National News

Bodies of two remaining missing men found at collapsed Iowa building: Officials

Davenport Police Dept.

(DAVENPORT, Iowa) -- The bodies of the two remaining men who were missing amid the Davenport, Iowa, apartment collapse have been recovered, officials announced Monday.

The body of building resident Ryan Hitchcock, 51, was found at about 12:25 p.m. Sunday and the remains of Daniel Prien, 60, were recovered at about 2:30 a.m. Monday, officials said at a news conference.

The body of Branden Colvin, 42, was found on Saturday, officials said over the weekend.

All three men lived in apartments in the collapse zone. Autopsies will be conducted, officials said.

No one else is believed to be missing, officials said.

More than a dozen people evacuated the six-story building at the time of the May 28 collapse, and an additional eight people were rescued in the 24 hours after.

On May 29, officials said there was no credible information that anyone was missing and the city would move forward with plans to begin demolishing the remaining structure the next day. But that night, rescuers found a ninth person alive inside and pulled her out of a fourth-story window.

On May 30, the city's demolition plans were put on hold as officials announced that five residents were still unaccounted for, including two -- Colvin and Hitchcock -- who may be inside.

On Thursday, officials announced that three residents remained missing: Colvin, Hitchcock and Prien.

Officials said Monday that multiple structural experts are participating in a discussion on how to dismantle the remaining portions of the building.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


'Cop City' vote: Atlanta City Council to vote on budget for project

CHENEY ORR/AFP via Getty Images

(ATLANTA) -- The Atlanta City Council will vote Monday on allocating up to $31 million to "support the continued construction of and improvements to" the controversial Atlanta Public Safety Training Center.

The vote, happening at 1 p.m., could amend the 2023 general fund budget to transfer and allocate no more than $30 million to support the facility.

It would also authorize the mayor or chief financial officer to use $1 million in public safety impact fees to install a gymnasium facility on the project site.

The center, set to be used for specialized training for both law enforcement and fire department service workers, has garnered national attention for the riotous protests against it.

City officials assert the center could improve policing, while critics claim the effort is militarizing police and endangering local forests. Protesters have dubbed the training center "Cop City."

The center will include an "auditorium for police/fire and public use," a "mock city for burn building training and urban police training," an "Emergency Vehicle Operator Course for emergency vehicle driver training," a K-9 unit kennel and training, according to the center's website.

The first phase of the training center is scheduled to open in late 2023.

Protests against the center escalated when a protester, Manuel Esteban Paez Terán, was shot and killed by police on Jan. 23 as they raided the campground occupied by demonstrators against the project.

Terán had at least 57 gunshot wounds in their body, according to the autopsy by the DeKalb County Medical Examiner sent to ABC News, including in the hands, torso, legs and head.

Officials said the protester fired the first shot at a state trooper, and the officer responded with the fatal shot.

According to the autopsy, Terán did not have gunpowder residue on their hands.

Since Terán's death, protests have continued, with dozens of protesters arrested.

Last week, police arrested three Atlanta leaders of the Atlanta Solidarity Fund, which has bailed out protesters and helped them find lawyers. They were charged with money laundering and charity fraud and have since been granted bond.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


Canadian fires bring dangerous air quality to the US, impacting millions of Americans

Wildfire in Crawford County, Mich. -- Michigan Department of Natural Resources

(NEW YORK) -- Dangerous air quality will be a significant issue for millions of Americans to deal with early this week, as fires continue to spark throughout Canada.

Much of that smoke is coming from new wildfires in the Quebec province, according to meteorologists.

There have been nearly 400 forest fires in the province so far in 2023, while the 10-year average is 197, data from the fire prevention nonprofit SOPFEU shows, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

Satellite images show smoke moving over areas from Chicago and Indianapolis to Cincinnati, and much of Wisconsin is experiencing dangerous air near the surface.

This near-surface smoke, meaning people would be able to breathe it, stretched from Wisconsin to West Virginia on Sunday.

Dry weather and gusty winds in the Midwest have increased the wildfire risk, with a large portion of Michigan under a red flag warning.

Outdoor burning is not recommended, as firefighters have been working to put out several fires over the last few days.

