The Vatican appeals tribunal has declared a mistrial in the Holy See’s big “trial of the century.” It’s a stunning blow to both Pope Francis’ legacy and Vatican prosecutors who had prosecuted a cardinal and several other people on alleged financial crimes. In a 16-page ruling, the appeals court ruled that Francis and Vatican prosecutors both made procedural errors that nullified the original indictment of Cardinal Angelo Becciu and required a new trial. The court set a June 22 as the date for the new trial to begin. Defense lawyers say such a ruling is enormously significant if not historic, since it amounts to a Vatican court declaring an act of the pope null.
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Vatican appeals tribunal declares mistrial in the 'trial of the century' and orders new trial against cardinal, 8 others.
AP Wire
A Utah woman has been convicted of aggravated murder after poisoning her husband with fentanyl and then self-publishing a children’s book about coping with grief. Jurors on Monday also found Kouri Richins guilty of fraudulently claiming insurance benefits after the death of Eric Richins in March 2022 at their home outside the ski town of Park City. Prosecutors say Kouri Richins slipped five times the lethal dose of the synthetic opioid into a cocktail that he drank. After her husband’s death, Richins self-published a children’s book about grief to help her sons and other kids cope with the loss of a parent.
A former New York state trooper accused of ramming his vehicle into an SUV during a high-speed chase leading to the death of an 11-year-old girl has been convicted of manslaughter at his second trial. Jurors returned the verdict against Christopher Baldner on Friday. Prosecutors say Baldner rammed the SUV twice on the New York State Thruway on Dec. 22, 2020, causing it to lose control and flip over. Eleven-year-old Monica Goods, who was in the SUV, died in the crash.
After about a month of hearing from addiction experts, therapists, platform engineers and executives, including Mark Zuckerberg, a jury is listening to closing arguments before heading to the deliberation room to decide whether social media companies should be liable for harms caused to children using their platforms. Closing statements in the trial began Thursday at the Spring Street Courthouse in Los Angeles. Lawyers representing the plaintiff, a 20-year-old woman, and those representing the two defendants, Meta and Google-owned YouTube, will make their respective cases to the jurors.
Republican U.S. Sen. Jon Husted has testified remotely in Akron, Ohio, in the high-profile corruption trial of two former FirstEnergy Corp. executives. As a defense witness for former CEO Chuck Jones and former lobbyist Michael Dowling, Husted confirmed his presence as lieutenant governor-elect at a key dinner with Jones, Dowling and then-Gov.-elect Mike DeWine held in 2018, shortly before DeWine appointed Sam Randazzo the state's new top utility regulator. Husted said FirstEnergy’s preferred candidate wasn't Randazzo, who prosecutors allege Jones and Dowling bribed in exchange for his help with a $1 billion nuclear plant bailout. He later acknowledged he wouldn't have known what the two men discussed privately.
A New York federal judge is urging over two dozen states to settle their antitrust claims against Ticketmaster and its parent company this week after the Justice Department reached a deal and dropped out of an ongoing trial. Dan Wall, a lawyer for Ticketmaster parent Live Nation Entertainment, told Judge Arun Subramanian on Tuesday there was no chance all states would quickly settle. He said he based his assessment on the nature of discussions between the ticketing and entertainment giants and the states over the past week. Still, the judge persuaded lawyers for both sides to negotiate in Manhattan federal court.
Three brothers, including two of the nation’s most successful luxury real estate brokers, have been convicted of charges that they conspired to drug and rape multiple women. The verdict in the five-week trial of Oren, Alon and Tal Alexander came on Monday, leaving all three brothers shaking their heads as “guilty” was repeated 19 times. The verdict followed weeks of testimony by 11 women who said they were sexually assaulted by one or more of the brothers at fancy locales, often after receiving a drink that they believed was laced with drugs. The brothers had pleaded not guilty to charges that carried a potential life prison sentence. A defense lawyer promised to appeal.
AP Wire
The Justice Department says it's reached a settlement in its antitrust lawsuit against Ticketmaster and its parent company, California-based Live Nation Entertainment that will benefit consumers by letting competitors play a role in ticket sales and force Live Nation to give up control of 13 amphitheaters. Some states, though, are not joining the deal and say they'll continue a trial in New York federal court. The case alleged there was an illegal monopoly over live events in America. The settlement announcement angered a judge who said he was kept out of the loop. The government has said Live Nation's monopoly costs consumers. Live Nation has maintained that artists and teams set prices and decide how tickets are sold.
Jury selection has begun in the trial of four men charged in the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse. They are charged with conspiring in South Florida to kidnap or kill Haiti’s former leader, plus related charges. Christian Sanon was set to go on trial with the others, but his trial will be held separately for medical reasons. They face possible life sentences. They have all pleaded not guilty. The trial was previously set for last year, but a judge agreed to delay to Monday because of discovery challenges and the volume of evidence. Officials say Moïse was killed on July 7, 2021, when about two dozen foreign mercenaries, mostly from Colombia, attacked his home near Port-au-Prince.