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Category: Metro

  • Self-proclaimed 'serial killer' who shot pregnant girlfriend sentenced to 159 years for 3 more murders

    MEMPHIS, Tenn. (TCN) — A 25-year-old man who is already serving over 100 years in prison for killing his girlfriend and who compared himself to horror movie character Michael Myers has been sentenced to another century behind bars for killing three others.

    The Shelby County District Attorney’s Office announced Friday, Feb. 14, that a judge sentenced Joshua Dotson to 159 years after he pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree murders for the deaths of Divieon Parker, Renita Bennett, and Reginald Anderson. He also entered the plea for three counts of reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon. In October, he was sentenced to 102 years for killing girlfriend Jamesha Covson and her unborn child.

    In total, Dotson has been sentenced to 261 years in prison for the murders.

    During his trial for Covson’s killing, Dotson reportedly called himself a “serial killer” and said he was like Michael Myers from the “Halloween” horror movie franchise.

    According to the Memphis Police Department, on June 12, 2020, officers went to a home on the 1200 block of Quinn Avenue for a shooting call and found 19-year-old Covson suffering from gunshot wounds. Paramedics transported her to a hospital, where she and her unborn child died. Police said Covson and Dotson got into an argument, and Dotson fired at the home as he was leaving. Dotson fled the scene following the incident.

    Police linked him to the shooting deaths of Parker on Nov. 19, 2019, and Bennett and Anderson on May 24, 2020.

    Dotson was later captured in Nashville by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

    Shelby County prosecutor Regina Lucreziano said following the Feb. 14 sentencing, “After five years, we are pleased to finally have justice for Dotson’s multiple victims. His sentences, both from the guilty verdict after a trial and these two pleas today, amount to 261 years in prison. While no amount of time in prison will bring the victims back to their loved ones, we are content that he will never be a threat to our community again.”

    MORE:

    • Self-Proclaimed ‘Serial Killer’ Joshua Dotson Sentenced to Additional 159 Years for Triple Homicide: Total Sentence Now 261 Years for Five Murders – Shelby County District Attorney’s Office
    • Self-Proclaimed ‘Serial Killer’ Sentenced to 102 Years for Double Murder of Former Girlfriend and Her Unborn Child, 10/31/2024 – Shelby County District Attorney’s Office
    • Homicide Suspect Wanted, 6/12/2020 – Memphis Police Department
    • Most Wanted Alert, 6/17/2020 – Tennessee Bureau of Investigation

    Source: True Crime Daily

  • Episode 4: Aloha Keiko | True Crime News Presents: American Hustlers

    In this episode of True Crime News Presents: American Hustlers: How did Kaushal go from nearly broke to Armani suits, private limos, and a suite at the Four Seasons where the staff referred to him as “your Highness”? A prison interview from Danny gives Kim and Julie a clue – maybe the answer is in Hawaii. It’s there that Kaushal befriends Keiko, a Japanese businesswoman and mother of two on vacation. Like all of Kaushal and Danny’s victims, Keiko is smart and competent. And yet, before long, Kaushal will con Keiko – not once, but twice – to the tune of half a million dollars. Nearly her entire life savings. Investigating how he did it reveals an international visa scam, an elaborate – and fake – kidnapping plot, and possibly willing participation from someone inside the Bank of Hawaii. And it sets the stage for Kaushal and Danny to go from thick as thieves to partners in crime.

    YouTube: Episode 4: Aloha Keiko

    Source: True Crime Daily

  • Linklaters gives AI exam on English law

    Results on the up, but human supervision still required

    Linklaters has set an exam on English law for a series of AI models in order to assess their accuracy.

    ‘The LinksAI English law benchmark’ asks a series of 50 questions from 10 different legal practice areas, rating each response and allocating a score.

    The AI models receive a maximum of 10 marks for each question, with five marks for substance (whether the answer is right or not), three for citations (including issues of hallucination) and two marks for clarity.

    The questions are described as “hard”, and are the same level as those that would require a competent mid-level lawyer, roughly around two years post qualification, specialised in that practice area.

