Compton Man Charged After Allegedly Slitting Wife’s Throat With Granddaughter in the Room
Officials charged a Compton man with murder on Wednesday, two days after he allegedly killed his wife of more than 30 years while her granddaughter was in the same room.
Henry Cunningham, 66, faces one felony count of murder and one misdemeanor count of cruelty to a child by inflicting injury, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced.
Prosecutors said the victim, 58-year-old Melanie Cunningham, was asleep inside her bedroom along with her 1-year-old granddaughter on Dec. 17 when her husband allegedly slit her throat with a kitchen knife.
Details about the couple’s living arrangement and the child’s relation to the defendant were unclear.
Deputies responded to the home, located in the 15600 block of South Frailey Avenue, around 10 a.m. on Monday and found the victim with apparent trauma to her torso, according to the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department. She was declared dead at the scene.
Officers reported recovering the knife at the home. They said they had received information that the husband might have been involved in the stabbing, and that Henry Cunningham turned himself at an LAPD station the same day.
The suspect remained in jail on $2 million bail, county records indicate.
He could face 25 years to life in state prison if convicted as charged.
The case remained under investigation.
Authorities provided no further details.
O.C. Woman Arrested, Accused of Pretending Her Husband Was Fighting Holy Fire to Collect Donations
A San Juan Capistrano woman was arrested following a three-month investigation into allegations she had posed as the wife of a firefighter on the front lines of the Holy Fire to defraud people who were donating money to recovery efforts, officials said Tuesday.
Ashley Bemis, 28, allegedly posted pictures of herself alongside her fictitious firefighter husband to various social media accounts, with captions soliciting donations, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release.
Bemis collected more than $2,000, officials said. Though she claimed the funds would benefit firefighters, she allegedly kept the money for herself.
The Holy Fire broke out Aug. 6. The suspected arson blaze destroyed more than a dozen buildings and consumed over 23,000 acres across Orange and Riverside counties before it was fully contained in mid-September.
In addition to cash, Bemis collected relief items including sports drinks, water and camping equipment from individual donors as well as stores and companies, authorities said.
A local fire captain grew suspicious of Bemis’ requests and asked the Sheriff’s Department to investigate.
Detectives said they were able to uncover items intended as donations after obtaining search warrants for her home, vehicle and garages.
San Clemente police investigators believe Bemis invented a fake husband with the intention of defrauding people hoping to donate to wildfire relief. They also uncovered previous social media posts showing she had faked pregnancies in an effort to solicit donations, sheriff’s officials said.
Bemis was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of felony grand theft, second-degree burglary, witness intimidation and making false financial statements.
She was being held at the O.C. Jail on $50,000 bail.
Fresno Woman Arrested After Her 8-Year-Old Daughter Is Killed by Train Had Allegedly Urged Child to Cross Tracks
A Central Valley women whose young daughter was killed by a train had urged the child to cross under a temporarily stopped train car, police said in announcing the mother’s arrest Tuesday.
Joy Frances Collins, 44, was arrested on suspicion of child neglect likely to cause great bodily injury or death, as well as trespassing, Fresno Police Department Chief Jerry Dyer said at a press conference.
Collins was with her 9-year-old son and 8-year-old daughter when they were trying to get to a bus stop about 6 p.m. Monday. A mile-long train that blocked their route slowed and eventually stopped, according to Fresno television stations KSEE and KGPE.
Just after the train came to a halt, Collins told her children that they had to “hurry … or they would miss the bus,” Dyer said, citing a witness.
“The mother then told the 9-year-old son to cross the railroad track,” Dyer said. “The son then crawled underneath one of the rail cars to get over to the west side.”
Dyer said Collins then told her daughter, identified by the chief as Joyanna Harris, to follow, but the girl was reluctant at first.
“Upon being encouraged by the mother to cross the track, she too made her way underneath the rail car and attempted to get to the other side,” Dyer said.
It was then that the train lurched forward, Dyer said, leaving the girl “lodged” under the car.
