Crime and Justice
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Jussie Smollett‘s holiday season is off to a fine start. The former Empire star’s conviction for attacking himself back in 2019 has been overturned.
The Illinois State Supreme Court has overturned Jussie Smollett’s conviction for lying about a hate crime.
His case will be dismissed.
“We hold that a second prosecution under these circumstances is a due process violation, and we therefore reverse defendant’s conviction.” pic.twitter.com/Z6RohP8KJK
— Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) November 21, 2024
On Thursday (Nov. 21), the Illinois Supreme Court ruled Smollett should never have been prosecuted for a second time. The initial charges against him had been dropped after a sort of plea deal with the DA.
Smollett was charged with filing a false police report after he had claimed that he was the victim of a homophobic and racist attack. Soon after the story made headlines, his alleged tale started falling apart with the attackers (two brothers) coming forward to say that they had actually been hired by the actor to perform the hoax for a smooth $3,500. Nevertheless, a dismissal was negotiated with the Cook County state’s attorney.
However, a special prosecutor revived the case, and a grand jury restored charges that included disorderly conduct and lying to the police. Smollett continued to insist that he was innocent throughout the trial but he was eventually convicted on five counts of disorderly conduct in 2021.
Although Smollett was sentenced to about five months in jail, he only served six days and was released pending appeal. Now, he’s in the clear.
While Smollett entered a rehab facility in late 2023, most recently he wrote and produced a new film called The Lost Holliday which he also starred in. Peep social media reactions, MAGA is big mad, again, to Smollett’s latest news in the gallery.
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Malcolm X, the civil rights leader who later transformed into a global activist, was assassinated in 1965 just as his messages for human rights began to resonate with the wider public. The family of Malcolm X has filed a $100 million wrongful death lawsuit against the United States government, alleging its involvement in his passing.
As reported late last week by ABC News, civil rights attorney Ben Crump was flanked by members of Malcolm X’s family and announced the $100 million lawsuit while addressing a media gathering in New York where the leader was gunned down.
According to Ilyasah Shabazz, the daughter of El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz (Malcolm X), said that the family and their legal team have uncovered damning evidence that connects the NYPD and FBI worked in concert to kill her father.
“We fought primarily for our mother, who was here,” Ms. Shabazz said referencing the late Betty Shabazz while speaking at the site of the former Audubon Ballroom. “My mother was pregnant when she came here to see her husband speak, someone who she just admired totally and to witness this horrific assassination of her husband.”
Crump added in his statements to the press that the lawsuit targets an alleged scheme from the authorities to keep the truth of X’s death under wraps. In the lawsuit, a witness by the name of Mustafa Hassan claims that when he and others tried to stop the individuals who carried out the assassination, NYPD officers intervened to allegedly help the suspects escape. Hassan was reportedly never questioned by investigators on the scene despite him giving an account of the incident.
Further, the family’s legal team says it has two affidavits from a pair of X’s bodyguards who claim they were jailed by an undercover NYPD officer one week before the slaying was carried out and were kept from X’s side to guarantee the job would be done.
The FBI and NYPD have declined to comment on the lawsuit according to the outlet.
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Diddy has just received his first piece of good news in a long time. A judge has ruled that prosecutors can’t use materials seized from his jail cell.
As spotted on Deadline, the now embattled mogul might be feeling more confident heading into his upcoming bail hearing. On Tuesday (November 19), Judge Arun Subramanian denied the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District the ability to leverage any information seized from an October raid in Diddy’s jail cell. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams submitted a filing last week alleging that the Bad Boy Entertainment founder had written notes detailing plans to “blackmail” witnesses, make unauthorized calls, and more.
“While attempting to evade law enforcement monitoring, the defendant has, among other things, orchestrated social media campaigns that are, in his own words, aimed at tainting the jury pool; made efforts to publicly leak materials he views as helpful to his case; and contacted witnesses through third parties,” the memo read.
