‘Uber app’ killer gets life in prison
KALAMAZOO, Mich. — A man who fatally shot six strangers in southwestern Michigan was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison with no chance of parole, and some loved ones of those he killed said they believe he’ll face a greater, more permanent punishment.
“Someday when you die and you face God, he will make the ultimate judgment for what you’ve done,” Laurie Smith, who lost her husband and son in the February 2016 rampage, told Jason Dalton during the sentencing hearing. “All I can say is, I do not want to be you — not now and not then.”
Dalton, 48, pleaded guilty to murder and attempted murder last month, just as jury selection was about to begin in his trial. Michigan has no death penalty, so he was guaranteed to receive the mandatory life sentence at Tuesday’s hearing in a Kalamazoo County court.
Dalton admitted shooting eight people in three locations in between picking up passengers for Uber. After his arrest, police quoted Dalton as saying a “devil figure” on Uber’s app was controlling him on the day of the shootings.
San Francisco explosion
SAN FRANCISCO — A gas explosion in a San Francisco neighborhood shot flames high into the air Wednesday and was burning four buildings as utility crews scrambled to shut off the flow of gas.
Construction workers cut a natural gas line, San Francisco fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White said. Authorities initially said five of them were missing, but the entire construction crew was found safe, and no other injuries were reported.
Chief Hayes-White said several buildings in the area were evacuated, including a medical clinic and several apartment buildings.
“It’s pretty dramatic, but we have a pretty good handle on it,” she said.
Verdict upheld in suicide
In 2017, Michelle Carter was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for persuading her boyfriend via text messages to die by suicide. She appealed the decision, but her conviction was upheld Wednesday by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.
In a ruling written by Justice Scott Kafker, the court stated that “the evidence was sufficient to support the judge’s finding of proof beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant committed involuntary manslaughter as a youthful offender.”
Carter’s lawyer, Daniel Marx, said in a statement to The Washington Post that they were considering further legal options, including a possible appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Carter, now 22, and the victim, Conrad Roy III, met in 2012, according to court documents. They maintained their relationship via text messages, and frequently discussed mental health issues. Roy had previously attempted suicide, and Carter had planned to seek treatment for an eating disorder.
Border security talks
WASHINGTON — Congressional negotiators worked toward a deal Wednesday that could increase fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border without delivering President Donald Trump the wall money he wants, as pressure built to reach agreement ahead of a government shutdown deadline next week.
A bipartisan committee of House and Senate lawmakers traded offers behind the scenes, with committee Democrats saying money for border barriers was on the table, and Republicans acknowledging they won’t get Mr. Trump the $5.7 billion he has sought for his wall.