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plea deal
Justin Bieber pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of careless driving and resisting arrest seven months after his arrest in Miami Beach following what police initially called an illegal street drag race.
The singer’s plea deal with prosecutors, detailed at a court hearing, includes a 12-hour anger management course, a $50,000 charitable contribution and fines.
The deal allows Justin Bieber, 20, to avoid a DUI conviction.
Justin Bieber pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of careless driving and resisting arrest seven months after his arrest in Miami Beach (photo Getty Images)
Justin Bieber was not present at the hearing before Miami-Dade County Judge William Altfield. Defense attorney Mark Shapiro said Justin Bieber had already given the $50,000 to a local children’s charity.
The singer was arrested early January 23 in Miami Beach after what police described as an illegal street race between Justin Bieber’s rented Lamborghini and a Ferrari driven by R&B singer Khalil Amir Sharieff. Neither was charged with drag racing and there was little evidence they were even exceeding posted speed limits. Alcohol breath tests found Justin Bieber’s level below the 0.02 limit for underage drivers, but urine tests showed the presence of marijuana and the anti-anxiety drug Xanax in his system.
Justin Bieber was also charged with resisting arrest after a profanity-laced tirade against police officers, as well as driving on an expired license.
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Cleveland kidnapper Ariel Castro appeared in court today to accept a plea deal under which he will serve a life sentence plus 1,000 years for the kidnap and rape of Amanda Berry, Michelle Knight and Gina DeJesus.
Ariel Castro, 53, was said to have agreed to the deal – after initially pleading not guilty to all 977 counts against him – to spare him the death penalty. His previous not guilty pleas were withdrawn.
Under the offer, Ariel Castro will spend the rest of his life behind bars without the possibility of parole, meaning he will die in prison.
It also means his three victims Amanda Berry, Michelle Knight and Gina DeJesus will not have to testify about their more than ten-year ordeal in front of a jury.
Speaking in court today, Ariel Castro said: “I said I was willing to work with the FBI and I would tell them everything.”
The judge asked him if he understood that he would die in prison and there would never be a possibility he would be released from prison.
Ariel Castro replied: “I do understand that and I said because of the s** crimes I knew I would have the book thrown at me.
“There are some things I do not comprehend because of my s**ual problems throughout the years. But I trust my lawyers and I understand my rights and the sentence.”
Ariel Castro appeared in court to accept a plea deal under which he will serve a life sentence
Offering some form of an explanation for his despicable crimes, Ariel Castro said: “I was a victim as a child and it just kept going.”
The judge cut him off and told him to save his story for his sentencing hearing.
Prosecutors said if evidence of additional crimes came to light, Ariel Castro could still be indicted on future charges that included the death penalty.
Ariel Castro’s lawyers have said for weeks that they would consider an agreement under which the former Cleveland school bus driver would plead guilty to some charges in return for his life.
He has been charged with 977 counts including kidnapping and repeated rape. He has also been charged with murder under a fetal homicide law for allegedly forcing one of the women to miscarry.
Gina DeJesus, 23, Michelle Knight, 32, and Amanda Berry, 27 were freed from Ariel Castro’s home in a rundown area of Cleveland in May.
The house will be torn down, it was revealed this week.
Also freed was a six-year-old girl who, according to DNA evidence, was fathered by Ariel Castro with Amanda Berry during her captivity.
A grand jury on July 17 added 648 charges to a previous indictment against Ariel Castro and an $8 million bond was put in place.
The indictment against Ariel Castro alleges he repeatedly restrained the women, sometimes chaining them to a pole in a basement, to a bedroom heater or inside a van.
It says one of the women tried to escape and he assaulted her with a vacuum cord around her neck.
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Jodi Arias has suggested on Twitter that she may consider a plea deal to avoid a death sentence rather than appeal her guilty verdict in Travis Alexander case.
In a tweet posted this weekend, convicted murderer Jodi Arias suggested she had not yet made up her mind on which option to go for.
Jodi Arias’ Twitter account, managed on her behalf by friends, posted on Saturday the following two messages: “Let’s clear up any confusion. Anyone asking 4 donation$ right now on my behalf 4 my appeals is not legit.”
This was quickly followed by another stating: “I’m not currently accepting donations 4 appeals. Just don’t know yet if I will plea or appeal.”
Last week a jury failed to decide upon a sentence for Jodi Arias’ crimes; she will either receive a life sentence or she could be sentenced to death for the murder of her ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander.
