(HARRISON COUNTY, Ind.) -- Three people were found dead in a murder-suicide after the shooter expressed suicidal thoughts to a family member, according to authorities.

Harrison County deputies responded to a welfare check on Wednesday at a residence in southern Indiana after a Mississippi man reported that his brother expressed suicidal thoughts to him in a phone call earlier in the day, according to the Harrison County Sheriff's Department.

Deputies found a dead man on the front porch, identified as 36-year-old Brett Dixon, the sheriff's department said.

Inside the residence, two additional people were found dead, Melissa Cochran Dixon, 54, and Paul Dixon, 61, according to the sheriff's office.

Brett Dixon was shot twice -- in the chest and head -- Melissa Cochran Dixon suffered a single gunshot wound to the head and Paul Dixon sustained a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, according to the sheriff's office.

The sheriff's office said it believes Paul Dixon is responsible for the shootings and said there is no threat to the community and no suspect at large.

"This incident is a tragic loss, and our thoughts and prayers are with the family, extended family, and friends of those involved," the sheriff's office said in a statement. 

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(NEW YORK) -- An Iraqi national carried out 20 reported terrorist attacks in Europe and Canada against U.S. and Israeli interests, including the stabbing of a Jewish-American citizen, in retaliation for the war in Iran and in an effort to halt the conflict, a federal criminal complaint alleges.

Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi allegedly firebombed a Bank of New York Mellon building in Amsterdam, tried to detonate improvised explosives at the Bank of America building in Paris, coordinated an attack against Jewish institutions in the United States and stabbed two people in London, the complaint alleges.

The defendant made an initial appearance Friday in Manhattan federal court on charges he conspired to provide material support to terrorist groups, conspiracy to bomb a place of public use and other offenses.

Al-Saadi was apprehended in Turkey and passed to American authorities. His lawyer, Andrew Dalack, a federal defender, said he was unaware of any extradition proceedings.  

"This is a bit of an unusual case," Dalack said.

During his appearance, Al-Saadi spoke quietly, but animatedly, to his lawyer to make sure the lawyer understood his connection to the late Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. strike in Iraq, and referred to himself as a prisoner of war and political prisoner.  

Al-Saadi was ordered detained.  He is next in court May 29.

Federal prosecutors said in addition to the terror attacks in Europe and Canada, al-Saadi also allegedly spoke to an FBI undercover -- and paid $3,000 -- to plan attacks in California, Arizona and a synagogue in Manhattan.

Al-Saadi is a high-level member of the Kata’ib Hizballah paramilitary group and has ties to the Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps and Hezbollah, according to federal prosecutors.

Since the onset of the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran, Al-Saadi "has directed and urged others to attack U.S. and Israeli interests, including by killing Americans and Jews, in retaliation for the Iranian Military Conflict and to further the terrorist goals of Kata’ib Hizballah and the IRGC," the criminal complaint alleges.

The complaint adds, "Al-Saadi and his associates have planned, coordinated, and claimed responsibility for at least 18 terrorist attacks in Europe as well as two additional attacks in Canada, in the name of Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya, a component of Kata’ib Hizballah."

The defendant allegedly pledged thousands of dollars to someone he thought would carry out an attack against a synagogue in New York, according to prosecutors. The individual turned out to be an undercover law enforcement officer.

At least one associate of al-Saadi is expected to be brought back to the U.S. and charged, the complaint says.

"This case puts into stark relief the global threats posed by the Iranian regime and its proxies like Kata'ib Hizballah -- Foreign Terrorist Organizations that have repeatedly targeted Jewish communities across Europe and the United States since the war began," said New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch. "Working with our law enforcement partners, we disrupted a plan to attack a Manhattan synagogue, and in partnership with the synagogue's leadership, ensured its security when the threat was elevated."

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(SEATTLE)-- The transgender University of Washington student who was killed in a student housing building suffered over 40 stab wounds to the head, neck, shoulder, arms and hands, according to the probable cause statement.

Juniper Blessing, 19, was found covered in blood in the laundry room of the Nordheim Court building on Sunday night, according to court documents.

The suspect, 31-year-old Christopher Leahy, surrendered to police on Wednesday and was booked for first-degree murder, documents said.

"Our family has been shattered," Blessing's family said in a statement released by the Human Rights Alliance. "Juniper was simply the most amazing human being we have ever known -- highly intelligent, extremely talented, and deeply sensitive to the needs of others. Juniper's loss not only devastates us but diminishes the world."

"A gifted singer with a transcendent voice, Juniper was admitted to New Mexico School for the Arts, where they studied from 2020 until 2024," the family said. "Weather was a love of Juniper's since early childhood, and at the University of Washington they intended to study Atmospheric Science while continuing to study voice and pursuing minors in Music and Philosophy. They loved Seattle and Santa Fe, where they worked as an usher during summers at the Santa Fe Opera."

"Juniper was courageously living their life as who they were until it was cut tragically short," the family said.

According to court documents, another Nordeim Court resident told police that shortly before 10 p.m. Sunday, a man followed her when she used her card to access the building and laundry room.

She said the man told her he was waiting for his laundry. Surveillance video shows them in the laundry room and the suspect "appears to be visually searching the room for cameras," court documents said, before he left the room.

A video from 10 p.m. shows Blessing in the laundry room, and the suspect "comes back into the laundry room and stares directly into the camera," documents said.

The suspect "appears to follow the path of the cord with his eyes and head from the camera around the wall above the doorway," documents said. "He then turns to exit the laundry room, something clatters to the ground and he pauses. He continues out of the laundry room at 10:00:27 p.m."

"Blessing is seen cleaning the lint tray, appears to add more time to the dryer, then stands up and deposits the lint into the garbage at the end of the bank of dryers. ... The video stops at 10:01:01 p.m.," documents said.

Seattle police released the images of the suspect in the laundry room, documents said. A man named Patrick Leahy contacted police saying the suspect in the image was "without a doubt" his brother, Christopher Leahy, according to the documents, and a friend also reached out to police identifying Christopher Leahy as the man in the photo.

Christopher Leahy's attorney called the Bellevue Police Department on Wednesday night to say he was turning himself in, documents said. Christopher Leahy came to the department with his parents and was taken into custody, the documents said.

Christopher Leahy made his first court appearance on Thursday and is due back in court on Monday, according to ABC Seattle affiliate KOMO. He has not entered a plea.

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(CLARKSVILLE, Tenn.) -- Rage-baiting livestreamer Dalton Eatherly, known online as "Chud the Builder," is being held on $1.25 million bond after being charged with attempted murder in connection with a shooting outside a Tennessee courthouse.

Eatherly, 28, and another man sustained gunshot wounds during the shooting incident Wednesday outside the Montgomery County Courthouse in Clarksville, according to the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office.

