Paradise News

Category: Metro

  • Calif. man accused of killing his 2 young kids with spear gun is deemed not competent to stand trial

    SAN DIEGO (TCD) — A Southern California man who was arrested in 2021 for allegedly kidnapping his young children and killing them with a spearfishing gun in Mexico because they were “possessed by serpent DNA” was found not competent to stand trial.

    The San Diego Union-Tribune reports a judge in the U.S. District Court of Southern California determined the ruling Thursday, Oct. 12. The suspect will reportedly undergo a second competency hearing in March and will be sent to a facility until then.

    Federal prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California charged Matthew Coleman in September 2021 with two counts of foreign first-degree murder of United States nationals in connection with the death of his 2-year-old son, Kaleo, and 10-month-old daughter, Roxy. He was indicted on the same charges in the Central District of California, but the U.S. Attorney’s Office in San Diego said those charges will be dropped.

    According to the affidavit, on Aug. 7, 2021, Coleman allegedly took Kaleo and Roxy from their home in Santa Barbara and drove them to Rosarito, Mexico. While there, he allegedly “murdered his children by shooting a spearfishing gun into their chests,” then left their bodies in a ditch.

    Around the same time, Coleman’s wife spoke with law enforcement, and she said Coleman told her he was taking the kids on a camping trip. The wife reportedly “did not believe that M. Coleman would harm their children, nor did she believe her children were in any danger,” but she expressed some concern because Coleman did not have a car seat in his vehicle.

    One day later, on Aug. 8, 2021, Coleman’s wife reported them missing to the Santa Barbara Police Department. Police used Find My iPhone to pinpoint Coleman and saw he was in Rosarito. Santa Barbara Police contacted the FBI, and he was stopped at a port of entry Aug. 9, 2021, without any other occupants in the car.

    The special agent at the border reportedly noticed blood on the car’s registration paperwork.

    According to the affidavit, Coleman allegedly confessed to killing Kaleo and Roxy because “he believed his children were going to grow into monsters, so he had to kill them.”

    Their bodies were found Aug. 9, 2021, with “large puncture wounds in their chest cavities.”

    After allegedly killing them, Coleman discarded the gun and bloody clothing in a creek and in a trash can in Tijuana.

    Coleman was reportedly “enlightened by QAnon and Illuminati conspiracy theories,” which supposedly gave him visions that his wife “possessed serpent DNA and had passed it onto his children.”

    He allegedly claimed he “was saving the world from monsters.”

    The affidavit says Coleman admitted he knew his actions were wrong, but “it was the only course of action that would save the world.”

    Prosecutors were reportedly debating about whether to pursue the death penalty, but in January, they announced they would not, according to KFMB-TV.

    Source

  • Minnesota man pleads guilty to stealing ruby slippers from 'The Wizard of Oz'

    DULUTH, Minn. (TCD) — A 76-year-old man recently pleaded guilty to stealing a pair of the famous ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in the 1939 film “The Wizard of Oz.”

    According to an Oct. 13 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of North Dakota, Terry Martin pleaded guilty to one count of theft of major artwork, an object of cultural heritage from the care, custody, or control of a museum. He previously pleaded not guilty in June, WCCO-TV reports. 

    In 2005, Martin reportedly used a sledgehammer to break into the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, then opened the display case containing the slippers and proceeded to steal them.

    According to WCCO, Martin claimed he didn’t hear an alarm, and he fled the scene in his car. Martin reportedly stashed the stolen slippers in a trailer next to his home.

    WCCO reports that Martin brought them to a “jewelry fence,” a criminal who resells stolen items, who revealed the jewels were glass, not real rubies. He later handed the slippers over to someone else, and he claimed he no longer had anything to do with the shoes after that.

    The FBI and Grand Rapids Police Department recovered the slippers in July 2018. They are one of the last four remaining pairs, the Attorney’s Office said.

    Michael Shaw, a collector who loaned the shoes to the museum during the theft, reportedly said that the slippers remained in the same “pristine” condition as they were before the theft.

    The Attorney’s Office said the slippers were worth $1 million in 2005, but they’re currently estimated to be worth $3.5 million.

