Cheerleader who buried baby in backyard released from probation early
The former Ohio cheerleader acquitted of murdering her newborn baby has been released from probation nearly two months early — saying she wants to be “a normal person again.”
Brooke Skylar Richardson was sentenced to three years probation for burying the baby girl’s corpse in her parents’ Carlisle backyard in May 2017. She was released on Tuesday after serving 14 months, the Dayton Daily News reported.
racy Johnson, the grandmother of Richardson’s child, fought against her early release.
“You had the option of giving her up to six months in prison with time served … I don’t think three years probation is too much to ask,” Johnson told Warren County Judge Donald Oda II.
Richardson, meanwhile, again apologized in a teary-eyed statement in court.
“I am sorry for everything I have put everyone through … I know that doesn’t seem like a lot at all,” she said, according to the publication.
“I am very sorry and I hurt a lot. I just want to show that I can be a normal person again, that’s all.”
The judge said the purpose of probation was not punishment.
“There is no reason for me to invest the time and resources of my probation department in supervising you,” Oda told Richardson.
“It is an opportunity to demonstrate why the stated prison term of 12 months in prison should not be imposed.”
Richardson was 18 years old when she hid her pregnancy from her family and friends, giving birth to a full-term baby girl she named Annabelle in 2017.
She claimed the baby was stillborn — but was charged with killing the child and burying it in her parents’ backyard.
A jury acquitted Richardson of murder but convicted her of abuse of a corpse.
Oda sentenced her to seven days in county jail but she was credited with time served and given three years probation.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/11/18/brooke-skylar-richardson-released-from-probation-early/
Photo Credit: AP
Man wanted for savagely beating woman he met on dating app because the date “cost too much”
A nightmare date in Georgia is wanted for savagely beating a woman he met on an app — telling her the outing “cost too much,” according to a report.
Benjamin Fancher arranged to meet Brittany Correri on Wednesday night after matching with her on the dating app Hinge, 11Alive reported.
Correri said the first date with “Ben” started off smoothly, with him even meeting her family and friends.
But the night took a turn for the worse after they left Hide Lounge in Buckhead and were together in the car.
“He started beating me in my head, punching me everywhere — my forehead, my temples, my cheeks, jaws, throat, arms, my back. He was just telling me that the date cost too much, that I’m not worth that,” Correri said.
At one point, the situation escalated to him pulling out a gun, she said.
“I just believe that he was dead set on killing me,” Correri told the news station.
Correi said that’s when Fancher stopped his white BMW and pulled her out by the hair.
“He’s dragging me and beating me and there just happens to be a security guard there. She comes running and taking pictures and I think he gets spooked,” she said, adding that he drove away.
He’s now wanted by police on charges of aggravated assault, kidnapping and false imprisonment.
Hinge said it’s “outraged” by the alleged attack and has been cooperating with law enforcement.
“The violence she describes is horrible and is something no one should ever have to experience,” the company said.
“Our moderators reviewed this report and immediately removed and banned the individual from our community.”
via: https://nypost.com/2020/11/17/man-wanted-for-savagely-beating-woman-he-met-on-dating-app-report/
Photo Credit: nypost.com
Woman armed with Taser tells neighbors to “stop acting black” in their “white neighborhood”
A California woman showed up at her neighbors’ home with what appears to be a Taser and told them to “stop acting black” in their “white neighborhood” when a confrontation over their dogs escalated, videos show.
“You guys are acting like black people and you should act like white people,” the white woman — whom neighbors identified as Adana Dean — said in footage of the altercation, news station KGO reported.
Jariell Jones, who is black, said Dean initially approached her 13-year-old nephew Monday in their Discovery Bay neighborhood asking to pet the family’s pit bull, Dice, and he obliged, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
But then five minutes later, she showed up on their doorstep and claimed that their dog had attacked her poodle.
Dean was seen on video holding her poodle in one hand and what appears to be a Taser in the other, KGO reported.
“I don’t want to see that dog outside,” Dean could be heard telling Jones’ brother, Gerritt Jones.
Gerritt then replies, “Well, he’s going to be outside, I have a right to have him outside like every other person.”
In the videos, Dean could be heard telling him, “You’re a black person in a white neighborhood and you’re acting like one. Why don’t you act like a white person in a white neighborhood?”
Gerritt asked Dean to leave the property, which she eventually did, but not before threatening legal action against the family, KGO reported.
Dean on Tuesday said she had only approached the family to ask if the pit bull had received its rabies shot.
“The reason I went to them was because there was a dog in the street with a little boy — a little black boy — so I knew whose it was,” Dean told the Chronicle.
She denied making any racist comments and suggested that the Jones family had doctored the footage.
“There’s no racial discrimination here — absolutely none. I am completely aghast at what’s going on here,” Dean told the paper.