There was a "physical altercation that escalated to gunfire," the sheriff's office said in a statement.

Following an investigation into the shooting, Eatherly was arrested later that day and charged with attempted murder, as well as employing a firearm during a dangerous felony, aggravated assault and reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon, according to the sheriff's office.

During his arraignment on the charges Friday, Judge Reid Poland III noted the need to "protect the public interest and public safety" due to the seriousness of the charges and the public location of the shooting, while setting the bond at $1.25 million.

The prosecutor asked for the bond to be addressed at a later hearing so the court could review all factors, including a pending case Eatherly has in Davidson County, and "make an informed decision."

Eatherly's next bond hearing has been scheduled for May 21, and a preliminary hearing for May 26. ABC News has reached out to his attorney for comment.

Online court records show Eatherly had a civil debt appearance scheduled Wednesday morning at the Montgomery County courthouse, though it's unclear if he attended the hearing.

He was involved in a "confrontation" with another man outside the courthouse, District Attorney General Robert Nash, whose district covers Montgomery County, said in a statement.

"The confrontation resulted in gunfire, and both men were taken for medical treatment," Nash said.

Both men were transported to area hospitals in stable condition, according to the sheriff's office. Authorities have not publicly identified the other man involved in the incident.

Eatherly has made a social media presence by recording and livestreaming his racist confrontations with Black people and others while touting his constitutionally protected right to do so.

The shooting incident came days after he was arrested in a separate incident in Nashville and charged with theft, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, according to court records.

He was arrested over the weekend for allegedly refusing to pay for $371.55 in food and drink from a restaurant at the Omni Hotel where he had been livestreaming, according to court records.

When restaurant staff asked him to stop livestreaming during the incident on Saturday, "he became disruptive and started making racial statements, yelling, screaming and otherwise creating a scene at the location," an affidavit filed in Davidson County Court stated.

Online court records do not list any attorney for Eatherly in that case.

ABC News' Jack Date contributed to this report.

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(EL PASO, Texas) -- The wife of an active-duty U.S. Army sergeant with 27 years of service was released from immigration custody on Thursday.

Deisy Fidelina Rivera Ortega was taken into custody on April 14 in El Paso, Texas, while attending a routine immigration interview related to a "Parole in Place" application -- a program designed to allow undocumented family members of military personnel to remain in the U.S. legally.

She was released after being in federal custody for one month, her attorney told ABC News.

Rivera Ortega is married to Sgt. 1st Class Jose Serrano, a U.S. Army sergeant stationed at Fort Bliss who has been deployed to Afghanistan three times. He told ABC News last month that he and his wife had been "doing everything by the book."

"She goes to work or to church," Serrano said. "That's the life of my wife, Deisy."

Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth said she personally called Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to request Rivera Ortega's release.

"I'm thankful to Secretary Mullin for heeding my personal call to release Deisy, but she -- and so many others -- should never have been in this situation to begin with," Duckworth said in a statement to ABC News.

"Deisy was doing everything 'the right way': attending her Military Parole in Place interview, when she was detained by ICE with no warrant and no explanation," said Duckworth, a Army veteran. "There is no higher betrayal to our heroes than having one of their family members deported by the same nation they sacrificed to defend."

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment from ABC News.

Rivera Ortega -- who currently works for IHG Army Hotels at Fort Bliss -- has a valid work permit through 2030 and was previously granted withholding of removal from her home country, El Salvador, according to documents reviewed by ABC News.

After being detained in April, she was facing deportation to a third country. 

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(NEW YORK) -- A Texas man could serve jail time after pleading guilty to shooting a bald eagle at his home in 2024, which is a violation of federal law.

Santos Guerrero, 42, has pleaded guilty to shooting and causing the death of a protected species. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 30, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas.  

While bald eagles are no longer an endangered species, they are still protected under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, which prohibits the killing of eagles, according to prosecutors. 

Investigators responded to a report of the incident and reviewed video footage of the eagle being shot and falling from a tree, according to prosecutors. 

Investigators then matched the tree seen in the video to a tree in Guerrero's residence. The eagle was found alive and transported to an animal hospital, but had to be euthanized due to its injuries, according to prosecutors. 

The bullet caused significant damage to the eagle's wing and the impact from the fall caused liver fractures, internal bleeding and fractured a leg, a necropsy determined. 

Guerrero faces up to a year in federal prison and a fine of up to $100,000. 

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(NEW YORK) -- The American doctor who was on the MV Hondius cruise ship and initially tested positive for hantavirus has since tested negative and says "there's no evidence that I've had hantavirus."

A doctor from the biocontainment unit in Nebraska said the initial test was most likely a falsely positive, based on further testing.

Dr. Stephen Kornfeld -- the only American to test positive for hantavirus -- came down with flu-like symptoms on the cruise ship, and on Monday he was admitted to the University of Nebraska Medical Center's biocontainment unit following a positive test, officials said.

The Bend, Oregon, resident has since tested negative and was cleared to relocate to Nebraska's quarantine unit, where 15 other passengers from the cruise ship who do not have symptoms are being monitored.

"I physically feel great -- I have felt great for many, many days," Kornfeld told ABC News. "Emotionally I feel wonderful. It's nice to be negative for hantavirus."

The medical director of Nebraska's biocontainment unit, Dr. Angela Hewlett, told ABC News' Victor Oquendo, "I suspect that the initial test was a false positive."

"If we had seen evidence of previous exposure or previous infection to hantavirus with our serology test, then that would have been a little more indicative of maybe he had had an illness and he was fortunately getting better,” Hewlett explained. "We didn't see any evidence of that and so it looks like he has not had this illness at all thus far."

Kornfeld said the initial test was taken after he came down with a flu-like illness on the ship.

"I got sick just a few days after the gentleman who had hantavirus got sick -- he ultimately passed away from it. And my illness certainly wasn't as severe, but it was a typical viral illness with sweats and fatigue and cough, sore throat, and a lot of upper respiratory symptoms," he said. "I just attributed it to the ship flu, and I think in retrospect, it was."

"I'm fairly confident he never had hantavirus, but that doesn't mean he didn't necessarily have an exposure," Hewlett said.

"In fact, I had a lot of exposure when I was the ship's doctor," Kornfeld said. "I'm still in the incubation period. The virus may still be in me and I may develop symptoms of the virus."

He said he is following protocol by isolating himself in Nebraska's quarantine unit.

"I will keep track of my symptoms," he said. "And if I get any symptoms, then I'll be tested. Because getting new symptoms does not mean it's hantavirus -- I could come down with another virus, like a cold or something similar."

