Police say a Mississippi man fatally shot his wife and two friends at her birthday celebration after he was prevented from driving drunk.

Michael Barnhill, 30, was charged Monday with three counts of homicide in connection to the tragic party in Carollton. He also faces charges for attempted murder, according to Carroll County Sheriff’s Office.

The party, which was hosted by Jim and Brooks Harrell, was held Friday in honor of the suspect’s wife, Marlee, who would’ve turned 27 the following day, according to authorities.

During the gathering, Marlee Barnhill kept the truck keys “to prevent driving away in his drunken state,” officials said.

But as the night wore on, Michael Barnhill allegedly became “combative” when his wife and pals tried to contain his behavior.

“These were all good friends having a nice time together,” Carroll County Sheriff Clint Walker said in a statement. “Michael Barnhill, however, became drunk and belligerent during the course of the evening.”

Michael Barnhill allegedly got a pistol from his truck and fatally shot his wife in the chest. When the Harrells tried to prevent more gunfire, Barnhill allegedly fired shots at both of them, news station WTVA reported.

Emergency responders pronounced 44-year-old Jim Harrell dead at the home. His 39-year-old wife, Brooks Harrell, was airlifted to a Jackson hospital, where she later died.

Two other guests were not injured and identified Michael Barnhill as the gunman to authorities.

Deputies arrested Michael Barnhill at the scene after a brief struggle. He is being held without bond.

“Marlee was trying to do the right thing to protect his life and the lives of other drivers,” Walker said.

via: https://nypost.com/2019/03/07/man-kills-wife-and-pals-who-wouldnt-let-him-drive-drunk-cops/

NORWALK, Calif. – An ex-convict was sentenced to prison Wednesday after a 4-year-old boy found a loaded shotgun inside a car regularly used to drive children, and accidentally shot his mother, authorities said.

Brandon Gilbert Ambriz, 24, pleaded no contest to a single count of being a felon in possession of a firearm during what was scheduled to be a court appearance to set a preliminary hearing date, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office and Los Angeles County Superior Court records. He was immediately sentenced to five years in state prison.

The case stems from the Jan. 23 shooting of a pregnant woman outside a school.

The woman’s 4-year-old son took the shotgun Ambriz had left in the backseat of the car, officials said. The child fired the gun, striking his mother in the driver’s seat. She was treated for a gunshot wound to the mid-torso, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Three other children who were also in the car were unhurt, prosecutors said.

Ambriz initially faced four charges of child abuse, in addition to the gun possession charge, according to the District Attorney’s Office. He could have faced more than 25 years in prison if convicted as originally charged.

It was not clear whether Wednesday’s court outcome was the result of a negotiated plea deal.

via: https://pix11.com/2019/03/07/man-sentenced-to-prison-after-4-year-old-accidentally-shoots-mom-with-shotgun/

A father has been found guilty and sentenced to 16 years in prison for plotting an acid attack on his 3-year-old son amid a custody battle with his ex-wife.

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was convicted unanimously by a jury Wednesday at Worcester Crown Court in the UK following a six-week trial, the court confirmed to CNN.

The jury, which deliberated for nine hours, convicted the man and five co-conspirators of plotting to spray sulfuric acid in the child’s face with the intention to “burn, maim or disfigure.”

Jurors were told that the father, 40, a taxi driver from Wolverhampton, central England, but originally from Afghanistan, enlisted the help of his co-conspirators in order to attack his son in a bid to gain increased custody by depicting the child’s mother as incapable of providing adequate care, the UK’s Press Association agency reported.

The man’s wife left him in 2016, taking their three children with her, the court was told.

Jonathan Rees QC, prosecuting, said the father was the “driving force” behind the July 2018 attack, and described his victim as “defenseless.”

“This case concerns a cowardly attack on a defenseless 3-year-old boy in which he was squirted with a solution of sulfuric acid,” he said.

“At the time of the attack, the little boy was with his mother and his older brother and sister. The family had been shopping for a birthday present.”

The victim’s mother said in a statement that she found it “extremely hard to accept” that her child had been attacked in such a way by his father, but expressed joy over the verdict.

“I hope this case and sentence makes people consider the consequences before even thinking about acting is such a monstrous way, it is a family’s life that has been ruined and a young boy that has been scarred for life,” she said, according to a police statement.

Superintendent Damian Pettit described the attack as “horrific” and said the boy’s scars “will prove a constant reminder of that awful day.” He nevertheless welcomed the verdict and noted that the perpetrators will spend a combined total of 78 years in prison.

“It is hard for the family, the officers, and the community to comprehend how a family member could organize an attack of this nature on such a young child,” he said in a statement. “We hope that now the perpetrators are behind bars, the family can start to focus on the future.”

The attack, which took place in the Home Bargains store in the English city of Worcester, left the boy with serious burns to his face and arms.

The court heard that the boy repeatedly screamed “I hurt” following the attack. He has since made a “good recovery” and is in the care of his mother.

The five convicted co-conspirators were named as Adam Cech, Jan Dudi, Norbert Pulko, Jabar Paktia and Saied Hussini. Cech, Dudi, Pulko and Paktia were each sentenced to 12 years in prison, while Hussini was sentenced to 14 years, police confirmed.

A seventh defendant, Martina Badiova, who was accused of the same offenses, was found not guilty, the court told CNN.

via: https://pix11.com/2019/03/07/father-found-guilty-of-plotting-acid-attack-on-3-year-old-son/

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — A man admitted in an Australian court on Monday that he choked an Airbnb guest to death over an unpaid 210 Australian dollar ($149) bill.

Jason Colton pleaded not guilty to murder in the Victoria state Supreme Court but admitted to manslaughter in Ramis Jonuzi’s death in 2017.

Colton would face a possible life sentence if a jury convicts him of murder. He would face up to 20 years in prison if the jury accepts the death was manslaughter.

Prosecutors told the jury that Colton knew his actions were likely to kill or seriously injure Jonuzi.

Jonuzi had been subletting a room in a Melbourne home from Colton, who was also a tenant.

Jonuzi first rented the room for three nights on Airbnb, but agreed to stay another week for AU$210.

But when the week was up and the rent wasn’t paid, Colton threw Jonuzi against a wall, choked him with his forearm and punched him unconscious, prosecutor Mark Gibson told the jury.

Colton also forced Jonuzi to show that he had less than AU$10 in his bank account.

Gibson said Colton choked or compressed Jonuzi’s neck to prevent him from breathing.

Colton told police he only wanted to subdue Jonuzi so he would pass out.

The trial continues on Tuesday.

via: https://start.att.net/news/read/category/news/article/the_associated_press-man_admits_killing_airbnb_guest_in_australia_over-ap/category/crime/?source=EU2w000000000000U&wtExtndSource=true_crime_ed_dcc