Son, 14, arrested in father’s killing
Son, 14, arrested in father’s killing
CARSON, Calif. (AP) — A federal agent was shot and killed by his 14-year-old son, who fired a single shot through a window from the backyard with his father’s gun then called 911, authorities said Thursday. The victim was identified by U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement as Special Agent Myron Chisem, 42, a Navy veteran who joined the agency in 2007.
The boy, whose name was not released, was arrested and booked for investigation of murder. No motive was released.
“Evidence gained from the scene and statements made by the suspect” led to the arrest, sheriff’s Lt. Holly Francisco said. The handgun used in the shooting belonged to Chisem and it was found in the front yard, she said.
Chisem was the second ICE agent killed in Southern California this year.
In February, agent Ezequiel Garcia was killed by a fellow agent after Garcia shot his supervisor at ICE offices in Long Beach. Garcia was being counseled on his job performance when the shooting occurred, authorities said.
The shooting of Chisem occurred late Wednesday in a two-story home in Carson, along a row of modest but tidy homes tucked into an industrial area.
Witness details Edwards scheme
GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — An interior designer testified Thursday about his role in funneling secret money from a reclusive millionaire to an aide of John Edwards’ in a scheme that included checks labeled for fake antique furniture purchases.
Bryan Huffman described, for example, receiving a $100,000 check from 101-year-old heiress Rachel “Bunny” Mellon with “Antique Charleston Table and Chairs” written in the memo line. It was part of an elaborate ruse to hide $725,000 intended for Edwards from the Mellon family’s money managers by sending checks to the designer for a fake furniture business.
The designer then endorsed the checks and sent them on to a fundraiser for Edwards’ 2008 campaign.
A prosecutor asked Huffman if Mellon was aware of a federal law that then limited individual political contributions to $2,300 per election cycle.
“She thought it was a little low,” Huffman, 48, replied to laughter. “Our furniture business did not really involve furniture. It was money for Sen. Edwards.”
Edwards has pleaded not guilty to six criminal counts related to campaign finance violations involving about $1 million provided by Mellon and another donor. Some of the money was used to hide the candidate’s pregnant mistress as he sought the White House in 2008. He faces up to 30 years in prison and $1.5 million in fines if convicted.
Too-thin models
banned by Vogue
NEW YORK (AP) — Vogue magazine, perhaps the world’s top arbiter of style, is making a statement about its own models: Too young and too thin is no longer in.
The 19 editors of Vogue magazines around the world made a pact to project the image of healthy models, according to a Conde Nast International announcement Thursday.
They agreed to “not knowingly work with models under the age of 16 or who appear to have an eating disorder,” and said they will ask casting directors to check IDs at photo shoots and fashion shows and for ad campaigns.
The move is an important one for the fashion world, said former model Sara Ziff, who was discovered at 14 and has since founded The Model Alliance, dedicated to improving the working conditions of models and persuading the industry to take better care of its young.
“Most editions of Vogue regularly hire models who are minors, so for Vogue to commit to no longer using models under the age of 16 marks an evolution in the industry,” she said. “We hope other magazines and fashion brands will follow Vogue’s impressive lead.”