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National
DOJ Will Not File Criminal Charges In Death Of Georgia Teen Kendrick Johnson
VALDOSTA, GA --- After three years of unanswered questions in the death of Geor- gia teen Kendrick Johnson, the Department of Justice an- nounced Monday that no crim- inal charges will be filed in the case.
In January of 2013, the 17- year-old’s body was found in- side a rolled-up gym mat at Lowndes High School in Val- dosta, Georgia. Local investiga- tors concluded Johnson fell head first into an upright gym mat while trying to retrieve his shoe and he became trapped, eventually suffocating.
Noted as a freak accident, not many people bought the story presented by the local sheriff’s office. Johnson’s family brought in Benjamin Crump, the attorney in Trayvon Martin’s murder case, to demand answers in their son’s death. The U.S. At- torney for the Middle District of Georgia launched its investi- gation in in October of 2013.
The Georgia Bureau of In- vestigators did an additional autopsy and ruled that John- son did indeed die due to posi- tional asphyxia. Johnson’s family ordered an independent private autopsy. The results of that autopsy found “unex-
Kendrick Johnson was an athlete at his high school. He was found wrapped in a gym mat.
plained, apparent non-acciden- tal blunt force trauma”. The private pathologist said John- son had instead died of blunt force trauma to the neck.
Federal investigators found insufficient evidence to prove that anyone willfully violated Kendrick Johnson’s civil rights or committed any other federal crime. The investiga- tion into his death is now offi- cially closed.
The family previously filed a wrongful death lawsuit against two of Johnson’s former classmates but decided to drop it.
Merck Biopharmaceuticals Partners With HBCU.com For Job Opps In Company
COLUMBUS, OH — A new partnership has been estab- lished between Merck, a global biopharmaceutical company and HBCUConnect.com, the largest social network and ca- reer site targeting the students, faculty, and alumni from His- torically Black Colleges and Universities.
The partnership is designed to introduce graduating seniors from Historically Black Colleges and Universities to Merck’s Leadership Development Pro- gram. The Leadership Develop- ment Program is an entry-level program designed to create a pipeline of emerging talent who can prepare for leadership posi- tions of increasing responsibil- ity and visibility within key divisions of Merck’s business.
“Merck is a great company with great opportunities. They just needed a channel to com- municate these excellent oppor- tunities to the many talented students coming out of the His- torically Black Colleges and Universities,” said Will Moss, founder and CEO of HBCUcon- nect.com. “
More About the Merck Lead- ership Development Program:
Merck is looking for HBCU Students primarily graduating in December of 2016 and May of 2017 as the program will start
Black scientist.
in the summer of 2017, but in- terested candidates that may have graduated recently and are interested in learning more about the program are also en- couraged to apply. The Leader- ship Development Program is designed for candidates with the following majors:
* Biology / Microbiology / Biochemistry / Biotechnology and Other Bio Sciences
* Bio and Biomedical Engi neering
* Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
* Industrial Engineering
* Material Science and Engi- neering
* Mechanical Engineering
* Supply Chain & Logistics Majors
Candidates that are selected to participate in the program will launch an exciting career that includes a three-year op- portunity to experience the core work necessary to manufacture and supply Merck’s products.
On Thursday, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards officially signed into law the “Blue Lives Matter” bill, making the state the first in the nation to protect public safety workers under hate crime laws, the Washing- ton Post reports.
Hate crime laws usually bring additional penalties to those convicted of targeting victims on the basis of race, ethnicity and religion in many states. However, now, in Louisiana, po- lice officers, firefighters and emergency medical service per- sonnel will fall under the same protected class under the state’s hate crime law.
The change in the law would mean that suspects convicted of committing felony hate crimes against police officers could face a fine of up to $5,000 or five years in prison. Added to a mis- demeanor, a hate crime charge would rack up a $500 fine or six months in prison.
