Two men jailed for life for murder of Aboriginal boy
Two men have been sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering an Aboriginal schoolboy, in a case that shocked Australia.
Cassius Turvey died of head injuries after a brutal assault on the outskirts of Perth in October 2022. The 15-year-old's killing prompted nationwide protests and vigils, also sparking debate on pervasive racism in the country.
The killers, Jack Brearley and Brodie Palmer, were "callous and lacking in empathy" as they chased Turvey down and savagely beat the Noongar Yamatji boy with a metal pole, Justice Peter Quinlan told a packed courtroom on Friday.
Mitchell Forth, who was convicted of manslaughter, was sentenced to 12 years in jail.
The gallery cheered as Justice Quinlan handed down the sentences, while Cassius' mother Mechelle Turvey burst into tears, local media reported.
At trial, Brearley, 24, and Palmer, 30, had each blamed the other for Cassius' death.
Justice Quinlan found Brearley delivered the fatal blows, adding that he had shown "no remorse whatsoever".
Brearley had alleged that he acted in self-defence as Cassius was armed with a knife, which the judge rejected as "complete fabrication".
"You cannot make amends when you don't acknowledge the pain that you have caused.
"You cannot be remorseful when in an effort to avoid responsibility… You seek to frame an innocent man and when that does not work you give false evidence that your co-accused was in fact the killer," the chief justice said in a scathing rebuke reported by ABC News.
Palmer did not physically strike Cassius, but Justice Quinlan ruled that he was "equally responsible but not equally culpable".
The group had also assaulted other Aboriginal teenagers in what the judge described as "so-called vigilante justice [that] was completely misdirected".
A fourth offender, Ethan MacKenzie, was handed a two-and-a-half years jail term for his part in some of the other assaults.
In one case, a 13-year-old boy's own crutches were used to beat him, causing bruising to his face.
Prosecutors said the group had been "hunting for kids" because somebody had damaged Brearley's car windows.
The attack on Cassius was the culmination of a complex series of tit-for-tat events that had nothing to do with him, they said.
Justice Quinlan condemned Brearley, Palmer and Forth for their "celebration" after the assaults, calling it a "grotesque display of your complete disregard of the lives of the children you had attacked".
In her victim impact statement on Thursday, Cassius' mother Mechelle Turvey said the actions of the three men were racially motivated.
"Cassius was not just part of my life, he was my future," Ms Turvey said. "There are no words that can fully capture the devastation of losing someone you love to violence."
While Justice Quinlan did not find the attack to be motivated by race, he said the attackers' use of racial slurs "rippled" through the Aboriginal community and created "justifiable fear".
"The fear is real and legitimate. You are responsible for that fear," he said.
Aboriginal boy's killing puts spotlight on racism
Mother's grief at killing that's shocked Australia
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18 minutes ago
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Sean 'Diddy' Combs verdict live updates: Hip-hop mogul denied bail after being found guilty on 2 of 5 counts, acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering charges
Sean "Diddy" Combs will remain in jail while he awaits sentencing for his conviction on two counts of prostitution-related offenses, a judge decided Wednesday evening. Hours earlier, jurors in Combs's federal criminal trial found the hip-hop mogul guilty on two of the five counts filed against him, acquitting him of the other three. The 12-member panel acquitted Combs of racketeering and sex trafficking, the most serious charges, but found him guilty of prostitution-related offenses. The 55-year-old, who could have been sentenced to life in prison had he been convicted of racketeering or sex trafficking, now faces a maximum of 20 years in prison. At a bail hearing scheduled for 5 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Judge Arun Subramanian rejected a request from Combs's attorneys that he be released on a $1 million bond while he awaits sentencing, citing, in part, the defense's own testimony in the trial. "At trial, the defense conceded the defendant's violence in his personal relationships," he said, adding that the defense had failed to prove that Combs poses "no danger to any person." The jury spent more than 12 hours across three days deliberating the case. On Tuesday afternoon, the panel said that it had come to an agreement on counts two, three, four and five — sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and transportation to engage in prostitution — but was unable to reach a verdict on count one: racketeering conspiracy. An hour into its deliberations Wednesday, the jury sent a note telling the judge that it had reached a verdict on all five counts. Follow the live blog below for the latest updates culled from various reporters and news organizations in the courtroom, including ABC News, the Associated Press, CNN, NBC News, the New York Times and USA Today. Live coverage has ended for today. Judge Arun Subramanian concluded Wednesday's bail hearing after denying