been criticized as being a misogynist by Stephen Beatty, Annette Bening and Warren Beatty's transgender son
Stephen Beatty concluded: “Chaz is a misogynist. He is a trans man who seems to believe that his female-assignedness and his female socialisation makes him immune from being a misogynist, and he is manifestly wrong.
“This man doesn’t represent our community… The next time you hear Chaz’s name brought up in a conversation about trans issues, point out the things he’s said about surgery, <<birth defects>> and women.
“Because I don’t want a single person thinking this guy is the best of us.”
Stephen Beatty describes himself as “a gay trans man for whom both identities are equally important, a white anti-racist, a feminist, and a poet”.
Warren Beatty also dated Chaz Bono’s mother Cher back in 1962.
Warren Beatty and Annette Bening, who married in 1992, have four children together.
Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon revealed other shots of their six-month-old twins, Moroccan and Monroe.
The charming twins, Moroccan and Monroe look like they are on cloud nine as they recline on a giant white sofa with an array of colourful balloons behind them.
There are also some inflated letters spelling out their joint nickname “Dembabies” – which Mariah Carey and father Nick Cannon affectionately call them.
The charming twins, Moroccan and Monroe look like they are on cloud nine as they recline on a giant white sofa with an array of colourful balloons behind them
In other shots posted by Nick Cannon on Twitter, Moroccan and Monroe – known as Roc and Roe for short – keep up with the adorable theme.
A studious Monroe is pictured in one frame looking animatedly at a book, while in another Moroccan is a cool dude with a pair of shade swamping his little face.
Moroccan is a cool dude with a pair of shade swamping his little face
But as young as they might be, the twins are already making their musical debut, of sorts.
Mariah Carey revealed this week that her son and daughter will be appearing in her new music video, When Christmas comes.
The duet will also feature John Legend. Speaking about the track, Mariah Carey told Extra: “When Christmas Comes – people need to hear the song; I think John Legend swung it home!”
Mariah carey added: “I think the fact that the babies are in the video is great.”
A studious Monroe is pictured in one frame looking animatedly at a book
Speaking about her new svelte figure, after claiming to have lost 70 lbs (35 kg) since giving birth, Mariah Carey said: “I have my clavicle [collar bone] back. I thought I had lost my bones forever. I couldn’t find them.”
Natalie Wood’s death case will be re-opened as a homicide, as investigators received “additional information” on her drowning 30 years ago.
Thirty years ago Natalie Wood was found drowned in the waters off Southern California after a night of partying on the yacht she owned with actor husband Robert Wagner.
“Additional information” is now said to have come to light prompting homicide detectives yesterday to re-open their investigation into the 43-year-old actress’s death on November 29, 1981.
Up to now Natalie Wood is believed to have fallen off the yacht “Splendor” after drinking and dining with her husband and “Brainstorm” co-star Christopher Walken.
Police reports said Natalie wood’s body was found floating in a cove on Catalina Island about a mile away from the yacht. The actress was wearing a long nightgown, socks, and a down jacket.
According to an autopsy report, Natalie Wood had two dozen bruises on her body, including a facial abrasion on her left cheek, and bruises on her arms, according to CNN.
Natalie Wood's death case will be re-opened as a homicide, as investigators received "additional information" on her drowning 30 years ago
Natalie Wood’s drowning at the age of 43 sparked tabloid speculation that foul play was involved, but Robert Wagner and her sister Lana have dismissed such a suggestion.
Los Angeles Times has reported that detectives were prompted to look at the case again after comments by the ship’s captain, Dennis Davern.
Dennis Davern has said he believes Natalie Wood’s death is directly connected to an argument she had earlier in the evening with Robert Wagner.
It comes after Natalie Wood’s sister told CNN in 2010 she believes an argument between her sister and Robert Wagner preceded the drowning. But she ruled out foul play.
She wrote in a biography on her sister: “What happened is that Natalie drank too much that night.”
Robert Wagner wrote in a 2009 autobiography, Pieces Of My Heart, that he blamed himself for his wife’s death.
At the time, Natalie Wood’s death was ruled an accident and it was determined she had been drinking that night.
The Los Angeles County Coroner’s office wrote that Natalie Wood was “possibly attempting to board the dinghy and had fallen into the water, striking her face”.
A dinghy that had been attached to the couple’s yacht “Splendor” was found in a Catalina cove.
Detectives plan to hold a news conference today and anyone with information about the case is being asked to contact sheriff’s officials or an anonymous tip line.
Natalie Wood, a three-time Oscar nominee famous for roles in classics such as West Side Story and Rebel Without A Cause, was twice married to Robert Wagner.
Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner first wed in 1957 before divorcing six years later. They remarried in 1972.
Questions over the circumstances surrounding Natalie Wood’s untimely death have lingered for 30 years, and family members have previously asked for authorities to re-examine the original findings.
A spokesman for Robert Wagner, said the family trusts the sheriff’s department will take appropriate action but has not been contacted about the case being re-opened.
Natalie Wood was twice married to Robert Wagner
Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials said in a written statement: “Recently sheriff’s homicide investigators were contacted by persons who stated they had additional information about the Natalie Wood Wagner drowning.”
“Due to the additional information, sheriff’s homicide bureau has decided to take another look at the case,” the statement said.
A sheriff’s spokesman declined to elaborate on the additional information pending a news conference scheduled for today at 2:00 p.m. EST.
The Los Angeles Times, citing anonymous sources, said detectives have decided to reopen the case after hearing Dennis Davern’s claim.
