Former Nevada candidate tackled victim in Strip killing, says witness: Trending news in brief, 5/3
Former Nevada candidate tackled victim in Strip killing: Witness
LAS VEGAS (TNS) — The ex-congressional candidate was dressed as Ken from the “Barbie” movie. He was allegedly on top of Christopher Tapp, punching him. This is what a woman alleged she saw at a Halloween party at an exclusive Resorts World suite — an ill-fated gathering that authorities said would lead to the Nov. 5 death of Tapp, 47, an Idaho man who had spent over two decades in prison for a murder he did not commit. Former Republican Nevada congressional candidate Daniel Rodimer, 45, is now facing a murder charge. The woman, identified in grand jury transcripts as Dani Lyons, testified before a District Court grand jury on April 18.
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Alleged Sinaloa Cartel member headed to federal prison
MIAMI (TNS) — A woman accused of being a high-ranking member of the Sinaloa Cartel — and behind a murder near Miami International Airport in 2022 — was sentenced to nine years in federal prison Thursday in connection with a methamphetamine trafficking case. After pleading guilty, Tsvia Kol, 36, will spend almost a decade locked up. Once released, she will be required to report to a probation officer for five years, surrender to immigration for removal and seek substance abuse treatment, U.S. District Judge Raag Singhal ruled in his Fort Lauderdale courtroom. Kol was indicted in the drug case 21 days before the shooting death of 46-year-old Julio Gonzalez, court records show. She was detained two days after the Nov. 29, 2022 murder.
Judge reprimanded after teenage girl handcuffed in court
(TNS) — U.S. District Court Judge Roger T. Benitez, a high-profile jurist known for striking down California gun control measures, was reprimanded for judicial misconduct on Wednesday for a 2023 incident in which he ordered the 13-year-old daughter of a drug defendant to be handcuffed in open court — despite the girl not being accused of any crimes. The decision does not remove Benitez from the bench or disqualify him from presiding over high-profile civil cases — including potential future litigation over state gun laws — but does limit his role in criminal matters. Benitez has denied any wrongdoing. The rare reprimand of a sitting federal judge came after attorneys for the girl’s father complained, prompting an investigation and a review by the Judicial Council of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, a panel of high-ranking judges who oversee federal courts across the American West.
Britney Spears, Sam Asghari amicably settle divorce
LOS ANGELES (TNS) — Britney Spears appears to be swiftly tying up loose ends that have tethered her to the court system for years. Less than week after resolving a long-standing financial dispute with her father, the pop star and estranged husband Sam Asghari have reached a settlement in their divorce. Divorce settlement papers were filed late Wednesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, where Asghari first filed for divorce from the pop superstar in August, citing irreconcilable differences and seeking spousal support and legal fees. Asghari’s attorney noted in dissolution paperwork filed Wednesday that his petition was uncontested, and that the former couple had entered into a written agreement regarding their property and their marriage that they are requesting the court approve. The actor and personal trainer agreed to give up his rights to spousal support and asked the court to terminate Spears’ right to spousal support too, per the filing obtained Thursday by The Times.