Additionally, prosecutors also submitted a transcript of a call Diddy made to one of his sons that shows “the defendant’s goal is to blackmail victims and witnesses either into silence or providing testimony helpful to his defense.”
Some of the items seized in the raid include “intact pages from two different legal pads, (ii) pages of an address book, (iii) a ripped-out, folded-over page of a third legal pad, (iv) a ripped-out page of another legal pad and (v) a ripped-out page of yet a different legal pad.”
Diddy’s legal team pushed back citing the raid violated several of their client’s Amendments rights. Diddy’s third bail hearing is scheduled for November 22. He has previously offered a $50 million bond and agreed to only be in contact with his family and legal team.
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Lil Durk has entered a not guilty plea in his murder-for-hire case in California this week, setting the stage for an upcoming trial that has been set for the top of next year. Lil Durk is accused of ordering members of his OTF (Only The Family) collective to carry out a revenge killing in response to the shooting death of King Von.
The Chicago Tribune reports that Lil Durk, 32, was in a Los Angeles court on Thursday (November 14) for his arraignment in connection to the death of a family member of rival Quando Rondo. One of Rondo’s associates shot and killed Dayvon “King Von” Bennett in 2020 during an altercation in Atlanta, Ga.
Durk was initially arrested three weeks ago near a Miami airport where he was allegedly attempting to leave the country on a flight bound for Italy and according to reports, Durk was booked for three international flights on private airplanes.
The Tribune adds in its reporting that Durk is being held in a federal prison in California and prosecutors want him to remain jailed until his trial, which is set for January 7, 2025. The prosecutors in the case are stating that Durk is a potential flight risk and a danger to the community.
Lil Durk is accused of allegedly putting five OTF members on the task of taking out Quando Rondo after rapper Timothy “Lul Tim” Leeks shot and killed King Von. Charges against Lul Tim were later dropped according to Georgia’s “stand-your-ground” laws.
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PnB Rock was tragically shot and killed during a robbery while dining inside a Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles restaurant, leading to the arrest and conviction of Freddie Lee Trone to 31 years in prison. New footage of the incident has emerged and it suggests that PnB Rock was set up by a pair of patrons who presumably tipped off Trone and his teen son who carried out the robbery and shooting.
YouTube channel True Crime News shared a video featuring footage of the fateful day when PnB Rock, real name Rakim Hasheem Allen, and his fiancée Stephanie Sibounheuang visited Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles in South Central Los Angeles in September 2022.
True Crime News host Ana Garcia is heard explaining the happenings in the surveillance footage, which shows a person greeting Allen while outside footage shows two people allegedly planning the crime. Trone’s son arrived by car and fired three shots at Allen with restaurant workers, a security guard, and guests vacating the establishment.
The bodycam footage obtained from police showed the vantage point of officers who responded to the scene of the crime, with detectives asking Sibounheuang about the shooting. At that time, Sibounheuang is informed that her fiancée did not survive the gunshot wounds.
Sibounheuang absorbed blame for the incident after she posted on her Instagram Story feed that she was at the restaurant, including showing the location via geotag.
Some observers believed she was the reason the robbers were able to corner Allen. However, Garcia shared that according to the timing of the planning going on outside of the robbery and Sibounheuang’s Instagram post do not match up. The plot was hashed out well before she shared the location, thus effectively clearing her of any blame according to the True Crime News findings.
We will share a link to True Crime News‘ report but will not embed the video in the body of this post due to the disturbing details within. However, clicking here will lead you to the story but please proceed cautiously.
PnB Rock was 30.
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Lil Durk and his ongoing legal woes that led to his arrest are mounting after new information provided additional details connected to an alleged murder-for-hire plot. With the Chicago rapper already facing serious charges, two additional charges were handed down as Lil Durk awaits his fate.
In a press release issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of California last Friday (November 8), it was revealed that Lil Durk, 32, will face two additional charges connected to the brazen 2022 shooting at the Beverly Center shopping mall in Los Angeles.
