Paradise News

Category: Metro

  • Naked man sentenced for killing sheriff’s office sergeant hours before his retirement

    BRANDON, Fla. (TCN) — A man will spend over four decades behind bars for causing the death of a 54-year-old law enforcement official in a vehicle crash more than three years ago.

    According to a March 25 news release from the Florida State Attorney’s Office for the 13th Judicial Circuit, Travis Garrett received a sentence of 45 years in Florida State Prison after he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, fleeing to elude high speed (serious bodily injury or death), battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting an officer with violence, and criminal mischief.

    On Jan. 11, 2021, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office responded to call from neighbors, claiming Garrett “was naked and throwing furniture outside his apartment.” Responding deputes tried to “establish a dialogue” with Garrett, but he became aggressive and hit one of the deputies multiple times. Another official tried to Tase the defendant, but his attempts were unsuccessful. Garrett reportedly drove off, fleeing from deputies, and crashed into the apartment building’s gates.

    Investigators obtained dashboard camera footage from Garrett’s car, revealing that he drove down Lumsden Road and accelerated at a “high rate of speed” into Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Brian LaVigne’s vehicle while he was at a stop sign. According to the sheriff’s office, witnesses said Garrett “intentionally rammed” into the victim. LaVigne was later pronounced deceased at a hospital, and Garrett was paralyzed from the crash.

    LaVigne was reportedly hours from retirement when he died. His family members read impact statements, including his wife, who said Garrett “ripped away the years they had left together after he spent three decades serving and protecting his community.”

    The victim’s daughter, a Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office deputy, reportedly said she “lost her mentor, her hero, and her best friend.”

    In a statement, State Attorney Suzy Lopez said, “This senseless crime robbed a family of a tremendous father and husband who deserved a long and happy retirement with the family he built. While this sentence can never bring Sgt. LaVigne back, it ensures this defendant will spend the majority of his life behind bars while allowing the victim’s family a chance at healing without a lengthy trial.”

    LaVigne leaves behind his wife and two adult children.

    • Defendant Pleads Guilty to Deadly Crash that Killed HCSO Sergeant Brian LaVigne Hours Before Retirement – 13th Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office
    • HCSO Corporal Dies in the Line of Duty, 1/11/2021 – Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office

    Source: True Crime Daily

  • Hotel horror: Woman found strangled in bathroom with the killer still at large

    After a night of drinking and arguing with her boyfriend, Joy Hayward checked into a hotel but never check out. She was eventually found naked and strangled to death in the bath. Another sexual assault matched DNA found at the scene of Joy’s death, and investigators released a composite sketch of the suspect. Decades later, the killer remains unidentified and on the loose.

    Source: True Crime Daily

  • How a serial killer's reign of terror continued for decades after a little girl’s murder

    Seven-year-old Kendra Page left her Austin, Texas, home to go on a bike ride with a friend, but she was never seen alive again. Authorities pinned Raul Meza with her murder, but after spending only 11 years behind bars, he went free on good behavior. That good behavior hardly lasted because Meza continued to kill again and again over the next several decades.

    Source: True Crime Daily

  • Convicted child sex offender sentenced for kidnapping woman and tying her up in 1994

    SAN JOSE, Calif. (TCN) — A man who sexually abused several children under 13 will spend the rest of his life behind bars in connection with a kidnapping that occurred more than 30 years ago.

    The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office announced March 25 that a judge sentenced 68-year-old Thomas Loguidice to life after a jury found him guilty of kidnapping.

    According to prosecutors, on the morning of Jan. 13, 1994, a 21-year-old woman began her shift at the President Tuxedo store in Oakridge Mall. As she was opening the store, Loguidice reportedly entered the showroom area and held the victim at knifepoint, forcing her into the back storage room. 

    The district attorney’s office said the defendant then placed the woman on the floor, bound her wrists, and tied her to a pipe before stealing cash from the register. Loguidice allegedly went back to the storage area and sexually assaulted the victim and fled on foot.

    Despite an investigation and multiple leads, the case went cold for decades. In 2022, investigators learned that DNA collected from the 1994 crime scene matched Loguidice, who was convicted in 2012 of continuous sexual abuse of four children under 13 in San Benito County. He was already in the California Department of Corrections serving a 40-year sentence for the crimes.

