The trial for the man accused of murdering Charlie Kirk while the conservative activist was speaking on a college campus last year is set to begin in mid-2028.

Utah District Court Judge Tony Graf had been expected to set a timeline for the high-profile capital murder case, including the trial date, during a hearing last month. He ultimately scheduled a hearing on the matter for Monday afternoon, during which he announced that jury selection will start on June 21, 2028.

That timing is intended "to ensure that the constitutional rights" of the suspect, Tyler Robinson, and Kirk's widow "are upheld at every junction," Graf said.

He reserved 105 days for the trial.

Defense attorneys for the suspect in the fatal shooting asked that the capital murder trial start in late 2029, while the state recommended early 2028.

In a memo filed last month, the defense asked for the trial to start in the third quarter of 2029 -- four years after Kirk was fatally shot during a Turning Point USA event -- arguing that that timeline is consistent with other capital cases in the state.

The defense anticipated that the trial could take six to seven months and would require "substantial time" for jury selection. The defense also noted they plan to undertake a venue study and, depending on the results, may request a change of venue for the trial.

In the state's own filing, prosecutors said they anticipate the trial lasting 17 weeks and that they could be ready to start as soon as Oct. 4, 2027. However, the state recommended that the trial begin on Jan. 31, 2028, to avoid the "worst of the winter season" as well as the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

Kirk's family wants the trial to start as soon as next year, according to a court filing. In response to both filings, Kirk's widow, Erika Kirk, asked the court to "enforce the right to a speedy disposition" and set the trial for as early as possible in 2027, no later than the state's anticipated readiness date of Oct. 4, 2027, to avoid "needless delay."

"Under the Defendants' proposed schedule, Mr. Kirk's two children, who were one and three at the time he was murdered, will be six and eight years old by the time the trial concludes," a motion filed on Erika Kirk's behalf stated. "They will face the uncertainty of this criminal proceeding longer than they had their father in their lives. Each hearing induces anxiety, pain, and mourning. The Kirk family deserves to have this matter resolved expeditiously."

The motion also argued that a 2029 trial start will come at a "great cost to the taxpayers of Utah."

Robinson is accused of killing Kirk with a rifle shot fired from a building's rooftop approximately 415 feet from where the co‑founder of the conservative student organization Turning Point USA was speaking at an outdoor rally at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on Sept. 10, 2025.

The 23-year-old suspect was charged with aggravated murder, a capital felony, which alleges that others were knowingly endangered in the shooting. He was also charged with felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, obstruction of justice, witness tampering and commission of a violent offense in the presence of a child.

In September, Judge Graf found probable cause for Robinson to stand trial on all charges. The judge also found that there was a reasonable known risk of death to others at the time of the shooting, allowing prosecutors to pursue the death penalty.

Robinson has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

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A crew member aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship was found by two fishermen and rescued off the coast of Southern California after surviving roughly nine hours in the Pacific Ocean, according to authorities and his rescuers.

The crew member, whose name was not released, is believed to have fallen from the cruise line's 14-deck ship "Ovation of the Sea" early Friday morning, officials said. He was discovered later that day about 15 to 20 miles off the coast of Newport Beach and rescued, according to the fishermen who saved him.

"He could not stop shaking and he could not talk," Sean Norton, of Newport Beach, told ABC station KABC. "And it was clear to us that he was near death."

Norton's fishing partner, Grant Garrett, said he first spotted the man floating on his back in the water near Catalina Island.

"I saw his head out of the water. He was flailing his hands just a little bit and his feet just a little bit just to keep his head above water so he could breathe," Garrett told KABC. "We acted as quick as we could to go and get him out of the water."

The fishermen said they contacted the U.S. Coast Guard for help. A crew from the Newport Beach Fire Lifeguard Department was dispatched to their vessel to treat the man.

The man was taken to a hospital and is expected to live, authorities said.

Fire and rescue officials estimate the man was in the water about nine hours before Norton and Garrett found him.

Royal Caribbean confirmed to ABC News that the man who was rescued was a crew member on board the ship that had departed from San Pedro, California, and was headed to Ensenada, Mexico.

"We are providing support and assistance to our crew member during this difficult time," Royal Caribbean said in a statement.

The circumstances of how the man ended up going overboard were not immediately clear.

Battalion Chief Mike Ure of the Newport Beach Fire and Lifeguard Department said the man is fortunate to be alive, adding that the warmer El Niño waters of the Pacific Ocean may have saved his life.

"The water was warm. It’s probably 72 to 74 degrees. Pretty good for survival, at least for the short term. And, yeah, he was really fortunate those conditions were present for him," Ure told KABC.

ABC News' Henderson Hewes contributed to this report.

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One cyclist was killed, and a dozen others were injured Saturday morning after a car struck a group of bicyclists in Wake County, North Carolina, according to the State Highway Patrol.

Authorities said impairment is suspected to have played a role in the crash.

According to law enforcement, the crash happened around 9:39 a.m. on Optimist Farm Road near Talicud Trail, which sits near Raleigh, North Carolina.

Investigators said a black car was traveling along Optimist Farm Road when it crossed the center line and struck a group of cyclists, highway patrol said. The driver allegedly continued away from the initial crash scene before running off the left side of the road and crashing into a ditch about half a mile away, authorities said.

The driver, identified as Donald Robert Morris-Jones, 76, of Apex, North Carolina, was arrested and charged with felony death by vehicle, seven counts of felony serious injury by vehicle, eight counts of felony hit and run, driving while impaired, reckless driving and driving left of center, authorities said on Saturday.