the defense's request that Combs be released on bond. The next step in the trial will be a remote hearing next Tuesday to discuss when sentencing should begin. Judge Arun Subramanian suggested that sentencing could begin in four months, but indicated that he would be open to moving up that date at the defense's request. Combs will remain in custody in the interim. He faces a maximum of 10 years in prison after being convicted of two prostitution-related charges, though the actual sentence could be much shorter. The final decision will be up to the judge. Judge Arun Subramanian told the courtroom that he opted to deny Combs's request for release in part because his attorneys had admitted that he had a history of violent behavior over the course of the trial. "At trial, the defense conceded the defendant's violence in his personal relationships," he said, adding that the defense had failed to prove that Combs poses "no danger to any person." Subramanian added that Combs's duties as a father and son did not rise to the level that's necessary to allow an exception to the text of the law, which mandates detention in most cases. Judge Arun Subramanian has rejected the defense's request that Combs be released on a $1 million bond while he awaits sentencing, arguing that the detention is "mandatory" under the law for the crimes he was convicted of, per the New York Times. Judge Arun Subramanian will decide whether Combs can be released or if he will be forced to remain in custody as he awaits sentencing after being found guilty of two prostitution-related offenses. His lawyers have proposed that he be freed on a $1 million bond and agreed to have him face certain conditions upon his release, including surrendering his passport, submitting to drug testing and complying with strict restrictions on where he can travel within the U.S. "He needs and wants to be with — and remain with — his family," they wrote in a letter to the judge. The prosecution has urged the judge to deny Combs bail, arguing that he "continues to be a danger to others and is either unable or unwilling to follow the law." Doug Wigdor, Cassie Ventura's lawyer, submitted a separate letter to the judge stating that his client believes Combs "likely to pose a danger to the victims who testified in this case, including herself, as well as to the community." In the lead-up to Combs's bail hearing to decide whether he will be released ahead of sentencing, his legal team has sent a second letter encouraging the judge to allow him to be released. In the letter, they accuse the prosecution of unfairly portraying Combs as "a monster who perpetrated a 20-year federal crime spree through a racketeering enterprise," adding that this depiction was "resoundingly rejected by the jury." The letter also discussed the notoriously dangerous conditions at the Brooklyn jail where Combs has been housed. "It would be unjust to continue detaining Mr. Combs at the [Metropolitan Detention Center] even one day longer, especially since — given the sentencing guidelines for these prostitution offenses — he would otherwise be entitled to serve any additional time imposed at a lower-security facility," they wrote. In the wake of the jury's decision, legal experts have been offering their views on why the prosecution was only able to secure guilty verdicts on two prostitution-related charges and not the more serious sex trafficking and racketeering charges. Ephraim Savitt, a former federal prosecutor in New York, told Business Insider that the prosecution overstepped by attempting to portray Combs as a "mob boss" — an accusation he says was unconvincing. "They were overreaching, and in my view, it was a mistake," Savitt said. "The jury just rejected the entire notion wholesale." Former Assistant District Attorney Julie Grant suggested on CNN that jurors may have relied on their own conceptions of what something like sex trafficking should look like rather than how those crimes are defined in the law. "[They] may not see the enterprise — they may not see the sex trafficking for what it literally is by law," she said. Criminal defense attorney Dina Doll told the Associated Press that the "dream team" of lawyers Combs was able to afford likely played a major role in the outcome of the case. "A typical criminal defendant cannot do that," she said. "I think that's where his fame and celebrity helped him." In a letter to Judge Arun Subramanian, federal prosecutors asked the judge to deny the defense's request for Combs to be released on bail, arguing that he should remain incarcerated while he awaits sentencing. The letter recounted much of what the government presented during the trial. "Over the course of seven weeks, the jury heard evidence of the defendant's violence, interstate transportation of numerous individuals for prostitution, drug use and distribution, and attempts to escape law enforcement detection," their letter read. "This conduct spanned two decades. At trial, the defendant did not walk away from these facts — indeed, the defendant embraced the fact that he was a habitual drug user who regularly engaged in domestic abuse." It also argued that Combs remains a danger to the community because he "brutally assaulted" a woman who testified at his trial under the pseudonym "Jane" three months before his September 2024 arrest — while he was aware he was under federal investigation. Prosecutors also pointed out that when Combs was ultimately taken into custody at a New York hotel, he was in possession of materials for a "freak off." "The defendant's conduct after he understood that he was under federal investigation underscores that he continues to be a danger to others and is either unable or unwilling to follow the law," prosecutors wrote. Doug Wigdor, Cassie Ventura's lawyer, submitted a letter to Judge Arun Subramanian requesting that Combs not be released from custody as he awaits sentencing. 