Associated Press ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — The Venezuelan man convicted of killing Georgia nursing student Laken Riley has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in a case that became a flashpoint in the national debate over immigration. Jose Ibarra was charged with murder and other crimes in Riley’s February death,
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Police closed off an intersection in north Columbia on Tuesday afternoon after police found evidence of shots being fired. An ABC 17 News reporter saw four evidence markers down at the intersection of Rice Road and McKee Street. Police observed property damage and found shell casings. Crime scene tape was placed in
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Maries County judge ordered the release of criminal investigation records that allege Sheriff Chris Heitman intimidated witnesses, falsified written statements and misappropriated funds for personal use. Heitman maintains that he has done nothing wrong and claims the allegations are a result of “lies and corruption.” On Monday, Judge Brenden Fox issued
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EDITOR’S NOTE: The video has been cropped to protect sensitive evidence at the request of police. FULTON, Mo. (KMIZ) Fulton police have released surveillance video of a person of interest in an October homicide investigation. Police provided ABC 17 News this week with the video from the scene of a deadly shooting on Mokane Road.
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Columbia man was sentenced to three years and 20 days for shooting a man in 2023 at a mobile home off Business Loop 70 in Columbia. Sean Colton, 23, was found guilty by a Boone County Jury back in October for second-degree assault and armed criminal action. Boone County Judge Kevin
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Two people have been charged with murder in the July overdose death of a 62-year-old Mexico, Missouri woman. Shelbi R. Hamilton and Timothy R. Hoffman, both of Mexico, were charged Tuesday. Hamilton is charged with second-degree murder and delivery of a controlled substance. Hoffman is charged with second-degree murder, delivery of a
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A California, Missouri, man was charged with first-degree making a terrorist threat after he allegedly called in a gun threat to Eldon High School upon the request of a student. A warrant was issued on Tuesday for Ernest Blair Jr. and a $25,000 bond was set. He was not listed on the
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia Police Department is hopeful the purchase of gun identification technology will help police be more effective in solving violent crimes in the city. CPD is requesting $208,934 in seized money to buy gun identification technology. The request was presented during Monday night’s City Council meeting. According to Assistant Chief Lance
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A 20-year-old man was sentenced to 21 years in state prison Monday after he pleaded guilty to a reduced murder charge for a June 2023 shooting. Alqueze M. Jones of Columbia pleaded guilty Monday to second-degree murder in a Boone County courtroom, Boone County Prosecuting Attorney Roger Johnson said. He had been
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A man was treated for a life-threatening brain bleed and two people were charged with first-degree assault after an altercation Friday in northwest Columbia. Police arrested Felicia L. Hay, 33, and Alexander A. Aklan, 28, both of Columbia, after the incident on Primrose Drive. Hay is charged with first-degree assault and Aklan
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A man was arrested after allegedly hitting a Columbia Police Department vehicle Friday night. According to a release from CPD, police responded to a crash involving an on-duty police vehicle and another vehicle in the 2300 block of Oakland Gravel Road around 11:30 p.m. Gabriel Antonio Garcia-Vasquez, 44, of Columbia was arrested
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia Police Department arrested a man and a woman allegedly in connection with a Friday afternoon assault that happened in Northwest Columbia, according to a release from the department. At around 2:30 p.m. Friday, Columbia Police responded to an assault in the 2800 block of Primrose Dr. When officers arrived they
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Columbia man was charged with several child sex crimes on Friday. Tarl Williams, 38, was charged with two counts of statutory sodomy of a child younger than 12 years old and one count of statutory sodomy of a child younger than 14 years old. He is being held without bond at
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia Police Department on Friday held a meeting at City Hall with businesses who are experiencing a high volume of shoplifting to discuss ways to reduce the number of incidents, and handle them more efficiently. According to city spokeswoman Sydney Olsen, CPD invited businesses facing the highest volume of shoplifting incidents
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A man has been charged with a pair of misdemeanors in a fatal crash that occurred in north Columbia in May. Calvin Fleming, of Columbia, was charged on Friday with misdemeanor driving while intoxicated and driving without a license in a crash that killed Terry L. Walker, 64. A motion to set
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia Police Department is requesting $208,934 in seized money to buy gun identification technology. The request will be presented at the City Council meeting Monday. If approved, CPD will have a direct connection to the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives National Integrated Ballistic Information Network. The purchase would
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Boone County sheriff’s deputy and the county were sued on Thursday in a personal injury lawsuit. Court documents say Zackery Brink filed a petition against Deputy Adam Sharp and the county for damages from a June 30, 2023, crash. Brink says in court documents that he was a passenger in a
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Columbia man was charged Friday with three felonies for allegedly pulling a gun after trying to shoplift a sleeping bag at the Conley Road Walmart. Police say they never found a gun, but they did find a cartridge and pellets for an airsoft gun. Braxton B. Sifrit, 32, tried to take
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Columbia man who pleaded guilty in September for his role in a 2023 shooting outside of an east Columbia gas station was sentenced on Friday. Kentrail Taylor, 29, of Columbia, pleaded guilty on Sept. 17 to first-degree assault and shooting from a vehicle. He was sentenced on Friday to 15 years
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Four teenagers were arrested in Callaway County this week on suspicion of stealing cars and mail in the Mokane area. The crimes happened overnight Sunday into Monday, the Callaway County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a Facebook post. Two vehicles were stolen — the owner found one of them and the other was
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