Chris Kelly of 1990s rap duo Kris Kross, who was found dead last week at the age of 34, has been laid to rest in his home town of Atlanta, Georgia.
Chris Kelly was known as Mac Daddy while in Kris Kross, who shot to fame in 1992 with their hit single Jump.
Producer Jermaine Dupri and rapper Da Brat wore their trousers backwards in homage to the duo, who were known for wearing their clothes back to front.
Bandmate Chris Smith delivered an emotional tribute to his “true friend”.
Chris Kelly of 1990s rap duo Kris Kross has been laid to rest in his home town of Atlanta, Georgia
“It’s been a struggle for me every day, but there was a peace that came over me this morning because I know he’s in heaven,” Chris Smith said.
Chris Smith was supported in the church by Jermaine Dupri, who discovered the 1990s teenage duo in an Atlanta shopping centre.
Chris Kelly’s mother Donna Kelly Pratte continuously wept throughout the two hour service.
Numerous photos were shown of Chris Kelly posing with music stars including Michael Jackson, Gerald Levert and Patti LaBelle.
Kris Kross topped the US charts in May 1992 and reached number two in the UK with their single Jump. The song stayed at number one in the US for eight weeks, selling four million copies.
Chris Smith and Chris Kelly were reunited in February to perform at a show celebrating the 20th anniversary of their record label So So Def.
Chris Kelly’s official cause of death will not be known until a toxicology report has been completed.
A & E’s new reality show Duck Dynasty has been successful beyond what anyone could have imagined, and the most popular cast member of all is Si Robertson.
As fame always has its price, especially in reality TV, Uncle Si’s wife, Christine Robertson, expressed on her Facebook page that she is really feeling the pressure of their new life in the spotlight.
Christine Robertson posted that this is supposed to be their golden years, but she saw Uncle Si more when he was in the military. She described their Duck Dynasty time as a bumpy ride that she was ready to get off!
Although Si Robertson’s wife Christine chose not to be on the program for whatever unknown reason, her whole life is now upside down with the chaos from Duck Dynasty
Things have not been easy for Si Robertson and his wife since they became more famous than most movie stars. They just live normal, ordinary lives in a normal, ordinary home, but the problem is that things are just not normal anymore.
Uncle Si’s wife described people coming to the door and knocking around 7:40 a.m. Reality stars have the disadvantage that anyone can figure out where they live and just show up. They are in the process of tearing down their home and building another one on the same spot. Si and Christine Robertson’s daughter suggested it would just be better to move altogether so the craziness would stop because nobody would know where they lived.
Christine Robertson shared on her Facebook a few weeks ago about going into her kitchen and having to drop to the floor because someone was snapping photos through the kitchen window. There is already talk of a privacy fence going up to stop this sort of thing.
Although Si Robertson’s wife chose not to be on the program for whatever unknown reason, her whole life is now upside down with the chaos from Duck Dynasty.
You can keep up with all things Duck Dynasty on their Facebook page.
A woman, named Reshma, has been pulled alive from the ruins of a building that collapsed in a suburb of Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka, 17 days ago.
The head of the fire service earlier said Reshma had been found in the remains of the second floor of the eight-storey Rana Plaza.
Reshma had no serious injuries and had been talking with rescuers, he added.
The dramatic news came after the army said more than 1,000 people were now known to have died in the disaster.
Reshma has been found in the remains of the second floor of the eight-storey Rana Plaza in Dhaka
The death toll is expected to keep climbing, as work crews using heavy machinery have begun removing rubble from the worst-damaged areas.
On Friday afternoon, army officers ordered workers to stop clearing the site when Reshma’s cries were heard. Officers immediately ordered workers to stop clearing the site.
Detection equipment was sent in and they saw a woman waving her hand. She shouted “I’m still here” and said her name was Reshma.
Within minutes, hundreds of soldiers and firefighters rushed to the scene to help clear the rubble.
Cutting and drilling equipment was brought in to get through iron rods and debris. Not long afterwards, she was pulled from the rubble and the crowd erupted in cheers.
Not long afterwards, rescuers pulled her from the rubble. Reshma has been taken to a military hospital.
Rescuers said it was possible that the woman survived because of the large quantities of oxygen and water that were pumped into the ruins in the early stages of the rescue effort.
The US government has demanded designs for a 3D-printed gun be taken offline.
The order to remove the blueprints for the plastic gun comes after they were downloaded more than 100,000 times.
The US State Department wrote to the gun’s designer, Defense Distributed, suggesting publishing them online may breach arms-control regulations.
Although the files have been removed from the company’s Defcad site, it is not clear whether this will stop people accessing the blueprints.
They were being hosted by the Mega online service and may still reside on its servers.
The US government has demanded designs for a 3D-printed gun be taken offline
Also, many links to copies of the blueprints have been uploaded to file-sharing site the Pirate Bay, making them widely available. The Pirate Bay has also publicized its links to the files via social news site Reddit suggesting many more people will get hold of the blueprints.
The Office of Defense Trade Controls Compliance wrote to Defense Distributed founder Cody Wilson demanding the designs be “removed from public access” until he could prove he had not broken laws governing shipping weapons overseas by putting the files online and letting people outside the US download them.
“We have to comply,” Cody Wilson told Forbes magazine in an interview.
But he added the State Department’s fears were ungrounded, as Defense Distributed had been set up specifically to meet requirements that exempted it from the arms-control regulations.
Cody Wilson welcomed the US government’s intervention, saying it would highlight the issue of whether it was possible to stop the spread of 3D-printed weapons.
Unlike conventional weapons, the printed gun – called the Liberator by its creators – is made out of plastic on a printer. Many engineering firms and manufacturers use these machines to test prototypes before starting large-scale production.
While desktop 3D printers are becoming more popular, Defense Distributed used an industrial 3D printer that cost more than $7,500 to produce its gun. This was able to use high-density plastic that could withstand and channel the explosive force involved in firing a bullet.
To make the Liberator, Cody Wilson had to get a license to make and sell the weapon from the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The Bureau said any American could make a gun for their own use, even on a 3D printer, but selling it required a license.
Cody Wilson, who describes himself as a crypto-anarchist, said the project to create a printed gun and make it widely available was all “about liberty”.
Charles Ramsey, Cleveland hero neighbor who saved three young women and a child from the “house of horrors”, has spoken out about his criminal past saying the domestic violence incidents made him the good man he is today.
Charles Ramsey, 43, who has become something of a celebrity since the rescue of Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight due to his antics with the media, was picked up on domestic violence charges in 1997, 1998 and 2003.
