Paradise News

Category: Metro

  • BPP advises students to avoid physical tics during advocacy

    Exclusive: Law school giant says guidance refers to ‘controllable behaviours’

    BPP University Law School has said it will review its guidance advising students to avoid physical tics during advocacy assessments, clarifying that the advice refers to controllable behaviours and not involuntary movements caused by medical conditions.

    As part of the law school’s SQE2 preparation, an introductory advocacy module warns aspiring lawyers that “physical ticks should be avoided” as they may “distract” the tribunal during submissions.

    One BPP student who took issue with wording of the guidance told Legal Cheek: “I was surprised to see in BPP study materials a piece of advice telling students to avoid physical ticks during the advocacy assessment in SQE2. As a student with an involuntary facial tick, this was pretty shocking to read. In my experience BPP are committed to supporting students with reasonable adjustments, however, I cannot say that this careless mistake surprised me. BPP please do better!”

    The student — who didn’t want to be named — went on to point out that physical tics are by their nature involuntary and cannot be avoided. The NHS defines tics as “unintentional, fast and repetitive muscle movements” which happen randomly but may be associated with “stress, anxiety, tiredness, excitement or happiness,” and “get worse if they’re talked about or focused on”.

    A screenshot of the advocacy advice

    A spokesperson for BPP clarified the guidance, telling us that it “encourage[s] candidates to minimise controllable behaviours — such as fiddling with hair, clothing, or clicking pens that could unintentionally detract from their advocacy delivery”.

    They stressed this is “entirely distinct from involuntary conditions, such as those associated with medical conditions, which are, of course, beyond a candidate’s control and would not be penalised under any circumstances”.

    The spokerson did however go on to say that it will “review the guidance to ensure it is clear and inclusive”.

    The SQE Hub: Your ultimate resource for all things SQE

    The post BPP advises students to avoid physical tics during advocacy appeared first on Legal Cheek.

    Source: Legal Cheek

  • Mother allegedly stabbed 11-year-old son to death during Disneyland vacation

    SANTA ANA, Calif. (TCN) — A 48-year-old mother has been arrested for allegedly killing her 11-year-old son during a custody visit.

    According to the Santa Ana Police Department, on the morning of March 19, dispatch received a call from Saritha Ramaraju, who said she had “stabbed and killed her son in a room at the La Quinta Inn & Suites.” She also told officials that she had “ingested an unknown substance.”

    Officers responded to the scene and took Ramaraju into custody, and she was transported to a hospital for evaluation. Police found the woman’s 11-year-old son in a hotel room with stab wounds, and fire personnel pronounced him deceased.

    The Orange County District Attorney’s Office said Ramaraju moved out of state after divorcing the victim’s father in 2018. At the time of his death, the boy was with his mother for a custody visit. Ramaraju had reportedly purchased three-day passes to Disneyland.

    The victim was scheduled to return to his father on March 19, but Ramaraju allegedly killed her son that day and ingested pills to try to take her own life. Investigators suspect the 11-year-old boy had been dead for several hours before Ramaraju called 911. Police recovered a large kitchen knife nearby that had been purchased the previous day.

    Ramaraju was discharged from the hospital on March 20 and booked into the Santa Ana Jail. The district attorney’s office announced March 21 that they charged Ramaraju with one felony count of murder.

    Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said, “The life of a child should not hang in the balance between two parents whose anger for each other outweighs their love for their child.”

    Spitzer continued, “Anger makes you forget who you love and what you are responsible for doing. The safest place for a child should be in their parents’ arms. Instead of wrapping her arms around their son in love, she slit his throat and, in the cruelest twist of fate, removed him from the very world she brought him into.”

    • Mother Charged with Slitting 11-year-old Son’s Throat in Santa Ana Motel After Three Days at Disneyland During Custody Visitation – Orange County District Attorney’s Office
    • Arrest Made in Homicide Investigation – Santa Ana Police Department

    Source: True Crime Daily

  • Mother with dementia died from dog attack after daughter allegedly left her home alone

    COLORADO CITY, Colo. (TCN) — Authorities arrested a 47-year-old woman in connection with the death of her elderly mother, who was fatally attacked by her dogs.

    According to the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office, on Feb. 3, deputies responded to a home on Jefferson Boulevard and found 76-year-old LaVonne Hoff unresponsive with several dogs running loose. Authorities also discovered about two dozen dogs and seven birds in cages inside the residence.

    Hoff was pronounced deceased at the scene, and an autopsy revealed she died from a dog attack.

    Sheriff’s office detectives determined the victim’s daughter, Jessica Hoff, allegedly “left her mother at home alone with her dogs that day while she went to Pueblo to run errands.” LaVonne Hoff reportedly suffered from dementia and “required 24-hour care.”

    Investigators suspect that the loose dogs attacked the victim while she was alone. Detectives searched the home and a second property owned by Jessica Hoff and discovered 54 dogs and seven birds in total. Authorities said the animals were “found living in unsanitary conditions” and “several of the dogs were in poor health.” The sheriff’s office, with assistance from Animal Law Enforcement, seized the dogs and birds.

    The sheriff’s office announced March 21 that Jessica Hoff was arrested on charges of criminal negligence resulting in death/at-risk adult and 54 counts of aggravated cruelty to animals death. She remains held in the Pueblo County Jail on $50,000 bond.