Last year, Dennis Davern asked investigators, along with Natalie Wood’s sister, to re-open the case.
The issue was revisited when Dennis Davern was recently interviewed for a collaboration between the magazine Vanity Fair and the television series “48 Hours Mystery” that focuses on Natalie Wood’s death.
The interviews followed his detailed account of the evening in a book co-authored by Marti Rulli entitled, “Goodbye Natalie, Goodbye Splendour”, which was published in September, 2009.
Dennis Davern has said he believes Natalie Wood’s death is directly connected to an argument she had earlier in the evening with Robert Wagner.
Reports also suggest Marti Rulli has been in direct contact recently with the LA County sheriff’s office.
Robert Wagner’s spokesman Alan Nierob wrote in a statement: “Although no one in the Wagner family has heard from the LA County Sheriff’s department about this matter, they fully support the efforts of the LA County Sheriff’s Department and trust they will evaluate whether any new information relating to the death of Natalie Wood Wagner is valid, and that it comes from a credible source or sources other than those simply trying to profit from the 30 year anniversary of her tragic death.”
Natalie Wood, who was born Natalia Nikolaevna Zakharenko to Russian immigrant parents in San Francisco, appeared as a child in such films as the Christmas classic “Miracle on 34th Street” and “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir”.
Demi Moore has officially announced she is divorcing from Ashton Kutcher after six year marriage.
Demi Moore, 49, said in a statement that she is filing for divorce with “great sadness and a heavy heart”.
Hinting at Ashton Kutcher’s infidelity, Demi Moore said: “As a woman, a mother and a wife, there are certain values and vows that I hold sacred, and it is in this spirit that I have chosen to move forward with my life”.
Demi Moore added that it’s a trying time for her and her family and asked for people to respect her privacy.
Immediately after the announcement, Ashton Kutcher, 33, posted his own statement on Twitter:
“I will forever cherish the time I spent with Demi.
“Marriage is one of the most difficult things in the world and unfortunately sometimes they fail. Love and Light, AK.”
Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher are still following each other on Twitter in wake of the announcement and her handle remains @mrskutcher – something she may now consider changing.
Demi Moore has officially announced she is divorcing from Ashton Kutcher after six year marriage
Despite their dignified statements, Demi Moore is now gearing up to battle it out over their $290 million fortune after enduring public humiliated because of his alleged infidelity.
Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher wed in September 2005. The couple’s relationship hit the headlines in recent months as rumours swirled about Ashton Kutcher’s alleged infidelity.
He allegedly shared a night of passion with party girl Sara Leal, 22, at the Hard Rock Hotel in San Diego.
Texas-born Sara Leal sold her story on Ashton Kutcher weeks after the fling, which took place on actors’ sixth wedding anniversary, September 24.
After Demi Moore's divorce announcement, Ashton Kutcher posted his own statement on Twitter
Sara Leal relived the sordid details of the night – including how they had unprotected sex – detailing that she had cavorted naked with Ashton Kutcher and a gaggle of girls in a hot tub in the luxurious hotel suite.
The Texas-born claimed Ashton Kutcher told her he was separated from Demi Moore before he tried to persuade her to have a threesome along with her best friend Marta Borzuchowski – but in the end he settled for a two-hour romp with her.
Speaking of the fling, Sara Leal told The Sun: “We had sex twice. Everything felt natural. We were having a good time. He was good, but it wasn’t weird or perverted or creepy.
“He had good endurance. We were up for a while. It was about two hours.”
In the weeks after the story broke, Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore made apparent attempts to heal their relationship with Kabbalah retreats, including a camping trip to Cachuma Lake near Santa Barbara, California, last month.
They were accompanied by some close friends along with their Kabbalah instructor Yehuda Berg and photos emerged of the pair sat around an outdoor fire.
It was first time the couple was pictured together since news of Ashton Kutcher’s alleged booze-fuelled one-night stand broke.
In the weeks that followed, Demi Moore appeared to be suffering under the strain of her marriage breakdown, becoming gaunt and scarily skinny – reportedly dropping down to just 98 lbs (45 kg) which given her height of 5ft 5in is considerably underweight.
Sara Leal affair was not the first time Ashton Kutcher has been accused of being unfaithful to Demi Moore.
Ashton Kutcher was first accused of infidelity in September last year, when Brittney Jones, 21, said she had sex with the actor at the Beverly Hills home he once shared with his wife while she was away.
Brittney Jones also later claimed that Ashton Kutcher told her he had an open relationship with Demi Moore and they would “often engage in threesomes”.
She told Star: “He looked over our texts and said he wanted me to delete all the messages from him. He then told me he wanted me to delete the texts I had sent to him. He said they could hurt him.”
At the time, Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore brushed off the allegations.
Ashton Kutcher, who took over Charlie Sheen’s role in hit U.S. TV series Two And A Half Men earlier this year, wrote on Twitter at the time: “I think Star magazine calling me a <<cheater>>qualifies as defamation of character. I hope my lawyer agrees.“
The actor added: “Star magazine – you don’t get to stand behind <<freedom of the press>> when you are writing fiction.”
Ashton Kutcher’s spokesman also denied the allegation while Demi Moore tweeted: “Excellent point my love!”.
Demi Moore, who was previously married to Bruce Willis, started dating Ashton Kutcher in 2003. They married two years later.
In May 2010, Demi Moore talked about wanting to start a family with Ashton Kutcher in an interview with Elle magazine – something that never came to pass.