Morris-Jones was held at the Wake County Detention Center on a $1 million secured bond, according to law enforcement.

According to authorities, the cyclist who died was identified as Patrick Allen Turner, 63, of Cary, North Carolina. 

Approximately 12 other cyclists suffered injuries ranging from minor to serious, and several were taken to local hospitals for treatment, highway patrol said.

The Capital Cycling Club identified the impacted bikers as club members in a board statement over the weekend.

The club remembered Turner, calling him a "strong, consistent, reliable and considerate rider," in the statement

"We are all in shock by the senseless decision by the individual that caused the collision. This horrific event was -no accident-. As far as we know, the individual made a decision to drive in a way that put others in grave and mortal peril," a statement from the club alleged.

The statement continued, "We do not think there was any possible way the driver did not know that he had collided with the group. He chose at that moment to keep driving away from the scene, leaving mass carnage in his wake."

The club said it is working with law enforcement and thanked first responders.

An attorney for Morris-Jones could not be immediately identified.

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Heavy rain on Sunday in parts of southern Texas is prompting flash-flood threats that are expected to stretch into Monday and could produce rainfall totals of 7 to 9 inches.

A flood watch remains in effect on Sunday after multiple days of rainstorms have saturated the ground across the South Texas region.

Corpus Christi, Laredo, San Antonio, Brownsville and Kerrville are among the South Texas cities under a flood watch through Monday morning, where widespread rainfall amounts of 2 to 5 inches are likely. Some areas could receive 7 to 9 inches of rainfall from slower-moving and training storms.

Some areas of South Texas have already gotten more than 5 inches of rain since Sunday morning, including areas east of Laredo to near Kingsville.

Moderate to heavy rainfall is expected through Sunday evening for some parts of southern Texas that will linger into Monday morning's commute.

For the remainder of Sunday, a level 2 of 4 threat for flash flooding is in effect across southern Texas, including Brownsville, Corpus Christi, San Antonio and Kerrville. Rainfall rates at times could reach 1 to 2 inches per hour.

On Friday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) to bolster its emergency response to the ongoing flooding threat.

“The State of Texas is prepared to respond to the threat of heavy rainfall and flash floods across South and West Texas," Abbott said in a statement. "I directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management to mobilize additional state emergency response resources to support local officials and help protect Texans. I urge all Texans to remain weather-aware, monitor local forecasts, avoid flooded roadways, and heed guidance from state and local officials.”

The flooding threat in Texas comes just days after catastrophic flooding along the Tennessee-Georgia border, prompting numerous water rescues, officials said.

Emergency officials ordered residents in McCaysville, Ga., and Copperhill, Tenn., to evacuate on Thursday.

The two cities experienced catastrophic flooding after 6 to 9 inches of rain fell over several hours, leading the Ocoee River to rise to a record 18.05 feet. The Ocoee River's previous record crest was 17.8 feet, reached on Feb. 16, 1990.

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The NYPD said it arrested a New York City teacher's aide Saturday in connection with the killing of Katie Suarez, who was stabbed while jogging in Brooklyn last week.

Sayed Mohassib, 27, was arrested after detectives allegedly developed evidence they say placed him at the scene of the attack, the police said. He has been charged with second-degree murder, according to police.

Suarez, 28, was stabbed in the neck on Oct. 30 while jogging along the Belt Parkway waterfront in Brooklyn. She succumbed to her injuries three days later.

She called her father around 8 p.m. Friday to tell him she was about a half mile from home, according to police.

When she did not arrive back home, her parents went looking for her, and her father found her stabbed in the neck, according to NYPD Chief of Detectives Joe Kenny.

Mohassib currently works as a teachers aide at a Brooklyn public elementary school that is near the crime scene, a source with knowledge of the investigation told ABC News.

He briefly worked for the NYPD before being removed for psychological reasons, the source said. He was later discharged from the Marines for mental health issues and was unsuccessful in an attempt to rejoin the NYPD, according to the source.

No attorney information was available and a motive was not immediately revealed by investigators.

-ABC News' Aaron Katersky and Meredith Ferrell contributed to this report.

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A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to facilitate the return of a Nicaraguan immigrant who was deported to the Central African Republic.

Kenis Lopez Gonzalez, who had been living in Minnesota since 2022 with a work permit, was detained by federal immigration agents in January during Operation Metro Surge, a large-scale federal immigration crackdown undertaken as part of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.

After being detained for eight months, Lopez Gonzalez was placed on a bus with dozens of other immigrants and told he was going to be deported to the Central African Republic, according to court documents. He alleges in court filings that officers shot him with rubber bullets before placing him on a plane in restraints.

Lopez Gonzalez had previously been granted protection from deportation to Nicaragua due to the risk of torture, according to his attorney. He was deported to the Central African Republic without an opportunity to challenge his removal to that country.

"Lopez was struck by projectiles several times and developed welts on his legs, chest, and arms," his attorneys said in court documents. "Eventually, the detainees, who were still wearing restraints, were forced off the bus and onto an airplane."

Lopez Gonzalez has been in Africa since August, along with dozens of Latin American immigrants deported by the Trump administration.

"I'm very scared," Lopez Gonzalez said in Spanish during a press call on Friday.

On Oct. 30, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Bryan ordered Lopez Gonzalez to be returned, finding that "the threat of irreparable harm to Lopez of remaining in the Central African Republic while his claims are pending is self-evident and was known to Defendants well before they ever forced Lopez (with quickly developing bruises and welts) onto a flight to the Central African Republic."