The Wilderness Trail Fire in Michigan, which began on Saturday, has burned about 2,400 acres and is 85% contained, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

Older adults, kids, people with lung or heart disease and those who are pregnant should not partake in lengthy or heavy exertion, according to meteorologists.

The near-surface smoke will intensify by Tuesday morning, impacting areas from Nashville to Indianapolis, Pittsburgh to New York City and Hartford, Connecticut, to Burlington, Vermont.

Despite inching closer to the official start of summer, a large part of the Northeast was unseasonably cool on Sunday, with much of New England looking at high temperatures in the 50s and 60s.

A persistent cloudy and showery stretch of weather this weekend is leading to temperatures that are 20 to 30 degrees below normal for this time of year.

Temperatures are expected to steadily rebound into the 70s headed through the upcoming week.

New York and Pittsburgh are both forecast to reach 81 degrees on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, in the tropics, Tropical Storm Arlene, the Atlantic hurricane season's first named storm, has fizzled out. However, a showery pattern remains for south Florida.

A flood watch will remain in effect until at least Sunday evening due to an additional 1 to 2 inches of rain in cities like Miami and Fort Lauderdale.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


Police search for remaining suspect after nine injured in shooting at Florida beach

Eva Marie Uzcategui/Getty Images

(HOLLYWOOD, Fla.) -- Police continue to search for an additional suspect after nine people, including children, were shot and injured along the Hollywood Beach Broadwalk on Florida's east coast.

Four children between the ages of 1 and 17 were shot Monday night, including a baby between 15 and 18 months old, according to Hollywood police spokesperson Deanna Bettineschi.

The other five victims were adults ages 25 to 65.

The four children remain hospitalized on Wednesday, all in stable condition, according to hospital officials. The injured adults have been treated and released.

The shooting apparently stemmed from an altercation between two groups, and multiple people were detained in the aftermath, Bettineschi said Tuesday.

Two men believed to be involved in the shooting have been arrested on weapons charges, Bettineschi said. Morgan Deslouches, 18, and Keshawn Paul Stewart, 18, both face a concealed carry weapon charge in connection with the incident. Deslouches also has been charged with larceny-grand theft of a firearm and removing the serial number from a firearm, court records show.

A third suspect was taken into custody Saturday, and a fourth suspect was taken into custody Sunday, police said.

Authorities said they're still looking to identify one more person they believe was also involved in the shooting.

"No stone will be left unturned in bringing the perpetrators to justice," Hollywood Beach Mayor Josh Levy said in a statement Tuesday. "We will utilize every available resource to apprehend those responsible."

"It is completely unacceptable that innocent people spending time with family on a holiday weekend have been affected by a shooting altercation between two groups who came into our city with guns and no regard for the safety of the law-abiding public around them," Levy added.

ABC News' Darren Reynolds, Peter Charalambous and Okelo Pena contributed to this report.

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NTSB launches crash investigation after F-16s scrambled near capital

P. Wallick/ClassicStock/Getty Images

(WASHINGTON) -- Federal officials have launched an investigation into how an unresponsive Cessna aircraft flew into restricted airspace in Washington, D.C., triggering the launch of fighter jets.

A loud sonic boom could be heard throughout the D.C. region on Sunday as two F-16s launched from nearby Joint Base Andrews in Maryland to investigate, military officials said.

The National Transportation Safety Board said late Sunday it had begun an investigation into the crash. Investigators are expected to be on the ground on Monday.

The unresponsive plane, a Cessna 560 Citation V, traveled at 34,000 feet through restricted airspace before crashing n a mountainous area of southwest Virginia at approximately 3:30 p.m. local time. The Virginia State Police will identify the victims.

The private jet had been owned by Florida-based Encore Motors, The New York Times reported Sunday.

When Times reporters reached Encore's 75-year-old owner, John Rumpel, he reportedly identified four people who had been on the downed flight: his daughter, a granddaughter, a nanny and a pilot.

Six F-16s from three different units and bases were involved in tracking the Cessna, according to U.S. Northern Command. All six scrambled at the same time.

