The mother of 7-year-old Chicago girl Edimari Hernandez Chacon, who was fatally stabbed on a sidewalk in Chicago, October 3, 2026, breaks down amid family and friends during a vigil, Oct. 4, 2026, at the scene of the attack. (WLS)
The mother of a 7-year-old Chicago girl is demanding "justice" after her child was fatally stabbed over the weekend in what appears to have been an unprovoked street attack.
The mother of the young victim broke down in tears and collapsed to her knees during a community vigil on Sunday on a sidewalk in the South Side Chicago neighborhood where her daughter was attacked.
"My daughter's death should not be left like this," the mother, Estefany Hernandez, told ABC Chicago station WLS at Sunday's vigil. "There must be justice for my little girl. She wasn't bothering anyone."
The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office identified the victim as 7-year-old Edi Mari Hernandez Chacon. Members of her family told WLS she was also known as Eddimar Paola Hernandez.
Bystanders who witnessed the deadly incident on Saturday morning detained the suspect, identified as 48-year-old Shavon Gayden, and held her at the scene until officers arrived, according to the Chicago Police Department.
Gayden was charged with first-degree murder and is scheduled to make her first court appearance on Monday, WLS reports.
WLS obtained court records showing Gayden's criminal record includes prior convictions for assault, including a 2023 attack on a Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) bus driver for which she was sentenced to two years probation. According to the court records reviewed by WLS, she violated her probation in 2024 by assaulting two shelter workers and was sentence to court supervision.
Police have not commented on a possible motive for Saturday's stabbing, which remains under investigation.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a social media statement that he was "heartbroken" by the young girl's death.
"No family should ever have to experience the unimaginable pain of losing a child, and no child should ever have to fear for her life simply walking through her neighborhood," Johnson said. "We are praying for them and for everyone impacted by this horrifying tragedy."
The incident occurred just before noon local time on Saturday in the Chatham neighborhood on the city's South Side, according to a statement from the Chicago Police Department.
Chicago Alderman Michelle Harris said at Sunday's community vigil that the suspect had allegedly gotten into an altercation with staff at a wireless store in the Chatham neighborhood just before the fatal stabbing, WLS reported.
The victim was walking southbound on the sidewalk when the suspect approached her, police said, "displayed a sharp object and stabbed the victim multiple times in the back."
The girl was taken to Comer Children's Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, police said.
"Bystanders who saw the stabbing occur detained the offender," according to the police statement.
Security video from the area appeared to show the young girl walking hand-in-hand with a woman that her family identified as her sister before the suspect stabbed the girl, WLS reported.
Additional video appeared to show bystanders rushing toward the scene to detain the suspect, who was outside the camera's view.
USA, New York, Finger Lakes Region, Ithaca, Cornell University, elevated view of McFaddin Hall, summer (Walter Bibikow/Getty Images)
Some of the fraternity brothers later accused of sexual assault at Cornell University attempted to contain the allegations in the weeks following the incident, apparently worried about what would happen to their own reputations and futures on campus, according to text messages, phone calls, and other records reviewed by ABC News.
Students who later spoke to campus authorities described the efforts by some in Chi Phi as “damage control” to ensure the woman allegedly assaulted — now known as Jane Doe — was “not upset about the situation,” according to school records reviewed by ABC News.
The fraternity brothers’ efforts came as Jane Doe’s perception of what occurred that evening in October 2024 appeared to change from believing the sexual encounters were largely consensual to describing them in a phone call as a “gang rape.”
"The only way for me to heal is to know what happened," the woman, then a Cornell junior, told one of her alleged attackers, Matthew Ingalls, over the phone one day before she went to the Cornell University Police Department on Nov. 8, according to a recording of the call obtained by ABC News. “That's why I'm trying to just piece it together, you know, like I'm just like confused.”
Ingalls, according to police records of the incident, invited Jane Doe to the fraternity house. He has not responded to requests for comment but previously denied wrongdoing as have the other brothers named in a civil suit brought by Doe. Ingalls has not been charged with a crime.
During Cornell’s investigation, he said he was too intoxicated to consent and suggested that Jane Doe actually assaulted him, according to school records reviewed by ABC News.
The Oct. 19, 2024 incident at the Chi Phi house has led to a national outcry and brought renewed urgency to the American debate over sexual violence and what constitutes consent between adults when alcohol, drugs and pressure intersect.
ABC News has reviewed records from Cornell’s internal investigation — which began in November 2024 and lasted through May 2025 — as well as communications between the students at the center of the allegations that shed light on how Doe’s account of the incident evolved, as the men involved appeared to portray the story to seem more benign.
Jane Doe has described an evening that started casually when she went to visit her friend and his fraternity house. It soon would turn into a nightmare, she later told police, as a sexual encounter between Jane Doe and two men grew to include others all while she was plied with alcohol and drugs.
“They tried to contact [Jane] almost every day after it happened to, I guess, keep them on her good side and keep her happy and not upset about the situation,” Jane Doe’s friend later told campus authorities the following May, according to records reviewed by ABC News.
Those efforts apparently were unsuccessful. Jane Doe reported the incident to Cornell Police as a rape and the allegations triggered a response from the leadership of Cornell’s Chi Phi chapter, according to text messages obtained by ABC News.
“F—-,” one brother wrote in a group chat on Nov. 8, 2024. “Should I call [Jane]?”
“Wait a bit for me and [Executive Board] to figure out what we’re doing cuz there are a couple of other things going on,” the fraternity’s president wrote. “When was the last time you spoke to [Jane]?”
The same day that Jane Doe went to police, Cornell’s Chi Phi fraternity was suspended, and the allegations triggered a monthslong investigation by Cornell University, which resulted in two men being expelled while others were suspended.
Cornell Police began investigating the incident in November 2024, memorializing her first report: "A female undergraduate student reported that she was recently raped by 8-10 men at the Chi Phi fraternity house.”
Prosecutors did not seek additional records of the incident beyond Jane Doe’s six-page statement to campus police and did not review the voluminous record of the internal probe.
Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said in a statement last week that Doe’s original statement suggested the sex and drug use was consensual.
Last week, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul removed the local DA from the case and named state Attorney General Letitia James to take over the criminal investigation of the incident. Separately, Cornell has announced an outside law firm would be tapped this week to review the university’s handling of the allegations and subsequent investigation.
'What y'all did would be classified as gang rape'
In the days immediately following the incident, Jane Doe stayed in touch with some of the men she later accused of assaulting her – at first sharing concerns about her reputation and physical health.
“I will also say this is f—--g RUINING my life temporarily. My reputation is destroyed and I’m utterly ashamed. I’m f—--g pissed cause this many people shouldn’t know and I feel like I know who some of the rats in the room were,” she wrote to Ingalls, who had invited her to the fraternity that night.
Within two days of reporting the incident to police, Jane Doe contacted Ingalls and two other men allegedly involved in the incident to get their assessment of what happened that evening. She said she had been to the emergency room and going through therapy in order to deal with the physical and psychological fallout. She recorded the phone calls and later provided them to Cornell University.
“If I just know what happened, then I can feel a little bit better and move on and maybe be able to stay at this school,” Doe told Ingalls, according to a recording of the call.
