How are trial juries different from grand juries

Jussie Smollett has been compared to Amber Heard on social media, after the two sat down for post-trial interviews in which each professed their innocence, after respective juries delivered verdicts against them. Empire star Smollett, 40, was released from Chicago's Cook County Jail in March, pending appeal , less than a week after a judge had sentenced him to 150 days behind bars. The actor was in December found guilty of lying to police about being the victim of a racist and homophobic attack on the streets of Chicago in 2019. Making an appearance on SiriusXM's Sway in the Morning on Tuesday, Smollett—who is currently promoting his feature directorial debut B-Boy Blues —insisted to host Sway Calloway that he did not stage his own attack. "If I had done this, I'd be a piece of s***... That's not really questionable," Smollett said, adding that doing so "would mean that I stuck my fist in the pain of Black Americans in this country for over 400 years. "We're not … [Read more...] about Jussie Smollett compared to Amber Heard as post-trial interviews air

DOVER, Del. (AP) — A former chief of staff to Delaware State Auditor Kathy McGuiness admitted during testimony in her criminal corruption trial Thursday that he lied under oath to a grand jury that was investigating McGuiness. Thomas Van Horn acknowledged under cross-examination by the defense that he told the grand jury in April 2021 that McGuiness had fired him a month earlier because of “disagreements” they had. In fact, McGuiness asked Van Horn to resign because he had been in a sexual relationship with a subordinate staffer. Van Horn also acknowledged that he never volunteered information to prosecutors and investigators about his relationship with Rachael King, who also is expected to testify. Instead, he claimed that he was terminated because McGuiness had heard a “potential rumor of a sexual relationship” with someone in the office, and that he might be a victim of “defamation.” “When you said it was a rumor, that was a lie, because it was a true story, wasn’t it?” … [Read more...] about Ex-aide admits lied to grand jury in auditor corruption case

Johnny Depp's attorney, Camille Vasquez , became emotional in a taped interview as she recounted seeing her client smile again following the verdict in his defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard . Vasquez was the surprise breakout star during the six-week court battle, which centered upon Depp's $50 million lawsuit against Heard over a 2018 op-ed for The Washington Post , in which she said she was a domestic abuse survivor. Following a high-profile trial, the jury on June 1 awarded Depp $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages, after finding Heard's claim to be false and defamatory. Heard, who had countersued for $100 million, was awarded $2 million after it was found that Depp's former attorney, Adam Waldman , had made defamatory comments about her. Depp was not present when the verdict was handed down, as he had embarked on a European tour with Jeff Beck days beforehand—but Vasquez has revealed that they still ensured they were … [Read more...] about Camille Vasquez fights tears in video recounting Depp’s post-verdict smile

The Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard verdict was roped into the notorious murder of Gabby Petito during a court hearing on Wednesday in Florida. Judge Hunter W. Carroll, who will decide whether a lawsuit against killer Brian Laundrie's family will move forward, invoked Depp's defamation verdict while looking at a statement from Laundrie's parents. The murder of 22-year-old Petito by fiancé Laundrie whipped up a media firestorm last year. Her parents have filed a lawsuit against Laundrie's parents, alleging that they knew their son killed Petito and attempted to help him flee the country. In the lawsuit, Joseph Petito and Nicole Schmidt claimed Laundrie told his parents, Christopher and Roberta Laundrie, that he had killed his fiancée about a day after the murder. The Laundrie family "went on vacation knowing that Brian Laundrie had murdered Gabrielle Petito," the complaint alleged. "It is believed they knew where her body was located, and further knew that Gabrielle Petito's … [Read more...] about Judge cites Johnny Depp in court feud over Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie

HOUSTON, Texas — A man carrying a “bladed object” entered a Carter’s Country gun store and began stealing money from the cash register. An armed employee shot the robber who later died from the wounds. Police investigators told reporters that a man entered the Carter’s Country gun store located on Wilcrest Drive in southwest Houston on Tuesday afternoon. The investigator said the man carried a “bladed object” into the store, according to KHOU CBS 11. The man approached the cash register and began removing money. An armed employee of the gun store confronted the robber. Fox 26 Houston reported the employee fired two shots, striking the suspect who then ran out of the store and collapsed in the parking lot. The suspect was transported to a nearby hospital in critical condition. Doctors declared him dead upon arrival. No charges were filed but Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg’s office said the incident will be presented to a grand jury. The grand jury will determine … [Read more...] about Man Armed with Knife Shot, Killed During Texas Gun Store Robbery