“That child was pulled or dragged on the railroad for approximately 500 feet,” Dyer said.
Collins ran alongside the train and finally pulled her daughter’s severely injured body from underneath the train when it stopped again.
Dyer said the girl was critically injured and partially dismembered. Joyanna Harris was pronounced dead at the scene, according to The Fresno Bee.
“A mother placed her daughter in a position where she could be seriously injured or killed, and that’s what we have to look at,” Dyer said. “We have a responsibility to hold that person accountable.”
“No one last night wanted to arrest the mother for this crime, but the law is the law,” he added. “She placed … her child in grave danger.”
The mother said the family had gone under the train at least seven other times in past, the chief said. The also had past contacts with Child Protective Services, and Collins has a criminal history related to check fraud in the Bay Area, Dyer said.
Collins was booked into the Fresno County Jail Monday night.
via: https://ktla.com/2018/12/18/mother-charged-after-8-year-old-girl-killed-by-train/
Boy, 12, allegedly stabs sister to death and wounds mother
Hartford, Conn. (WTIC/WCCT) — A 12 year old boy was arraigned at CCMC this afternoon and charged with murder and first-degree assault in connection with the death of his sister and wounding of his mother.
He was charged with one count of Murder with Special Circumstances and one count of Assault in the First Degree. The juvenile was turned over to the custody of the Connecticut Judicial Marshals. The case remains under active investigation by the West Hartford Police Department.
Police said a young girl has died after being stabbed during a domestic situation on Stoner Drive Monday afternoon.
West Hartford police say they received a 911 call from 187 Stoner Drive from a woman saying she and her daughter had been stabbed by her son.
Police say when they arrived, they found the two victims and the suspect.
Police said the mother and daughter were rushed to St. Francis Hospital where the daughter was pronounced dead.
The Hartford Courant reports the suspect is 12 years old, and identifies the victim as his 12-year-old sister, Brigid Curtin. Their mother, who was injured, was identified by her employer to the Courant as Janemarie Murphy, a well-known lobbyist.
The juvenile son was taken into custody and brought to CCMC for minor injuries. The mother is currently in stable condition.
West Hartford Mayor Shari Cantor released the following statement on behalf of the Murphy-Curtin family:
Our family, friends, and community are all suffering tonight. We are all enduring a very painful and unimaginable loss. Our family will never be the same. Our daughter was a beautiful child and we will remember forever her smile…laughter…and remember her for the way she loved and lived. We thank you all for your condolences and prayers.
Please understand that this loss is not contained to our family. Our children attended West Hartford schools and have so many friends that are hurting tonight as well. West Hartford is a strong community.
We are comforted to know that we aren’t alone in our grief.
We ask that as we are suffering, please respect our privacy as well as that of our neighbors. Again, we collectively are issuing this statement tonight in the hopes that the media will respect our privacy in grieving and that you continue to pray for our family.
“This was all localized just to this house,” Capt. Michael Perruccio said, “there is no danger to the town there is no danger to the neighborhood.”
“We are broken-hearted to hear this tragic news,” West Hartford Mayor Shari Cantor said, “I have been constant communication with the town manager, Police chief and superintendent of schools.”
“We are very grateful to our first responders for their professional and caring response,” Cantor said, “We will do everything we can to support the family, students, staff and the community through this extremely difficult time.”
West Hartford Public Schools sent out the following message:
“Earlier today we were informed by police of a tragic event occurring in the home of one of our families. In difficult times, we do all that we can to support our families, students and staff in dealing with crises. We will have mental health professionals available for students and staff at our schools both tomorrow and in the coming days. Please keep this family and their friends, and all of our children, in your thoughts and prayers.”
— Tom Moore, Superintendent of West Hartford Public Schools
State Representative Derek Slap, who represents West Hartford, told FOX 61 he’s grateful the school will have counselors. “Our heart goes out to the family and thinking of the entire community and the schoolchildren.”
