Students react to “Teacher Of Year” sex abuse arrest

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — By all accounts the 26-year-old was great in the classroom. But a boy younger than 12 tells JSO investigators shocking details about what allegedly took place at Bacca’s apartment on St. Johns Avenue in Avondale. They include tales of showering with the teacher, touching, and oral sex on an overnight stay at Bacca’s home.  Police arrested Bacca Tuesday afternoon shortly after questioning him at JSO Headquarters. They charged him with multiple counts of sexual battery of child.  READ MORE HERE

Balfour Gets 3 Life Sentences in Hudson Family Murders

CHICAGO, Illinois — William Balfour, who was convicted by a Cook County jury in May in the 2008 murders of singer Jennifer Hudson’s mother, brother and nephew, was sentenced today to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Judge Charles Burns imposed three consecutive life sentences for the murders and 120 years for the underlying felonies of home invasion and aggravated kidnapping. An emotional Burns told Balfour his crimes “send a chill through all of us” and said Balfour’s “soul is as barren as dark space.”  READ MORE HERE

Colorado  Victims Remembered with Poignant Stories

The Arapahoe County Coroner’s Office in Colorado has released the names of the 12 victims of Friday’s shooting at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado.

Jessica Ghawi, 24, was an aspiring sports journalist described by her mother as an energetic woman, “easy to fall in love with.” Ghawi survived shootings at a Toronto mall last month, and later blogged about the experience:

“I was shown how fragile life was on Saturday. I saw the terror on bystanders’ faces. I saw the victims of a senseless crime. I saw lives change. I was reminded that we don’t know when or where our time on Earth will end. When or where we will breathe our last breath.”

Veronica Moser, 6, described as a “vibrant” child who had just learned to swim, was shot along with her mother Ashley Moser in Friday’s attack. Ashley Moser remains in critical condition in the hospital after gunshots to the neck and abdomen. According to the Denver Post, she passes in and out of consciousness asking for Veronica, unaware of her daughter’s death.

John T. Larimer, 27, joined the Navy last year and was stationed at Buckley Air Force Base in Colorado.

“I am incredibly saddened by the loss of Petty Officer John Larimer — he was an outstanding shipmate,” Larimer’s commanding officer, Cmdr. Jeffrey Jakuboski, said.

Matthew McQuinn, 27, of St. Paris, Ohio, died after diving on top of his girlfriend Samantha Yowler to shield her from bullets. Yowler and her brother survived the attack.

Recent high school graduate Alexander J. Boik, 18, has been described as “the life of the party.” He loved softball, movies and hoped to become an art teacher. According to his girlfriend, Lasamoa Cross, the pair were secretly engaged.

Jesse E. Childress, 29, was also stationed at Buckley Air Force Base as an Air Force reservist. Childress loved sports, the Denver Broncos, comic books and superhero movies. According to the Denver Post, Childress had recently named his brand new car the “Batmobile.”

Jonathan T. Blunk, 26, also died shielding his girlfriend, Jansen Young, from gunfire, pushing her under a seat while shots were being fired. Formerly in the Navy, Blunk worked at a hardware store in Colorado at the time of the shooting.

Rebecca Wingo, 32, was working toward an associate of arts degree at the Community College of Aurora. Her father Steve Hernandez wrote on his Facebook page, “I lost my daughter yesterday to a mad man, my grief right now is inconsolable, I hear she died instantly, without pain, however the pain is unbearable.”

Alex M. Sullivan was celebrating his 27th birthday at the time of the attack. He died just two days shy of his first wedding anniversary with his wife Cassie on Sunday. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Alex’s family has called him their “real life superhero.”

Gordon Cowden, 51, went to the midnight showing of “The Dark Knight Rises” with his two teenage children, both of whom survived unharmed.

“He will be remembered for his devotion to his children and for always trying his best to do the right thing, no matter the obstacle,” Cowden’s family said in a statement.

