The U.S. Department of Justice is arguing that a former Louisville police officer convicted of using excessive force during the deadly Breonna Taylor raid should be let out of prison. Brett Hankison is serving a 33-month sentence. Federal prosecutors filed a brief arguing that he should be let out while appealing his conviction. Hankison became the first officer involved in the March 2020 raid at Taylor's apartment to be convicted on criminal charges. In the new filing, prosecutors argued that the trial jury struggled with the charges against Hankison, making a prison sentence “unwarranted.”

A Michigan man who has long been blamed for the disappearance of his three sons 2010 has been charged with their deaths. Court records in Lenawee County show John Skelton is facing three counts of murder and tampering with evidence in the deaths of Andrew, Alexander and Tanner Skelton. The brothers disappeared while with their father at Thanksgiving in Morenci, a small town in Michigan along the Ohio border. The brothers have not been found, despite countless searches of woods and water in the two states. John Skelton is scheduled to be freed from prison soon after a 15-year sentence for a different conviction in the case.

A Russian court has extended the jailing of an 18-year-old street singer on charges seen as punishment for performing anti-war songs. The action was denounced by human rights activists as part of a crackdown on free speech over the war in Ukraine. Diana Loginova was ordered held for another 13 days by a St. Petersburg court on charges of violating public order with her October performance. It was the third consecutive sentence for Loginova, who's been detained since Oct. 16. She was ordered to pay fines for “discrediting the Russian armed forces.” Bandmate Alexander Orlov also was handed repeated sentences. They denied wrongdoing. Videos of them singing with crowds joining in have been widely viewed online.

A federal judge in Texas has dismissed a criminal conspiracy charge against Boeing related to two 737 Max crashes that killed 346 people. U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor approved the federal government’s request on Thursday. The deal requires Boeing to pay or invest an additional $1.1 billion in fines, compensation for victims’ families, and internal safety measures. The ruling follows a September hearing where victims' relatives urged the judge to appoint a special prosecutor. Prosecutors alleged Boeing deceived regulators about a flight-control system implicated in the 2018 and 2019 crashes.

An Illinois jury has convicted a sheriff’s deputy of second-degree murder in the shooting death of Sonya Massey, a Black woman who called 911 to report a suspected prowler. The jury announced the verdict against Sean Grayson on Wednesday. Grayson arrived at Massey’s home in Springfield after she reported a prowler early on July 6, 2024. Massey was holding a pan of hot water and Grayson’s attorneys argued that he was afraid she would throw it at him. Grayson faces a sentence of four to 20 years in prison or probation when he is sentenced Jan. 29.

Russian mobsters sentenced to 25 years in prison for foiled plot to assassinate Iranian dissident journalist in New York.

An Ohio judge has sentenced a Cleveland woman to life in prison without the possibility of parole for fatally stabbing a 3-year-old boy as he sat in a grocery cart outside a supermarket in North Olmsted. Thirty-four-year-old Cleveland resident Bionca Ellis sat expressionless Monday as Judge John Russo imposed a sentence for the June 2024 attack that killed Julian Wood and injured his mother, Margot Wood. A message seeking comment was left for Ellis’ attorney.

The Kentucky Supreme Court has thrown out the double murder conviction of a Louisville man sentenced to life in prison for the ambush killing of a father and his 3-year-old daughter in 2020. The high court says the trial judge erred when he didn’t declare a mistrial during Kevon Lawless' trial. A juror had learned that a witness was accused of perjuring himself while testifying. Prosecutors say they will pursue another conviction against Lawless. Lawless was convicted of killing of Brandon Waddles and Waddles’ 3-year-old daughter. Court records say Lawless lured Waddles outside his residence, where he was shot.