    Topics on the roster come from a range of practice areas including: contract, IP, tax, privacy, employment, corporate, dispute resolution, real estate, competition, and banking.

    The last benchmarking exercise took place in October 2023, and tested GPT 2, GPT 3, GPT 4 and Bard. Whilst Bard came out on top with an average score of 4.4 out of 10, all of the tools “were often wrong and the citations sometimes fictional” the report states.

    The new round of testing looked at Gemini 2.0, with a score of 6 out of 10, and OpenAI o1 the top score of 6.4 out of 10. The improvements in both cases were driven by boosts to the substance and citation scores.

    One significant shift came in the prevalence of hallucinations, with AI creating cases and statutes to support its answer. Whilst almost a third of the older models hallucinated (47 out of 150 answers), the two newer tools reduced this rate down to 9%. This does not, however, take into account real but inaccurate citation.

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    Commenting on the improved results, the report notes that, “despite the significant improvement in Gemini 2.0 and OpenAI o1, we recommend they should not be used for English law legal advice without expert human supervision. They are still not always right and lack nuance.”

    “However, if that expert supervision is available, they are getting to the stage where they could be useful, for example by creating a first draft or as a cross-check. This is particularly the case for tasks that involve summarising relatively well-known areas of law.”

    Looking ahead to the future the report goes on to say that “whether this rate of progression will continue is less clear.”

    “It is possible there are inherent limitations to LLMs — which are partly stochastic parrots regurgitating the internet (and other learned text) on demand,” it continues.” For example, they all suffer from the embodiment problem; they will never experience the beauty of a summer cricket game or the physical revulsion at finding a snail in a bottle of ginger beer. However, the fine tuning of this technology is likely to deliver performance improvements for years to come.”

    “In any event, we will reapply the LinksAI English law benchmark to future iterations of this technology and update this report,” it adds.

    The post Linklaters gives AI exam on English law appeared first on Legal Cheek.

    Source: Legal Cheek

  • Calls to lawyer wellbeing charity at all-time high

    Over one third mentioned stress and anxiety, says LawCare

    The number of legal professionals reaching out to the mental health charity LawCare surpassed 1,000 in 2024, marking the charity’s busiest year since its formation 25 years ago.

    LawCare released their annual impact report this week, with stats showing that the number of legal professionals contacting its free, independent, and confidential helpline was up 13% compared to last year. By far the most common reason for seeking help was stress and anxiety, mentioned by 39% of callers, followed by career concerns (15%) and workplace bullying and harassment (10%).

    Callers were overwhelmingly solicitors working in private practice, accounting for 43% of cases, followed by trainee solicitors (10%), with in-house solicitors and barristers making up only 7% and 6% of calls respectively.

    67% of those calling the hotline were female, while 21% of those who responded to diversity monitoring declared a disability.

    Last year the charity raised £396,213 in donations. This money will go towards the helpline, which costs £605 per day to run, as well as delivering training sessions and funding counselling.

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    Chief executive Elizabeth Rimmer commented, “We recognised the urgent need to increase our capacity. We want more people to know we are here and that they can turn to us for support.” She also encouraged readers:

    As you read this report, remember that behind every statistic is a story; a junior struggling with imposter syndrome, a lawyer navigating burnout or a business support professional managing anxiety. These stories remind us why our work matters

    In 2025, the charity will be prioritising their Life in the Law research, aiming to provide a detailed and up-to-date understanding of mental health and wellbeing in the legal sector.

    Struggling with the stress of work? Contact LawCare via its helpline or live chat.

    The post Calls to lawyer wellbeing charity at all-time high appeared first on Legal Cheek.

    Source: Legal Cheek

  • City law firms join forces to invest £4 million in climate action in Kenya

    Will support reforestation projects in the Nandi region

    Eight City law firms have committed a combined investment of £4 million over the next decade to support vulnerable communities in Kenya.