She mentioned that she had sustained physical harm from the episode, was struggling to finish the semester and could not understand how the events of the evening transpired.
Ingalls was insistent: “You did tell me you were sober, by the way,” he said, according to the recording. “You did, you said you hadn’t been anywhere.”
She pushed back, saying “That is not true. I never would have said that.”
Jane Doe also asked about how so many people ended up in the bedroom where the sexual encounters took place over the course of hours.
“Do you remember how any of these guys walked in?” she asked.
“The door was just unlocked…the party was sort of like crowded…there was nowhere else to go,” he responded.
Nowhere in that conversation did Ingalls mention the messages he sent into his fraternity’s Snapchat group in which he openly invited others to the room.
“Like you can walk in and whip it out,” the Ingalls wrote in the group, which had nearly 60 members. “Boys come whip it out.”
Those messages were provided to university investigators and have been obtained by ABC News.
At one point in the call, Jane Doe described the incident bluntly: “What y'all did would be classified as gang rape.”
“It's possible that both of us like remember this and it's not true,” Ingalls said at another point during the call.
“I don't think that that's true. No, no, because I remember looking up and being like that is too many people,” she responded.
'F—k, should I call [Jane]?'
When Chi Phi was notified about the chapter’s temporary suspension the same day Jane Doe went to police, some of the brothers tried to figure out the source of the allegation, according to text messages reviewed by ABC News.
“What’s the plan of action? Should I call [Jane Doe)? I don’t think she would have reported this,” Ingalls wrote in a small group chat.
Chi Phi’s then-president urged Ingalls to wait, pointing to how Cornell University initially listed the incorrect date for the alleged incident.
Within the chat, the brothers tried to reconcile what date the incident took place by comparing the themed parties that took place that month.
“Wait that was the night with [Jane Doe],” one brother wrote. “What party did we have on the 19th?”
“The 25th was the risky business party,” one brother wrote, while the incident took place the prior week during their Hawaii-themed party.
When police later questioned witnesses to the incident, one brother told police the incident had been discussed casually during a fraternity meeting, rather than a coordinated response.
“These guys were just being idiots and like we're very open about doing this kind of gross thing to most people and so that was it,” one brother said. “We didn't like have it aside – like this happened once. No it was like just a quick thing.”
'If the evidence is convincing enough to let us go….'
Months later, when Jane Doe made a statement before one of Cornell's internal investigative hearings, she explicitly called out what she described as “the coverups these boys attempted.”
Investigators looked into at least one instance when Ingalls appeared to ask one witness to “submit new evidence” that could exonerate him.
“You could submit new evidence that could get me and [Name Omitted] dismissed immediately. Even if [Jane Doe] found out it doesn’t matter, if the evidence is convincing enough to let us go then it’s proof she lied.”
“I don’t have evidence,” the woman – a friend of Jane Doe – said over Snapchat.
The friend shared the message with Jane Doe, who reported it to the university. The witness later told campus investigators that Ingalls sent her other messages to convince her to believe his account.
“From the beginning, after it happened and [Jane Doe] started telling me that it was not consensual from the beginning,” she said. “He wants to convince me that she is lying and he tried to convince me in other messages like this one that she was lying and he said that, ‘You know that she's lying And you know that we would never do this.’”
Caleb Flynn listens to the reading of his guilty verdict inside the Miami County Court of Common Pleas, Sept. 29, 2026, in Troy, Ohio. (Pool via ABC News)
An Ohio man who was found guilty of murdering his wife and staging the crime scene to make it seem as if an intruder had broken into their home and fatally shot the mother of two is set to be sentenced on Monday.
Caleb Flynn, 40, a former pastor who once appeared as a contestant on "American Idol" in 2013, was found guilty of aggravated murder and multiple counts of murder, felonious assault and tampering with evidence in connection with the death of his wife, 37-year-old Ashley Flynn.
The jury deliberated for nearly 2 1/2 hours before reaching a verdict on Sept. 29, finding him guilty of all charges. His sentencing hearing is set to begin at 3 p.m. ET Monday. He faces up to life in prison without parole.
Caleb Flynn called 911 early on Feb. 16 to report that his wife had been shot by an intruder at their home in Tipp City, north of Dayton. He was arrested three days later.
Prosecutors alleged that Caleb Flynn "executed" his wife by shooting her twice in the back of the head in bed so that he could be with his mistress and manipulated the crime scene to make it seem as if an intruder had broken in through the garage.
During closing arguments, Miami County Assistant Prosecutor Matthew Joseph pointed to evidence including the physical scene and a side garage door he said was made to look as if an intruder had damaged it, Caleb Flynn's 911 call, text messages between the defendant and his mistress discussing the end of his marriage and digital records from the night of the shooting, which he argued "leads straight to the defendant."
"The evidence showed that being the victim would allow the defendant to keep his lucrative job working for Ashley's family business, he would benefit from Ashley's life insurance, and he could keep his position as a working worship leader with zero impact to his reputation within the church," Joseph said during closing arguments on Sept. 29 in the Miami County courtroom. "The evidence does not tell the story of an intruder."
Defense attorney Patrick Mulligan argued during his closing that the state's evidence is circumstantial, and that the only thing prosecutors proved was that Caleb Flynn was having an affair.
"Connecting a couple of meaningless dots doesn't solve the case," Mulligan told jurors.
Caleb Flynn did not testify during the trial and the defense called no witnesses.
He denied killing his spouse in an interview with police days after the deadly shooting, according to video shown during the more than weeklong trial.
His former mistress testified for the state during the trial, reading from some of the more than 100,000 messages they exchanged over her two days of testimony.
"If I could literally kill her and not go to hell, I would do it in a heartbeat," Caleb Flynn said in one message from May 2025, Botner testified.
Following the guilty verdict, Mulligan told reporters that he expected there to be a notice of appeal filed.
When asked what appellate issues they have, he said, "There's a lack of evidence on prior calculation and design."
Prosecuting Attorney Paul Watkins, whose office prosecuted the case, thanked the jury "for their dedication to justice in this case."
In a statement read by Watkins, Ashley Flynn's family said they "refuse to let the evil that ended Ashley's life have the final word in her story."
"Ashley loved Jesus with her whole heart. Her faith wasn't simply something she simply spoke about. It was how she lived," the statement said. "She loved people well, found joy beyond her circumstances, prayed boldly for her family, and wanted her life to point people to Jesus."
"Most of all, she loved being a mom," the statement continued. "She prayed over her girls, taught them to love God, and showed them what it looked like to live with faith, kindness, joy, and grace."
Chicago police officer stands amid the taped-off crime scene, where a 7-year-old girl was fatally stabbed in broad daylight, October 3, 2026. (WLS)
A 7-year-old girl was fatally stabbed on a sidewalk in a shopping district of Chicago over the weekend by a woman who was detained at the scene of the crime by bystanders, according to police.
The incident occurred just before noon local time on Saturday in the Chatham neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, according to a statement from the Chicago Police Department.
The victim was walking southbound on the sidewalk when the unidentified suspect approached her, police said.
"The offender displayed a sharp object and stabbed the victim multiple times in the back," according to the police statement.
The girl was taken to Comer Children's Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, police said.
