EXCLUSIVE Kohberger family insider reveals to HOWARD BLUM how killer's 6am phone call to his parents prompted the stunningly cynical plea deal that blindsided America
But beyond the justifiable outrage over the state prosecutor's deeply cynical, yet pragmatic decision to put an accused murderer behind bars, many were left wondering: why now?
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The Guardian
27 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Australia mushroom trial verdicts live: Erin Patterson jury indicates it has reached verdicts
Update: Date: 2025-07-07T03:42:33.000Z Title: Court to reconvene as jury indicates verdicts reached Content: Welcome to our live blog of Erin Patterson's triple murder trial. The jury has indicated it has reached verdicts in the case of the mushroom lunch cook. The court is expected to reconvene shortly. We'll bring you live updates. Patterson, 50, faces three charges of murder and one charge of attempted murder relating to a beef wellington lunch she served at her house in Leongatha, in regional Victoria, on 29 July 2023. She has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Trump's DOJ issues final verdict on Jeffrey Epstein in attempt to silence swirling conspiracy theories
The FBI and the Department of Justice under Donald Trump have determined Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide and the fabled 'client list' does not exist. Sentiment was widely shared online that Epstein's 2019 death was made to look like a suicide, but was actually a murder meant to prevent him from revealing his client list or co-conspirators in the pedophilic sex trafficking conspiracy. Now, the administration is publishing a memo and plans to release a video showing their findings, backing Epstein's death as ruled by the medical examiner as a suicide by hanging. To prove that, they will put out a 'raw' and 'enhanced' video clip they say shows that nobody entered Epstein's cell at the Metropolitan Detention Center on the night he died. Investigators looked at footage from the night of August 9, 2019 at 10:40pm, when Epstein was locked in his cell until the next morning at around 6:30am, when he was found unconscious. 'The FBI enhanced the relevant footage by increasing its contrast, balancing the color, and improving its sharpness for greater clarity and viewability,' the memo reads. They also saw 'no credible evidence' that the billionaire pedophile had blackmailed 'prominent individuals' and found no 'client list.' Elon Musk had infamously alleged that Trump was 'in the Epstein files' during his wild crash-out feud with the president. No 'further disclosure' of any Epstein information 'would be appropriate or warranted,' according to the memo obtained by Axios. They said they don't want the child sex abuse material and details of Epstein's victims to meet the public. 'Through this review, we found no basis to revisit the disclosure of those materials and will not permit the release of child pornography,' it adds. The memo from the FBI and DOJ announced that no one involved in the Epstein case will follow former right-hand woman Ghislaine Maxwell to prison, as no further charges will be filed. Epstein's death led to several conspiracy theories and a general hunger for knowledge regarding his crimes. Pam Bondi began what she called 'phase one' of releasing the long-awaited, mysterious files related to pedophile financier in February . The first wave of documents have largely been circulating in the public domain for years and so far are yet to include any new bombshells, leading to great disappointment from the public. 'What you're going to see, hopefully tomorrow, is a lot of flight logs, a lot of names, a lot of information,' Bondi previewed on Fox Wednesday. 'But, it's pretty sick what that man did, along with his co-defendant,' referring to Ghislaine Maxwell. The officially declassified material included flight logs, Epstein's infamous contact book, an evidence list and a masseuse list in ten different links posted to the Department of Justice website. The contact list, which has previously circulated in various forms, shows redacted information for dozens of the Hollywood, political and fashion elite and was purportedly compiled by Epstein and his longtime confidante Maxwell. Personal contact information was redacted throughout the list. FBI Director Kash Patel had been a skeptic of the official findings behind Epstein's death, however, he told Joe Rogan that since he'd taken over the bureau, he hadn't found 'what you want,' which he described as 'some guy or gal committing felonies.' 'If I had it, I'd be the first guy to bring this case hard and fast,' Patel claimed. He added that his team at the FBI has viewed everything they have been given lawful access to from the infamous island. Epstein's 'pedo island' aka Little Saint James in the US Virgin Islands was a focal point of his horrific child-sex-trafficking operation. It has long been believed that Epstein hosted a wide array of rich and famous clients at the island. Patel said that the bureau is doing the best that they can and encouraged anyone with information to get in touch. 'I got here 100 days ago. I can't be held to account for 20 years of failures,' he said. Though Patel claimed that his FBI will 'give you everything we can' he does have some boundaries set around Epstein's victims. 'Remember, we're not gonna' re-victimize women. We're not gonna' put that s*** back out there. It's not happening because then, he wins.' Epstein took his own life in jail on August 10, 2019, awaiting trial for sex trafficking and other heinous crimes. The well-connected financier and Maxwell kept a wide circle of friends from fellow billionaires to politicians like Trump and Clinton, and entertainment icons. Maxwell herself is the daughter of the late British media tycoon Robert Maxwell, who once owned the New York Daily News. Epstein flew numerous well-heeled friends to his private Caribbean island, Little Saint James, where some of them sexually abused children. Many Americans have been waiting for the lengthy FBI investigation files to be released publicly after Trump promised to do so. Over the years, thousands of pages of records have been released through lawsuits, Epstein´s criminal dockets, public disclosures and Freedom of Information Act requests. In January 2024, a court unsealed a trove of documents that had been collected as evidence in a lawsuit filed by Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre. The unorthodox move followed other Trump Administration efforts to empower fringe social media figures and