The two F-16s from the 113th Fighter Wing that took off from Joint Base Andrews were the first to reach the Cessna, Defense officials said. The pilots and aircraft were with the D.C. Air National Guard.

The four other F-16s that scrambled were from the 177th FW from Atlantic City, New Jersey, and the 169th FW from McIntyre, South Carolina, officials said.

"Based on the length of the flight path the FAA described for this event, it is normal procedure to have made NORAD aircraft available at several locations," a North American Aerospace Defense Command spokesperson said on Sunday.

A preliminary report from NTSB investigators is expected within three weeks, officials said. That report is expected to look at "the human, machine and environment as the outline of the investigation," NTSB officials said.

"At this early stage of an investigation, NTSB does not state a cause but will provide factual information when available," the board said.

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New York to propose legislation criminalizing printing ghost guns at home

Aaron Katersky/ABC News

(NEW YORK) -- New York will try to make it a crime to print a gun at home.

Lawmakers are responding to a surge in gun crimes committed with untraceable firearms, known as ghost guns, increasingly being created using a 3D printer.

"You can sit at your kitchen table and print out weapons of destruction," Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said Friday during a visit with reporters.

Under current New York law, someone who possesses or distributes a 3D printed gun can be charged with a misdemeanor. A proposed new law would make it a felony to manufacture a gun using a 3D printer.

The goal is to "attack the manufacture" of these kinds of weapons, which can be printed for a fraction of the cost of buying a traditional firearm, said State Senator Brad Hoylman, a sponsor.

The necessary components to create a fully functional 3D printed gun cost about $150 dollars, according to the NYPD.

"We have individuals who that are printing silencers, they're printing magazines for AR's and AR-type rifles," said NYPD Inspector Courtney Nilan.

According to the NYPD, there has been a 75% increase in ghost gun seizures in the past year. 20 ghost guns have been recovered at the scenes of homicides or shootings just in Manhattan since the start of 2022. Since the Manhattan district attorney's office began keeping track in 2021, there have been 90 ghost gun prosecutions in the office.

"Guns aren't manufactured in New York," Bragg said. "Through these printers, that is changing."

The proposed legislation would criminalize both the printing of guns and the intentional sharing of the digital instructions the printer needs to follow.

Licensed gun owners in New York are allowed to use a 3D printer to print a gun but they must immediately register the new weapon with ATF, something the authorities said no one has ever done.

In April, thousands of guns -- including numerous assault-style rifles and ghost guns -- were surrendered in a single day over the weekend across the state of New York in exchange for gift cards, according to New York State Attorney General Letitia James.

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Tennessee woman allegedly paid to hire hitman to kill wife of her dating match

Douglas Sacha/Getty Images

(NEW YORK) -- A Tennessee woman allegedly paid to hire a hitman to kill the wife of a man she met on a dating site, according to a criminal complaint.

Melody Sasser was arrested May 18 and is being held in custody on probable cause that she allegedly attempted murder for hire. She is accused of transferring about $10,000 in bitcoin to a site named "Online Killers Market" in exchange for the murder of the wife of the man she met on the dating site, federal agents said in the complaint dated May 11.

Sasser and the man she met on Match.com had become hiking friends, according to the complaint. But when Sasser's match revealed he was moving out of state with the woman he planned to marry, Sasser allegedly turned to the dark web, the complaint said. Under the pseudonym "cattree," Sasser allegedly posted her hit order on the website, authorities said.

"It needs to seem random or [an] accident. Or plant drugs, do not want a long investigation," Sasser posted on Jan. 11, authorities alleged in the complaint.

Sasser's defense attorney, M. Jeffrey Whitt, declined ABC News' request for comment.

Sasser had showed up unannounced at the couple's new home in Alabama in the fall of 2022, authorities said. "I hope you both fall off a cliff and die," Sasser allegedly told the pair, after learning of their plans to wed, according to the complaint.

Around that time, the soon-to-be-wife of the man she had matched with reported that both sides of her car had been "gashed" by an unknown perpetrator, the complaint said. The woman also began receiving threatening calls from untraceable numbers, authorities added.

