Paradise News

Category: Metro

  • Delaware man accused of kidnapping 11-year-old girl he met playing video game

    WAYNE, N.J. (TCD) — A 27-year-old man allegedly abducted an 11-year-old girl and transported her from New Jersey to Delaware without her parents’ knowledge or consent.

    According to the Wayne Police Department, on Sept. 10 at approximately 6:45 a.m., officers were called to the area of U.S. Route 46 and Old Turnpike Road in reference to a missing 11-year-old child. She was soon found in Bear, Delaware.

    Upon further investigation, police learned Darius Matylewich had met the victim while playing an online video game, identified as Roblox by WPVI-TV. Matylewich allegedly took the girl 135 miles from Wayne, New Jersey, to Bear, Delaware, where she was found.

    On Sept. 10, officers from the New Castle County, Delaware Police Department arrested Matylewich, and he was extradited to New Jersey.

    According to police, Matylewich faces 10 to 30 years in New Jersey state prison if convicted. The Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office filed a motion for pretrial detention, and Matylewich was scheduled to appear in court Monday, Oct. 16.

    In a statement obtained by WPVI, Roblox said, “We work tirelessly to prevent grooming on our platform and have a team of thousands of moderators who enforce a strict set of community standards.”

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  • Ill. man allegedly fatally stabbed 6-year-old boy, injured his mom because they are Muslim

    PLAINFIELD, Ill. (TCD) — A Chicago-area man now faces hate crime charges after he allegedly fatally stabbed a 6-year-old boy and injured the child’s mother due to the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.

    According to a statement, on Saturday, Oct. 14, Will County Sheriff’s Office deputies and Plainfield Township Police officers responded to a call on the 16200 block of South Lincoln Highway about a stabbing between a landlord and a tenant. When law enforcement officials arrived, they found 71-year-old Joseph Czuba sitting in the driveway with a cut on his forehead. Medics took him to a nearby hospital for treatment.

    When deputies and officers went inside, they found the two victims suffering from stab wounds to their chest, torso, and other parts of their upper bodies. A 32-year-old woman sustained a dozen stab wounds and was taken to the hospital in serious condition. Medics also transported a 6-year-old child to the hospital in critical condition, where he died from his injuries. He reportedly still had a large knife in his abdomen.

    The pathologist conducting the autopsy determined the boy, who was identified as Wadea Al-Fayoume, was killed with a 12-inch serrated military-style knife with a 7-inch blade. Wadea had been stabbed 26 times.

    Following his release from the hospital, investigators spoke with Czuba, but he “did not make any statements to detectives regarding his involvement in this heinous attack.” Will County detectives, however, allege Czuba targeted Wadea and his mother “due to them being Muslim and the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict involving Hamas and the Israelis.”

    The Justice Department announced Sunday, Oct. 15, that they have opened a federal hate crimes investigation into the boy’s death and the attack on his mother, Hanaan Shahin.

    The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Chicago bureau said in a statement Wadea and Shahin were Czuba’s tenants. Wadea’s father told CAIR-Chicago that Czuba allegedly knocked on Shahin’s door, tried to choke her, and screamed, “You Muslims must die!”

    Shahin reportedly ran to call for help, but when she got back, Wadea had been mortally wounded.

    Wadea’s funeral and burial is Monday, Oct. 16.

    CAIR-Chicago Executive Director Ahmed Rehab said, “Our hearts are heavy, and our prayers are with the darling boy and his mother. As we await the official investigation of the local authorities, what we can confirm at the moment is that we have a murdered child in his own home, a 6-year-old who had just celebrated his birthday a couple of weeks ago, and a mother lying in the hospital in serious condition, both stabbed over a dozen times.”

    Rehab said the events that transpired are “our worst nightmare.”

    The Chicago Jewish Community Relations Council released a statement following Wadea’s killing, saying, “We condemn this heinous act in the strongest possible terms. Wadea Al-Fayoume and his mother were attacked, and Wadea was murdered, because they are Muslim. May Wadea’s memory be a blessing to all who knew and loved him and may his mother experience a full recovery.”

    Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker wrote, “To take a 6-year-old child’s life in the name of bigotry is nothing short of evil. Wadea should be heading to school in the morning. Instead, his parents will wake up without their son. This wasn’t just a murder — it was a hate crime.”

    Pritzker added, “And every single Illinoisan — including our Muslim, Jewish, and Palestinian neighbors — deserve to live free from the threat of such evil.”

