Latest news with #Selma
CBS News
a day ago
- CBS News
Man extradited to Oregon to face murder charge in girlfriend's 1983 death
A man charged with murder in the 1983 death of his then-girlfriend has been extradited to Oregon and made his first appearance in court this week. Teresa Peroni, 27, was reported missing shortly after attending a party in Selma, Oregon, on July 4, 1983, CBS News previously reported. Witnesses said Peroni was last seen walking into the woods with her 29-year-old boyfriend Mark Sanfratello. The pair fought during the party, according to Peroni's profile on the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. Peroni's family reported her disappearance, but there was not enough evidence to file charges, according to authorities. In 1997, a skull was discovered near where Peroni was last seen, but no other remains were discovered. In 2024, the Josephine County Sheriff's Office reopened the case of Peroni's disappearance. The Oregon Department of Justice said in a news release Wednesday that investigators re-interviewed witnesses, collected new DNA evidence, and used modern forensic testing to obtain new evidence. Investigators were able to determine that the skull found in 1994 was Peroni's. A grand jury indicted Sanfratello, now 72, on a charge of second-degree murder on June 27. Sanfratello was arrested in Chico, California, on June 28. He had his first court appearance in Oregon on Wednesday, when he was arraigned in Josephine County Circuit Court, the Oregon Department of Justice said. The case will be prosecuted by the Oregon Department of Justice's Criminal Division. Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield said the case highlights the importance of using new technology to solve cold cases. "What happened to Teresa Peroni left her family with decades of uncertainty and grief," said Rayfield said Wednesday in a news release. "While the legal process is now underway and it's important not to prejudge its outcome, this arrest reflects the progress that's possible when law enforcement agencies persist and evolve with new tools. It's a powerful reminder that time doesn't erase the need for answers." Anyone with information about the party Peroni was last seen at has been asked to contact the Josephine County Sheriff's Office.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
"Good Trouble Lives On" protests honor legacy of John Lewis
The Brief The legacy of civil rights icon John Lewis will live on across America Thursday, five years after the congressman's death. Good Trouble Lives On protests are scheduled across the U.S., with tens of thousands of people expected to attend. Lewis, who marched alongside the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., urged Americans to "get in good trouble, necessary trouble." More than 1,600 events are scheduled across the U.S. Thursday, July 17 as a national day of action to honor the fifth anniversary of the death of former congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis. Lewis, a civil rights icon who marched alongside the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and led some 600 protesters in the Bloody Sunday march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, urged Americans to "get in good trouble, necessary trouble." "Good Trouble Lives On will respond to the attacks posed on our civil and human rights by the Trump administration and to remind them that in America, the power lies with the people," organizers said in a news release. "In memory of former Congressman Lewis, we will take to the streets, courthouses and community spaces to carry forward his fight for justice, voting rights and dignity for all." 'Good Trouble Lives On' protests What they're saying Organizers said the protests are centered on three issues: The Trump administration's extreme crackdown on our civil rights – from our right to vote to our right to protest and speak freely." Politicians and lawmakers targeting Black and Brown Americans, immigrants, trans people and others with hateful, dangerous policies. The wealthy and well-connected slashing programs that working people rely on – including Medicaid, SNAP, and Social Security – to line their own pockets. The other side "Nearly 80 million Americans gave President Trump a historic mandate to Make America Great Again and he is delivering on that promise in record time," White House spokesperson Liz Huston said in response. RELATED: No Kings Day attendance: Over 5 million turned out across US, organizers say 'Good Trouble Lives On' protest locations Local perspective More than 1,600 events are scheduled in all 50 states. Click here for locations. Organizers told Axios that at least 56,000 people have RSVP'd to events nationwide. The legacy of John Lewis The backstory Lewis was the youngest and last survivor of the Big Six civil rights activists, a group led by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. that had the greatest impact on the movement. He was best known for leading some 600 protesters in the Bloody Sunday march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma. At age 25 — walking at the head of the march with his hands tucked in the pockets of his tan overcoat — Lewis was knocked to the ground and beaten by police. His skull was fractured, and nationally televised images of the brutality forced the country's attention on racial oppression in the South. Within days, King led more marches in the state, and President Lyndon Johnson soon was pressing Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act. The bill became law later that year, removing barriers that had barred Blacks from voting. Lewis joined King and four other civil rights leaders in organizing the 1963 March on Washington. He spoke to the vast crowd just before King delivered his epochal "I Have a Dream" speech. Lewis, who represented the Atlanta area, served in Congress from 1986 until his death in 2020. The Source This report includes information from Good Trouble Lives On organizers and The Associated Press. Solve the daily Crossword
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Tens of thousands in US set to join ‘Good Trouble' protests honoring John Lewis
