Author: Amanda Crum

  • Dad Who Drowned Sons Sentenced To Death

    A 34-year old man who drowned his two young sons in order to get back at their mother for leaving him has been sentenced to die in Texas.

    Naim Rasoon Muhammad abducted his sons, 5-year old Naim and 3-year old Elijah, while they were on their way to school and drowned them in a creek. He forced their mother, Kametra Sampson, to go along but she escaped and sought help; Muhammad killed the boys before police could find them. Muhammad’s attorney says he grew up in a violent household and was sexually abused, and that was how he learned to interact with people. But the argument didn’t hold with the jurors, who took only three and a half hours to come to the death penalty sentence.

    The father said he killed the boys because he wanted to be a father and he thought that would be taken from him.

    “It was the ultimate textbook family violence power and control play — ‘If I can’t get you to do what I want you to do through violence, I will go to your very heartstrings,’” a prosecutor said of the murders.

    “I apologize for bringing any pain and hurt on anybody for the actions that I have caused to you all,” Muhammad said after the sentence was announced.

    Muhammad reportedly told the boys to act like they were swimming as he held them under and, obedient to the end, they did just that.

    View more videos at: http://nbcdfw.com.

  • Frances Bean Cobain Calls Jenner Out On Twitter

    Frances Bean Cobain, daughter of Courtney Love and Kurt Cobain, doesn’t take kindly to people who can’t see past the end of their own nose. And when she thinks you’re one of those people, you’d better hope she doesn’t find you on Twitter.

    Cobain recently blasted Kendall Jenner on the social media network after Jenner tweeted that she “wished things could be easier sometimes”.

    “Oh shh. There are kids on earth abandoned&homeless who forcibly drink contaminated water because clean water isn’t accessible,” Cobain tweeted back. “Oh ya, not to mention, CANCER, famine, poverty, draught, disease, natural disasters, Death. Fuck, Humans are so self involved.”

    She then tweeted:

    Jenner’s only response has been a quote from Frank Ocean: “Sorry, but I don’t need any part time people in my life. You’re either with me or you’re not. You can’t just come and go as you please.”

  • 15-Year Old Killed Siblings With Knife In Utah

    A 15-year old boy has allegedly killed his two younger brothers, aged 4 and 10, in West Point, Utah.

    The boys’ mother found her 4-year old dead in their home and ran to find her other children, but they were nowhere to be found. After calling authorities, the body of her 10-year old was found by deputies. The 15-year old had already fled, but he was quickly found by investigators and was later booked into a juvenile detention center. Police say the two younger boys likely died from knife wounds.

    Neighbors and people who knew the suspect say they are shocked; the boy was intelligent and did well in school, and was often seen running for exercise around the neighborhood. However, the two younger boys were adopted, and the suspect was the biological child of the mother. Reportedly, three other siblings weren’t home at the time of the murders.

    “I’ve talked with their mother many times but I never got the sense that there was this kind of trouble,” says neighbor Lindsey Caballero. “You could tell there was a sibling rivalry between the biological son and the adopted boys. But I never imagined it could go this far.”

    Sadly, this isn’t the first case of a sibling being charged with murder this year; a New Mexico teen killed his parents and three younger siblings after depression and suicidal thoughts crept in. And just earlier this month, a California boy admitted to killing his 8-year old sister and blaming it on an intruder.

  • Parking Deck Collapses At Mall, Kills 1

    A parking structure that was closed to the public collapsed today, killing one man and trapping another for hours.

    The deck was outside a Macy’s store in Bethesda, Maryland; the victim was a construction worker. The injured man was reportedly conscious and alert when he was freed.

    That area of the mall is said to be under major construction as work has begun to build a 16-screen movie theater in place of the garage. The portion that fell weighs about 50,000 pounds.

    Mall representatives have so far had no comment, but parking structure accidents are more common than one might think. In 2005, a pregnant Kentucky woman was killed when a concrete slab fell from a two-story garage and onto the city sidewalk, and last year a 100-foot slab of concrete fell in New Jersey from a two-story parking deck. No one was injured in that incident, but several cars were damaged.

    Image: WUSA9

  • Abercrombie Apologizes After Headquarters Protest

    The heads of Abercrombie & Fitch issued an apology this week after several people traveled to the company’s headquarters in Ohio in protest.