    The project, a collaboration between Save the Children Global Ventures (SCGV) and Legal Charter 1.5, aims to leverage private sector funding to drive climate adaptation and mitigation efforts while generating carbon credits for participating firms.

    The firms involved include Freshfields, Clyde & Co, Slaughter and May, DLA Piper, Taylor Wessing, Charles Russell Speechlys, and Simmons & Simmons, with an eighth firm opting to remain unnamed.

    Their funding will initially support agroforestry and reforestation projects in the Nandi region, a tea-growing area severely impacted by climate change and high levels of child poverty, malnutrition, and food insecurity.

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    The Legal Charter 1.5, launched in 2023 by a group of City law firms, helps firms align their strategies with a 1.5-degree climate transition — backing their commitments with pro bono work. The Charter partners with a range of organisations tackling climate change, including SCGV and the One Million Hours initiative, which mobilises law firms to provide free legal support for projects focused on climate adaptation, mitigation, and biodiversity protection.

    Jake Reynolds, Freshfields’ head of client sustainability and environment, commented: “Freshfields set a high bar on climate action through its ten-year funding of REAP, which concludes this year. Following 15 months of research and co-development with Save the Children, this new project, which builds on the outstanding success of REAP, is equally pioneering.”

    The post City law firms join forces to invest £4 million in climate action in Kenya appeared first on Legal Cheek.

    Source: Legal Cheek

  • Police arrest suspect who allegedly kills elder brother

    Police arrest suspect who allegedly kills elder brother

    By Ovat Abeng

    Police Operatives attached to 3-3 Divisional Headquarters Onitsha, the commercial city of Anambra State have arrested one Christian Ndubuisi who allegedly murdered his elder brother over a minor disagreement in Onitsha, the commercial city of Anambra State.

    The arrest was disclosed by the State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, in a statement he signed and made available to Journalists in Awka on Sunday.

    According to Ikenga, “Preliminary information had it that the suspect during a fight with the deceased, used a bottle he broke and stabbed his elder brother. The victim was rushed to the hospital and was confirmed dead by a doctor on duty.

    “The State Commissioner of Police CP Ikioye Orutugu, fwc MNIPS PhD notes that the incident serves as a sober reminder of the importance of conflict resolution and anger management. He noted that it was very tragic to hear that a minor disagreement escalated into a violent confrontation, resulting in the loss of life.

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    “The CP further directed that the case be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Awka,  assuring that justice will be served.”

  • C’River: Partners for Peace Condemns Attack on Minibus Driver, Calls for Justice

    C’River: Partners for Peace Condemns Attack on Minibus Driver, Calls for Justice

    Partners for Peace in the Niger Delta (P4P) in Cross River State has strongly condemned the recent assault on a minibus driver by individuals alleged to be working under the Calabar Municipal Council. The peacebuilding network has called on both state and local government authorities to identify and prosecute those responsible for the attack.

    In a statement issued by the State Coordinator, Mr. Ukorebi Esien, P4P described the act as outdated and harmful to the state’s reputation as a peaceful and tourism-friendly destination.

    “This kind of barbaric and ancient act has no place in our society. It tarnishes Cross River’s image and discourages visitors from coming to our state,” Esien stated.

    The group emphasized that as an organization committed to peacebuilding and conflict management, it views the incident as not only unfortunate but completely unacceptable.

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    While condemning the attack, P4P commended the Mayor of Calabar, Apostle (Rt. Hon.) James Anam, for his swift decision to disband all revenue task forces in the municipality. The network expressed confidence that this move would allow for a thorough investigation and restore calm within the sector.

    “We appreciate the proactive response of Apostle Anam in immediately dissolving the task force. This step will create room for proper investigations and ensure peace prevails,” Esien added.

    P4P urged the government to ensure that justice is served to prevent future occurrences of such violent enforcement practices.

    Authorities are yet to release a full report on the incident, but investigations are ongoing to identify those involved in the attack.