Tens of thousands of people are expected to march and rally at more than 1,500 sites across all 50 US states on Thursday to protest against the Trump administration and honor the legacy of the late congressman John Lewis, an advocate for voting rights and civil disobedience. The 'Good Trouble Lives On' day of action coincides with the fifth anniversary of Lewis's death. Lewis was a longtime congressman from Georgia who participated in iconic civil rights actions, including the march from Selma to Montgomery in 1965 when police attacked Lewis and other protesters on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Lewis implored people to participate in 'good trouble, necessary trouble' to advance their causes, and this call serves as the underpinning for the 17 July actions. Dozens of advocacy and civil rights organizations are signed on as partners for the event. 'The civil rights leaders of the past have shown us the power of collective action,' the protest's website says. 'That's why on July 17, five years since the passing of congressman John Lewis, communities across the country will take to the streets, courthouses, and community spaces to carry forward his fight for justice, voting rights, and dignity for all.' Organizers expect tens of thousands of people to turn out in small towns, suburbs and cities, the latest exercise of street protests distributed across the country to show opposition to Trump in all corners of the US. The last mass day of protest, No Kings, in June drew several million people in one of the biggest single days of protest in US history. Thursday's events will probably be smaller as it is a weekday. Chicago will host the day's flagship event, with additional main sites in Atlanta, St Louis, Annapolis and Oakland. Events include rallies, marches, candlelight vigils, food drives, direct action trainings, teach-ins and voter registration drives. The protest's demands include an end to the Trump administration's crackdown on civil rights, including the right to protest and voting rights; targeting of Black and brown Americans, immigrants and trans people; and the slashing of social programs like Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Snap), known colloquially as 'food stamps'. 'One of the things that John Lewis would always say is that if you see something that's wrong, you have an obligation to speak up, to say something, to do something,' Daryl Jones, co-leader of the Transformative Justice Coalition, told reporters on Thursday. 'That's what July 17 is about – seeing things across this nation, seeing things that are being impacted, that are just not right. We've got to stand up and say something.'
CBS News
04-07-2025
- CBS News
An Oregon woman disappeared 42 years ago. DNA advancements lead to ex-boyfriend's indictment on murder.
A 72-year-old man was indicted on murder charges this week in connection with the disappearance of his former girlfriend 42 years ago after new DNA evidence emerged. Teresa Peroni was 27 years old when she disappeared on or around July 4, 1983, in Selma, Oregon. According to the Josephine County Sheriff's Office, she was last seen with her then-boyfriend Mark Sanfratello, who was 29 at the time, walking into a wooded area while attending a party. Teresa Peroni was 27 when she disappeared on or around July 4, 1983 after a fight with her then-boyfriend. National Missing and Unidentified Persons System "Following an argument over Peroni having another lover, Peroni and boyfriend went into the woods at 1270 Illinois River Rd," her profile on the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System says. "Peroni never returns." An investigation was launched soon after her family reported her missing. Despite the sheriff's office determining that Peroni's disappearance was "suspicious in nature," the Josephine County District Attorney's Office determined there was not enough evidence to file charges. At the time, a body was not found. Teresa Peroni was photographed about a year before her disappearance. National Missing and Unidentified Persons System For 14 years, Peroni's disappearance remained cold until a human skull was found on a nearby property in 1997. A search with a cadaver dog did not locate any other human remains and the skull was sent for DNA testing through the University of North Texas. In a news release last week, the sheriff's office said it had reopened the investigation last year, saying it started looking for any known individuals still alive who had "some type of involvement with the cold case." Additional DNA was obtained, which helped the University of North Texas to confirm that the skull was that of Peroni. A grand jury indicted Sanfratello on a murder charge on June 27 after it was presented with new DNA evidence and the investigation, the sheriff's office said. Teresa Peroni's boyfriend at the time of her disappearance in 1983 was arrested in Chico, California, on an indictment of murder 42 years after she went missing. Josephine County Sheriff's Office Police in Chico, California, located, detained and questioned Sanfratello. He is awaiting extradition to Josephine County.
New York Times
03-07-2025
- New York Times
42 Years After She Vanished, a Man She Was Seeing Is Charged in Her Murder
The last time Teresa Peroni was seen alive, she was walking into a wooded area in Selma, Ore., with a man she had been dating while they were attending a party on July 4, 1983. She was only 27, and had recently moved back to the state after a divorce. Her family reported her missing but there was no trace of Ms. Peroni for more than a decade, until a landowner found a skull in 1997 near the woods where she was last seen. Almost three decades after the discovery of those partial remains, the authorities in Josephine County, Ore., working with DNA experts in Texas, were able to confirm that the skull was Ms. Peroni's. A 72-year-old man, Mark Sanfratello, who was in a relationship with Ms. Peroni at the time of her disappearance, was arrested in Chico, Calif., on Saturday and charged with murder, the Josephine County Sheriff's Office said. Mr. Sanfratello is in custody in California, pending extradition to Oregon. It was not immediately clear if he had a lawyer. Because he was the last person who was seen with her, Mr. Sanfratello swiftly attracted the interest of investigators after she disappeared, Sheriff Dave Daniel of Josephine County said in an interview. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