    The clothing brand, which is aimed at “young, cool kids” according to CEO Mike Jeffries, has been under fire recently after comments Jeffries made in a 2006 Salon interview were re-published in a new book about retail. At the time, Jeffries had this to say about the brand and why they didn’t want to sell above a size large to women:

    “In every school there are the cool and popular kids, and then there are the not-so-cool kids,” he says. “Candidly, we go after the cool kids. We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don’t belong [in our clothes], and they can’t belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely. Those companies that are in trouble are trying to target everybody: young, old, fat, skinny. But then you become totally vanilla. You don’t alienate anybody, but you don’t excite anybody, either.”

    The comments brought a firestorm of backlash against A&F, and against Jeffries in particular. So much so, in fact, that a petition was started on Change.org to get the company to change their ways. Then, on Wednesday, a group of teens went to the company’s headquarters to make their voices heard. Reportedly, they spoke with the people in charge at length, and afterwards, Abercrombie released this statement:

    “We look forward to continuing this dialogue and taking concrete steps to demonstrate our commitment to anti-bullying in addition to our ongoing support of diversity and inclusion. We want to reiterate that we sincerely regret and apologize for any offense caused by comments we have made in the past which are contrary to these values.”

    Of course, only time will tell if they will change the way they do business; it’s probably going to take more than a protest to get Jeffries to change his mind about his customers.

  • Susan Powell: Home Video Documents Her Possessions

    Susan Powell, the wife and mother who disappeared in 2009 under mysterious circumstances, made a home video the year before documenting her possessions in case something ever happened to her.

    Last February, Powell’s husband, Josh, killed their two sons with a hatchet and then set off an explosion in his home that took his own life after he locked out a Child Protective Services employee who was on a supervised visit. Police had long suspected him to be involved in Susan’s disappearance, but had no physical evidence. Josh said he decided to take the boys on an impromptu camping trip the night she disappeared…in the middle of a snowstorm. He claimed she was gone when they returned home.

    “This is me July 29th, 2008,” Powell says in the video. “(I am) covering all my bases, making sure that if something happens to me or my family, or all of us, that our assets are documented.”

    Powell also left a secret will in a safety deposit box, with a note that indicated if she was found dead, it “may not be an accident, even if it looks like one”.

    As of now, police are calling the case closed as they still have no body and no suspects now that Josh is dead. A tragic end to what was already a tragic story.

  • Marijuana: Blood Sugar, Waistline Regulator?

    A new study shows that people who had smoked marijuana within the last month had smaller waistlines and lower levels of insulin resistance than those who didn’t have the drug.

    “These are preliminary findings,” said Dr. Murray Mittleman, who worked on the study at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. “It looks like there may be some favorable effects on blood sugar control, however a lot more needs to be done to have definitive answers on the risks and potential benefits of marijuana usage.”

    While the plant has been used to treat glaucoma and to help chemotherapy patients with nausea, those who conducted the study are quick to point out that it’s not enough to prove anything conclusive when it comes to weight loss or diabetes control…but the results are interesting. It’s thought that regular marijuana use could help regulate the hormone adiponectin, which affects blood sugar levels.

    Of course, there are adverse affects that come along with smoking marijuana, too, such as respiratory problems, affects on mental health, and lowered I.Q. levels when used during adolescence.

    Medicinal marijuana is now legal in 19 states, plus the District of Columbia.

  • Bar Served Rubbing Alcohol In Place Of Scotch

    Times are tough, and when the economy slumps, everyone feels it. Unfortunately, some bar owners in New Jersey tried to crawl out of their slump by mixing food coloring with rubbing alcohol to pass it off as scotch.

    In a sting called “Operation Swill”, state police say they have raided 29 bars and restaurants and are accusing them of serving cheap alcohol from expensive bottles. Fortunately, only one used rubbing alcohol, though officials aren’t saying which one. They have released information concerning 13 of the accused restaurants, which are all T.G.I. Fridays. An internal investigation is underway, according to a statement released by the company.

    “This alleged scheme is a dishonest ruse to increase profits, and it is a slap in the face to the consumer,” said state Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa in a statement. “Consumers should have the peace of mind of knowing that they will get what they spent their hard-earned money on every single time – no exceptions.”