    Martin’s sentencing has not yet been scheduled.

    In a statement obtained by WCCO, a curator for the Judy Garland Museum said, “Just to do it because he thought they were real rubies and to turn them over to a jewelry fence. I mean, the value is not rubies. The value is an American treasure, a national treasure. To steal them without knowing that seems ludicrous.”

    Source

  • Shocking January 6 Secrets Revealed!

    U.S. Capitol Police Federal Court Filing Reveals Officials Were Aware of the Potential for a Significant Disturbance on January 6
    UPDATE on Federal Court Hearing FBI’s Records on Hunter Biden Gun Scandal As FBI Refuses to Divulge Number of Records Due to ‘Ongoing Criminal Investigation’
    Biden DHS Fails to Deport 99.7% of the 2.1 Million Illegal Immigrants it Freed Inside U.S.

     

    U.S. Capitol Police Federal Court Filing Reveals Officials Were Aware of the Potential for a Significant Disturbance on January 6

    “Things are not always what they seem,” the ancient Greek aristocrat Phaedrus said. “The first appearance deceives many; the intelligence of a few perceives what has been carefully hidden.” So, it goes with the events of January 6, 2021.

    Judicial Watch just received the court-ordered declaration of James W. Joyce, senior counsel in the Office of the General Counsel for the Capitol Police, in which he describes emails among senior officials of the United States Capitol Police (USCP) in January 2021 that show warnings of possible January 6 protests that could lead to serious disruptions at the U.S. Capitol.

    The declaration comes in a lawsuit we brought under the common law right of access to public records (Judicial Watch v. United States Capitol Police (No. 1:21-cv-00401)). The suit requests:

    Email communications between the U.S. Capitol Police Executive Team and the Capitol Police Board concerning the security of the Capitol on January 6, 2021. The timeframe of this request is from January 1, 2021 through January 10, 2021.

    Email communications of the Capitol Police Board with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security concerning the security of the Capitol on January 6, 2021. The timeframe of this request is from January 1, 2021 through January 10, 2021.

    All video footage from within the Capitol between 12 pm and 9 pm on January 6, 2021.

    After an August 15, 2023, hearing, in which U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes ordered the Capitol Police to provide us more detailed descriptions of certain emails that had been withheld, the U.S. Capitol Police filed a seven-page “second declaration,” which describes email discussions of evacuations and relocations of people from certain buildings, arrests, and other security matters.

    The U.S. Capitol Police describe “situational security update” emails at issue as follows:

    a. A January 3, 2021 email, with attachment, from the USCP Deputy Chief to a Board member and others at USCP and in Congress providing a detailed “special event assessment” of anticipated protest activity in advance of the January 6, 2021 Joint Session of Congress. The attached document is marked on each page “For Official Use Only/Law Enforcement Sensitive.”

    b. A January 5, 2021 email, with map attachment, from the USCP Chief to two Board members detailing a proposed “bike rack” security perimeter for January 6, 2021, and proposing further discussion.

    c. A January 5, 2021 email, with map attachment, from the USCP Chief to two Board members detailing a proposed security perimeter for January 6, 2021.

    d. A January 5, 2021 email, with social media post and map attachments, from the USCP Deputy Chief to a Board member and others at USCP and in Congress reporting “a significant uptick in new visitors” to a “historical website” containing information on Capitol system tunnels. The Deputy Chief describes proposed attempts by unauthorized individuals to block members of Congress from entering the Capitol building, through tunnels or otherwise.

    e. A January 5, 2021 email from the USCP Deputy Chief to a Board member and others at USCP and in Congress alerting them to an online website soliciting information on high-level government officials and their expected whereabouts on January 6, 2021, and linking to the website’s article entitled Why the Second American Revolution Starts Jan 6.

    f. A January 6, 2021 email from the USCP Chief to Board members and others at USCP and in Congress relaying that the President had completed a speech at the Ellipse and that a large group was preparing to approach the Capitol.

    g. A January 6, 2021 email thread between the USCP Chief, two Board members, and congressional staffers responding to questions on the status of evacuations and relocations of certain buildings on the Capitol Grounds on January 6, 2021, and relaying information on crowds gathering near the Washington Monument and on Capitol Grounds on January 6, 2021.