Demi Moore has three daughter with her Bruce Willis – Rumer, 23, Scout, 20, and Tallulah 17.
The actress has maintained a friendly relationship with Bruce Willis – even attending his wedding to underwear model Emma Heming in 2009. By the same token, Bruce Willis came to Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher’s wedding four years earlier.
Demi Moore and Bruce Willis married in 1987 before divorcing 13 years later in 2000.
At the time of the split, Bruce Willis said: “I felt I had failed as a father and a husband by not being able to make it work.”
Demi Moore, who starred alongside Patrick Swayze in the 1990 movie Ghost, was first married to singer Freddy Moore.
The couple got hitched when Demi Moore was aged 18 in 1980 and the relationship lasted four years. The actress still goes by his last name.
For Ashton Kutcher – who is 16 years Demi Moore’s junior – the actress was his first wife.
Ashton Kutcher previously had relationships with the late Brittany Murphy and Mad Men’s January Jones.
New York is facing now major disruption as tens of thousands of Occupy Wall Street protesters are expected to flood into Manhattan, as the movement celebrates its two-month anniversary.
While Occupy Wall Street protesters marched in Manhattan to begin a “day of action” – in which they are expected to try to paralyze New York’s subway system – Derek and John Tabacco, two Wall Street bankers held a demonstration of their own.
Derek and John Tabacco, two brothers who work in the financial district, stood next to the Occupy protesters holding up signs reading “Get a job” and “Occupy a Desk”, before others joined them.
Derek Tabacco was not happy as he tried to get to the offices of his financial technology company and was carrying a sign with a blunt message for the protesters.
“We work on Wall Street, we cannot get to work,” Derek Tabacco told Fox News.
“These people are in our way.”
Derek and John Tabacco, two brothers who work in the financial district, stood next to the Occupy protesters holding up signs reading "Get a job" and "Occupy a Desk", before others joined them
Derek Tabacco wants to “deny these vagabonds a photo op in front of the global symbol of capitalism”.
He continued: “We have jobs, we work every day, we’re trying to stimulate the economy and we cannot get to work. we can’t get through.”
An Occupy protester then came up in front of a Fox News camera and labelled the brothers “s**t-heads”.
John Tabacco, CEO of stocks business LocateStock, was quoted by The Examiner last month saying protesters should instead be demonstrating in Washington D.C. against the Obama administration.
“The protesters are making noise and expressing outrage, which is their right – and it’s commendable – but they’d be better off channeling that energy into results-driven strategies,” John Tabacco said.
New York Rep. Michael Grimm joined the calls for the protesters to pack up and go home.
“Between the filth, the smell, the incessant noise, and threat to public safety, they have done nothing but cause a nuisance to the people who work and live in Lower Manhattan,” Michael Grimm said.
“They’ve cost the city and surrounding businesses millions of dollars. It has been two months and now it’s time for the protesters to pack up their tents, buy a bar of soap and head home.”
Riot police arrested protesters who sat on the ground and blocked traffic into the financial district on Thursday, hauling several protesters to their feet and handcuffing them one block from Wall Street.
“This has been every day for this past week – 25 minutes to get from Canal (Street) to Wall (Street),” one commuter told ABC.
“It’s shameful. We are all (the) 99 per cent, this is ridiculous.”
“All day, all week, shut down Wall Street!” the crowd chanted. After several arrests, most of the protesters retreated down the street. A line of riot police followed them.
Meanwhile a 24-year-old officer was cut on the hand by a thrown glass object and will probably need around 20 stitches. The assailant is now in custody, police said. Seven officers were injured in total.
“You do not have a parade permit! You are blocking the street!” a police officer told protesters through a loudspeaker. The congestion brought taxis and delivery trucks to a halt.
“This is a critical moment for the movement,” said Paul Knick, 44, of New Jersey.
“It seems like there’s a concerted effort to stop the movement and I’m here to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
An amateur cameraman has captured the strange moment Joao Leite Dos Santos, a drunk zoo visitor jumped into a monkey enclosure to “play with them”, and ended up with severe bite marks after the animals attacked.
Joao Leite Dos Santos, a mechanic in Sao Paulo, Brazil, admitted that he had been drinking alcohol when he went to the Sorocaba Zoo on Sunday.
Thinking that it would be fun to join the zoo’s colony of spider monkeys, Joao Leite Dos Santos climbed over a fence and swam across a dividing pool to get closer to the animals, as amused tourists looked on.
Many kept their cameras trained on Joao Leite Dos Santosand laughed as his presence in the water startled the monkeys.
An amateur cameraman has captured the strange moment Joao Leite Dos Santos, a drunk zoo visitor jumped into a monkey enclosure to "play with them", and ended up with severe bite marks after the animals attacked
A group of the long-limbed primates gathered at the water’s edge, and one in particular kept reaching out for Joao Leite Dos Santos in a bid to grab a hold of him.
Joao Leite Dos Santos moved close enough for them to grab hold of his arm.
Almost immediately, one of the spider monkeys sank its sharp teach into his wrist, while another bit his elbow and shoulder.
The monkeys are fiercely territorial and had been sizing Joao Leite Dos Santos up from the moment he climbed over the fence.
Realizing the monkeys were not in a playful mood, and now in excruciating pain, Joao Leite Dos Santos waded back towards the horrified onlookers and was dragged out of the water and over the enclosure fence.
Joao Leite Dos Santos lay on the ground for several minutes, in a growing pool of his own blood, while zoo workers tried to work out what to do.
