As Father Faces Possible Trial For Death Of Toddler, Video Shows Frantic Last Moments With The Boy

Witnesses are testifying this week in a hearing that will determine if a Los Angeles father goes on trial for the murder of his 15-month-old son, who died from a traumatic brain injury with signs of strangulation. Witnesses testified Monday about the death of Gael Herrera Medina in 2021 and previous signs of possible abuse they observed. The toddler's mother, Noemi Medina, is already serving a four-year sentence for felony child abuse after reaching a plea deal last year. Monday's preliminary hearing was held to determine if Gael's father, Jose Juan Herrera, 35, will face trial for the boy's death. The first witness was a next door neighbor who provided doorbell cam video that allegedly shows Herrera holding his apparently unconscious son. Neighbor Jasmine Aguirre said she feared for her safety being in the courtroom with Herrera. But fighting back tears she recalled how she heard loud noises from next door on May 12, 2021.

ABC 7

Hit-And-Run Motorist Sought In Pedestrian Fatality In Leimert Park Area

Authorities Tuesday sought the public’s help to find a hit-and-run motorist involved in the death of a pedestrian in the Leimert Park area. Officers were sent to the 1900 block of West Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard about 8:45 p.m. Monday, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. A man in his 20s was pronounced dead at the scene, the LAPD reported. Information on his identity was not immediately available. No description was available of the vehicle or suspect. A standing reward of up to $50,000 has been offered by the city of Los Angeles for information that helps authorities solve a fatal hit-and-run case. Anyone with information on the fatality was urged to call 877-LAPD-247.

MyNewsLA

Suspect Arrested In Koreatown Shooting

A 51-year-old man is in custody in connection with a shooting in Koreatown and police Tuesday are continuing their investigation of the circumstances surrounding the shooting. Los Angeles Police Department officers from the department’s Olympic Division responded at 10:20 p.m. Monday to the 800 block of South Mariposa Avenue, near Eighth Street, regarding a shots fired call, LAPD Officer Tony Im told City News Service. Officers found the victim, a 20-year-man, who told them the suspect fired several shots at him before driving away from the scene in a U-Haul box truck. Police quickly located the suspect in the U-Haul one block away on Normandie Avenue and took him into custody, according to reports from the scene. The victim was taken to a hospital in stable condition, an LAPD spokeswoman told City News Service.

MyNewsLA

Los Angeles D.A. Accuses Rebecca Grossman Of Misconduct From Jail: Report

Less than a month after she was found guilty in the deaths of two young boys, Rebecca Grossman is facing more legal issues. The Los Angeles Times reports that the District Attorney is accusing the L.A. socialite of illegal conduct from jail, and her legal team of juror tampering following the trial. A jury found Grossman guilty in the deaths of Jacob Iskander, 8, and Mark Iskander, 11, who were hit and killed in a crosswalk in Westlake Village in 2020. The 60-year-old was convicted of two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, and one count of hit-and-run driving resulting in death. She faces 34 years to life in prison. According to the report from the L.A. Times, prosecutors would like Grossman’s access to jailhouse phones taken away after their investigation revealed that she has been trying to get her daughter, husband, and legal team to help her get a new trial. Grossman has allegedly asked her daughter, Alexis, to publish a deputy-worn body camera from the incident that the judge had ordered sealed, and to ask another person to speak with the judge about getting a new trial.

KTLA 5

West Hills Woman Gets 20 Year For Fraud Scheme Involving Forged Wills

A West Hills woman has been sentenced to 20 years behind bars for her role in a nearly $3.9 million scheme that included forged power-of-attorney documents and the dismemberment and disposal of the body of one of her victims, prosecutors said Monday. Caroline Herrling, 44, also known as Carrie Phenix, was sentenced late Friday by U.S. District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong, who also ordered the defendant to pay $3.88 million in restitution, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Herrling pleaded guilty last year in downtown Los Angeles to a federal charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. "This defendant's misconduct was both greedy and grotesque, causing profound pain to the victims and their loved ones," U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said in a statement. "There must be serious consequences for those who prey on vulnerable communities, such as older adults, and my office will remain steadfast in bringing these offenders to justice." Prosecutors said Herrling and her accomplices sought out vulnerable victims by searching for properties in affluent neighborhoods that appeared unkempt, in hopes of finding incapacitated individuals unable to care for their homes. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Herrling would use online mapping programs and search upscale neighborhoods for homes with algae-filled swimming pools or overgrown shrubs.

CBS 2

Family, Deputies Seek Help Finding Missing 22-Year-Old L.A. Woman

The family of a missing woman and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department are asking for the public’s help to locate the 22-year-old. Authorities say Alexandria Aulauna Rios was last seen Saturday around 7 p.m. in the 45550 block of Fig Avenue in Lancaster. Rios is described as Hispanic, 5 feet 2 inches tall, weighs approximately 123 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. She has a moth tattoo on her left knee and tattoos of centipedes on her collarbone. Rios was last seen wearing all-black clothing. Her family says she suffers from depression and is extremely concerned about her well-being. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Missing Persons Unit at 323-890-5500. 

