Teenage girl sentenced to life in prison for ‘hell on wheels’ deadly car crash
An Ohio teenager was convicted for a deliberate 100mph “hell on wheels” crash that killed her boyfriend and friend. Mackenzie Shirilla, 19, was found guilty on multiple counts of murder for the incident that killed Dominic Russo, 20, and Davion Flanagan, 19, last year. Shirilla, who was 17 at the time of the crash, faces an automatic life sentence and will have to spend 15 years behind bars before she can apply for parole. She will be formally sentenced next week, reported Cleveland.com. “She had a mission, and she executed it with precision. The decision was death,” said Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge Nancy Margaret Russo, who held the trial without a jury. “Her actions were controlled, methodical, deliberate, intentional and purposeful. This was not reckless driving. This was murder.” The court was told that the crash took place at around 5.30am on 31 July 2022 at a building in a business park. Investigators say that Shirilla drove her 2018 Toyota Camry down a three-quarter mile road until it hit a speed of 100mph. Data from the car’s computer and surveillance video showed that the steering wheel jerked to the right and then left before the vehicle left the road and crashed into the business. The wreck was found by a passerby around 45 minutes later. When police arrived they found Russo and Flanagan dead, and Shrilla trapped in the driver’s seat with a fuzzy Prada slipper stuck to the accelerator. The judge told the court that the final seconds of the incident proved that Shirilla acted with purpose. “She morphs from responsible driver to literal hell on wheels,” she said. Prosecutors showed a video taken weeks before the crash which showed Shrilla arguing with Russo and in which she threatened to key his car. Following the crash, doctors stated that Shiilla expressed “grief, guilt and shame” about the crash, with prosecutors saying that she had demonstrated “consciousness of guilt”. Her lawyers argued that feeling bad after a fatal crash did not make the driver a murderer and said that prosecutors had not proved she had not just lost control while driving recklessly. Read More Jared Bridegan update: Ex-wife of slain Microsoft exec charged with first degree murder US Army soldier accused of killing his wife in Alaska faces court hearing Ex-wife charged with murder of Microsoft executive Jared Bridegan
2023-08-18 13:27
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Robert De Niro’s family: What to know about his seven children and their mothers
Not only is Robert De Niro one of Hollywood’s most famous actors, but he’s also a father to seven children. The Killers of the Flower Moon star, 80, is currently facing a $12m lawsuit over accusations of “severe emotional distress and reputational harm” brought against him by his former assistant, Graham Chase Robinson. During a heated trial in New York federal court, De Niro admitted to “berating” Robinson and calling her a “f***ing spoiled brat”, before shouting “shame on you” at her inside the courtroom. Robinson worked as De Niro’s vice president of production and finance between 2008 and 2019, before she quit over reported clashes with his girlfriend, Tiffany Chen. The Taxi Driver star recently became a father of seven when he and Chen welcomed their daughter, Gia Virginia Chen-De Niro, in April. De Niro revealed the baby news in an interview with ET Canada, when he corrected a reporter who said he had six children. “Seven, actually,” he said. “I just had a baby.” Speaking to Page Six, De Niro maintained that the pregnancy was planned. “How could you not plan that kind of thing?” he said. As the $12m lawsuit filed by his former assistant puts De Niro’s personal life in the spotlight, much attention has been focused on his extensive family tree. Here’s what to know about De Niro’s seven children and their mothers. Drena De Niro In 1976, the Oscar winner married his first wife, Diahnne Abbott, after they met on the set of director Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver. He adopted Abbott’s daughter, Drena, from a previous relationship. Drena was born in 1971, and took the actor’s last name when her mother and step-father were married. She became a model, but later followed in De Niro’s footsteps when she decided to pursue acting. Drena has appeared in several of her father’s films, including Showtime, Wag the Dog, City by the Sea, and The Intern. In 2003, she welcomed her son Leandro De Niro Rodriguez with her then-boyfriend, Carlos Mare. In July 2023, Drena announced that Leandro had died at age 19. She shared a picture of Leandro on Instagram with a caption paying tribute to his life. “My beautiful sweet angel,” she wrote. “I have loved you beyond words or description from the moment I felt you in my belly. You have been my joy, my heart and all that was ever pure and real in my life.” She continued: “I wish I was with you right now. I wish I was with you. I don’t know how to live without you but I’ll try to go on and spread the love and light that you so made me feel in getting to be your mama. “You were so deeply loved and appreciated and I wish that love alone could have saved you,” Drena concluded the post. De Niro later issued a statement saying he was “deeply distressed by the passing of my beloved grandson Leo”. “We’re greatly appreciative