    h. A series of four January 6, 2021 emails from the USCP Deputy Chief to a Board member and others at the USCP and in Congress providing four updates throughout the course of January 6, 2021. These updates contain intelligence assessments, information on arrests, coordination with other law enforcement agencies, crowd estimates, scheduling of high-level government officials, threat and incident reports, medical responses, and officer deployment status.

    i. A January 7, 2021 email, with photo attachment, from the USCP Deputy Chief to Board members and others in Congress providing an update on the arrest and subsequent charging of an armed individual found in a “suspicious vehicle” on January 6, 2021.

    The U.S. Capitol Police describe “updates on police personnel issues” emails at issue as follows:

    a. A January 7, 2021 email from the USCP Chief to all Board members and others at the USCP and in Congress providing an update on the medical condition of a USCP officer following the events of January 6, 2021.

    b. A January 7, 2021 email from the USCP Chief to all Board members and others at USCP and in Congress providing an update on the medical condition of a USCP officer following the events of January 6, 2021.

    c. A January 7, 2021 email from the USCP Chief to all Board members and others at USCP and in Congress providing an update on the death of a USCP officer following the events of January 6, 2021.

    d. A January 8, 2021 email from the USCP Chief to a Board member and others at USCP and in Congress concerning the lowering of flags to half-staff in recognition of a USCP officer who died in the line of duty on January 6, 2021.

    e. A January 9, 2021 email from the USCP Acting Chief to all Board members providing an update on when autopsy results could be expected for a deceased USCP officer following the events of January 6, 2021.

    Another email is described under the category of “updates about news media reports:”

    A January 7, 2021 email, with attachment, from the USCP Chief to all Board members and others at USCP and in Congress providing an anticipated statement by the USCP on the events that transpired at the Capitol on January 6, 2021.

    On September 29, 2023, the Capitol Police filed a motion to dismiss our common law right of access lawsuit that asks for over 14,000 hours of video footage, arguing that the USCP has a sovereign immunity exemption from lawsuits asserting a common law right of access to public information. The latest filing goes further than prior Pelosi Congress secrecy arguments in this litigation by newly asserting that even if a lawsuit were allowed to go forward, all January 6 videos and emails would be exempt from disclosure as “security information.”

    We also received the January 7, 2021, resignation letter of Steven A. Sund, chief of the Capitol Police on January 6, who left the position at the request of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

    It is urgent that the January 6 videos and related U.S. Capitol Police emails be released to the American public. I would hope the next House speaker takes a different approach than Nancy Pelosi and Kevin McCarthy and affirms the public’s lawful ‘right to know’ – and stops working with the Biden Justice Department to hide this January 6 evidence.

    Your Judicial Watch is extensively investigating the events of January 6.

    Last month we received records from the Executive Office for United States Attorneys, a component of the Department of Justice, in a FOIA lawsuit that detail the extensive apparatus the Biden Justice Department set up to investigate and prosecute January 6 protestors.

    A previous review of records from that lawsuit highlighted the prosecution declination memorandum justifying the decision not to prosecute U.S. Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd for the shooting death of Babbitt.

    In January 2023, documents from the Department of the Air Force, Joint Base Andrews, MD, showed U.S. Capitol Police Lieutenant Michael Byrd was housed at taxpayer expense at Joint Base Andrews after he shot and killed U.S. Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt inside the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.

    In November 2021, we released multiple audio, visual and photo records from the DC Metropolitan Police Department about the shooting death of Babbitt on January 6, 2021, in the U.S. Capitol Building. The records included a cell phone video of the shooting and an audio of a brief police interview of the shooter, Byrd.

    In October 2021, United States Park Police records related to the January 6, 2021, demonstrations at the U.S. Capitol showed that on the day before the January 6 rally featuring President Trump, U.S. Park Police expected a “large portion” of the attendees to march to the U.S. Capitol and that the FBI was monitoring the January 6 demonstrations, including travel to the events by “subjects of interest.”