'Ms. Ventura believes that Mr. Combs is likely to pose a danger to the victims who testified in this case, including herself, as well as to the community,' Wigdor wrote in the letter, per CNN. In a letter to Judge Arun Subramanian, Combs's defense team outlined its proposed conditions for his release: a. A $1,000,000 bond;b. Co-signed by Sean Combs, his mother, his sister, and the mother of his oldest daughter;c. Mr. Combs's travel will be restricted to the Southern District of Florida, Central District of California and the Southern District of New York (to attend Court and meet with his counsel) as well as the Eastern District of New York or the District of New Jersey (only to the extent that his travel to and from New York involves an airport in those Districts);d. Mr. Combs's passport surrendered to Pretrial Services;e. Drug testing as ordered by Pretrial Services.f. All other standard conditions of pretrial supervision. His lawyers argued that Combs poses no flight risk and that he has already missed several important family events due to his incarceration. "As just a few examples of what Mr. Combs has missed, since he has been incarcerated, he has missed the biggest moments in his daughters' life," the letter read. "He missed his twins' high school graduation — they did not have any parent there with them, because their mother, Kim Porter, tragically passed away in 2018. He missed his twins' prom. He has a minor daughter (2.5 years old) who has been without him for 9 months. He needs and wants to be with — and remain with — his family." A note from Deonte Nash, a celebrity stylist and friend of Cassie Ventura, was included in the prosecutors' letter stating why they are against Combs being released while he awaits sentencing. 'While I appreciate the fairness you have shown throughout this proceeding, I feel compelled to be unequivocal about the danger he poses to the public and to the individuals who have risked everything by coming forward,' Nash wrote, per the Associated Press. Nash continued, 'Mr. Combs has a long, well-documented history of violent, coercive, and retaliatory behavior. Over the years, he has repeatedly escaped meaningful accountability, and each time this has only reinforced his sense of impunity. If he is released now, I have no doubt he will see it as yet another license to continue intimidating, threatening, and harming people who challenge or expose him.' During the trial, Nash testified that Ventura was attacked by Combs. A hearing to determine whether Combs will be released on bail has been set for 5 p.m. ET. Combs has been held without bail at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., since his arrest last September. Judge Arun Subramanian had requested that both sides submit letters containing their arguments for and against his release in writing ahead of the hearing. Sean Combs's mother, Janice Combs, who has been a constant presence throughout the trial, expressed satisfaction with the verdict in her son's case. "Yes, I was happy," she said when asked in the courthouse cafeteria if she approved of the jury's decision, according to NBC News. "Wouldn't you be happy?' Earlier, she was seen smiling and giving a thumbs-up as she exited the courthouse following the announcement of the verdict. The lawyer for singer Dawn Richard, who testified during the trial, was unhappy with the verdict. 'Today's split verdict is a disappointment, but the criminal charges are different than the civil claims we filed and have been fighting against Sean Combs,' Richard's attorney, Lisa Bloom, wrote in a statement obtained by the Associated Press. 'We will continue to aggressively fight our case until we obtain full and complete justice for Dawn.' Richard previously told jurors that Combs threatened to kill her if she told anyone that she saw him physically assault Cassie Ventura, his longtime girlfriend. According to her testimony, Combs threatened Richard and another woman who saw the attack, saying "we could go missing" if they ever told anyone about it. Rosie O'Donnell said she was angry about the Combs trial verdict, in which the jury found him not guilty of sex trafficking. "i guess a jury just never wants to believe that a woman stays because of power and coercion — wow —they just think women stay because what? money — fame — 'they love the abuse' — what a f***ing joke — this decision got me angry #cassie," O'Donnell wrote in an Instagram post on Wednesday morning. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rosie O'Donnell (@rosie) The "power of coercion" O'Donnell is referring to are counts two and four: sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion regarding Victim 1 (Cassie Ventura) and Victim 2 ("Jane"). Combs was found not guilty on both counts. No photographs or video recordings were allowed during the federal trial. So the only images from inside the courtroom as the verdict was announced were portraits by sketch artists, including Jane Rosenberg, who captured Combs looking back, pumping his fist and dropping to his knees underneath the defense table. Sean 'Diddy' Combs's longtime hip-hop rival 50 Cent, who mocked Combs on social media throughout the trial, posted a message on Instagram shortly after the jury found Combs guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution but acquitted him on the more serious charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. 'Diddy beat the Feds that boy a bad man!' 50 Cent wrote on Instagram with clapping hands emojis. 'Beat the [RICO], he like the Gay John Gotti,' he added in a reference to the infamous mob boss who was similarly acquitted on racketeering charges. View this post on Instagram A post shared by 50 Cent (@50cent) Early in the trial, amid speculation that President Trump might pardon Combs, 50 Cent posted clips from past interviews of Combs criticizing Trump. "Trump don't like s*** like this, buddy," 50 Cent wrote in an Instagram post sharing one of the clips. "You run your mouth too much." The jury for Combs's trial was made up of 12 New Yorkers, eight men and four women, along with six alternates. One alternate was swapped in for a juror on June 16 after Judge Arun Subramanian expressed concern that the juror had been inconsistent about where he lived. Each juror has a college degree, and the group works in a variety of fields, with a few being retired. The group's ages ranged between 30 and 74 years old. Some have kids or live with family, and others live alone. Before the trial began in May, at least seven of the jurors said they had heard about the case before arriving at jury selection, but said they would remain unbiased during the trial, ABC News reported. Sean 'Diddy' Combs was found guilty of transporting his former girlfriends for prostitution but acquitted of the most serious charges: sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy. Had he been convicted on either of those counts, Combs could have been facing a maximum sentence of life in federal prison. Instead, he is facing 20 years in prison, as the two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution carry maximum sentences of 10 years apiece. Prosecutor Maurene Comey said that the government will seek the maximum possible sentence of 20 years, but the hip-hop mogul's defense team will argue he's a first-time offender who has already spent close to a year in jail. The final sentence will be up to a judge. Jay Clayton, acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, which prosecuted the case, released a statement in response to the verdict: Sex crimes deeply scar victims, and the disturbing reality is that sex crimes are all too present in many aspects of our society. Victims endure gut-wrenching physical and mental abuse, leading to lasting trauma. New Yorkers and all Americans want this scourge stopped and perpetrators brought to sex crimes requires brave victims to come forward and tell their harrowing stories. We and our law enforcement partners recognize the hardships victims endure and have prioritized a victim-centered approach to investigating and prosecuting these we recognize the important work of the SDNY's Civil Rights Unit as well as the tireless efforts of the women and men at [Homeland Security Investigations] who are devoted to combatting human trafficking. We thank the Special Agents from the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Southern District of New York, Digital Forensic Unit and the Complex Analytics and Social Media Enhancement (CASE) Team at the New York/New Jersey High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. We would also like to thank our partners at the NYPD for their assistance in this matter and for sharing our victim-centered approach to combatting sex crimes. Judge Arun Subramanian concluded Wednesday's bail hearing after denying the defense's request that Combs be released on bond. The next step in the trial will be a remote hearing next Tuesday to discuss when sentencing should begin. Judge Arun Subramanian suggested that sentencing could begin in four months, but indicated that he would be open to moving up that date at the defense's request. Combs will remain in custody in the interim. He faces a maximum of 10 years in prison after being convicted of two prostitution-related charges, though the actual sentence could be much shorter. The final decision will be up to the judge. Judge Arun Subramanian told the courtroom that he opted to deny Combs's request for release in part because his attorneys had admitted that he had a history of violent behavior over the course of the trial. "At trial, the defense conceded the defendant's violence in his personal relationships," he said, adding that the defense had failed to prove that Combs poses "no danger to any person." Subramanian added that Combs's duties as a father and son did not rise to the level that's necessary to allow an exception to the text of the law, which mandates detention in most cases. Judge Arun Subramanian has rejected the defense's request that Combs be released on a $1 million bond while he awaits sentencing, arguing that the detention is "mandatory" under the law for the crimes he was convicted of, per the New York Times. Judge Arun