Joao Leite Dos Santos was eventually taken to hospital, where he was treated for severe bites to his right arm and shoulder, and gave sheepish interviews to the local media. It is not known whether he will face criminal charges for his prank.
John Doyle and Robert Woolever, two police officers from New Mexico have been fired after being filmed brutally beating a suspect then doing a celebratory chest bump.
The video shows the cops holding suspect Nicholas Blume down, punching him and kicking him in the head more than a dozen times.
As Nicholas Blume lies motionless on the concrete the officers move away – and bump each other in the sick celebration.
The suspect had only been stopped for a traffic violation at the time in Albuquerque, New Mexico, when he was beaten up.
John Doyle and Robert Woolever, two police officers from New Mexico have been fired after being filmed brutally beating a suspect then doing a celebratory chest bump
Cops John Doyle and Robert Woolever have now been fired from New Mexico’s police force, which has recently been criticized over its high number of police shootings.
A special prosecutor is also reviewing the February 13 incident and will decide if the two will face criminal charges.
Albuquerque’s mayor Richard Berry said he “expects some answers” after he saw the footage.
The video was taken in the parking garage in the Barcelona Hotel in Albuquerque and shows Blume lying on the floor being punched in the head by Woolever, who is straddling his body.
Officer John Doyle then appears and kicks Nicholas Blume repeatedly in the head as he lies pinned down on the floor, unable to defend himself.
At the end of the tape on the right hand side the two officers can be seen doing the chest bump.
Pictures taken when Nicholas Blume was booked in show his head and face was left bloodied and bruised by the beating.
In an apparent attempt to cover his tracks, cop John Doyle later wrote in his notebook that he was afraid Nicholas Blume had a gun on him and needed to be restrained.
The footage was only released after a Freedom of Information request by the Albuquerque Journal – but the first version did not include the chest bump.
Instead it finished after the kicking and did not show the end, where the cops congratulate each other.
The release comes amid recent calls for a Justice Department probe of the Albuquerque police department, which has faced criticism for 20 officer-involved shootings and other questionable behaviour among officers.
Nicholas Blume was indicted in state District Court on charges of auto theft, receiving a stolen firearm, being a felon in possession of a firearm and resisting arrest.
The suspect is facing additional charges in state and federal court that stem from other incidents.
New York City is facing now major disruption as tens of thousands of Occupy Wall Street demonstrators are expected to flood into Manhattan as the movement celebrates its two-month anniversary.
Occupy Wall Street activists began amassing in lower Manhattan shortly after 7:00 a.m. on Thursday to begin a “day of action” in which they are expected to try to paralyze New York City’s subway system.
Wednesday night Nkrumah Tinsley, 29, was arrested on a charge of making a terrorist threat after he was caught on video threatening to attack Macy’s with a Molotov cocktail during today’s protest.
In the footage posted on YouTube after police evicted protesters from their encampment, Nkrumah Tinsley was recorded telling the crowd: “On the 17th, we’re going to burn New York City to the ground!”
Later in the video, Nkrumah Tinsley exclaims: “No more talking. They’ve got guns, we’ve got bottles. They’ve got bricks, we’ve got rocks… in a few days you’re going to see what a Molotov cocktail can do to Macy’s.”
In the footage posted on YouTube after police evicted protesters from their encampment, Nkrumah Tinsley was recorded telling the crowd: "On the 17th, we’re going to burn New York City to the ground!"
What’s the Occupy Wall Street protesters plan for today?
7:00 a.m.: Gathering at Zuccotti Park and marching to confront Wall Street before the opening bell at 9:30 a.m.
3:00 p.m.: Meeting at 16 subway hubs across the city, including 125 St, Union Square and 23 St in Manhattan, as well as stations in the other four boroughs.
5:00 p.m.: Gathering at Foley Square to support labourers then marching to Brooklyn Bridge to mark the protest’s two-month anniversary.
A police spokesman said they were concerned enough about the threats to want Nkrumah Tinsley in custody.
However, police say it wasn’t clear if Nkrumah Tinsley had any bomb-making materials. There was no telephone number at his last known address.
Nkrumah Tinsley was also arrested on a charge of assaulting a police officer on October 26 during another protest.
With the number of Occupy Wall Street protesters left in Zuccotti Park dwindling after police cleared the camp on Tuesday, a posting on the Occupy Wall Street website attempts to hush critics questioning how much longer the movement can survive.
“We will no longer tolerate the oppression of the 1% who do not want to see a creative movement, based on inclusiveness and tolerance, triumph over a system deeply rooted in social inequality,” read the statement.
“This is why we’re fighting back tomorrow during #N17. We will shut down Wall Street and we will #occupy all of New York City with our bodies, voices and ideas.”
The passage, entitled #N17 Global Day Of Action!, calls for activists to meet this morning in Liberty Square, followed by an occupation of the New York City subway system at 3:00 p.m.
A nighttime march to Foley Square will be followed by a march to the Brooklyn Bridge to mark the two month anniversary of the Occupy Wall Street movement, reports CBS News.
Their plans were addressed during a briefing at City Hall today, where Deputy Mayor Howard Wolfson said preparations are being made to ensure the city is able to function in the event of a mass disruption.
“Everything that we have seen and heard suggests that we may have tens of thousands of people tomorrow protesting,” Howard Wolfson said.
“The protesters are calling for a massive event aimed at disrupting major parts of the city.”
The Occupy movement is also calling on demonstrators around the world to make their voices heard.