"Defendants relocated Lopez to an unstable country that they affirmatively knew to have corrupt and ineffective law enforcement and where residents are at the mercy of armed criminal groups," Judge Bryan wrote. "Lopez has no legal status in the Central African Republic and no means by which to provide for himself."

On Friday, Lopez Gonzalez's attorney said the government has so far complied with court deadlines to submit paperwork.

"If they drag their feet, if they slow-walk it, we'll be right back in front of the judge, asking the judge to light a fire under them," said attorney Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg.

Sandoval-Moshenberg -- who also represents Kilmar Abrego Garcia -- said the government has the legal authority to deport his client to a third country, but that he's entitled to a "reasonable fear interview" and a hearing before an immigration judge.

"He's entitled to a trial in front of an immigration judge, and that's all he's asking," Sandoval-Moshenberg said. "And of course, it goes without saying that the trial is supposed to be done before they forcibly put him on a plane, not after the plane lands and kicks him off in Central Africa."

Lopez Gonzalez said on Friday that he's been sick with malaria for five days and has witnessed violence due to the political conflicts in the Central African Republic.

"It's very difficult ... all the violations of due process that each one of us has gone through," he said.

ABC News was previously told by a group of Latin American immigrants who were deported to the Central African Republic that they were dismayed the U.S. government would send them to a place that it warns its own citizens against visiting. A Department of State travel advisory warns Americans not to travel there due to risks of unrest, crime, kidnapping, landmines, health issues, and terrorism.

One of the men interviewed by ABC was ordered returned by a federal judge in Colorado in September. He is still in the Central African Republic.

A spokesperson for DHS said Judge Bryan's order is an "example of an activist judge trying to thwart President Trump's agenda to remove illegal aliens who have no right to be in this country."

"This Biden-appointed judge is openly defying the Supreme Court by ordering this illegal alien's return despite him having already received a final order of removal from a judge and due process," the spokesperson said. "This illegal alien should have never been released into our country by the Biden administration."

The Immigration and Nationality Act allows the Department of Homeland Security to deport migrants to third countries when authorities establish that the individuals could face persecution in their country of origin or if that country cannot accept them.

According to immigration lawyers and advocates, third-country removals are rare, though not new. In recent months, the Trump administration has expanded third-country deportations following formal agreements with nearly three dozen nations to deport asylum seekers, refugees, and migrants with criminal records with little to no notice.

Some of the new destinations include Liberia, Ghana, the Central African Republic, and Sierra Leone.

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In the early hours of Dec. 26, 1996, after a festive family Christmas, Patsy Ramsey walked down the stairs in her Boulder, Colorado, home to discover a terrifying ransom note telling her that her 6-year-old daughter JonBenét Ramsey had been kidnapped.

She immediately called 911 and the Boulder Police Department responded to the scene in three minutes.

The taunting two-and-a-half-page ransom note was addressed to JonBenét's father, John Ramsey, and demanded $118,000 for the safe return of his daughter.

"You stand a 99% chance of killing your daughter if you try to out smart [sic] us," the letter said. There was no sign of JonBenét or further communication from the would-be kidnappers.

A new "20/20" episode, "JonBenét Ramsey: Race Against Time, Who is 'Unknown Male 1?' -- A New Diane Sawyer Investigation" airing Friday, Nov. 6 at 9 p.m. ET on ABC and streaming the next day on Disney+ and Hulu, re-examines the case.

You can get more behind the scenes of each week's episode by listening to "20/20: The After Show" weekly series right on your 20/20 podcast feed on Mondays, hosted by "20/20" co-anchor Deborah Roberts.

Hours later, a police officer asked John Ramsey and a friend to look through the house to see if anything seemed out of place. John Ramsey discovered his daughter’s lifeless body in the basement of their home.

An autopsy report determined that JonBenét had been sexually assaulted and killed by blunt force trauma to the head and strangulation, which was carried out with a makeshift corded torture device called a garrote.

With 19 new interviews, ABC News anchor Diane Sawyer and chief investigative correspondent Aaron Katersky take a fresh look at this cold case, talking with investigators, forensic scientists, genealogy experts, the Boulder Police chief and JonBenét's brothers Burke Ramsey and John Andrew Ramsey, among others.

In the weeks and months after the murder, members of the Ramsey family came under intense scrutiny by both the Boulder police and the general public. Skeptics of the family pointed to several details of the case, including the ransom note, which some close to the investigation believed was staged by a family member to cover up JonBenét's death.

The note was written on Patsy Ramsey’s notepad but after numerous handwriting comparisons, only one indicated that the samples showed any similarities to Patsy’s writing. The Ramsey family vehemently denied any claims they were involved in their daughter's death.

In 2008, DNA was detected on the outside of JonBenét's pajama bottoms using a new testing method called touch DNA analysis. It matched the DNA found inside JonBenét's underwear and traced to the same unknown male, and not to any member of the Ramsey family.

With this development, then-Boulder County District Attorney Mary Lacy wrote a letter to John Ramsey. 

"This new scientific evidence convinces us that it is appropriate, given the circumstances of this case, to state that we do not consider your immediate family, including you, your wife, Patsy, and your son, Burke, to be under any suspicion in the commission of this crime," Lacy wrote. "I wish we could have done so before Mrs. Ramsey died."

Patsy Ramsey died from ovarian cancer in 2006, two years before Mary Lacy’s letter to the family.