  • Land grabbers trying to ignite crisis in Anambra communities – Soludo told

    Land grabbers trying to ignite crisis in Anambra communities – Soludo told

    By Ovat Abeng

    The Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Charles Soludo has been called upon to wade into the illegal activities of some land grabbers trying to ignite crisis in various communities across the state.

    The President General of Urum Development Union, Sir Felix Godwin and other stakeholders in the town made the call while speaking with journalists in Awka on Saturday, on what they called illegal acquisition of land in Urum by some estate developers.

    According to the President General, there is the urgent need for the  Governor Soludo led administration through relevant authorities to look into  the manner a particular land speculator named Nwaguatahihia is wielding wealth, inciting some youths to cause problem in the community that has remained peaceful.

    He narrated that the Nwaguatahihia who claimed communal land was sold to him by only five families, have gone ahead to boast that he has enough money to buy over the entire town and intimidate its leadership.

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    The President General regretted that such utterances and development if not put to check by the government may lead to clash of interest and crises in the town.

    Sir Godwin while responding to claims by the Traditional Ruler of Urum, Igwe Benedict Nweke said it was quite unfortunate that the community leader chose to be bias and speak in a manner that brings his subjects to confusion and disappointed.

    The PG said the entire people of Urum were already taking necessary steps to ensure that nobody intimidates them by buying few persons over to override the overall developmental interest of the community.

    Sir Godwin challenged the Developer to provide documents backing his claims of buying lands from the original owners and cautioned unsuspecting buyers to be ware of the activities of some unscrupulous elements parading as land owners.

    The PG told Journalists that the Community have officially written to the security agents about the development and also to the state Ministry of Lands to be abreast of the development.

    Sir Godwin therefore called on the residents of Urum to remain calm , peaceful and law abiding as they have full trust that the Soludo led government will respond swiftly and promptly to the matter with a view to ensuring that more development is attracted to the agrarian area.

    Also some Stakeholders in Urum community have come out to put their weight and support behind the earlier stand of the Executive members of the town regarding their land at Ochiokwa layout.

    One of them, the Leader of Ozor tittle holders in the Community, Chief Ebenezer Nwakeze and Elder Luis Umegbolu who spoke for the Elders of the Community insisted that there was never a time they sold the land to any developer.

    The Chairman of Urum Land Committee, Brother Aron Okafor said the activities of speculators and grabbers were trying to put the community in bad light as lands are sold and resold by some agents who have no shame or integrity.

    He said as a result, the Committee  has been doing its best to ensure that genuine land buyers are not deceived hence the notice for members of the public wishing to acquire property in Urum Community to go through the proper channel created to avoid falling into the wrong hands.

    Also speaking, the Chairman Urum in Diaspora, Chief Ignatius Nnameka, and the Chairman Urum Patriotic Forum,  Sir Charles Nwankwor, said they would not have sold such strategic land out when the up coming generation in the area were still hoping to get a place to attract meaningful development to their community.

    For his part, the Chairman Urum Concerned Citizens and former President General of the town, Chief Mathew Nwudo, and the chairmen of the four villages who spoke with the media also proclaimed that the said land belongs to the entire people of Urum and was not sold to the said developer who parades as Nwaguatahihia Properties or anyone else.

    The  land developer, Chief Okechukwu Chukwueme (Nwaguatahihia) Properties had told newsmen that he bought the Ochiokwa land from the rightful owners in Urum, Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra State contrary to speculations.

    According to him, the land was properly documented and due process followed in acquiring it from the five families that owned it.

    The Traditional Ruler of Urum, Igwe Benedict Nweke also reaffirmed that the land in question belonged to some families in the community and not the entire town as insinuated.

    It is expected that the Anambra state government through the Ministry of Lands wades into the matter to resolve it amicably.

  • Illinois man convicted of fatally strangling his mom with bungee cord because she was dating

    MADISON COUNTY, Ill. (TCN) — A 46-year-old man has been convicted of killing his 60-year-old mother after she went on a date.

    According to the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office, a jury found Neil Howard guilty of first-degree murder in connection with the death of Norma Caraker. Howard will be sentenced at a later date and faces up to 60 years in prison.