A planned protest in Spain coinciding with International Student Day will see a strike on the education system “as a reaction to the capitalist logic that denies free education”.
There are also planned rallies and occupations in Germany, Belguim, Italy, Egypt, Indonesia, Poland, Nigeria and Bulgaria.
Which 16 subway stations do protesters say they want to occupy?
Mariah Yeater has allegedly begged a friend to delete texts implying Justin Bieber is not the father of her four-month-old son, Trystan.
Mariah Yeater, 20, claims she had a sexual liaison with Justin Bieber in October 2010, resulting in the birth of Tristyn.
Now it emerged that Mariah Yeater sent a text from her phone yesterday to a friend, demanding he erase a message from her mother saying someone other than Justin Bieber is the father.
Mariah Yeater allegedly offered the unnamed friend a cut of the money when and if she is rewarded a fee following the lawsuit, reports TMZ.
In the text, Mariah Yeater pleaded: “ERASE ALL MESSAGES from my mom.”
Mariah Yeater has allegedly begged a friend to delete texts implying Justin Bieber is NOT the father of her four-month-old son, Trystan
It has also been reported that Mariah Yeater’s mother sent previous messages stating Tristyn was fathered by her daughter’s ex-boyfriend Robbie.
All of the texts are allegedly signed off “Mariah Laci”, with Laci being her middle name.
In one text, it is claimed Mariah Yeater wrote: “Would you please stress to Robbie how important it is for him to be in his son’s life?” – insinuating again that Justin Bieber is not the father.
Justin Bieber’s lawyer, Howard Weitzman, told the US site: “This information proves Mariah Yeater fabricated the story.
“Our independent investigation indicates Ms. Yeater never meet Justin, she has consistently identified another man as the child’s father, and Ms. Yeater and her co-conspirators hatched this scheme in order to extort money from him and to sell her story to the media.
“There have been no settlement discussions and there never will be.”
Earlier this week it was believed Mariah Yeater had quietly dismissed her paternity suit against Justin Bieber, withdrawing the lawsuit.
The withdrawal reportedly came about after two of her lawyers resigned following Justin Bieber’s cooperation to submit to a DNA test, as well as his intentions to sue Mariah Yeater for making a bogus claim.
However, Chicago based paternity lawyer Jeffrey Leving dispelled this, confirming he is still very much on board and negotiations with Justin Bieber’s legal team are still active.
Jeffrey Leving said: “She [Mariah Yeater] believes Justin Bieber is the father. Right now there’s no more interviews for Mariah Yeater, I’m not going to allow that.
“Secondly, negotiations are going on right now with Bieber’s counsel and we’re trying to negotiate a private, secure DNA test with the same safe guards that would exist if there were a court order, but without a court order.”
The Italian clothing company Benetton has been heavily criticized by the Vatican for using an image of Pope Benedict kissing an imam on the mouth in its latest shock advertising campaign.
The controversial image, which was hung from a bridge near the holy city early today, shows the Pope embracing Ahmed Mohamed el-Tayeb, one of Islam’s leading figures.
Other images in the campaign, which is part of the Benetton’s support for the Unhate Foundation, show various world leaders kissing on the mouth.
The Italian clothing company Benetton has been heavily criticized by the Vatican for using an image of Pope Benedict kissing an imam on the mouth in its latest shock advertising campaign
The campaign includes a picture of U.S. President Barack Obama kissing Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi called the unauthorized and “manipulative” use of the pope’s picture in the photo montage “totally unacceptable” and suggested it might take legal action against the company.
“This is a grave lack of respect for the Pope, an offence against the sentiments of the faithful and a clear example of how advertising can violate elementary rules of respect for people in order to attract attention through provocation,” Federico Lombardi said in a statement.
Benetton campaign includes a picture of U.S. President Barack Obama kissing Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez
Benetton has run controversial advertising campaigns in the past, including one that showed grieving parents at the bedside of a man dying of Aids.
Other images in the latest campaign include Germany’s chancellor Angela Merkel kissing French president Nicolas Sarkozy and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in a clinch with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The latest Benetton campaign includes a image of Germany's chancellor Angela Merkel kissing French president Nicolas Sarkozy
Benetton says it hopes the campaign will held contribute towards combating hatred and lead to the creation of a culture of tolerance.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Alessandro Benetton, deputy chairman of Benetton Group SpA and son of the founder of the family-controlled company, said: “It means not hating. In a moment of darkness, with the financial crisis, what’s going on in North African countries, in Athens, this is an attitude we can all embrace that can have positive energy.”
Benetton is planning a series of live events in which youngsters will post the controversial images on the walls of locations of cities around the world.
Shelby Dasher, the mother of Tyler, the one-year-old toddler whose body was found wrapped in a blanket and dumped in woods in Affton, Missouri, has been charged with his murder.
Shelby Dasher, 20, was charged with second-degree murder after admitting to police she repeatedly struck her son Tyler in a rage because he was crying and “wouldn’t lay down, wouldn’t go back to sleep”.
The mother also admitted disposing of Tyler’s body, which was found discarded near a cemetery about a mile from his home on Tuesday, hours after she reported him missing.
It followed a frantic four-hour emergency services search for the child.
Shelby Dasher, 20, was charged with second-degree murder after admitting to police she repeatedly struck her son Tyler
Shelby Dasher originally told police she overslept that morning and discovered him gone from his crib when she awoke after claiming she put her son to bed at 10:30 p.m. on Monday night.
Robert P. McCulloch, the prosecuting attorney, told reporters at a press conference today:
“At this point, there’s no indication that we have that there’s anyone else involved other than Miss Dasher.”