Later, some Boulder officials said Lacy's letter was inappropriate for a prosecutor, and she should not have cleared the Ramseys while the investigation was ongoing.

In recent years, a new technology called single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) has made it possible to solve cold murder cases nationwide. The advanced testing can retrieve DNA from miniscule samples. Combined with genetic genealogy, it allows officials to identify suspects by matching DNA to that of distant family members in law enforcement databases, using online genetic databases.

Even with this promising new development, challenges remain for investigators. Some DNA samples obtained from the body and crime scene are very small and complex, as multiple DNA strands are mixed together, making it difficult to verifiably match with a single individual.

The current Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn had never before done an interview about the Ramsey case. He sat down with ABC News' Sawyer, telling her that his department is in talks with labs that might be able to test the DNA using forensic genetic genealogy.

He said they are hesitant to send any sample until they have full confidence that the technology is advanced enough to get results that help progress the case. In some cases, if the sample is very small, it can be consumed by the testing.

"We might get lucky because we may only, in some circumstances, with what we have, have one shot at getting it tested," Redfearn said.

Redfearn said they are re-interviewing suspects, testing new evidence and pursuing every lead.

"I would love nothing more than 30 years since this little girl was murdered in her own home, someone finally decides to get something off their chest," he said.

Burke Ramsey, who has largely stayed out of the public eye since his sister's death, praised his parents for how strong they were in the aftermath of the tragedy.

"This awful thing happened to this family, and the world turns against you. And it's cruel," he said.

JonBenét’s older half-brother, John Andrew Ramsey, said investigators must have courage and act aggressively to get the case solved as soon as possible.

"I know we're going to find this person," he said. "This is a case that can be solved. There's a mountain of evidence out there. We've got the DNA testing that's in our favor. It's not a question of if, but when."

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One police officer was killed and three others wounded after a gunfight with a suspect who was trying to get on a bus in Lakewood, Colorado, Thursday night, police said.

The suspect was killed in the gunfire, John Romero, the public information officer with the Lakewood Police Department, told reporters at a press conference.

A civilian was also injured in the incident, but the circumstances are unclear, he said.

Officers were called to the area of Colfax and Wadsworth, in Lakewood, about 5 miles west of downtown Denver, at about 6:30 p.m. local time for the report of a "suspicious person," who may have been involved in a hit-and-run earlier in the day, Romero said.

When officers encountered the suspect he was attempting to get on a Regional Transportation District bus, Romero said.

"Within seconds of agents approaching the suspect, the suspect opened fire on our agents. A gunfight ensued," he said.

All four officers were taken to area hospitals, where one of them died. Romero said he did not have the conditions of the three wounded officers.

The identity of the victims and the suspect have not been released.

The Jefferson County Critical Incident Response Team will handle the investigation into the officer-involved shooting, Romero said.

"Right now, our main concern is the family of our fallen agent and our agents here at the Lakewood Police Department," Romero said. "We just want the family to know that we love them, that we're here for them, and Lakewood Police Department is a family, and we will be here for each other."

In a statement, the RTD transportation service said: "RTD is deeply concerned by the shooting that occurred this evening aboard an RTD-contracted operated bus servicing Route 76 in Lakewood. Our thoughts are with those affected directly by this incident. The safety and well-being of our customers, employees and partners remain our highest priority."

In a statement posted on social media, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said: "Law enforcement put their lives on the line for our safety everyday and I am heartbroken to learn that a Lakewood Police Agent was killed in the line of duty this evening."

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Three people face charges alleging they schemed to use artificial intelligence to defraud companies of nearly $130 million, federal prosecutors in Manhattan announced Thursday.

Jacob Soall, who called himself "Rocky Balboa," Sharon Hazan and Guy Sheetrit were arrested in Europe and are awaiting extradition to the U.S. to face conspiracy, money laundering and other charges, prosecutors said.

Between July 2024 and February 2026, the trio allegedly used AI to impersonate the voices of corporate executives at numerous companies and attorneys at big law firms in order to trick employees into sending large payments to bank accounts all over the world, according to the newly unsealed indictment.

According to the indictment, they would tell the target company's employees they needed assistance with a confidential financial transaction and would use AI to mimic the CEO's voice or image in calls with the employee.

While pretending to be the CEO, they would direct the employee to get in touch with lawyers at large international law firms who they said were also working on the sham financial transaction, the indictment alleged. They would then impersonate those lawyers to further make the employee believe that the financial transaction was real, the indictment alleged.

Ultimately, the employee would be directed to wire a large sum of money to a particular bank account controlled by members of the conspiracy, costing the companies more than $129 million, according to prosecutors.

The scheme allegedly stole $4,829,580 from a hospital system headquartered in Missouri; $2,684,580 from a bank headquartered in Rhode Island; $2,968,497 from a hospital system headquartered in California; $11,578,474 from a financial technology company headquartered in the United Kingdom; $4,639,918 from a mutual fund company headquartered in Massachusetts; and $5,242,747 from a pet food company headquartered in Florida, among other victims, according to the indictment.

AI technology "offers tremendous potential. But the public should recognize that there are some who seek to use this emerging technology to pursue criminal goals," U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald said in a statement.

The three foreign nationals were arrested in recent months, according to the DOJ. Soall, 41, of Marbella, Spain, and the U.K., was arrested in Spain in June. Hazan, 54, of Israel, was arrested in Spain in August. Sheetrit, 42, of Israel and the United Arab Emirates, was arrested in the U.K. in September.

The charges carry a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison.