    Prosecutors argued Howard, who lived in the victim’s basement, was “unhappy about his mother’s dating.” In September 2023, shortly after Caraker went on a date, Howard allegedly strangled her to death with a bungee cord. The victim’s dating was reportedly “making Howard ‘angrier and angrier and angrier,” until “he got drunk enough that he couldn’t take it anymore.”

    In the early hours of Sept. 13, 2023, Howard called 911 because his mother was unresponsive. Troy Police responded to the residence and found her in her bed with a bungee cord still around her neck, and she was pronounced deceased.

    According to the Belleville News-Democrat, prosecutors said Howard was an upset, unemployed man with a history of domestic violence. Howard allegedly tried to blame his mother’s death on her date, James Carter. However, Howard was reportedly the only person in Caraker’s residence when officers located her body.

    Assistant State’s Attorney Luke Yager said Howard “had enough of her sleeping around. He’d had enough of her not giving him money,” the Belleville News-Democrat reports. Yager reportedly showed body-camera footage of Howard telling authorities about a man who ran out of the glass door, but officers determined it had been locked from the inside. Howard also allegedly stole $58 from his mother.

    According to the Belleville News-Democrat, the defense claimed Troy Police ignored other possible leads and obtained a DNA sample from Carter over a year after the victim’s death. Other defense witnesses reportedly said Caraker often kept her door unlocked, and she would bring home men for sex and had an on-and-off boyfriend named as a beneficiary on her life insurance policy.

    A crime lab technician also allegedly testified and claimed she found Carter’s DNA on the bungee cord and under Caraker’s acrylic fingernails. However, prosecutors reportedly insisted Howard wore latex gloves when he strangled his mother, and his DNA wasn’t on the cord because the victim was trying to pull it away from her neck.

    According to prosecutors, during the trial, Yager told jurors that the defendant “wrapped that cord around her neck, and he pulled until she stopped breathing.”

    In a statement, Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Haine said, “The careful and meticulous work of the responding officers and investigators allowed our prosecution team to show the jury exactly what happened in the critical timeframe around Norma Caraker’s senseless death. This was a challenging case that relied heavily on scientific and technological evidence.”

    MORE:

    • Haine Announces Guilty Verdict in Trial of Man Charged with Killing Mother with Bungee Cord – Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office
    • Jury renders verdict in murder trial of Troy man accused of killing his mother – Belleville News-Democrat

    Source: True Crime Daily

  • Babysitter arrested for allegedly stealing items from homeowners and selling them on Facebook

    LAKE FOREST, Ill. (TCN) — Police arrested a 22-year-old woman they allege stole clothing, handbags, and other items from the homes where she babysat and listed them for sale online.

    According to a statement, in January, the Lake Forest Police Department learned about a suspected thief who allegedly stole jewelry, bags, and clothes from residences in Lake Forest and Lake Bluff. Police identified Darissa Chavarria as the suspect and said she reportedly took the items from the homes and posted them on Facebook Marketplace. She was arrested on two felony counts of theft in Lake Forest.

    After the state’s attorney’s office approved Chavarria’s arrest warrant, a Lake Bluff resident contacted the Lake Forest Police Department and said she believed Chavarria stole $10,000 worth of personal belongings from her home when she worked for her as a babysitter. Soon after that, another Lake Forest resident said she was missing $1,700 worth of jewelry.

    Police executed a search warrant at Chavarria’s home in Lake Bluff. She is also facing an arrest warrant out of Lake Bluff for theft.

    The Lake Forest and Lake Bluff police departments urged anyone who hired Chavarria as a babysitter to check their valuables.

    Lake Forest Police Chief John Burke said, “We commend the victims who came forward to report these thefts. Many people hesitate to report theft, but victims coming forward is essential. It helps us recover stolen property and prevent future crimes.”

    MORE:

    • Babysitter Theft Suspect Apprehended Following Joint Investigation – Lake Forest Police Department

    Source: True Crime Daily