Category: CNN Regional

By Mike Toole, Tammy Mutasa

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    BROCKTON, Massachusetts (WBZ) — A Brockton mother who was sentenced to life in prison for killing her two young sons in 2018 will get a new trial.

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court vacated the December 2022 conviction of Latarsha Sanders Thursday, saying Plymouth Superior Court Judge William Sullivan was wrong when he would not allow the jury to hear about her troubling mental illness while she was awaiting trial in prison and in a state psychiatric hospital.

Sullivan is currently overseeing the Lindsay Clancy murder trial. Clancy admits she killed her three children in their Duxbury home in January 2023. She’s charged with first-degree murder. Her attorney said Clancy was experiencing extreme postpartum psychosis.

Sanders admitted to stabbing her sons to death in February 2018. Her defense attorney argued that she was insane at the time.

According to the ruling, the jury never saw thousands of pages of medical records compiled after the murders, where doctors found she suffered from “hallucinations” and “paranoid schizophrenia [that was] undetected and untreated for decades.”

Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz said her boys, 8-year-old Edson “Marlon” Brito and 5-year-old La’son Brito, died in a “ritualistic incident” and that Sanders practiced Voodoo.

The jury deliberated for about four hours and found her guilty of two counts of first-degree murder. She was automatically sentenced to life in prison without parole under Massachusetts law.

Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz said her boys, 8-year-old Edson “Marlon” Brito and 5-year-old La’son Brito, died in a “ritualistic incident” and that Sanders practiced Voodoo.

The jury deliberated for about four hours and found her guilty of two counts of first-degree murder. She was automatically sentenced to life in prison without parole under Massachusetts law.

Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz said her boys, 8-year-old Edson “Marlon” Brito and 5-year-old La’son Brito, died in a “ritualistic incident” and that Sanders practiced Voodoo.

The jury deliberated for about four hours and found her guilty of two counts of first-degree murder. She was automatically sentenced to life in prison without parole under Massachusetts law.

“There is no doubt the defendant committed these incomprehensible crimes. The sole issue before a Superior Court jury was whether she lacked criminal responsibility,” the justices on the state’s highest court wrote in their ruling Thursday.

“We hold that the exclusion of the defendant’s relevant medical records relating to the diagnoses or treatment of mental illness constituted prejudicial error, and as a result, the defendant is entitled to a new trial.”

Sanders was convicted one month before Clancy killed her children.

“Mental illness and criminal responsibility issues have been around since we’ve had a criminal justice system,” WBZ-TV legal analyst Jennifer Roman said. “Now we just talk about mental illness more.”

The Plymouth County District Attorney’s office is currently reviewing the SJC’s opinion and “determining our next steps going forward.”

“It is our duty as a prosecutors’ office to be a voice for victims of crime, like Marlon and La’Son Brito, and we will continue to do so in their memory,” a spokesperson for the Plymouth DA said.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Aaron Parseghian

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    SCARBOROUGH, Maine (WBZ) — More than half a dozen white sharks have been spotted close to shore in Scarborough, Maine over a 48-hour period, prompting warnings and increased monitoring near a popular beach.

The sightings have generated interest from both beachgoers and biologists. Scarborough Marine Resource Officer Daryen Granata said many of the sharks spotted in the area are juveniles, including one captured on video by a paddleboarder.

“Usually we’ll see one or two [sharks] here and there. This is a large volume, larger than I’ve seen, and I’ve worked this area for 30-plus years,” Granata said. “Five to seven, fairly good-sized sharks, probably six to eight feet. And then there were some drone videos of some larger ones. You know, 10-12 feet, but we’re just keeping an eye on it.”

Granata joined biologists on a boat to survey the waters near a popular sandbar at Pine Point Beach where the sharks have been spotted. The area is also frequently used by swimmers and people fishing from the water.

“We know it’s a place where people recreationally fish in waist-deep water; they typically swim right there,” Granata said. “They’re right in an intertidal zone. At low tide, it’s exposed. At high tide, there’s 10 feet of water.”

“We started flying aircrafts and drones, and making sure that we can keep track. And they’ve been there consistently for the last 48 hours,” Granata added.

While it is not rare to see sharks along the New England coast this time of year, some less common sights are becoming more frequent. Like the volume of sharks in Maine and the variety, like the tiger shark, which was reeled in off the coast of Falmouth, Massachusetts, this week.