Hazan was previously convicted in Manhattan federal court of conspiracy to commit bank fraud in 2008, according to the DOJ.

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The suspect in a deadly shooting at a Citibank business complex in Florida was "irate" after receiving a court summons over some $2,500 in credit card debt that he owed the financial institution, according to authorities.

Hours after allegedly threatening violence against the company, authorities say he crashed his vehicle into the courtyard of the Tampa-area Citibank office complex and opened fire, fatally shooting the first person he saw and sparking panic on the large campus.

Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said there likely would have been more casualties if not for the heroic actions of a Citibank security guard, who shot and killed the gunman after he entered a cafeteria armed with a rifle.

"Phenomenal job by everyone collaboratively coming together to make sure that this tragic incident wasn't catastrophic," Chronister said during a press briefing on Thursday. "Our suspect took one life, and that's one life too many."

Chronister identified the suspect in Wednesday's shooting as 35-year-old Jacob Pearson, a married father of one with no criminal record, who lived in Orlando.

"This was targeted; he targeted Citibank employees yesterday, holding them responsible for his debt," Chronister said.

Around 9 a.m. Wednesday, Pearson contacted an attorney's office contracted by Citibank for collection, "upset" and "irate" that he recently received a summons to go to court over a delinquent payment, according to Chronister.

According to the sheriff, Pearson allegedly told the attorney's office, "Unless you want me to go over there with my AR-15, my bulletproof vest, and my insanity ... cancel this court case. Do you understand me? They are only an hour and three minutes away, so the last thing you want to do is f with me."

Court records show that Pearson owed $2,556.40 on a credit card issued by Citibank and had recently been summoned to appear for a pre-trial conference in the small claims case in February.

The attorney's office contacted Citibank's head of security, who then contacted the Orlando Police Department to request a welfare check on Pearson, according to Chronister.

Pearson had already left by the time officers arrived at this Orlando residence, according to the sheriff. His wife told police she did not know where he went but that he "appeared to be angry," Chronister said.

Orlando police updated the head of security at Citibank, who contacted the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office to report the threat, saying, "We don't know where he's at. We don't know if he intends on following up on that threat," according to Chronister.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office dispatched two law enforcement officers to the Citibank campus, and while coordinating with the Citibank security team on where to go, gunshots were fired in the courtyard shortly after noon, according to Chronister.

The suspect had crashed his vehicle through a gate in the courtyard, exited it carrying a rifle and walked toward the first Citibank employee that he saw and shot her three times, according to the sheriff.

"As he shoots her, his rifle begins to malfunction," Chronister said. "This suspect returns back to his car, retrieves his handgun, walks back over to the victim, who's trying to crawl away with her life, and executes her."

The suspect then entered a cafeteria, where he encountered a security guard who had taken a "tactical position" in the men's restroom after hearing gunshots, according to the sheriff. The two engaged in a gunfight and the security guard struck the suspect five times, Chronister said.

The suspect was transported to an area hospital, where he died, officials said.

The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. Chronister identified her as 41-year-old Leanne Selman, of Palm Harbor. She had worked at Citibank for nine years and was in human resources, the company said.

Chronister identified the "hero" security guard as John Fraley, a Marine Corps veteran who is the vice president of operations on Citibank's security team.

The sheriff said the suspect was armed with 90 rounds of ammunition and was "intent on one purpose, and that purpose was to hunt any human being he could find and kill."

"Because of the heroic actions of this Citibank security officer, vice president of operations, his reign of terror ended," Chronister said.

A Citigroup spokesperson also commended the security team.

"Our hearts are heavy, but they are also full of gratitude," Ed Skyler, the head of Enterprise Services and Public Affairs at Citigroup, said during Thursday's briefing. "We are grateful to the actions of our security team, their heroic actions to prevent this tragedy from becoming even worse."

Skyler said that threats "come in frequently" and are "all assessed."

"This threat was taken incredibly seriously," he said. "Our security team was aware of it, was changing their security posture as the event was starting."

He continued, "We have highly trained, disciplined people on site that thankfully were able to handle the situation, prevent what was a tragedy from becoming something much, much worse."

Skyler said the company is in touch with the victim's family, whom he described as a "bright light" and "beloved" employee, as well as the 9,500 Tampa colleagues, many of whom were on site Wednesday.

"Many witnessed the event, and all were evacuated," he said. "We are making sure we offer whatever resources we can to support them."

The shooting sparked panic as employees fled the scene and four people went to the hospital. During the chaos, two people suffered minor injuries and a third had chest pains, according to Chronister. Police also urged a pregnant woman to go to the hospital "out of an abundance of caution," he said. All have since been released, he said.

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State police in Pennsylvania announced DNA testing has tied together two long-standing cold case deaths and allegedly confirmed a "serial killer" was in Washington County in southwestern Pennsylvania in the 1970s.

Authorities alleged at a press conference on Wednesday that James Richard Clark Sr., who was born in 1957 and died at 66 in 2023, was responsible for the murders of both Susan Rush and Brenda Ritter.

He was 19 and 20 years old, respectively, at the time of the two homicides, and lived in the Washington County area at the time, state police said.

"Testing confirmed there was a serial killer in Washington County during this time frame," said Cpl. James Petrosky, the criminal investigation assessment supervisor with Troop B of the Pennsylvania State Police at the press conference.

According to ABC News Pittsburgh WTAE, authorities said Rush was found dead, sexually assaulted and strangled in the trunk of her car in 1976.

Ritter, 18, was killed in 1977. Her remains were found on a hillside, and authorities determined she had been sexually assaulted and strangled, according to WTAE.