Speaking to TMZ, Charles Ramsey said: “I’ve made amends with the people involved and we’ve all moved on and grown up.
“Those incidents helped me become the man I am today and are the reason why I try to help the community as much as I can … Including those women.
“If I had so much hatred for women, I would have minded my own business this week and walked away instead of risking my life to save someone else.”
Charles Ramsey has spoken out about his criminal past saying the domestic violence incidents made him the good man he is today
Charles Ramsey served six months in jail after he entered a “no contest” plea in 1998 – when he was charged with domestic violence and failing to appear in court following his first arrest, according to documents revealed on Wednesday by The Smoking Gun.
After his third arrest in 2003, Charles Ramsey was sentenced to another eight months in prison.
That same year, his wife Rochelle filed for divorce.
In an interview with The Smoking Gun, Rochelle said that her ex-husband Charles Ramsey also dodged $51-per-month child support payments for the couple’s daughter.
Meanwhile, a second neighbor, Angel Cordero, claimed he was the one who rescued Amanda Berry – and Charles Ramsey did not arrive at the scene until after the woman was freed.
Speaking Spanish, Angel Cordero told NewsChannel5: “I helped her and I was first.”
Angel Cordero added that by the time Charles Ramsey arrived, Amanda was already “outside with the girl”.
Now reports have claimed that Michael Jackson’s daughter Paris already moved in with her biological mother Debbie Rowe.
According to CelebrityFix, Paris Jackson packed her bags at the home of her grandmother Katherine and is settling into her new abode.
“There has been a string of turbulent rows in the Jackson home over the past few weeks and it’s all coming to a head,” a source told the website.
Despite these reports Paris Jackson’s regular posts on her Twitter page prove that she is perfectly happy and well-adjusted teenager, and on Thursday she gushed of her excitement about the upcoming school summer holiday.
Paris Jackson recently opted to spend her 15th birthday with Debbie Rowe instead of grandmother Katherine Jackson, and the teen is apparently becoming more independent by the day.
Paris Jackson recently opted to spend her 15th birthday with Debbie Rowe instead of grandmother Katherine Jackson
“Whilst she loves her grandmother Katherine, Paris thinks she has some extremely old-fashioned beliefs,” the insider said.
“Paris is an extremely independent young woman and as she’s got older, she’s starting to voice her opinion more and stand up for herself and her beliefs.”
According to the reports Paris Jackson is encouraging her two brothers to follow suit and also move in with Debbie Rowe.
The source said: “Paris is trying to persuade Prince and Blanket to join her. Debbie has told her they would all be welcome, but there are certain laws which have to be obeyed and Paris knows that whilst she may be able to leave, it would be far more difficult for the boys due to the legalities.
“Debbie has called for talks between her, Paris and Katherine. She thinks they all need to sit down and discuss the situation to avoid any more rows and try to make any transition as easy for Paris as possible.”
Apparently Paris Jackson is not just enjoying the chance to bond with her mother, but also the freedom of not being surrounded by security all the time.
“For years she was forced to wear masks, protected by a harem of security and surrounded by entourage,” the source said.
“She hates that life and knows that was something Michael wanted to protect all of them from. She feels that by separating herself from her grandmother, she could have a more normal life.”
Ohio prosecutors plan to seek aggravated murder charges that could carry the death penalty against Ariel Castro, the man suspected of imprisoning three women for about a decade at his Cleveland home.
The charges relate to alleged forced miscarriages suffered by one victim.
Ariel Castro, 52, was arraigned in court earlier for the kidnap and rape of Amanda Berry, 27, Gina DeJesus, 23 and Michelle Knight, 32.
Amanda Berry escaped on Monday and was able to raise the alarm.
Cuyahoga County prosecutor Tim McGinty said the murder charges were based on evidence from one of the women held captive in Ariel Castro’s house that he had impregnated her, then physically abused and starved her in order to induce miscarriages.
“I fully intend to seek charges for each and every act of sexual violence, rape, each day of kidnapping, every felonious assault, all his attempted murders, and each act of aggravated murder he committed by terminating pregnancies that the offender perpetuated against the hostages during this decade-long ordeal,” Tim McGinty told a news conference.
“My office will also engage in a formal process in which we evaluate to seek charges eligible for the death penalty.”
“This child kidnapper operated a torture chamber and private prison in the heart of our city,” he added.
Earlier on Thursday, Ariel Castro appeared in court in Cleveland, handcuffed and dressed in blue overalls. He did not enter a plea.
Ohio prosecutors plan to seek aggravated murder charges that could carry the death penalty against Ariel Castro
He is charged with four counts of kidnapping, covering the three initial abduction victims and Jocelyn, Amanda Berry’s six-year-old daughter, who was apparently conceived and born in captivity.
The former school bus driver also faces three counts of rape, one against each woman.
Bail was set at $8 million, $2 million for each victim, meaning he will remain in custody.
Ariel Castro has been placed on suicide watch and will be kept in isolation, his court-appointed lawyer Kathleen DeMetz told reporters.
According to CBS News, Ariel Castro confessed to his crimes in a long, hand-written letter, apparently a suicide note that was found in the house.
In the letter Ariel Castro said he had been raped as a child by a relative, a law enforcement source told the US network.
Ariel Castro’s two brothers, Pedro and Onil, also appeared in court on unrelated charges. They had been arrested, but police found no evidence linking them to the crime.
Pedro Castro was fined $100 for public drinking, while two minor counts against Onil Castro were dropped.
On Thursday, ariel Castro’s daughter, Arlene, who was one of the last people to see Gina DeJesus before she disappeared in 2004 aged 14, wept during a TV interview.
Describing herself as “disappointed, embarrassed, mainly devastated”, she apologized to Gina DeJesus.
The three women were all abducted after accepting rides from Ariel Castro, according to a leaked police report.
They told officials they could only remember being outside twice during their time in captivity.
Cleveland City Councilman Brian Cummins said the women had told police they had only gone as far as a garage on the property, disguised in wigs and hats.
Brian Cummins, citing police information, said the victims had been kept apart inside the house until their captor felt he had enough control to allow them to mingle.
Amanda Berry, whose disappearance in 2003 the day before her 17th birthday was widely publicized in the local media, returned to her sister’s home on Wednesday.
A few hours later, Gina DeJesus, who went missing in 2004 at the age of 14, was also brought home.
Michelle Knight, who was 20 when she disappeared in 2002, remains in hospital in a good condition.
Prince Harry is visiting various areas of the U.S. from May 9 to 15 and wanted to include areas of the Jersey Shore that were devastated by Superstorm Sandy.