New England Aquarium adjunct scientist John Chisholm, who was with the crew aiming to tag sharks in Scarborough, said warmer water is making the region more hospitable to some sharks.

“[Tiger Sharks] were just coming up here occasionally. Now they’re coming up here reliably year after year because the water temperature is hospitable to them,” Chisholm said. “The waters in New England are warming faster than any other places in the ocean around the world.”

“That’s more like numbers we see down when we’re tagging off of the Cape; the numbers were a little surprising,” Chisholm said about the number of sharks seen in Maine. “But it’s definitely not unusual for white sharks to be in this area this time of year.

Chisholm said the recent sightings are also a reminder that people entering the ocean are entering a wild environment.

“Be aware of your surroundings and prepare before you go to the beach because you’re going into a wilderness area,” Chisholm said.

At Pine Point Beach, beachgoer Mark Coleman said sharks are something he keeps in mind while visiting the coast.

“I don’t want to get eaten, but no problem. Sharks are sharks; they’ll stay out there, and I’ll stay here, no worries,” Coleman said.

For those who do choose to enter the water, experts recommend avoiding splashing, seals and schools of fish.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Shelley Bortz

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    WEST MIFFLIN, Pennsylvania (KDKA) — The driver police say caused a deadly crash in West Mifflin last month is facing homicide and DUI charges.

Investigators say Keith Scherba Jr. stole a pickup truck in Pittsburgh before driving recklessly across the city and into West Mifflin, where he allegedly ran a red light and crashed into Shelly Hunter’s SUV on July 11. The charges come nearly one month after the 60-year-old woman — a mother and patient care technician at Jefferson Hospital — was killed.

According to investigators, Scherba stole a Chevrolet Silverado from a business in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood before driving away. Police say he struck another vehicle on the Birmingham Bridge and drove away before stopping on East Carson Street on the city’s South Side.

There, investigators say he stopped outside the city’s FBI field office and admitted to security personnel that he’d stolen the truck before taking off again toward West Mifflin. Police say his drive ended at the intersection of Buttermilk Hollow and Lebanon Church roads. Investigators say Scherba ran the red light and slammed into Hunter’s SUV, killing her and seriously injuring another driver.

The criminal complaint details the moments before the deadly collision. Police say witnesses watched the stolen pickup speeding and weaving through traffic. Surveillance video allegedly shows the truck crossing into oncoming traffic to pass two vehicles before cutting back into its lane.

GPS data recovered from the truck shows it was traveling about 91 miles per hour just 600 feet before impact. According to the criminal complaint, Scherba later admitted he’d used drugs, telling detectives he’d used “a little bit of everything.” Lab testing later found THC in his blood, authorities said.

When detectives asked why he was driving so fast, he answered: “Because I’m crazy.” Scherba faces a slew of charges, including homicide by vehicle while DUI.

For neighbors, the tragedy is heartbreaking, but not surprising. Ayouba Sheriff said he has witnessed four crashes at this intersection since moving into the neighborhood five months ago and believes it’s time to do something to make it safer.

“More lights, more traffic control, just a lot more care for the people who live around here,” he said.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Andy Sheehan

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    NEW KENSINGTON, Pennsylvania (KDKA) — An officer with the New Kensington Police Department is on leave and under investigation after a violent confrontation with a suspect who ended up in the hospital with serious facial injuries.

Police say a man and a woman were looking to break into an abandoned house last week, but the two told friends they were only picking up fallen apples in the yard. Moments later, the woman was in handcuffs and the man, identified as Anthony Delarosa, tussled with officers when he sustained broken cheekbones and other facial injuries.

Now, Delarosa is out on bond, charged with aggravated assault, resisting arrest, loitering and prowling at night. However, New Kensington Police Officer Nathaniel Cochran — who investigators say inflicted the facial wounds — has been taken off the street.

The city clerk, John Zavadak, told KDKA-TV that “It’s a pressing issue. The city is reviewing it, and it’s been referred to the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office for investigation. Officer Cochran is on administrative leave.” The DA’s office confirmed the investigation.

According to the incident report, Cochran and an officer from nearby Arnold responded to the abandoned house due to a 911 call of a man and a woman on bikes suspected of trying to break in. But when police arrived, there was no one there. The two police officers soon confronted the pair, who were riding their bikes down an alley, when a tussle ensued, the report says.