Sasser allegedly provided a would-be killer with detailed information about her match's wife, which included where she lived, where she worked and what car she drove, authorities said. She also purportedly passed along specific information about the intended victim's whereabouts, according to the complaint. Authorities said she found that information from the fitness tracking application Strava, which connects to Garmin fitness watches and shares location data.

"Yesterday she worked from home and went for a 2 mile walk by herself," Sasser allegedly wrote to the murder-for-hire website in March, according to the complaint. Authorities said they later confirmed, via the hiking app, that the information Sasser provided to "Online Killers Market" was accurate.

ABC News' has reached out to Strava for comment.

By late March, as her apparent target remained alive, Sasser grew impatient, authorities wrote in the complaint, and she allegedly took to "cattree" again to message the administrator of the dark web site to check on the status of her murder request.

"I have waited for two months and 11 days and the job is not completed... What is the delay. When will it be done," she allegedly wrote.

On May 18, Sasser was arrested on probable cause that she allegedly attempted to hire a hitman to commit murder.

She is due to appear in federal court on Thursday.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


More than a dozen migrants transported to California via private plane, state officials say

Google Maps Street View

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) -- More than a dozen migrants were dropped off on the doorstep of a California church after being transported to the state via private plane, according to state officials.

The migrants were dropped off at the Diocese of Sacramento on Saturday "with no prior arrangement or care in place" and in possession of documentation purporting to be from the government of the State of Florida, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement.

The group had been transported from Texas to New Mexico before being flown by private chartered jet to Sacramento, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement.

Officials are evaluating potential civil action against those who transported or arranged for the transport of "these vulnerable immigrants," Bonta said, comparing the move to "state-sanctioned kidnapping."

The California Department of Justice is investigating the circumstances around who paid for the group’s travel and whether the individuals orchestrating this trip misled anyone with false promises or have violated any criminal laws, including kidnapping, Newsom said.

The group of migrants was allegedly approached by a private contractor in El Paso, Texas, who told them they would be provided with jobs, free support and help getting into a migrant center, ABC Sacramento affiliate KXTV reported, citing the Sacramento Area Congregations Together (ACT).

The 16 migrants did not know where they were and only had a backpack's worth of belongings, Diocese of Sacramento Bishop Jaime Soto said in a statement.

"While we continue to collect evidence, I want to say this very clearly: State-sanctioned kidnapping is not a public policy choice, it is immoral and disgusting," Bonta said. "We are a nation built by immigrants and we must condemn the cruelty and hateful rhetoric of those, whether they are state leaders or private parties, who refuse to recognize humanity and who turn their backs on extending dignity and care to fellow human beings."

Newsom and Bonta met with the group of migrants on Saturday and are working with the office of Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg and local and nonprofit partners to ensure the migrants are treated with respect and dignity and get to their intended destination as they pursue their immigration cases, officials said.

The city is welcoming the migrants with open arms, Steinberg said in a statement, accusing those who transported the migrants of "using scared human beings to score cheap political points."

"California and the Sacramento community will welcome these individuals with open arms and provide them with the respect, compassion, and care they will need after such a harrowing experience," Bonta said.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


Body of Branden Colvin found inside collapsed Iowa building; 2 remain missing

Scott Olson/Getty Images

(DAVENPORT, Iowa) -- The body of one of the missing residents still thought to be inside of a partially collapsed apartment building in Iowa has been found, officials told ABC News.

Branden Colvin, 42, was found on Saturday -- a week after the building in downtown Davenport, Iowa, collapsed, Sarah Ott, chief strategy officer for the City of Davenport, confirmed to ABC News.

Colvin was one of three people still unaccounted for. Ryan Hitchcock, 51, and Daniel Prien, 60, remain missing.

All three residents lived in apartments in the section of the building that collapsed, according to authorities, officials said.

They were likely inside the structure in an area that's "not sustainable for life," officials said.

The Iowa Task Force 1, an urban search and rescue team trained and equipped by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, arrived in the city on Thursday with live and cadaver dogs to search for humans, alive and dead, the city announced in a press release.

More than a dozen people were evacuated at the time of the collapse, while an additional eight people and several pets were evacuated in the 24 hours after.