Subramanian will decide whether Combs can be released or if he will be forced to remain in custody as he awaits sentencing after being found guilty of two prostitution-related offenses. His lawyers have proposed that he be freed on a $1 million bond and agreed to have him face certain conditions upon his release, including surrendering his passport, submitting to drug testing and complying with strict restrictions on where he can travel within the U.S. "He needs and wants to be with — and remain with — his family," they wrote in a letter to the judge. The prosecution has urged the judge to deny Combs bail, arguing that he "continues to be a danger to others and is either unable or unwilling to follow the law." Doug Wigdor, Cassie Ventura's lawyer, submitted a separate letter to the judge stating that his client believes Combs "likely to pose a danger to the victims who testified in this case, including herself, as well as to the community." In the lead-up to Combs's bail hearing to decide whether he will be released ahead of sentencing, his legal team has sent a second letter encouraging the judge to allow him to be released. In the letter, they accuse the prosecution of unfairly portraying Combs as "a monster who perpetrated a 20-year federal crime spree through a racketeering enterprise," adding that this depiction was "resoundingly rejected by the jury." The letter also discussed the notoriously dangerous conditions at the Brooklyn jail where Combs has been housed. "It would be unjust to continue detaining Mr. Combs at the [Metropolitan Detention Center] even one day longer, especially since — given the sentencing guidelines for these prostitution offenses — he would otherwise be entitled to serve any additional time imposed at a lower-security facility," they wrote. In the wake of the jury's decision, legal experts have been offering their views on why the prosecution was only able to secure guilty verdicts on two prostitution-related charges and not the more serious sex trafficking and racketeering charges. Ephraim Savitt, a former federal prosecutor in New York, told Business Insider that the prosecution overstepped by attempting to portray Combs as a "mob boss" — an accusation he says was unconvincing. "They were overreaching, and in my view, it was a mistake," Savitt said. "The jury just rejected the entire notion wholesale." Former Assistant District Attorney Julie Grant suggested on CNN that jurors may have relied on their own conceptions of what something like sex trafficking should look like rather than how those crimes are defined in the law. "[They] may not see the enterprise — they may not see the sex trafficking for what it literally is by law," she said. Criminal defense attorney Dina Doll told the Associated Press that the "dream team" of lawyers Combs was able to afford likely played a major role in the outcome of the case. "A typical criminal defendant cannot do that," she said. "I think that's where his fame and celebrity helped him." In a letter to Judge Arun Subramanian, federal prosecutors asked the judge to deny the defense's request for Combs to be released on bail, arguing that he should remain incarcerated while he awaits sentencing. The letter recounted much of what the government presented during the trial. "Over the course of seven weeks, the jury heard evidence of the defendant's violence, interstate transportation of numerous individuals for prostitution, drug use and distribution, and attempts to escape law enforcement detection," their letter read. "This conduct spanned two decades. At trial, the defendant did not walk away from these facts — indeed, the defendant embraced the fact that he was a habitual drug user who regularly engaged in domestic abuse." It also argued that Combs remains a danger to the community because he "brutally assaulted" a woman who testified at his trial under the pseudonym "Jane" three months before his September 2024 arrest — while he was aware he was under federal investigation. Prosecutors also pointed out that when Combs was ultimately taken into custody at a New York hotel, he was in possession of materials for a "freak off." "The defendant's conduct after he understood that he was under federal investigation underscores that he continues to be a danger to others and is either unable or unwilling to follow the law," prosecutors wrote. Doug Wigdor, Cassie Ventura's lawyer, submitted a letter to Judge Arun Subramanian requesting that Combs not be released from custody as he awaits sentencing. 'Ms. Ventura believes that Mr. Combs is likely to pose a danger to the victims who testified in this case, including herself, as well as to the community,' Wigdor wrote in the letter, per CNN. In a letter to Judge Arun Subramanian, Combs's defense team outlined its proposed conditions for his release: a. A $1,000,000 bond;b. Co-signed by Sean Combs, his mother, his sister, and the mother of his oldest daughter;c. Mr. Combs's travel will be restricted to the Southern District of Florida, Central District of California and the Southern District of New York (to attend Court and meet with his counsel) as well as the Eastern District of New York or the District of New Jersey (only to the extent that his travel to and from New York involves an airport in those Districts);d. Mr. Combs's passport surrendered to Pretrial Services;e. Drug testing as ordered by Pretrial