The officer who wrote the report says when he arrived, the woman was in handcuffs and Cochran and the officer from Arnold were tussling with Delarosa on the ground. The arriving officer says he shocked Delarosa three times with a Taser but to no avail.

The report says Delarosa flailed and resisted orders to put his hands behind his back, stating he then tried to bite Cochran on the thigh. The report states: “Officer Cochran delivered a few elbow strikes to Delarosa’s facial region in an attempt to prevent him from biting.”

Family members who declined to be interviewed say that after being released from jail, Delarosa went to the hospital for broken cheekbones and a fractured jaw.

Delarosa is well known to the New Kensington police, having been arrested and convicted time and again in the past two decades for drug possession, disorderly conduct and fights. Cochran has been a police officer in New Kensington for the past three years.

But for now, Cochran is on administrative leave in relation to this incident, which remains under investigation.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Laura Fay, Madeleine Wright

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    SICKLERVILLE, New Jersey (KYW) — A track and football coach in South Jersey was arrested for allegedly having a sexual relationship with a student, Camden County officials said Thursday.

Joel Deanley Jr., of Gloucester Township, is charged with sexual assault and endangering a child, according to the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office.

Detectives determined that Deanley and the victim — a female high school student — engaged in sexual activity from June through August. The victim told investigators she had sexual contact with Deanley three times this summer, and he admitted to some of the acts, according to a criminal complaint.

The 26-year-old was an aide at Timber Creek High Regional School in Sicklerville. He was also head coach for boys and girls winter track, an assistant football coach, and an assistant for girls spring track, the prosecutor’s office said.

In a statement on its website, the school district said it is aware of the charges and officials have removed Deanley from all positions and barred him from district property. The school district is cooperating with law enforcement.

“The safety and well-being of our students remain the District’s highest priority. We are committed to providing a safe learning environment and will continue to take all appropriate actions consistent with our legal obligations and District policies,” the website says.

No other victims have been identified at this time, the prosecutor said.

“It’s kind of crazy considering I was on the track team and everything like that. It’s just, it’s unfortunate,” said Chace Pearson, who graduated from Timber Creek four years ago.

Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Todd Jarrell of the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit at 856-225-8479 and Detective Daniel Szovati of the Gloucester Township Police Department at 856-228-4500, ext. 3215, or share information via CAMDEN.TIPS.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Alexa Herrera

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    ORANGE COUNTY, New York (WCBS) — New York State Police are looking for a man they say is connected to a homicide that happened Thursday in Greenville, Orange County.

Police are investigating a death at the home of Thomas David Ryan, where firefighters appear to have put out a fire that left the home gutted.

Ryan, 32, is believed to be driving a 2016 gray Toyota Prius with a New York license plate HNH-7671.

He was last seen in the area of Greenville Turnpike wearing black sweatpants and a black T-shirt.

Ryan is believed to be “armed and dangerous,” police said. Anyone who comes into contact with him is urged to be careful.

Anyone who sees him should contact SP Middletown BCI at 845-344-5300 or dial 911.

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By Larry Seward

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    HIALEAH, Florida (WFOR) — The newly renovated Bucky Dent Water Park has been forced to close indefinitely after Florida Department of Health officials discovered the facility was operating without a valid permit.

The closure comes just five days after Mayor Bryan Calvo and city leaders celebrated the park’s reopening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The issue was uncovered following an unrelated medical emergency at the site. Lifeguards pulled a man from the water and administered CPR before he was transported to a hospital, where he is currently recovering. City official Julio Ligorria praised the lifeguards’ actions, noting the man’s life was saved before first responders arrived.

Following that incident, inspectors discovered that the water park lacked the necessary health department permit.

Residents expressed frustration regarding the timeline of the closure.

“I don’t understand,” said Hialeah resident Yised Casanella, who brought her sons to the park Thursday morning. “How are they even (allowed) to open? Don’t they need the permit to be actually open?”.

In a statement, the City of Hialeah attributed the situation to an administrative error.

“The city conducted rigorous inspection of the pools prior to opening and all required city permits were issued,” Ligorria said. “Due to an oversight in filling out a form, the health department permit is still pending approval. We are moving swiftly to reopen the pool once it is issued.”

The city issued an apology to residents, acknowledging that the community had been anticipating the opening of the facility following a seven-year wait.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.