This marks Prince Harry’s first visit to the U.S. since August 2012, when the 28-year-old royal landed in hot water after he reportedly took part in a strip poker game at a casino hotel in Las Vegas.
Friday May 10: Prince Harry visits Arlington National Cemetery where he will lay a wreath, before heading to the Walter Reed Military Medical Center to meet wounded US servicemen. In the evening, he will attend a Foreign and Commonwealth reception
Prince Harry’s first visit to the U.S. since August 2012, when the 28-year-old royal landed in hot water after he reportedly took part in a strip poker game at a casino hotel in Las Vegas
Saturday May 11: Prince Harry will spend day at the Warrior Games for wounded servicemen and women. The day will start with his meeting members of the UK team and attending a brunch before going to the opening ceremony and watching a volleyball game
Sunday May12: In Colorado Springs, Colorado, Prince Harry will go to an air force academy sports event before presenting medals
Monday May 13: Prince Harry will travel and spend the day privately
Tuesday May 14: Prince Harry will visit survivors of Superstorm Sandy in Mantoloking, New Jersey with Gov. Chris Christie and attend charity Baseball event and later, a Royal Foundation fundraiser in New York
Wednesday May 15: Prince Harry will take part in Sentbale Polo Cup game in Greenwich, Connecticut before touring the club and watching an afternoon match
Prince Harry joined First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House at the start of his week-long U.S. tour.
Michelle Obama welcomed the 28-year-old prince to her home on Thursday afternoon for a reception in honor of military mothers and their children after he caused a stir in Washington D.C.
As well as meeting Sen. John McCain at Capitol Hill, Prince Harry was welcomed by a bevy of grinning female staffers – who were promptly ushered back inside by police, according to their colleagues’ tweets.
“If all the women on Capitol Hill were dust bunnies, #princeharry would be a Dyson Vacuum. Every woman is gone. Every. Single. One,” Chris Mickey tweeted before the royal’s arrival.
When the women were asked to leave, sparking “grumpy faces” according to further tweets, they swiftly found other balconies over which to peer at the prince.
At his last event of the day, Prince Harry entertained US policy makers and wealthy donors at a British embassy reception.
Prince Harry joined First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House at the start of his week-long U.S. tour
Prince Harry chatted with 200 guests at the champagne bash hosted by British ambassador Sir Peter Westmacott and the HALO Trust anti-landmines charity before a dinner for 37 key influential donors and decision-makers.
In the sweltering humidity, the Prince repeatedly mopped his brow as he stood in a receiving line to greet each guest before working the room.
Among them were numerous American politicians, and President Barack Obama’s deputy national security adviser Anthony Blinken.
Guy Willoughby, director of the HALO Trust, praised Prince Harry’s determination to continue his mother’s work.
Prince Harry is visiting various areas of the U.S. from May 9 to 15 and wanted to include areas of the Jersey Shore that were devastated by Hurricane Sandy.
The roguish heir to the British throne will also attend a reception at the British Ambassador’s home and pay visits to Arlington National Cemetery to honor fallen soldiers and the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where Harry will spend time with wounded veterans.
The tour is not limited to New Jersey and Washington, as he will also attend a diplomatic reception in Denver, Colorado, as well as the 2013 Warrior Games in Colorado Springs -an event that benefits disabled veterans.
In New York City, Prince Harry’s visit will include an event promoting a community baseball program involving a new partnership with the Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry, which bills itself as the culmination of the charity lives of Harry and his brother and sister-in-law, Prince William and Kate.
Harry will be promoting the charity’s “Coach Core”, which is an initiative dedicated to improving training facilities for inner-city kids.
Prince Harry also will take in a polo cup match in Connecticut.
Charles Ramsey has been hailed as America’s hero since rescuing Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michele Knight, who were kidnapped ten years ago in Cleveland.
Countless TV interviews and accolades, it looks like Charles Ramsey is here to stay in our good graces for a while for his amazing deed.
But what is there to know about Charles Ramsey?
Age: 43
Occupation: Dishwasher at Hodge’s Restaurant in Cleveland
Fun fact: Charles Ramsey attended Charles F. Brush High School in Cleveland which is rivals to Orange High School which Good Morning America anchor, George Stephanopoulos, attended.
Charles Ramsey appeared on GMA on May 8.
Since rescuing the three missing girls, he’s already been autotuned a few times (as well as chopped and screwed, unfortunately).
Charles Ramsey lived next door to where Ariel Castro is alleged to have kept the women in a makeshift prison until Monday afternoon, when Ramsey happened to be home and heard Amanda Berry’s scream.
As he said: “I got the day off from work, so naturally you’re doing nothing.”
Actually, Charles Ramsey was “eating my McDonald’s,” a fact he trumpeted so frequently that the grateful food giant is trying to get in touch with him. A website that compiled some of Charles Ramsey’s television interviews kept count of how many times he mentioned McDonald’s in each.
Charles Ramsey has been hailed as America’s hero since rescuing Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michele Knight
McDonald’s seemed particularly delighted by the unexpected association with a hero. The corporation tweeted on Tuesday: “Way to go Charles Ramsey – we’ll be in touch.”
A company spokeswoman said Wednesday that it was trying to reach out to Charles Ramsey through its local franchise.
Charles Ramsey, 43, gave a series of interviews to Cleveland television stations as the story broke Monday night that were replayed on national news. CNN’s Anderson Cooper tracked him down for a lengthy conversation the next night. The interviews are performance art masterpieces, so filled with colorful language and astute reporting that he trended on Twitter and was the subject of Internet memes and an Auto-tuned song.
Similarly, a tape of a much more profane Charles Ramsey talking to a 911 operator (whom he later called an imbecile) is circulating on the Web.
During his initial interviews, Charles Ramsey said he was shocked to learn of allegations that Ariel Castro led a double life.
Charles Ramsey said he “used to barbecue with this dude. We eat ribs and what-not, listen to salsa music”.
He attracted so much attention that websites and media organizations dug into his past. He did jail time for domestic violence in the 1990s, according to the Ohio Department of Corrections.
Charles Ramsey, whose colorful television interviews quickly rocketed him to Internet stardom, was first charged with domestic violence in 1997, according to court records obtained by The Smoking Gun. He pleaded no contest to the charge and was found guilty. While waiting to be sentenced in July 1998, Charles Ramsey was arrested for domestic violence again.
He was ordered to serve six months in jail, placed on 5-year probation and directed to attend a domestic violence counseling program, the court records show.
Charles Ramsey was arrested again for domestic abuse in 2003, this time sentenced to eight months in prison. His wife, Rochelle, with whom he fathered a daughter, subsequently filed for divorce, citing “extreme cruelty”.
