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Dakin Andone, CNN

Stories by Dakin

The Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs case brings to mind another criminal case against a famous musician

Some of the similarities in the cases brought against Sean “Diddy” Combs this week and Robert Sylvester Kelly several years ago are evident at a glance: Both are world famous, powerful and influential musicians who were accused of sex crimes by federal prosecutors in New York City.

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Prosecutor’s push to vacate conviction of death row inmate Marcellus Williams denied in Missouri

A Missouri judge on Thursday rejected an effort by the St. Louis prosecutor to vacate the conviction of Marcellus Williams, a death row inmate who has long claimed he’s innocent of the murder for which he’s scheduled to be executed in less than two weeks.

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Prosecutor’s push to vacate conviction of death row inmate Marcellus Williams denied in Missouri

A Missouri judge on Thursday rejected an effort by the St. Louis prosecutor to vacate the conviction of Marcellus Williams, a death row inmate who has long claimed he’s innocent of the murder for which he’s scheduled to be executed in less than two weeks.

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Casualties reported in shooting at Georgia high school, sheriff says. A suspect is in custody

One suspect is in custody after authorities received a report of an active shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, according to a statement from the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office.

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Missouri death row inmate expected to be resentenced to life without parole under new agreement

Missouri death row inmate Marcellus Williams is expected to be resentenced to life without parole under a consent judgment reached Wednesday, the St. Louis Prosecuting Attorney’s Office announced, just over a month before he was scheduled to be put to death for the 1998 murder of Felicia Gayle, a killing he denies committing.

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Mistrial declared in murder trial of Karen Read, woman accused of killing her police officer boyfriend

A judge declared a mistrial in the murder trial of Karen Read, the Massachusetts woman accused of drunkenly driving into her police officer boyfriend and leaving him to die in January 2022, in a case featuring accusations of a vast police cover-up and investigative misconduct.

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Texas Parole Board Denies Clemency to Ramiro Gonzales, Execution Set for Wednesday Despite Recanted Testimony

Texas’ parole board on Monday denied clemency for death row inmate Ramiro Gonzales, who is scheduled to be executed Wednesday for a 2001 murder, despite the fact a key expert witness no longer stands by his testimony at trial.

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Maryland governor issues pardons for more than 175,000 marijuana convictions

Maryland’s governor issued pardons for more than 175,000 marijuana convictions Monday – a significant act of mass clemency that reflects the rapidly changing attitudes toward a drug that an increasing number of Americans want to see legalized.

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Atlanta lifts its last boil water advisory after almost a week of persistent problems

Atlanta officials on Thursday morning lifted the last boil water advisory put in place after a string of water main breaks left parts of the major US city without drinkable water nearly a week, underscoring the fragility of the nation’s aging infrastructure.

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How universities are cracking down on a swell of tension months into student protests over Israel’s bombardment of Gaza

With tension mounting over an encampment in support of Palestinians at New York’s Columbia University, police strode onto campus this month and arrested more than 100 demonstrators.

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O.J. Simpson dies of cancer at age 76, his family says

O.J. Simpson, the former NFL star and broadcaster whose athletic achievements and fame were eclipsed by his 1995 acquittal in the brutal killings of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman, has died of cancer, his family announced Thursday on X. He was 76.

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Alex Murdaugh sentenced in federal court to 40 years in prison for financial crimes

Convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh received another prison sentence on Monday, this time in federal court, where a judge sentenced him to 40 years after he pleaded guilty last year to nearly two dozen charges of conspiracy, fraud and money laundering.

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Court clerk accused of jury tampering in Alex Murdaugh’s murder trial resigned

The clerk of court accused of jury tampering in Alex Murdaugh’s murder trial has resigned, she announced Monday, almost two months after a judge ruled the allegations against the Colleton County, South Carolina, official were not enough to grant Murdaugh a new trial.

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Idaho stops execution of serial killer Thomas Creech after officials can’t set an IV line

Officials in Idaho on Wednesday halted the execution of death row inmate and serial killer Thomas Creech after they were unable to set an intravenous line to carry out a lethal injection, according to a news release from the state Department of Correction.

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Texas scheduled today to execute Ivan Cantu - he claims innocenence in 2000 double murder

Texas is preparing to execute Ivan Cantu, a death row inmate who claims he’s innocent of the murders for which he’s to be put to death Wednesday evening, more than 20 years after his conviction.

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With days left before he’s executed, Ivan Cantu insists he’s innocent of double-murder

Ivan Cantu says he has insisted for more than 20 years that he’s innocent of the two murders that landed him on Texas’ death row. But with a week until his execution, he’s running out of time to make his case.

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Days left before execution, Ivan Cantu insists innocenence in double-murder

Ivan Cantu says he has insisted for more than 20 years that he’s innocent of the two murders that landed him on Texas’ death row. But with a week until his execution, he’s running out of time to make his case.

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Kansas City shooting believed spurred by personal dispute, law enforcement officials say; 2 juveniles among 3 detained

Kansas City police have detained three people – two of them juveniles – in connection with Wednesday’s shooting after the Chiefs’ Super Bowl celebration rally, Police Chief Stacey Graves said Thursday.

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Investigators search for what motivated a shooting that left 1 dead and more than 20 wounded at Chiefs Super Bowl celebration

Police are working to figure out who opened fire and why after they say one person was killed and more than 20 wounded at the end of the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory rally Wednesday, sending fans in red jerseys running for cover as law enforcement swarmed the area, confetti still blowing in the wind.

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5 Marines missing en route from Las Vegas area to San Diego; rescue crews search for helicopter

Rescue crews are searching a remote, snow-covered area of Southern California after a military helicopter with five Marines onboard was “reported overdue” en route from a base near Las Vegas to one in San Diego, according to the US Marine Corps and Cal Fire.

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Juror testifies comments by clerk of court influenced her decision to convict Alex Murdaugh of murder

One of the jurors who found Alex Murdaugh guilty of murdering his wife and 22-year-old son testified Monday comments made by the Colleton County, South Carolina, clerk of court influenced her verdict – an allegation which is key to Murdaugh’s quest for a new trial.

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Monday - Hearing determines whether Alex Murdaugh should be granted new murder trial

A hearing to decide whether Alex Murdaugh should receive a new murder trial begins Monday, as his attorneys allege the court clerk for Colleton County, South Carolina, tampered with the jury that last year found him guilty of murdering his wife and son.

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Alabama plans to carry out first execution by nitrogen gas today

Alabama is poised to carry out the first known execution using nitrogen gas Thursday to put Kenneth Smith to death for his role in a 1988 murder for hire.