    Over 1,000 bottles of liquor have been seized and are undergoing tests. Officials say no health complaints have been registered.

  • Rapper Faked Own Death To Get Out Of Debt?

    A woman is accusing rapper Tim Dog of faking his own death just to get out of paying back money he acquired through scams.

    Esther Pilgrim says the rapper, whose real name is Timothy Blair, was ordered by the court to pay her back to the tune of $19,000 after scamming her on a dating site. Pilgrim says she thinks she wasn’t his only victim, and that he actually owed millions. She doesn’t believe he’s dead due to a shady obituary.

    “There was nothing of what you would normally find. What city? Who found him? There was nothing with any type of concrete details,” she said.

    Reports originally stated Blair had died from complications of diabetes, but The Source, which broke the story, shows a broken link where the page was. A Mississippi prosecutor has issued an arrest warrant for Tim Dog.

    “I need proof,” Steven Jubera said. “I need a death certificate showing that he’s dead, because as far as I’m concerned, he’s alive. Nobody said where he died, nobody said where he was buried, which is very odd for an obituary.”

    If the rapper is indeed alive, he will promptly be arrested and thrown in jail until prosecutors can figure out what to do with him.

  • Police At Kindergarten Graduation To Support Girl Who Lost Dad

    A 5-year old girl who lost her policeman dad in the line of duty over the weekend was overwhelmed with support at her Kindergarten graduation on Wednesday, when hundreds of Arizona police officers showed up in his place.

    “The purpose of us is to be here in proxy for Daryl and to let her know that we’re here for her,” Police Officer Keith Garn said.

    Tatum Raetz celebrated her day with the people who perhaps knew her father best, and who wanted her to know that he was loved and revered. A sad time for the child turned into a day of love and support as a huge crowd of blue uniforms turned up instead of the originally-planned two or three.

    “Word got out that this was happening and it went viral within the department and there was absolutely no way that you could keep officers who could be here away from here. they came, even with their families,” Officer James Holmes explained. “She had 300, 400 parents up here for her this morning. It was absolutely amazing. It was bittersweet and it was a bit overwhelming for all of us.”

    Images: Twitter

    police at kindergarten

    police at kindergarten

  • Amanda Bynes: Flight A No-Go After She Uses Google As I.D.

    Amanda Bynes has done some silly things lately; posing topless for selfies on Twitter, blaming her nose job on “webbing”, shaving her head. But her latest antics may even top those things.

    TMZ reports that the actress and former child star tried to board a private jet recently with no identification and no passport, and when she was refused she tried to use Google to prove her identity. Of course, even a cursory glance at Google once her name is typed in will bring up thousands of articles, but they’re probably not what one wants to use when trying to validate themselves. Needless to say, the airline laughed in her face (probably) and turned her away.

  • Joe Francis: “Retard” Video Prompts Juror To Speak Up

    Joe Francis, the creator of “Girls Gone Wild”, was recently interviewed about his court case, in which charges were leveled against him by three women who say he imprisoned them in his home and threatened them after getting into a violent altercation with one of them. In the interview, he calls the jurors who found him guilty “retarded” and says they should be put in jail.

    “I want that jury to know that each and every one of you are mentally f–ing retarded and you should be euthanized because, as Darwin said, you have naturally selected yourself,” he said. “You are the weakest members of the herd. Goodbye! And if that jury wants to convict me because I didn’t show up, which is the only reason why they did, then, you know, they should all be lined up and shot!”

    While Francis is no stranger to controversy, many thought he’d gone too far…including one of the jurors, who responded to Francis’ rant with a letter to Gawker.

    It’s a little bizarre to have someone looking into a camera and suggesting you be shot, even if he has no idea what I look like since he never showed up at the trial. If anything, it reaffirms the decision we came to — unanimously, of course, after only about a day and half of deliberations — as one of the charges was directly related to the vague (and no so vague) threats he made against the victim he assaulted to keep her from filing a police report. I’m just thinking about all the nice, salt-of-the-earth people on that jury that Joe Francis is suggesting be shot. There were some older, middle-aged, retired women. There were four middle-aged men. Some women were in their 30′s. All different races. I was the youngest. I’m sorry Joe Francis didn’t like our decision, but I genuinely hope he takes this as a lesson that his actions do carry actual consequences—for him, for us, and most of all for the woman he assaulted. He could have caused a concussion, and they checked for one at the hospital. I don’t expend much energy thinking about Joe Francis either way, although I do believe he’s guilty of the crimes we convicted him of and I could live without the whole lined up and shot thing. Honestly, Joe, I wish you the best. Now please stop talking about me.