Kornfeld said he is weighing whether to complete the entire 42-day quarantine in Nebraska or to finish from his home in Oregon. If he does go home, he said it would not be on a commercial aircraft.

"I think everybody in this unit is sort of having that discussion with their own health system and with their family. Some will probably stay here the entire time, some may ultimately go home," he said.

"I'm thinking that I may eventually want to go home ... it would be very safe to send us home and then we could complete the quarantine in a much more familiar situation," he said, adding, "everybody here is committed to completing their quarantine."

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(NEW YORK) -- Warming waters are attracting more swimmers and sharks alike to the Eastern seaboard -- creating the perfect recipe for an increase of shark sightings along the coasts in the coming months, some shark experts told ABC News.

Scientists at the New England Aquarium in Boston urged the public to be vigilant and report shark sightings after the first white shark of the season was confirmed off Massachusetts on Sunday.

A dead grey seal with a visible wound found on Lucy Vincent Beach in Chilmark, Martha's Vineyard, was consistent with the bite of a white shark, John Chisholm, an adjunct scientist in the Aquarium's Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life, said in a statement.

"This is just the beginning of white shark season in New England, and it serves as a good reminder to be mindful of the presence of these sharks in inshore waters," Chisholm said. "Their numbers will continue to increase throughout the summer with peak activity occurring in the fall."

A juvenile white shark was also seen off the coasts of New York and New Jersey last week. The female shark, named Nori, pinged a shark-tracking system. Scientists with the Global Shark Tracker program have been monitoring her movements as she makes her way up the East Coast.

Nori is the first tagged white shark to begin this season's northward migration, according to the nonprofit OCEARCH.

"It's very normal for us to see more sharks off the East Coast, especially as you move north in the summer compared to the winter, partially because they're more likely to be there and partially because someone's more likely to be watching," Catherine Macdonald, director of the University of Miami's Shark Research and Conservation Program, told ABC News.

Why there are more shark sightings in the summer months

The moment a swimmer sets foot in the ocean, they are in close proximity to a shark -- even if they're not necessarily in sight, according to marine biologists who spoke with ABC News.

At least 30 species of sharks are starting to make their northward seasonal migration up the Eastern seaboard after overwintering in southern waters, Joel Fodrie, director of the Institute of Marine Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, told ABC News.

As the waters begin to warm, they're on the move to new areas to set up their strategies for hunting, Fodrie said.

Those recreating on the coastlines can expect to see different species of sharks, depending on where they are.

Of the sharks considered aggressive or a potential threat to humans, white sharks are commonly seen in the Northeast during the summer months -- especially around Cape Cod -- because their preferred prey, the grey seal, tends to congregate there, Bradley Wetherbee, a professor of marine biology and ecology at the University of Rhode Island, told ABC News.

Tiger sharks bask in the warm Florida waters year-round, Mahmood Shivji, a shark biologist at the Save the Seas Foundation Shark Research Center at Nova Southeastern University, told ABC News.

Bull sharks are common in the Gulf and feed on large fish -- often confusing humans for prey in those interactions, Wetherbee said.

A large presence of fish, mackerel or seals -- all prey for sharks -- could indicate that one is nearby, looking to feed. The presence of dolphins could also mean a shark is around, because the larger marine animals tend to feed on the same prey, Frodrie said.

There are also simply more opportunities to see sharks, the experts said.

Protections in the Atlantic have allowed shark populations to rebound in the waters off the U.S., while globally they are still being killed at high rates due to overfishing, Shivji said.

The existence of drones and advanced cameras -- as well as social media -- are making the presence of sharks more known than ever before, Frodrie added.

Swimmers should be vigilant, but don't necessarily need to worry, experts say

An increase in shark presence in the north and mid-Atlantic is normal and isn't anything to worry about, Macdonald said.

With the exceptions of the bolder species, sharks are scared of people and fairly easy to spook, Frodrie said.

"There's more than 540 species of shark on the planet, and the vast majority of them rarely come into contact with people but wouldn't be a threat to them even if they did," Macdonald said.

Over the last 400 million years, sharks have evolved to detect things and sense their environment using their jaws, Wetherbee said. When they bite people, they are likely testing whether they are prey.

"No one wants to have a negative encounter, but it's kind of a primordial fear," Wetherbee said.

Sharks are a keystone species, and their presence can be a marker of a healing ecosystem, Macdonald said. They play a "huge role" in shaping the structure and function of ecosystems by moving nutrients around landscapes and helping control prey populations, she added.

"Marine ecosystems look really different in the absence of sharks, often in ways that we don't want, so we don't always appreciate them when we see them," Macdonald said.

The public can report shark sightings through the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy's Sharktivity app, which provides information and push notifications on shark movements in the aim to help people and sharks coexist.

Sharks are not the biggest danger humans face at the beach

Shark bites on humans -- especially fatal attacks -- are rare, the data shows.

In 2025, there were 65 confirmed unprovoked shark bites on humans and 29 provoked bites -- meaning the human initiated the interaction in some way, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History's International Shark Attack File.

On average, fewer than 10 people worldwide are killed by unprovoked shark attacks each year, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History. In 2025, there were 12 confirmed shark-related fatalities, nine of which were labeled as unprovoked.

Getting bitten by a shark is rare in itself, but victims of shark attacks have a 1 in 3.7 million chance of being killed by a shark.

All four shark experts ABC News spoke with pointed to rip currents as being the real danger swimmers face at the beach.

In the U.S. alone, there are more than 100 deaths annually that are attributed to rip currents, according to a scientific review of data provided to the United States Lifesaving Association.

"Supervision of kids in the ocean, awareness of rip currents and risks of drowning -- all of that is a much greater risk to swim or safety than sharks will ever be," Macdonald said.

Compared to the number of drownings at beaches, the odds of getting bitten by a shark are extremely low, the experts said.

"The numbers are so small, but it doesn't do any good to tell people that, because if you're out there, if you're one of the ones that gets bitten ... I'm sure it's quite an ordeal," Wetherbee said.

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(SEATTLE) -- A man has been arrested in the murder of a 19-year-old transgender University of Washington student, Seattle police announced on Thursday.

Police did not name the suspect, but said the 31-year-old man surrendered to the Bellevue Police Department on Wednesday and has been booked into the King County Jail for investigation of murder.

The 19-year-old female victim was found stabbed to death in a laundry room in a housing building on campus Sunday night, police said.

Authorities immediately launched a manhunt, and on Wednesday, police released photos of a suspect.

UW President Robert J. Jones said in a statement on Thursday, "I hope the arrest brings some sense of relief to our community. But this arrest does not lessen the profound shock and grief that the victim’s loved ones and our campus are still experiencing or bring back a beloved, promising and talented member of our university."