Petrosky said additional DNA testing was done in May of 2025, and "identified the same offender murdered both Susan Rush and Brenda Ritter," Petrosky said.

Authorities said families of both victims have been notified and have asked for privacy.

Taking questions at the press conference, Petrosky said authorities were not ruling out that Clark may be responsible for other homicides.

"I believe that once you're a serial killer, you're always a serial killer," he said. "I believe there could potentially be more victims out there."

Authorities said the investigation is ongoing.

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Two college students who went missing on a weekend hike in the Colorado mountains died after an anchor they were using while climbing failed and they fell a "substantial" distance, according to authorities.

Kaden Matsuda, 19, and Jackson Donlon, 20, were found dead in a basin of West Apostle Mountain on Oct. 28, days after setting out on their trip, according to the Chaffee County Sheriff's Office.

An autopsy this week determined that the cause of both of their deaths was multiple blunt force injuries, according to the Chaffee County Sheriff's Office and Chaffee County Coroner's Office. Their deaths were "instant," the offices said in a statement on Tuesday.

An investigation found that the two fell a "substantial" distance while rappelling after their anchor "had a catastrophic failure of unknown cause," the offices said.

A heavy snowstorm had impacted the area while they were on their trip. It is unknown if the storm "had a negative impact leading to the incident, but it did not play a direct contributing factor in their death," the offices said.

The two friends had attended Colorado Mountain College in Leadville. Matsuda -- of Ridgway, Colorado -- was studying to be a wildland firefighter, and Donlon -- of Queensbury, New York -- was studying to become a mountain guide, authorities said.

"Kaden and Jackson lived life at the highest peaks chasing freedoms and panoramic views that most of us only see in pictures. We hope their families and friends find strength in the memories of their vibrant spirits," Chaffee County Sheriff Andy Rohrich said in a statement.

The sheriff said there is also "relief knowing neither of them suffered."

"While their lives were far too short, they spent their final moments together surrounded by the majestic beauty of Chaffee County's high peaks that they loved," he said.

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A sixth person in Pennsylvania has died of measles, state health officials said Wednesday.

The person was unvaccinated and a resident of Jefferson County, according to the officials.

This brings the nation’s total to seven measles-associated deaths this year, which includes six in Pennsylvania and one in New York.

Pennsylvania has reported 1,467 cases so far this year, becoming the largest outbreak in U.S. recent memory. 

The death in Pennsylvania comes just days after New York state reported its first known measles-associated death in the state in over 30 years.

Health officials said a child died in Lewis County amid the ongoing outbreak.

At least 96% of measles cases in the U.S. this year have been among people who are unvaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown.

Early symptoms include cough, runny nose, fever as high as 104 degrees Fahrenheit and red, watery eyes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Two to three days after symptoms start, patients may develop Koplik spots, which are tiny white spots that may appear inside the mouth on the inner cheek.

Three to five days after symptoms start, patients may experience a rash, first appearing on the face at the hairline before moving downwards to the neck, chest, stomach, arms, legs and feet. Fever may spike even higher than 104 F when the rash appears, the CDC says.

Nationally, more than 4,800 measles cases have been confirmed this year in the U.S., with infections reported in almost every state, according to the CDC. It's the highest number of illnesses from measles since 1991.

The CDC currently recommends that people receive two doses of the MMR vaccine, the first at ages 12 to 15 months and the second between 4 and 6 years old. One dose is 93% effective in preventing measles infection, and two doses are 97% effective, the CDC says.

Infants aged 6 to 11 months living in or traveling to high-risk outbreak areas may receive an early third dose of the MMR vaccine.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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This year's ozone hole over the Antarctic was the largest in a decade, according to a new report by NOAA and NASA.

The 2026 ozone hole became the seventh largest in 48 years of monitoring, fueled by an unusually powerful polar vortex which prolonged ozone depletion in the Antarctic and allowed the hole to grow larger, researchers explained.

This is a stark contrast to 2025, when the ozone hole ranked as the fifth smallest since 1992.

"The polar vortex was unusually large this year in part because planetary-scale weather systems that typically well up from the lower atmosphere and break up the vortex were especially weak in August and September," said Amy Butler, a research scientist at NOAA's Chemical Sciences Laboratory.

According to government data, the ozone hole reached its greatest extent for the year on Sept. 18, measuring 10.5 million square miles, about 90% as large as the largest ozone hole on record in 2000.

Despite this year's larger hole, however, NOAA and NASA scientists emphasize that efforts to limit ozone-depleting chemical compounds have had a significant impact and long-term recovery remains on track.

"The 2026 ozone hole is large but could have been 1 to 2 million square miles larger if ozone-depleting substances were as prevalent in the atmosphere today as they were at their year 2000 peak," said Paul Newman, a senior scientist at the University of Maryland and longtime leader of NASA's ozone research team.

For decades, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and other ozone-depleting compounds were widely used in aerosol sprays, foams, air conditioners, and refrigerators, causing significant reductions in ozone levels. Researchers estimate that the ozone hole will recover by the 2070s as the older compounds disintegrate.

"The annual ozone hole has been forming later in the season in recent years, which tells us the ozone layer is healing," Newman added.

The so-called "ozone hole" is not an actual hole in the planet's ozone layer, but rather a large region of the Earth's stratosphere with extremely low ozone concentrations.

Earth's ozone layer acts as a planetary sunscreen, shielding humans, animals, and plants from harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation. When ozone levels drop, more UV rays reach the surface, increasing the risk of adverse health and environmental impacts such as crop damage, skin cancer, and cataracts.