Micayla Medek, 23, graduated from William C. Hinkley High School in Aurora and had been attending the Community College of Aurora. According to the Los Angeles Times, Medek was saving up for a trip to India.

A friend described Alexander Teves, 24, as “One of the best men I ever knew. The world isn’t as good a place without him.” Teves loved Spider-man and his alma mater, the University of Arizona. He had just earned his master’s degree in counseling psychology from the University of Denver.

After Day of Agony, Families in Colorado Get Tragic Confirmation

AURORA, CO — Stories of heroism, zest for life and a birthday celebration that turned tragic emerged as family and friends shared information on loved ones killed in Friday’s mass shooting at an Aurora movie theater. Almost all of the 12 victims were young, one was only 6, with so much life ahead of them. The cause of death in all cases is related to gunshot wounds, according to the Arapahoe County Coroner’s Office. CLICK HERE TO SEE THE LIST OF VICTIMS

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Police now searching for second “person of interest”

Evidence shows months of plotting ahead of Colorado shooting

CLICK HERE: The following information is updated as details become available:
Video: In-depth coverage: Victims identified as investigation into shooting spree continues
Video: Columbine principal no stranger to tragedy
Video: Suspect described as “smart, quirky loner” Hendrik Sybrandy reports from suspect’s childhood neighborhood in San Diego.
Video: Many victims in theater shooting were kids
Video: Aurora Public Schools opens its doors to victims, evacuees (press release)
Video: Suspected gunman fits profile of a lone gunman, expert says
Video: Theaters boost security in wake of Aurora shootings
Video: Alleged gunman passed background check, legally purchased weapons
Photo Gallery: Aurora theater shooting scene, suspect’s booby-trapped apartment …
Video: Police detain man enraged over loss of child in Aurora theater shooting
Video: Man shared beers with suspect, called him ‘well-educated’ owner of ‘intelligent smirk’
Web Poll: Should it be legal to own an assault rifle?
Raw Video: Raw Video: 3-month-old injured in Aurora theater shooting released from hospital
Raw Video: Crowd exits Aurora theater after shooting …
YouTube Video: Scene outside Aurora theater shooting …
Raw Video: Witnesses say ‘bullets were flying through wall’ of Aurora theater …
Raw Audio: Police radio communications from Aurora theater shooting …
Raw Video: Morning Aurora Police press conference from theater shooting …
Raw Video: Emotional Aurora theater shooting witness describes seeing wounded children …
Social Media: Follow the public reaction online …
Raw Video: Witness says shooter ‘had the gun in my face’

Pakistani police say they have arrested a man on accusation of burying his newborn daughter alive because she was physically deformed. Mohammed Anwar, who is a police officer in the city of Khanewal in the eastern Punjab province, says the child was born Thursday at a local hospital. READ MORE HERE

MASS SHOOTING AT COLORADO MOVIE THEATER

The number of casualties makes the incident the largest mass shooting in U.S. history.

Twelve people were killed and 71 were injured in Aurora, Colo., during a sold-out midnight premier of the new Batman movie “The Dark Knight Rises” when 24-year-old James Holmes unloaded four weapons’ full of ammunition into the unsuspecting crowd. The number of casualties makes the incident the largest mass shooting in U.S. history.

Holmes, a graduate student at a nearby college with a clean arrest record, entered the movie auditorium wearing a ballistics helmet, bullet-proof vest, bullet-proof leggings, gas mask and gloves. He detonated multiple smoke bombs, and then began firing at viewers in the sold-out auditorium, police said today.  READ MORE HERE

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CLICK HERE FOR LIVE UPDATES ON AURORA, COLORADO SHOOTING

Colorado shooting survivor: ‘He pointed the gun right at me’

Gunman kills 12 at ‘Dark Knight Rises’ screening in Colorado

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Jeffrey and Rebecca Trebilcock were accused by their 14-year-old adopted son of starving and abusing him and his  four adopted siblings while the biological children in the family were given proper food. The children were taken from their home in Longview, Washington after the eldest adopted son was rushed to the hospital for a slowing heart beat and malnutrition.  READ MORE HERE

