Man's triathlon death marked with Stourbridge minute's silence
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2023-08-28 02:20
Who is Tyrell Stephen Phillips? 22-year-old charged in Tampa shooting that killed 2 and injured 16
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2023-10-30 14:24
Alabama man executed following pause on lethal injections
Alabama executed a man on Friday for the 2001 beating death of a woman as the state resumed lethal injections after failed executions prompted the governor to order an internal review of procedures. James Barber, 64, was pronounced dead at 1:56 a.m. after receiving a lethal injection at a south Alabama prison. "Justice has been served. This morning, James Barber was put to death for the terrible crime he committed over two decades ago: the especially heinous, atrocious, and cruel murder of Dorothy Epps," Attorney General Steve Marshall said in a statement. Barber was convicted and sentenced to death for the 2001 beating death of Epps. Prosecutors said Barber, a handyman, confessed to killing the 75-year-old with a claw hammer and fleeing with her purse. Jurors voted 11-1 to recommend a death sentence, which a judge imposed. Before he was put to death, Barber told his family he loved them and apologized to Epps' family. "I want to tell the Epps' family I love them. I'm sorry for what happened," Barber said. "No words would fit how I feel." Barber said he wanted to tell the governor "and the people in this room that I forgive you for what you are about to do." It was the first execution carried out in Alabama this year after the state halted executions in November. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey announced a pause on executions to conduct an internal review of procedures. The move came after the state halted two lethal injections because of difficulties inserting IVs into the condemned men's veins. Attorneys for inmate Alan Miller said prison staff poked him with needles for more than an hour as they unsuccessfully tried to connect an IV line during Miller's aborted execution in September, at one point leaving him hanging vertically on a gurney. State officials called off the November execution of Kenneth Eugene Smith after they were unsuccessful in connecting the second of two required lines. Advocacy groups claimed a third execution, carried out after a delay because of IV problems, also was botched, a claim the state has disputed. Barber's execution came hours after Oklahoma executed Jemaine Cannon for stabbing a Tulsa woman to death with a butcher knife in 1995 after his escape from a prison work center. Alabama's governor announced in February that the state was resuming executions. Alabama Corrections Commissioner John Hamm said prison system had added to its pool of medical professionals, ordered new equipment and conducted additional rehearsals. The last-minute legal battle centered on Alabama's ability to obtain intravenous access in past executions. Barber's attorneys unsuccessfully asked the courts to block the execution, saying the state has a pattern of failing "to carry out a lethal injection execution in a constitutional manner." The state wrote in legal filings that it was using different IV team members. The state also changed the deadline to carry out the execution from midnight to 6 a.m. to give more time for preparations and to carry out last-minute appeals. Alabama Corrections Commissioner John Hamm said the two intravenous lines were connected to Barber with "three sticks in six minutes." The Supreme Court denied Barber's request for a stay without comment. Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote a dissent from the decision that was joined by Justice Elena Kagan and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. She said the court was allowing "Alabama to experiment again with a human life." "The Eighth Amendment demands more than the State's word that this time will be different. The Court should not allow Alabama to test the efficacy of its internal review by using Barber as its 'guinea pig,'" Sotomayor wrote. The Alabama attorney general's office had urged the Supreme Court to let the execution proceed. The state wrote that the previous executions were called off because of a "confluence of events including health issues specific to the individual inmates and last-minute litigation brought by the inmates that dramatically shortened the window for ADOC officials to conduct the executions." In the hours leading up to the scheduled execution, Barber had 22 visitors and two phone calls and ate a final meal, a prison spokesperson said. After his last words, Barber spoke with a spiritual adviser who accompanied him into the death chamber. As the drugs were administered, Barber's eyes closed and his abdomen pulsed several times. His breathing slowed until it was no longer visible.
2023-07-21 20:49
Internal documents show the World Health Organization paid sexual abuse victims in Congo $250 each
Internal documents obtained by The Associated Press show that the World Health Organization has paid $250 each to at least 104 women in Congo who say they were sexually abused or exploited by Ebola outbreak responders
2023-11-14 14:26
The Supreme Court rejects Biden's plan to wipe away $400 billion in student loan debt
A sharply divided Supreme Court has ruled that the Biden administration overstepped its authority in trying to cancel or reduce student loan debts for millions of Americans
2023-06-30 23:19
Nablus: Two Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in West Bank
Israel says they were wanted gunmen who fired on their forces before they could be detained.