Members of the community called for the demolition to be delayed after rescuers pulled a ninth person alive through a fourth-story window last Monday.

The day after the crash, city officials announced there was no credible information that anyone was still missing and that the city would move forward with plans to demolish the remaining structure on Tuesday. It is unclear how the woman had not been found earlier, despite the use of thermal imaging, drones and dogs.

The structure is unstable and continues to degrade, officials warned. Search crews are working with structural engineers on how to best search the building while avoiding the piles of debris.

The debris is currently helping to stabilize the building, and removing it could "jeopardize or accelerate the inevitable collapse," according to city officials.

Ott said the city has no additional comment at this time.

ABC News' Jianna Cousin, Alex Perez and Morgan Winsor contributed to this report.

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Pride organizers promise safety at festivities amid anti-LGBTQ rhetoric

Carlos Barquero/Getty Images

(NEW YORK) -- As Pride Month kicks off, the continuing anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and legislation that has grown over the past several years is on the minds of many people, and event organizers across the country say they have prepared for this and have implemented security protocols that ensure performers and attendees can have fun without fear.

“Are we increasing our plans for security? The answer is no, not because we don't see the need for it, but because our plans have been incredibly robust to begin with for many years,” said Dan Dimant, the media director for NYC Pride.

Cameron Jay Harrelson, the parade director for Georgia's Athens Pride, said that hosting such events in the deep South has always made organizers “hyper aware and hyper-focused” on safety.

“That feels a little more heavy this year with the attacks that we've seen in legislation, in politics across the country,” Harrelson said.

The Department of Homeland Security has recently sounded the alarm on the growing threat of violence or extremism, but queer communities nationwide say they have been prepared for backlash for years.

Since the Pulse club massacre in Orlando, Florida, in 2016 that left 49 dead at the LGBTQ+ venue – and after the recent November mass shooting at a Colorado queer bar that killed five – the community has been on high alert.

“We're in a very scary time,” said Harrelson. “We saw what happened in Colorado Springs not too long ago. We saw what happened at Pulse several years ago … we know what the next iteration of anti-LGBTQ protesters are capable of, so we have to be prepared, hyper aware and vigilant.”

Fears of violence aren't new for the LGBTQ+ community. According to DHS, about 20% of all hate crimes reported throughout the country in 2021 were motivated by bias linked to sexual orientation and gender.

Event goers can expect heavy security, blocked off streets, ample medical personnel, and more at Pride events throughout the country.

In states with few firearm restrictions like Texas, Jeremy Liebbe, director of security for Dallas Pride, told ABC News that there are layers of police, security and threat management both invisible and visible to the public for all events in the city.

“State law allows us to restrict who can possess a firearm at Dallas Pride,” Liebbe said. “Both unlicensed possession of firearms and licensed open carry of handguns will be prohibited with the requisite signs” during the festivities.

Where there are counterprotesters, event goers may be shielded by volunteers who block out the hate so attendees can enjoy the festivities in peace.

“We actually have a group of what we call our queer dads,” said Harrelson. “They are a group of fathers of queer kids, queer youth. And they are coming and holding these large sheets … and they just stand in front of protesters and completely block their signage, their sound, everything.”

In some cases, the themes of Pride events this year will be reflective of the issues going on around the country facing the queer community.

Organizers say they are highlighting the communities most vulnerable to legislative attacks in recent years, including restrictions facing drag performers and transgender health care.

“If you're going to try to take away our drag, we're just going to add more,” Kylan L. Durant, president of the Oklahoma City Pride Alliance, told ABC News.

“Then also we have always put – and even more so this year – putting emphasis on having trans performers on the stage, too, because we know that that is part of the community that is hard hit with a lot of this legislation.”

Event organizers say that it’s natural for participants to have a heightened sense of awareness amid the current political climate – but they say going back into hiding is exactly what hateful threats are aiming to do. Still, they say people should do what makes them feel the safest.

“We understand the reality of it and we understand people are gonna feel hesitant this year,” said Durant. “But I also want to remind folks that's the thing that they want to do. They want to instill fear so we don't have the celebration, so we don't show up to be around each other.”

