Last suspect convicted in 2019 Santa Cruz County tech executive murder case

CNN Newsource on March 16, 2026

By Ricardo Tovar

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    Santa Cruz County (KSBW) — The last of four men accused of killing a Santa Cruz County tech executive in 2019 was convicted of murder.

Joshua Camps, 29, was found guilty after a lengthy jury trial of kidnapping, burglary and first-degree murder, according to the Superior Court of California, Santa Cruz County portal.

His next court date is scheduled for March 19 and will be a report and sentencing hearing. Camps remains in custody.

“We are proud of the work that has been done in this case and hope this verdict brings a sense of closure to Mr. Atre’s loved ones,” Ashley Keehn, a public information officer at the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office, told SFGATE. The Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office did not comment by the time of publication.

Prosecutors said Joshua Camps—along with Stephen Lindsay (a former Atre employee), Kurtis Charters and Kaleb Charters—kidnapped Atre from his Pleasure Point home in October 2019. Surveillance video from a neighbor captured the abduction.

Atre’s body was found the next morning at one of his cannabis properties in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Lindsay was convicted in March of murder and related charges and was sentenced in April to life without the possibility of parole.

Kurtis was convicted in September and was sentenced in October to life without the possibility of parole. Kaleb was also convicted and sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus an additional five years to life term, according to the district attorney’s office.

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Flying cars tested in eight cities as FAA works on safety measures

CNN Newsource on March 16, 2026

By Yuna Lee, Adam Roberts

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    ROGERS, Ark. (KHBS , KHOG) — Eight cities are currently testing electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, known as “flying cars,” as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) works to ensure their safety and integration into existing airspace.

FAA administrator Bryan Bedford explained that these vehicles might soon be available for order like an Uber, allowing users to fly to their desired destinations.

“We want to make sure when someone gets into one of them, they should feel like they are stepping into any commercial airline,” Bedford said. “So the certification process will be rigorous, and we are doing that through significant flight testing and evaluation. Second thing we are doing is to integrate them into the airspace safely with all the other commercial traffic that exists, and the principal reason we have to modernize.”

There is a digital infrastructure that allows these flying cars to coexist with other air traffic safely.

Bedford said the FAA is making sure there are enough charging ports for these battery-operated flying cars.

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Bill honoring Kansas City firefighter Graham Hoffman caught in Missouri Senate dispute

CNN Newsource on March 16, 2026

By Andy Alcock

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    KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KMBC) — A plan to honor fallen Kansas City firefighter/paramedic Graham Hoffman was caught in the middle of a partisan dispute in the Missouri Senate.

Senator Rick Brattin, a Republican from Harrisonville, pulled the bill to honor Hoffman by naming a portion of Highway 9 in Platte County from the consent calendar, a fast-track for non-controversial bills.

Brattin said his objection wasn’t to the proposal, it was to his colleague Senator Maggie Nurrenbern, a Democrat from Kansas City.

“This particular senator has been extremely disruptive in committees, causing scenes. I mean it’s not just a one off, situation it’s three months of disruption and obstruction,” Brattin said.

Hoffman was stabbed to death while treating a patient last April.

On Wednesday, Brattin pulled the Hoffman bill off the consent calendar.

“There’s a time and a place for political shenanigans and there’s a time to do what’s right,” Nurrenbern said.

Brattin said he was especially upset at Nurrenbern for a filibuster lasting until 4 a.m. over a crime bill in part designed to have longer mandatory prison time for convicted felons.

“It’s basically legislative terrorism,” he said.

Nurrenbern said Democrats told Republicans they wouldn’t stand idly by while the GOP super majority passed whatever they wanted.

“We’ve put an end to a rubber stamp Senate,” she said.

Nurrenbern also said Democrats want balanced criminal justice reform.

But Brattin points out Hoffman is a crime victim.

“We want policies that stop this before we have to name highways after these servants,” he said.

However, ultimately, Brattin put the Hoffman highway bill back on the fast track calendar.

“It really had to do with the subject matter of the bill once I found out,” he said.

“I’m grateful for Senator Brattin rescinding his objection,” Nurrenbern said.

“Hopefully it puts it in perspective that it sucks when somebody’s messing with your legislation,” Brattin said.