Formula 1’s rising popularity driven by Netflix series Formula 1 legends Sir Jackie Stewart and David Coulthard have urged Lewis Hamilton to ‘step aside’ and ‘retire’ from the sport to avoid the ‘pain’ of not being able to compete as he used to behind the wheel. Hamilton has struggled to adapt to Mercedes new W13 car in 2022 only finishing on the podium twice in nine races and has repeatedly been out-driven by teammate George Russell. He sits almost 100 points behind rival Max Verstappen in the standings and the Silver Arrows are still coming to terms with their car being the third-fastest on the grid. Stewart explained that he feels Hamilton is finding it difficult to handle the skill of his new teammate and doesn’t believe the seven-time wolrd champion can make it back to the top level of the sport saying: “He’s now struggling a little bit because he’s had a new teammate who’s been quicker than him in qualifying so far, which is gonna be difficult for him to handle. … [Read more...] about F1 news LIVE: Lewis Hamilton urged to step aside and retire from Formula 1

A treasure trove of rare letters from American history are going under the hammer, including documents signed by founding father George Washington . New York's Bonhams Fine Books and Manuscripts sale has teased a selection of documents featuring works by Jesse James, Abraham Lincoln and Davy Crockett, due to be auctioned on Tuesday. They described the "single-owner" collection as "significant," with one letter, entitled "The Most Important Jesse James Letter Extant" from the infamous outlaw, expected to fetch between $300,000 and $500,000. Bonhams claimed letters from James (1847-1882) are "extremely rare," stating there have only been two recorded at auction in the last 30 years. The writing details a raid on his family farm on January 25, 1875, in Missouri, by Pinkerton detectives, that left his 9-year-old brother, Archie, dead, and mom, Zerelda Samuel, with life-changing injuries after losing her right arm. The letter is James' attempt to provide more information in … [Read more...] about “Extremely rare” letters by Abraham Lincoln and George Washington unearthed

A man accused of driving his SUV through a Christmas parade in suburban Milwaukee last year, killing six people and injuring dozens more, this week served notice he will try to persuade a jury that he was mentally ill during the incident and if convicted should go to an institution instead of prison. But Darrell Brooks Jr.’s new insanity defense could be a tough sell in Waukesha County, which is still recovering from the horrors of that November day. WHAT ARE THE CHARGES? Court documents allege Brooks beat the mother of his child just before the parade began in downtown Waukesha on November 21 because she hadn’t bailed him out of jail several days earlier. He had been arrested for running her over with his SUV. He then drove the vehicle into the parade route, ignoring police orders to stop, according to a criminal complaint. He crashed into people head-on and ran them over as they lay on the ground, the complaint said. He finally turned off the parade route, left his vehicle … [Read more...] about NEWS 18 EXPLAINS: How US Christmas Parade Crash Insanity Plea Will Work

Follow live updates on the House committee hearing on the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. WASHINGTON — A federal judge ruled on Monday that former President Donald J. Trump and a lawyer who had advised him on how to overturn the 2020 election most likely had committed felonies, including obstructing the work of Congress and conspiring to defraud the United States. The judge’s comments in the civil case of the lawyer, John Eastman, marked a significant breakthrough for the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. The committee, which is weighing making a criminal referral to the Justice Department, had used a filing in the case to lay out the crimes it believed Mr. Trump might have committed. Mr. Trump has not been charged with any crime, and the judge’s ruling had no immediate, practical legal effect on him. But it essentially ratified the committee’s argument that Mr. Trump’s efforts to block Congress from certifying Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s Electoral … [Read more...] about Federal Judge Finds Trump Most Likely Committed Crimes Over 2020 Election

The uncovering of Jeffrey Epstein 's sex abuse scandal sent shock waves across the world when it was revealed in July 2019. Also implicated in Epstein's crimes was Ghislaine Maxwell , a British socialite who was accused of helping him procure girls, including a 14-year-old, who were subject to sexual abuse. Epstein took his own life in his New York prison cell in August 2019 as he awaited trial and sadly for his victims, they never got to see justice served. However, some justice has prevailed among the horrors of Epstein and Maxwell's crimes with Maxwell, 60, recently standing trial for several sex trafficking offenses she committed between 1994 and 2004 with Epstein at his homes in Florida, New York and New Mexico. In December 2021 she was found guilty of recruiting and grooming teenage girls to have sexual encounters with Epstein after 40 hours of jury deliberation. Who is Ghislaine Maxwell? on Starz is a three-part documentary that looks into the rise and fall of … [Read more...] about “Who Is Ghislaine Maxwell?” on Starz: Where is Ghislaine Maxwell now?