West Hartford Mayor Shari Cantor released the following statement Tuesday morning:
“Today we are mourning the loss of a beautiful young lady and praying for the recovery of her mother. Our special community of West Hartford is in pain. Please keep the family in your thoughts and prayers. Let us give them the space, privacy, and time to grieve and heal. We will do all we can to provide support and help for the family, our students, teachers, neighbors, friends and the entire community. I have received many calls and texts asking how people can help. Thank you. Hug your loved ones and friends a little tighter. Be generous with your time and your heart. If you are moved to make a donation, please consider giving to organizations that have as their mission to help families in crisis including the Bridge Family Center, Town That Cares, as well as faith and community organizations. With a heavy heart, I wish our whole community peace and love.”
via: https://pix11.com/2018/12/19/boy-12-allegedly-stabs-sister-to-death-and-wounds-mother/
Orlando Brown Sits Down With Dr. Phil Amid Intervention: “He Has A Mental Problem” Chantilly Post
We were all saddened when we saw beloved child actor Orlando Brown hit the Disney sh*tter, approximately two years ago.
Orlando Brown says Raven-Symoné “Aborted his baby, then turned zesty” in his new rap song, watch that video below:
Orlando’s friends believe he’s suffering from a mental illness.
If you thought your year was bad, we can almost promise that it wasn’t as turbulent as Orland Brown’s. The former Disney star was tracked down by bounty hunters, got a tattoo of Raven Symone on his neck, got busted for crystal meth possession while breaking into a restaurant, entered rehab after an intervention and then got caught barefoot with a box of wine once he was released.
According to TMZ, Orlando is now on his second intervention and this time Dr. Phil has gotten involved. The publication got its hands on the first clip from Friday’s upcoming episode with Orlando, and it sees the actor’s friend telling Dr. Phil that Orlando is running out of help.
“I called in because Orlando, he has a mental problem and he’s burnt so many bridges no one wants to deal with him,” Orlando’s friend says in the clip below. “If you can’t help he does not have a chance,” he tells Dr. Phil. His friend explains how Orlando will randomly make claims of being Michael Jackson’s son and owning Neverland.
At the end of the clip, we see Orlando and his snake eye contacts listening to Dr. Phil offering his help but only if he’s willing to take it.
Article via HotNewHipHop
The Lion King: Disney Criticized for Trademarking ‘Hakuna Matata’
A recent petition is challenging Disney for their decision to trademark the phrase ‘Hakuna Matata.’ The Lion King has been getting a lot of press lately thanks to the release of the first teaser trailer for the live-action remake. The teaser became one of Disney’s most viewed trailers, getting 224.6 million views worldwide in just 24 hours. But while enthusiasm for the film is strong even over two decades later, not everyone is pleased with Disney.
The Lion King is the latest Disney film to get a live-action reboot. Since the film first appeared in theaters back in 1994, it has become one of the company’s most beloved tales. Jon Favreau is set to direct, following his success with the live-action of Disney’s The Jungle Book. The reboot boasts a star-studded cast, including Donald Glover voicing Simba and Beyoncé as Nala. But for fans of the original, they can breathe a sigh of relief that James Earl Jones will once again give his voice to Mufasa. Composer Hans Zimmer will also be returning, along with his memorable score.
Not everyone is pleased with Disney. Shelton Mpala has started a petition on Change.org, titled, “Disney Robs Swahili of ‘Hakuna Matata,” calling out the company for trademarking the Swahili phrase ‘Hakuna Matata,’ which means ‘no problems’ or ‘no worries’. In the petition, Mpala asks for others to “Join us and say NO to DISNEY or any corporations/individuals looking to trademark languages, terms or phrases they didn’t invent.” The goal of the petition is to convince Disney to remove the trademark, stating that “Disney can’t be allowed to trademark something that it didn’t invent.” As of this writing, the petition has gained over 47,000 signatures out of a goal of 50,000.