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Voters in Missouri rejected an anti-abortion rights measure on the ballot that would have prohibited abortions, with some exceptions, and undone the "right to reproductive freedom" that voters had previously enshrined two years ago.

The failed amendment, led by anti-abortion rights PAC Her Health and Her Future, would have allowed state lawmakers to enact legislation to regulate abortions and access to care, according to the Guttmacher Institute.

The measure voters rejected would have allowed abortions in cases of medical emergencies, fetal anomalies, rape or incest. In cases of rape or incest, abortion would have only been allowed up to 12 weeks gestation.

Under the failed amendment, minors seeking abortion would have needed the consent of a parent or guardian, according to the Guttmacher Institute.

The failed amendment would have also enacted constitutional restrictions on gender-affirming care for minors.

Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, ending federal protections for access to abortion, 13 states have ceased nearly all abortion services and four states have a six-week ban on the books, according to an ABC News tally.

After the overturning of Roe, Missouri enacted a trigger ban, prohibiting most abortions in the state.

In 2024, Missouri voters approved an amendment that enshrined the "right to reproductive freedom" in the state constitution with about 52% of the vote, prohibiting the government from denying or infringing on anyone's right to reproductive freedom.

The 2024 ballot initiative allowed for the overturning of Missouri's total ban on abortion through a subsequent court decision, allowing abortions to resume in 2025, according to the Guttmacher Institute.

According to the Guttmacher Institute, 3,550 abortions were provided by clinicians in Missouri in 2025, a 53.5% increase from 2024.

Due to the restrictions prior to the court decision that allowed abortions to resume in the state, more than 11,600 people traveled out of Missouri for abortion care in 2025, according to the Guttmacher Institute.

Reproductive Freedom for All said it invested six figures in its effort to defeat the 2026 ballot initiative and protect reproductive freedom.

"Missouri Republicans tried to overturn the will of voters, but Missourians fought back and chose reproductive freedom for the third time in two years. Missouri voters have made their voices clear and rejected anti-democratic attempts to take away their power," Reproductive Freedom for All President and CEO Mini Timmaraju said in a statement late Tuesday.

State Sen. Adam Schnelting, who sponsored the proposal that led to Amendment 3 being placed on this year's ballot, told ABC News last month that passing the amendment is "critical to protecting women and children and providing Missourians with a measure that is more in line with their values than the one narrowly passed two years ago."

Schnelting did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment on the election results.

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The criminal investigation into a former Cornell University student's rape claim will be led by a Cornell alumna who has successfully prosecuted sexual offenses in federal court and now works in a private practice that represents women who've said they were trafficked or abused by Jeffrey Epstein.

New York Attorney General Letitia James on Wednesday named Jackie Kelly to conduct the investigation into whether Jane Doe's allegations of a fraternity house gang rape merit criminal charges.

"I thank Attorney General James for entrusting me to lead this investigation with her office," said Kelly. "All New Yorkers deserve a fair and thorough inquiry into the facts of this case. I look forward to lending my years of experience as a federal prosecutor to the Office of the Attorney General as we examine all available evidence."

New York Governor Kathy Hochul earlier removed the district attorney in Tompkins County, who had declined to bring criminal charges after reading a summary of Jane Doe's statements to Cornell University police, in which she alleged in November 2024 that she had been raped by a group of men at the Chi Phi fraternity house. All seven of the fraternity brothers accused in the incident have denied wrongdoing

Hochul last month appointed James as special prosecutor and James has hired Kelly to gather and analyze the evidence and to conduct interviews. 

"The Office of the Attorney General is committed to a thorough investigation guided only by the facts, the evidence, and the law," said James. "Jacqueline Kelly is a seasoned prosecutor who has overseen numerous cases from investigation through trial. With her criminal legal expertise, commitment to public service, and judicial experience, I am confident that she will lead a fair and comprehensive investigation."

Kelly works in private practice at Boies Schiller Flexner, where she represents victims of sexual assault. She previously worked as a federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York, where, as the inaugural Civil Rights Unit Chief for the Criminal Division, she oversaw the prosecutions of music mogul Sean Combs, fashion mogul Peter Nygard and other sex-crime cases.

Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten concluded in 2024 that what Jane Doe alleged, while "morally disturbing," did not constitute rape under New York law. He had opted to reopen the investigation and bring the evidence to a grand jury before the governor removed him and appointed James to take over.

James is facing calls for her removal from two of the fraternity brothers Jane Doe named in her civil lawsuit. They have cited one of James' social media posts before she was named special prosecutor.

"Attorney General James's public statement, followed just three days later by her assignment to oversee the same matter, creates a serious appearance of prejudgment," said Stuart Bernstein, an attorney for Gillio Lopes.

James has said the claims are without merit, and Hochul has said she has "every confidence" in James' handling of the case.

According to the attorney general's office, Kelly is facing no deadline to reach a conclusion. There is no statute of limitations for the most serious sex offenses in New York, but the two-year statute of limitation for misdemeanors has expired.  

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Jacob Morley, the convicted murderer who escaped a Tennessee prison last month, has been taken into custody near Kansas City, Missouri, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced Tuesday.

Morley had escaped from the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) announced on Oct. 26.

According to the Williamson County Sheriff's Office in Illinois, authorities responded to a report of a stolen vehicle on Tuesday morning, southwest of Marion, Illinois.

