California Dolphin

Throughout the one-week trial of Eddie Gonzalez, prosecutors painted the former Long Beach school officer as a wannabe cop who wildly overreacted to a minor fight between girls and turned it into a lethal situation. Gonzalez’s attorneys — defending him for shooting 18-year-old Manuela “Mona” Rodriguez in the back of the head as she fled the scene of the incident — called the 2021 killing a “tragedy, but not a crime.” But the jurors deciding Gonzalez’s fate deadlocked Tuesday, seemingly split not by the dueling narratives presented in court, but whether the defendant was guilty of murder or manslaughter. The jury had the option to convict on the lesser charge if they determined he killed Rodriguez in an act legally defined as “imperfect self-defense.” On Tuesday, seven jurors said they were ready to convict Gonzalez, 51, of murder, while another five said they could only convict him of voluntary manslaughter. Jurors on Monday asked if they could consider a charge of involuntary manslaughter, but Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Richard Goul said they could not. Prosecutors could still choose to retry the case. A

LeBron James has scored more points than anyone in NBA history. The four-time champion and 20-time all-star has been named league MVP and Finals MVP four times each. He also has finished second in defensive player of the year voting twice. Apparently that last part really bugs the Lakers superstar. “I mean, that’s the only award that I don’t have in my house. It kind of stings,” James said in a clip released from the latest episode of “The Shop: Uninterrupted,” which will drop Thursday on HBO. “I’ve talked about this before, like, it don’t make sense. It’s almost what [Jay-Z] just said about [Beyoncé]. How could she have the most Grammys, but never won Album of the Year?” James won his first league MVP award as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2009. He finished second to Orlando’s Dwight Howard for defensive player of the year and the voting wasn’t close. Howard received 105 first-place votes and 542 total points from the 119 sports writers and broadcasters who cast ballots; James got four first-place votes and 148 points. The one that really seems

The sun was barely up at the Federal Correctional Institute in Dublin, but the prisoners knew there was something afoot. The inmate workers still hadn’t left for their jobs that morning, and there were extra guards at the troubled federal facility in Northern California. “We could tell these were not new officers,” Rhonda Fleming, a woman imprisoned at Dublin, told The Times in an email. “We knew they came from the men’s prison.” But the women could only guess what was happening — and it made them tense. After years of controversy, lawsuits and sexual abuse scandals, on Monday the Federal Bureau of Prisons announced plans to close the facility. But instead of bringing relief, for many prisoners the news sparked fear and confusion as the women worried about being moved far away from their families. The facility in Dublin had been garnering headlines for years, and usually for nothing good. Inmates and their advocates cited problems with medical care, mold and overcrowding. But the prison was most notorious for a sex abuse scandal that earned it a reputation as the “rape club.” After the

It’s the same old song when it comes to Kawhi Leonard and his availability for the Clippers when they meet the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of the Western Conference playoffs on Sunday at Crypto.com Arena. It remains uncertain — a mystery even — if Leonard will play in the first game of the best-of-seven series. He missed the last eight games of the regular season because of right knee inflammation. The Clippers had their first practice Tuesday in preparation for the Mavericks, leaving the media to ask coach Tyronn Lue if Leonard would fully practice. “No, not fully,” Lue said. “But he’s going to be a part of practice.” Lue was asked how much Leonard can participate in practice. “Um, he’s going to do a quarter of the practice,” Lue said. LIke running, Lue was asked. “Just a quarter of the practice, yeah,” Lue responded. Is it because Leonard hasn’t played in an NBA game since March 31? “Yeah, just bring him along slowly,” Lue said. By the time Sunday rolls arrvies, Leonard will have missed three weeks of NBA game action. So, Lue

Police have released a grainy image taken from surveillance footage of a man believed to be responsible for a violent sexual assault on a woman who was sitting in her car outside of a restaurant in Pasadena on Saturday. The terrifying ordeal unfolded at around 8:40 p.m. on Sierra Madre Villa Avenue, north of Foothill Boulevard, authorities with the Pasadena Police Department said in a news release.   “The suspect got into the car with her,” PPD Lt. Tim Bundy told KTLA’s Jennifer McGraw. “He produced a knife and forced her to drive to another location in Pasadena where he then sexually assaulted her.”   Police said the woman was able to fight back, fend off the man and call 911 when he fled the area.   “It’s absolutely scary and this guy is a straight predator,” Lt. Bundy said. “That’s why we want to get the word out there. We’re actively searching for him, obviously, but we want people to be aware that he’s still out there at this point.”   The suspect is described as an approximately 30 to 40-year-old Black male, around

Prosecutors in Arizona have filed felony charges against a woman who accused former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer of sexual assault, alleging she defrauded the former Cy Young winner. The charges come after a Grand Jury in Maricopa County handed down an indictment against Darcy Adanna Esemonu on one count of fraud and one count of theft by extortion. She is due to be arraigned on April 26. In a videotaped statement, Bauer acknowledges having sex with Esemonu in 2020, which he claims, was consensual. Former Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer admits ‘mistakes,’ seeks MLB comeback She sued Bauer in 2023, alleging he raped her and got her pregnant, and demanded more than $1 million to terminate the pregnancy. He eventually paid her “thousands of dollars,” which Esemonu used for an “all-expense paid” trip to Philadelphia to get LASIK surgery, his lawyers claimed in a countersuit. “She never had an abortion because she was never even pregnant,” Bauer said in the video, which included a screenshot of a negative pregnancy urine test. KTLA 5 News’ attempts to reach Esemonu were unsuccessful. FILE – Los Angeles

Black market marijuana farms in Maine allegedly tied to Chinese criminal networks – CBS News Watch CBS News Hundreds of unlicensed marijuana farms have cropped up in Maine in recent years, a CBS News investigation has found. Officials believe criminal networks tied to China are behind some of these illegal operations. Nicole Sganga has the story. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On

USC valedictorian responds after university cancels graduation speech – CBS News Watch CBS News The University of Southern California canceled the traditional speech from the valedictorian at its upcoming graduation ceremony after some criticized her pro-Palestinian views. But the move to cancel Asna Tabassum’s speech is receiving backlash as well. Carter Evans spoke with Tabassum, who says she feels betrayed by the school. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On