From the Justice Department’s public relations hub:
Durk Banks, 32, a.k.a. “Lil Durk,” “Blood,” and “Mustafa Abdul Malak,” of Chicago, is charged with one count of conspiracy, one count of use of interstate facilities to commit murder-for-hire resulting in death, and one count of using, carrying, and discharging firearms and a machine gun and possession of such firearms in furtherance of a crime of violence resulting in death.
The indictment adds two felony charges against Banks, who previously was charged via criminal complaint in this case.
The four-count superseding indictment, returned late Thursday, adds Banks as the lead defendant to a previous indictment returned October 17 and charging the following defendants in connection with the August 2022 murder:
The other defendants named in the press release were Kavon London Grant, 28, a.k.a. “Cuz” and “Vonnie,” of Atlanta, Deandre Dontrell Wilson, 33, a.k.a. “DeDe,” of Chicago, Keith Jones, 33, a.k.a. “Flacka,” of Gary, Indiana; David Brian Lindsey, 33, a.k.a. “Browneyez,” of Addison, Illinois; and Asa Houston, 36, a.k.a. “Boogie,” of Chicago.
Lil Durk was arrested while reportedly looking to leave the country on October 17 near Miami International Airport. He was ordered jailed without bond until his transfer to Los Angeles for arraignment. He was charged in the 2022 shooting death of rival Quando Rondo’s cousin, Saviay’a Robinson, aka Lul Pab, in retaliation for the 2020 death of King Von in Atlanta.
Durk and his co-defendants have not entered any pleas.
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Sean “Diddy” Combs has employed his legal team to file an appeal to his recent bond denial after being denied twice so far. In a new report, Diddy and his team once more introduced the restrictions and guidelines the business mogul will follow as he awaits his day in court.
TMZ reports that Sean “Diddy” Combs’ legal team once more reiterated that the $50,000 bail was set with several restrictions, including not allowing women to visit Combs at his Star Island home in Florida and keeping a visitor’s log among other guidelines.
As TMZ noted in its report, this is Combs’ third attempt to be released on bond. Adding to the restrictions, Combs’ lawyers are attempting to assure the court that their client will not be a flight risk and is attempting to sell off his private plane to boot.
Combs is currently housed in the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC), a prison facility that has garnered a reputation for being unsafe and replete with issues. While Diddy himself has not made any public comments related to his stay at MDC, there have been reports that the Bad Boy Records honcho was under heavy surveillance to prevent self-harm.
While the appeal has been filed, it has not been reported when it will be officially presided over.
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Sean “Diddy” Combs is awaiting sentencing inside a holding facility in Brooklyn in connection with his ongoing case as new details surrounding the mogul continue to surface. An attorney for one of Diddy’s alleged victims says that she has heard word of sex tapes featuring the Bad Boy honcho along with at least three other top celebrities.
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Attorney Ariel Mitchell-Kidd — recently a guest on Piers Morgan Uncensored with Jaguar Wright and DJ Vlad — appeared on NewsNation’s Banfield program where she shared some new details regarding Diddy related to an alleged collection of sex tape footage that reportedly has made its rounds.
While speaking with Banfield guest host Laura Ingle, Mitchell-Kidd says she was contacted by an individual who allegedly has tapes featuring Diddy along with three other high-profile celebrities, and a fourth celebrity, said to be someone younger than Combs, was allegedly seen on tape in the throes of sexual activity.
It should be noted that Mitchell-Kidd has not seen video footage or images of the alleged tapes, only that she was informed of their existence and the potentially damning evidence within.
As we saw in a NewsNation article, Mitchell-Kidd also shared that she is no longer representing former adult film performer Adria English due to their shared vision of how the case should be handled.
“We agreed that she would stop undermining me,” Mitchell-Kidd said. “Then she went behind my back and violated it again. So fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. That’s where we are.”