    We’ll be sure to keep you updated on this developing story…

     

     

    UPDATE on Federal Court Hearing about FBI’s Records on Hunter Biden Gun Scandal, FBI Refuses to Divulge Number of Records Due to ‘Ongoing Criminal Investigation’

    We were in federal court today for a hearing in our FOIA lawsuit for records regarding the gun owned by Hunter Biden that reportedly was thrown in a trash can behind a Delaware grocery store. The FBI is refusing to disclose basic information about the records because it alleges doing so would interfere with the criminal prosecution of Hunter Biden.

    The court hearing was before Judge Jia M. Cobb of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

    In an August 2023 joint status report to the court, the FBI claims it has completed a search for records responsive to our FOIA request and is “currently processing” the records but added that its “position is that the number of potentially responsive records is exempt from disclosure … as this case relates to an ongoing criminal investigation.”

    We filed the lawsuit after the FBI withheld records in response to a January 30, 2023, FOIA request (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of Justice (No. 1:23-cv-00920)). We are asking for:

    All records, including investigative reports, telephone logs, witness statements, memoranda, and firearms purchase documentation, related to the reported purchase, possession, and disposal of a firearm owned by Hunter Biden discarded in a Delaware trash receptacle circa October 2018.

    All records of communications of FBI officials regarding the reported purchase, possession, and disposal of the firearm.

    We argue that the Hunter Biden gun case “is indisputably of significant public interest:”

    It is also time sensitive. [Judicial Watch] has asked and Defendant has refused to provide the number of potentially responsive records that need to be processed in this case. Without this number, Plaintiff cannot evaluate – let alone agree to – a processing time of 120 days. In addition, because it appears as though Defendant will be providing [Judicial Watch] with a “no number, no list” response at the end of the 120 days, it could be more efficient and economical for the parties to simply commence summary judgment briefing and for Defendant to file its opening brief in 60 days.

    The FBI unlawfully hid records about its Hunter Biden cover-up and now is using the compromised prosecution of Hunter Biden as an after-the-fact justification for its cover-up. It is simply remarkable that the Biden administration is invoking privileges – that are usually used to protect national security information – to hide details of the FBI’s clean-up operation about Hunter’s mishandling of his gun.

    In February 2023, from a separate lawsuit, we released records from the United States Secret Service that implicate the FBI in the unusual action of helping Hunter Biden.

    In response to a February 24, 2021, email inquiry from Politico reporter Ben Schreckinger regarding the Secret Service’s involvement in the investigation of the Hunter Biden gun incident, the Communications Department asked for “more information or documentation.” Schreckinger responded: “Sure thing. Agents visited StarQuest Shooters & Survival Supply and asked to take possession of the paperwork Hunter had filled out to purchase a gun there. The FBI also had some involvement in the investigation.”

    In October 2020, The Blaze reported that in October 2018 Hunter Biden’s handgun was taken by Hallie Biden, the widow of then-presidential nominee Joe Biden’s son Beau. In 2021, Politico reported:

    Hallie took Hunter’s gun and threw it in a trash can behind a grocery store, only to return later to find it gone.

    Delaware police began investigating, concerned that the trash can was across from a high school and that the missing gun could be used in a crime, according to law enforcement officials and a copy of the police report obtained by POLITICO.

    But a curious thing happened at the time: Secret Service agents approached the owner of the store where Hunter bought the gun and asked to take the paperwork involving the sale, according to two people, one of whom has firsthand knowledge of the episode and the other was briefed by a Secret Service agent after the fact.

    (The court hearing this morning led to an agreement that Judicial Watch would consult with the DOJ/FBI over the next few weeks to try to come some agreement in which Judicial Watch could get key records about the FBI’s response to the “gun dumping” incident.).

     

    Biden DHS Fails to Deport 99.7% of the 2.1 Million Illegal Immigrants it Freed Inside U.S. 

    Border security, as the terror attack in Israel shows, is essential to the freedom and safety of Americans. Our Corruption Chronicles blog has the latest chilling evidence that there is zero border security as the result of the Biden invasion:

    Besides shattering records for allowing enormous amounts of illegal immigrants into the U.S. through the Mexican border, the Biden administration has also failed to deport millions of migrants released by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) inside the country pending removal proceedings. Between January 20, 2021, and March 31, 2023, the agency created after 9/11 to safeguard the nation freed at least 2,148,738 illegal aliens into the United States, government figures obtained by members of Congress reveal. Only 5,993 were actually deported, according to a distressing report released this week by the House Judiciary Committee.

