Navy officer jailed in Japan transferred to US custody, family says

Family of woman who died in hotel freezer agrees to $10M settlement

CHICAGO – The family of a Chicago woman who froze to death after she became locked in a hotel freezer has agreed to a $10 million legal settlement.

Kenneka Jenkins' mother, Tereasa Martin, will receive about $3.7 million, according to court records made public Tuesday, the Chicago Tribune reported. Other family members will receive $1.2 million and $1.5 million. Another $3.5 million will cover attorney fees, with $6,000 covering the cost of Jenkins' funeral.

Jenkins was found dead in the walkin freezer at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in suburban Rosemont in September 2017, a day after she attended a party there. The Cook County medical examiner's office determined that she died of hypothermia and that her death was accidental.

Martin filed a lawsuit in December 2018 alleging that the hotel, a security company and a restaurant at the hotel that rented the freezer were negligent because they didn't secure the freezer or conduct a proper search following Jenkins' disappearance. The lawsuit initially sought more than $50 million in damages.

Texas woman who fled to Cambodia found guilty of Seattle woman's murder

DALLAS – A Texas woman who cut off her ankle monitor and fled the country while awaiting trial last year was found guilty of murder on Wednesday in the fatal stabbing of a 23-year-old Seattle woman. She was sentenced to life in prison.

A jury in Dallas convicted Lisa Dykes of murder and tampering with evidence in the 2020 killing of Marisela BotelloValadez following a seven-day trial. Dykes, 60, showed no emotion as a judge read the verdict aloud, according to KDFW-TV.

A lawyer for Dykes, Heath Harris, said his client maintains she is innocent and has already filed paperwork to appeal the verdict.

The conviction comes days after prosecutors had dropped murder charges against two people who they'd previously accused of Botello-Valadez's killing. The two, Nina Marano and Charles Anthony Beltran, still face trial on charges of tampering with evidence.

Top Justice Department official to leave in February

WASHINGTON – A top Justice Department official who spearheaded legal work on access to abortion as part of a broad set of responsibilities will leave her job in February, Attorney General Merrick Garland said Thursday.

Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta, the third-highest ranking official, also played key roles in efforts to address violent crime and gun violence as well as leading the Reproductive Rights Task Force after Roe v. Wade was overturned, Garland said in a statement.

The Justice Department has defended access to the abortion pill mifepristone, sued over an abortion ban in Idaho and weighed in on an Alabama court case to underline its support for women's ability to cross state lines to get abortions.

Before taking office in 2021, she was as president of a civil rights organization, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. She also led the department's Civil Rights Division during part of President Barack Obama's second term and worked at the American Civil Liberties Union.

Ex-Obama advisor: Poll is 'dark' news for Joe Biden

WASHINGTON – David Axelrod, a former senior adviser to former President Barack Obama, said a new poll showing former President Donald Trump leading President Joe Biden in a 2024 matchup was “very dark” news for Biden's reelection campaign.

The Wall Street Journal poll released earlier this month found that Trump would lead Biden by 4 percentage points, 47% to 43% in a 2020 rematch. Adding five possible third-party and independent candidates to the mix, Trump led Biden by six percentage points.

Axelrod said he was further alarmed by responses from voters about whether they believe Biden or Trump's policies were helpful for Americans.

“What I worry about, you guys, from a Biden standpoint is these are the kinds of things you get when people are starting to rationalize their votes,” he said.

Hiker rescued after falling 1,000 feet from Hawaii trail

A hiker survived after falling 1,000 feet from a trail in Hawaii and managed to stay alive at the base of a waterfall for the next three days until he was rescued.

Ian Snyder, 34, was hiking the Koolau Summit Trail on the island of Oahu when he fell on Dec. 4. In a news conference to thank his rescuers, Snyder said he survived with only stream water for the next three days.

Hawaii News Now reported rescuers and Snyder's sister were able to pinpoint his location based on video he had posted to social media during the hike.

Honolulu Fire Capt. Adrian Gravalho said in the news conference that when the helicopter crew spotted Snyder, “to our disbelief, he was waving his hands to get our attention."

Snyder was dehydrated, bruised and had several broken bones, Hawaii News Now reported.

WASHINGTON – A Navy officer jailed in Japan over a car crash that killed two Japanese citizens has been transferred into U.S. custody and is being returned to the United States, his family said Thursday.

Lt. Ridge Alknois had been serving a three-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to the negligent driving deaths of a woman and her son-in-law in May 2021. His family has said the crash was an accident, caused when he lost consciousness while returning from a trip to Mount Fuji, but Japanese prosecutors maintained that he fell asleep while drowsy and shirked a duty to pull over.

“After 507 days, Lt. Ridge Alkonis is on his way home to the United States. We are encouraged by Ridge's transfer back to the United States but cannot celebrate until Ridge has been reunited with his family,” the family, based in Dana Point, California, said in a statement to The Associated Press, adding that it appreciated the U.S. government's efforts to effect the transfer.

It was unclear where in the U.S. Alkonis is heading or whether upon his arrival he might be required to spend additional time behind bars under the terms of his transfer from Japan.

A Justice Department spokesperson referred a request for comment to the Bureau of Prisons, which did not immediately respond to an email.

Zllash, Kosovo, in April 1999. He was acquitted of one charge of mistreating detainees who were perceived as supporters of Serbia.

While dismissing all Mustafa's appeals against his convictions, the appeals chamber at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers cut his sentence to 22 years of imprisonment, saying it was higher than international and domestic sentencing standards in comparable cases.

Presiding Judge Michèle Picard called the ruling – the first appeals judgment in a war crimes case at the court – an important milestone and a “significant step towards providing justice to victims and ensuring accountability.”

Picard stressed that the reduction in Mustafa's sentence “in no way suggests that the crimes for which he has been convicted and sentenced are not grave.”

Hayley Davis and Amaya Pellot-Rodriguez hug Santa Claus on Thursday at a school in Hazleton, Pa. The event was to promote skills reading and writing skills learned in the classroom at home.