Arizona Mom Pleads ‘Not Guilty’ In Murder Of Her 3 Sons
Badly Decomposed Body Of Pregnant Teacher Found; Assistant Principal Arrested
‘Blue Lives Matter’ Law Goes Into Effect In Louisiana
Investigation Launched Against Red Cross Concerning Donations Made To Haiti
OCTAVIA ROGERS
PHOENIX, AR --- A Phoenix, Ariz. mother pleaded not guilty on Monday to the murders of her three young sons, who were fatally stabbed to death earlier this month, Reuters reports.
Octavia Rogers, 29, report- edly cried loudly as her plea was entered in Maricopa County Su- perior Court in Phoenix. Rogers is facing three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of 8-year-old Jaikare Rahaman, 5-year-old Jere- miah Adams and 2-month-old Avery Robinson.
According to the report, Rogers cried “Help me,” sev- eral times as her attorney, Gary Bevilacqua tired to comfort her.
“It’s obvious that my client has mental health issues,” Bevilac- qua told Reuters.
The bodies of Rogers’ two eldest sons were found partially dismembered in what police called a “horrific scene.” Little Avery’s body was found inside a suitcase in the home.
After fatally stabbing her chil- dren, the mother reportedly stabbed herself as well, but sur- vived the self-inflicted sounds.
Lyntell Washington and Robert Marks
Haiti was totally destroyed in 2010 by a 7.0 earthquake.
The catastrophic 2010, 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Haiti resulted in an estimated death toll of 160,000. The disastrous effects of the earthquake untied people worldwide in a call to action to donate to earthquake victims. After nearly half a bil- lion dollars was raised, we failed to see any of the money resulting in effective infrastruc- ture improvements on the ground. Since then, ProPub- lica, NPR and Congress launched investigations into the American Red Cross.
According to a report by Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, the American Red Cross spent $125 million, about 25% of the donations to Haiti, on their in- ternal costs.
The report states, “there are substantial and fundamental concerns about [the Red Cross] as an organization,” after the charity released insufficient in- formation about its Haiti pro-
gram. The investigation began after The Red Cross raised close to $500 million, an un- precedented amount, which re- sulted in merely 6 permanent houses built for Haitians.
Senator Chuck Grassley also found the organization kept their internal investigative team “severely undermanned and underfunded.” Addition- ally, the Red Cross dedicated $70 million for oversight of the Haiti program,.
According to NPR, the Red Cross sent a majority of the funds to non-profits on the ground in Haiti, those non- profits also took their own cuts for “internal costs,” leaving the situation in Haiti bleak. The Red Cross has not commented on Grassley’s report. Of the $488 million donated, 14 per- cent ($69 million) has been spent to cover these types of ex- penses.
BATON ROUGE, LA — The badly decomposed body of Lyntell Washington was re- cently found in a sugar cane field ditch in Iberville Parish, Louisiana. Washington, 40, was a middle school teacher and was 7-months pregnant.
Police have already arrested 39-year-old Robert Marks, who is the assistant principal at Brookstown Middle Magnet School (where they both worked) and the suspected fa- ther of her unborn child. He was booked on several counts of first-degree murder and first-degree feticide.
Marks was initially arrested for the kidnapping and deser- tion of Washington’s 3-year- old daughter, who was found wandering alone in a parking lot. That, along with statements the girl later made in inter- views with investigators, led police to start an aggressive search for Washington.
Marks, initially refused to co- operate with the investigation and already had a lawyer be- fore his second arrest.
Marks’ attorney, Lionel Lon Burns, said his client has asserted his right to remain silent. When asked whether or not Marks and Washington had an affair, Burns said he is not addressing “any of the sen- sationalism as alleged by the Baton Rouge Police Depart- ment.” He told reporters that Marks’ wife firmly stands be- hind her husband, and “she as- serts his innocence, as does his entire family.”
Police say, however, that they have evidence of a text message that Washington sent to Marks asking if he was trying to avoid his responsibil- ity for “our unborn child.” Po- lice said this shows Marks was aware that Washington was pregnant, and may have had a motive to kill her.
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