The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office has identified the young victim as Edimari Hernandez Chacon, according to ABC Chicago station WLS.
"Bystanders who saw the stabbing occur detained the offender," according to the police statement.
The adult female suspect was injured as she was being detained, police said, who added that she was treated at a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries and then taken into custody.
Detectives are investigating the attack, police said.
Security video from the area appeared to show the young victim walking hand-in-hand with a woman before the suspect stabbed her, WLS reported.
Additional video appeared to show bystanders rushing toward the scene to detain the suspect, who was outside the camera's view.
Police have not said if the suspect knew the girl or whether the stabbing was a random attack.
“I am deeply saddened by the senseless stabbing of a 7-year-old child in our neighborhood. My heart goes out to her family, friends, and everyone who is affected by this horrific incident. No child should ever have to experience violence or fear while simply walking down the sidewalk," Chicago Alderman Michelle Harris, who represents the Chatham neighborhood, said in a statement posted online.
Harris also praised the actions of the bystanders who detained the suspect: "Their quick actions may have prevented further harm."
People flock to Baker Beach near the Golden Gate Bridge as a heat advisory is issued in San Francisco, California, October 3, 2026. (Anadolu via Getty Images)
More than 35 million people are under heat alerts on Sunday afternoon as a dangerous multi-day October heat wave continues across nearly all of California.
Temperatures are expected to soar up to 20 degrees above normal for this time of year, into the 90s and 100s, from Northern California, including the San Francisco Bay Area, to the Mexico border.
In some areas of California, especially urban areas, warm nights will provide little to no relief.
Los Angeles and San Diego remain under an extreme heat warning, with heat advisories posted on Sunday for San Francisco and Sacramento.
Temperatures Sunday afternoon once again soared into the 90s across much of California, with some areas surpassing 100 degrees.
High temperatures on Sunday afternoon will be near 104 in downtown Los Angeles, 103 in Bakersfield, and will climb well into the 90s in San Diego and Sacramento.
The extreme heat warnings in Southern California will remain in effect until 8 p.m. local time on Thursday.
The heat will expand over much of the West over the next 24 hours, with temperatures running well above average for early October across a large part of the region.
Highs on Monday will reach the upper 80s as far north as southern Idaho and Montana, challenging daily record highs in Boise and Billings.
It will also be heating up in Denver on Monday, with afternoon temperatures in the upper 80s, potentially challenging a daily record high as well.
On Saturday, at least eight Southern California cities broke daily high-temperature marks, including Anaheim and San Diego, which both reached 105 degrees, and Santa Ana, which hit 107 degrees.
Meanwhile, Vista, Calif., north of San Diego, reached a high temperature of 108, breaking a daily temperature record and tying an all-time record high set on June 30, 1985.
Rounds of heavy rain across parts of the Gulf Coast and Southeast
Flood watches remain in effect from southeastern Louisiana to southern Georgia, including New Orleans; Mobile, Alabama; Tallahassee, Florida; and Brunswick, Georgia.
There is a level 2 of 4 risk on Sunday afternoon for excessive rainfall and flash flooding from southeastern Louisiana to the Florida panhandle and up into South Carolina.
Torrential rain could also trigger potentially significant flash flooding across portions of South Texas on Sunday afternoon and into the evening.
The biggest rainfall totals will occur along portions of the northern Gulf Coast, the Florida Panhandle, and from Mobile, Ala., and Biloxi, Miss., to Pensacola and Panama City, Fla., and Brownsville, Texas. In these areas, 2 to 6 inches of rain is forecast, with localized totals of 8-10 inches possible.
Commissioner Frank Strada (Tennessee Department of Correction)
Tennessee Department of Correction Commissioner Frank Strada said he will resign days after Christa Pike was hospitalized following a botched execution attempt, according to Gov. Bill Lee.
The Tennessee governor's statement on Saturday did not directly reference the situation with Pike, who is currently "critically ill," unconscious and on a ventilator in a hospital following the Sept. 30 failed execution. In the announcement, Strada said that stepping aside was "in the best interest of Tennesseans as the independent review moves forward."
"I believe this review is entirely appropriate and necessary, and I look forward to doing everything I can to help determine exactly what occurred," he said in a statement.
Lee said he accepted Strada's resignation and the commissioner would leave his post at the end of the month.
"Commissioner Strada has served with integrity, and I appreciate his willingness to put the interests of Tennesseans first during this difficult moment," the governor said in a statement.
An interim commissioner will be announced at a later date, the statement noted.
Pike's attorneys, Randy Spivey, Kelly Gleason, Stephen Ferrell and Luke Ihnen, responded to the Strada stepping down in their own statement.
"The resignation of Commissioner Strada is justified, but it does nothing to help Christa now. What happened to her Wednesday reflects a systemic failure that goes far beyond any one person," they wrote. "We hope the Governor’s call for a full, independent review will expose the profound problems within Tennessee’s entire death penalty system."
ABC News' Sabina Ghebremedhin contributed to this report.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard attends "An Evening with Lifetime: Conversations On Controversies" FYC event at The Grove on May 01, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Phillip Faraone/Getty Images)
Gypsy Rose Blanchard's partner Kenan Urker was found dead on his 34th birthday in what officials describe as an apparent drug-related incident, authorities said.
Officers discovered Urker dead when they responded to a call from a home in Raceland, Louisiana, on Thursday evening, according to the Lafourche Parish Sheriff's Office.
Urker, who was lying on a bed, was cold and his face and arms were blue, according to the sheriff's office. A paper towel on his arm appeared to have "blotches of blood" on it, the sheriff's office said.
On the nightstand next to the bed was a holstered handgun, a syringe and two shot glasses, according to the sheriff's office.
In the bathroom, deputies discovered syringes, a spoon and a "brown powdery substance," the sheriff's office said.
The sheriff's office said there's "no evidence of foul play."
Blanchard wrote on Instagram on Friday, "You will always be my greatest love story. You will be remembered and loved forever."
She added in an Instagram story that he was an "amazing father" and "will forever be my soulmate."
In 2015, Blanchard and her then-boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn were arrested for the fatal stabbing of Blanchard's mother, Clauddinnea "Dee Dee" Blanchard.
"Dee Dee" Blanchard had allegedly abused her daughter for years by convincing Gypsy Rose and the public that she was extremely sick, when she wasn't. "Dee Dee" Blanchard allegedly portrayed her daughter as a frail, disabled child who suffered from multiple illnesses including leukemia and muscular dystrophy, subjecting her to a life in a wheelchair, a feeding tube and unnecessary surgeries.
After her release from prison, Gypsy Rose Blanchard told ABC News she wanted to share her story "to bring awareness to mental health issues, to Munchausen by proxy, to abuse victims."
She said she hoped her story would serve as a "cautionary tale" for others.
"So that the next person that might be in a situation like mine, they don't take the route that I did," she said.
Jyrell Thomas was taken to a hospital for a psychiatric evaluation Thursday morning. He was described by police as emotionally disturbed.
He was later arrested on charges of murder and criminal possession of a weapon.