    Titled “The Biden Border Crisis: New Data and Testimony Show How the Biden Administration Opened the Southwest Border and Abandoned Interior Immigration Enforcement” the lengthy document includes new data obtained by federal lawmakers from DHS that expose the alarming state of immigration enforcement. Besides failing to remove millions of illegal immigrants released inside the country, the records show that a mere 6% of migrants were screened for fear of persecution when seeking asylum. “The Biden Administration has removed from the United States only 5,993 illegal aliens who were encountered at the southwest border and who were placed in removal proceedings before an immigration judge during that time,” the report states. “In other words, of the at least 2.1 million aliens released into the United States since January 20, 2021, the Biden Administration has failed to remove, through immigration court removal proceedings, roughly 99.7 percent of those illegal aliens.”

    The U.S. Border Patrol recorded a ghastly 5 million illegal immigrant encounters during the period examined by federal lawmakers and an eye-popping 6.2 million since Biden took office. “More than two and a half years into President Biden’s term, his Administration’s border crisis continues unabated,” the report states. “Publicly available information shows that encounters of illegal aliens on the southwest border surpassed 100,000 for the 31st straight month and total southwest border illegal alien encounters exceeded 2.2 million in the first 11 months of fiscal year 2023.” The bad news continues.

    “In August 2023, encounters of illegal aliens at the southwest border skyrocketed to 232,972 and the unreleased encounter numbers for September 2023 will reportedly shatter previous records, exceeding 260,000 encounters in a single month,” the congressional report says. As if those figures were not bad enough, more than 1.7 million known “gotaways” have evaded Border Patrol and escaped into the U.S. since January 2021, the stats show, with “untold numbers of unknown gotaways avoiding detection during that period.”

    As the illegal alien numbers keep rising and records get crushed, the Biden administration insists the border is under control with DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas laughably proclaiming his agency has made it very clear the border is not open, that crossing irregularly is against the law and those who are not eligible for relief will be quickly returned. That clearly has not materialized, figures provided in the House Judiciary Committee report show. In fiscal year 2021, the Biden administration released 310,379 illegal aliens at the southwest border. The number more than doubled during the administration’s first full fiscal year (2022) to 777,283. In the first 10 months of fiscal year 2023, Biden’s DHS released 929,496 illegal aliens encountered at the Mexican border. It is important to note that as outrageous as the figures are, they do not even include Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC), which immediately get transferred to the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The report reveals that between fiscal year 2021 through the end of July 2023 at least 341,802 UAC were transferred to HHS shelters where American taxpayers spend a fortune to house, medically treat, educate, counsel and entertain them.

     

    Until next week,

    Source

  • Tennessee child care director accused of locking 4-year-old child in bedroom alone

    FRANKLIN, Ky. (TCD) — The parents of a 4-year-old child, one of whom runs a child care center, are facing nearly 200 criminal counts after officials found the juvenile locked in a bedroom alone.

    According to a news release from the Simpson County Sheriff’s Office, on Thursday, Oct. 12, deputies responded to 4980 Springfield Road to perform a welfare check and found the child. Deputies learned the parents, 28-year-old Morgan Soper and 30-year-old Johnathon Jenkins, “had been leaving the child home alone throughout the day for quite some time.”

    Soper and Jenkins were booked into the Simpson County Detention Center and each charged with 89 counts of first-degree wanton endangerment, 89 counts of endangering the welfare of a minor, and one count of second-degree criminal abuse of a child 12 or under.

    The Sheriff’s Office noted that Soper is the director of a child care center in Goodlettsville, Tennessee.

    In a statement obtained by WSMV-TV, KinderCare, Soper’s place of work, said, “At KinderCare, nothing is more important to us than children’s safety. We take all concerns about the quality of our programs and our staff seriously. As soon as we heard this news, we placed Morgan Soper on administrative leave.”