An earlier trial heard how Jodi Arias, 32, sta**ed and sla**ed Travis Alexander nearly 30 times, and shot him in the forehead. She then left his body in his shower where friends found him about five days later.
Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery said last month he would have an “ethical obligation” to consider a plea deal if the defense offered one, according to ABC News.
Appearing in court for the first time since the Arizona jury was unable to decide her sentence for murder, Jodi Arias last week swapped her prim, collared shirts and business-like attire that she sported throughout her lengthy murder trial for the standard issue stripes now that she is behind bars.
The procedural hearing lacked the sizzle of the five-month trial, which concluded in May, and attracted a global following and had spectators waiting in line in the middle of the night to get a coveted seat in the courtroom.
Last Thursday, the courtroom was about two-thirds full, the hearing was not televised, and there were no arguments in open court.
Jodi Arias may consider a plea deal to avoid a death sentence in Travis Alexander case
That verdict will come even later than previously expected, as the judge ruled today that the next hearing is scheduled for July 18.
Jury selection alone could take weeks, given the difficulty of seating an impartial panel in the high-profile case.
Prosecutors have the option of taking the death penalty off the table, and Stephens would then sentence Jodi Arias to one of two punishments: life in prison or the more unlikely life in prison with the possibility of release after 25 years.
If prosecutors do pursue death, a new panel must be seated to determine a sentence.
If another deadlock occurs, the death penalty would automatically be removed, leaving the judge to sentence Jodi Arias to one of the life-in-prison options.
Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery said last week his office continues to prepare for a retrial aimed at securing a death sentence.
He had previously said he is confident an impartial jury can be seated to determine Jodi Arias’ punishment but added that he is open to input from defense lawyers and the victim’s family about possibly scrapping a new trial in favor of a life sentence for Arias.
Meanwhile, after losing motions for mistrials, appeals to higher courts and efforts to quit the case altogether, Jodi Arias’ attorneys tried a new tactic this month, appealing to the court of public opinion while hoping to influence Montgomery’s decision.
“It is solely for them to determine if continuing to pursue a death sentence upon Ms. Arias, who is already facing a mandatory life sentence, is a good and proper use of taxpayer resources,” defense attorneys Kirk Nurmi and Jennifer Willmott wrote in a statement provided to The Arizona Republic.
Taxpayers footed the bill for Jodi Arias’ court-appointed attorneys at a cost so far of nearly $1.7 million, a price tag that will only balloon if the case moves forward.
Jodi Arias admitted she killed Travis Alexander, but claimed it was self-defense after he attacked her.
Prosecutors argued it was premeditated murder carried out in a jealous rage after the victim wanted to end their affair and planned a trip to Mexico with another woman.
After murdering Travis Alexander, Jodi Arias left her ex-boyfriend’s body in his shower where friends found him about five days later.
Jodi Arias testified for 18 days during her five-month trial, describing for jurors an abusive childhood, cheating boyfriends, dead-end jobs, a shocking relationship with Travis Alexander, and her contention that he had grown physically abusive.
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Lindsay Lohan may have broken her plea deal by jetting out to California on Wednesday, as it was agreed she would be attending the Seafield rehabilitation facility in New York, according to TMZ.
Convicted thief Lindsay Lohan, 25, was sentenced to 90 days in a facility after pleading no contest to charges for lying to police about driving during a car crash last June.
TMZ reported that Lindsay Lohan was freaked out because Seafield Center won’t allow her to smoke and she may headed for Morningside Recovery in Newport Beach, California, which does allow smoking.
Lindsay Lohan was freaked out because Seafield Center won’t allow her to smoke and she may headed for Morningside Recovery in Newport Beach, California
It appears that prosecutors did not sign off on Morningside and no one from the actress’ camp has contacted either the L.A. City Attorney or the Santa Monica City Attorney to get the change of plans approved.
If it is decided she has broken the terms of the bargain Lindsay Lohan could be sentenced to 90 days in jail.
However, attorney Mark Heller is expected to appear before her judge in California on Thursday and Lindsay Lohan’s father is hoping her can persuade the adjudicator to approve of the switch.
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Lindsay Lohan has strongly denied reports she tried to slip into a Hollywood nightclub hours after she agreed to three months of rehab in a last-minute plea deal with prosecutors.