Police said Thomas was pacing back and forth inside the train car and appeared agitated before approaching Mesias Lojano, 59, just after 4 p.m. on Wednesday. Lojano tried to walk away before Thomas swung at him with a kitchen knife, according to police.
Bismarck Villareyna witnessed the attack and recorded video aboard the train.
"I heard, oh somebody is being attacked, somebody being attacked. So I pulled out my phone, started walking, as you see in the video," Villareyna said.
The violence eventually spilled onto a J train platform, where bystanders chased Thomas.
"There was an old man behind me - hold him! Hold him! Hold him! And that's when he started running. And then I started running after him," Villareyna said.
Villareyna said he considered trying to physically intervene but was concerned that he could also be stabbed.
"I wanted to kick him, but I say, you know, if I kick him and I miss or he stabbed me then. So I was getting my position. I tried to record to get, you know, evidence."
Villareyna continued following Thomas and directed officers to him. Thomas climbed onto a rooftop, where he had to be lifted and carried away.
"Then he stopped there and he sat down and he was saying, 'oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do it.' But in some of my videos, I was, I was upset," Villareyna said.
Thomas has one prior arrest, stemming from a robbery early last month in which he stole $23 of merchandise from a Bronx Target. He was charged with petit larceny, obstruction of governmental administration and criminal possession of stolen property.
This is the sixth homicide in the subway system this year. There were four murders in the system all of last year, and 10 in 2024.
There has been a 7% increase in assaults in the subway this year, with 441 vs 410 at this time last year.
A plane carrying passengers from an earlier Flydubai flight that was diverted to Saudi Arabia on September 30, 2026. (Photo by Erik Marmor/Getty Images)
The co-pilot of the FlyDubai plane who allegedly attacked the plane's captain and attempted to crash a flight bound for Israel on Wednesday is an Omani national who was previously suspended from flying by Oman Air after being identified as a security risk, according to senior intelligence and law enforcement officials.
Multiple sources familiar with the investigation identified the suspected attacker as 29-year-old Hamam Al Hammami.
The officials told ABC News that Al Hammami, while working as a co-pilot trainee for Oman Air in 2024, was found to be in possession of extremist materials. The suspect was allowed to continue working for the airline in an administrative role, the sources said.
United Arab Emirates Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi on Saturday said the aircraft's co-pilot had attempted to carry out a terrorist act and that he began executing his plan during the flight by assaulting the pilot inside the cockpit using a crash axe and attempted to seize control of the aircraft's controls, according to WAM state news agency.
This is the first confirmation by UAE authorities that the co-pilot had attacked the captain and identified the weapon used as a crash axe. Previous UAE statements had described the incident as a security incident and said an investigation was underway to determine whether it involved terrorist activity or prior planning.
The attorney general stressed that investigations are still ongoing to establish all the circumstances and motives surrounding the incident, as well as any related links. He added that technical examinations and the analysis of physical and digital evidence are also being completed, with the final findings to be announced once the necessary procedures have been concluded.
Officials investigating the incident are still trying to determine how the suspected attacker was subsequently permitted to fly for FlyDubai and how he ended up as the first officer in the cockpit of a plane headed for Israel, the sources said.
Al Hammami -- who was transferred Thursday from Saudi Arabia to the United Arab Emirates -- is said to be "cooperating" with authorities investigating the incident and has indicated that his intent was to crash the aircraft in Israel, according to sources briefed on the investigation.
"We recognise that there are many questions at this stage; however, the circumstances surrounding the incident are still under investigation," FlyDubai said in a statement obtained by ABC News on Saturday. "We are therefore not in a position to comment further beyond our published statements. We remain fully committed to supporting the ongoing investigation and are in close coordination with the relevant government authorities and regulators."
Representatives for Oman Air and the Omani Embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment from ABC News.
FlyDubai issued a statement earlier Friday, attributed to its chief executive officer, saying that, at the request of the authorities, FlyDubai had "temporarily suspended operations to Tel Aviv until further notice," and saying "a full official investigation, led by the relevant authorities and fully supported by flydubai, is underway."
A disaster was averted when the flight's captain, Smit Machchhar, fought back and a number of passengers subdued and restrained the attacker, who had sent the plane into a rapid dive.
One of the passengers, Israeli plumber Yaniv Hayoun, said he pulled back on the controls to steady the plane until a third pilot, who was traveling in the passenger cabin, took over. The flight eventually landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
One of the passengers who ran to the front of the plane, Dr. Shota Musaev, told ABC News in an interview this week that the attacker -- who was bloodied and restrained on the floor outside the cockpit -- told him he was from Oman. Musaev said that at one point the suspect asked Musaev to kill him.
"He said, 'Kill me please, kill me please,'" Musaev said.
Israeli officials are expected to be on the ground and involved in the questioning of Al Hammami, sources said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday said that the suspected attacker, who he didn't name, had undergone "Islamist radicalization."
"He came to crash the plane with all passengers on board," Netanyahu said in a video released by his office. "We are investigating whether he was sent, and whoever sent him will pay a very heavy price."
Netanyahu also again heaped praise on Hayoun and the other heroic passengers for preventing a "tragedy like 9/11."
A threadbare internet biography page believed to belong to the suspect indicated that he had studied aviation management at a British university and engineering at an Australian university.
A source at the Buckinghamshire New University confirmed that Al Hammami completed a three-year distance-learning course and graduated with a degree in aviation management in 2023. The source stressed that Al Hammami did not take any pilot training at the school.
Royal Air Maroc -- Morocco's national carrier -- confirmed to ABC News that Al Hammami completed a three-month theoretical training period with the airline in 2025 as part of its pre-employment process. At the end of the training, he was not selected for employment, the airline confirmed, but it wouldn't say why.
A representative for the school in Australia declined to comment and referred an inquiry from ABC News to the Australian federal police.
- ABC News' Dragana Jovanovic contributed to this report.
A Gulfstream G100 Astra SPX aircraft operated by Latitude Air Ambulance, lands at Brussels-Zaventem Airport, Belgium, March 21, 2026. (Thierry Monasse/Getty Images, FILES)
The U.S. Coast Guard was searching the waters off Massachusetts for a missing medical transfer plane with six people on board that went missing on Saturday morning, officials said.
The Federal Aviation Administration informed the Coast Guard they lost contact with the Gulfstream G-100 around 2 a.m., as the plane flew from Bermuda to Boston, according to the Coast Guard.
The Bermuda Skyport Corporation, which operates LF Wade International Airport, said in a statement that the Canadian-registered plane took off from the airport with four crew members and two passengers at around 12:41 a.m. on Saturday.
There were no Americans aboard the plane, a source with knowledge of the investigation told ABC News.
The Coast Guard is using air and sea vehicles to search around Nantucket, the agency said. As of Saturday 11:00 a.m., there had been no updates.
Officials believe the plane rapidly descended 7,500 feet before hitting the water, a source with knowledge of the investigation told ABC News.
At least two people were killed in a shooting at a strip mall near Cal State Northridge on Oct.2, 2026. LAPD responded to a call about a large party at The Artists Lounge when officers heard gunshots on arrival. (KABC)
At least two people were killed Friday in a shooting at a Los Angeles strip mall, according to police.