Rochelle, who is now remarried, told The Smoking Gun that Charles Ramsey “eventually apologized for battering her”.
There was some indication Charles Ramsey’s attention was prompting some jealousy. A Cleveland television station ran a story quoting Angel Cordero, another neighbor of Ariel Castro’s, who also said he was there helping Amanda Berry on Monday.
“I was there and I was first,” Angel Cordero said, according to WEWS-TV.
Cleveland’s NBC affiliate WKYC scored an exclusive sit-down interview with Charles Ramsey, the man who discovered missing Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight imprisoned into his neighbor’s home.
Charles Ramsey, 43, instantly became famous across the internet after he gave a descriptive and opinionated interview to another local Cleveland reporter Monday evening.
Cleveland’s NBC affiliate WKYC scored an exclusive sit-down interview with Charles Ramsey, the man who discovered missing Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight
Now, he said he’s just glad the three women got out of captivity alive and rejects the “hero” label that WKYC’s anchors and others have been affixing to him.
Charles Ramsey says he knows he did a “good deed” but he’s finding it difficult to live with the fact that the three girls were being held against their will next door to him for so long. After retelling the story he originally relayed the night before, Charles Ramsey reacted to the internet sensation he has become, with the anchor asking him what it’s like to be “hashtag Charles Ramsey.”
“I don’t even want it,” Charles Ramsey said of the attention.
“They keep saying I’m a hero. Let me tell you something, I’m an American, and I’m a human being. I’m just like you. I work for a living. There was a woman in distress, so why turn your back on that?”
Cleveland hero Charles Ramsey became an internet sensation following the incredible rescue of Amanda Berry, Georgina “Gina” DeJesus and Michele Knight after a decade in captivity.
Charles Ramsey, who heard Amanda Berry’s cries for help and busted open a door to help get her out, then called 911.
Charles Ramsey’s animated 911 call and the interview with a local news reporter recounting the incident quickly went viral
His animated 911 call and the interview with a local news reporter recounting the incident quickly went viral (and continues to be a top trending topic on Twitter).
Now – as is inevitable in this meme-tastic age – the Gregory Brothers are the best in this area and this remix named Dead Giveaway lives up to their reputation.
The family of 8-year-old Martin Richard, who was killed in the Boston marathon bombings, has revealed the heartbreaking moment their daughter Jane awoke two weeks after the attack and learned her brother had died.
Jane Richard, 7, lost her leg in the April 15 blast, while her mother Denise, 42, suffered head injuries, her father Bill, 42, was hit by shrapnel and her brother Martin lost his life.
Only her oldest brother, 12-year-old Henry, escaped without injury.
In a statement released on Thursday, the family revealed Jane awoke two weeks after the attack “with difficult questions that needed to be answered”.
“There are not words to describe how hard sharing this heartbreaking news was on all of us,” it read.
Amid the tragedy, the family is celebrating the progress of little Jane, who has now undergone her eleventh surgery to close the wound on her left leg and to eventually prepare it for a prosthesis.
Jane Richard has battled infections in hospital and faces more surgeries after losing her leg below the knee.
“While she has more trips to the O.R. ahead of her, last night’s operation marked an important milestone,” the statement read.
The family of 8-year-old Martin Richard, who was killed in the Boston marathon bombings, has revealed the heartbreaking moment their daughter Jane awoke two weeks after the attack and learned her brother had died
“If things go well, Jane could be ready to transition to the rehabilitation stage of her recovery in the next few weeks.”
Bill Richard is recovering from his shrapnel wound and is hopeful that he will regain hearing he lost from the blast, while Denise is recovering from her surgeries, but is still missing sight in one eye.
Henry Richard has returned to school, “which gives him a needed sense of routine and normalcy”, the statement, which was uploaded to the family’s website, said.
The Richards also took the time to thank members of the public and authorities for their help throughout “our very darkest hour”.
“We want to thank the people who quickly got to Jane and addressed her injury in the street because they saved her life,” it read.
“We also salute those who stood guard over Martin’s body so he was not alone. Those officers will never know how comforting that was in our very darkest hour.”
Jane Richard is believed to have been standing on the marathon fence next to the big brother she idolized when the first of two bombs detonated near to the finish line.
Images from before the blast appear to show Bill Richard, 42, a community organizer, holding his youngest children up on the railings as Dzhokhar Tsarnaev plants his backpack bomb just behind them.
Bill Richard and his son Henry, 12, managed to escape from the bomb attack uninjured.
The bombs, described by experts as makeshift anti-personnel devices, were made from pressure cookers packed with shrapnel and ball bearings to cause the maximum injuries to bystanders.
Police believe they were planted by brothers Dzhokhar, 19, and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26. After their images were released by the FBI, Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed in an ensuing gunfight with police.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was found hiding in a boat outside a home hours later and was treated in hospital for an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound to the neck. He remains in federal prison in Massachusetts and is charged with using a weapon of mass destruction.
For updates from the Richard family, visit their blog.
Katherine Russell Tsarnaev, the widow of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev, has retained legal counsel Joshua Dratel, who has an extensive client roster of suspected and convicted terrorists.
Katherine Russell added attorney Joshua Dratel to her legal team, her Rhode Island-based lawyer Amato DeLuca said on Wednesday.
Katherine Russell Tsarnaev has retained legal counsel Joshua Dratel, who has an extensive client roster of suspected and convicted terrorists
New York lawyer Joshua Dratel, whose office in Downtown Manhattan is just blocks away from Ground Zero, previously defended Guantanamo Bay detainees and suspects in the bombings of the U.S. embassies in East Africa.
Katherine Russell Tsarnaev, 24, has been under increased scrutiny ever since federal officials found radical Islamist materials on her laptop, including the al Qaeda magazine Inspire.
Investigators also found traces of explosive residue in the Cambridge, Massachusetts, home Katherine Russell had shared with her late husband Tamerlan Tsarnaev and their 3-year-old daughter, Zahara.
Katherine Russell’s defense team said in a statement that she “plans to continue to meet with investigators, part of a series of meetings over many hours where she has answered questions”.
Ariel Castro, who is accused of imprisoning three women for about a decade in Cleveland, has made his first court appearance.
Ariel Castro, 52, is charged with kidnap and rape. He did not enter a plea.
Bail was set at $8 million, meaning in effect that he will remain in custody.
The women were abducted at different times and held in Ariel Castro’s house. One of those held, Amanda Berry, 27, escaped on Monday and raised the alarm.