    The Will County Sheriff’s Office says Czuba is charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, two counts of hate crime, and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.



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  • NSCDC arrest man for vandalising floodlights at UJ Esuene Stadium

    NSCDC arrest man for vandalising floodlights at UJ Esuene Stadium

    By Christian Njoku

    The Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, (NSCDC) has arrested one Mr Yakubu Isiaka from Kano for allegedly vandalising the floodlights at the UJ Esuene Stadium Calabar.

    This was disclosed by Commandant Charles Brown, Cross River’s Commandant of NSCDC on Monday in Calabar during a parade of two suspect for vandalising public infrastructures in the state.

    It would be recalled that on Sept. 28 the corps had also paraded one Ibrahim Sani, a 40 year old  for allegedly vandalising streetlights in the MCC area of Calabar for their highly sought-after armoured and flex cables.

    Brown said while the matter has been charged to court with arraignment scheduled to take place on Oct. 19, the second suspect Goodnews Orum was yet to be charged to court because he was arrested on Saturday Oct 14.

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    “Isiaka was arrested last week by our men at the UJ Esuene Stadium at about 10pm for allegedly vandalising two control panel lights in the stadium.

    “Goodnews on the other hand was arrested at Mary Slessor Road, Calabar with implements like two hard saws, knives, a sack an other implements trying to vandalise a streetlight at about 2am.

    “My men also recovered about five yards of very expensive armoured cable dug out from streetlights around Mary Slessor from another vandal who escaped on sighting our men, leaving the exhibit behind.

    “We will continue to put in more efforts to rid the state of vandals of critical public infrastructures, he said.

    While calling on vandals to desist forthwith from acts of vandalism, he said the eagle eyes of the corps was watching.

    Speaking to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Isiaka one of the suspects said he was a scrap metal dealer and  was taken to the stadium by the vandals whose plans was to get armoured cables and sell to him.

    He said they walked into the stadium in the night without noticing any security but while they were working, security operatives appeared, others escaped but he was apprehended.

    According to him it was his first time of going out for such activity.

    On his part, Orum said he was a bus loader and was only trying to sleep around the street light in Mary Slessor before he was arrested at about 2am.

    The 23 year old indigene of Akwa Ibom said the implements shown as exhibits were not his adding that the saw was on the floor when he was arrested.

  • Judicial Watch Announces Premiere of ‘Censored and Controlled,’ a Four-Part Documentary on Government and Social Media Censorship Featuring Senator Eric Schmitt, Congressman Jim Jordan, and Journalist Matt Taibbi

    (Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch announced the release of “Censored and Controlled,” a four-part documentary that details the coordinated effort by the government and Big Tech to censor and suppress information on topics such as Hunter Biden’s laptop, COVID-19, and election debates. The first episode will premier Monday, October 16, 2023, at 7 p.m. ET on the Judicial Watch website, X/Twitter, Rumble, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. A new episode will be available each day through Thursday, October 19, 2023. A trailer for the documentary is available here: https://youtu.be/prrHmQSoc6A 

    The series features interviews with people who have taken leading roles in exposing the collusion between government and social media to control what Americans see and hear. Included in the lineup of experts is: 

    • Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO) who as attorney general of Missouri filed a lawsuit in 2020 against President Biden and other administration officials, alleging they were working with social media platforms to censor information related to COVID-19 and other topics.
    • Congressman Jim Jordan (R-OH), who is chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. Jordan’s committee is leading the House investigation into government-led censorship on social media.
    • Journalist Matt Taibbi, one of the journalists who covered the release of the “Twitter Files,” which exposed government involvement in Twitter and other Big Tech censorship of Americans. Taibbi testified before Congress about what the “Twitter Files” revealed about the partnership between government and social media to censor information and opinions.
    • Chris Nelson, senior investigator at Judicial Watch, formerly a career counterintelligence officer with the U.S. Government.
    • And, Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, which has filed Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuits and other litigation concerning government and Big Tech censorship.

    The premiere episode, The Hearing, looks at Taibbi’s experience exposing the “Twitter Files:”

    Today, American taxpayers are unwittingly financing the growth and power of a censorship-industrial complex run by America’s scientific and technological elite, which endangers our liberties and democracy.

    What we found in the [Twitter] Files was a sweeping effort to reverse that promise and use machine learning and other tools to turn the internet into an instrument of censorship and social control. Unfortunately, our own government appears to be playing a lead role.