Disney applied for the trademark back in 1994, when the film was first released. The trademark was registered in 2003 and states that no one outside of Disney can use the catchphrase for commercial purposes. This, Mpala argues in a petition update, is called cultural appropriation. The problem with trademarking ‘Hakuna Matata’ goes beyond Disney. Mpala argues that “The trademarking of ‘Hakuna Matata’ also sets up precedence for other foreign corporations, businesses and individuals to do the same.”
This isn’t the first time The Lion King has been accused of taking something that doesn’t belong to them. The film has long been seen as a remake of the anime series Kimba The White Lion, a claim Disney denies. This latest controversy has added to the debate of what is considered appropriation, with some fans defending Disney’s choice to trademark a phrase they made popular. Mpala argues that just because Disney popularized it in America, doesn’t mean they can claim the catchphrase is theirs. After all, ‘Hakuna Matata’ isn’t just a line in a song, it’s a part of a culture and should belong to the people who are part of it.
Article via ScreenRant
Blac Chyna and Kardashians to face off in 2020 trial
Blac Chyna is taking the Kardashians to trial.
The Lashed salon owner, whose real name is Angela White, will face off in court against Kris Jenner, Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner and Khloé Kardashian on Feb. 3, 2020, when a jury will hear her argument that the reality-TV family “unlawfully plotted” to end Chyna and Rob Kardashian’s E! reality show, “Rob & Chyna.”
The judge also granted Chyna’s motions compelling the E! network and Bunim Murray Productions, the production company behind the reality TV show, to produce documents relating to Season 2 of “Rob & Chyna.” The court rejected E!’s argument that the documents were “trade secrets” and ordered the company to hand over the documents to Chyna’s attorneys, according to a press release from Chyna’s lawyer, Lisa Bloom.
The court also rejected Bunim Murray’s attempt to force Blac Chyna to pay over $100,000 to Bunim Murray for its relevant documents.
Ryan Seacrest, who executive produces “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” and “Rob & Chyna,” will be deposed in spring 2019.
“We look forward to getting these witnesses under oath and asking them questions,” Bloom said in a statement.
“We are pleased that Kris, Kim, Khloe, and Kylie will have to answer our client’s detailed allegations against them at a jury trial in a Los Angeles courtroom. Blac Chyna wants everyone to know that no one is above the law, no matter how much money, power, or influence you have,” said co-counsel Lynne M. Ciani of The Bloom Firm.
Page Six has reached out to the Kardashians’ attorney for comment.
As Page Six previously reported, Chyna sued Rob and his family in October 2017, claiming they “intentionally interfered” with the show “Rob & Chyna” so E! wouldn’t bring it back for a second season, which “harmed” Chyna “personally, professionally and financially.”
“Rob Kardashian is an abuser intent on destroying Angela White, the mother of his baby, who left him in 2016,” Chyna’s lawsuit claimed. “In revenge, the Kardashian-Jenner family became media predators, slut-shaming her on social media and killing her hit television show [‘Rob & Chyna’], which had already begun filming a second season.”
Article via PageSix
The “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” Discourse Is Boring as Hell
We’ve had the same argument for the last decade. Let’s… not.
On December 3, I got a press release about an artist who’d released a new album of both secular and religious Christmas songs. Instead of flaunting the songs she included, the entire email was about what wasn’t there. “Although she sympathizes with the movement, [the artist] is hardly a MeToo activist,” it read. “And she definitely wanted to include a romantic, even ‘sexy’ song among the 14 in her album. ’Baby It’s Cold’ was a default choice, but the more she studied the lyrics the more she was led to say ‘there’s no way I’m going to sing that song.’”
Good for her! It’s an overplayed (thanks, Elf) song that actually never mentions Christmas so it’s weird to put it on a Christmas album. But oh my god, I am so bored of the “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” discourse. Play it or don’t. It’s not a grand political position!