"Much is still unknown about what caused this tragedy, and while this development is important, we will be looking closely at the circumstances in which this event occurred as part of our continued efforts to keep our campus community safe," Jones said. "... The University remains committed to offering resources for those who need support, including our LGBTQIA+ community, during this difficult time."

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(MAUI, Hawaii) -- A tourist on vacation in Maui has been arrested and charged for allegedly throwing a large rock at an endangered Hawaiian monk seal, prosecutors announced Wednesday.

Igor Mykhaylovych Lytvynchuk, 38, has been charged with harassing and attempting to harass an endangered Hawaiian monk seal by throwing a large rock at the seal's head, in violation of the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Hawaii.

Lytvynchuk was filmed walking along the shoreline in the Lahaina area of Maui on May 5, tracking the movements of a Hawaiian monk seal, known as Lani, as she pushed a floating log close to the shoreline, according to prosecutors.

Lytvynchuk then picked up a large rock and threw it directly at Lani's head, prosecutors said. The rock narrowly missed Lani's nose, causing her to rear up out of the water, according to prosecutors.

Witnesses told investigators the rock was "the size of a coconut," according to court documents.

Another witness told investigators the seal "clearly seemed hurt," but Lytvynchuk did not check on the welfare of the animal before walking away, according to court documents.

Witnesses confronted Lytvynchuk, informing him they had contacted law enforcement. Lytvynchuk allegedly responded that he was "rich enough to pay the fines," before walking away, prosecutors said.

Witnesses reported that Lani remained "largely immobile for an extended period of time after the incident," causing concern over her welfare, according to prosecutors.

"The unique and precious wildlife of the Hawaiian Islands are renowned symbols of Hawaii's special place in the world and its incredible biodiversity. We are committed to protecting our vulnerable wild species, in particular endangered Hawaiian monk seals, like Lani," U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson said in a statement.

If sentenced, Lytvynchuk could face up to one year in prison for each charge and supervised release, prosecutors said.

Lytvynchuk was arrested on Wednesday and is currently in custody. He is scheduled to appear for an initial hearing on Thursday.

Court records do not list an attorney for Lytvynchuk.

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(LEBANON, Pa.) -- A Pennsylvania man who allegedly had a "hit list" and threatened to shoot Democratic state legislators in online posts has been charged with making terroristic threats, court records show.

Adam Berryhill, 42, of Lebanon, allegedly made "politically violent posts" on his X account that included a "hit list," according to Pennsylvania State Police.

"The posts also included a picture of a firearm and made mention of a 'Memorial Day Operation,'" state police said in an incident report.

Between April 7 and April 22, Berryhill allegedly posted "hit lists" and claimed to "'start shooting' multiple elected officials" in posts on X, according to the criminal complaint.

The 20 victims in the case identified by police in the report are all Democratic members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, including House Speaker Joanna McClinton.

The investigation began on April 28, when a state trooper tasked with conducting regular safety and security checks on McClinton "was alerted to several concerning social media posts" involving her and other state legislators made by an X account named "Pennsylvania Militia," according to the complaint.

One post on April 7 stated, "I'll approach every legal avenue and when they all fail I start shootings," and then listed the names of 18 elected officials, according to the complaint.

Five days later, the account posted, "Can't wait for the Memorial Day operation," according to the complaint.

"Oh you like posting hit lists? Here's mine b------," the account posted on April 22, listing four officials referred to as "gun grabbing communists," according to the complaint.

"Conservatives need to stop b------- and whining on this platform. The solution I have is war," the account posted on April 24, according to the complaint. "Learn the law and know when it's your God given right to kill your authorities."  

That post also referenced Cody Balmer, who committed an arson attack at Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro's main residence in Harrisburg last year, according to the complaint.

An earlier post, on March 23, included what is believed to be an original photograph of a gun, "showing [Berryhill's] possible access to a firearm as a means to carry out the threats," the complaint stated.

Investigators linked the X account to Berryhill through email records and IP address data, according to the complaint. He was arrested on May 6 and charged with terroristic threats, authorities said.

"The statements made by Berryhill were not isolated or vague, but specific, targeted, and directed toward identifiable public officials, including Joanna McClinton and numerous members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly," the complaint stated. "These communications included references to 'hit lists,' explicit threats of future shootings, and mention of a planned 'Memorial Day operation,' indicating premeditation and a potential timeline."

Berryhill is being held on $250,000 bail. He waived his preliminary hearing, scheduled for Thursday, and his arraignment has been scheduled for June 11.

The Lebanon County Public Defender's Office said his attorney is not making any statements at this time.

Gov. Shapiro said he has spoken with McClinton and Senate Leader Jay Costa about the threats against members of the state legislature.

"I told them that while these threats of political violence seek to intimidate and silence, my Administration will continue to do everything in our power to keep them safe and ensure their members can continue to make their voices heard as the people's elected representatives," Shapiro said in a statement Wednesday.

The leaders of the state legislature condemned the threats.

"These threats are extremely disturbing, not just to the members identified, but to all public figures who are contending with an increasingly hostile environment," the leaders -- McClinton, Costa, Majority Leader Matt Bradford and Republican Leader Jesse Topper -- said in a joint statement on Wednesday.

"We condemn any threat against any of our colleagues who are faithfully serving their communities and pledge to support mental health care, intervention, and law enforcement funding that make our state safer," the statement said.

The governor said that Pennsylvania State Police have implemented a new process to notify state legislators "immediately and directly of any and all threats of violence against them."

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(RUIDOSO, N.M.) -- All four people on board a small medical plane were killed when the flight crashed near Ruidoso, New Mexico, early Thursday, according to a local official.

The Beechcraft King Air 90 had departed from Roswell Air Center and was headed to Sierra Blanca Regional Airport when it crashed around 4 a.m. local time, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

"All four individuals have been confirmed deceased at the scene," Jason Burns, the manager of Lincoln County, where the Sierra Blanca Regional Airport is located, said at a news conference.

Trans Aero MedEvac said four members of its team were on board.

"Our hearts are with the families, loved ones, friends, and coworkers of those lost in this tragedy," the company said in a statement.

The company said it’s cooperating with investigators and that the cause of the crash is not known.

The crash was in a remote, wooded area, according to FlightRadar24. Fire officials, law enforcement and other agencies responded to a fire associated with the crash in the Capitan Mountain area, Burns said.

The National Transportation Safety Board and FAA will investigate, the FAA said.

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(NEW YORK) -- The lead prosecutor in the Alex Murdaugh trial, Creighton Waters, said that he is "disappointed in the court's decision" to vacate two murder convictions for Murdaugh, and that he hasn't ruled out an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Speaking to George Stephanopoulos on "Good Morning America" Thursday morning, Waters said "we disagree" with the decision, but that "we respect the court and respect the process and we'll continue on as we always do."