KTLA 5

Three Men Charged With Shooting Kentucky Officer ‘Cased’ The Scene Before Ambush

Three men charged with shooting a Lexington Police Department officer in an undercover vehicle earlier this year “cased” the car before their ambush, according to testimony Monday. Daquis Sharp, 27, faces charges of attempted murder of a police officer, second-degree assault (police officer), first-degree criminal mischief and six counts of first-degree wanton endangerment, according to police. Jatiece Parks, 19, and Zalan Dulin, 19, face the same charges in the case. Lexington police previously said the shooting happened shortly before midnight on Feb. 28 on the 900 block of Royal Avenue. Detectives were following up on an investigation when Sharp, Parks and Dulin opened fire on Detective Nicholas Music inside an unmarked police vehicle. Music is an eight year veteran officer, according to Lexington police. During a preliminary hearing Monday, Detective Josh Phillips testified about a significant amount of evidence against the three men, including Snapchat messages discussing Music’s undercover car, a black Ford Fusion. Music was conducting surveillance on Sharp, who was in a home on Royal Avenue, with other detectives because the trio of suspects were suspected to be linked to violent crime in Lexington, according Phillips.

Lexington Herald-Leader

Murder Defendant Slips Restraints In Court, Stabs His Lawyer With Pen. All Good, Attorney Says

An Oakland man on trial in the killing of his ex-girlfriend cut through a lap restraint and attacked his attorney with a pen, then lunged toward the prosecutor, creating a chaotic courtroom scene Monday as a Contra Costa County jury watched, officials said. Ramello Randle, 28, is now facing additional charges of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and battery, said Jimmy Lee, spokesperson for the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff. His defense attorney, Matt Fregi, said he harbored “no ill will toward” his client, who had already cycled through several attorneys before him. “Nothing serious,” he said of his injuries. “Everyone thought it was a lot more serious than what it was.” Randle is accused of working with Christopher Slaughter to track 24-year-old Jonaye Lahkel Bridges with a GPS attached to her car in July 2020. Bridges and Randle had been embroiled in a bitter child custody battle. Prosecutors said Randle followed her to a 7-Eleven in Antioch and fired into her car, where she was sitting with another man. The man was hit by gunfire but survived. Bridges was killed. Slaughter, who was a co-defendant in the case, earlier took a plea deal.

Los Angeles Times

Prosecutor Asks For 65-Year Prison Sentence For ‘Exceptional Crimes’ In Shooting That Injured Washington Officer

Spokane County Deputy Prosecutor Preston McCollam helped 23-year-old Ray Wynecoop with his neck tie before asking a judge Friday to sentence him to 65 years in prison for a series of drive-by shootings that wounded a Spokane police officer. Wynecoop and his alleged co-conspirator Isaac Ott, 23, were said to be “lying in wait” to target police in an attempt to gain street credit for their gangs, according to court documents. Court records say the childhood friends and members of different gangs targeted two northeast Spokane homes in drive-by shootings June 26, 2022. Police responded to the shootings and were then targeted, documents say. “This is a gratuitous act of gang violence,” McCollam said. With Wynecoop driving a 2014 Chrysler 300, the pair pursued Spokane police Officer Michele Kernkamp’s patrol vehicle north on Perry Street , approaching Empire Avenue. Seven shots were fired as Officer Kris Honaker’s patrol vehicle passed through the intersection of Empire Avenue and Perry Street, according to documents. Honaker was shot in the leg, and a bullet grazed his scalp in the drive-by. Honaker, dressed in his Spokane police uniform, and Kernkamp sat behind other officers and Spokane County Sheriff’s Office deputies who supported them Friday in court.

The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.

Worker Dies After Becoming Trapped Under Forklift At Port Of Los Angeles

A worker died after becoming trapped under a forklift at the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro on Monday. The incident was reported around 10:40 a.m. at Berth 270, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. When crews arrived on scene, they pronounced the trapped person dead at the scene. Additional details about the incident were not available. The individual who died has been identified as a man in his 30s. An investigation is underway. 

ABC 7

Tribby The Horse Rescued In Shadow Hills

Firefighters rescued a horse that got stuck in the mud near the Hansen Dam Recreation Center in Shadow Hills Monday. When rescue workers first responded to the scene on 11250 W. Wentworth St., they realized hoisting the horse by a helicopter would be challenging due to trees blocking the overhead space. Instead, ground crews used rescue equipment to remove muddy soil around the horse. “Crews diverted some water, used shovels to partially dig the horse out, then used a tow strap and a team of firefighters to pull the horse free,” the Los Angeles Fire Department said. The owner suspected the recent storms may have caused the 27-year-old horse named Tribby to fall into the muddy spot. “Obviously the river has changed,” Diana Wooley, Tribby’s owner, said. “There was a hole, and he fell into a hole. I tried to get him out, but I knew it was futile.” Nearly two hours after rescue workers got to the scene, Tribby was finally freed from the muddy ground. Video from the scene showed the horse was shaking a little bit and may need a bath. But his owner said, despite his age, Tribby would be able to shake it off the shock and be OK.

NBC 4

LA Councilmember Wants A City Homelessness Department For A More Effective Response

A Los Angeles City Council member is advocating for the city to have its own department of homelessness, to consolidate and focus efforts on the issue. Los Angeles Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez is lobbying Tuesday for a new department to create and oversee programs that address the homelessness crisis. The department would report to Mayor Karen Bass and the City Council, she said. The councilwoman introduced a motion on the matter Friday as a first step in the process. The motion will be heard by the Housing and Homelessness Committee at a future date. "A Department of Homelessness can help verify what each level of government is doing to solve the greatest humanitarian crisis of our time; I cannot say with certainty that we have an efficient and effective operation free of redundancies," Rodriguez said. Rodriguez said current policies and programs are currently dispersed among too many entities, making it "impossible" for the city to apply lessons learned from successful approaches.

CBS 2

About the LAPPL: Formed in 1923, the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) represents more than 8,900 dedicated and professional sworn members of the Los Angeles Police Department. The LAPPL serves to advance the interests of LAPD officers through legislative and legal advocacy, political action and education.