U.S. News

Defense to remind jurors Durst says he didn’t kill friend

LOS ANGELES — Robert Durst's sloppy mix of truth and lies over the years will prove to be the multimillionaire's downfall, a prosecutor said during a new round of opening statements at his murder trial.

General News

Prosecutor says Durst’s own words show his guilt in killings

LOS ANGELES — Multimillionaire Robert Durst lived a life of such privilege and ease that he didn’t bother keeping track of the many lies he told over the years and it could be his downfall, a prosecutor said Tuesday during a new round of opening statements at his murder trial.

Entertainment

Woman testifies she woke to find actor Masterson raping her

LOS ANGELES — In hours of often tearful testimony, a woman told a judge Tuesday that she was going in and out of consciousness on a night 18 years ago when she said she found actor Danny Masterson raping her.

Robert Durst

Durst jurors to get refresher in deaths tied to millionaire

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — After an unprecedented 14-month recess in the murder trial of multimillionaire Robert Durst, the judge in the case welcomed back jurors and asked: “Where did we leave off?”

U.S. News

Judge to Durst jurors after delay: ‘Where did we leave off?’

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The murder trial of multimillionaire Robert Durst resumed Monday without the defendant present and with arguments about whether the case should continue after a rare 14-month recess.

Daunte Wright

Officer charged in Daunte Wright death to stand trial Dec. 6

MINNEAPOLIS — A Minnesota judge ruled Monday that the manslaughter case can proceed against a former suburban Minneapolis police officer who fatally shot 20-year-old Black motorist Daunte Wright, and she set a trial date for December.

U.S. News

Prosecutor says trial in Iowa student’s death won’t be easy

DAVENPORT, Iowa — A prosecutor warned prospective jurors Monday that the trial of a Mexican national charged in the 2018 fatal stabbing of a University of Iowa student will include graphic evidence that will be emotionally difficult to see and hear.

Europe

South Africa’s ex-president says he is ready for graft trial

JOHANNESBURG — Former South African president Jacob Zuma says he is ready for his trial on charges of corruption, racketeering, and money laundering.

Health

Durst trial to resume after long delay; will jury be ready?

LOS ANGELES — It took nearly 15 years for police to arrest New York real estate heir Robert Durst in the killing of his best friend and another five to bring him to trial. After just two days of testimony, jurors were sent home when the coronavirus closed courthouses.

Sports

Vavic gets ready for Tokyo in water polo as dad awaits trial

LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. — Marko Vavic was in Mexico when it happened. He had just flown to Cabo San Lucas to spend spring break with a group of friends.

Trials

Trial for 3 ex-cops charged in Floyd’s death pushed to March

MINNEAPOLIS — The trial of three former Minneapolis police officers charged with aiding and abetting in the death of George Floyd will be pushed back to March 2022, in part to allow the publicity over Derek Chauvin's conviction to cool off, a judge ruled Thursday.

Shootings

Judge to review Arbery’s mental health records under seal

BRUNSWICK, Ga. — A judge said Thursday he will review under seal mental health records of Ahmaud Arbery to decide whether they can be used by defense attorneys to support their case that the slaying of the 25-year-old Black man was an act of self-defense.

Business

West Virginia trial puts spotlight on sprawling opioid cases

A corner of West Virginia wrenched by opioid addiction is getting the chance to argue in a courtroom that some of the corporate giants it blames for a public health crisis that left hundreds of people dead deserve to be held accountable.

Coronavirus pandemic

Judge postpones trial for 3 ex-cops charged in Floyd’s death

MINNEAPOLIS — The trial of three former Minneapolis police officers charged with aiding and abetting in the death of George Floyd will be pushed back to March 2022, a judge ruled Thursday.

Death of George Floyd

EXPLAINER: How will judge’s ruling affect Chauvin sentence?

MINNEAPOLIS — Derek Chauvin could face a much harsher prison sentence after a judge found several aggravating factors in George Floyd's death.

Shootings

Judge asked to OK evidence of Ahmaud Arbery’s past troubles

BRUNSWICK, Ga. — Attorneys for a white father and son charged with chasing and killing Ahmaud Arbery asked a judge Wednesday to allow evidence of the slain Black man's past problems to be presented when their clients stand trial for murder...

U.S. News

Ruling paves way for longer sentence in George Floyd’s death

MINNEAPOLIS — A Minnesota judge has ruled that there were aggravating factors in the death of George Floyd, paving the way for a longer sentence for

Business

American tells Japan court he worked for Nissan’s interests

TOKYO — An American lawyer on trial in Japan on charges related to reporting of former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn’s compensation asserted his innocence Wednesday, testifying he acted legally and in Nissan's best interests...

Health

Men plead not guilty to hate crimes in Ahmaud Arbery death

BRUNSWICK, Ga. — Three Georgia men pleaded not guilty to federal hate crime charges Tuesday in the slaying of Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man who was chased and shot after being spotted running in the white defendants' neighborhood...

Business

Japan prosecutors say Ghosn said Nissan pay plan was not set

TOKYO — Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn told prosecutors during questioning on financial misconduct charges before he fled Japan that his compensation was never decided upon, according to records presented in Tokyo District Court on Tuesday...