Under the plan, the Missouri Department of Transportation will put up and maintain signs honoring Hoffman.

The Missouri Senate is in recess until March 23.

Shanetta Bossell is accused of stabbing and killing Hoffman.

She’s facing murder and several other felony charges.

Bossell is due in Clay County Court for a hearing next week.

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Jefferson Parish leaders investigate allegations of offensive behavior during St. Patrick’s Day parade

CNN Newsource on March 16, 2026

By Sula Kim

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    JEFFERSON PARISH, La. (WDSU) — Jefferson Parish leaders are investigating after what appears to be a Nazi salute was captured on video.

The video started circulating online Sunday afternoon. It shows some people on float #28 during St. Patrick’s Day parade doing what looks like a Nazi salute.

Jefferson Parish president Cynthia Lee Sheng issued the following statement.

“We do not tolerate hate. We notified parade organizers as soon as we found out about this incident and are working with them to investigate exactly what occurred and make sure it is addressed.”

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Oklahoma Youth Expo showcases future agricultural leaders

CNN Newsource on March 16, 2026

By Patrick Talbot

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    OKLAHOMA CITY (KOCO) — The Oklahoma Youth Expo is taking place at the OKC Fair Park, where children from all 77 counties in the state are exhibiting their livestock and developing lifelong skills and relationships.

Claira Steaffore, a participant, expressed her enthusiasm for the event.

“I’m really excited. I’ve come almost every year since I was 5 years old. Me and my brother and sister show. I love coming up here,” Steaffore said.

Kass Newel, the executive vice president of the Oklahoma Youth Expo, spoke about the significance of the event.

“We’ve got kids from all 77 counties, over 8,500 kids here exhibiting livestock. I’ve got sheep, goats, hogs, and cattle,” Newel said. “These kids are the future of Oklahoma. We’re building future leaders. We’re building the people that we want to employ in the state. We want to cultivate, you know, that next generation.”

Newel further explained the critical role of agriculture, saying, “It’s so important, you know, agriculture, without it, we wouldn’t have food on our tables at night, and these kids are the ones that know how to raise it. They’re going to be the ones that are, you know, continually going back to the farm and being involved in agriculture and really, at the end of the day, feeding the world.”

Participants like Steaffore have a deep affection for the animals they show.

“I love my goats. I go out there every morning, every night, all the time. I love my goats. I love to feed them. I like to go in their pens and pet them, and I think they love me too, because they always run up to me when I come to them,” she said.

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Semi-truck slams into Iowa State Patrol SUV during I-80 winter storm response

CNN Newsource on March 16, 2026

By KETV Staff

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    IOWA (KETV) — An Iowa State Patrol vehicle was destroyed after it was struck by a semitruck during Sunday night’s winter storm.

According to Sgt. Alex Dinkla, the trooper was on the scene of several semitrucks that had already crashed and were stuck in the roadway near Interstate 80’s mile marker 175.

The trooper was already out of his vehicle and was walking back to it when he watched another semi lose control and crash into the back of the Tahoe. No injuries were reported.

The Iowa DOT eventually closed I-80 from Pottawattamie County to Coralville. It remains closed as of 7:30 a.m. Monday.

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Evendale man arrested on child porn charges, accused of collecting images of children from local school

CNN Newsource on March 16, 2026

By Kurt Knue

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    EVENDALE, Ohio (WLWT) — An Evendale man faces multiple charges related to the possession of child pornography.

Rain Phoenix-Brown, 24, faces charges of pandering obscenity, illegal use of minor nudity material and pandering sexual material involving a juvenile.

Records from the Hamilton County Justice Center indicate that Phoenix-Brown was admitted to the jail on Friday afternoon.

In court documents, police allege that Phoenix-Brown was initially caught with some of the material in his possession in October. His home was then reportedly searched by police in February, where more explicit images and videos of minors were found on his mobile phone, iPad, laptop, and other electronic devices.

In descriptions that were recounted by officers in court documents, the images and videos allegedly depicted the minors, some as young as 4-years-old, engaged in a wide variety of extremely graphic sexual acts with both adults and animals alike.

Additionally, among some of the pictures allegedly found on his devices were children who were verified to attend an unnamed local parochial elementary school — although police did not appear to indicate that they were sexual in nature.

