2 ex-students indicted in girl’s murder
RICHMOND, Virginia — A grand jury indicted two former Virginia Tech students on first-degree murder and other charges Tuesday for the high-profile killing of 13-year-old Nicole Lovell.
The Montgomery County, Va., grand jury returned the indictments against David Eisenhauer, 18, of Columbia, Md., and Natalie Keepers, 19, of Laurel, Md., after hearing a little over an hour of testimony about the January slaying.
Authorities allege that Mr. Eisenhauer and Ms. Keepers hatched a plan to kill Nicole and that Mr. Eisenhauer lured her from her Blacksburg home on a cold January night and stabbed her in a wooded area. Prosecutors allege that Mr. Eisenhauer and Ms. Keepers then dumped Nicole’s body.
Authorities have not disclosed a motive in the case, but two law enforcement officials previously told The Washington Post that Mr. Eisenhauer had an inappropriate relationship with Nicole. A friend said Nicole had hoped to run away with Mr. Eisenhauer and start a family.
Tesla speeding in crash
MIAMI —The Tesla car involved in a fatal crash in Florida this spring was in Autopilot mode and going about 10 miles faster than the speed limit, according to safety regulators, who also released a picture of the mangled vehicle.
Earlier reports had stated the Tesla Model S struck a big rig while traveling on a divided highway in central Florida, and speculated that the Tesla Autopilot system had failed to intervene in time to prevent the collision.
The crash killed 40-yearold Joshua Brown, formally of Murrysville, Pa., who was behind the wheel of the Tesla. It is the first known fatality in a Tesla using Autopilot.
Holcomb replaces Pence
WASHINGTON — Indiana Republicans on Tuesday picked Lt. Gov. Eric Holcomb to replace vice presidential candidate Mike Pence on the ballot in the governor’s race against Democrat John Gregg.
The 22-member Republican State Central Committee voted anonymously to select Mr. Holcomb over 5th District Rep. Susan W. Brooks and 4th District Rep. Todd Rokita, who both withdrew from their House races.
Mr. Holcomb has been endorsed by Mr. Pence and Republican Sen. Dan Coats.
Climate in the courtroom
ALBANY, N.Y. — The New York and Massachusetts attorneys general are refusing to comply with congressional subpoenas seeking records about their investigations into whether Exxon Mobil misled investors about man-made climate change.
In an escalating political fight over global warming, the chairman of the House Science Committee is pursuing records from New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, along with nine environmental, scientific and philanthropic organizations.
Also in the world …
The mother of U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson’s children alleges she was the victim of two decades of domestic abuse at the hands of the congressman,including four incidents where authorities were called. In the wake of the allegations, two liberal groups pulled their support for Mr. Grayson in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Florida and asked that he donate their contributions to domestic abuse victims.