    Source

  • Woman in Calabar uses electric iron on stepson for misplacing N200

    Woman in Calabar uses electric iron on stepson for misplacing N200

    A married woman in Calabar the Cross River State capital has reportedly used a hot electric iron on her 10-year-old stepson for allegedly misplacing the sum of N200.

    Mrs Mary Ita Edet, who resides at No 9, Ekpenyong Ekpenyong Street in Calabar South local government area, is said to be in the habit of maltreating her stepson, Precious Daniel Offiong, a pupil of Santa Maria Primary School, who has been living with her since he was four.

    According to neighbours’ account, Mrs. Mary Ita Edet is married to Precious Daniel Offiong’s dad and she has always been maltreating the little boy while she pampers her own daughter.

    Read Also: INEC to conduct mock accreditation Saturday

    Precious was accused of misplacing two hundred naira by the stepmother and she flogged the hell out of the child and used an electric iron connected to electricity to burn him all over his body.

    They disclosed that the Cross River State Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs, Dr. Helen Isamoh Egodo has been contacted and has promised to visit the child and the stepmother for necessary legal actions.

    “The young boy has gone through a lot of torture and maltreatment in the hands of his stepmother, who most times starved him and allowed him to trek to church while she and her daughter go by tricycle popularly known as “keke”.

    “No child, be it biological or non biological, deserves such treatment. We won’t allow such illegalities and devilish acts to go unpunished. The little boy needs urgent medical attention while the stepmother deserves to face the wrath of the law,” the neighbours told our reporter, while pleading to remain anonymous.

  • N.M. man allegedly killed transgender woman because she threatened to disclose their relationship

    ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (TCD) — Officials arrested a 29-year-old man this week who is accused of killing a missing transgender woman in September.

    According to a news release from the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, on Sept. 26 at approximately 1:20 a.m., deputies responded to a report of a possible deceased person near Central Avenue Southwest and 136th St. SW. When they arrived, deputies were met by a search party looking for a missing transgender woman, 35-year-old Sherlyn Marjorie. They reportedly discovered a body near a ditch, who they believe is Marjorie.

    The Sheriff’s Office said detectives “pursued multiple leads, executed search warrants, and meticulously analyzed surveillance footage.”

    Through their efforts, the Sheriff’s Office identified Jose Juan Mendoza Espinoza as the primary suspect, and officials obtained a search warrant for his home.

    During an interview with investigators, Espinoza reportedly “admitted to being in a clandestine sexual relationship with Ms. Marjorie,” and he allegedly paid her to stay quiet about it.

    According to the Sheriff’s Office, Espinoza confessed that he killed Marjorie “after she allegedly threatened to disclose their relationship to his family.”

    The Sheriff’s Office said evidence found at Espinoza’s residence supported his confession and aligned with the timeline of events.

    On Wednesday, Oct. 11, Espinoza was booked into the Bernalillo County Jail on one count of first-degree murder and four counts of tampering with evidence.

    The Sheriff’s Office noted that at this time, “There is no evidence to suggest or reason to believe that this incident was a hate crime specifically targeting individuals in the transgender community.”

    Source

  • A&O-Shearman mega merger given go-ahead by partners

    Over 99% approval


    The global mega merger between Allen & Overy (A&O) and Shearman & Sterling will go ahead following a successful partner vote, it emerged this afternoon.

    In a joint statement the outfits said more than 99% of the votes cast at each firm were in favour of the tie-up. The voting period ran from 28 September to 13 October.

    The firms said they will now embark on a period of “active integration planning” with a view to offically combining in or before May 2024.

    The deal will create a new legal giant with 3,950 lawyers, including 800 partners, across 48 offices and approximately £2.8 billion in combined revenues. In terms of rookie recruitment, Legal Cheek’s Firms Most List 2024 shows A&O and Shearman offer around 80 and 12 training contracts each year, respectively.

    The firms first went public with their intentions to merge in May of this year. The new outfit will be called Allen Overy Shearman Sterling, or A&O Shearman for short.

