Rachel Morin - updates: Police increase patrol along trail and warn ‘there could be somebody out here’
Maryland detectives investigating the homicide of missing mother-of-five Rachel Morin have said they do not have a solid suspect yet in the case and warned members of the community to be vigilant. "Not knowing whether this was a targeted event specific to Rachel, we are going to say, ‘yes, be aware, be thinking there could be somebody out here and this is a random event’," Harford County Sheriff Jeffery Gahler told WBALTV. Morin, 37, was last seen heading to the Ma & Pa Trail in Bel Air at around 6pm on Saturday evening, according to the Harford County Sheriff’s Office. After she failed to return home that night, her boyfriend reported her missing. Then on Sunday afternoon, a Maryland father discovered a woman’s body in a tunnel off the trail which was later confirmed to be Morin. Mr Gahler announced that Morin’s case is now a homicide investigation at a press conference that evening. Rebekah Morin, the deceased’s sister, started a GoFundMe to pay for funeral expenses. As of Thursday morning, it has raised almost $41,000. Read More Rachel Morin was found dead on a popular Maryland hiking trail. Her sister says she ‘did not go willingly’ Rachel Morin’s boyfriend says he ‘would never do anything to her’ as homicide probe launched Rachel Morin’s chilling Facebook post before mother-of-five found dead on Maryland hiking trail
2023-08-10 18:55
Tree of Life synagogue shooter is too delusional to get death penalty, defence argues
Jurors in Pittsburgh have begun considering whether the gunman in a white supremacist 2018 shooting at a local synagogue complex should get the death penalty. In June, Robert Bowers, who killed 11 people at the Tree of Life synagogue, was convicted on 63 federal counts. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, experts called by his attorneys have been arguing in court in recent days that he was so mentally damaged by the time of the shooting he shouldn’t face the death penalty, which is forbidden against people with certain intellectual handicaps. They pointed out how Bowers had been in multiple psychiatric hospitals by the time he was 13 years old, diagnosed with depression and other ailments. As a teenager, he also attempted to kill his mother by spraying an aerosol toward her and trying to light it on fire. By 16, he was voluntarily committed again to a mental facility and had made “repeated suicide attempts,” according to the defence. Richard Rogers, a forensic psychologist who met with Bowers four times while he was in prison, told jurors the gunman showed signs of delusional thinking tied to his white supremacist ideas. “He did not just believe [his conduct] to be correct,” Mr Rogers said, “he believed it absolutely had to be done.” A majority of families whose loved ones died in the shooting have voiced their support for the death penalty in the case. “We are not a ruthless, uncompassionate people; we, as a persecuted people, understand when there is a time for compassion and when there is a time to stand up and say enough is enough — such violent hatred will not be tolerated on this earth,” they wrote in a 2022 letter in the Pittsburg Jewish Chronicle. “Our beloved 11 were taken from us in a brutal, cold-blooded act of hatred and violence. We, the undersigned, will feel further violated by letting the defendant have the easy way out. His crimes deserve the death penalty.” Others tied to the tragedy, the deadliest antisemitic shooting in US history, argued the death penalty violates Jewish tradition. “Jewish practice as I understand it does not — outside of self-defense — allow humans to take the lives of other humans. Not even the life of a murderer whose guilt is beyond doubt,” Beth Kissileff, whose husband, a rabbi, was in the Tree of Life facility during the shooting, wrote in The New York Times. “The death penalty does nothing to promote healing; it only continues more killing,” she added. The Independent and the nonprofit Responsible Business Initiative for Justice (RBIJ) have launched a joint campaign calling for an end to the death penalty in the US. The RBIJ has attracted more than 150 well-known signatories to their Business Leaders Declaration Against the Death Penalty - with The Independent as the latest on the list. We join high-profile executives like Ariana Huffington, Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg, and Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson as part of this initiative and are making a pledge to highlight the injustices of the death penalty in our coverage. Read More A copycat Zodiac Killer terrorised New York years after the California original. This is how he got caught Pittsburgh synagogue killer has extensive history of mental illness, defense expert testifies Doctors give mixed testimony on whether tests show brain damage in the Pittsburgh synagogue killer
2023-07-05 03:59
Ukrainian soldiers rescue Russian troops left to drown after Kakhovka dam destruction
Ukrainian special forces rescued a number of Russian soldiers from flooding after the Kakhovka dam was destroyed. Footage shows boats picking up the four men, who were trapped “up to their necks” when water inundated their trench. “The Russian soldiers were already weakened and close to death,” Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence wrote, sharing the footage on social media. Other Russians occupying the area began to shoot at the boat from nearby positions during the rescue, according to Ukraine’s MoD. The rescued soldiers were then taken back to the Ukrainian base and added to the prisoner of war “exchange fund”. Read More The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary
2023-06-19 17:52
Trump gets mug shot money boost, DeSantis spends heavily and George Santos goes negative: Takeaways from new campaign finance reports
Donald Trump is dominating GOP primary fundraising as the White House race barrels toward the first nominating contests of 2024, with the former president raising donations at an accelerating pace and building the financial cushion to swamp his rivals on the airwaves and on the ground.
2023-10-17 02:22
The UK's interior minister accuses police of favoring pro-Palestinian protesters
Britain’s interior minister has accused the country’s largest police force of being more lenient toward pro-Palestinian demonstrators than other groups
2023-11-09 19:29
Logan Paul confirms JiDion's apology and explains why he left Prime on Jake Paul's podcast 'Impaulsive'
In early 2023, a feud began when Jake Paul's casual remark in a conversation with Logan Paul offended JiDion
2023-10-07 14:53
Canada Bread agrees to pay C$50m for role in price-fixing scheme
Canada Bread pleaded guilty to a role in a scheme to inflate the price of the food staple in Canada.
2023-06-22 08:57
Nigeria's so-called tax collectors: Menacing and mafia-like
The tax system is opaque - and abused, with politicians and private citizens lining their pockets.
2023-07-17 08:27
Annecy stabbings suspect held over attempted murders
Four children and two adults were attacked in a park in France's Alpine region on Thursday.
2023-06-10 20:24
When will Hurricane Hilary hit the US? Storm intensifies to Category 3 strength, threatens significant impact in California and southwest
Hurricane Hilary strengthened into a major Category 3 hurricane after sustaining winds of 120 mph and even stronger gusts on Thursday, August 17
2023-08-18 14:49
Storm Poly lashes the Netherlands and parts of Germany, causing 2 deaths and canceled flights
A powerful summer storm lashing the Netherlands and parts of Germany has killed at least two people and forced one of Europe’s busiest airports to cancel or delay hundreds of flights
2023-07-05 22:58
Pope will open a big Vatican meeting as battle lines are drawn on his reform project
Pope Francis is opening a big meeting on the future of the Catholic Church
2023-10-04 12:20
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