Let’s take a look at how we got to a time in which people will jump into your DMs about a song that you mainly hear piped in the background of department stores. The song was written in 1944 by Frank Loesser, whose songs you may have enjoyed in Guys and Dolls. He originally performed it as a flirtatious duet with his wife, Lynn Garland, at parties as an indication the night was over. “We become instant parlor room stars. We got invited to all the best parties for years on the basis of ‘Baby.’ It was our ticket to caviar and truffles. Parties were built around our being the closing act,” wrote Garland. But, in 1948, Loesser sold the song to MGM, and it won an Oscar for Best Song in 1949 after it was featured in the film Neptune’s Daughter.
The song was always about pursuit. In the original sheet music, Loesser labeled the two parts as “wolf” and “mouse,” setting up a predatory dynamic. But John Loesser, Frank Loesser’s son, told Vanity Fair that “it was a flirtatious, wonderful, sexy number between people who like each other. It really wasn’t anything but that.” It’s two people sizing each other up, doing a bit of verbal sparring, in that way that a lot of flirtation is. In most recordings, you can hear the smile in the “Mouse’s” voice. It doesn’t sound like entrapment.
But the artist is dead. In the 70 years since the song was written, more and more people have pointed out the Wolf blows past any idea of “no means no,” and that there’s a very thin line between consenting to a bit of a playful chase and pressuring someone to drink and not leave your house. In the past few years, it seems every December begins with at least one “remember, ‘Baby It’s Cold Outside’ is about date rape” take. A number of radio stations have banned the song this season, though some have faced blowback from the decision.
The problem is, both sides can find support for their arguments in the song. Those who defend it can point to lines like “I ought to say no, no, no sir / At least I’m gonna say that I tried” as proof that what she’s really worried about is the social stigma (much stronger in 1944) of staying late at a man’s house, and that were it not for nosy neighbors and family, she wouldn’t be trying to leave at all. Some even say it’s a feminist condemnation of gender expectations! But those who want it thrown out can point to the Mouse asking “Hey, what’s in this drink?” and “You’re very pushy you know?,” to which the Wolf responds “I like to think of it as opportunistic.” It’s easy to read that as creepy and predatory.
I’m all for erring on the side of making sure more people feel supported and included than not, and if the song is triggering and traumatizing then by all means, let’s not play it. But there’s a thirst with which people are ready to remind you that it’s a Bad Song, in the moral sense, as if that’s both the only reading and the only lens through which art is consumed. And as if morality is at all standardized. Perhaps it’s the cyclical nature of Christmas songs (though again, the song never actually mentions Christmas, or any holiday, only that it happens to be cold, and even that could be all in jest). “Blurred Lines” and “Animals” had their rotations, but “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” comes back every year, inspiring the same arguments that never get resolved.
They’ll never be resolved, because that’s not how art works. Songs can be read multiple ways. People can calculate aesthetics and personal morality and draw different conclusions. I hear the song a different way each time I hear it. Sometimes it makes me feel playful and warm, other times I reel at the Wolf’s lyrics. In many ways I’m glad to have been asked to think twice about it, in the same way I find myself analyzing the stalker dynamics of rom-coms I took at face value as a teenager. But what you think about “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” represents just that—not that you’re more woke or more reasonable than those who disagree with you, not that you’ve aligned yourself with larger political strands. Just that you heard the song and, for all the reasons we are either drawn to or repulsed by art, landed somewhere.
Opinion Ed via GQ.com
JWoww’s ex-boyfriend arrested for trying to extort money from Jersey Shore star, cops say
A man who dated Jersey Shore cast member Jenni Farley more than 10 years ago tried to extort $25,000 from her, authorities said.
Thomas Lippolis contacted JWoww’s publicist and threatened to divulge secrets about her to the media, Toms River police said in a statement Wednesday afternoon. The publicist told Farley about the threat and she notified cops on Monday.
Toms River police arrested Thomas Lippolis Wednesday and charged him with third-degree extortion. Lippolis, 32, of Hazlet, and Farley dated for nearly a year a decade ago, police said.
It’s been a tough December for JWoww. Last week, Farley, 32, got a temporary restraining order against her husband Roger Matthews after the two got into a verbal altercation in their Toms River home. She filed for divorce in September.