Services.f. All other standard conditions of pretrial supervision. His lawyers argued that Combs poses no flight risk and that he has already missed several important family events due to his incarceration. "As just a few examples of what Mr. Combs has missed, since he has been incarcerated, he has missed the biggest moments in his daughters' life," the letter read. "He missed his twins' high school graduation — they did not have any parent there with them, because their mother, Kim Porter, tragically passed away in 2018. He missed his twins' prom. He has a minor daughter (2.5 years old) who has been without him for 9 months. He needs and wants to be with — and remain with — his family." A note from Deonte Nash, a celebrity stylist and friend of Cassie Ventura, was included in the prosecutors' letter stating why they are against Combs being released while he awaits sentencing. 'While I appreciate the fairness you have shown throughout this proceeding, I feel compelled to be unequivocal about the danger he poses to the public and to the individuals who have risked everything by coming forward,' Nash wrote, per the Associated Press. Nash continued, 'Mr. Combs has a long, well-documented history of violent, coercive, and retaliatory behavior. Over the years, he has repeatedly escaped meaningful accountability, and each time this has only reinforced his sense of impunity. If he is released now, I have no doubt he will see it as yet another license to continue intimidating, threatening, and harming people who challenge or expose him.' During the trial, Nash testified that Ventura was attacked by Combs. A hearing to determine whether Combs will be released on bail has been set for 5 p.m. ET. Combs has been held without bail at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., since his arrest last September. Judge Arun Subramanian had requested that both sides submit letters containing their arguments for and against his release in writing ahead of the hearing. Sean Combs's mother, Janice Combs, who has been a constant presence throughout the trial, expressed satisfaction with the verdict in her son's case. "Yes, I was happy," she said when asked in the courthouse cafeteria if she approved of the jury's decision, according to NBC News. "Wouldn't you be happy?' Earlier, she was seen smiling and giving a thumbs-up as she exited the courthouse following the announcement of the verdict. The lawyer for singer Dawn Richard, who testified during the trial, was unhappy with the verdict. 'Today's split verdict is a disappointment, but the criminal charges are different than the civil claims we filed and have been fighting against Sean Combs,' Richard's attorney, Lisa Bloom, wrote in a statement obtained by the Associated Press. 'We will continue to aggressively fight our case until we obtain full and complete justice for Dawn.' Richard previously told jurors that Combs threatened to kill her if she told anyone that she saw him physically assault Cassie Ventura, his longtime girlfriend. According to her testimony, Combs threatened Richard and another woman who saw the attack, saying "we could go missing" if they ever told anyone about it. Rosie O'Donnell said she was angry about the Combs trial verdict, in which the jury found him not guilty of sex trafficking. "i guess a jury just never wants to believe that a woman stays because of power and coercion — wow —they just think women stay because what? money — fame — 'they love the abuse' — what a f***ing joke — this decision got me angry #cassie," O'Donnell wrote in an Instagram post on Wednesday morning. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rosie O'Donnell (@rosie) The "power of coercion" O'Donnell is referring to are counts two and four: sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion regarding Victim 1 (Cassie Ventura) and Victim 2 ("Jane"). Combs was found not guilty on both counts. No photographs or video recordings were allowed during the federal trial. So the only images from inside the courtroom as the verdict was announced were portraits by sketch artists, including Jane Rosenberg, who captured Combs looking back, pumping his fist and dropping to his knees underneath the defense table. Sean 'Diddy' Combs's longtime hip-hop rival 50 Cent, who mocked Combs on social media throughout the trial, posted a message on Instagram shortly after the jury found Combs guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution but acquitted him on the more serious charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. 'Diddy beat the Feds that boy a bad man!' 50 Cent wrote on Instagram with clapping hands emojis. 