Dimant added, “There are bad actors out there who are making threats, who are sharing falsehoods, who are just spreading hateful rhetoric. And they're doing that so that you'll stay home and you won't show up at Pride and live your truth.”

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Woman leaves 2 children in car that catches fire while allegedly shoplifting: Police

WFTV

(FLORIDA) -- A 24-year-old Florida woman is facing criminal charges after she allegedly left two children in a car that caught fire while she was shoplifting at a mall, according to the Oviedo Police Department.

Alicia Moore, who was arrested for an unrelated warrant, was charged with aggravated child abuse and arson, according to a police report.

Moore parked her car in the parking lot of a Dillard's at the Oviedo Mall, leaving the children inside her car. Moore was then observed inside Dillard's with another male and began to shoplift items, according to police. The two were watched by security for an hour, police said.

Moore then began to exit Dillard's about an hour later, only to see her vehicle engulfed in flames. She then dropped the merchandise before exiting the store, according to the police report.

Citizens who saw the vehicle engulfed in flames helped the children escape, authorities said. Law enforcement and fire rescue were notified.

The children were rushed to Arnold Palmer Children's Hospital for medical attention and suffered first-degree burns from the fire, according to police.

The vehicle was totaled in the incident, according to police.

While in custody, the child neglect and arson charges were added. She faces a $15,000 bond for the child neglect charge.

Police said they do not know how the fire was started but placed blame on Moore, saying she was "neglectful," according to the police report.

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West Virginia state trooper shot and killed, suspect in custody: Authorities

CREDIT: WCHS

(WEST VIRGINIA) -- A 29-year-old man accused of fatally shooting a West Virginia state trooper is in police custody, according to the ATF's Louisville Office.

Law enforcement responded to a shooting complaint in Mingo County, West Virginia, on Friday where they encountered Timothy Kennedy who began shooting at police. Troopers said they were met with gunfire when they responded to a shooting complaint near Matewan.

A trooper was fatally shot in the ensuing gunfire.

"I am absolutely heartbroken tonight to report that Sergeant Cory Maynard of the West Virginia State Police was fatally wounded in an incident this afternoon near Matewan," West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice said.

"The brave men and women of law enforcement, and all first responders who put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe, are an inspiration to us all," Justice said in a statement.

The governor's office has ordered all U.S. and West Virginia flags to be flown at half-staff to honor the following trooper starting immediately.

The manhunt for Kennedy delayed graduation ceremonies at Mingo Central High School and emergency workers urged area residents to stay indoors while police searched for the suspect.

Justice said multiple law enforcement agencies joined a widespread search of the Beech Creek area to look for the suspect ahead of his arrest.

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Investigators probe Bryan Kohberger's social media in connection with Idaho college murders

Yuichiro Chino/Getty Images

(IDAHO) -- Investigators are probing the digital footprint of Bryan Kohberger, the suspect accused of killing four Idaho college students in an early morning attack last year, according to new court documents.

The documents include search warrant applications for some of Kohberger's internet activity and some additional phone records, as well as some of the four victims' social media accounts. There is "probable cause to believe" that those records could yield evidence regarding the November killings of Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, Ethan Chapin and Madison Mogen at the girls' off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, the documents say.

Though they do not reveal details of what the warrants obtained, the records indicate that prosecutors have launched an expansive examination of Kohberger's activities online as they probe the suspect's possible connection to the victims – and the crimes he is accused of committing.

"The case has only just begun once you make an arrest," said Robert Boyce, an ABC News contributor and retired chief of detectives in the New York Police Department. "You want to see what he was looking up. You want to know what he was saying, whether under his or under an assumed name on these platforms."

"They want to establish his state of mind, who he talks to and what he talks about," Boyce said. "There could be probative materials there."

The Latah County Prosecutor's Office, leading the case against Kohberger, did not reply to requests from ABC News for comment.

Kohberger, 28, was indicted last month on charges including four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary. At his arraignment last week, Kohberger declined to offer a plea, so the judge entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.

A trial date was set for Oct. 2.

Prosecutors allege that in the early morning hours of November 13, 2022, Kohberger, a Ph.D. student at Washington State University's department of criminal justice and criminology, broke into an off-campus home and stabbed to death four University of Idaho students: Ethan Chapin, 20; Madison Mogen, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21.