    As for Francis, he backtracked and issued an apology after the juror’s letter was made public.

    “I deeply regret the remarks attributed to me in the interview with the Hollywood Reporter. They were hurtful and do not reflect my true feelings. While I disagree with the jury’s verdict as I am completely innocent of the charges and intend to appeal, I was afforded a fair trial, and if I lose at the appellate level, I will reluctantly but fully accept the jury’s verdict. This was a 6 hour interview with the Hollywood reporter where I detailed to the reporter all of the evidence and why I believed the evidence showed I am 100% innocent. The reporter also interviewed my attorney David Houston for over 3 hours, but failed to include one shred of evidence from the trial that proved beyond a reasonable doubt my innocence. I did NOT commit a crime at all whatsoever. All that was publicized were my most intemperate remarks that were borne out of frustration but with no intent to cause anyone harm. I am not, nor have I ever been a violent person. My comments are appalling, but anyone who has ever been wrongfully convicted of a crime that they did NOT commit would be as frustrated as I am. I want to apologize to all the jurors, the court, the City Attorney and my attorneys for my comments that were manipulated by the media, and please know I am truly ashamed of my conduct. I am truly, truly sorry. I hope everyone will understand I was not being serious and that I fully and deeply apologize for my remarks.”

  • “S.W.A.T.” Star Dies: Steve Forrest Was 87

    Steve Forrest, who played Lt. Dan “Hondo” Harrelson on the popular ’70s television show “S.W.A.T.”, has died of natural causes in California. He was 87 years old.

    Forrest began his career in the ’50s and made a name for himself almost immediately, winning “New Star Of The Year” at the 1953 Golden Globes for the film “So Big”. He went on to build a name for himself on television, starring in roles for “Gunsmoke”, “Bonanaza”, and “Alfred Hitchcock Presents”. He also starred in “The Baron”, which was Britain’s first color television series, and hit Broadway in a 1958 production of “The Body Beautiful” as a trained vocalist.

    But it was his role as “Hondo” that gained a wider audience; as a military man, he brought his experiences to the character, endearing him to fans with his signature life, “Let’s roll!”

    Forrest is survived by his wife Christine, their three sons, and four grandchildren.

  • Jennifer Aniston: Stripper Movie Required 3 Bras

    Jennifer Aniston sat down a while back to talk about her upcoming movie, “We’re The Millers”, and in the interview she revealed that she doesn’t do full nudity in the movie despite some stripper scenes.

    Jenn said she wore three bras at the same time to cover herself on set, due to her unruly nipples. In the film, she plays a woman enlisted to help a friend smuggle weed over the Mexican border; the movie also stars “Saturday Night Live” alum Jason Sudeikis, Ed Helms, and Emma Roberts.

    Last year, it was rumored that Jennifer would be playing a prostitute in the movie; her rep shot that down, saying, “Jennifer is not playing a prostitute in We’re the Millers, she is playing a stripper — big difference.”

    “We’re The Millers” opens August 9th.

  • Fake Abercrombie Ads Fire Back At CEO

    A woman from Tucson has a lot to say about the way Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries runs his company, and she’s getting it across with several photos meant to look like ads.

    Jeffries ruffled a lot of feathers a few years back when he spoke about the reasons his company doesn’t offer XL sizes and above to women. The quote was repeated in a new book recently, which re-stoked the fire.

    “In every school there are the cool and popular kids, and then there are the not-so-cool kids. Candidly, we go after the cool kids. We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don’t belong [in our clothes], and they can’t belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely….”That’s why we hire good-looking people in our stores. Because good-looking people attract other good-looking people, and we want to market to cool, good-looking people. We don’t market to anyone other than that,” Jeffries told Salon in 2006.