of the condolences from everyone. We ask that we please be given privacy to grieve our loss of Leo,” the statement continued. The New York City chief medical examiner’s office confirmed one month later that Leandro had died of an accidental drug overdose. Raphael De Niro Raphael is the second child of De Niro and Abbott. He was born on 9 November 1976, the same year his parents tied the knot. He strayed away from the family business and decided to pursue a career in real estate. According to his website, he is a broker at Douglas Elliman and launched the De Niro Team with the real estate firm in 2004. Some of his celebrity clients include Renee Zellweger and Kelly Ripa. He shares three children with his ex-wife, Claudine De Matos, who he married in 2008. They separated in 2015 and finalised their divorce in January 2020, per Page Six. He went on to marry stylist Hannah Carnes in March 2020. Julian and Aaron De Niro Following his divorce from Abbott in 1988, De Niro went on to date actor Toukie Smith. While the pair were never married, they welcomed twin sons Julian Henry and Aaron Kendrick in 1995. Julian also followed in his father’s footsteps, appearing in the 2016 film In Dubious Battle and portraying a young Barack Obama in the Showtime historical drama series, The First Lady. Elliot De Niro Perhaps De Niro’s longest relationship was with actor Grace Hightower, who he married in 1997. She gave birth to their first child together, a son named Elliot, in 1998. In March 2019, the Silver Linings Playbook star revealed his son had been diagnosed with autism. De Niro and Hightower soon became involved in a legal battle when he filed for divorce in 1999 and sued her for custody of their son in 2001. However, the two reunited and called off their divorce in 2004. The couple renewed their vows in November that year in upstate New York, surrounded by A-list celebrities like Martin Scorsese, Meryl Streep, and Ben Stiller. Helen Grace De Niro In December 2011, the former couple welcomed their second child, daughter Helen, via surrogate. De Niro and Hightower separated in November 2018 after more than 20 years together. Gia Virginia Chen-De Niro De Niro became a father of seven when he and girlfriend Tiffany Chen welcomed daughter Gia Virginia on 6 April 2023. In an interview with Gayle King for CBS Mornings, Chen revealed that she was diagnosed with Bell’s palsy after giving birth to their daughter. Bell’s palsy is a neurological disorder that temporarily paralyses one side of the face, causing it to appear droopy and lopsided. Speaking to The Guardian in October, De Niro revealed that Chen does most of the “heavy lifting” when raising their six-month-old daughter. When asked if fatherhood ever “gets easier” after being a parent for quite some time, De Niro admitted that it doesn’t but praised his partner for her support. “It doesn’t get easier,” he said. “It is what it is. It’s okay. I mean, I don’t do the heavy lifting. I’m there, I support my girlfriend. But she does the work. And we have help, which is so important.” De Niro also explained how his relationships with his older children are different from his younger children. “With a baby, it’s different to with my 11-year-old. My adult children. My grandchildren. It’s all different,” he said. “I don’t talk to the adult children the way I talk to my baby, or the way I speak to my 11-year-old, though she’s pretty smart.” Read More Maria Menounos felt like she was ‘going to explode inside’ due to pancreatic cancer Mom explains how to raise your first baby like it’s your third Emilia Clarke feared being fired from Game of Thrones after brain haemorrhage Maria Menounos felt like she was ‘going to explode inside’ due to pancreatic cancer Mom explains how to raise your first baby like it’s your third Emilia Clarke feared being fired from Game of Thrones after brain haemorrhage
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France endures fifth night of violence after teenager’s funeral with street battles in Marseille
France has endured a fifth night of violence following a day when emotional mourners gathered for the funeral of a teenager whose killing by police sparked nationwide unrest. Even though the rioting appeared to be less intense on Saturday, with tens of thousands of police deployed in cities across the country, more than 700 people were arrested. Police fired tear gas and fought street battles with protestors late into the night in flashpoint Marseilles. Earlier in the day, 17-year-old Nahel Merzouk was laid to rest in the Paris suburb of Nanterre, where he had been shot dead by a police officer during a traffic stop on Tuesday, triggering days of fierce clashes. President Emmanuel Macron postponed a state visit to Germany, which was due to begin on Sunday, to handle the worst crisis for his leadership since the “Yellow Vest” protests paralysed much of France in late 2018. Some 45,000 police were on the streets with specialised elite units, armoured vehicles and helicopters brought in to reinforce its three largest cities, Paris, Lyon, and Marseille. In the early hours of Sunday morning, the situation was calmer than the previous four nights, although there was some tension in central Paris, and sporadic clashes in the Mediterranean city of Nice and the eastern city of Strasbourg, with Marseille city centre proving to be the biggest flashpoint. In