Illinois Supreme Court to hear actor Jussie Smollett appeal of conviction for staging racist attack

Illinois Supreme Court to hear actor Jussie Smollett appeal of conviction for staging racist attack

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The Illinois Supreme Court will hear an appeal of actor Jussie Smollett’s disorderly conduct conviction for staging a racist and homophobic attack against himself in 2019, then lying to Chicago police about it. The court on Wednesday accepted the appeal from Smollett, formerly a cast member of the television drama “Empire.” It … Read more

Cases settled: 2 ex-officials of veterans home where 76 died in the pandemic avoid jail time

Cases settled: 2 ex-officials of veterans home where 76 died in the pandemic avoid jail time

BOSTON — Two former officials of a veterans home in Massachusetts where at least 76 people died in one of the nation’s worst COVID-19 outbreaks in a long-term care facility settled their criminal case Tuesday without having to go to jail. Bennett Walsh, the former superintendent of the Veterans’ Home in Holyoke, and Dr. David … Read more

A second man is charged in connection with 2005 theft of ruby slippers worn in ‘The Wizard of Oz’

A second man is charged in connection with 2005 theft of ruby slippers worn in ‘The Wizard of Oz’

ST. PAUL, Minn. — A second man has been charged in connection with the 2005 theft of a pair of ruby slippers that Judy Garland wore in “The Wizard of Oz,” according to an indictment made public Sunday. Jerry Hal Saliterman, 76, of Crystal, Minnesota, was charged with theft of a major artwork and witness … Read more

Alec Baldwin seeks dismissal of grand jury indictment in fatal shooting of cinematographer

Alec Baldwin seeks dismissal of grand jury indictment in fatal shooting of cinematographer

SANTA FE, N.M. — Defense attorneys for Alec Baldwin urged a New Mexico judge on Thursday to dismiss a grand jury indictment against the actor in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of the Western movie “Rust.” The indictment in January charged Baldwin with involuntary manslaughter in the death of cinematographer Halyna … Read more

Driver pleads guilty to reduced charge in Vermont crash that killed actor Treat Williams

Driver pleads guilty to reduced charge in Vermont crash that killed actor Treat Williams

BENNINGTON, Vt. — A Vermont man on Friday pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of negligent driving with death resulting in the June crash that killed actor Treat Williams. Ryan Koss, 35, who knew Williams, was given a one-year deferred sentence and as part of his probation will have his driving license revoked for a … Read more

‘Rust’ armorer’s trial gives Alec Baldwin’s team a window into how his own trial could unfold

‘Rust’ armorer’s trial gives Alec Baldwin’s team a window into how his own trial could unfold

SANTA FE, N.M. — The trial and conviction of a movie armorer in connection with a fatal shooting on the set of the Western movie “Rust” has given Alec Baldwin and his legal team a unusual window into how his own trial in the death could unfold. A New Mexico jury deliberated less than three … Read more

‘Rust’ armorer convicted of involuntary manslaughter in fatal shooting by Alec Baldwin on movie set

‘Rust’ armorer convicted of involuntary manslaughter in fatal shooting by Alec Baldwin on movie set

SANTA FE, N.M. — A jury convicted a movie weapons supervisor of involuntary manslaughter Wednesday in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer by actor Alec Baldwin during a rehearsal on the set of the Western movie “Rust.” The verdict against movie armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed assigned new blame in the October 2021 shooting death of cinematographer … Read more

Workplace safety regulator says management failed in fatal shooting by Alec Baldwin

Workplace safety regulator says management failed in fatal shooting by Alec Baldwin

SANTA FE, N.M. — Complaints by a movie weapons supervisor to managers went unheeded as she sought more time and resources to fulfill safety duties on the set of the Western movie “Rust,” where actor Alec Baldwin fatally shot a cinematographer, a workplace safety investigator testified Tuesday at the trial. Defense attorneys for armorer Hannah … Read more

Patient and 3 staffers charged in another patient’s beating death at mental health facility

Driver pleads guilty to reduced charge in Vermont crash that killed actor Treat Williams

COLUMBUS, Ohio — A patient, two psychiatric assistants and a nurse have been indicted on charges stemming from the beating death of another patient at a state-run mental health facility in Ohio. A 24-year-old man who allegedly attacked the 57-year-old victim at Twin Valley Behavioral Healthcare in Columbus on July 23, 2022, is charged with … Read more

Film director who was shot by Alec Baldwin says it felt like being hit by a baseball bat

Film director who was shot by Alec Baldwin says it felt like being hit by a baseball bat

SANTA FE, N.M. — A movie director who was shot by Alec Baldwin during a movie rehearsal — and survived — testified Friday at trial that he was approaching the cinematographer when he heard a loud bang and felt the bullet’s impact. “It felt like someone had taken a baseball bat to my shoulder,” said … Read more