Meanwhile, this week’s run-in with Lippolis isn’t her first with her ex, who also worked as her manager for a time. On a 2011 episode of Jersey Shore, Farley accused Lippolis of abusing her.
That same year, a judge issued an order that stopped Lippolis from releasing nude photos he took of Farley without her permission “while she was under the effects of pre-surgical and post-surgical anesthesia” the previous year. Lippolis had argued that Farley knew about the photos and that releasing them wouldn’t harm her reputation because she claimed previously she was interested in posing for Playboy.
Article via NJ.com
First Look at Will Smith’s Genie in ‘Aladdin’ Remake
The first images of Will Smith as the Genie in the upcoming “Aladdin” remake have been revealed, along with a glimpse of Mena Massoud as the titular street urchin and Naomi Scott as Princess Jasmine.
The three stars appear on the cover of Entertainment Weekly’s First Look issue in their Aladdin attire, with Smith donning a goatee, ponytail, and rocking a singular earring.
While the “Men in Black” star says while it was “terrifying” stepping into the 1992 role that Robin Williams made iconic, he’s confident he could give the Genie his own flair by tapping into past roles. One executive even described Smith’s Genie as “part Fresh Prince, part Hitch.”
“I think it’ll stand out as unique even in the Disney world,” Smith says. “There hasn’t been a lot of that hip-hop flavor in Disney history.”
For the Genie’s new look, director Guy Ritchie says he wanted Smith to have an imposing, but not overly buff appearance.
“I wanted a muscular 1970s dad,” he says. “He was big enough to feel like a force — not so muscular that he looked like he was counting his calories, but formidable enough to look like you knew when he was in the room.”
The director, known for crime thrillers like “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels,” also says that Smith’s updated Genie is more self-aware, while having a bit of an ego. He teased that in the film, when Smith first appears out of the lamp and sees a stunnedAladdin, he asks, “You really don’t know who I am? Genie…wishes…lamp? None of that ringing a bell? Wow, that’s a first.”
Massoud says to prepare for his role, he had to learn how to sing, dance, and perform stunts like riding a camel and scuba diving, for a scene when Aladdin gets thrown off a cliff. Ritchie also says Scott’s Jasmine will be revamped with new ideals to make her “a more rounded character and maybe not being such a stereotype of the time.” Jasmine also gets her own song, which is among the new tracks with lyrics from the “La La Land” songwriters to accompany the original numbers.
And besides her pet tiger Rajah, Jasmine’s partner-in-crime will be Dalia, a newly created character portrayed by “Saturday Night Live” alum Nasim Pedrad. Dalia’s presence also reflects the different values the updated Jasmine has from the original role.
“Jasmine is so resilient and independent in this version, she’s focused on things other than which boy she’s going to end up with,” Pedrad says. “She really wants to be a leader, and Dalia really supports that but at the same time wants to make sure she doesn’t get in trouble.”
The first looks have divided some fans, with many criticizing Smith and Massoud’s appearance.
“What could Will Smith possibly have done to deserve this? Jada is gonna have to do a whole episode of ‘Read [sic] Table Talk’ about this hair piece,” BuzzFeed News’ Saeed Jones wrote, referencing Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, and her Facebook Watch talk series.
Another said “they did Aladdin dirty” by straightening Massoud’s naturally curly hair.
However, Smith took to Instagram to calm fans’ worries and clarified that while he’s not blue on the cover, he would be in the film. “This is how the Genie is in Human / Disguise Form,” Smith wrote. “My character will be CGI most of the movie.”
Smith also celebrated Ritchie’s modernized, offbeat take on the classic animated picture.
“When you think timeless Disney classic, you’re not really thinking Guy Ritchie,” Smith tells EW. “But he brings a beautiful edge to the look and feel and imagining of Aladdin.”
“Aladdin,” also starring Marwan Kenzari as Jafar and Billy Magnussen in a freshly created role, flies into theaters May 24, 2019.
Article via Variety