    According to prosecutors, Loguidice was not indicted for the 1994 sexual assault “because the statute of limitations for that crime expired in 2000.”

    Prosecutors said the woman made a “powerful victim impact statement.” 

    District Attorney Jeff Rosen commented on the courage of survivors, stating, “They can’t forget what was done to them and neither should we. I am grateful for the terrific work of our Crime Lab, investigators, and prosecutors to bring this perpetrator to justice.”

    • Convicted sex offender sentenced for 1994 cold case kidnapping – Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office
    • Convicted sex offender found guilty in 1994 cold case kidnapping, 12/19/2023 – Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office

    Source: True Crime Daily

  • Judicial Watch Battles for Election Integrity

    Democracy by its nature is a messy business and the fight for clean and honest elections never ends. Judicial Watch has risen to the vanguard of voting integrity and voter rights reform with legal actions that include ending discriminatory elections in Hawaii, stopping extreme partisan gerrymandering in Maryland, and cleaning four million and counting dirty names from voter rolls around the country. And there’s more to come.

    In recent weeks, Judicial Watch notched three significant election integrity wins. In Mississippi, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit sided with Judicial Watch, declining to revisit an earlier ruling that it was unlawful for the state to count ballots arriving after Election Day. In California, Judicial Watch filed a federal lawsuit to prevent state officials from extending Election Day for seven additional days. And in Maryland, following a separate Judicial Watch court victory opening voter rolls to public scrutiny, a federal judge struck down a state board of elections regulation criminalizing the use of voter registration lists for election integrity investigations.

    This week, as well, President Trump signaled his support for election integrity action with a sweeping executive order that reinforces “a uniform Election Day across the nation,” requires “documentary proof of United States citizenship” to vote, and directs the attorney general to increase efforts to ensure state compliance with the National Voter Registration Act.

    In the Mississippi case siding with Judicial Watch, the full Fifth Circuit court let stand an appellate panel ruling that ballots arriving after Election Day cannot be counted. The appellate panel had ruled that “Congress statutorily designated a singular ‘day for the election’ of members of Congress and the appointment of presidential electors. Text, precedent, and historical practice confirm that this ‘day for the election’ is the day by which ballots must be both cast by voters and received by state officials.”

    Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton hailed the full Fifth Circuit action as “a historic victory for honest elections,” noting that federal law “sets ‘Election Day’ not ‘Election Week.’”

    Judicial Watch’s new lawsuit against California counting ballots up to seven days after Election Day “has even more urgency and strength,” Tom noted.

    In the California case, Judicial Watch filed a lawsuit on behalf of U.S. Representative Darrell Issa to prevent state election officials from extending Election Day for seven days beyond the date established by federal law. “Despite Congress’ unambiguous and longstanding statement regarding a single and uniform national Election Day,” the JW brief said, “California modified and extended Election Day by allowing seven additional days after Election Day for receipt of vote-by-mail ballots.”

    The lawsuit notes that late-arriving ballots can “change electoral outcomes in California.” Two of Issa’s Republican colleagues were leading on Election Night 2024 “but ultimately lost reelection due to late-arriving [vote-by-mail] ballots.”

    Issa called on the state to fix its “broken systems of elections.” In California, he told Breitbart, “Election Day has become Election Month and ballots are counted until Democrats are declared the winner.”

    In the Maryland case, the National Voter Registration Act—a key weapon in Judicial Watch’s legal arsenal of electoral reform—was under attack. The NVRA directs the states to make “a reasonable effort” to remove from voting rolls the names of ineligible voters disqualified from voting due to death or change of residence. Dirty voter rolls—rolls that carry many ineligible voters—create opportunities for election fraud.

    Judicial Watch fought hard and ultimately won a legal battle to make Maryland voter rolls more transparent. But the Maryland State Board of Elections fought back, issuing a regulation that sought to criminalize the use of voter registration lists for investigations into NVRA violations. Judicial Watch filed a friend of the court brief in the case noting its extensive role in the Maryland NVRA litigation.