The South Carolina Supreme Court on Wednesday overturned Murdaugh's 2023 murder convictions in the deaths of his wife and younger son. The court said the court clerk had "improper external influence" on the jury, denying him a fair trial.

Murdaugh's wife, Margaret "Maggie" Murdaugh, 52, and son, Paul Murdaugh, 22, were found dead from multiple gunshot wounds near the dog kennels at the family's hunting estate in 2021.

Murdaugh was convicted of murdering them following a six-week trial, with jurors deliberating for nearly three hours before reaching a guilty verdict.

Waters said that an appeal to the Supreme Court is "still on the table," and that he and his team have 90 days to decide to do that, though he added that "probably our best best is just going to be to tee this thing up again."

"There is some question among the law as to how do you apply these alleged jury tampering issues," Waters said. "I think as we look at what's best long term for this case and what's best for justice, it's to retry this case and do so as soon as we can."

Following Wednesday's decision, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson said his office will "aggressively" seek to retry Murdaugh for the murders "as soon as possible" -- possibly by the end of this year.

Murdaugh was also convicted on several financial crimes following the murder trial and is serving a 27-year sentence on state charges and a 40-year sentence on federal charges related to those crimes.

"Let me be clear -- this decision does not mean Murdaugh will be released," Wilson said in a statement. "He will remain in prison for his financial crimes. No one is above the law and, as always, we will continue to fight for justice."

Murdaugh's lawyers said they "look forward to a new trial conducted consistent with the Constitution."

Murdaugh has continued to maintain his innocence about the deaths of his wife and son. His defense alleged that jury tampering and evidentiary errors -- including the inclusion of his financial crimes -- denied him a fair trial.

Murdaugh's attorneys allege that Colleton County Clerk of Court Mary Rebecca "Becky" Hill tampered with the jury by "advising it not to believe Murdaugh's testimony and other defense evidence, pressuring it to reach a quick guilty verdict, misrepresenting information to the trial court in an attempt to have the court remove a juror she believed to favor the defense."

Hill denied these claims but would later resign from her position and pleaded guilty to two counts of misconduct while in office and one count each of obstruction of justice and perjury.

Waters, however, said he planned on being aggressive and was confident he could win in another trial.

"Assuming that we don't decide to appeal any further, [we] are going to get this thing before a jury as soon as we can," Waters said.

- ABC News' Meredith Deliso contributed to this report.

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(WASHINGTON) -- A District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals panel is set to hear arguments Thursday over the Trump administration's bid to reinstate executive orders that sought punishing sanctions against four elite law firms over their past representation or employment of perceived political foes of President Donald Trump.  

Four separate district court judges had previously granted permanent restraining orders sought by the four law firms -- Perkins Coie, Susman Godfrey, Wilmer Hale and Jenner & Block -- after determining the EOs were unconstitutional.

Some of the judges derided the White House's efforts to punish the firms in particularly blistering terms, likening the pressure campaign mounted last year by the Trump administration against 'Big Law' as akin to McCarthyism and the 'Red Scare' era in American history.

Staring down similar prospects of facing executive orders that sought to virtually eliminate their interactions with the government, at least nine other elite firms entered into controversial settlements with the Trump administration in exchange for providing pro bono legal services for causes supported by the White House.

Those settlements, which in sum totaled nearly $1 billion by the White House's calculation, led to an exodus of high-profile attorneys at several of the firms who said the agreements amounted to capitulation in response to an unlawful intimidation campaign by the Trump administration.

In March, the Justice Department appeared inclined to drop their appeal of the injunctions and even notified attorneys and the circuit court that it was withdrawing the case.

Less than 24 hours later, however, the department abruptly reversed course and said it would continue arguing the appeal after multiple news articles described the move as a major victory for the firms that mounted the legal battle.

It's unclear whether that back-and-forth will surface in oral arguments Thursday as the law firms seek to convince a three-judge panel to uphold the injunctions -- which barred the Trump administration from implementing sanctions that included barring firm attorneys from accessing some federal properties and restricting their security clearances. Several of the firms described in detailed filings how the orders, if implemented, would effectively bankrupt them.  

The administration, however, argued the orders were well within President Trump's power to issue, and described the district courts' orders as an impermissible intrusion on the executive branch.

"This appeal of those sweeping decisions is not about the sanctity of the American law firm; it is about lower courts encroaching on the constitutional power of the President to discuss and address invidious racial discrimination, national security risks, and other problems with certain law firms," DOJ attorneys said in a court filing in March.

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(WASHINGTON) -- A new federal lawsuit accuses Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins of proselytizing federal employees by frequently invoking Jesus Christ in work emails. 

The National Federation of Federal Employees and a group of seven USDA employees filed the lawsuit in California, accusing Rollins of violating the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. 

"Secretary Rollins's practice and policy of subjecting agency employees to proselytizing messages conveys the expectation that USDA employees share in the Secretary's religious beliefs, even when doing so would betray an employee's own beliefs," the lawsuit said. "It is exactly the sort of government-sponsored religious coercion, religious sermonizing, and denominational preference that the Establishment Clause prohibits."

The complaint listed a series of emails sent by Rollins to commemorate recent holidays, including crediting "gratitude towards a loving God" in her Thanksgiving email, writing that "God gave us the greatest gift possible" in her Christmas email, and describing the story of Jesus' resurrection as the "greatest story ever told" in her Easter email. Rollins only acknowledged Christian holidays, according to the complaint.

"Our nation's Founders -- having learned from the harmful effects of past religious conflicts -- adopted the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to safeguard against government promoting any favored religion or imposing its preferred religious practice on its citizens to protect religious freedom for all," the lawsuit said. 

While religious expression is protected under law and federal employees are permitted to engage in private religious speech, the Establishment Clause prohibits the government from establishing an official state religion, favoring one religion over another, or favoring religion over non-religion.

The federal employees who brought the lawsuit alleged that Rollin's speech "indoctrinates USDA employees and has caused them to feel coerced, unwelcome, excluded, and like outsiders to the agency."

One employee claimed in the suit that she was told it would "create trouble" for her if she asked to be removed from the email distribution list, and others said they feared retaliation if they complained about the messages.

Another employee said he "feels that the Secretary is conveying to him that he is unwelcome and 'going to hell' because he does not share the Secretary's beliefs." 

In response to the lawsuit, a USDA spokesperson said in a statement, "While we do not comment on pending litigation, we will keep the plaintiffs in our prayers during this process."

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(LOS ANGELES, Calif. ) -- A man who helped supply Matthew Perry with the doses of ketamine that killed the "Friends" actor was sentenced on Wednesday to two years in prison.

