Month: December 2025

Seth Ratliff

UPDATE:

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — Bonneville County Prosecutor Randy Neal and the Idaho Falls Police Department (IFPD) have dropped the kidnapping charges against Michael Raine, the BYU-Idaho student accused last month of kidnapping a 1-month-old child from the Idaho Falls Costco. The decision comes after the review of crucial new video evidence.

At a press conference today, December 11, Prosecutor Neal announced he would be filing the motion to dismiss the case.

“There are unquestionably ethical duties of the prosecutor not to go forward on a case that doesn’t meet the legal standard,” Neal told the press. “The analysis is really ‘Is there a rational basis for someone to conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that they are to a moral certainty that this was a crime?’ And, I don’t think that we can say that.”

New Video Reverses Initial Narrative in Court Documents

The case, which gained significant attention on social media, initially rested on limited video evidence and statements from the mother, Natalie Millett. Early reports and court documents suggested Raine had “lurked” near the mother before intentionally taking her shopping cart. Furthermore, initial court documents incorrectly stated Raine did not have his own cart.

Prosecutor Neal clarified today that the initial report was made using vertical cell phone video of the security footage shot off a laptop. The full security video paints a different picture.

The full video places Raine’s own cart immediately behind the mother’s cart. Raine is captured walking past the mother, who was browsing the book section, and then pulling the mother’s cart from behind. Neal stated it is unclear if the 24-year-old ever looked inside the cart. Neal says this was further complicated as the video did not capture Raine’s actions after turning the corner.

“It’s really difficult one way or another to tell if he had seen the cart or looked into the cart,” said Neal. “The intent in this [case] has to be proven circumstantially, because we don’t have a way to peek into this person’s mind.”

IFPD 15-Point Investigation

Due to a lack of certainty from the video, the IFPD implemented a detailed 15-point investigative plan, which included a cognitive interview and a re-enactment of the incident. Neal says this approach was used to gather unbiased information, particularly since the high emotional impact of the event appeared to have affected the mother’s recollection.

After re-creating the incident with the mother and comparing it to the full security video, Neal says it became clear that some of the things the mother was remembering weren’t correct.

Idaho Falls Police Chief Bryce Johnson elaborated on the challenge: “We know that’s the limitation of eyewitnesses, especially under that kind of emotional circumstance.”

Crucial New Angle

A new video, obtained by police last week, on Friday, December 5th, provided another angle of the confrontation. This footage shows the mother approaching Raine, who appears to still be pulling the cart behind him, coming to a complete stop to look at the products before she confronts him. He then follows her back to the book aisle to retrieve his own cart.

After reviewing all the evidence, IFPD detectives concluded that the evidence did not suggest any kind of stalking behavior or criminal intent.

“We have a fairly definitive narrative now of what happened after he turned that corner… it certainly seems inconsistent with an intent to take the baby and leave the area,” Neal concluded, noting that the case does not meet the legal standard to proceed. He added that the case could be refiled if new evidence emerges.

Warning Against Social Media Harm

Turning to the emotional impact and stir the case has made on social media, Prosecutor Neal voiced concerns that many of the comments have been extremely harmful to both sides of the case.

“I think that we have really come to a place, on social media, where there is a lot of thoughtlessness before posting, before the facts were known, even to law enforcement,” Neal stated. “We had plenty of people who had conclusions based on the most limited of information, and they were criticizing and making all kinds of statements that impacted this mother. I’m sure it impacted Mr. Raine, and that’s not our system. That’s not America.”

Chief Johnson confirmed that police have met with Natalie Millett and her family, who have been notified of the dismissal. The mother, while displeased, agreed to create an impact statement for release.

Millett’s full impact statement has been included below.

DOC121125-12112025Download

ORIGINAL:

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — Bonneville County Prosecutor Randy Neal has announced a press conference regarding the alleged kidnapping that occurred at the Idaho Falls Costco last month.

Press Conference Details

The press conference is scheduled for 2:00 PM today and will take place in the Bonneville County Prosecutor’s Office conference room at 444 B Street, Idaho Falls, Idaho 83402.

Prosecuting Attorney Randy Neal will be joined by Idaho Falls Police Chief Bryce Johnson to provide an update on the case.

Case Background

Michael Garrison Raine, a 24-year-old Brigham Young University of Idaho, faces one count of second-degree kidnapping after a mother allegedly caught him taking her shopping cart containing her four-week-old daughter.

Michael Raine, Courtesy Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office

RELATED: BYU-I Student charged with kidnapping infant at Idaho Falls Costco

The 24-year-old now faces one count of second-degree kidnapping. His preliminary hearing has been moved to January 7th, 2026, before Judge Tawnya Rawlings at 1 PM.

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CNN Newsource

Originally Published: 11 DEC 25 14:45 ET

By Eric Levenson, Andi Babineau, CNN

(CNN) — Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old man accused of fatally shooting conservative political activist Charlie Kirk, appeared in a Utah court Thursday for the first time in-person since his arrest.

Robinson wore a light blue shirt, a striped tie and khaki pants, and was seen on camera speaking to his attorneys.

Robinson has been charged with aggravated murder and felony use of a firearm, as well as obstruction of justice, witness tampering and commission of a violent offense in the presence of a child.

He has not yet entered a plea to the charges.

Robinson surrendered to police on September 11, a day after the shooting. His previous public court appearances took place on video or audio.

The hearing Thursday focused on issues of transparency and public accessibility to the case.

The issues stem from an October 24 hearing, which was closed to the public, about courtroom security, media coverage and Robinson’s ability to wear civilian clothing. Media organizations have requested a transcript of that hearing, but attorneys for Robinson and for the state of Utah have proposed certain redactions to the transcript.

On Thursday, the judge closed the first part of the hearing to the public in order to freely discuss what should or should not be sealed. Other parts of the hearing will be open to the public.

Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, has pushed for the case to be open to the public, in part to cut down on what she has called conspiracy theories about his death.

“We deserve to have cameras in there,” she told Fox News last month. “Why not be transparent?”

Kirk, the 31-year-old co-founder of Turning Point USA, was known for his brash conservative views on hot-button partisan issues and his willingness to debate his liberal opponents, turning those arguments into content for millions of engaged followers online.

He was fatally shot on September 10 while he spoke at an outdoor event at Utah Valley University in Orem as part of his “The American Comeback” tour of college campuses.

Investigators on scene suspected the fatal shot came from a sniper on a nearby roof, and police soon released a photo from surveillance video of the suspect and asked for the public’s help in identifying him.

A charging document laid out the key evidence against Robinson, including DNA on the suspected murder weapon and a confession.

A bolt-action rifle, towel, a used cartridge casing and three unused cartridges were discovered in a wooded area near the crime scene, and DNA on several of those items were consistent with Robinson’s, according to the document. The cartridges were engraved with phrases from internet memes and video games.

The following day, Robinson, his parents and a family friend went to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office to turn himself in, the document states. His parents had recognized their son from the surveillance photo, it said.

In texts to his roommate and romantic partner, “a biological male who was transitioning genders,” Robinson appeared to confess to the killing, according to the document. “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out,” Robinson wrote of his motive.

Robinson’s mother told investigators her son had become “more political” and “more pro-gay and trans-rights oriented” over the last year, according to the document.

Prosecutors have said they plan to seek the death penalty in his case.

Kirk’s latest book, “Stop, in the Name of God: Why Honoring the Sabbath Will Transform Your Life,” was released earlier this week.

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