Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY

A6 U.S. NEWS
Wednesday 17 January 2018
Police: Suspect in slaying says student was hitting on him

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — A California park told investi- to the death of Blaze Ber- nstein was stabbed more fidavit obtained by The Or-
man suspected in the kill- gators that he was being hit nstein, Orange County Un- than 20 times. No weapon ange County Register.
ing of a 19-year-old Univer- on, a newspaper reported. dersheriff Don Barnes said. has been found. Bernstein texted two fe-
sity of Pennsylvania student Samuel Lincoln Woodward, The two knew each other Bernstein may have been male friends about a June
who was stabbed nearly 20, was arrested Friday on from high school, he said. planning to sexually pursue interaction with Wood-
two dozen times and bur- suspicion of homicide after The Orange County Regis- Woodward, according to a ward, according to the
ied in a shallow grave at a DNA evidence linked him ter reported that Blaze Ber- 16-page search warrant af- document. q
Ex-doctor’s victims recount sex abuse as young gymnasts

Gymnastics, which trains The Michigan attorney
Olympians. general’s office is seeking
Another statement came 40 to 125 years in prison for
from Donna Markham, who the 54-year-old Nassar. The
told of how her daugh- maximum represents a year
ter Chelsey killed herself for each of the 125 girls and
in 2009, years after Nassar women who filed reports of
sexually abused her during abuse with campus police.
a medical examination. He already has been sen-
“It all started with him,” she tenced to 60 years in fed-
said, describing her daugh- eral prison for child pornog-
ter’s downward spiral into raphy crimes.
drug abuse. Olympic gold medalist Sim-
Victims described experi- one Biles on Monday said
encing “searing pain” dur- she was among the ath-
ing the assaults and hav- letes sexually abused by
ing feelings of shame and Nassar. Another gold med-
embarrassment. They said alist, Aly Raisman, tweeted
it had changed their life Monday that she would not
trajectories — affecting re- attend the sentencing “be-
lationships, causing them cause it is too traumatic for
to be distrustful and lead- me. My impact letter will
ing to depression, suicidal be read in court in front of
Former family friend to the Nassar family, and babysitter to Nassar’s children Kyle Stephens, right, thoughts, and anger and Nassar. I support the brave
addresses Larry Nassar Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2018, during the first day of the victim impact statements
addressing the former sports medicine doctor in Circuit Court Rosemarie Aquilina’s courtroom anxiety about whether survivors. We are all in this
in Lansing, Mich. Behind Stephens is her mother, and Asst. Prosecutor Angela Povilaitis, center. they should have spoken together.”
Nassar pleaded guilty to molesting females with his hands at his Michigan State University office, up sooner. Olympians McKayla Ma-
his home and a Lansing-area gymnastics club. “He touched the most inno- roney and Gabby Douglas
(Matthew Dae Smith/Lansing State Journal via AP) cent places on my body,” also have said they were
By DAVID EGGERT not be made public. The other abuse. said 17-year-old Jessica among Nassar’s victims
Associated Press judge consoled the victims She said Nassar later denied Thomashaw, recounting as teens. In November, he
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — and said they should not it, and her parents initially how she was sexually as- admitted to digitally pen-
One after one, gymnasts blame themselves. believed him. Stephens saulted at ages 9 and 12. etrating 10 girls, mostly un-
and other victims of a dis- “I testified to let the world said she largely blamed “I couldn’t be just a normal der the guise of treatment,
graced former sports doc- know that you are a repul- her father’s suicide on the girl anymore, and I forever between 1998 and 2015.
tor stepped forward in a sive liar and those ‘treat- shame and self-loathing he lost a big piece of my child- As part of plea deals in two
Michigan courtroom Tues- ments’ were pathetically felt for defending Nassar. hood due to his abuse.” adjacent Michigan coun-
day to recount the sexual veiled sexual abuse,” one “Perhaps you have figured Ingham County Circuit ties, he said his conduct
abuse and emotional trau- victim, Kyle Stephens, said it out by now, but little girls Judge Rosemarie Aquilina, had no legitimate medical
ma Larry Nassar inflicted to the 54-year-old Nassar, don’t stay little forever,” who is expected to order purpose and that he did
on them as children — one who bowed his head with Stephens said. “They grow a sentence Friday, said the not have the girls’ consent.
with the warning that “little his eyes closed or looked into strong women that re- system had failed them. The criminal cases followed
girls don’t stay little forev- away as she and others turn to destroy your world.” “You shouldn’t be angry reports last year in The In-
er.” spoke. Nassar has pleaded guilty with yourself,” she told a dianapolis Star about how
Nearly 100 women and girls Stephens, the first to speak, to molesting females with 31-year-old victim, who USA Gymnastics mishan-
planned to speak or have said Nassar repeatedly his hands at his Michigan said she was assaulted al- dled complaints about sex-
their statements read dur- abused her from age 6 until State University office, his most 20 years ago. “You ual misconduct involving
ing an extraordinary four- age 12 during family visits to home and a Lansing-area went to him for pain and him and coaches. Women
day sentencing hearing. his home in Holt, near Lan- gymnastics club, often healing, and you didn’t and girls said the stories in-
Many of them cried as they sing. She said he rubbed his while their parents were in know. No one faults you or spired them to step forward
told their stories. Some re- genitals on her and digitally the room. He also worked any other victim for that. with detailed allegations of
quested that their identities penetrated her, among for Indianapolis-based USA You were a child.” abuse.q
Filing: Suspected kidnapper’s girlfriend fainted helping FBI

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — The the FBI before his arrest last Monday morning. They location to western Illinois and inherently prejudicial”
girlfriend of a 28-year-old year that she fainted at asked a federal judge to or Chicago from central media reports make a fair
man charged in the kid- least once in front of him, dismiss the headline charge Illinois, where the univer- hearing impossible in that
napping of a University of according to court filings. of kidnapping resulting sity is located and where area.
Illinois scholar from China The revelation was in a in death, citing a lack of 26-year-old Yingying Zhang Zhang went missing on
was so nervous as she se- flurry of motions that Brendt evidence. Another motion was last seen. The lawyers June 9 as she headed to
cretly recorded him for Christensen’s lawyers filed asks to change the trial’s argue that “inflammatory sign an apartment lease.q