US – Headline Smart

8-Year-Old Girl Forced to Live in Shed Before Tragic Death

Samantha Johnson received 15 years and eight months in prison after pleading no contest to voluntary manslaughter and child abuse counts in a case that also drew scrutiny of Alameda County’s child welfare system. MERCED, Calif. — The mother of 8-year-old Sophia Mason was sentenced Thursday to 15 years and eight months in state prison, ending the criminal case against Samantha Johnson in a child death investigation that began when Merced police found Sophia’s decomposing …

‘Babies Will Be Shot’, Man Threatened to Kill Black Preschool Children

Federal prosecutors said Zachary Charles Newell posted racist threats on YouTube, was quickly identified after a Google alert to the FBI and later pleaded guilty before sentencing in Raleigh. RALEIGH, N.C. — A federal judge has sentenced a Newport man to two years in prison after prosecutors said he used YouTube comments to threaten a mass shooting at a Black preschool, closing a case that moved from a tech-company alert to arrest in a matter …

Soccer Coach Accused of Sending Nude Images to Student

Police said Mary “Hanna” Mattingly, 31, had sexual contact with a student and sent partially nude photos, while school officials said an anonymous letter set off the inquiry last week. BARDSTOWN, Ky. — A Bardstown High School substitute teacher and soccer coach was arrested Monday after an anonymous letter accused her of inappropriate conduct with a student, prompting school officials to remove her from duty, place her on leave and turn the matter over to …

Human Remains Found in Suitcases, Teen Arrested

Police say evidence inside two abandoned suitcases led detectives to 19-year-old Lucas Jones, but the remains had not been publicly identified by the medical examiner late Monday. PALM BAY, Fla. — A 19-year-old Brevard County man has been charged after Palm Bay police found human remains in two suitcases in the remote area known as the Compound, a case that began with an abandoned bag report and quickly turned into a wider death investigation. The …

Man Fatally Shot Girlfriend in Face With ‘Special Bullet’

Prosecutors said Damien Hebbeler admitted firing the fatal shot, and jurors recommended a 50-year prison term after hearing testimony that he carried a “special bullet.” VANCEBURG, Ky. — A Lewis County jury has convicted a Kentucky man of intentional murder in the 2023 shooting death of his girlfriend, rejecting the case as an accident and recommending that Damien Hebbeler serve 50 years in prison after testimony about a “special bullet.” The verdict, returned March 24, …

Student Opens Fire on Teacher Before Dying in School Tragedy

Authorities said the 15-year-old opened fire before classes began at a small Comal ISD campus near Bulverde. BULVERDE, Texas — A 15-year-old student shot a teacher at Hill Country College Preparatory High School on Monday morning and then fatally shot himself, authorities said, sending the campus into lockdown and forcing students to reunite with parents at a nearby middle school. No other injuries were reported. The teacher was taken to a San Antonio hospital, and …

Allegiant Passenger Dies Following Wheelchair Fall

The complaint says a rushed boarding process left one assistant and an unsecured chair. LAS VEGAS, Nev. — The family of a 24-year-old West Virginia man who used a power wheelchair has sued Allegiant in Nevada, saying he died after falling while boarding a flight at Huntington Tri-State Airport and that the airline failed to provide safe assistance. The lawsuit grows out of a March 28, 2024, boarding incident involving Hunter Adkins, who had muscular …

Severed Leg Found on Beach

DNA testing linked a bone found on Salmon Creek Beach in 2022 to Walter Karl Kinney, whose other partial remains had already been identified more than 20 years earlier. SANTA ROSA, Calif. — Human remains found on a Sonoma County beach nearly four years ago have been identified as belonging to Walter Karl Kinney, a former banker who disappeared in 1999, in a case that authorities say led to the same man being identified as …

Man Breaks Into Airport and Tries to Board Multiple Planes

Authorities say Bryan J. Parker drove through a locked gate, ran toward several aircraft and was restrained in less than four minutes. DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — A 58-year-old Holly Hill man remained jailed without bond Sunday after authorities said he smashed through a locked gate at Daytona Beach International Airport, drove onto the airfield and tried to get into multiple planes before workers and deputies stopped him. The case quickly grew beyond a strange airport …

16-Year-Old Found Fatally Shot in Bed

Co-defendant Chelsea Ann-Marie Shipp had already admitted shooting 16-year-old Katelynn Stone and received a 40-year prison term. BEAUMONT, Texas — A Jefferson County jury has sentenced Cody Arnold to 34 years in prison after convicting him in the 2022 killing of 16-year-old Katelynn Stone, a case prosecutors said grew out of fear that Arnold could face consequences if the girl was pregnant. The sentence closes the trial phase of a case that had already sent …