'Beat the [RICO], he like the Gay John Gotti,' he added in a reference to the infamous mob boss who was similarly acquitted on racketeering charges. View this post on Instagram A post shared by 50 Cent (@50cent) Early in the trial, amid speculation that President Trump might pardon Combs, 50 Cent posted clips from past interviews of Combs criticizing Trump. "Trump don't like s*** like this, buddy," 50 Cent wrote in an Instagram post sharing one of the clips. "You run your mouth too much." The jury for Combs's trial was made up of 12 New Yorkers, eight men and four women, along with six alternates. One alternate was swapped in for a juror on June 16 after Judge Arun Subramanian expressed concern that the juror had been inconsistent about where he lived. Each juror has a college degree, and the group works in a variety of fields, with a few being retired. The group's ages ranged between 30 and 74 years old. Some have kids or live with family, and others live alone. Before the trial began in May, at least seven of the jurors said they had heard about the case before arriving at jury selection, but said they would remain unbiased during the trial, ABC News reported. Sean 'Diddy' Combs was found guilty of transporting his former girlfriends for prostitution but acquitted of the most serious charges: sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy. Had he been convicted on either of those counts, Combs could have been facing a maximum sentence of life in federal prison. Instead, he is facing 20 years in prison, as the two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution carry maximum sentences of 10 years apiece. Prosecutor Maurene Comey said that the government will seek the maximum possible sentence of 20 years, but the hip-hop mogul's defense team will argue he's a first-time offender who has already spent close to a year in jail. The final sentence will be up to a judge. Jay Clayton, acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, which prosecuted the case, released a statement in response to the verdict: Sex crimes deeply scar victims, and the disturbing reality is that sex crimes are all too present in many aspects of our society. Victims endure gut-wrenching physical and mental abuse, leading to lasting trauma. New Yorkers and all Americans want this scourge stopped and perpetrators brought to sex crimes requires brave victims to come forward and tell their harrowing stories. We and our law enforcement partners recognize the hardships victims endure and have prioritized a victim-centered approach to investigating and prosecuting these we recognize the important work of the SDNY's Civil Rights Unit as well as the tireless efforts of the women and men at [Homeland Security Investigations] who are devoted to combatting human trafficking. We thank the Special Agents from the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Southern District of New York, Digital Forensic Unit and the Complex Analytics and Social Media Enhancement (CASE) Team at the New York/New Jersey High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. We would also like to thank our partners at the NYPD for their assistance in this matter and for sharing our victim-centered approach to combatting sex crimes.
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28 minutes ago
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$120m wiped out in childcare horror show
The company that operates the Point Cook childcare centre at the heart of Victoria's alleged child sex abuse horror is crashing in value, losing some $120m in the market since Tuesday. G8 Education, a listed company on the ASX, has declined some 16 per cent since Tuesday's revelation that Joshua Brown, a childcare worker at the company's Creative Garden Point Cook centre, allegedly sexually abused eight children aged from five months to two years. The decline has wiped out about $120m in market value as investors flee the company. On Thursday, investment bank Macquarie downgraded its 12-month price target for the stock to $1.15 from $1.53, citing the Point Cook incident. G8 slumped 7 per cent across the day and traded for just $1 at 3.30pm for a market capitalisation of some $765m. In a statement from Tuesday, the company acknowledged that a 'former G8 Education team member' had been charged with offences involving children. 'The current charges against the former team member are in relation to offences involving children at Creative Garden Point Cook only,' the company said. 'These allegations are serious in nature and are extremely distressing. 'We are focused on supporting all those impacted not just at our centres but across the community. 'Aligned with G8 Education's commitment to child safety and protection, during the former team member's employment, all required employment and background checks, including working with children checks, were current in accordance with legal and regulatory requirements … we are co-operating fully with Victoria Police, the Victorian government and other relevant authorities as part of the investigation.' The company added that it had 'no tolerance' for behaviour that compromised the safety or wellbeing of children. 'As this is now a legal matter, we are unable to comment further on the specifics of the case,' the company said. G8 operates more than 400 centres across the country. For the 2024 calendar year, the company reported $1.021bn in revenues and net profits of $67.7m. G8 has struggled across 2025, even before this week's dramatic tumble. Year-to-date, shares in the company are down about 25 per cent. On Tuesday, Victorian Police revealed they had charged Mr Brown, 26, with 70 offences after he allegedly abused eight children at the centre. It is alleged some children were as young as five months. A widespread investigation has now been launched, with Victoria's chief health officer saying 1200 children have been recommended to undergo infectious diseases testing. Mr Brown was arrested on May 12 and is due to appear at Melbourne Magistrates Court on September 15. Police allege Mr Brown worked at 20 centres across the state between January 2017 and May 2025. A second man known to Mr Brown, Michael Simon Wilson, has also been charged with child sex offences. On Wednesday afternoon, Victorian Police revealed Mr Wilson was a 36-year-old man from Hoppers Crossing. He has been charged with raping a teenage boy, possessing child abuse material, and bestiality. Mr Wilson's alleged offences are not believed to involve childcare centres or any of Mr Brown's alleged victims. The allegations against Mr Brown and Mr Wilson have rocked the country. Education Minister Jason Clare, speaking on Wednesday, promised urgent reforms into child safety, including cutting off funding for centres that fail to meet minimum standards. He also flagged changes to background checks for workers. 