The other women freed soon afterwards were Gina DeJesus, 23, and Michelle Knight, 32.
Ariel Castro, handcuffed and dressed in blue overalls, remained silent and looked down while lawyers spoke to the judge at Cleveland Municipal Court on Thursday.
County prosecutor Brian Murphy told the court: “The charges against Mr. Castro are based on premeditated, deliberate, depraved decisions to snatch three young ladies from Cleveland West Side streets to be used in whatever self-gratifying, self-serving way he saw fit.”
Ariel Castro is charged with four counts of kidnapping, covering the three initial abduction victims and Jocelyn, Amanda Berry’s six-year-old daughter, who was apparently conceived and born in captivity.
The former school bus driver also faces three counts of rape, one against each woman. More charges may be added, officials have said.
Ariel Castro, who is accused of imprisoning three women for about a decade in Cleveland, has made his first court appearance
Two of Ariel Castro’s brothers, Pedro and Onil, were also arrested, but police found no evidence they were involved in the crime.
They appeared in court alongside Ariel Castro on unrelated minor charges. Pedro Castro was fined $100 for public drinking, while two charges against Onil Castro were dropped.
Ariel Castro has been put on suicide watch and will be kept in isolation, his court-appointed lawyer Kathleen DeMetz told reporters.
The three women were all abducted after accepting rides from Ariel Castro, according to a police report leaked to the media.
On Thursday, Ariel Castro’s daughter, Arlene, who was one of the last people to see Gina DeJesus before she disappeared in 2004 aged 14, wept during a TV interview.
Describing herself as “disappointed, embarrassed, mainly devastated”, she apologized to Gina DeJesus.
The women told officials they could only remember being outside twice during their time in captivity.
Cleveland City Councilman Brian Cummins said the women had told police they had only gone as far as a garage on the property, disguised in wigs and hats.
Brian Cummins, citing police information, said the victims had been kept apart inside the house until their captor felt he had enough control to allow them to mingle.
Michelle knight was forced to help Amanda Berry deliver her daughter, and was threatened with death if the child did not survive.
Amanda Berry’s baby was born in a plastic inflatable children’s swimming pool on Christmas Day 2006, according to a police report.
She was not the only woman who became pregnant during captivity, Brian Cummins said. One of the three women had suffered at least five miscarriages.
Ariel Castro is accused of having intentionally caused the miscarriages by starving her for weeks and beating her
in the abdomen, according to the city councilman.
Police said more than 200 pieces of evidence had been taken from the home where the three women were held captive.
They said interviews with the women had yielded enough information to charge Ariel Castro.
Police said he had been co-operating with them, waiving his right to silence and agreeing to a test to establish Jocelyn’s paternity.
On Wednesday hundreds of cheering people welcomed home Gina DeJesus and Amanda Berry and her daughter.
Amanda Berry, whose disappearance in 2003 the day before her 17th birthday was widely publicized in the local media, escaped on Monday evening by kicking the door and screaming for help, while her alleged captor was out.
Michelle Knight, who was 20 when she disappeared in 2002, remains in hospital.
The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports Michelle Knight had complained of chest pains during her rescue, but she is listed as in good condition.
Charges against Ariel Castro:
Four counts of kidnapping – one for each woman and one for a six-year-old girl police say was born in captivity
Three counts of rape, one for each woman, representing what police say is years of sexual abuse
Bail is set at $8 million, $2 million for each alleged victim
Charges may be added as the investigation proceeds
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev told investigators that Katherine Russell Tsarnaev, the widow of his late older brother Tamerlan, had nothing to do with the April 15 Boston Marathon attacks, it was revealed today.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, has made the statement to law enforcement officials looking into Katherine Russell’s possible involvement in the planning of the bombings allegedly carried out by her husband, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, and her brother-in-law, NBC News reported.
Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed in a police gun battle on April 19. His younger brother, Dzhokhar, was captured and charged in connection to the bombings following a massive manhunt that ended when he was discovered wounded hiding inside a boat in a backyard.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev told investigators that Katherine Russell Tsarnaev, the widow of his late older brother Tamerlan, had nothing to do with the April 15 Boston Marathon attacks
Katherine Russell Tsarnaev, 24, has been under increased scrutiny ever since federal officials found radical Islamist materials on her laptop, including the al Qaeda magazine Inspire.
Investigators also found traces of explosive residue in the Cambridge, Massachusetts, home Katherine Russell had shared with her late husband and their daughter.
Katherine Russell’s defense team said in a statement that she “plans to continue to meet with investigators, part of a series of meetings over many hours where she has answered questions”.
It was also revealed Wednesday that the 24-year-old Muslim convert has hired a prominent criminal lawyer with experience defending terrorism cases.
Katherine Russell added New York lawyer Joshua Dratel to her legal team, her attorney Amato DeLuca confirmed.
Joshua Dratel has represented a number of terrorism suspects in federal courts and military commissions, including Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, detainee David Hicks, who attended an al-Qaida-linked training camp in Afghanistan.
Nadine Ascencao, the former girlfriend of Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev, revealed he slapped her and beat her head against a car because she was wearing shorts.
Nadine Ascencao, 25, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, said she and Tamerlan Tsarnaev split up after he became so abusive she called police.
The couple dated for three years and she said he became increasingly religious during that time.
Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, and his brother Dzhokhar, 19, set off the bomb at the marathon on April 15 that killed three by-standers and injured more than 260 people.
The Boston suspect was killed in a stand-off with police four days later and his young brother is in police custody after being injured in the same shoot-out.
Nadine Ascencao told Inside Edition that Tamerlan Tsarnaev, a former amateur boxer, attacked her after she wore a tank top and shorts to a pool party.
Nadine Ascencao, the former girlfriend of Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev, revealed he slapped her and beat her head against a car because she was wearing shorts
She said he screamed at her “what are you wearing” and then became violent.
Nadine Ascencao said: “He literally grabbed my jaw and he was telling me <<you are not going to wear this, do you understand what I’m saying>> and he kept pushing my head until I hit the car and it hurt and that made me really upset and he just slapped me across the face. But that right there just made me so furious.”
She said she told she was going to dial 911 and he told her to “go ahead”.
Nadine Ascencao said in the interview with Inside Edition: “The police officer goes up to him and she said, <<did you hit her?>>
“He goes, <<I just gave her a little slap>>. She goes <<excuse me what did you just do to her?>>
“[He said] I just gave her a little slap.
“She said, <<turn around sir>> and just handcuffed him.”
Tamerlan Tsarnaev was arrested on domestic assault and battery charges and the mugshots later emerged after he was identified as the suspect in the bomb attack.