She also insisted that she had not been wielding a stun gun, saying it was a device that uses a bright light to chase away other dogs, the outlet reported.
The Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office said it responded to the scene, though they determined there was no criminal behavior.
“Although Deputies determined that no crime had been committed, a report was taken to document the interaction between the two neighbors, as the original complaint was in reference to a neighbor dispute due to an off-leash dog,” the agency said.
The Jones family denied the pit bull was off its leash and called accusations they altered their video “delusional.”
“She’s obviously lying, and it’s sad to see that she continues to lie, even after she’s been caught,” Jariell told the Chronicle.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/11/18/ca-family-told-to-stop-acting-like-black-people-by-neighbor/
Photo Credit: KTVU
City Winery will soon require $50 on-site COVID-19 test for patrons
A New York City restaurant will soon require all patrons to take a rapid coronavirus test at the door before being allowed to eat inside two days a week.
In what may be a first for Big Apple eateries, City Winery in the Meatpacking District will launch its pilot testing program on Tuesday.
“Given the change of the seasons, finding the next level of safety and comfort level for people to dine indoors is critical for us today,” Michael Dorf, the founder and CEO, said in a press release.
“A COVID-19 test is one of the only solutions to get patrons inside restaurants for the next five months until the springtime.”
Guests who want to visit the Pier 57 establishment on Tuesdays and Wednesdays will pre-pay $50 per person for the test when making a reservation via Resy online.
Upon arrival, a health professional will administer a nasal swab, and patrons will be able to sip on a glass of City Winery bubbly while they wait the 10 to 15 minutes for their results.
If the results are negative, the guests can go in — though they’ll still have to follow standard regulations such as wearing a mask and social distancing.
Should the test be positive, the venue will send the results to be verified by a lab — but the individual won’t be allowed in.
The eatery is still open test-free Thursday through Monday, and also offers outdoor dining.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/11/18/city-winery-will-require-50-on-site-covid-19-test-for-diners/
Photo Credit: Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock
National Guard soldier killed herself after being gang-raped by colleagues
A devoted Army National Guard soldier killed herself after she reported being sexually assaulted on the job — but the military branch did nothing to help, according to her mom.
“To think that that’s what took her life — that’s what broke her,” Debbie Robinson, the mother of officer Morgan Robinson, told CBS Evening News.
“They wanted her body. And they took her soul.”
The horror that led to Morgan Robinson’s suicide began two years earlier, when one of her supervisors allegedly sexually assaulted her multiple times while they were stationed in Kuwait, according to CBS, which is investigating failures by the US military to address sex crimes internally.
But when Morgan reported the attacks, higher-ups did “nothing” to punish the supervisor or protect her, according to her mother.
“She got nothing,” Debbie said.
While on the same deployment, Robinson was then sent to Afghanistan, where multiple soldiers allegedly gang-raped her, CBS reports. This time, she was too scared and disillusioned by the system to report it — and four months later, she committed suicide.
The Army began an investigation into her untimely death and later handed Debbie a report — but much of it was redacted.
The parts that weren’t blacked out said: “Sergeant Robinson suffered sexual, physical, and psychological trauma while deployed. The sequel of this trauma was a factor in her death,” according to CBS.
“I just didn’t understand how they could actually stand there and look me in the eyes, and hand that to me,” the mom said.
She believes the Army is responsible for Morgan’s death — for failing to properly investigate her daughter’s first sexual assault claim and “handle what happened.”
“They can’t police their self. How can you investigate yourself? You can’t,” Debbie said, adding there should be an outside agency that probes sexual assaults within the Army.
Eight months after her death, the officer who allegedly attacked her in Kuwait was finally given a written reprimand — which Debbie said is too little, too late.
“[It was] a job that she loved. It was for her country,” she said of her daughter, who joined the Army in 2010. “Everything just plays over and over and over in [my] head, thinking, ‘Did I miss something? Could I have done something?’”
The Army said in a statement that officers conducted a full investigation into the sexual assault report and took “appropriate” action against the supervisor in question.
“The department remains committed to our goals of ending sexual assault in the military, providing the highest quality response to service members and holding offenders appropriately accountable,” the Army’s principal policy adviser Elizabeth Van Winkle said.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/11/18/soldier-killed-herself-after-being-gang-raped-by-colleagues-mom/
Photo Credit: nypost.com
Normani Says Being in Fifth Harmony ‘Took a Toll’ on Her Confidence: ‘I Didn’t Believe in Myself’
Article via People
The “Motivation” singer, 24, opened up in the latest cover story for Women’s Health about her life in lockdown and how she keeps her high self-esteem after being in Fifth Harmony. (And PEOPLE has a first look at the cover!)
“[It] alters the perception you have of yourself,” she said of being overlooked in the group originally comprised of her, Ally Brooke, Camila Cabello, Dinah Jane and Lauren Jauregui. “Having certain things happen so blatantly while also feeling like the ‘other’ and being so young and hearing the public compare [us] took a toll on my confidence.”