'It's taken too long to do the work necessary to make sure that our Working with Children Check system is up to scratch,' he said. 'In too many examples, a perpetrator is eventually caught and arrested and sentenced, there's somebody that got a Working with Children Check because they had no prior criminal record,' he said. Effettua l'accesso per consultare il tuo portafoglio
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Bryan Kohberger pleads guilty to murders of 4 University of Idaho students
Bryan Kohberger pleaded guilty to the murders of four University of Idaho students as part of a plea deal to avoid the death penalty more than two years after the slayings shocked the nation and touched off a coast-to-coast manhunt. Kohberger, 30, admitted to carrying out the gruesome killings and agreed to the terms of the plea deal – four consecutive life sentences and no chance of appeal. Judge Steven Hippler opted on July 2 to accept the agreement, which has divided the victims' families. The guilty plea ensures Kohberger will avoid an upcoming trial and the possibility of capital punishment for the murders of Madison Mogen, 21; Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20. All were found stabbed to death in the rental house near the University of Idaho campus on Nov. 13, 2022. The murders shocked the campus community and horrified the residents of Moscow, a quiet college town in northern Idaho that hadn't reported a murder in five years. Weeks after the killings, Kohberger was arrested in Pennsylvania, where his family lives. At the time of the murders, he was a doctoral student studying criminal justice at Washington State University, less than 10 miles from Moscow. At the hearing July 2, Kohberger sat still and appeared unemotional when the court read the names of the four students. Asked if he had committed the murders willfully and with premeditation, he replied with a flat "yes." Hippler set a sentencing hearing for July 23 and said it may continue into a second day to give the victims' families ample time to make statements before a sentence is officially handed down. The families of the four victims have been split in their reactions to the plea agreement. Some slammed the deal as an easy resolution for the courts that provides no closure to the families at the heart of the case. "This plea did not represent the victims' families, it represented an easy way out and no answers," the Goncalves family said in a statement that called the wait for a resolution a "torture chamber." "Everyone loves the justice system until you get involved in it," the family said in the statement provided by their attorney. "Then you really see that most of the time the cases and resolutions have nothing to do with the victims. At least that was our experience." The statement said that the family had hoped for answers about many details, including Kohberger's motive for killing, which has never been revealed. "Today was the day, the day for answers, the day to find out what happened, to find out really anything about what the Defendant did that night and why he took the lives of 4 beautiful people," the family said. "At least that's what we hoped for but hope is really all we had today." Others celebrated the potential end to the ordeal. Outside the courthouse, Leander James, an attorney for the parents of Madison Mogen, said "We support the plea agreement 100%." "We now embark on a new path," he told reporters. "We embark on a path of hope and healing.' The family of Ethan Chapin supports the deal, their spokesperson, Christina Teves, told the Associated Press. Kohberger's trial was expected to begin with jury selection on Aug. 4 and opening statements on Aug. 18. Prosecutors were set to present DNA evidence, cell phone records and surveillance footage to tie Kohberger to the stabbings. DNA found on the sheath of a knife left near one of the victims' bodies was a statistical match to Kohberger, authorities previously said. A police search warrant previously revealed Kohberger's phone was tracked near the students' house at least 12 times in the six months before the attack. Neighborhood security camera videos also helped police identify a car they said was owned by Kohberger. The car was seen on video at least four times in the early morning hours the day of the killings before speeding off, earlier court filings said. Kohberger's defense has previously claimed he was driving alone and not present at the victims' homes. Contributing: Reuters This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bryan Kohberger pleads guilty to murders of 4 Idaho college students