    Earlier this month, a federal judge in Maryland struck down the Board of Elections regulation. The court concluded that, “as a matter of law,” the regulation “presents an obstacle to accomplishing and executing the purposes and objectives of the NVRA.”

    The Maryland case is a win for transparency and accountability, a win that may echo across other states. “This new federal court ruling affirming transparency requirements for voter registration lists is an important victory for Maryland voters and election integrity,” Tom Fitton said. “It was truly outrageous that Maryland election officials tried to criminalize voters asking questions about election integrity.”

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    Micah Morrison is chief investigative reporter for Judicial Watch. Tips: mmorrison@judicialwatch.org

     

    Investigative Bulletin is published by Judicial Watch. Reprints and media inquiries: jfarrell@judicialwatch.org

     

     

     

    Source: Judicial Watch

  • University That Attached Aborted Babies’ Scalps to Rats Must be Fully Investigated

    From Life News:

    The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) has become one locus of concern about the use of baby parts in medical research. Evidence of this concern has arisen on several occasions.

    This article claims that a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded Pitt project even involved grafting aborted baby scalps onto rats; see the article’s link to published study. Reader beware: the study contains very disturbing graphics. And in the fall of 2021, the Center for Medical Progress published Pitt grant records it obtained with the assistance of Judicial Watch that suggested Pitt was altering abortion methods in order to maximize usable human fetal tissue for its so-called “Tissue Hub.”  (Altering abortion methods for profit is a violation of federal laws.)

    Following up on an April 2022 record production from NIH that revealed a hurried Zoom call requested by Jeremy Berg, Pitt’s Associate Senior Vice Chancellor for Science Strategy and Planning in Health Sciences, Judicial Watch Senior Investigator Bill Marshall filed another FOIA on May 15, 2023.

    NIH failed to respond and the request was subsequently litigated by Meredith DiLiberto (also from Judicial Watch; she provided the interpretations of the FOIA documents throughout this article).  As a result of the litigation, NIH produced records. See JW-v-HHS-Univ-Pitt-docs-03045.pdf.

    Read more here…

    Source: Judicial Watch

  • Trump hits yet another US law firm with executive order 

    Jenner & Block becomes latest target

    Donald Trump has signed an executive order targeting major US law firm Jenner & Block, escalating his campaign against major legal outfits he claims are aligned with his political opponents.

    The order, signed on Tuesday, restricts the firm’s access to federal buildings, suspends security clearances for its lawyers, and limits eligibility for government contracts — echoing earlier moves against prominent firms including Perkins Coie and Paul Weiss.

    Jenner & Block said the executive order “resembled one that has already been declared unconstitutional” by a federal judge.

    Trump’s latest order singles out the firm for its past employment of Andrew Weissmann, a former federal prosecutor who played a key role in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Weissmann worked at Jenner & Block from 2006 to 2011 and rejoined the firm in 2020 following his time on Mueller’s team.

     The 2025 Legal Cheek Firms Most List

    White House staff secretary Will Scharf claimed the firm had engaged in “weaponization of the legal system against American principles and values”.

    The crackdown on law firms appears to be widening. Trump has now signed executive orders targeting four major US firms, and on Friday directed the Department of Justice to explore similar action against lawyers who have represented immigrants or sued the federal government in the last eight years.

    One of the previously targeted firms, Paul Weiss, reached a settlement with the Trump administration to avoid sanctions under the executive order. As part of the deal, the firm provided approximately $40 million worth of free legal support.

    In a letter to staff, chairman Brad Karp ddefended the agreement, saying the order “could easily have destroyed our firm”.

    The post Trump hits yet another US law firm with executive order  appeared first on Legal Cheek.

    Source: Legal Cheek

  • Paralegal who brought ‘hopeless’ claim against former firm ordered to pay £20k in costs

    Costly mistake

    A paralegal who sought £50,000 from her former firm at an employment tribunal has lost her case and been hit with a hefty costs order in the process.

    Angel Mirembe claimed victimisation, racial discrimination, and unfair dismissal against both the firm, Claimlion, and the individual who signed her dismissal letter.