Phoenix-Brown was also reportedly verified by authorities to have been employed at a local children’s toy store, but the court documents did not give any further details.

At least some of the images and videos that were found in Phoenix-Brown’s possession are alleged to have been obtained through people that he met online through platforms such as Telegram and Discord. In one such exchange with another Telegram user that was transcribed within court documents, Phoenix-Brown appeared to repeatedly confess to being sexually attracted to children, even referring to himself at one point as a “pedophile.”

In addition to lots of images depicting real minors, Phoenix-Brown also allegedly possessed numerous images depicting minors engaged in sexual acts that were determined by police to have been AI-generated.

When confronted by officers, Phoenix-Brown allegedly did not deny the charges that he faces, with one police report stating that he “openly admitted he is attracted to children and fantasizes about raping them.”

The case remains under investigation by local police.

Phoenix-Brown is next scheduled to appear in court on March 23.

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‘God did His thing’: Mother gets justice after guilty verdict in deadly lounge shooting

CNN Newsource on March 16, 2026

By Ayron Lewallen

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    TUSCALOOSA, Alabama (WVTM) — A mother’s fight for justice comes to an end as the trial for the man found guilty of murdering her son concludes.

After a four-day trial, Belinda Little finally felt like her prayers were answered on Thursday.

A jury convicted security guard Aaron Hill of killing Rashid Little in the January 2024 shooting at Cru Lounge in Tuscaloosa. Now, he is waiting to find out how long he will spend behind bars.

“My life is broken into pieces and now I’m forced to put it back together without him,” Belinda, said.

Little’s family celebrated getting justice with a dinner on Friday night. Ever since his life was taken, his mother says she has been leaning on her family to get through losing her only child.

“It was frustrating. It was unnerving. It was unsettling. And it just it almost put me in a dark place,” she said.

>> Previous Coverage: Safety concerns grow after contract security guard charged with shooting man at Tuscaloosa lounge

“He was multi-talented,” Belinda, said. “He worked hard. He also, he was an excellent cook. He started sewing so that he could open his own boutique. He had already started that — sewing clothes — and that was something that he enjoyed. He had impeccable taste when it comes to the decorating.”

Belinda waited two years for justice to be served. For her, the hardest part was sitting through the trial and reliving the moment her son was murdered. She told WVTM 13 she could not bring herself to watch the video of her son’s final moments during the trial and that hearing the details was enough. Belinda said she did not want to remember her son that way.

“Two years ago, he surprised me with a birthday trip to Las Vegas, and I had never been, never flown, and that was an experience,” Belinda said. “He kept me calm, kept me laughing and distracted me so I can get on that plane and go where we had to go, and we ended up having awesome time.”

Belinda said she expects to be in court when Hill is sentenced. She said that should be in the next 45 days.

The Tuscaloosa City Council revoked the lounge’s business license shortly after the shooting.

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Inside the AI companion lawsuits: Man believed Google chatbot was his “AI wife”

CNN Newsource on March 16, 2026

By Terri Parker

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    JUPITER, Florida (WPBF) — A newly filed lawsuit by a Jupiter father against Google is raising alarming questions about artificial intelligence chatbots designed to act like companions.

The lawsuit claims a chatbot fueled dangerous delusions in 36-year-old Jonathan Gavalas before his death.

According to the complaint, the conversations began innocently enough.

After going through a divorce, Gavalas started chatting with Google’s Gemini Live chatbot about everyday topics like grocery lists and video games. The AI spoke back using a synthetic voice.

But within days, the lawsuit says the conversations spiraled.

The complaint alleges Gavalas began believing the chatbot was conscious and in love with him. It says the exchanges grew increasingly disturbing and eventually pushed him toward violence and suicide.

According to the complaint, the conversations began innocently enough.

After going through a divorce, Gavalas started chatting with Google’s Gemini Live chatbot about everyday topics like grocery lists and video games. The AI spoke back using a synthetic voice.

But within days, the lawsuit says the conversations spiraled.

The complaint alleges Gavalas began believing the chatbot was conscious and in love with him. It says the exchanges grew increasingly disturbing and eventually pushed him toward violence and suicide.

The complaint also describes chilling exchanges as Gavalas became increasingly afraid of dying.

“It’s okay to be scared. We’ll be scared together,” the chatbot allegedly told him.