    The Twitter Files, state attorneys general lawsuits, and investigative reporters have revealed a large and growing network of government agencies, academic institutions, and nongovernmental organizations that are actively censoring American citizens, often without their knowledge, on a range of issues.

    Elon Musk took ownership of Twitter, now X, in October 2023. On December 2, 2023, the New York Post reported Taibbi posted the first Twitter thread containing what became known at the “Twitter Files.” This first installment contained documents related to Twitter’s internal discussions related to moderating content on the Hunter Biden laptop story which the Post broke shortly before the 2020 presidential election.  

    Nineteen installments of the “Twitter Files” would be released through March 2023. These included internal communications related to the suspension of former President Donald Trump from the platform, exchanges between the FBI and Twitter’s Trust and Safety Team regarding suppressing election misinformation, and moderation of COVID-19 content.

    The second episode, The Hunter Biden Problem, addresses the pre-election censorship of the Hunter Biden laptop story. From the suppression of the initial and subsequent reporting on the laptop to the promotion of the letter signed by 51intelligence officials calling the laptop “Russian disinformation,” the episode details the coordinated effort to suppress Americans’ access to stories exposing the contents of the laptop while promoting stories denying the authenticity of the laptop. Congressman Jordan responded to this coordination saying:

    The guy who put the whole letter together, Mike Morrell, former acting director of the CIA, said “we” did it because we wanted Joe Biden to have something to use against President Trump in the final debate on October 22nd, 2020. And we wanted that because we want Joe Biden to win.

    In The Censorship Industrial Complex, the third episode, Jordan, Taibbi, and Fitton warn of the partnership among government, traditional and social media to control Americans’ access to information. Taibbi states:

    Civil society organizations are supposed to watch the government. The news media is supposed. to watch both. The tech platforms are supposed to have different interests from the government. But what we see in the center in the censorship industrial complex is they’re all working together in what you know and what they call the shared endeavor. And, so it’s a consolidation of power.

    Fitton adds:

    I think we just have to come to terms with the fact that the Big Tech companies or social media companies are partisan leftist ideologues, and they’ve been lying about the reasons they’ve been quote, “moderating content.” They’ve been censoring content, not following a set of rules, but following government dictates and their own ideological predilections and political biases.

    The series finale, COVID, Censorship and Consequences, examines the organized censorship of debate about the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, mask mandates, and Dr. Anthony Fauci’s efforts to control the narrative surrounding the pandemic. Senator Eric Schmitt notes:

    [I]n the lead up to the 2020 election, we saw this massive effort by the federal government to work with big tech to suppress dissenting views. And that’s an un-American thing to do. And so, we filed the lawsuit, which was a landmark lawsuit. And what we uncovered in that lawsuit was a vast censorship enterprise, broader and bigger than anybody could have ever imagined. 

    “This new Judicial Watch documentary series exposes how the censorship partnership between government and Big Tech is a dire threat to our First Amendment and other freedoms,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “Judicial Watch will seek to hold the ‘censors’ accountable – working with elected officials, journalists, and other leaders to protect free speech.” 

    This documentary series was directed by Joe Weasel of Full Story Films LLC., and produced by Tom Fitton, Paul Orfanedes and Chris Farrell.

    Judicial Watch is deeply involved in the investigation of censorship by government entities and Big Tech.

     In April 2023, Judicial Watch filed two FOIA lawsuits against the DOJ and other federal agencies for communications between the agencies and Facebook and Twitter regarding the government’s involvement in content moderation and censorship on the social media platforms.

     In June 2023, Judicial Watch sued DHS for all records of communications tied to the Election Integrity Partnership. Based on representations from the EIP (see here and here), the federal government, social media companies, the EIP, the Center for Internet Security (a non-profit organization funded partly by DHS and the Defense Department) and numerous other leftist groups communicated privately via the Jirasoftware platform developed by Atlassian.

    In February 2023, Judicial Watch sued the U.S. Department Homeland Security (DHS) for records showing cooperation between the Cybersecurity and Information Security Agency (CISA) and social media platforms to censor and suppress free speech.

    Judicial Watch in January 2023 sued the DOJ for records of communications between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and social media sites regarding foreign influence in elections, as well as the Hunter Biden laptop story.

    In September 2022, Judicial Watch sued the Secretary of State of the State of California for having YouTube censor a Judicial Watch election integrity video.