The Los Angeles Police Department responded to a 911 call about a large party at the mall near Cal State Northridge around 11 p.m. when officers heard gunshots, ABC local station KABC reported.
Two people were killed, and it was not immediately clear if there were other injuries, authorities said.
Officers were seen placing several people in handcuffs and taking them away after the shooting. Police hadn't announced any arrests or released a suspect description as of early Saturday.
In this handout photo released by the Altoona Police Department, Luigi Mangione is seen in a holding cell after being taken into custody, Dec. 9, 2024, in Altoona, Pa. (Altoona Police Department via Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) -- For the first time, the public can see the full body camera footage of Luigi Mangione’s arrest and his subsequent strip search at the Altoona Police Department in Pennsylvania.
The footage was released Friday after news outlets, including ABC News, petitioned the court.
Mangione was taken into custody in Altoona in December 2024, days after the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Midtown Manhattan. The video includes the search of Mangione's bag when he was apprehended at an Altoona McDonald's, the retrieval of the murder weapon and Mangione's transport in a squad car.
This is the first time most of the footage has been seen outside court, including a redacted version of Mangione's strip search.
The video included much of what was played during a three-week evidentiary hearing when defense attorneys argued the evidence should be suppressed. The judge decided much of it could be used but kept it under seal.
In August, Mangione pleaded guilty to two federal stalking counts in connection with Thompson's killing, and now the Manhattan district attorney's office is facing a deadline later this month to respond to Mangione's motion to dismiss the state indictment against him.
Mangione admitted to the crime in federal court in August, saying, "I used a 3-D printer to make part of a gun, and I equipped the gun with the silencer and the magazine."
"I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan and he died," he said, adding, "I knew what I was doing was illegal."
Mangione's sentencing in the federal case is set for Dec. 18.
The Lyceum, oldest building on the campus of the University of Mississippi, April 12, 2008, in Oxford, Miss. (Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) -- A father and son who worked at a Mississippi smoke shop were charged by federal prosecutors in connection with one of the two Ole Miss student deaths that took place last week.
U.S. Attorney Scott F. Leary for the Northern District of Mississippi announced Friday that a criminal complaint was filed against Yahya Mohamed Mosleh, 51, and Islam Yahya Mosleh, 18, on charges with possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances in connection with the death of Aidan Hamilton.
The father and son, who were arrested last week, worked at the smoke shop that allegedly sold illegal substances to Hamilton, investigators allege.
Hamilton, a freshman from Englewood, Colorado, was found dead on campus on Sept. 21, and investigators found "packages, some with missing tablets, of suspected kratom derivatives," according to the U.S. attorney's office.
"The cause of death appeared to be consistent with a drug overdose," the U.S. attorney's office said.
An hour later, a second Ole Miss student, Robert Strang, a junior from Atlanta, was found dead in a different location, and investigators also found "packages of suspected kratom derivatives," according to the U.S. attorney's office.
Strang's death was also consistent with a drug overdose, the U.S. attorney's office said.
Kratom products contain chemicals that can increase alertness, physical energy, and talkativeness. At higher doses, users may experience sedating effects.
The FDA has warned that kratom and especially concentrated synthetic 7-OH products can carry risks, including addiction, mental health concerns and other serious adverse effects.
Some jurisdictions in the country have banned the sale of kratom. Oxford, Mississippi, has banned the sale, possession and consumption of Kratom since 2019.
Advocates have called on the Food and Drug Administration for stricter regulations on the products and bans.
Toxicology reports on both deaths are still ongoing, according to investigators.
The Lafayette County Metro Narcotics Unit was able to track Hamilton's bank records and found that he made several purchases from Puffs Vape, Tobacco and Beer Store in Oxford, Mississippi, the federal criminal complaint said.
After an undercover informant was able to purchase pills that were advertised as 7 O Kratom pills, Lafayette County Metro Narcotics Unit officers executed a search warrant on Sept. 24 of the store and seized over 500 units of kratom, the U.S. attorney's office said.
Mississippi investigators arrested the father and son that day and charged them with possession of Schedule I controlled substances with intent to distribute.
Attorney information for the defendants wasn't immediately available.
The Lafayette County Metro Narcotics Unit also tracked Strang's financial records and found he made purchases at Express Mart #7, a gas station convenience store in Yalobusha County, according to the criminal complaint.
Officers were able to go to the store and purchase similar pills to the ones found and have sent them off to crime labs for analysis, the criminal complaint said.
No one from that business has been charged as of Friday.
The fraternity house at the center of a rape allegation stands on the campus of Cornell University on September 30, 2026, in Ithaca, New York. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) -- One of the Cornell fraternity brothers who allegedly attacked Jane Doe appeared to show remorse days later, writing to her in a text message that was showed to ABC News, “I just wanted to apologize for how things went down the other night.”
She responded, "At the end of the day non [sic] of the sexual stuff was illegal and honestly I really liked being with u."
Nearly two weeks later, Jane Doe’s view appeared to change, according to the text exchange: “Let’s be clear that 90% of what happened that night was not consensual,” Jane Doe wrote. “All i remember after that was you giving me ket[amine].”
She said it made her feel "like a sex doll/worker."
Days after those text messages Jane Doe went to campus police. Authorities memorialized her first report: “A female undergraduate student reported that she was recently raped by 8-10 men at the Chi Phi fraternity house.”
Those new details were included in the lengthy confidential investigative report compiled by Cornell and reviewed by ABC News. Newly obtained videos from that probe show the bedroom in the fraternity house where Jane Doe alleged she was gang raped. It was left strewn with garbage, leftover food and discarded furniture after Cornell University suspended the Chi Phi chapter.
On the bedroom floor, there is a composite photo of every member of a sorority class, a fentanyl test, beer cans and liquor bottles littering the space.
ABC News has also obtained an extended version of the Snapchat group chat shared among more than 50 fraternity brothers during the alleged assault.
The frat brother who invited Jane Doe to the house that night sent a photo to the chat that appears to show her in the bedroom.
Another asked, “Are you guys at least naked??”
He replied, “Boys come whip it out.”
On Thursday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said she issued an executive order to appoint Attorney General Letitia James as a special prosecutor for the alleged gang rape that took place in 2024.
"Newly released information continues to raise serious questions about the investigation conducted by the Cornell Police Department and the decision by the Tompkins County District Attorney not to prosecute an alleged sexual assault on Cornell University's campus," Hochul said in a statement.
Former Olympian David Hearn outside DC Superior Court in Washington, DC, July 9, 2026. (Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Former U.S. Olympian David Hearn says he is “relieved” after a Washington, D.C. judge permanently dismissed the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool vandalism case against him, ending the possibility that prosecutors could recharge him.
Hearn was indicted this summer and prosecutors alleged that he ripped a piece of the lining from the pool while he was out on a bike ride.
The charges were rolled out in a press conference where U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said Hearn "forcefully and violently" vandalized the pool and that they had proof "beyond a reasonable doubt."
President Donald Trump had insisted the damage to the pool, a key renovation project of his, was the work of vandals, but Pirro later said that evidence surfaced that renovations to the pool had caused the damage. Hearn had faced up to 10 years in prison in connection with the case.
Speaking exclusively to “Good Morning America,” Hearn called Thursday’s ruling “a victory for democracy.”