2023-07-07 19:59
Tributes to ‘beautiful girl’ among four killed in crash on way to exams celebration
Tributes have been paid to four young people killed in a crash in Ireland while on the way to exam results celebrations on Friday. Luke McSweeney, 24, his sister Grace McSweeney, 18, Zoey Coffey, 18, and Nicole Murphy, 18, died at the scene in Clonmel, Co Tipperary, after the car they were travelling in struck a wall. They had been on their way to celebrate after the three teenagers received their Leaving Certificate exam results earlier that day. The mother of Grace McSweeney’s boyfriend wrote on Facebook: “Thank you for making my son happy and I’ll do my best to mind him for you.” “You were so good, always trying to help me around the house and you knew how to keep Aaron on his toes,” she added. In the post she congratulated Grace on passing her Leaving Certificate, adding that she knew how much it meant to her. Superintendent Kieran Ruane, of Clonmel Garda Station, extended his sympathies to their families, who he said had appealed for privacy. The scene at Hillview remains closed on Saturday to carry out a forensic examination and Mr Ruane said that heavy downpours would be among the factors that Garda investigators would consider. Local schools in the town opened on Saturday to support students as the community comes to terms with the tragedy. Ireland’s premier Leo Varadkar said the nation is mourning their deaths as the minister for education Norma Foley pledged support for students and staff. Members of the community and local politicians expressed their shock at the tragedy, with local TD Mattie McGrath saying that “a time of celebration has turned to a time of devastation”. He said Clonmel had been “left numbed” by the loss and that it would “take some time to recover”, but that the community would rally around those grieving the losses. Local sporting events and the Clonmel Pride parade, as well as other activities in the area, have been cancelled in the wake of the fatal crash. A parish priest has asked the community to look after one another in the days ahead and the minister of education has pledged support for school staff and students affected. Mr Varadkar has said: “We must come together in times such as this” and that the Leaving Cert results night “should mark the beginning of a world of opportunities for young people”. “It’s a milestone on the road from childhood to adulthood,” Mr Varadkar he added. “For young lives, so full of possibility, to be cut short in this way is truly devastating and heartbreaking,” he continued. “The whole nation mourns them. My sincere condolences to the families and friends of those who have died and the wider community in Clonmel and Tipperary. The thoughts of the whole country are with them, their school and their community.” Education minister Ms Foley said her department will provide support to students and staff in the period ahead. “This is heartbreaking news on what should have been a day of enormous celebration and joy for the class of 2023,” she said. “School communities in Ireland are akin to tight-knit families and I know this morning that staff, students, parents and guardians will be united in their grief and utter devastation at this tragic and sudden loss of life. “The Department of Education, through the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS), will provide essential supports to staff and students over the coming period. “The grief felt by those affected by the loss of four young lives is acute and we will do all that we can to support them at this sad and difficult time.” Read More Police offer £50,000 reward to find missing mother feared murdered in ‘targeted attack’ Nation mourning after four young people killed in Co Tipperary crash – Varadkar Body found in search for missing 54-year-old woman in Kent
2023-08-26 23:26
10 surprisingly short celebrities
These 10 celebs might not be endowed with the greatest height but they more than make up for it in star power
2023-10-08 16:21
'You're crazy': Internet mocks Drew Scott as he cross-dresses in sparkly dress and heels amid revelation of what he does for social media
The users on the internet were left shocked after HGTV star Drew Scott was seen cross-dressing in a video
2023-09-07 09:47
X removes article headlines in latest platform update, widening a rift with news media
X, formerly known as Twitter, has stopped showing headlines on articles shared on the platform
2023-10-06 01:15
Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin's daughter? Wagner chief takes the battle to Moscow as brutal endgame nears
'Vladimir Putin made the wrong choice. All the worse for him. Soon we will have a new president,' said Yevgeny Prigozhin
2023-06-25 04:15
Spanish general election tipped to put the far right back in office for the first time since Franco
Spain's general election Sunday could make the country the latest European Union member to shift to the political right
2023-07-22 14:18
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