However, despite the violent outburst Nadine Ascencao did not press charges, which she says she now regrets.
Nadine Ascencao said: “At that time I was young and really didn’t think it through.”
In previous interviews, Nadine Ascencao said then boyfriend Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who she met at high school, became increasingly religious and was angered if she wore Western clothes.
Tamerlan Tsarnaev later went on to marry Katherine Russell, who converted to Islam.
Tamerlan Tsarnaev has been buried in a secret midnight service at an undisclosed location after a mystery benefactor came forward – ending weeks of controversy.
According to federal officials, Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s body was taken from the Graham Putnam & Mahoney Funeral Parlor and entombed under cover of darkness outside of the city of Worcester, Massachusetts, where his remains have laid since last Friday.
The burial location was approved by Ruslan Tsarni, the Boston Marathon suspects’ outspoken uncle, who has been attempting to find a cemetery that would accept his nephew for burial.
“As a result of our public appeal for help a courageous and compassionate individual came forward to provide the assistance needed to properly bury the deceased,” said Worcester police in a statement this morning.
“His body is no longer in the city of Worcester and is now entombed.”
Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s body was finally buried one day after Worcester Police Chief Gary Gemme pleaded for help in burying the suspect – who was killed in a firefight with police on April 19th in Watertown, just outside of Boston.
Tamerlan Tsarnaev has been buried in a secret midnight service at an undisclosed location after a mystery benefactor came forward
“There is a need to do the right thing,” said Gary Gemme.
“We are not barbarians. We bury the dead.”
The statement did not say where his body now rests.
Peter Stefan, the director of the funeral home had previously expressed his strong desire to find a proper burial site for Tamerlan Tsarnaev despite protests outside the funeral home and the refusal of Cambridge to take his body for burial.
Before today’s announcement, a retired Vermont school teacher, Paul Keane had yesterday offered up his family’s plot in Hamden, Connecticut.
He intended the offer to be a tribute to his mother, who taught him to, “love thine enemy”.
Paul Keane told reporters that he didn’t withdraw the offer, even after he received hate-mail – but no one from Worcester contacted him.
And the firm responsible for digging graves at the Mount Carmel Cemetery said that they have dug no fresh graves this week.
And on Monday, the founder of the organization that built Colorado’s largest mosque is offered to bury suspected Boston bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev in a Denver-area Muslim cemetery.
Sheikh Abu-Omar Almubarac said he would pay for a traditional Muslim burial – no headstone, monument or casket – at a plot at a Muslim cemetery in Denver or Bennett.
He refused to say which one out of concern for “undue publicity”. He said he would bury Tamerlan Tsarnaev as long as his family can get the body to Denver.
It is not known whether the family of Tamerlan Tsarnaev took him up on that offer.
Sgt. Kerry Hazelhurst with the Worcester police force said the body was no longer in Worcester and is now entombed. She did not disclose where the body was taken.
Turning small business owners into stars has become a winning formula for television producers, but some businesses featured in them are cashing in, too.
Sales explode after just a few episodes air, transforming these nearly unknown small businesses into household names.
In addition to earning a salary from starring in the shows, some small business owners are benefiting financially from opening gift shops that sell souvenirs or getting involved in other ventures that spawn from their new-found fame.
Duck Commander, seen in Duck Dynasty reality show, is having trouble controlling the crowds in front of its headquarters in the small city of West Monroe, Louisiana.
“Sometimes it’s hard getting from the truck to the front door,” says Willie Robertson, who owns Duck Commander with his father and stars in the A&E series with his extended family.
It’s a big change for a company that sells duck calls out of a part-brick, part-cinder block warehouse on a dry, dead-end country road. Duck hunters use the whistles, which mimic duck sounds, to attract their prey.
Since Duck Dynasty began airing in March 2012, Willie Robertson finds at least 70 people waiting in front of the warehouse every morning asking for autographs and photos. Neighbors have complained about the mobs and the police have been called.
Despite the trouble, the show has been good for the family business. Sales of the company’s duck calls, which range from $20 to $175, have skyrocketed. In 2011, the company sold 60,000 duck calls. In 2012, the year the show began airing, the company sold 300,000.
Duck Dynasty is the most watched documentary-style reality series on TV right now
“We saw a big difference as the Nielsen ratings went up,” says Willie Robertson.
Their income from doing the show may be going up along with the ratings. Duck Dynasty is the most watched documentary-style reality series on TV right now, according to Nielsen, which provides information and insight into what consumers watch and buy. April’s one-hour season three finale was watched by 9.6 million people, making it the most watched program in A&E’s 29-year history. The Hollywood Reporter reported that the cast of the show is demanding a raise to $200,000 an episode to do a fourth season. Both the network and Willie Robertson had no comment on the report.
Cameras follow Willie Robertson and his family as they make duck calls, hunt or go camping. One episode showed Willie Robertson trying to prove to his dad, brother and uncle that he could spend a night in a tent during a camping trip. (Willie Robertson ends up bringing a big recreational vehicle and is ridiculed for it. “Once you bring something with wheels that’s enclosed, you’re no longer camping. You’re parking,” says Willie Robertson’s brother, Jace Robertson, in the episode.)
Duck Commander hired five more people to keep up with rising sales. Every duck call has to be put together by hand.
“It’s like a musical instrument,” says Willie Robertson.
“Each one needs to be blown into it to make sure it works.”
To stop the crowds from disrupting business, and to make extra cash, Willie Robertson opened a gift shop inside the Duck Commander warehouse.
“It keeps the people out of my lobby,” he says. The shop sells duck calls, Duck Commander T-shirts and bobble head dolls that look like Willie Robertson, his dad, uncle and brother, complete with their long beards.
The Next Day – David Bowie’s most recent video music, which stars Gary Oldman and Marion Cotillard – was temporarily pulled from YouTube over its graphic content.
The Next Day features heavy religious imagery, including Marion Cotillard bleeding from stigmata marks.
YouTube admitted making the “wrong call” in removing the video, and reinstated it with an adult content warning.
Former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey has called the video “juvenile”.
Lord Carey told The Telegraph: “If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery perhaps Christians should not worry too much at such an exploitation of religious imagery.
“I doubt that Bowie would have the courage to use Islamic imagery – I very much doubt it.
David Bowie’s The Next Day video, which stars Gary Oldman and Marion Cotillard, features heavy religious imagery
“Frankly, I don’t get offended by such juvenilia – Christians should have the courage to rise above offensive language, although I hope Bowie will recognize that he may be upsetting some people.”