After a more than six-week hunt police zeroed in on Kohberger as a suspect, tracking his white Hyundai Elantra, cell phone signal data, and recovering what authorities say was his DNA on a knife sheath found next to one of the victims bodies, according to court documents. He was arrested on December 30 in Pennsylvania, after driving cross-country to spend the holidays at his family home in Albrightsville, PA.

The murder weapon has not been recovered, authorities have said.

Among the new documents are search warrant applications for Kohberger's accounts on Reddit, Google and TikTok, as well as the four victims' Snapchat accounts, and additional records from AT&T.

Investigators obtained information from the suspect's Reddit account this spring, including his public posts and private messages with other users; saved files and photos; and location data, court documents show.

Investigators had also previously obtained records from Kaylee Goncalves' Reddit account, earlier court filings show.

In the affidavit for Kohberger's arrest, officials noted he had previously "posted a Reddit survey which ... asked for participants to provide information to 'understand how emotions and psychological traits influence decision making when committing a crime.'"

From Kohberger's Google account, investigators, according to the new filings, have also pulled extensive records: emails, including drafts and trash; "hangouts" and "chats" including photos; his Google Drive, including "documents, spreadsheets, presentations and files, and associated metadata."

The warrant also obtained information about his search and browsing history; calendar events and contacts, Google Play purchases, along with his Google Pay transactions; court documents show.

"You want to develop a profile of him in your case, sometimes a psychological profile," Boyce said.

"They want to put a knife in that sheath, because they don't have it right now. So you want to see if he bought it somewhere online, you're looking at credit card receipts," he added. "The more evidence you can put before a judge, the better you've got."

Investigators also obtained additional AT&T records for a subscriber "unknown at this time," for the specific time period of June 23, 2022 to August 1, 2022 "including any messages, records, files, logs, or information that have been deleted but are still available," including cell tower pings that transmitted outgoing and incoming calls.

Investigators previously used cell tower data to link Kohberger to the killings' crime scene, court documents show.

Records from "Strava," an internet service which allows users to track their physical exercise and share their performance on social networks, were also obtained, filings show – including "biometric information" like "exercise data," session logs, geolocation data, contacts and photos. Names and accounts obtained were redacted, but the search warrant application says there is "information related to the investigation" into the students' killings.

Records related to the four victims' Snapchat accounts were also obtained, according to the documents, including "communications or other messages sent or received by the accounts," logs of previous snaps, stories and chats, and "all records pertaining to communications between Snapchat and any person regarding the user or the user's Snapchat accounts, including contacts with support services, and all records of actions taken, including suspensions of the accounts."

"There's a lot to this case, technology-wise. It's an evolving and changing field but it's the best evidence you have – because it's irrefutable, unbiased, human error-free," Boyce said. "It may not be one knockout punch – but there could be overwhelming circumstantial evidence."

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Viewing service held for 14-year-old killed by store owner, ahead of funeral

Aitor Diago/Getty Images

(SOUTH CAROLINA) -- The viewing service for Cyrus Carmack-Belton, who was allegedly shot and killed by a South Carolina gas station owner, is being held Friday, according to Leevy's Funeral Home. His funeral is planned for Saturday.

Rick Chow, 58, was arrested and charged with murder in connection to 14-year-old Cyrus's death, the Richland County Sheriff's Department said. Chow wrongly believed Cyrus had shoplifted several bottles of water, police said.

"He did not shoplift anything," Sheriff Leon Lott said during a press conference Monday. "We have no evidence that he stole anything whatsoever."

Summit Parkway Middle School, where Cyrus was a student, released a statement on Facebook, Thursday remembering what it said was its "young Eagle."

"He was intelligent, humorous with quick wit and well-liked by his classmates," the post said. "We could always depend on Cyrus to ask questions beyond the scope of the topic as he often would seek to understand, rather than accept and move on."

The school noted that he had dreams of owning a tattoo shop.

During a press conference Monday by the Richland County Sheriff's Department, Lott said there was a verbal confrontation inside the store before Cyrus left and took off running.