“I’m relieved,” Hearn said. “If it can happen to me, it can happen to anybody. Anybody in this country.”
Asked what he meant, Hearn said people could be “targeted and unfairly accused of something they didn’t do.”
“Nobody should feel they’re immune from this kind of abuse of power,” he said.
Hearn said he believes Pirro and Trump owe him an apology.
“Do you think the president should apologize to you?” Hearn was asked.
“Yes,” Hearn said.
“Do you think he will?”
“You know, if pigs fly, maybe,” Hearn said.
Just six weeks after Hearn’s arrest, Pirro dropped the charges, President Trump subsequently criticized Pirro over the decision, saying she “choked.”
The Justice Department wanted to preserve the possibility of bringing the case again, but In his ruling Thursday, Judge Todd Edelman dismissed the case with prejudice, meaning Hearn cannot be charged again over the same allegations.
Edelman also addressed Trump’s public comments about the case, writing that despite there being no evidence of a crime, the president’s public pressure created “a risk that Mr. Hearn will be prosecuted nonetheless.”
Hearn said the experience has shaken him and that the past few months have been “difficult” while thanking those who rallied around him during the case.
He and his attorney, Norm Eisen, are also considering whether to pursue legal action against Trump or the administration.
Eisen told ABC News that they are “actively” considering their options and that “nothing is off the table.”
An exterior view of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency headquarters is seen, July 6, 2018, in Washington, D.C. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
A new facility in Alexandria, Louisiana, may begin receiving undocumented families with children, local officials and immigrant rights advocates say.
The 528-bed facility will house families with children, unaccompanied minors, and single adult females as they await removal inside renovated former Air Force barracks at England Airpark, a former military base that now houses the Alexandria International Airport and an immigration detention facility, according to a draft agreement between ICE and the England Economic and Industrial Development District (EEIDD) reviewed by ABC News.
A communications manager for EEIDD told ABC News the facility could start receiving people "within the next week or two."
The facility would be the second constructed to house children since President Donald Trump's second term began but is the first to hold unaccompanied minors who are usually held in shelters under the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services before deportation or release.
A board of commissioners that governs the airpark approved the facility in February amid protests from local residents.
The facility will be managed by LaSalle Family Foundation, a nonprofit arm of LaSalle Corrections, a private prison company that manages several immigration detention centers across the country. Daily operations will be run by Anovaeon, which describes itself as a humanitarian response company. The operators are calling the facility the Alexandria Family Staging Center and say it will house people who are voluntarily self-deporting or voluntarily leaving the country, for an average stay of under 48 hours.
Last week, Robert Hagen, the project manager for LaSalle Family Foundation told commissioners the facility was 95% completed.
During board meetings that have at times become contentious with police having to removeopponents of the plans, operators of the facility have attempted to push back against the notion that it's a detention center.
"This project right over here is not a detention center, it's a staging center for families who are voluntarily departing this country, admittedly through pretty crappy circumstances on their end. I acknowledge that," Anovaeon CEO Eric Fritz said at a commissioner board meeting last week.
Fritz said the facility will provide medical care, mental health care, "quality meals," soccer fields and free international calling, among other resources.
A pamphlet distributed during one of the board meetings and obtained by ABC News said migrant families will be held in a "non-detained" setting at the facility. However, during last week's board meeting, Anovaeon Senior Director of Operations Jeffrey Lynch acknowledged operators would have to alert ICE if someone attempted to leave the facility.
"I think what we would do is, we would approach the individual, say 'Look, you're part of this program. It's in your best interest to follow through with the program,'" Lynch said. "If they were adamant about it, I think we would open the gate but at the same time we would be in communication with ICE, letting them know what's happening."
There's an ICE office "literally steps away" from the facility, Lynch added.
"They're literally steps away and they would be there to either intervene, convince them to come back in, or take whatever steps they would take as part of their case management practices," Lynch said.
A draft of the Intergovernmental Service Agreement between DHS and the EEIDD obtained by the advocacy group National Immigration Project and reviewed by ABC News said one of the purposes of the agreement is to provide "ICE alien detention in a secure environment under the authority of the Immigration and Nationality Act."
A communications manager for the EEIDD said she could not share the final agreement with ABC News, noting that ICE had to sign off before it could be shared.
At a press conference on Wednesday, immigrant rights groups and attorneys denounced the facility and raised concerns that the property was contaminated with PFAS.
"There can be no hiding what this is, this is a detention center. People are not free to leave," said Stephanie Alvarez-Jones, Southeast Regional Attorney for the National Immigration Project.
DHS, EEIDD and Anovaeon did not respond when asked to address concerns about possible contamination, or whether people would be restrained at any point during their stay or during removal.
DHS did not provide an estimate of when the facility would open.
In a statement, an ICE spokesperson called it a "staging facility for deportations"
"A staging facility iswhere illegal aliens await their deportation flight to their destination country or transfer to a detention facility," the spokesperson said.
ABC News' Ely Brown and Laura Romero contributed to this report.
USA, New York, Finger Lakes Region, Ithaca, Cornell University, elevated view of McFaddin Hall, summer (Walter Bibikow/Getty Images)
An upstate New York prosecutor this week reopened an investigation into a 2024 incident at Cornell University in which a former undergraduate student filed a lawsuit alleging she was drugged and raped by seven men at the Chi Phi fraternity house.
Here is a timeline of key events in the case based on ABC News reporting, police documents, official statements from Cornell and the Tompkins County District Attorney's Office, and a lawsuit filed by the alleged victim, identified only as Jane Doe.
August 2022 –Jane Doe begins her freshman year at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.
Oct. 18, 2024 – An individual overdoses on ketamine "on or about October 18, 2024" at the Chi Phi fraternity house, according to a heavily redacted report obtained by ABC News that was prepared by Cornell University from a series of hearings the university held in 2025 as part of its internal investigation of Jane Doe's allegations.
Oct. 19-20, 2024 – Jane Doe alleges she was drugged and "gang raped" by seven men during a party at the Chi Phi fraternity house to which she was invited by one of the men she has accused of assaulting her, according to Jane Doe's lawsuit. She arrived at the party, according to investigation documents, already intoxicated after consuming alcohol at her sorority house and at two bars.
In a later statement to police, Jane Doe, who was 20 at the time, said she was carded when she entered the bars, and one of the establishments marked her hand with an X indicating she was under 21, and the other gave her an under-21 wristband to wear. However, she says she was able to purchase a drink at one of the bars and only briefly stayed at the other, but made no mention of ordering alcohol there. Neither bar has issued a statement.
Jane Doe says she continued drinking alcohol once arriving at the Chi Phi fraternity house and accepted drugs before agreeing to participate in a sexual threesome and subsequently losing consciousness. One of the drugs Jane Doe alleges she was forced to ingest is ketamine.
Oct. 20, 2024 – In the early morning hours, one of the fraternity members allegedly messages the fraternity’s Snapchat group to claim there was “free" sex upstairs.