Bodies found in search for missing Missouri sisters Britny Haarup and Ashley Key

EDGERTON, Mo. – Authorities in Platte County, Mo., say officials have found the bodies of two women in a field after officials interrogated “a suspect in the disappearance of Britny Haarup and Ashley Key.” The Kansas City Star reported late Sunday that the bodies were found near Trimble, Mo., in Clinton County. Platte County Sheriff’s Capt. Erik Holland told the newspaper the bodies were those of white women but he could not immediately confirm the victims’ identities or how they had died. READ MORE HERE

PERRIS — Jurors have convicted a 54-year old man of strangling his wife and her 6-year old daughter after learning the little girl was not his biological child. Michael Barbar was charged with two counts of murder and special circumstances of multiple murders and lying in wait in connection with the November 2009 murders. The bodies were discovered November 13 inside the Barbar family home in the 2800 block of Banner Place in Perris.  READ MORE HERE

Neighbor Kidnapped, Raped & Murdered 6-YO Little Girl

SALT LAKE CITY — A man has been arrested in the death a 6-year-old Utah girl after authorities say he sneaked into her home through a sliding glass door in the middle of the night, then raped and killed the child. Terry Lee Black, 41, a neighbor of the girl who attends the same Mormon church as her family, has been charged with aggravated murder, kidnapping and rape of a child, Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said Tuesday.  READ MORE HERE

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PICTURE OF SIERRA’S KILLER:

SAN DIEGO — Four new felony counts, including torture, were filed Monday against a San Diego woman accused of abusing her 9-year-old daughter over a 17-month period, resulting in the girl’s death. Crystal Cardenas, 26, was previously charged with murder in connection with the Jan. 17, 2011, death of Elizabeth Holloway. The new charges also include three counts of felony child abuse causing great bodily injury. READ MORE HERE

Shock as entire staff at Los Angeles school is fired after teachers ‘sexually abused students and fed them semen’

Faced with a shocking case of a teacher accused of playing classroom sex games with children for years, Los Angeles schools Superintendent John Deasy delivered another jolt: He removed the school’s entire staff — from custodians to the principal — to smash what he called a ‘culture of silence.’ ‘It was a quick, responsible, responsive action to a heinous situation,’ he said. ‘We’re not going to spend a long time debating student safety.’ The controversial decision underscores the 51-year-old superintendent’s shake-up of the lethargic bureaucracy at the nation’s second-largest school district. His swift, bold moves have rankled some and won praise from others during his first year of leadership.  READ MORE HERE

3 children, ages 7 to 9, found dead in Iowa River

MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa  – Autopsies say two siblings and a cousin died while swimming in central Iowa during a Fourth of July outing with family and friends. Marshalltown Police Chief Mike Tupper says 9-year-old Lee Meh, her 7-year-old brother, Sae Reh, and their 7-year-old cousin, Thay Mo, were found Wednesday night in the Iowa River. The children became separated from others while swimming in the river in Marshalltown, about 50 miles northeast of Des Moines. Authorities searched for more than three hours before finding them.  READ MORE HERE 

A doctor was arrested at Disney World, Florida, after staff said they saw him kick his three-year-old son in the face. Dario Napolitano, 41, from Italy, was at the Epcot area of the resort on Saturday with his family when the alleged incident happened. According to arrest reports, several witnesses saw Napolitano kick his son while he sat in his stroller during an argument with his wife and children.  READ MORE HERE

David Hyslop, the Great Falls man convicted in May 2012 of killing 2 year old October Perez, was sentenced on Wednesday afternoon to 100 years in prison without parole. October suffered fatal injuries while under Hyslop’s care in June 2011, suffering massive head trauma and multiple bone fractures. Hyslop originally told detectives several different stories to explain October’s injuries, ranging from feeding her bad hot dogs, to dropping her as he tried to put her down for a nap.  READ MORE HERE

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REST IN PEACE October Perez