Lott said the convenience store owner, who police said was armed with a pistol, and his son chased after the teen.

The sheriff told reporters that Cyrus fell during the chase, got up, and "at some point" during the chase, the store owner's son said that the teen had a gun.

"The father shot the young man in the back," Lott said. According to law enforcement, a gun was found close to the teen's body.

Veronica Hill, a public information officer for the Richland County Sheriff's Department, told ABC News in a statement Friday that "Cyrus was in possession of the gun, but in South Carolina a juvenile cannot legally own a handgun." She added that the office is investigating the gun's origin.

Naida Rutherford, the Richland County coroner, said during the press conference that Cyrus died from "a single gunshot wound to his right lower back" that caused "significant damage to his heart and hemorrhaging."

According to a sheriff's office incident report obtained by ABC News, the shooting is not believed to be "a bias motivated incident."

ABC News reached out to Chow's attorney, James Snell, Jr., in the wake of the murder charge, but his office declined to comment.

On Thursday, Fifth Circuit Solicitor Byron E. Gipson said in a statement his office will determine whether any additional charges will be made in the incident once it has conducted a full review.

This week's shooting was not the only alleged incident involving Chow.

Hill told ABC News in a statement Wednesday that Chow has had two prior confrontations with alleged shoplifters that resulted in him firing a weapon -- in 2015 and 2018 -- but his conduct in those incidents "did not meet the requirements under South Carolina law to support criminal charges."

Todd Rutherford, who represents Cyrus's family, told ABC News in a statement Wednesday that "what happened to [Cyrus] wasn't an accident. It's something that the Black community has experienced for generations: being racially profiled, then shot down in the street like a dog."

"One beacon of hope is seeing the resilience of the Black community as they wrap their arms around this family that has joined the club that no Black family ever wants to be a part of," he continued.

ABC News' Meredith Deliso and Teddy Grant contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


North Carolina's Fort Bragg drops Confederate namesake, renamed Fort Liberty

Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images

(NEW YORK) -- North Carolina's Fort Bragg, named after Confederate Army Gen. Braxton Bragg, was officially redesignated to Fort Liberty on Friday.

The renaming ceremony Friday was part of a national campaign to change the names of nine U.S. Army installations, as recommended by the Department of Defense's Naming Commission to erase symbols that commemorate the Confederate States of America.

Last month, the U.S. Army base formerly known as Fort Hood in central Texas was changed to Fort Cavazos and Georgia's Fort Benning was renamed to Fort Moore. Fort Lee was renamed Fort Gregg-Adams in April, with more changes to come.

While the previously renamed bases were chosen to honor past soldiers or Army families, Fort Liberty was named after no one person.

"Every name was considered, debated. … Ultimately, any of them could have been chosen," said Lt. Gen. Chris Donahue, the XVIII Airborne Corps' commanding general. "A consensus could not be reached on just one. How could you choose any and leave any of those others behind? … There was no right name. There were no names that could define what this post is all about."

Among the names considered by the community team tasked with renaming the base were Medal of Honor recipients past and present, including Sergeant Alvin York and Sergeant Robert J. Miller.

Donahue detailed that names were considered from soldiers from "all legendary tenant units," including the 82nd Airborne Division, United States Army Special Operations Command, Joint Special Operations Command and 18th Airborne Corps.

The final decision on the new name was inspired when one of the American Gold Star Mothers, Patti Elliot, brought up the theme of liberty.

"The name Liberty honors the heroism, sacrifices, and values of the Soldiers, Service Members, Civilians, and Families who live and serve with this installation," the press release stated. "We view this as the next chapter in our history and look forward to honoring the stories of our military heroes from every generation and walk of life."

The three-day event began on May 30 with a sneak peek of the Sunset Liberty March, a new daily march the base will do to honor the "service, sacrifices and legacy of Liberty," according to the press release. The grand opening of the marching site was held on Thursday.

The Friday event included the casing of the Fort Bragg garrison colors, and uncasing of the Fort Liberty colors, signifying the redesignation of Fort Liberty.

"Liberty has always been here," Donahue said. "Liberty has always been ingrained in this area."

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