highly partisan outlets that enthusiastically support him, at the expense of the more critical mainstream media. President Trump signed an executive order in January calling on agencies to create plans to release and distribute top-secret documents including on Epstein as well as the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, his brother Robert F. Kennedy and civil rights maverick Martin Luther King Jr. Lawyers for Epstein have disputed the ruling as public skepticism over his death grew in recent years, resulting in numerous conspiracy theories. The possibility of pursuing criminal charges died along with Epstein, so a judge dismissed the case on August 29, 2019 – less than three weeks after he was found hanging in his jail cell. British socialite Maxwell had a decades-long association with Epstein and was convicted in 2021 on federal charges for sex trafficking after she recruited young girls for the pedophilic ring, as well as child sex abuse and prostitution Her procurement for Epstein included bringing into the folds of the conspiracy a 14-year-old girl. Epstein had a private jet that he logged 600 flying hours on each year, usually with guests on board as part of the manifest. The Boeing 727 was nicknamed the Lolita Express by locals in the Virgin Islands because of its frequent arrivals allegedly with young girls on board. Lolita has multiple meanings, including a term for a young girl.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Texas flooding latest: Desperate search for survivors continues after 82 die as officials prepare for ‘wall of water' storm
A desperate search for at least 10 children campers continued into Sunday, after devastating floods killed at least 82 people in central Texas. The group of girls and one counselor are missing from Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer camp along the Guadalupe River that was ravaged by the floods, officials said. At least four girls missing from the summer camp were found dead. At least 28 children were killed in what Texas GOP Congressman Chip Roy called a 'once-in-a-century flood.' Two girls — 13-year-old Blair and 11-year-old Brooke — were among those killed by the floods, their father told CNN on Saturday night. Harber said Blair 'was a gifted student and had a generous, kind heart,' and described Brooke as 'like a light in any room, people gravitated to her'. The unexpected flash flooding struck on Friday after torrential rain along the Guadalupe River. The destructive force of the fast-rising waters just before dawn on Friday washed out homes and swept away vehicles. Former Camp Mystic camper is now covering the flood aftermath CNN anchor Pamela Brown attended Camp Mystic 30 years ago — now she's covering the tragedy. 'That river was the source of so much joy and fun for us,' Brown said on the job. 'To think that that same river is the source of this devastation,' she added. 'It's just hard to wrap my head around.' Kelly Rissman7 July 2025 04:00 Updated death toll The Associated Press has reported that 82 people have now died after flash floods in central Texas. 10 girls and one counselor from Camp Mystic remains missing. Andrew Georgeson7 July 2025 03:03 Everything we know about Texas flooding victims The identities of the 79 flood victims are still being determined and released to the public. Here's what we know about the victims so far. Ariana Baio and Katie Hawkinson have the story. Texas flood victims: Everything we know The devastating Texas floods have killed at least 43 people, including 15 children and 28 adults Kelly Rissman7 July 2025 03:00 WATCH: Pope Leo offers prayers and condolences to victims of Texas floods Kelly Rissman7 July 2025 02:00 The latest from Kerr County Search and rescue operations, according to the Kerr County Sheriff's Office. The crews include 'hundreds of officers, deputies, and support staff working every aspect of this emergency, along with air, water, K9, and other assets conducting search and rescue,' the office said. As of Sunday early afternoon, the sheriff's office said it had recovered 68 deceased in Kerr County: 40 adults and 28 children. Eighteen adults are pending identification, and 10 children also pending identification, the office said. Ten Camp Mystic campers and one counselor are still missing. 'We continue to offer our condolences to those affected, and we are working tirelessly to reunite families,' the sheriff's office said. Kelly Rissman7 July 2025 01:30 WATCH: Timelapse video shows Texas flash floods turn dry river into deadly rapids in 20 minutes Kelly Rissman7 July 2025 01:00 Central Texas braces for more rainfall after devastating floods The San Antonio area is now bracing for more heavy rainfall. 'Additional rainfall amounts of 2-4 inches are possible with isolated pockets of 10 inches somewhere in the watch area. It is very difficult to pinpoint where exactly the isolated heavy amounts will occur in this pattern,' according to the National Weather Service. Earlier in the day, Nim Kidd, Chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management, warned of a potential 'wall of water' heading to the area. He warned: 'Because the ground is already saturated, any rain that falls can be perceived as life-threatening rain.' Kelly Rissman7 July 2025 00:40 President Trump plans to visit Texas 'probably' on Friday The president said he plans to visit Texas 'probably on Friday.' Asked about visiting the flood-ravaged state, Trump told reporters on Sunday: 'Probably on Friday. We wanted to leave a little time. I would have done it today, but we'd just be in their way.' Earlier on Sunday, the president announced he had signed a major disaster declaration for the state. 'These families are enduring an unimaginable tragedy, with many lives lost, and many still missing,' he wrote on Truth Social Sunday morning. Kelly Rissman7 July 2025 00:20 Flood survivor says he clung to a meter box Christian Fell, 25, was staying at his grandmother's home in Hunt when flood waters began quickly rushing in early Friday morning, forcing him to flee through a broken window and cling to a meter box for several hours. Fell told NBC News that he awoke around 3:00 a.m. local time to water filling the home. In the five minutes Fell took to look around the home for a way out, flood waters from the Guadalupe River had reached his waist. Fell is six feet tall. 'I had to go underwater and swim through the broken window,' Fell explained. After swimming out, Fell stood on top of a narrow meter box for several hours, waiting for the water to recede while trying to avoid touching electrical wires. Ariana Baio