    The 2024 Legal Cheek Firms Most List

    Commenting on the successful vote, A&O senior partner Wim Dejonghe said:

    “This is a historic moment for both firms and our profession. We are delighted that our partners have voted so resoundingly in favor of this merger, which is a transformational step for the legal industry. We have long admired Shearman & Sterling for its outstanding reputation, talent, and client base, and we are confident that together we will create a truly exceptional global firm that will serve our clients’ needs in an increasingly complex and dynamic world.”

    Shearman senior partner Adam Hakki added: “Our partners have recognized and welcomed this unparalleled opportunity to combine our individual market leadership and brands to serve clients as an integrated global law firm, preeminent in all our markets. A&O Shearman will be a firm unlike any other in the world, built to achieve exceptional outcomes for our clients through an intentional focus on quality, excellence, and collaboration. We are creating a new industry leader, with truly global capabilities, and we are excited for what is to come.”

    Source

  • Abducted child found through fingerprints on ransom note; Soul singer’s killer brought to justice – TCDPOD

    This Week on True Crime Daily The Podcast: Nine-year-old abduction victim Charlotte Sena is found alive after police identify a suspect using a fingerprint allegedly left on a ransom note. Plus, a soul singer’s killer is brought to justice nearly six years after her brutal murder.

    Luis Bolaños and Joseph Fenity join host Ana Garcia.

    Check out our previous podcast about Betty Willis.

    Learn more about the life of Betty Willis here.

    YouTube: Abducted child found through fingerprints on ransom note; Soul singer’s killer brought to justice

    TRUE CRIME DAILY: THE PODCAST covers high-profile and under-the-radar cases every week. Subscribe to our YouTube page for podcasts, exclusive videos, and more, and don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.



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  • Regulator concludes review into SQE marking error 

    One student moves from fail to pass


    The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and assessment provider Kaplan have published the outcome of their review into a marking error on the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE).

    Legal Cheek revealed last month that an issue had been identified in the marking of a number of exam scripts for the April sitting of SQE2.

    The error related specifically to a small number of students who achieved low scores on Business Case and Matter Analysis (BCMA), one of the sixteen “stations” that form part of SQE2.

    In a bid to reassure students, Kaplan launched a review, the results of which have just been published.

    An update on the SRA’s website reveals “no errors were found for the vast majority of candidates and therefore their marks (324) did not change”.

    The 2024 Law Schools Most List

    It states “some candidates’ marks (21) increased very slightly for the BCMA assessment station, but this did not lead to a change in their overall SQE2 result”.

    Finally, “one candidate’s marks were increased for the BCMA assessment station, which led to them passing the SQE2 assessment overall”.

    The regulator and Kaplan say they have communicated the outcomes to all affected candidates and apologised for the uncertainty this has caused.

    The outcome of the review comes just a couple of weeks after students expressed their frustration at having to sit in an online queue for hours in a bid to secure an assessment slot.

    Source

  • Trowers becomes latest firm to cut lawyer numbers

    Real estate roles


    Trowers & Hamlins has entered a redundancy consultation within its UK offices.

    The layoffs will affect 25 lawyers in total, including some partners, across the firm’s real estate and real estate finance teams.

    The cuts come in response to a downturn in certain markets, with the real estate sector seeing a particularly significant dip in 2023.

    A firm spokesperson said:

    “In light of challenging market conditions, and a marked change in demand for some of the legal services we offer, earlier in 2023 we undertook a review of our service offering. It is always important that, as a firm, we remain highly competitive and able to give our clients the best service possible.”

    The 2024 Legal Cheek Firms Most List

    They continued: “Unfortunately, it was necessary to reduce our staff numbers to align with the slowdown in some markets. The affected colleagues worked predominantly in the real estate department. We continue to offer those affected full support as they transition out of the firm and we are helping them with preparations for finding a new role elsewhere. Trowers remains a firm committed to its people and its clients.”

    Over the last year, the London headquartered firm has boosted their NQ salaries to £80,000 for their City contingent, and £60,000 for those in the regions. The Legal Cheek Firms Most List 2024 shows it takes on around 28 trainees a year across their four UK offices.

    Trowers join CMS, Orrick, and Reed Smith, all of which have cut roles in recent months on account of uncertain and fluctuating market conditions.

    Source