Technology

2 on trial as China enforces online control amid pandemic

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Two amateur computer coders taken by police from their Beijing homes last year were standing trial Tuesday in a case that illustrates the Chinese government's growing online censorship and heightened sensitivity to any deviation from the official narrative on its COVID-19 response...

Europe

Paris court tries anti-racism activist for statue attack

PARIS — A French activist for Black rights went on trial in Paris on Monday for defacing a statue of a historical figure from France’s colonial, slave-trading past, calling the protest a political act to denounce deep-seated racism...

Business

Is Epic Games’ showdown with Apple turning into a mismatch?

SAN RAMON, Calif. — If Epic Games hopes to dismantle the fortress surrounding Apple's iPhone and its app store, the video game maker probably will need to roll out some heavier artillery heading into the second week of a trial threatening Apple's $2 trillion empire...

Lamine Diack

Trial of Diacks exposes dark backdrop of track golden era

PARIS — As Usain Bolt set the world ablaze, making athletics the hottest ticket at the Olympic Games, the sport was also being eaten from within.

Angela Merkel

2 neo-Nazis on trial accused of killing German politician

BERLIN — A German court will begin hearing the case against two far-right extremists accused of killing a regional politician whose execution-style slaying shocked the country last...

Trials

Diack at corruption trial: I should have been more vigilant

PARIS — Former IAAF president Lamine Diack said at his corruption trial on Monday that he should have kept a tighter rein on the athletics governing body that prosecutors allege became a nest...

Israel

Netanyahu turns to rich friend to fund corruption trial fees

JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is on trial for accepting gifts from wealthy friends. But that has not stopped him from seeking another gift from a wealthy friend to pay...

Lamine Diack

Former IAAF president turns on son at corruption trial

PARIS — Former IAAF president Lamine Diack pointed a finger of blame at his son, saying he behaved like “a thug,” as he was quizzed in detail for the first time in court Thursday on charges...

Ukraine

Lawyer: Coronavirus restrictions hamper MH17 defense case

SCHIPHOL, Netherlands — A defense lawyer for a suspect in the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine nearly six years ago said Monday that coronavirus restrictions have...

Lamine Diack

Massive sports corruption case finally heard at Paris trial

PARIS — A sports corruption trial involving allegations of doping cover-ups and illicit payoffs at the top of track and field opened Monday in Paris.

Trials

After 30 years, wrongfully convicted death row inmate freed

A man who spent nearly three decades in behind bars, most of them on death row, after he was convicted at his second trial of killing a 4-year-old girl in Philadelphia was released Friday after...

George Floyd

Testimony: Shooter used racist slur as Arbery lay dying

BRUNSWICK, Ga. — A state investigator alleged Thursday that a white man was heard saying a racist slur as he stood over Ahmaud Arbery's body, moments after fatally shooting the black man with...

Nuremberg

Lives Lost: Veteran guarded Nazis during war crimes trial

Emilio DiPalma was, as he liked to say, just a kid from western Massachusetts when he found himself in a front-row seat to history as a courtroom guard in Nuremberg, Germany, during the first and...

Trials

Biden accuser’s credentials, expert testimony under scrutiny

PHILADELPHIA — State prosecutors in California are investigating the credentials that Tara Reade, the former Senate staffer who has accused Joe Biden of assaulting her in 1993, attested to in...

Israel

Israeli court: Alleged child sex abuser fit to stand trial

JERUSALEM — An Israeli court Tuesday ruled that a former teacher accused of sexually abusing her students in Australia is fit to stand trial for extradition, capping a years-long battle that...

Virus Outbreak

Texas court holds first US jury trial via videoconferencing

DALLAS — The potential jurors popped onto the screen one by one. They confirmed their names and told the judge how they were connecting to the court: on laptops, tablets and...

General News

Sept. 11 convict now says he renounces terrorism, bin Laden

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The only man ever convicted in a U.S. court for a role in the Sept. 11 attacks now says he is renouncing terrorism, al-Qaida and the Islamic State.

General News

The Latest: West Wing visitors, staff need to wear masks

The Latest on the coronavirus pandemic. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can...

Women's soccer

Women’s soccer players ask for equal pay appeal, trial delay

American women’s soccer players want to delay a trial until after an appellate court reviews last week's decision to throw out their claim of unequal pay while allowing allegations of...

Lori Loughlin

Judge refuses to dismiss charges against Loughlin, Giannulli

A federal judge refused Friday to dismiss charges against actress Lori Loughlin, her fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, and other prominent parents accused of cheating the college...

Virus Outbreak

Man accused in fire at party that killed 36 freed over virus

DUBLIN, Calif. — A man facing a second trial after a fire killed 36 partygoers at a San Francisco Bay Area warehouse he's accused of illegally converting into a cluttered artists enclave was...

International soccer

Women’s soccer loses equal pay bid; other claims await trial

A federal judge threw out the unequal pay claim by players on the U.S. women's national soccer team in a surprising loss for the defending World Cup champions but allowed their allegation of...

Trials

Ex-prosecutor reprimanded for appealing to jurors’ emotions

PHOENIX — A former prosecutor best known for winning a murder conviction against Jodi Arias in the gruesome killing of her former boyfriend was reprimanded Thursday by the Arizona Supreme...