    Jeffries’ comments had a huge effect all over the country, with one filmmaker even making it his mission recently to buy up every piece of A&F clothing he could find at Goodwill stores and donate them to the homeless.

    Now, a Tucson blogger named Jes Baker is making it clear that she’s going to take his negativity and turn it into an opportunity to change social awareness.

    In an open letter to Jeffries, Baker writes:

    Hey Mike,
    I know you’ve been flooded with mail regarding your comments on sizeism, but I wanted to take a second to write you about a project I’ve been working on.
    As a preface: Your opinion isn’t shocking; millions share the same sentiment. You’ve used your wealth and public platform to echo what many already say. However, it’s important you know that regardless of the numbers on your tax forms, your comments don’t stop anyone from being who they are; the world is progressing in inclusive ways whether you deem it cool or not. The only thing you’ve done through your comments (about thin being beautiful and only offering XL and XXL in your stores for men) is reinforce the unoriginal concept that fat women are social failures, valueless, and undesirable. Your apology doesn’t change this.
    Well, actually, that’s not all you have done. You have also created an incredible opportunity for social change.
    Never in our culture do we see sexy photo shoots that pair short, fat, unconventional models with not short, not fat, professional models. To put it in your words: “unpopular kids” with “cool kids”. It’s socially acceptable for same to be paired with same, but never are contrasting bodies positively mixed in the world of advertisement. The juxtaposition of uncommonly paired bodies is visually jarring, and, even though I wish it didn’t, it causes viewers to feel uncomfortable. This is largely attributed to companies like yours that perpetuate the thought that fat women are not beautiful. This is inaccurate, but if someone were to look through your infamous catalog, they wouldn’t believe me.
    I’ve enclosed some images for your consideration. Please let me know what you think.
    A note: I didn’t take these pictures to show that the male model found me attractive, or that the photographer found me photogenic, or to prove that you’re an ostentatious dick. Rather, I was inspired by the opportunity to show that I am secure in my skin and to flaunt this by using the controversial platform that you created. I challenge the separation of attractive and fat, and I assert that they are compatible regardless of what you believe. Not only do I know that I’m sexy, but I also have the confidence to pose nude in ways you don’t dare. You are more than welcome to prove me wrong by posing shirtless with a hot fat chick; it would thrill me to see such a shoot.
    I’m sure you didn’t intend for this to be the outcome, but in many ways you’re kind of brilliant. Not only are you a marketing genius (brand exclusivity really is a profitable move) but you also accidentally created an opportunity to challenge our current social construct. My hope is that the combination of these contrasting bodies will someday be as ubiquitous as the socially accepted ideal.
    Ever so sincerely,
    Jes
    P.S. If you would like to offer me a “substantial amount” to stop wearing your brand so my association won’t “cause significant damage to your image”, don’t hesitate to email me. I respect you as a business man, and my agent and I would be happy to contribute in furthering your established success.
    P.P.S. You should know your Large t-shirt comfortably fits a size 22
    . You might want to work on that.

    Baker said recently that she’s not interested in Jeffries’ reaction; she didn’t do this for him, after all.

    “I don’t really care what Abercrombie really truly thinks about this, to be honest with you. I don’t have the energy to dislike Mike Jeffries,” she said. “There’s so much negativity in the world, it doesn’t need to be perpetuated.”

    You can check out more photos on Baker’s blog, The Militant Baker.

    Images: Liora K Photography

    fake abercrombie ads

  • Holmes: Online Ammo Purchase Preceded Massacre

    James Holmes, officials say, purchased 6,000 rounds of ammo online before he shot up a movie theater in Colorado last year.

    Officials have unsealed documents which show he received several deliveries from ammo companies in the weeks leading up to the shootings, as well as other packages; so many, in fact, that they were coming on almost a “daily basis”.

    Holmes, who has been charged with 166 offenses–including murder and attempted murder for the 12 people he killed and 58 who were wounded–has officially requested to change his plea to not guilty by reason of insanity.

    Holmes also purchased several weapons from nearby stores, and police have stressed that everything he bought, he bought legally.