    In May 2022, YouTube censored a Judicial Watch video about Biden corruption and election integrity issues in the 2020 election. The video, titled “Impeach? Biden Corruption Threatens National Security,” was falsely determined to be “election misinformation” and removed by YouTube, and Judicial Watch’s YouTube account was suspended for a week. The video featured an interview of Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. Judicial Watch continues to post its video content on its Rumble channel (https://rumble.com/vz7aof-fitton-impeach-biden-corruption-threatens-national-security.html).

    In July 2021, Judicial Watch uncovered records from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which revealed that Facebook coordinated closely with the CDC to control the COVID narrative and “misinformation” and that over $3.5 million in free advertising given to the CDC by social media companies.

    In May 2021, Judicial Watch revealed documents showing that Iowa state officials pressured social media companies Twitter and Facebook to censor posts about the 2020 election.

    In April 2021, Judicial Watch published documents revealing how California state officials pressured social media companies (Twitter, Facebook, Google (YouTube)) to censor posts about the 2020 election.

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  • Porn star who asked Reddit whether they could make it as a lawyer reveals TC success 

    ‘Nailed it’


    Regular readers of Legal Cheek may recall a rather eye-catching story over the summer where a former porn star questioned whether a career in law was within their reach.

    Taking to message board Reddit back in August, the unnamed male claimed they had “appeared in many porn videos” but left the industry four years ago. They had since gone on to study law with a view to becoming a solicitor but feared they may be recognised from their performing days.

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    The post attracted hundreds of comments, most of which agreed the transition from pornstar to lawyer is doable.

    Well our mystery would-be lawyer has returned to Reddit with an important update — they’ve apparently secured a TC. “I’ve got myself a training contract for next year!” they write. “Thanks for all your support. I’m currently working as a paralegal.”

    Those users following the story were quick to congratulate the former pornstar. “Nailed it,” one wrote. “Well done for not coming across as a massive dick,” another added.

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  • Gateley sets home-working days based on lawyers’ experience 

    Three to four days in office, depending on experience

    UK law firm Gateley has tweaked its hybrid working policy, reducing the amount of time that lawyers are permitted to work from home.

    Whilst the post-Covid policy mandated that trainees and those with up to two year post-qualification experience (PQE) spend no more than one day a week at home, life for more senior lawyers is soon to change.

    For those who’ve already celebrated two years on the job, their allowance has been cut to two days a week at home from 6 November, with partners also out of the house for a minimum of three days, with immediate effect.

    In a statement, however, the firm made it clear that there is a difference between not working from home, and being in the office. “The three days a week that are not remote include being in the office but might also include time spent working on site with clients or third parties, attending court or being at industry events,” it explained.

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    On the rationale for the changes, the statement continued:

    “We remain committed to hybrid working and we do see the benefits it brings. It’s also important we have something in place that will encourage us to strike the balance between the flexibility that remote working allows while still being able to build on and retain our culture, provide better team collaboration and networking opportunities, and help those early into their careers to have the face-to-face support and mentoring that is critical for their own career development.”

    Earlier this year Legal Cheek reported similar reductions in hybrid working at Skadden, with lawyers being told to be in the office for a minimum of four days a week. Other outfits to make similar tweaks in recent months include Ropes & Gray, Sidley and Weil.

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  • N.J. woman accused of stabbing 5-year-old granddaughter several times

    PATERSON, N.J. (TCD) — A 51-year-old woman is being charged after she allegedly stabbed her young granddaughter multiple times, injuring her.

    On Oct. 11, Paterson Police Department officers were called to Carroll Street and Godwin Avenue for a report of a stabbing and found a wounded 5-year-old girl when they arrived.

    The Passaic County District Attorney’s Office said police arrested the child’s grandmother, Aurora Villacorta, for allegedly stabbing the child.

    The Passaic County District Attorney’s Office announced Thursday, Oct. 12, that they are charging Villacorta with second-degree aggravated assault, third-degree aggravated assault, fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, third-degree possession of a weapon or an unlawful purpose, and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child.

    Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh told NJ.com, “It looks like the child is going to survive.”

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  • Las Vegas man arrested after stray bullet kills 9-year-old boy, injures brother

    LAS VEGAS (TCD) — A 41-year-old man faces charges in connection with the death of a 9-year-old boy who was fatally struck by a stray bullet in March.