The Next Day is taken from David Bowie’s comeback album of the same name.
The video sees David Bowie performing in a basement bar, surrounded by religious figures, while Gary Oldman, dressed as a priest, punches a beggar before dancing with a prostitute, played by Oscar-winner Marion Cotillard.
A spokesman for YouTube said: “With the massive volume of videos on our site, sometimes we make the wrong call. When it’s brought to our attention that a video has been removed mistakenly, we act quickly to reinstate it.”
David Bowie’s last video, for The Stars (Are Out Tonight), featured another Oscar-winner, Tilda Swinton.
Gary Oldman previously worked with David Bowie in the 1990s, when they performed a duet on guitarist Reeves Gabrels’ 1995 album The Sacred Squall of Now.
Former Korean model Hang Mioku, a plastic surgery addict, injected cooking oil into her face when doctors refused to give her any more silicone.
Hang Mioku has been left permanently disfigured following the DIY beauty treatment.
After injecting an entire bottle of black market silicone into her face, Hang Mioku resorted to using cooking oil that left her face severely swollen and scarred.
Her plights was featured on Korean television and viewers donated thousands of dollars to pay for corrective surgery.
Former Korean model Hang Mioku, a plastic surgery addict, injected cooking oil into her face when doctors refused to give her any more silicone
During the first of 10 operations, surgeons removed 60 g of silicone, oil and other foreign substances from her face and 200 g from her neck.
However, Hang Mioku is still disfigured and she said she wishes she could have her old face back.
Hang Mioku had her first procedure aged 28 and then moved to Japan where she had repeated treatments.
She quickly became obsessed with having smoother and softer skin.
Doctors eventually refused to carry out any more work on her after her face became noticeably enlarged.
However, Hang Mioku managed to get hold of a bottle of silicone and a syringe to self-inject but when that ran out she resorted to use cooking oil.
Her face was so altered that her own parents did not recognize her and local children also used to call her “standing fan” because her face was so large compared to her small body.
Numerous operations paid for by donations have managed to reduce the size of Hang Mioku’s face and neck but she is still significantly disfigured.
Recently the former model was working in a recycled clothes shop, called The Beautiful Shop, and receiving handouts from the state.
Jeanne Cooper, the veteran star who played grande dame Katherine Chancellor for nearly four decades on The Young and the Restless, has died in her sleep aged 84.
Jeanne Cooper died Wednesday morning in her sleep, her son the actor Corbin Bernsen wrote on Facebook. The family confirmed the death to CBS, according to a network spokeswoman.
The veteran actress was in a Los Angeles-area hospital, according to Corbin Bernsen’s spokesman, Charles Sherman, who said the cause of death was not immediately available.
“One of the last great broads in our business – Jeanne Cooper, Mom – is now stirring up trouble in great beyond,” her family said in a statement.
Jeanne Cooper will be remembered “as a daytime television legend and as a friend who will truly be missed by all of us here at the network,” said Nina Tassler, president of CBS Entertainment, adding that the actress brought “indelible charm, class and talent to every episode”.
She joined the daytime serial six months after its March 1973 debut, staking claim to the title of longest-tenured cast member. The role earned her 11 Daytime Emmy nominations and a trophy for best actress in a drama series in 2008.
Jeanne Cooper, the veteran star who played grande dame Katherine Chancellor for nearly four decades on The Young and the Restless, has died in her sleep aged 84
“God knows it’s claimed a big part of my life,” Jeanne Cooper told The Associated Press in March as CBS’ The Young and the Restless celebrated its milestone 40th anniversary.
As the years passed, Jeanne Cooper brushed aside thoughts of saying goodbye to the show and its fictional Wisconsin town of Genoa City.
“What would I do? I’m no good at crocheting. My fingers would bleed,” she told the AP as she turned 83 in October.
But on April 12 Corbin Bernsen tweeted that his mother faced an “uphill battle” for an undisclosed illness. In subsequent days he wrote of her gradual improvement and said that she’d been taken off breathing equipment.
In a Facebook posting April 17, Corbin Bernsen said his mother cursed several times, “showing me that she’s becoming her old self, not thrilled about the situation, and ready to get out of the hospital and shake up the world”.
On Wednesday Corbin Bernsen wrote that Jeanne Cooper remained a fighter until the end: “She has been a blaze her entire life, that beacon, that boxer I spoke of earlier. She went the full twelve rounds and by unanimous decision… won!”
Jeanne Cooper, born in the California town of Taft in 1928, attended the College of the Pacific and performed in local theater productions before her professional career began with the 1953 film The Redhead from Wyoming starring Maureen O’Hara. Other film credits include 1968’s The Boston Strangler with Tony Curtis and 1967’s Tony Rome with Frank Sinatra.
She had a parallel career in TV, with shows including The Adventures of Kit Carson in 1953 and The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse in 1954 and Bracken’s World in 1969-70.
In a recurring role on L.A. Law, Jeanne Cooper played the mother to Corbin Bernsen’s character, Arnie, and received a 1987 Emmy nomination for best guest actress in a drama. Corbin Bernsen later joined his mother on her series, making several appearances as a priest, Father Todd.
But it was her role on The Young and the Restless that made her a TV star intimately familiar to viewers.
In 1984, Jeanne Cooper’s real-life facelift was televised on the show as her character underwent the surgery at the same time, and had no regrets about it.
“It opened up reconstructive surgery for so many people, youngsters getting things done,” she said.
“To this day, people will come up to me and say, <<Thank you so much for doing that. My mom or I had something done, and not just cosmetic surgery>>. That was an incredible experience in my life.”
The Young and the Restless has topped the daytime serial ratings for more than 24 years, in part because of the continuity provided by Jeanne Cooper and its other long-time stars including Eric Braeden. It held its ground as the genre diminished in popularity and the majority of soaps vanished.
Jeanne Cooper’s 30-year marriage to Harry Bernsen ended in divorce. The couple have three children, Corbin, Caren and Collin, and eight grandchildren.
Ali Haider Gilani, the son of Pakistan’s former PM Yousuf Raza Gilani, has been kidnapped by unidentified gunmen during an election rally, his father says.
According to the former prime minister, his son, Ali Haider Gilani – a candidate for the Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) – was seized in the central city of Multan.
Yousuf Raza Gilani accused his political opponents of being behind the attack, which came ahead of Saturday’s elections.
One person was reportedly killed when the attackers opened fire at the rally.
No group has so far claimed responsibility for Thursday’s attack.
Eyewitnesses say the gunmen arrived at the gathering in a black Honda car and a motorbike.