The prosecutor said that Shelby Dasher arrived home drunk at 2:30 a.m. on Tuesday. When her mother left for work at 7:30 a.m., Tyler Dasher would not stop crying so she beat him to death.
What happened after that is “a bit fuzzy’, according to what she told prosecutors.
Police and the FBI mounted a massive search while questioning the mother. They noted there was no forced entry to the home.
Tyler Dasher’s father, Joseph Ellington, lives elsewhere in the St Louis area.
Robert P. McCulloch said Tyler Dasher died of blunt-force trauma to the head and body. He said that “as far as we know” Shelby Dasher carried the body to the cemetery herself.
The prosecutor said officials are not aware of any prior acts of abuse.
Yesterday an area near the cemetery was cordoned off with yellow police tape as force dogs sniffed the ground. A cluster of young adults cried and hugged as they looked on.
A candlelit vigil and one minute of silence will be held for Tyler Dasher at 6:45 p.m. today
A candlelit vigil and one minute of silence will be held for Tyler Dasher at 6:45 p.m. today. Several Facebook pages have been set up in his memory.
Austrian airline Comtel Air is set to investigate reports that it asked passengers to pay £20,000 towards the cost of fuel to complete their journey to the UK.
According to passengers,they were asked for the money when a flight with Austrian airline Comtel Air from Amritsar in India stopped in Vienna to refuel.
Other airline passengers have been stuck in India after flights were cancelled.
Austrian airline Comtel Air is set to investigate reports that it asked passengers to pay £20,000 towards the cost of fuel to complete their journey to the UK
Comtel Air said it would investigate the claims and hoped to swiftly return people to the UK from India.
Bhunpinder Kandra, director of passenger services for Comtel Air, said:
“I have heard what happened, it shouldn’t have happened, and I will investigate why it happened.
“The people who had to pay the money will receive a refund.”
Reena Rindi, who was on the plane with her two-year-old daughter, told Channel 4 News:
“We wanted to go home. We’d been stranded for about three to four days. Who was going to take us home?”
She also said passengers agreed to pay in order to fly to Birmingham.
“If we didn’t have the money they were making us go one by one outside in Vienna to get the cash out,” Reena Rindi added.
Another woman who flew from Amritsar to Birmingham via Vienna told the BBC: “We had to pay 150 euros last night in Vienna to get back to Birmingham and then they wouldn’t fly us back to Birmingham so we had to pay ourselves to come back.”
Comtel Air introduced cheap flights from Birmingham to Amritsar in the Punjab, via Vienna, last month.
Birmingham Airport, which said Comtel Air had been operating successfully to Amritsar, expressed concern and added that it had started an investigation.
Bhunpinder Kandra said he hoped the situation would be resolved “within the week” and that a flight would be leaving Amritsar for the UK on Friday.
Some airline customers who booked through Takhar Travel, in Smethwick in the West Midlands, told BBC News that they were concerned as they did not know if their flights would go ahead.
About 30 of the passengers who experienced problems in Vienna along with relatives of people stranded in India, went to the travel agent on Wednesday but said they were told the manager was not available. Police were called after staff became overwhelmed by concerned customers.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: “We are aware that a number of British nationals have been affected by difficulties with Comtel airlines flights from Amritsar to Birmingham via Vienna.
“We have been, and remain, in touch with the relevant authorities including the airline for clarification on how British nationals due to fly in the coming days will be affected.
“Our current advice to anyone affected is to contact their tour operator, travel agent or the airline for further information and about possible alternative arrangements. We would also advise that they monitor our travel advice for India for any updates.
“We took a number of calls from distressed British nationals in relation to this issue and we have provided consular assistance to those who have sought it.”
Hundreds of people were protesting outside the Kuwaiti Parliament, when dozens of them stormed the building late on Wednesday.
The protesters were demanding that Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser al-Mohammad al-Sabah step down.
Hundreds of demonstrators, including opposition lawmakers, have been protesting weekly outside parliament over alleged corruption.
According to some reports, riot police had beaten protesters using batons as they gathered outside parliament.
AFP news agency reports that at least 5 protesters were injured.
“Now, we have entered the house of the people,” said Mussallam al-Barrak, who was among those who led the protest against Sheikh Nasser, a nephew of the emir.
Hundreds of people were protesting outside the Kuwaiti Parliament, when dozens of them stormed the building
People broke open the gates to the parliament building and managed to enter the main chamber, where they sang the national anthem and then left a short time later.
According to eyewitness and protesters, guardsmen did not intervene when they entered the parliament building, stormed after protesters’ attempt to march on the prime minister’s house were blocked.
“Some people managed to get inside. No confrontation happened with the national guard who are guarding the building,” said eyewitnesses.
“People are asking for more reforms, and especially as recently the government has not been going with the spirit of the constitution, which some regard as the absolute minimum of democracy.”
As the crowd returned to the square outside, the protesters outside shouted: “The people want to bring down the head (of government).”
Kuwait’s parliament is one of the few elected bodies in the Gulf.
Kuwait has not seen the mass protests that toppled former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Tunisia’s Zine al-Abedine Ben Ali, thanks to a generous welfare system, observers say.
But opposition groups have escalated pressure on Kuwait’s leadership in recent months over claims of corruption and perceived attempts to roll back political freedoms.
Japan detected radioactive caesium in concentrations above the safety level in rice for the first time since the nuclear crisis began at the Fukushima plant.
