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Chicago upset St.Louis in Klopas return
Chicago upset St.Louis in Klopas return
The Chicago Fire, with new coach Frank Klopas on the bench, grabbed just their third win of the campaign with a surprise 1-0 victory over St.Louis City...
1970-01-01 08:00
'Nothing more than liberation': Janelle Monae flashes breasts while performing for small crowd as she reveals album cover
'Nothing more than liberation': Janelle Monae flashes breasts while performing for small crowd as she reveals album cover
Janelle Monae sheds all inhibition as she flashes while performing in front of a small crowd amid her album cover launch
1970-01-01 08:00
‘Suitcase killer’ Heather Mack pleads guilty to conspiracy to murder – facing up to 28 years in US prison
‘Suitcase killer’ Heather Mack pleads guilty to conspiracy to murder – facing up to 28 years in US prison
“Suitcase killer” Heather Mack is facing up to 28 years in US prison after she pleaded guilty to conspiring to murder her socialite mother Sheila von Wiese-Mack at a luxury 5-star resort in Bali back in 2014. Mack, now 27, reached a plea deal with prosecutors in federal court in Illinois on Friday morning, pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to kill a US national and finally bringing some sort of conclusion to a horror case that has rumbled on for almost eight years. “I plead guilty, your honor,” she told US District Judge Matthew Kelley during the short hearing. Under the terms of the agreement, prosecutors recommend that she faces a maximum sentence of 28 years in prison, with consideration given to the seven years that she’s already served in Indonesian jail. If she is sentenced to 28 years, she could be eligible for release in 2042 – taking into account the time served in Indonesia and behind bars in the US. She would be 46 years old. The daughter – Stella – that she gave birth to in Bali prison would be an adult. However, Judge Kelley warned that he could ignore the sentencing guidelines, with the charge carrying a maximum penalty of life in prison. “I have to make up my own mind,” he said. A sentencing date was set for 18 December. Under the deal, Mack is unable to file any appeals in her case. Earlier in the hearing, Mack told the judge that she had been hospitalised “a few times” with depression and post-traumatic stress disorder while growing up. Mack has spend almost every day of her life behind bars since she was arrested in August 2014 in Bali. On 12 August 2014, Mack, then 18, and her then-boyfriend Tommy Schaefer, 21, bludgeoned von Wiese-Mack to death with the metal handle of a fruit stand at the luxury 5-star St. Regis resort in Bali. They then stuffed her body into a suitcase, hailed down a taxi and loaded it into the trunk of the car. When they were unable to check out of the luxury resort – using her mother’s credit card – the couple fled the scene, leaving the bloodstained suitcase behind. They were soon tracked down to a budget motel and arrested on suspicion of murder. At the time of the murder, Mack – the daughter of socialite von Wiese-Mack and famed musician James L Mack – was pregnant with Schaefer’s child. Prosecutors revealed that she had flown her lover out on a $12,000 business-class ticket just hours earlier charged to her mother’s credit card. Surveillance footage later captured the trio arguing in the hotel lobby after he arrived. Less than 12 hours after Schaefer flew in, Mack was dead. Chilling text messages later surfaced showing how the couple likened themselves to the notorious duo Bonnie & Clyde and plotted methods of murder. They were both convicted of premeditated murder in Indonesia and narrowly avoided facing the firing squad. Mack was released from prison in Bali in October 2021 after serving seven years – three years early due to good behaviour – and was briefly reunited with her daughter Stella, then six, who she planned to begin a new life with. But her newfound freedom was short-lived. Five days later, the then 26-year-old was deported from the Indonesian island back to the US and was arrested by FBI agents as soon as she touched down on American soil at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. She was indicted on two counts of conspiring to commit murder in a foreign country and one count of obstruction of justice. The indictment, which was filed in 2017 but remained sealed while she remained in Indonesian prison, also charged Schaefer with the same counts. Since then, she has been behind bars in Illinois awaiting trial and had been fighting against the charges, insisting that she had served her time for her crime in Indonesia. The case was set to go to trial on 1 August in Chicago before Mack revealed her intentions to change her plea earlier this month. Speaking to The New York Post last week, Mack said: “I have served nearly 10 years in prison. I felt that I had done my time, so I was gung-ho for trial,” she said. “Now, after sitting for so long, I know what I have to do. I’m going to be a felon in America, and that is fine. I understand from [the US government’s] perspective that, if I don’t plead guilty and they didn’t indict me, I wouldn’t be a felon.” She added: “I could become a police officer and work for the government… I could carry a firearm on the street.” Schaefer is still serving his 18-year sentence in Indonesia before he too will face charges on US soil. Read More Heather Mack plea hearing – live: ‘Suitcase killer’ to plead guilty in US over Bali murder of socialite mom A body in a suitcase, Bonnie and Clyde fantasy and baby born in Bali prison: The chilling case of Heather Mack Heather Mack, convicted in Bali of killing mother, set to plead guilty in US
2023-06-16 22:41
A man is convicted of attempted murder in shooting of 2 Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies in 2020
A man is convicted of attempted murder in shooting of 2 Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies in 2020
A jury on Thursday convicted a man on charges relating to a series of crimes, including attempted murder in the shooting of two Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies outside a transit station in September 2020, prosecutors said.
2023-09-29 11:37
Is Sam Champion OK? 'GMA' weather anchor sparks concern with ‘pretending to be human’ post
Is Sam Champion OK? 'GMA' weather anchor sparks concern with ‘pretending to be human’ post
Sam Champion recently shared a snap from a fan that asked him to kickstart his day with a cup of coffee early in the morning
2023-08-10 13:12
Fortnite: 4 easy steps to claim Twitch drops rewards
Fortnite: 4 easy steps to claim Twitch drops rewards
In the past, there has always been something wonderful to bag with Fortnite Twitch Drop rewards promotions
1970-01-01 08:00
France protesters defy bans to rally against police violence
France protesters defy bans to rally against police violence
More than 1,000 people defied a ban and on Saturday gathered in central Paris for a memorial rally, with dozens of marches planned throughout France...
2023-07-08 22:42
Lillard to join Antetkounmpo in Milwaukee: reports
Lillard to join Antetkounmpo in Milwaukee: reports
Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard is headed to the Milwaukee Bucks, where he'll team with two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo, according...
2023-09-28 02:50
Sam Bankman-Fried can wear suits at trial, judge rules
Sam Bankman-Fried can wear suits at trial, judge rules
By Luc Cohen NEW YORK (Reuters) -Sam Bankman-Fried, the jailed former cryptocurrency billionaire known for his casual appearance, can dress
2023-09-28 00:50
Even 'Barbie' may not be able to rescue AMC Theaters
Even 'Barbie' may not be able to rescue AMC Theaters
Barbie has already pulled in over a billion dollars. That still may not be enough to save AMC Theaters, which has a looming bill it may not be able to pay back.
2023-08-10 01:34
Ukraine's counteroffensive is ramping up after months of slow progress
Ukraine's counteroffensive is ramping up after months of slow progress
After two months of painstakingly slow progress on the battlefield, Ukraine appears to be escalating its counteroffensive, ramping up the deployment of extra troops to the southern front and signaling a new phase of the operation, US and Russian officials said.
2023-07-28 00:55
Latino charitable giving rates drop sharply — but that’s not the full story
Latino charitable giving rates drop sharply — but that’s not the full story
The share of Latinos who give to established charities has dropped sharply since 2008, a new study has found
2023-09-26 23:48