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Source: The County of Dallas / Mr. Prada
Mr. Prada, a TikTok star famous for posts on the social media platform who once dropped a post practicing for his mugshot, is now behind bars after being arrested for second-degree murder.
Terryon Thomas, also known as Mr. Prada, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder of a therapist after his body was found along a stretch of a Louisiana highway over the weekend.
Authorities in Dallas County, Texas, detained the social media star on Monday, a booking sheet revealed.
Per Page Six, the 20-year-old was originally arrested for “damage to property, resisting an officer, and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle” before he was charged with obstruction and murder in the second degree.
He is currently being held without bond.
The car involved in the arrest belonged to William Nicholas Abraham, a Baton Rouge, Louisiana.-based therapist whose body was found wrapped in a tarp alongside a Louisiana highway on Sunday.
According to the coroner’s office via the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office in Hammond, Louisiana, Abraham, 69, died of blunt-force trauma. His death was immediately ruled a homicide.
Tangipahoa Parish authorities shared surveillance camera screenshots of a person they claimed was the last person seen driving Abraham’s vehicle in Baton Rouge.
The person driving the vehicle sped away from authorities during a traffic stop and fled on foot after crashing the vehicle.
Abraham Was Accused of Touching an 11-year-old Boy
Abraham also had his run-in with the law after he was arrested in 2015 after being accused of inappropriately touching an 11-year-old boy during a therapy session.
He was never charged, and Tangipahoa Sheriff Gerald Sticker said he is aware of Abraham’s previous arrest, but the focus remains on figuring out where he was killed.
Of course, users on X, formerly Twitter, put on their detective hats and are trying to connect the dots between Abraham’s previous arrest and his murder.
Without any shred of proof, one post on X read, “Hearing that Mr Prada allegedly was SA’d by his therapist,told police and they did nothing and now he’s facing charges for kllllng the therapist is insane. People need to believe victims so they don’t turn into suspects. That boy been crying for help for months.”
That post has over 99 thousand likes.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
2. And. Here. We. Go.
4. Good question
6. Because the lies spread faster than the truth
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Justin Johnson, one of two individuals who were charged with gunning down popular Memphis rapper Young Dolph in 2021, has been sentenced to life behind bars. Also known as a hopeful rapper under the stage name Straight Drop, Justin Johnson’s case was deliberated in just under four hours according to local reports.
Justin Johnson, 26, was found guilty on charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, and felon in possession of a firearm. Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Jennifer Mitchell read the verdict on Thursday (September 26). Jurors heard three days of testimony and closing arguments on the fourth day. According to reports, Johnson did not take the stand during the hearings.
The sister of Young Dolph shared a statement with the media after Johnson’s verdict was heard:
On Nov. 17, 2021, our lives changed forever. A son, a father, a brother, a friend, a businessman, a music artist, a philanthropist, and life partner are among just some of the titles that my brother Adolph Robert Thornton Jr. held. Titles that have now left a missing piece in the lives of so many. I want to thank the jury for their service and decision in this case to bring us one step closer to justice for our family, friends, supporters, and the community that has supported us during this time.
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“We realize this act of violence has impacted so many outside of our family and friends. Your outpouring of love and support throughout this process does not go unnoticed. We ask that instead of focusing on those who committed this crime, you focus on that man that Adolph Robert Thornton was. Regardless of the name that you may know him as, such as Adolph, Dolph, or Young Dolph, we ask you to remember the man that enjoyed being a father and spending time with his family. We ask that you remember the man who enjoyed giving opportunities to those who were often overlooked and counted out. We ask that you remember the man who enjoyed giving back to others and being an inspiration to those who come from less than ideal backgrounds, and knowing that they are seen and can change their outcomes and the lives of others by doing something positive. We will continue to heal and keep Adolph’s legacy alive.
In addition, Young Dolph’s partner, Mia Jaye, shared a statement via Instagram with a picture of the rapper alongside his family.
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