Arizona Jury Deadlocked on Death Penalty Decision

In a capital murder trial that has captivated national media for months, an Arizona jury appears to be deadlocked in the determining the recommended penalty against accused murderer Jodi Arias. As of this writing, jurors had deliberated for less than... [Read More]

Former Tampa Bay Lawyer Extradited from Nicaragua on Fraud Charges

Former Tampa Bay area attorney Lawrence Hartman was deported by Nicaraguan authorities deported last week and sent back to Florida where he faces fraud charges in Tampa’s federal court. He is accused of  participating in a $137 million fraud and... [Read More]

Death Penalty Possible in Seffner Murder and Rape Case

Kenneth Ray Jackson was scheduled to be sentenced this week after having been convicted of raping and killing Cuc Thu Tran, a Seffner mother of three, in 2007. The hearing was rescheduled for June 5. A jury found Jackson guilty... [Read More]

Hillsborough County Man Charged with Murder for Killing Unborn Child

John “Andrew” Welden, the son of a Lutz fertility doctor, has been charged with first-degree murder and product tampering in Tampa’s federal court. Federal prosecutors alleged Welden killed an ex-girlfriend’s unborn child by tricking her into taking an abortion drug... [Read More]

St. Petersburg Halfway House Founder Charged with Fraud

Patrick Jay Banks, the founder of a St. Petersburg halfway house, was arrested last week on charges of defrauding investors and a federal substance abuse treatment program out of as much as $50,000. Police allege Banks cooked up an elaborate scheme... [Read More]

Guilty Plea in St. Petersburg First-Degree Murder Case Without Plea Agreement

In a relatively unusual situation, Khadafy Mullens pleaded guilty this week to two charges of first-degree murder. The plea appears to have been made without any sort of plea agreement with the prosecution. A judge will now decide whether Mullens... [Read More]

Pasco County Teacher Charged with DUI

Christopher Gamel, a social studies teacher at James W. Mitchell High School in New Port Richey, was arrested and charged with multiple counts of DUI property damage and personal injury after the car he was driving collided with a patrol... [Read More]

Lealman Man Charged with Neighbor’s Murder

Sylvester Johnson, a resident of Palace Mobile Home Park in Lealman, has been charged with first-degree murder in the stabbing death of his neighbor last week. According to Pinellas County sheriff’s detectives, Johnson went to Unit 447, where William David... [Read More]

First-Degree Murder Charges in St. Petersburg Houseboat Deaths

Authorities allege Raynaldo Figueroa-Sanabria stabbed and killed an 75-year-old man and 74-year-old woman on their 72-foot-long houseboat last week in the Loggerhead Marina in St. Petersburg. He has been charged with first-degree murder in Pinellas County. The bodies of John... [Read More]

MacDill Airman Charged with Second Degree Murder

A 22-year-old airman first class, stationed at MacDill Air Force Base, has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of her boyfriend. Last weekend, officers responded to the Coves of Brighton Bay apartment complex after receiving a 911 call... [Read More]

Lake Wales Man Not Charged After Shooting Deemed Self-Defense

The body of Joseph M. Coney was discovered earlier this week facedown in a Lake Wales yard at about 4 a.m. Homicide detectives from the Polk County sheriff’s office and Lake Wales police opened a homicide investigation after determining that... [Read More]

Arrest Made in Seffner Double Murder

According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, Charles Anthony Foster of Seffner was charged with the murder of two Seffner roommates last week in a mobile home park near Interstate 4. Foster has been charged with two counts of first-degree... [Read More]

St. Petersburg Convenience Store Owner Charged with Selling Synthetic Pot

For the first time, St. Petersburg police arrested and charged someone with selling synthetic marijuana. Meherun Nessa, the owner of a St. Petersburg convenience store, allegedly sold illegal “spice” or “K-2″ to an undercover detective on February 4th of this... [Read More]

Spring Hill Woman Sentenced to Life in Prison for Husband’s Murder

Karen Biraghi shot and killed her husband Alan Biraghi as he lay asleep on the couch in their home on Christmas Eve 2011. Hernando Circuit Judge Daniel B. Merritt Jr. recently sentenced Biraghi to life in prison for the murder... [Read More]

New Port Richey Woman Charged with Child Neglect After Crash

Crystal Dawn Rusaw of New Port Richey was arrested and charged earlier this week with child neglect and leaving the scene of a crash with injuries. According to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, Rusaw was driving a Ford Explorer when... [Read More]