Erik Fleming, a licensed drug addiction counselor, admitted in a plea agreement to working with another dealer to provide Perry with dozens of vials of ketamine, including the dose that led to the actor's fatal overdose in October 2023 at the age of 54. 

Fleming is one of five people charged and convicted in what prosecutors called a conspiracy to illegally distribute ketamine to Perry. He pleaded guilty in August 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death.  

He faced up to 25 years in prison, prosecutors said.

The sentence also includes three years of supervised release.

"I am regretfully sorry for the pain and anguish I have caused the family. It’s what hurts me the most," Fleming told reporters upon leaving the courthouse.

He said he deserved a consequence, "and I got a consequence."

"My chest and heart hurt every day for the pain that I've caused not only his family, but the millions of people who adored him," Fleming said.

Federal prosecutors argued in a memorandum filed ahead of sentencing that Fleming should receive 30 months in prison due to his "profit-seeking behavior and reckless distribution of dubiously manufactured drugs." 

They said that after learning through a friend that Perry was seeking illicit ketamine, Fleming brokered multiple transactions between the other dealer, Jasveen Sangha, and the actor's live-in personal assistant, "despite knowing the risk and dangers of selling the drugs."

They said Fleming knew about Perry's history of addiction and still chose to sell him drugs, which, unlike medical-grade ketamine, were contained in clear, unmarked vials of unknown concentrations. They said he also marked up the price of the vials Sangha was selling from $160 to $220.

They said Fleming struggled with addiction himself and was "well aware of the warning signs of drug seeking behavior," but that he "nonetheless elected to insert himself into Mr. Perry's addiction story to profit from it."

"Although defendant's drug trafficking appear[s] to be limited to the drug sales in October 2023, his criminal conduct nonetheless caused significant harm, including the loss of Mr. Perry's life," prosecutors stated.

Defense attorneys, meanwhile, requested that Fleming be sentenced to three months in prison and nine months in a residential drug treatment facility "where he can continue the hard work he has put into maintaining his sobriety."

His attorneys, Robert Dugdale and Jeffrey Chemerinsky, said Fleming "relapsed into heavy drug use" following the death of his stepmother in September 2023 and was "most vulnerable to engage in uncharacteristically reckless conduct." They argued that he only brokered three transactions "involving very small quantities" of ketamine to a single customer in exchange for less than $2,000 for "logistical fees."

"Tragically, this brief diversion Mr. Fleming took from his otherwise law-abiding life led to a calamity Mr. Fleming never intended and foolishly did not foresee as possible," the attorneys stated in a sentencing memorandum. 

"Mr. Fleming is appearing at his sentencing fully acknowledging the role he played in this tragedy and is as remorseful as one could be for the harm he has caused those close to Mr. Perry," they continued.

Fleming's attorneys maintained there are multiple mitigating factors, including his "extraordinary cooperation," which they said helped lead to the "immediate apprehension" of Sangha. Since pleading guilty, he has also "worked tirelessly to maintain his sobriety" and opened a sober living home, they said.

Prosecutors agreed that Fleming warranted leniency for accepting responsibility and cooperating with the government's investigation, "including information that furthered the prosecution of a more culpable defendant," Sangha.

Sangha, the so-called "Ketamine Queen," was sentenced to 15 years in prison last month. She pleaded guilty last year to one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises, three counts of distribution of ketamine, and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death or serious bodily injury. 

Prosecutors said she ran a "high-volume drug trafficking business" out of her residence in North Hollywood and continued to sell "dangerous drugs" even after learning she had sold ketamine that contributed to the overdose deaths of two men: Perry and, years earlier, Los Angeles resident Cody McLaury. 

In addition to Fleming and Sangha, three other people were charged and pleaded guilty in connection with Perry's death: Kenneth Iwamasa, Perry's live-in personal assistant; and two doctors, Mark Chavez and Salvador Plasencia.

Prosecutors said Sangha worked with Fleming to distribute ketamine to Perry, and that in October 2023, they sold the actor 51 vials of ketamine that were provided to Iwamasa.

"Leading up to Perry's death, Iwamasa repeatedly injected Perry with the ketamine that Sangha supplied to Fleming," the DOJ said in a press release last year. "Specifically, on October 28, 2023, Iwamasa injected Perry with at least three shots of Sangha's ketamine, which caused Perry's death."

Iwamasa pleaded guilty in August 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, causing death, and is scheduled to be sentenced on May 27.

Chavez and Plasencia have already been sentenced for their roles in what prosecutors called a conspiracy to illegally distribute ketamine to Perry.

Chavez, who once ran a ketamine clinic, pleaded guilty in October 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and was sentenced to eight months of home confinement in December 2025.

Plasencia, who briefly treated Perry before the actor's death, pleaded guilty in July 2025 to four counts of distribution of ketamine and was sentenced to 30 months in prison in December 2025.

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(UTAH) -- Kouri Richins, a Utah woman convicted of fatally poisoning her husband with fentanyl, was sentenced to life without parole for murder on Wednesday.

The 35-year-old mother of three, who self-published a children's book on grieving following her husband's death in 2022, was found guilty on all counts in March following a weekslong trial. The Summit County jury reached a verdict after about three hours of deliberations.

She faced either 25 years to life in prison or life without parole.

Eric Richins, 39, was found dead in bed on March 4, 2022. An autopsy determined that he died from fentanyl intoxication, and the level of fentanyl in his blood was approximately five times the lethal dosage, according to the charging document.

Kouri Richins was found guilty of aggravated murder, with prosecutors saying she spiked his drink with a lethal dose of fentanyl that she purchased illicitly after asking two people for the "Michael Jackson drug."

She was also found guilty of attempted aggravated murder, with prosecutors saying she gave her husband a sandwich laced with fentanyl on Valentine's Day two weeks before his death in an initial, failed attempt to kill him.

She was additionally found guilty of insurance fraud for taking out a $100,000 insurance policy on her husband's life with his forged signature and for submitting a claim following his death.

Kouri Richins addresses court

Kouri Richins, who did not testify during her trial, addressed the court prior to her sentencing in what the defense said would be an "unusually long" allocution.

She spoke directly to her three children, referring to them as her "sweet baby boys," saying she has been unable to contact them since early 2024 so "will use any opportunity I can to get a message to you -- even if that means sharing it publicly to the world, fully restrained in my jail clothes, in one of the most horrible situations possible."

"I don't care, and I'm not embarrassed or ashamed by any of it," she continued.

While surrounded by her attorneys at the podium in lime-green jail clothing and handcuffs during her nearly 40-minute remarks, she said her children are her reason for living and "I am so sorry for even one second you thought that I did for even one second you thought that I didn't love you."