Oct. 23, 2024 – Jane Doe exchanges text messages with the man who invited her to the Chi Phi fraternity house party, later identified in her civil lawsuit as Male No. 1. Apparently referring to rumors spreading about the sexual activity that occurred at the fraternity, she writes, "My reputation is destroyed and I'm utterly ashamed." In the same exchange, she also texts, "everyone needs to grow up because sexuality and sex and [stuff] is changing and stuff like this is going to become more common. i'm also really open minded tho. i love u king."
Oct. 30, 2024 – In another text message, Jane Doe writes to Male No. 1 that she was "uninvited" to a Chi Phi event. "i know this was going to happen. the woman will always get the short end of the stick," she writes. "yall aren't my friends. yall are covering your a****."
Nov. 7, 2024 – In a text message to Jane Doe obtained by ABC News, Male No. 1 writes he is concerned he is "being labeled an assaulter." Jane Doe replies in part "I haven't said anything" and in the same text exchange also says, "i know there are rumors i was gang banged."
Nov. 8, 2024 – Jane Doe writes to Male No. 1 in a text message, "i think i'm done talking to you. i know you lied." That same day, she files a report with the Cornell University police, telling them about the alleged sexual incident that occurred at the Chi Phi fraternity house between her and members of the fraternity. Also that same day, the university places the Chi Phi fraternity chapter on temporary suspension for alleged violations of the student code of conduct and issues temporary suspensions to several students involved in the incident.
Nov. 14, 2024 –Jane Doe makes a formal statement to Cornell campus police, who ask the Tompkins County District Attorney's Office to review it and determine whether a crime had been committed. Prosecutors decide not to file charges.
Nov. 26, 2024 –Cornell Interim President Michael Kotlikoff issues a statement describing “serious and deeply disturbing allegations of drug abuse and sexual violence at the Chi Phi fraternity house." The statement says campus police "continues to pursue its criminal investigation" and the university's "Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards and the Office of Institutional Equity and Title IX have been diligently reviewing all reported information regarding the many allegations that have been received pertaining to events at the fraternity."
The statement further says that the Chi Phi fraternity "remains under a temporary suspension order that was issued on November 8, 2024, for alleged violations of the Student Code of Conduct. In addition, late last week, interim measures in the form of temporary suspensions were issued for a number of students to protect the immediate physical health and safety of all students."
In a statement, Cornell says the Chi Phi fraternity was closed in 2024 and "remains barred from campus."
Trey Robb, the interim executive director of Chi Phi Fraternity, says in a statement that all the accused members were kicked out of the Cornell chapter within three days of Jane Doe filing her police report in 2024.
Jan. 14, 2025 –Cornell commences a Title IX investigation in response to Jane Doe's formal complaint filed with the university's Title IX coordinator, according to Jane Doe's lawsuit.
Feb. 6, 2025 – Kolikoff and Cornell Provost Kavita Bala announce the establishment of the Presidential Task Force on Campus Sexual Assault, "to focus on addressing and preventing sexual assault on campus – a serious and persistent problem, both nationally and here on our campus." The announcement says the task force will deliver a report that summer "that outlines evidence-based strategies for addressing sexual assault at Cornell, including a timeline for implementation, metrics for success, and a plan to institutionalize this work."
May 2 to May 29, 2025 – Cornell's Title IX Office conducts at least 12 hearings on Jane Doe's allegations, conducting 50 interviews with 32 witnesses, including the men Jane Doe alleges assaulted her. According to a heavily redacted report of the hearings obtained by ABC News, Jane Doe describes her night at a fraternity house surrounded by multiple men: "I felt like bait," she says. 'I felt like lions around me. It just was a totally debilitating place to be in."
Nov. 4, 2025 – Cornell releases the results of the 2025 Cornell Survey of Sexual Assault and Related Misconduct (SARM), showing 35% of undergraduate women and 8% of undergraduate men reported experiencing nonconsensual sexual contact involving force or incapacitation since attending Cornell.
Sept. 16, 2026 – Jane Doe files a civil lawsuit against Cornell, the Chi Phi chapter, her Delta Delta Delta sorority, and others, including the seven men she alleges drugged and raped her at the Chi Phi fraternity house.
Sept. 21, 2026 –The Cornell Daily Sun, the student newspaper, publishes an editorial condemning the university's handling of the incident. "Cornell has failed to protect its students," the editorial says, in part.
Sept. 27, 2026 – Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten issues a statement saying that after speaking with Jane Doe and her attorney, he is reopening the investigation. Van Houten further said that in her sworn statement to Cornell police, Jane Doe did not allege she was drugged against her will or gang raped. "On the contrary, Jane Doe's statement described her participation in drug use and sexual conduct as voluntary, conscious, and consensual," says Van Houten, who releases a summary of Jane Doe’s initial police statement.
Sept. 28, 2026 – Lawyers for two of the seven men accused in the case, Scott Kretzschmar and Scott Norris, issue statements denying their clients were involved in the alleged sexual assault.
The same day, the Ithaca Police Department issues a statement saying that the sexual assault alleged by Jane Doe "was not reported to the Ithaca Police Department," which "learned of these allegations recently through the media."
Responding to questions about why the university didn't bring in the Ithaca police to investigate the allegations, Cornell issues a statement saying, "The Cornell University Police Department is a unit of the university, and its officers are special deputy sheriffs pursuant to NY Educational Law 5709 whose duties include the enforcement of law and order on Cornell property. This incident occurred in Cornell’s jurisdiction."
Sept. 29, 2026 –New York Gov. Kathy Hochul calls for an outside investigation into Cornell University’s campus culture and its response to Jane Doe’s allegations. In an interview with ABC News that same day, Van Houten defends his office’s 2024 decision not to bring charges in the case while at the same time describing the allegations as “morally disturbing."
Later that day, Hochul says Cornell University agrees to initiate an independent investigation, and the university issues a statement saying, "Cornell shares Governor Hochul's commitment to addressing campus culture issues, which affect universities across the nation and New York. We are committed to continuing to work with state officials to advance student safety and wellbeing."
ABC News obtains the full statement Jane Doe gave to Cornell police in October 2024. In parts of the statement not included in Van Houten’s summary, Jane Doe told officers that the incident at the Chi Phi fraternity house "felt like coercion."
That same day, an attorney for Gillio Lopes, a third man accused in the alleged rape, issued a statement denying the allegations against his client.
Oct. 1, 2026 - Hochul on Thursday said she issued an executive order to appoint Attorney General Letitia James as a special prosecutor for the alleged “gang rape” that took place at a Cornell fraternity in 2024.
“Newly released information continues to raise serious questions about the investigation conducted by the Cornell Police Department and the decision by the Tompkins County District Attorney not to prosecute an alleged sexual assault on Cornell University's campus," Hochul said in a statement.
"This has, in turn, undercut my faith, and the public's faith, in the District Attorney's ability to effectively investigate and prosecute the case at this time,” Hochul added.
In a statement, James said she is “ready to lead a process New Yorkers can trust, guided by the facts and the law.”
New York State Attorney General Letitia James speaks during a press conference regarding legislation on artificial intelligence on September 21, 2026 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
New York Governor Kathy Hochul on Thursday said she issued an executive order to appoint Attorney General Letitia James as a special prosecutor for the alleged “gang rape” that took place at a Cornell fraternity in 2024.