    • Woman Arrested in Mother’s Death – Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office
    • Pueblo County Jail

    Source: True Crime Daily

  • Woman wanted for allegedly killing fire captain wife captured in Mexico

    SAN DIEGO (TCN) — A woman wanted for allegedly fatally stabbing her wife at their home last month was captured in Mexico following a weeks-long search.

    On the evening of Feb. 17, San Diego County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a call about an assault with a deadly weapon and found Cal Fire Capt. Rebecca Marodi with several stab wounds on her neck, chest, and back. Deputies rendered aid until paramedics arrived, but she was pronounced deceased at the scene. Investigators identified Marodi’s wife, Yolanda Olejniczak, as the suspect in Marodi’s killing.

    The sheriff’s office said surveillance video showed the two women arguing and Olejniczak pushing Marodi the night of the fatal incident. She was reportedly seen leaving before Marodi’s mother showed up. Olejniczak drove her car across the border into Mexico on Feb. 17.

    On March 22, law enforcement in Mexico reached out to U.S. Marshals and said Olejniczak was found and taken into custody. She was bound over to the U.S. Marshals and brought back across the border. According to the sheriff’s office, Olejniczak will be booked on a charge of murder.

    Olejniczak previously served over 10 years in prison for stabbing her husband to death in 2000.

    • UPDATE: Homicide – Ramona – San Diego County Sheriff’s Office
    • Woman suspected of fatally stabbing her fire captain wife served time for killing husband in 2003, 2/21/2025 – TCN

    Source: True Crime Daily

  • Respiratory therapist who killed and dismembered his roommate is sentenced

    OREGON CITY, Ore. (TCN) — A man will spend the rest of his life behind bars for killing his roommate, whose dismembered remains were found in a landfill.

    The Clackamas County District Attorney’s Office announced March 19 that 48-year-old Jamon Fritsch received a sentence of life in prison after he pleaded guilty last week to second-degree murder and first-degree abuse of a corpse.

    According to prosecutors, 49-year-old Kara Taylor and her adult daughter moved in with the defendant several weeks before the victim was killed. Taylor and Fritsch knew each other professionally and both worked as respiratory therapists.

    On July 27, 2023, Fritsch reported Taylor missing, and Oregon City Police quickly identified him as a suspect in Taylor’s disappearance and suspected death.

    Police discovered through cellphone and video surveillance that Fritsch bought zip ties, heavy-duty trash bags, a large tote, tarps, hair and grease drain cleaner, and Comet cleanser at Home Depot shortly after reporting his roommate missing. According to the district attorney’s office, surveillance also captured Fritsch throwing items away at a landfill.

    Fritsch reportedly emailed a detective on Aug. 6, 2023, and admitted to killing Taylor. Police found evidence of blood throughout Fritsch’s home during a search warrant, and Oregon City Police arrested him on Aug. 7, 2023.

    After the defendant’s arrest, authorities began searching the Coffin Butte Landfill on Aug. 11, 2023, and found Taylor’s remains several days later.

    • Oregon City man who murdered and dismembered roommate sentenced to life in prison – Clackamas County District Attorney’s Office
    • Missing woman’s dismembered remains found at Oregon landfill, 8/17/2023 – TCN
    • Jamon Peter Fritsch Pleads Guilty To Murder II And Abuse Of A Corpse; Sentenced For The Death Of Kara Rayleen Taylor – Oregon City Police Department

    Source: True Crime Daily

  • Dispensary owner riddled with bullets in unprovoked attack miraculously survived

    Martin Olive was standing in front of the dispensary that he owned in San Francisco when Cheasarack Chong approached him and started shooting in what appeared to be a random attack. Martin survived and spoke to “True Crime News” about his road to recovery.

    Source: True Crime Daily

  • Businesswoman stalked and attacked in murder-for-hire plot amid multimillion-dollar divorce

    Yesenia “Jessica” Torres stopped by one of her favorite restaurants for lunch, but it would unfortunately be her last. Jessica was gunned down in the parking lot in what appeared to be a robbery, but investigators uncovered a suspected murder-for-hire plot orchestrated by her estranged husband.

    Source: True Crime Daily

  • Friend finds young mother bloodied, killed, and her baby snatched

    Sylena Jo Dalton lived in a small Virginia town as a young mom to newborn baby Allyson. But the community would soon be shocked when Sylena’s friend found the mother fatally stabbed on a couch, and her baby gone from her crib. Decades later, investigators haven’t yet identified a suspect or found Allyson. Could a new age progression photo change that?

    Source: True Crime Daily

  • How Christmas gifts helped police catch an alleged child kidnapper and killer

    A Christmas wish turned into a nightmare when 7-year-old Athena Strand went missing one November evening. Police learned the young girl had been kidnapped and killed allegedly by a FedEx driver after he hit her with his truck. The suspect, Tanner Horner, will soon stand trial for capital murder.

    Source: True Crime Daily

  • Man makes disturbing confession about killing his pregnant crush after his sister's wedding

    Brian Cooper had a crush on his co-worker, Alisha Bromfield, but she didn’t reciprocate those feelings. When Alisha became pregnant with another man’s baby, he strangled and killed her while the two were in the same hotel room for his sister’s wedding. Brian would later admit to much darker secrets.

    Source: True Crime Daily