"I know that today you don't want to speak to me, have a relationship with me," she said. "You may think you hate me, and that's okay. I will never be angry at you for your feelings. When the day comes that you're ready, I will be here for you, waiting for you, and loving you."

She told them she is "not perfect."

"I have succeeded and I have failed as a person, as a wife, as a parent -- we all do," she said.

Regarding her and her husband, she said, "We failed at some things, we never failed at loving you boys."

She got emotional, telling them that they will always have their brothers.

"You have each other's back," she said.

Kouri Richins repeatedly told them to "be like their dad" and serve their community, be generous, love the outdoors and be a "noble son."

"Be the friend everyone wants to be friends with, the dad that everyone wishes they had," she said.

She said she may never see them again and apologized for them being in the middle of "absolute chaos."

"I'm sorry that eight people from a jury who have never met you or me or our family have the right to determine our future, and they did that in less than three hours," she said on her conviction.

She said she's "broken" without her children and husband, and that the thought that she murdered their dad is an "absolute lie."

"The thought of that is still as absurd today as it was four years ago," she said.

"I would have never taken him from you, from us," she continued.

She said she will appeal her conviction and fight the charges "no matter how long it takes."

"I will not be blamed for something I did not do," she said. "I need you boys to know the truth, and because of that, I will never quit the truth and coming home to you."

Calls for life without parole

Prosecutors asked Judge Richard Mrazik to hand down a sentence of life without the possibility of parole, saying she "murdered Eric in the presence of their children, using poison, and for money."

"Such a person should never again lurk among the rest of us," prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum filed ahead of Wednesday's hearing. "Her children should never worry that they may one day encounter her."

The memo included statements from the couple's three boys, who were 9, 7 and 5 years old when their father was murdered.

The eldest son, identified by his initials as C.R., wanted the court to know that "my dad was a good person and very thoughtful and kind and helped whoever needed help," the filing stated.

Prosecutors said that the Utah Division of Child and Family Services supported a finding of emotional and physical abuse by Kouri Richins against C.R. following the death.

"I'm afraid if she gets out, she will come after me and my brothers, my whole family. I think she would come and take us and not do good things to us, like hurt us," the filing stated. "I miss my dad, but I do not miss how my life used to be, I don't miss Kouri, I will tell you that."

The middle child, A.R., was a "material witness" to the murder, according to prosecutors, as Kouri Richins told police that she had gone into his room before returning to bed and finding her husband dead. Had he taken the stand during the trial, "A.R. would have testified at trial that the Defendant did not sleep in his room with him the night she murdered his father," prosecutors stated.

A.R. said he doesn't want his mother out of jail "because I will not feel safe," the filing stated. The youngest son, W.R., also said he would feel "so scared" if his mother ever got out, and that she "makes me feel hateful and ashamed."

The statements were read on their behalf by advocates during the sentencing hearing.

Defense attorney Wendy Lewis asked that the court not consider the state's sentencing memo, arguing during the hearing that it contained "unsworn allegations untested by cross-examination" and was a "not-so-subtle attempt" to make public evidence that they held back or were unable to present in court because Kouri Richins did not testify.

Lewis disputed several points in the memo, saying that the Utah Division of Child and Family Services made an initial finding of emotional and physical abuse based on reports, sending the case to juvenile court, which she said found "no fault" -- "in other words, that the children needed intervention, but due to no fault of Kouri Richins."

Lewis also said that upon Kouri Richins' arrest a year after the death, A.R.'s statements to police at the time were consistent with hers, that "Kouri had gone to sleep in his room" that night.

Judge Mrazik ultimately denied the defense's request to strike portions of the state's sentencing memo.

'Permanent trauma'

The three boys are now in the care of one of Eric Richins' sisters, Katie Richins-Benson, and her husband, according to the filing.

Richins-Benson urged the court to hand down a sentence that guarantees Kouri Richins will remain in prison for the rest of her life for the "permanent trauma" she's inflicted on the children.

"The mere thought that someone who has so little regard for human life or decency might one day walk free is horrifying," she said while delivering a victim impact statement in court on Wednesday. "I worry about the safety of Eric's boys, my daughters, my sister and myself. There is nothing Kouri will not do and no one she will not hurt to achieve her own selfish ends."

Several other family members delivered emotional victim impact statements during the hearing, held on what would have been Eric Richins' 44th birthday, while also asking for the maximum sentence possible.

In addition to the maximum sentence, prosecutors asked that Kouri Richins be ordered to pay restitution to two insurance companies totaling more than $1.3 million.

Defense says she's not a 'monster'

Defense attorney Kathryn Nester argued during the sentencing hearing that Kouri Richins is not the "monster" portrayed by the prosecution, while asking the judge to consider conduct displayed over the course of her life.

Nester described Kouri Richins as a "human being, a mother, a daughter, a sister, a friend, a person that has made mistakes," but also a person who has "completed acts of kindness and love and care toward others, a person who's contributed to her community, a person who even in the darkest time of her life, reached out to help others who were incarcerated alongside her, a person who unselfishly tried to ease the pain her family and friends experienced as a result of this case."

Defense attorney Wendy Lewis read in court a letter written by Kouri Richins' mother, during which she asked the court to hand down a sentence that reflects accountability but also "allows the possibility of a future."

Her mother also called the conviction a "profound injustice."

"I do not believe Kouri is capable of committing a murder," she wrote.

Other letters by family members and friends in support of Kouri Richins were read on their behalf or delivered in court. She could be seen crying as her brother addressed the court.

"I miss your family, I miss our family," her brother, Ronnie Darden, told the court. "We don't, with 100% certainty, know what happened to Eric, no one does, but we do know, with 100% certainty, that it wasn't caused by you."

Lewis asked for a sentence of 25 years to life, saying, "When you put aside all of the media, all of the interest, and you look at the crime she is convicted of, this is an appropriate sentence."

"A sentence of 25 to life is not a sentence that guarantees the release of Kouri Richins," Lewis continued. "It is not saying that she even should be released. What it is saying is that the decision whether she should be released is a decision for someone else to make on another day -- a day that will be at the minimum 25 to 30 years in the future, a future that could look very different than today."

Prosecutors argued that Kouri Richins was having an affair and wanted a "fresh start" and to leave her husband -- but didn't want to leave his money. They said she was in "financial desperation" due to her house flipping business' debts and needed a significant influx of cash immediately.

According to prosecutors, she believed she would have financially benefited from her husband's death -- without realizing that his assets were in a trust overseen by one of his sisters, Katie Richins-Benson.

The defense, meanwhile, said the case was "sloppy" and "driven by bias" and argued that the state failed to prove the allegations beyond a reasonable doubt. The defense called no witnesses.