Lindsay Lohan, 26, was allegedly seen ducking in the back off an SUV idling in front of trendy AV Club on Monday night.
The trouble actress has admonished the reports, insisting she stayed in after her court hearing in which the presiding judge warned her to stay away from the party circuit.
Lindsay Lohan addressed the photo in question in a series of tweets on Tuesday, insisting she is taking the message and her impending stint in rehab seriously.
“Guys relax, that was NOT me at AV or in the @Mr. Pink SUV. I’m taking this seriously and focused on the road ahead,” Lindsay Lohan wrote.
“I stayed in last night, after a pretty long day…and ordered sushi to my hotel.”
Lindsay Lohan also warned critics not to believe “EVERY little thing you hear, unless you hear it from me”.
She continued to thank her fans for their well-wishes throughout her personal dramas.
“The support I have gotten, has been great and means alot <3 L,” she wrote.
Lindsay Lohan has strongly denied reports she tried to slip into a Hollywood nightclub hours after she agreed to three months of rehab in a last-minute plea deal with prosecutors
Lindsay Lohan’s firm denial comes as a new mugshot of the star has been released. As TMZ reports, Lindsay Lohan was ordered to turn herself in to Santa Monica police shortly after entering her no contest plea.
Meanwhile her father has wasted no time revealing his shock at allegations she was accused of partying shortly after.
Michael Lohan, 52, exclaimed to RadarOnline: “Are you kidding me?”
“Just when you think things are getting better, the same people who were in court with Lindsay, and heard the judge instruct her NOT to be around people or places that drugs might be present, are the same ones out with her attempting to go into a club last night!”
“Maybe waiting 45 days is too long? I wish she’d let me pick out the rehab NOW (and even pay for it), but then again, Heller and Dina wouldn’t approve even if it was the best. Or will they pay?”
Lindsay Lohan accepted a plea deal in a misdemeanor car crash case that includes 90 days in a rehabilitation facility.
The deal followed over two hours of talks behind closed doors in the judge’s chambers between her legal team and prosecutors.
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Actress Lindsay Lohan has accepted a plea deal in a misdemeanor car crash case that includes 90 days in a rehabilitation facility.
The star pleaded no contest Monday to reckless driving, lying to police and obstructing officers who were investigating the accident involving her in June last year.
A judge says Lindsay Lohan will be sentenced to 90 days in rehab, 30 days of community labor and 18 months of psychological therapy.
She was on probation when her sports car crashed on Pacific Coast Highway while on her way to a film shoot.
The deal followed over two hours of talks behind closed doors in the judge’s chambers between her legal team and prosecutors.A mandatory sentence of five days in jail will be included in her rehab stay, which she will be able to complete in her native New York.
Lindsay Lohan was also found in violation of her probation in a 2011 necklace theft and sentenced to 180 days in jail.
However, she will be able to avoid jail time if she complies with the conditions of her plea deal.
This week it has emerged Bobby Brown is “doing well” in rehab, after entering a facility as part of a plea deal following DUI arrest.
Bobby Brown, 43, entered the undisclosed treatment centre last week, with his lawyer admitting he agreed to seek help as part of the agreement made following the March arrest in Los Angeles.
In a statement, attorney Christopher Brown said: “Mr. Brown takes his agreement very seriously and admitted himself three weeks after concluding his honeymoon in Mexico during a break from the New Edition tour.
“Bobby is doing well and receiving services that comply with his agreement with the State of California.”
Bobby Brown is “doing well” in rehab, after entering a facility as part of a plea deal following DUI arrest
His new wife Alicia Etheridge said she and the father-of-five’s offspring, including three-year-old Cassius from their relationship and Bobbi Kristina with late ex-wife Whitney Houston, are “proud” of him for seeking help.
Alicia Etheridge said: “Bobby’s children and loved ones are very proud of him.
“We appreciate his fans prayers and well wishes. Bobby is mentally in a good place.”
However, it seems Bobbi Kristina Brown was not aware of the words being spoken on her behalf.
Asked by TMZ if he is “rising above” his problems, Bobbi Kristina Brown said: “Rise above is not the word you should use. Not at all.”
The pair’s relationship has been unstable for some years now, and deteriorated further following Whitney Houston’s death in February.
Bobbi Kristina Brown even snubbed her father’s wedding in June, instead opting to shoot for her Lifetime reality show, which has been dubbed The Houston Family Chronicles.