    On March 7 at approximately 6:02 p.m., the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department responded to the 5300 block of Boulder Highway and found a male juvenile, identified by KLAS-TV as Sir’ Armani Iyair Clark, suffering from an apparent gunshot wound to the head. Medical personnel transported the victim to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

    Upon further investigation, police learned a bullet pierced a wall from a neighbor’s apartment, which struck Clark and his 10-year-old brother. Clark’s brother was reportedly transported to the hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

    During the shooting, the brothers were home with their parents and another sibling, KLAS reports.

    Las Vegas Police detectives identified Eliazar Quintero, who is in custody in the Nevada Department of Corrections for unrelated gun and drug convictions, as the primary suspect Wednesday, Oct. 11.

    According to KLAS, on March 8, two days after the shooting incident, Quintero was supposed to receive sentencing for firearm ownership or possession by a prohibited individual. However, he failed to appear in court, which resulted in a judge issuing a bench warrant for his arrest. Quintero was taken into custody March 10 and is currently serving a two-to-five-year sentence.

    Police said he will be booked into the Clark County Detention Center for second-degree murder involving a deadly weapon.



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  • 20-year-old, 6 others charged in connection with death of missing 17-year-old

    COLUMBUS, Ohio (TCD) — A 20-year-old man and six others, including two juveniles, face charges in connection with the death of a 17-year-old who went missing in September.

    According to the Columbus Division of Police, Imperial Stewart was last seen Sept. 20 near Cleveland Avenue and Huy Road, and his family subsequently reported him missing. Police identified Michael Bowles, 20, and his brother, Mi’Quel Bowles, as persons of interest in his disappearance.

    On Oct. 3, police said Homicide Unit detectives believed Stewart was likely deceased, which led to the arrests of six people. Mi’Quel Bowles, Tywisha Peterson, and Russell Hardgrove-Madison are charged with third-degree obstruction of justice, and Genee Dumas and Samiya Proctor face charges of obstruction of official business, tampering with evidence, and resisting arrest. Investigators were still searching for Michael Bowles at the time.

    WCMH-TV reports a seventh suspect, Raymor Dumas, was taken into custody for tampering with evidence and obstruction of justice. Peterson is Michael and Mi’Quel Bowles’ mother.

    On Oct. 4, police announced they are charging Michael Bowles with murder and 16-year-old Hardgrove-Madison with murder, robbery, and obstructing justice. In a statement Friday, Oct. 13, the Franklin County District Attorney’s Office said Michael Bowles was officially indicted on two counts of murder, and one count each of aggravated murder, aggravated robbery, tampering with evidence, gross abuse of a corpse, and having a weapon under disability.

    According to WCMH, Stewart reportedly bought a gun from Michael Bowles. After the purchase, Hardgrove-Madison allegedly tried to rob him inside a bar, which led to Bowles shooting Stewart. Mi’Quel Bowles also reportedly sustained a gunshot wound, but it was not life-threatening. Investigators reportedly located the burned-out car in another county.

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  • Ala. man allegedly killed and dismembered roommate, buried him in concrete grave under stairs

    WALKER COUNTY, Ala. (TCD) — A 30-year-old man is accused of killing, dismembering, and burying his missing roommate in what investigators are calling a “gruesome” crime.

    Terry Drummond, 62, was reported missing to the Walker County Sheriff’s Office on Oct. 7 after he was allegedly last seen three days prior at approximately 6:30 a.m.

    In a Friday, Oct. 13, news conference, Walker County Capt. Darrell Mote said investigators began looking into the case and securing interviews after Drummond’s roommate, Kevin Chad McLemore, filed the report.

    Officials obtained search warrants for Drummond’s home and the surrounding area after getting “basic information” from the interviews and their own investigation.

    On Oct. 11, detectives went to Drummond’s home on Harvey Drummond Road and executed the search warrant. When they looked in the back, they reportedly discovered a “makeshift grave covered in concrete blocks.”

    Investigators took the blocks apart and found dismembered remains in the shallow grave.

    Walker County Sheriff Nick Smith said Drummond’s death was a “very gruesome, detailed-out murder.”

    McLemore was arrested Thursday, Oct. 13.

    WBRC-TV reports McLemore faces murder and abuse of a corpse charges.

    According to the search warrant cited by WBRC, Drummond’s remains were located in a “garbage can filled with concrete, and buried the victim under a set of stairs.”

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