Kouri Richins also faces more than two dozen charges in a separate case filed last year, including allegations that she committed mortgage fraud in 2021. The charging document alleges she submitted falsified bank statements in support of mortgage loan applications for her realty business, committed money laundering and issued bad checks. 

The charges in the case also allege she murdered her husband for financial gain as she "stood on the precipice of total financial collapse."

She has not yet entered a plea to those charges.

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(NEW YORK) -- The South Carolina Supreme Court has overturned the murder convictions of Alex Murdaugh, who was found guilty of killing his wife and younger son, finding that the court clerk's "improper external influence" on the jury denied him a fair trial.

Murdaugh's wife, Margaret "Maggie" Murdaugh, 52, and younger son, Paul Murdaugh, 22, were found dead from multiple gunshot wounds near the dog kennels at the family's hunting estate in 2021.

Murdaugh was convicted in 2023 of murdering them following a six-week trial, with jurors deliberating for nearly three hours before reaching a guilty verdict.

The South Carolina Supreme Court ruled that Murdaugh must have a new trial, citing the actions of former Colleton County Clerk of Court Mary Rebecca "Becky" Hill, the court clerk who served during the double murder trial.

Hill "egregiously attacked Murdaugh's credibility and his defense, thus triggering the presumption of prejudice, which the State was unable to rebut," the court's opinion stated. "As noted at the outset, Hill's shocking jury interference was accomplished outside the presence and knowledge of the outstanding trial judge and superbly competent and professional counsel for the State and the defense."

In a footnote, the justices said they "commend the post-trial court, which inherited Murdaugh's motion for a new trial and was placed in the unenviable position of evaluating unprecedented jury interference by a clerk of court within the context of a murky area of law."

Following the decision, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson said his office will "aggressively" seek to retry Alex Murdaugh for the murders "as soon as possible."

"Let me be clear -- this decision does not mean Murdaugh will be released," Wilson said in a statement. "He will remain in prison for his financial crimes. No one is above the law and, as always, we will continue to fight for justice."

Murdaugh was also convicted on several financial crimes following the murder trial and is serving a 27-year sentence on state charges and a 40-year sentence on federal charges related to those crimes.

In the murder trial, prosecutors made the case that Alex Murdaugh, who comes from a legacy of prominent attorneys in the Lowcountry region, killed his wife and son to gain sympathy and distract from his financial wrongdoings, while the defense argued that police ignored the possibility that anyone else could have killed them.

Murdaugh has continued to maintain his innocence. His defense alleged that jury tampering and evidentiary errors -- including the inclusion of his financial crimes -- denied him a fair trial.  

Murdaugh's attorneys contend that Hill tampered with the jury by "advising it not to believe Murdaugh's testimony and other defense evidence, pressuring it to reach a quick guilty verdict, misrepresenting information to the trial court in an attempt to have the court remove a juror she believed to favor the defense."

During oral arguments before the state Supreme Court justices on the matter in February, the defense alleged that Hill tampered with the jury to ensure a guilty verdict because, they claimed, it would help her sell more copies of a book she would go on to write about the high-profile case. 

Murdaugh's defense claimed that Hill influenced the verdict through remarks heard by some jurors during the trial, including in one instance to watch Murdaugh's body language during his testimony, according to court filings. 

"The clerk of court allowed public attention of the moment to overcome her duty," Murdaugh's attorney, Dick Harpootlian, said during the February hearing.

Lead prosecutor Creighton Waters countered during the hearing that Hill made a "few fleeting comments" over the course of a six-week trial that included nearly 90 witnesses and almost 600 exhibits, arguing that they weren't enough to influence the verdict. 

Chief Justice John Kittredge called Hill a "rogue clerk of court" during the hearing and said he wanted to make note that the "overwhelming majority" of clerks in the state are "dedicated, conscientious public servants" who "do not act like this."

Hill resigned as the Colleton County clerk of court in March 2024, amid the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division's investigation into allegations she may have abused her government position for financial gain.

She pleaded guilty in December 2025 to obstruction of justice, perjury and misconduct in office for showing photographs that were sealed court evidence to a reporter during the trial and then later lying about doing so on the stand during a hearing related to Murdaugh's bid for a new trial.

The charges did not allege any jury tampering, and she denied any tampering with the jury during her testimony.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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(NEW YORK) -- Officials in Louisiana reached a tentative $4.8 million settlement on Tuesday evening with the family of Ronald Greene, sources told ABC News. Greene was a 49-year-old Black motorist who died on May 10, 2019, after an encounter with Louisiana State Police, where he was beaten and shocked with stun guns following a high-speed vehicle chase.

A spokesperson for the Louisiana State Police confirmed to ABC News on Wednesday morning that a settlement, which was first reported by the Associated Press, has been reached over Greene's death, but said that the terms cannot be discussed since the negotiations are ongoing.

"LSP is unable to discuss the terms of the settlement at this time, as the process has not yet been finalized," LSP Public Affairs spokesperson Lt. Kate Stegall said.

Greene was pursued by police after failing to stop for an unspecified traffic violation, leading to a car chase near Monroe, Louisiana. Greene's mother, Mona Hardin, said that authorities initially told the family that Greene died when his car crashed into a tree, but body camera footage released amid public pressure nearly two years after his death showed his violent encounter with police.

The settlement would resolve a federal wrongful death lawsuit filed in May 2020 by Greene's family against the Louisiana State Police.

According to Louisiana state law, the settlement would need final approval from the state legislature before it is finalized.

Five Louisiana law enforcement officers initially faced state charges for their roles in Greene's deadly arrest, but several charges were dropped or reduced in this case.

Federal prosecutors informed Greene's family in January 2025 that the Department of Justice had declined to seek federal charges in this incident.

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(NEW YORK) -- A newly discovered asteroid will pass within about 56,000 miles of Earth on Monday, significantly closer than the distance between Earth and the moon.

There is no need to worry or cancel any plans, however. Current calculations show no evidence that the object will hit Earth.

The asteroid was identified several days ago by astronomers at five observatories, including Farpoint Observatory in Wabaunsee County, Kansas, and Mount Lemmon Observatory in Arizona’s Santa Catalina Mountains.

The asteroid, designated 2026 JH2, is likely between 50 and 100 feet across, according to estimates from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. That estimate is based on how bright the object appears and how much light scientists think its surface reflects.

Astronomers are still working to better understand the asteroid’s orbit and physical characteristics. So far, the object has been tracked only 24 times over several days. While its trajectory is still being refined, current calculations show no impact risk.

The asteroid is considered an Apollo-class near-Earth object.

"These asteroids have an orbit that is larger than Earth's orbit around the Sun and their path crosses Earth's orbit," according to NASA.

The Virtual Telescope Project plans to stream the encounter live beginning at 5:45 p.m. ET on Monday.

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