The rice sample came from a Fukushima city farm about 50 km from the plant.
Japanese government is considering banning shipments from the area it was found.
There have been a series of scares over radiation in food in Japan in recent months – in beef, mushrooms and green tea among other products – but never before in the country’s staple, rice.
Japan detected radioactive caesium in concentrations above the safety level in rice for the first time since the nuclear crisis began at the Fukushima plant
Now caesium in concentrations above the official safety limit has been detected in a sample from a farm in Fukushima city.
The rice was being prepared for market, but Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura said none had been sold.
The discovery highlights the difficulty of tracking the radiation which has been spread across eastern Japan by wind and rain.
Local governments in rural areas have set up testing centres to try to ensure contaminated products do not get into the food chain.
Last week the Tokyo Metropolitan Government also began testing samples bought at shops in the capital in an attempt to further reassure anxious members of the public.
Jorge Garzon, 42-year-old man, has been arrested for harboring Allie Loftis, a runaway 13-year-old girl from Massachusetts, at his New Jersey home Wednesday.
Alexandra “Allie” Loftis vanished from her Boston home for nearly two weeks after boarding a bus headed to New York City on November 4th, sending her parents on a relentless hunt to get their daughter back.
Allie Loftis was located at Jorge Garzon’s Jersey City residence and taken into police custody around 9:00 a.m. Wednesday, after police say they received a tip off.
Jorge Garzon, who also goes by the name George Gonzalez, was arrested just over an hour after her recovery at the New Jersey address.
Allie Loftis was located at Jorge Garzon's Jersey City residence and taken into police custody around 9:00 a.m. Wednesday, after police say they received a tip off
Affirming Allie Loftis father’s fear, the two are believed to have met online, a sources close to the investigation told NJ.com.
Allie Loftis’ family had searched long and hard for their daughter, never giving up hope, with their efforts rippling throughout the New York area to local police stations, city streets and across social media sites showing a number of various fliers.
Believing she had run away independently, her parents posted numerous messages to her on Facebook, as well as pictures of them together, imploring her to come home.
Allie Loftis’ father admitted that before her disappearance she seemed unhappy in school, but thought it was just a rough patch.
“I live in semi-rural community where it’s peaceful and quiet, and she wanted big city, bright lights,” Tony Loftis said.
“She wanted to go to school in a different area. As she said, where we live is boring.”
Pleading, in hope that she may see their efforts and pain online, the family devoted a Facebook site to their missing daughter, posting a flood of photos of them together.
“One of many trips to get ice cream w dad,” her father wrote above one picture of the two of them together.
“I luv u honey, pls let us know u r ok,” Tony Loftis wrote.
Following their daughter’s trail the family traveled to New York City, chasing any and all leads of their daughter.
Allie Loftis' family had searched long and hard for their daughter, never giving up hope, with their efforts rippling throughout the New York area to local police stations, city streets and across social media sites showing a number of various fliers
Every location they thought she might go – from the Barnes and Noble in Park Slope Brooklyn to Prospect Park, both locations her father said he knew Allie Loftis loved – they handed out fliers and recruited volunteers.
And with him having family in Brooklyn, Tony Loftis hoped it’s where she would be.
“Whenever I’m focused on trying to find her, I’m okay. But, whenever that stops, and I’m home at night, and I wake up in the morning, and I think, you know, I … I … I … it’s hard,” Tony Loftis told CBS Boston.
“You know this is completely devas… you can’t … it’s my only daughter,” the father said.
Asking volunteers to take two Saturdays out of the next six to stand on street corners in matching T-shirts and fliers, the family’s plan was to “create a media event to help bring Allie home for the holidays”, her parents wrote in an email to volunteers, according to the Wayland Patch.
“We think the only way to put pressure on the person holding her, and to keep the leads coming, is to sustain media coverage,” the family wrote.
After their daughter disappeared, Tony Loftis says she never turned on her cell phone or went on Facebook, despite him describing her as tech savvy.
“We have left voice mail messages on her cell phone until it got filled up. We’ve tried every method we think possible but haven’t heard from her,” Tony Loftis told CBS after her disappearance.
That made it even more concerning for him, with his fear that Allie Loftis could have been held against her will.
Allie Loftis’ father did confess his believe that she may have met someone online.
Jorge Garzon, who Allie Loftis was found with, is currently being held in custody in the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office pending charges which have yet to be filed.
The circumstances surrounding both Allie Loftis’ disappearance and the activities since she ran away are still under investigation, according to police.
Casey Anthony, America’s most-hated mom, allegedly survived an assassination attempt at her Florida safe house.
Casey Anthony‘s bodyguards had to pull her out of the firing line and whisk her to an emergency hideout in the middle of the night before an assassin “put a bullet through her brain”, The National Enquirer reported.
She has been in hiding since she was released from jail following a shock not guilty plea at the murder trial of her daughter Caylee on July 5.
Casey Anthony, America's most-hated mom, allegedly survived an assassination attempt at her Florida safe house
Casey Anthony, 25, was released from jail on July 17 and since then, thousands of hate mail and threatening emails have been pouring in to her lawyers’ offices from all over the world.
Despite efforts by her crack security team to protect her, a hit man allegedly located Casey Anthony’s hideout and stuck a death warrant to her door saying: “I know where you are, I’m coming to put a bullet through your brain.”
The National Enquirer said it was eerily similar to an email threat the 25-year-old’s bodyguards previously received saying: “I want her dead! if she knew where she was I would do it myself!”