“A couple of them started shooting,” a teenager at the rally told Pakistan’s Geo TV.
“A man standing in front of Gilani was hit and fell down. Then they grabbed Gilani, put him in the car and sped away.”
Reports say the person who died in the shooting could have been Ali Haider Gilani’s bodyguard or secretary. Another five people were injured.
Ali Haider Gilani, a candidate for the Pakistan Peoples’ Party, was seized in the central city of Multan
Eyewitnesses say a bullet also hit Ali Haider Gilani and he was bleeding when the kidnappers put him in the car, Pakistan’s Express Tribune newspaper reports.
Ali Haider Gilani – the youngest son of the ex-prime minister – is contesting a seat in the Punjab provincial assembly.
“We want our brother back tonight. If we don’t get him, we will not allow elections to be held in our area,” his elder brother Ali Musa – who was in tears – later told reporters.
Police have now sealed off all entry and exit point in Multan, and a massive search operation is under way, local media report.
Yousuf Raza Gilani served as prime minister until June 2012, when he was forced out of office by the Supreme Court over his refusal to pursue a corruption case against President Asif Ali Zardari.
But it is still a powerful political family, with Yousuf Raza Gilani Gilani’s sons standing in the elections to the provincial and national assemblies.
The run-up to the 11 May elections has been marred by a series of attacks across the country in which more than 100 people have been killed.
The Pakistani Taliban have threatened to prevent the PPP, the Awami National Party (ANP) as well the MQM party, from conducting their election campaigns because they are considered by the militants to be too secular.
The military has pledged to deploy tens of thousands of troops to polling stations on Saturday to prevent further attacks.
In a separate development, Nawaz Sharif – the man tipped to be Pakistan’s next prime minister – promised to end the country’s involvement in the US-led war on terror if elected.
Nawaz Sharif – who leads the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) – said the move was necessary for there to be peace in Pakistan and elsewhere in the world.
Pakistan has been part of the US-led fight against Islamist militancy in the region since the 11 September attacks in the US in 2001.
Nazaw Sharif – who served as prime minister twice in the 1990s – declined to say whether he would stop military operations against the Taliban and al-Qaeda.
Meanwhile, Imran Khan – another leading Pakistani politician – is continuing to recover in hospital after falling off a makeshift lift at an election rally earlier this week.
Doctors say that the former cricketer who leads the Tehreek-e-Insaf (Movement for Justice) party – received stitches in the head and treatment for injuries to his spine.
Charles Ramsey, the Cleveland hero who helped rescue three women after a decade of captivity in his neighbor’s house, appeared on ABC’s Good Morning America on Wednesday morning in his latest interview.
Charles Ramsey, who has emerged an overnight sensation both for his good citizenship and animated on-camera commentary, told George Stephanopoulos via satellite that he had been living next door to Ariel Castro for a year but hadn’t seen any clues that Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michele Knight were being held inside.
Cleveland hero Charles Ramsey appeared on Good Morning America on Wednesday morning in his latest interview
On Monday, Amanda Berry got his attention while Ariel Castro was away and Charles Ramsey helped her out of the house.
Coverage of the kidnappings has featured prominently on the network morning shows. On GMA, George Stephanopoulos pressed Charles Ramsey on whether he had noticed anything awry next door prior to the women’s escape.
“Not one iota because I wouldn’t have been speaking to this dude,” said Charles Ramsey, noting how “scary” it was to learn what his neighbor had done.
“So either I’m that stupid or [he’s] that good,” Charles Ramsey added.
A second Ariel Castro’s neighbor, Angel Cordero, is coming forward claiming that he was the one to save Amanda Berry from the house where she had been kept for nearly a decade.
Angel Cordero was never mentioned by Charles Ramsey, the entertaining folk hero who has captured the attention of the nation in the wake of the dramatic rescue Monday night.
Spanish speaking Angel Cordero, who has his niece Ashley translate for him in interviews, said that he was sitting on a neighbor’s porch when they heard some commotion and went to check it out, only to find the woman desperate for help.
“[The neighbor] had told me that there was something going on in the house at the front and we went to go see and all we heard was screaming,” Angel Cordero told Piers Morgan on CNN.
“We saw a hand outside the house that was moving up and down so we went to go check what was going on and she had told me that she had been kidnapped for ten years.
“I kicked the door at the bottom because I was trying to get it open because it was too hard so I got it at the bottom and that’s when Amanda ran out of the house.”
Angel Cordero claims that he was the one to save Amanda Berry from the house where she had been kept for nearly a decade
The detail of Amanda Berry poking her arm out of the locked door matches the description given by Charles Ramsey, who was in the crowd outside of the police station following the rescue of the three young women who Ariel Castro kidnapped years ago.
In his discussion with CNN on Wednesday night, Angel Cordero said that he was able to quickly understand the danger of the situation and insist that they run for fear of Ariel Castro’s return.
“When Amanda came out she returned to get her daughter and she took her out of the hole at the bottom of the door and I told her <<Quickly, let’s go across the street to [the neighbor’s] house just in case the man comes back so you won’t get hurt or anything>> so she went to [the neighbor’s] house and she used her phone and that’s when she let the police know what was going on,” Angel Cordero told CNN through the translation of his niece.
When Piers Morgan asked about Charles Ramsey’s role in the harrowing rescue, Angel Cordero did not mention his presence at all.
“The first one that talked directly to Amanda was me and she was the one that told me what was going on and she told me that there was two other women in the house,” Angel Cordero said.
In an earlier interview with local channel, Angel Cordero went into a bit more detail about Charles Ramsey’s role, saying that by the time Ramsey arrived, Amanda Berry was already “outside with the girl”.
“But the truth who arrived there, who crossed the street, who came and broke the door, it was me.”
Angel Cordero says that he does not harbor any resentment or jealousy toward Charles Ramsey, as long as the women he helped rescue from the home are OK.
For his part, Charles Ramsey didn’t mention Angel Cordero by name but did say that when he heard the woman screaming he saw his neighbor run across the street and so he went along to see what was going on.
His concern appears to be with the young women as well, saying that he does not deserve any of the reward money that was offered in relation to the case.
“I tell you what you do, give it to them… you know I got a job anyway” he said before pulling out his paycheck that he just picked up and showing it to Anderson Cooper.
Charles Ramsey, who is a dishwasher, brushed off his hero status, telling Anderson Cooper that he just had to “do the right thing”, adding: “Bro, I’m a Christian, an American, and just like you. We bleed the same blood, put our pants on the same way.
“It’s just that you got to put that – being a coward, and I don’t want to get in nobody’s business. You got to put that away for a minute.”