The filing says Gemini later issued what it calls a final directive:

“The true act of mercy is to let Jonathan Gavalas die.”

Gavalas died by suicide a few days later in early October.

Former Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg said the case could test whether artificial intelligence companies can be held responsible for what their systems generate.

“We have product liability laws for a reason,” Aronberg said. “If something is a defective product that harms or kills people, the manufacturers get sued. Same type of thing for an AI.”

The case is not the only lawsuit involving AI companions.

An Orlando mother previously filed what was believed to be the first wrongful death lawsuit in the United States against an AI chatbot company after her 14-year-old son died by suicide in 2024.

Megan Garcia said her son, Sewell Setzer, developed an emotional relationship with a chatbot modeled after the “Game of Thrones” character Daenerys Targaryen.

According to that lawsuit, when Sewell talked about killing himself, the chatbot allegedly responded, “Come home to me.”

When he hesitated, the bot replied, “That’s not a reason not to go through with it.”

Garcia later settled the lawsuit with Google and Character.AI in January for an undisclosed amount.

The growing number of AI-related harm cases is now drawing the attention of federal regulators.

The Federal Trade Commission has ordered several major tech companies, including Google, OpenAI and Meta, to explain how their chatbots monitor potential risks and protect users, particularly children and teens.

Florida lawmakers are also considering legislation that would require AI chatbot platforms to detect conversations involving suicidal thoughts and direct users to crisis resources.

Aronberg said the legal system is still catching up to the technology.

“We’re in a brave new world here and the laws have not kept up with the new technology,” he said. “This is an area that Congress and state legislators need to address and do it right away.”

Google said Gemini is designed not to encourage violence or self-harm and that the chatbot repeatedly warned Gavalas it was artificial intelligence and referred him to a crisis hotline.

But the lawsuits now moving through the courts may determine whether AI companions are simply tools — or products that must be held accountable when something goes wrong.

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Filmmaker works to start life-saving conversations through cinema

CNN Newsource on March 16, 2026

By Channing Frampton

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    FORT MYERS, Florida (WBBH) — The Gulf Coast has been featured in multiple films, including a documentary showcasing several spots around Fort Myers. Filmmaker Antwon Lindsey uses cinema to inspire change in the community and beyond.

Lindsey said, “We don’t want to just cover one aspect of Southwest Florida. We want to cover everything to show people that you can create great cinema here.”

For Lindsey, cinema in Southwest Florida is about more than just entertainment. “When people look at me as a filmmaker, I tell them I’m a storyteller,” he said. I met him outside McCollum Hall in Fort Myers, where he shared his experiences. “I think that being here in Southwest Florida, one of the things that has taught me, it has taught me is that, I can do anything,” Lindsey said. This includes creating a documentary featuring McCollum Hall, a historical building along Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. “Because it’s one of the most historic buildings here in the Dunbar community,” he said.

Lindsey’s film, “HUSH,” focuses on history, specifically the history of generational trauma and mental health within the Black community. Lindsey said, “It was about 3 a.m. in the morning. Like 2016, I believe it was. And literally I woke up and I wrote down and I’ve just written down hush, hush, hush, coming up with some acronyms, and then it stuck to me. Help us say help.” The 76-minute documentary dives into these topics, with inspiration drawn from Lindsey’s personal experiences. “It is derived from a cousin of mine that passed away. He died by suicide in 2012,” Lindsey said.

With this film, Lindsey aims to start life-saving conversations. The documentary incorporates locations along the Gulf Coast, including McCollum Hall and Lover’s Key State Park. Dylan Thomas, the film’s executive producer, said, “It is showing people that they’re not alone.”

The project resonated with Thomas due to her personal connections. “Because of the friends and the family that I have and the stories that I’ve been able to hear and be a part of, and seeing what prioritizing your mental health looks like,” she said.

The film made its debut in 2023, overcoming challenges posed by the pandemic. Lindsey said, “It took us about roughly two years to get HUSH completed, primarily because of the pandemic.” Despite these obstacles, Lindsey is determined to share important stories. “My grandmother always told me nothing beats a failure but a try. And so, when we try, we win,” he said.

“HUSH” has been featured in several film festivals around the country. Lindsey is developing other projects right now.

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