    “Some versions of the AR-15 assault rifle that police said was one of three guns James Holmes carried into the movie theater massacre were outlawed for civilian sale under the federal assault weapons ban that expired in 2004. Since then, all versions have been legal for sale and possession in the U.S.,” writer Kurt Heine said. “The AR-15, widely distributed by more than two dozen manufacturers in a range of calibers, is a semi-automatic rifle that fires shots individually, with each pull of the trigger. Aftermarket parts available at sporting goods stores include magazines big enough to hold 90 bullets. AP reports Holmes’ gun was equipped with a high-capacity, drum-style magazine.”

  • Mother’s Instinct Saves 3 From Tornado’s Hellish Path

    Mother of 3 Terimy Miller says she “just had a feeling” that getting into a closet as the weather got bad wasn’t good enough. As it turns out, her quick thinking saved her own life and the lives of her children.

    Miller and her three sons were hunkered down against the storm in Moore earlier this week; as weathermen and schools have been saying for years, they went to the section of the house that was away from windows and was the least likely to allow debris to fall on them. She already had everyone rounded up and sitting in a closet when that gut feeling kicked in and she knew she had to move fast.

    Quickly, she grabbed her kids and ran to the car, not even stopping on the way to round up the dogs, who were outside. She drove away from the storm, and when it was over, she returned to her home. Or rather, where her home had been.

    “We walk up and it’s gone,” Miller said. “I’m like, no, this can’t be happening. Why? It’s a war zone.”

    Miller says the dogs survived the storm, although one of them will lose an eye after being injured. For now, despite losing everything material, she’s grateful for that little inside voice they say all mothers have. There’s no doubt it saved her family’s lives.

  • Arias Jury Deadlocked: Will She Get Death?

    Jodi Arias awaits her fate today as the jury goes back into deliberation on whether or not to give her the death penalty for the 2008 murder of her boyfriend, Travis Alexander. The jurors talked for just two hours today before declaring an impasse to the judge, who sent them back to work it out.

    “I do not wish or intend to force a verdict,” Judge Sherry Stephens said.

    A death penalty verdict for first degree murder usually calls for a victim to have been killed in an “exceptionally cruel” way; Alexander was found shot and stabbed to death and had his throat slit. Arias admitted to killing him, but said she did it in self defense after he attacked her.

    Making things difficult for the jurors is the fact that Arias–who recently said she preferred death to life in prison–has changed her tune and begged them to spare her, saying she wanted to use her time in prison to do things that would have a positive impact on others.

    “I didn’t know then that if I got life instead of death that I could become employed and self-reliant. I didn’t know that if I got life there are many things I can do to affect positive change and contribute in a meaningful way. In prison there are programs I can start and people I can help.” said Arias.

    Among her goals are implementing a prison literacy program, teaching sign language and Spanish, and donating her hair to cancer survivors.

  • Victim Of Miami Cannibal Attack: What He Looks Like Now

    Ronald Poppo, the homeless man who was the victim of the infamous “Miami Cannibal”, Rudy Eugene, is doing as well as can be expected. After being attacked by Eugene near a busy Florida road, Poppo lost both eyes and most of his nose. Eugene, who police suspected was high on “bath salts”–a synthetic drug–tore the flesh from Poppo’s face with his teeth and then turned on officers, who shot him to death. The grisly attack was the beginning of a string of weird incidents around the country last year, which set off much speculation about the dangers of synthetic marijuana.

    But during the mediastorm, we barely heard a thing about the victim, who came away from the gruesome event disfigured but alive. A photo of him is floating around the web this week; be warned, it’s a pretty graphic image. This is what Poppo looks like today, one year later.

    ronald poppo

  • Janet Jackson, Billionaire, Working On New Album

    Janet Jackson has now officially become a billionaire.

    The pop star has earned $260 million in album sales since she debuted in the early ’80s, $81 million from music and book publishing fees, $500 million on her sold-out world tours and related tour sponsorships, and over $300 million from movie roles. Now that she’s happily married (to businessman Wissam Al Mana), she’s ready to get back in the studio.

    “I am working on a new project now. We are creating the concept and initial thoughts on the music,” she said.

    Jackson, who has always been intensely private about her personal life, managed to marry Al Mana in a secret ceremony last year, months before any of the media got wind of it. Her fans now have something to look forward to as she puts together new songs; as one of the best-selling artists of all time, she has quite a rep to live up to.