“For a long time, I didn’t believe in myself because I didn’t feel like I was given the opportunity to,” she told the outlet.
Today, she says she does daily positive affirmations to start her day to boost her self-esteem.
“I look at myself in the mirror and manifest and speak things that I want to happen as if they already did as if I’m already that version of myself,” she said. According to the outlet, some of Normani’s go-to statements include You are one of the greatest entertainers. You are a representation for an entire generation. You have purpose.
Another boost in her confidence has been receiving the support of one of her favorite artists: Rihanna.
“It’s alarming when people you’ve looked up to, respect, and who kind of define who you are believe in you,” Normani said. “But it definitely gives me confidence.”
“I’m grateful to feel seen and heard and like I can be the voice for so many people. Being a Black woman, I feel we’re so multifaceted and have so much that we’re capable of,” she added. “It’s really important to show Black girls and Black boys they can be anything they want to be.”
The singer, a self-described “overachiever,” also opened up about making music and how she’s held herself at a high standard.
“For a long time, I was stressed out about checking boxes like, ‘Is this Black enough? Is this pop enough?’ But music started feeling way better when I just went into the studio with the mentality of being Normani,” she said. “People will always remember how you made them feel and what a record did for them. My lyrics have more depth, and they’re more intentional and come from a more authentic place, because I now feel more connected to myself than before.”
While she perfects her new music, the musician said she misses performing as she hunkers down during the coronavirus pandemic.
“I’m at home when I’m onstage,” Normani says. “I don’t feel misunderstood, judged, like I have to fit inside a barrier. I feel like I can be anything.”
“Hopefully, in the next few years I’ll have life a little bit more figured out,” she later added. “But if I don’t, I’m okay. I don’t think we ever have it all figured out. But anything that God has placed on my heart, I want to be fearless in.”
Normani’s cover story for Women’s Health is out now.
Isaiah Washington slams former ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ co-star
Article via Page Six
Isaiah Washington took to Twitter on Monday to reignite past drama with his former “Grey’s Anatomy” co-star Katherine Heigl.
Posting a photo of the actress, Washington, 57, wrote, “This woman once proclaimed that I should ‘never’ be allowed to speak publicly again. The world agreed with her proclamation back then and protested for my job and my head in 65 languages. I wish I was on Twitter in 2007, because I will NEVER stop exercising my free speech.”
He added, “I’ve learned that all money ain’t good money and no amount of money can replace your dignity and integrity. Some call it living by your principles.”
Their feud began in 2007 after Washington reportedly used a homophobic slur to refer to his co-star T.R. Knight during a backstage argument with Patrick Dempsey. Washington issued an apology, but later denied that he’d said it.
Heigl told Access Hollywood at the time, “I’m going to be really honest right now, he needs to just not speak in public. Period. I’m sorry, that did not need to be said, I’m not okay with it.”
The drama led to Washington’s exit from the hit ABC series.
A source close the Heigl, 41, told Page Six on Tuesday that she stands by what she said.
“Katherine stood up for her close friend twice when Isaiah publicly outed him and called him a f—-t,” the source told us, adding, “That’s hate talk, not free speech. She is proud that she stood up for him. Katherine is and always will be an advocate and ally to the LGBTQ community.”
Meanwhile, the actress had her own dramatic exit from the series in 2010 after she’d previously, and controversially, withdrawn her name from the Emmy contenders list.
“I did not feel that I was given the material this season to warrant an Emmy nomination,” she said in 2008. “In addition, I did not want to potentially take away an opportunity from an actress who was given such materials.”
black twitter goes off on Isaiah Washington For his“Adapt” Tweet #TweetLikeIsaiahWashington
Diversity Coming to Disney Theme Parks?
Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products, recently said the theme parks will see more changes to show inclusion and diversity, according to Walt Disney World News Today.
- D’Amaro — who spoke at the IAAPA Expo Monday — said there would be “more to come” when it comes to inclusion products, WDWNT reports.
- He said that the first step would be fixing Splash Mountain to be more inclusive. The parks are now working on projects that will do the same in the near future.
Key quote:
- “This represents transformative cultural change,” D’Amaro said.
Context:
Back in June, Disney announced that Splash Mountain, which is based on the 1946 Disney film “Song of the South,” will be reworked to focus on characters from the 2009 film “The Princess and the Frog.”
- The decision to fix the rides came after controversy sprang up about the ride’s connections to “Song of the South,” which has been criticized for its portrayal of African Americans and reliance on racial stereotypes, as I reported for the Deseret News.
- Disney fans signed a petition to retheme the ride, which suggested that it rely on “The Princess and the Frog” instead. And that’s exactly what happened.
Article via Deseret