“Newly released information continues to raise serious questions about the investigation conducted by the Cornell Police Department and the decision by the Tompkins County District Attorney not to prosecute an alleged sexual assault on Cornell University's campus," Hochul said in a statement.
"This has, in turn, undercut my faith, and the public's faith, in the District Attorney's ability to effectively investigate and prosecute the case at this time,” Hochul added.
In a statement, James said she is “ready to lead a process New Yorkers can trust, guided by the facts and the law.”
“Every New Yorker deserves to know that when they report a crime, it will be investigated fully and fairly. The Governor has entrusted my office with this investigation, and we do not take that responsibility lightly,” James said.
The appointment of James as special prosecutor comes five days after Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said he would reopen the investigation into the former student's allegations.
Late last month, the former student, listed as Jane Doe, filed a civil lawsuit alleging that she was drugged, assaulted and "gang raped" by seven former and current members of the Chi Phi fraternity at Cornell.
Van Houten said in a statement on Sunday that his office was considering whether to bring criminal charges related to the incident, though he said the allegations in the civil complaint are "dramatically different" than the woman's statement to police two years ago.
In an interview with ABC News, Van Houten acknowledged that he relied on the investigation conducted by Cornell Police and said his office didn't "independently investigate" the allegations.
On Wednesday, Cornell University agreed to initiate an independent investigation into how the Ivy League school handled the allegations, Hochul told ABC News.
Hochul called for the outside review, saying the allegations raised "serious questions about Cornell campus culture" and whether the university is doing all it can to protect students.
"Cornell shares Governor Hochul’s commitment to addressing campus culture issues, which affect universities across the nation and New York. We are committed to continuing to work with state officials to advance student safety and wellbeing,” a Cornell spokesperson said in a statement provided to ABC News.
President Donald Trump speaks during a Hispanic Heritage Month event in the East Room of the White House, Sept. 30, 2026, in Washington. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
A federal judge on Thursday ordered a U.S. attorney from Western Washington who was fired by President Donald Trump in July to immediately be reinstated to the position, and is barring the Justice Department from again attempting to replace him.
The ruling from U.S. District judge Stanley Bastian is the latest escalation in the Trump administration's battle with the judiciary over DOJ efforts to install U.S. attorneys around the country without Senate confirmation.
Federal judges appointed Rogoff to the post that oversees federal prosecutions in Seattle in July, and he was fired by President Trump through an email roughly an hour later.
Rogoff then filed suit citing similar cases around the country where the Trump administration had unsuccessfully sought to install attorneys and extend their service indefinitely, which judges appointed by both parties have ruled clearly violates the appointment statute.
The Justice Department said it disagrees with the decision and plans to appeal and seek a stay.
Judge Bastian ruled from the bench in Thursday's proceeding granting Rogoff's request for a preliminary injunction -- and further enjoined Attorney General Todd Blanche and the Executive Office of the President from taking any further moves to effectuate his termination.
U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Roger Fortson was shot in his home by a Florida sheriff's deputy. Body camera footage appears to show Fortson had a gun in his hand at the time of the shooting. (Air Force)
(WASHINGTON) -- Eddie Duran, a former Florida county sheriff's deputy, was found not guilty by a jury on Thursday after facing one count of manslaughter with a firearm in the 2024 shooting death of a U.S. Air Force airman Roger Fortson.
The jury acquitted Duran after more than two hours of deliberations on Thursday afternoon. Duran, 38, was facing a maximum sentence of 30 years.
Fortson, 23, was in his home in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, on May 3, 2024, when Duran, who was an Okaloosa County sheriff's deputy, responded to the apartment for a call reporting a domestic disturbance, according to the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office. Fortson was alone in the apartment at the time, police said, and he was on the phone with his girlfriend.
Fortson was shot and killed by Duran after answering the door of his apartment while holding a legally owned handgun. The shooting sparked national attention, and the deputy was later fired and charged with manslaughter.
Duran, who pleaded not guilty, testified during his trial on Wednesday, arguing that he fatally shot Fortson in self-defense.
"Looking at his eyes, it was clear to me that I wasn't welcomed. I wasn't a welcome presence. He seemed aggressive, frustrated, and again, just I'm not welcome," Duran said.
"I thought I was dead. As soon as the door opened and I saw it, I immediately thought, 'I'm dead,'" he added.
Mark Alderman, the assistant state attorney who prosecuted the case, argued during closing arguments on Thursday that Fortson posed "no threat" to Duran and said that he held his handgun because he was "not sure who's at his door."
Alderman pointed to the body camera video shown to jurors during the trial, showing that Fortson's gun was "pointed at the ground" when he was shot by Duran.
"There was no threat. The gun was pointed at the ground," he said.
Alderman also said that upon opening his door, Fortson held his left arm up when he saw Duran and made "no aggressive move, no aggressive act" before he was shot.
"There's a reason most of those gunshots enter his left arm, because he was holding it up in an effort to not be shot, and was shot repeatedly in that left arm as he holds it up in an effort to shield himself right before the shooting," he said. "Roger's last act was to, in essence, plead to not be shot. The defendant completely ignored it. I hope that you don't ignore it."
Meanwhile, Duran's defense attorney Rod Smith argued on Thursday that Fortson posed an "imminent threat" to Duran and the former sheriff's deputy's actions were "a justifiable use of force by a law enforcement officer while he was performing the duties that he is obliged to perform."
In closing arguments, Smith focused on the gun that Fortson was holding when he opened the door of his home for Duran, arguing that the former sheriff's deputy was following his training on how to respond to a "close encounter" when he shot Fortson.
"Do you have to wait? Do we ever train people that they have to wait until the gun is pointed at them? No. No one is trained that you wait till the gun is pointed at you. No one would take the job if that was the training," Smith said.
"The question here is about the reasonableness of his actual fear," he said. "What is the officer to do at that point? Wait till it's aimed at him? No, that's not how you're trained. It's imminent threat, and you respond. And he did exactly that," he added.
State Attorney Ginger Bowden Madden, whose office prosecuted the case against Duran, said in a statement after the verdict on Thursday that prosecutors "respect" the verdict and "thank the jurors for their service."
"A not-guilty verdict means the State did not prove the criminal charge beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of every juror," Madden's office said in a statement. "It does not diminish the life, service, or humanity of Roger Fortson, and it does not lessen the devastating loss his family, friends, and fellow airmen endured."
Attorney Ben Crump, who represents Fortson's family, said in a statement on Friday that this is a "painful moment" for the family, who are "heartbroken" over the not guilty verdict.
"Roger's life and his service will always matter. His family will keep fighting for him, and we will stand with them as they pursue their civil rights case in federal court and seek accountability for the tragic loss of his life," Crump said.
Smith, Duran's attorney, told ABC News in a phone interview on Friday that while he is "thrilled" with the not guilty verdict, he is "saddened for the event that occurred."
"I just felt like [Duran] followed his training, and it's a tragedy. This never should have happened. But I didn't want to see a tragedy turn into an injustice," Smith said.
Smith added that Duran "had a tough couple of years while this has been hanging over his head," so he feels "great for him and his family" and is "thankful that it's over with."
ABC News' Sabina Ghebremedhin contributed to this report.