Paris, police increased security at the city's landmark Champs Elysees Avenue following a call on social media to gather there. The street, usually packed with tourists, was lined with security forces carrying out spot checks. Shop facades were boarded up to prevent potential damage and pillaging. The interior ministry said 1,311 people had been arrested on Friday night, compared with 875 the previous night, although it described the violence as "lower in intensity". Police had made 719 arrests nationwide by early Sunday. Local authorities all over the country announced bans on demonstrations, ordered public transport to stop running in the evening, and some imposed overnight curfews. This came after a day of heightened emotions when several hundred people lined up to enter Nanterre’s grand mosque for the funeral of the teenager, of Algerian and Moroccan parents, who was fatally shot by police. Volunteers in yellow vests stood guard, while a few dozen bystanders watched from across the street. Some of the mourners, their arms crossed, said “God is Greatest” in Arabic, as they spanned the boulevard in prayer. Marie, 60, said she had lived in Nanterre for 50 years and there had always been problems with the police. “This absolutely needs to stop. The government is completely disconnected from our reality,” she said. The shooting of the teenager, caught on video, has reignited longstanding complaints by poor and racially mixed urban communities of police violence and racism. Nahel was known to police for previously failing to comply with traffic stop orders and was illegally driving a rental car, the Nanterre prosecutor said on Thursday. Macron has denied there is systemic racism in French law enforcement agencies. There is also a broader anger in the country’s poorest suburbs, where inequalities and crime are rife and French leaders have failed for decades to tackle what some politicians have called a “geographical, social and ethnic apartheid.” The unrest, a blow to France's global image just a year from holding the Olympic Games, will add political pressure on Macron. He had already faced months of anger and sometimes violent demonstrations across the country after pushing through a pension overhaul. Postponement of the state visit to Germany is the second time this year he has had to cancel a high-level event because of the domestic situation in France. In March, he cancelled King Charles’ planned state visit. Rioters have torched 2,000 vehicles since the start of the unrest. More than 200 police officers have been injured, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Saturday, adding that the average age of those arrested was 17. Justice Minister Eric Dupont-Moretti said 30% of detainees were under 18. More than 700 shops, supermarkets, restaurants and bank branches had been "ransacked, looted and sometimes even burnt to the ground since Tuesday", Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said. In Marseille, where 80 people had been arrested on Friday, police said they had detained 60 people. "It's very scary. We can hear a helicopter and are just not going out because it's very worrying," said Tatiana, 79, a pensioner who lives in the city centre. In Lyon, France's third largest city, police deployed armoured personnel carriers and a helicopter. The unrest has revived memories of nationwide riots in 2005 that lasted three weeks and forced then President Jacques Chirac to declare a state of emergency, after the death of two young men electrocuted in a power substation as they hid from police. Players from the national soccer team issued a rare statement calling for calm. "Violence must stop to leave way for mourning, dialogue and reconstruction," they said on star Kylian Mbappe's Instagram account. The South Winners supporters group, an influential fan group for Olympique de Marseille, called on the city's youth to "be wise and show restraint". "By acting in this way you are dirtying Nahel's memory and are also dividing our city." Events including two concerts at the Stade de France on the outskirts of Paris were cancelled, while LVMH-owned fashion house Celine cancelled its 2024 menswear show on Sunday, creative director Hedi Slimane said on Instagram. With the government urging social media companies to remove inflammatory material, Darmanin met officials from Meta, Twitter, Snapchat and TikTok. Snapchat said it had zero tolerance for content that promoted violence. The policeman whom prosecutors say acknowledged firing a lethal shot at Nahel is in preventive custody under formal investigation for voluntary homicide, equivalent to being charged under Anglo-Saxon jurisdictions. His lawyer, Laurent-Franck Lienard, said his client had aimed at the driver's leg but was bumped when the car took off, causing him to shoot towards his chest. "Obviously (the officer) didn't want to kill the driver," Lienard said on BFM TV. Read More France riots - live: Nearly 500 arrested on the fifth night of unrest as teen’s funeral held Macron needs to get a grip on police brutality and social exclusion Warning to British travellers amid rioting in France France faces 5th night of rioting over teen's killing by police, signs of subsiding violence What the papers say – July 2 France riots: Cities face fifth night of violence despite police reinforcements
2023-07-02 15:50
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