POMPEO: CHINA LAW A “DEATH KNELL” FOR HONG KONG
WASHINGTON» Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday condemned China’s effort to take over national security legislation in
Hong Kong, calling it “a death knell for the high degree of autonomy” that Beijing had promised the territory.
Pompeo called for Beiing to reconsider the move and warned of an unspecified U.S. response if it proceeds. Meanwhile, White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said China risked a major flight of capital from Hong Kong that would end the territory’s status as the financial hub of Asia.
Official says investigation of Arbery slaying finished soon.
DECAT U R , GA .»
Georgia’s state investigation into the fatal shooting of Ahmaud Arbery should be finished soon, the official in charge of the inquiry said Friday while the prosecutor who will try the case in court pledged to “make sure that we find justice” for a broken family and community.
Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Vic Reynolds told a news conference that he anticipates his agency will wrap up its investigation in a “relatively short period of time.”
William “Roddie” Bryan Jr., 50, was arrested Thursday on charges of felony murder and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment. Bryan’s neighbors, Gregory and Travis McMichael, were arrested on felony murder and aggravated assault charges after a video Bryan recorded spread on social media.
DA: Son confesses to fatally stabbing dad during Zoom call. NEW YORK »A Long Island man suspected of fatally stabbing his father on a live Zoom call confessed to the caughton-camera killing after police found him trying to wash blood off his body with Dr. Pepper, prosecutors said Friday.
Thomas Scully-Powers, 32, was arraigned via video and ordered jailed without bail after pleading not guilty to a murder charge in the attack Thursday that left 72-year-old Dwight Powers nearly decapitated as horrified call participants scrambled to dial 911.
District Attorney Tim Sini said Scully-Powers told police he stabbed his father about 15 times and used several knives because the blades kept bending. An autopsy showed that Powers had multiple stab wounds to his back, neck and torso, and police found multiple knives at the scene.
Court rejects appeal from man convicted in dying blink case. CINCINNATI» A federal court on Friday turned down an appeal from an imprisoned Cincinnati man whose 2013 murder trial hinged on the paralyzed, hospitalized victim having blinked his eyes to identify a picture of his shooter before dying.
The convicted man, Ricardo Woods, challenged how that blinking testimony by David Chandler was allowed to be used in court as a dying declaration. Woods, now 42, argued that his right to confront the witnesses against him was violated in the Hamilton County case.
Woods also argued that prosecutors improperly kept a potential juror off the jury based on race.