The threatening message – which was allegedly pinned to the door – was said to “set off a complete panic” and the security team had to assume that Casey Anthony’s head would be blown off the moment she stepped outside the house.
A source told The National Enquirer: “There are plenty of people who want to kill Casey because they believe she got away with murdering little Caylee.
“Her bodyguards rushed her off in the middle of the night to another safe house a prearranged safe hideout that was available in the event of such an emergency.”
The source said decoy vehicles were also used so the “killer” would not know which one Casey Anthony was in, as they are said to realize how determined her enemies are to kill her and had to take every precaution.
“The fact she is still hidden and still alive is testimony to just how good her team of bodyguards are. They’re the best, but it was a very close call.”
Because of the terms of her probation for cheque fraud, Casey Anthony must stay in Florida for one year and report every month to a probation officer.
This is not the first time her security team have moved her. According to The National Enquirer, Casey Anthony was first hidden on St George Island off the coast of northwest Florida before allegedly being moved to a rural location near Gainsville and a condo in New Smyrna Beach.
Last week it emerged that Casey Anthony’s lawyers tried to persuade her to accept a plea deal towards the end of her murder trial.
Jeff Ashton, a retired prosecutor from the case who revealed all in an explosive new book, said that while Casey Anthony “may have deserved” the death penalty if she had been convicted of killing her two-year-old daughter, he didn’t believe a jury would ever have agreed to the sentence.
Writing in Imperfect Justice: Prosecuting Casey Anthony, he said he would have been pleased if the prosecution team had left the punishment off the table.
Michael Gressett, a deputy DA from California, who prosecuted sex crimes, was accused of raping a junior employee using an ice pick, handcuffs and a gun, according to court records.
The incident allegedly left bed sheets stained with blood and caused the traumatized woman to press charges against her boss.
The alleged victim, known only as Jane Doe, 33, claimed her boss Michael Gressett, 53, raped her during a lunch break while he waited for a verdict in a molestation case.
Although the woman had agreed to have sex with Michael Gressett, she later claimed it had been too rough, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Michael Gressett has insisted the tryst was consensual.
Michael Gressett, a deputy DA from California, who prosecuted sex crimes, was accused of raping a junior employee using an ice pick, handcuffs and a gun
A judge dismissed the rape charges last month but the California state attorney’s office is now considering whether to appeal the decision.
According to court records, there was a “raunchy” environment at the Contra Costa County sex crimes unit, north-east of San Francisco.
Deputy DA Michael Gressett and the woman had reportedly had sex once before with her describing him to a friend as “pretty kinky”.
The woman told the grand jury that she went back to his condo near the courthouse in May 2008 after he texted her suggesting they meet up at lunchtime.
She claimed Michael Gressett showed her a knife and traced patterns on her sweater with the point of the blade. She said he then handcuffed her ankle to her wrist and forced her into a sex act.
Initially, the woman did not bring charges and Michael Gressett was not arrested until five months later.
A search of his home found 200 Viagra tablets and marijuana. An ice pick, gun and a pair of handcuffs were also discovered in the nightstand.
A retired judge was assigned to the case after it emerged that one of the county judges had previously dated Michael Gressett.
The case against Michael Gressett began to crumble after it was revealed that the accuser had continued working with him for four months after the alleged rape.
The woman collected $450,000 in a settlement with the county after reportedly suffering employment retaliation for making the rape charge.
Mariah Yeater has quietly dropped her paternity lawsuit against teenage pop star Justin Bieber.
Mariah Yeater, 20, who gave birth to son Tristyn four months ago, has apparently had a change of heart after filing legal action against Justin Bieber two weeks ago.
The single mother’s lawsuit seeking a paternity test and child support was withdrawn last week, according to TMZ.com.
Lance Rogers and Matt Pare, the two lawyers who were representing Mariah Yeater, have apparently resigned.
The withdrawal of the suit comes after Justin Bieber not only said he would submit to a DNA test, but was also planning to sue Mariah Yeater for making a bogus claim.
Mariah Yeater has quietly dropped her paternity lawsuit against teenage pop star Justin Bieber
Mariah Yeater shocked Justin Bieber’s legions of fans – and his girlfriend Selena Gomez – when she claimed he had fathered her son during a 30-second tryst in a bathroom after his concert at Los Angeles’ Staples Center on October 25 last year.
In an interview on U.S. TV show The Insider last week, Mariah Yeater claimed: “He (Bieber) immediately took a liking to me and we just got to talking and then he eventually asked me, <<Do you mind if we can go somewhere and be alone?>>”
When Mariah Yeater was quizzed over what evidence she has to support her claims, she said she has provided some to her attorney but could not discuss it on camera.
“It’ll show in court to prove that my allegations are true.”
The Insider confronted Mariah Yeater on a recent interview with a security guard who claims that on the night in question, Justin Bieber’s dressing room was full of friends and family, staying with the teenage heartthrob until he left.
Asked for her response on the guard’s claims, Mariah Yeater said: “No comment.”
The authenticity of Mariah Yeater’s claims and her character were put under the microscope after photos of her stripping leaked online last week.
Mariah Yeater was also arrested in 2010 for slapping an ex-boyfriend and charged with battery.
Justin Bieber addressed the rumours on the U.S Today Show, saying: “I would just like to say basically that none of those allegations are true.
“I know that I’m going to be a target but I’m never going to be a victim.
“I think it’s crazy because every night after the show I’m gone, right from the stage to my car so it’s crazy that some people want to make up such false allegations but to set the record straight, none of it is true.