    But the employment tribunal judge, Judge Young, found that Mirembe had “no merit” in seeking £50k. Further details regarding the claim weren’t made available.

    Alongside working in the “legal arena” as a paralegal, Mirembe had a law degree and had completed SQE1. She dropped out of SQE2 and was pursuing the bar course when she brought the claim — after leaving Claimlion.

     The 2025 Legal Cheek Firms Most List

    Although the decision notes that Mirembe had not taken an employment law module, Judge Young still found that, as a bar course student, she could have looked up the relevant law — even without legal representation. The judge added that Mirembe still had access to “legal advice” to assess the merits of her claim, which were “on any analysis hopeless.”

    Judge Young noted that Mirembe had been offered £2,000 by Claimlion to settle, on a “commercial basis” given she had “no reasonable prospect” of success. When Mirembe countered with £22k, Claimlion warned her they would seek costs. As a paralegal, she had been earning under £1,500 a month.

    Though Judge Young said there was no “evidence of an improper motive”, meaning that whilst the claim was not “vexatious”, it was still held Mirembe had acted unreasonably. Despite this, she was still ordered to pay nearly £20k in costs to Claimlion and almost £1,000 to the individual staff member.

    At the merits hearing, Mirembe argued as a litigant-in-person, but the decision notes she did not attend the costs hearing and ignored attempts to contact her on the day. Claimlion’s solicitor said they would take a “sensible approach” to drafting the schedule of payment.

    The post Paralegal who brought ‘hopeless’ claim against former firm ordered to pay £20k in costs appeared first on Legal Cheek.

    Source: Legal Cheek

  • Woman allegedly fatally stabbed her mom 2 months after victim bailed her out of jail

    CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (TCN) — A 41-year-old woman faces murder charges after she allegedly killed her mother several weeks after the victim bailed her out of jail.

    According to WBOY-TV, on Saturday, March 22, Clarksburg Police Department officers were called to a home on Laurel Drive regarding a disturbance and found 64-year-old Elaine Labenne with stab wounds. Medics pronounced Labenne deceased at the scene. Police arrested Labenne’s daughter, Shanna Vannorman, at the residence and took her into custody on suspicion of murder.

    West Virginia News reports the two women lived together.

    Vannorman has faced other criminal charges in the past, including an arrest for disorderly conduct and assault of government representatives, health care providers, utility workers, or law enforcement on Jan. 16. She pleaded not guilty to the charges. A judge set her bond at $2,000, and she was released the next day after Labenne posted her bond.

    Vannorman is in custody at the North Central Regional Jail.

    • Clarksburg woman charged with murder after allegedly stabbing mother – WBOY
    • Clarksburg (West Virginia) woman charged with fatally stabbing mother, who had bailed her out on previous charge – West Virginia News
    • State of West Virginia v. Shanna M Vannorman

    Source: True Crime Daily

  • Doctor accused of trying to throw wife off hiking trail after she allegedly refused to take a photo

    HONOLULU (TCN) — Police arrested a 46-year-old doctor who allegedly tried to kill his wife on a hiking trail this week.

    The Honolulu Police Department alleges that on the morning of March 24, Gerhardt Konig tried to throw his wife off Pali Lookout, and then hit her in the head with a rock. The victim was transported to a hospital and remains in critical condition.

    Konig allegedly assaulted his wife after she declined to take a photo with her husband, KGMB-TV reports. Law enforcement officials reportedly told the news station that Konig is also accused of attempting to poke his wife with syringes during the incident. The victim sustained multiple facial and head injuries during the attack.

    Police posted a bulletin asking the public to be on the lookout for Konig. Officers located him later that day near Pali Highway and arrested him following a short foot pursuit. Charges are pending.

    According to WTAE-TV, Konig worked as an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh and anesthesiologist. Per KGMB, he was most recently a doctor with the Anesthesia Medical Group but has been suspended pending the investigation.

    • UPDATE: Pali Lookout Attempted Murder Suspect Arrested – Honolulu Police Department
    • Former Pittsburgh doctor allegedly tried to kill wife by throwing her off Hawaii hiking trail – WTAE
    • Attempted murder suspect caught near Pali Highway – KGMB

    Source: True Crime Daily