"Investigators subsequently determined that the vehicle, a white 2005 Ford pickup truck utilized as a farm vehicle, had been stolen by 28-year-old Tennessee prison escapee Jacob Allen Morley," the sheriff's office added.

The sheriff's office highlighted coordinated efforts with law enforcement partners resulting "in the apprehension of Jacob Allen Morley by the Missouri State Highway Patrol as he traveled through the Kansas City, Missouri, area."

The Missouri State Highway Patrol confirmed they took the suspect into custody in Carroll County, Missouri, near Norborne, Missouri, which sits about an hour east of Kansas City.

According to MSHP, authorities received information from the TBI that Morley may have been traveling through the state. After authorities located the vehicle using license plate cameras, the Kansas City Police Department followed the vehicle with a helicopter.

Morley was eventually taken into custody "without incident," according to MSHP.

According to TDOC, Morley was serving a life sentence for a conviction in Carter County, Tennessee, for crimes including first-degree murder, aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence, evading arrest and vandalism.

"At approximately 11:30 p.m. on October 25, 2026, staff at NWCX confirmed Morley was unaccounted for and immediately conducted an emergency count and search of the facility," the agency said when it announced his escape on Oct. 26.

Security cameras "confirmed Morley breached the perimeter fence and exited the facility in his TDOC uniform," officials said.

After Morley allegedly stole a truck in Tennessee after his escape, the vehicle was found in Marion, Illinois, the TBI announced on Tuesday, Oct. 27.

After the stolen truck was recovered, little information emerged about Morley's whereabouts until his arrest on Tuesday.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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Two people were killed -- one of whom died in a vehicle -- and hundreds of others were rescued since Sunday as a storm brought severe flooding in Palm Bay, Florida, according to Palm Bay Mayor Rob Medina.

The deceased victims have been identified by Florida officials as Joshua Bennett, 34, and Archie Richards, 78

Emergency crews rescued hundreds of people from flooded areas using boats and special high-water vehicles, Medina said in a press conference Tuesday.

Some homes suffered major damage. One family reported that 38 inches of water had filled their living room, Medina told reporters.

"That is devastation within our city," Medina said.

Officials warned that flooding could continue even after the rain stops because water may take several days to drain. They urged residents to stay away from flooded roads, fast-moving water and downed power lines.

Flooding has also affected other parts of Florida, including St. Lucie, Martin and Palm Beach counties. State officials said they are working with local leaders to determine how much damage the storm caused.

A low-pressure system over the Gulf led to continuous onshore flow over the Florida peninsula on Sunday and Monday.

Up to 2 feet of rain fell in southern Brevard County on Sunday and Monday, leading to catastrophic flooding of streets, homes and businesses.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says it rescued more than 60 people in Brevard County on Monday.

Area schools have been closed and polling stations have been relocated, according to officials.

Persistent onshore flow will keep scattered showers along Florida's east coast on Tuesday, with additional rainfall of 1 to 2 inches, with locally 3 to 5 inches or more, possible.

Florida Lt. Gov. Jay Collins visited Palm Bay to see the damage and meet with families affected by the flooding. He thanked first responders and residents who helped their neighbors during the emergency.

"This is heartbreaking. When you talk to citizens who literally just moved here, from Louisiana, got set up, got settled — everything they own is wrecked. It’s a huge loss," Collins said.

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The Justice Department in recent days has continued moving at an aggressive clip in ramping up its criminal investigation into the Alaska U.S. Senate race, sources familiar with the matter tell ABC News, with prosecutors in the process of issuing more than 100 subpoenas and at least twenty target letters and preservation notices alerting individuals they are targets of the probe. 

The investigation began accelerating last week after The New York Times detailed alleged efforts by Democrats and some in Democratic candidate Mary Peltola's campaign to recruit Daniel J. Sullivan, a retired teacher, to be on the ballot with incumbent Republican Dan S. Sullivan.

The target letters, which are being issued to Democrats whom investigators believe were involved in the recruitment effort, are an unusual step in such an early juncture in the investigation.

Among the recipients are Marc Elias, sources said, an attorney frequently attacked by Republicans over his extensive involvement in election-related litigation on behalf of Democrats.

"No one should be surprised that President Trump's Department of Justice is targeting me and my law firm on Election Day," Elias said in a statement. "This administration has repeatedly weaponized the DOJ against the President's political enemies despite zero evidence of wrongdoing, and we are the latest targets. We will not be intimidated by a sham investigation."

A target letter, which is typically used by the Justice Department to alert an individual they are a "target" of a federal grand jury investigation, does not mean an individual will ultimately face federal charges. According to sources, the letters indicate that a grand jury empaneled in Alaska is probing possible conspiracy and donor fraud related offenses. 

Appearing on Fox News Tuesday, Attorney General Todd Blanche said that further DOJ action could be triggered in the event Republican incumbent Dan S. Sullivan narrowly loses, saying, "There is a scenario where the incumbent Sen. Sullivan could lose but really he didn't lose -- really because of ranked-based, it's clear that voters were confused."

"Again, that's why you need to preserve the ballots because you need to look at the individual ballots potentially to see if there was voter confusion, if it's obvious from the ballot itself that the voter, or likely that the voter intended to vote for Sen. Sullivan but was confused because of the fraud that's taken place there," Blanche said.

U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason, who dismissed a Justice Department lawsuit seeking to block certification of the race if Sen. Sullivan loses, said in her ruling that once ballots were cast, an investigation into voter intent would be "impossible" because the government would have to preserve voter secrecy even if ballots cast for Daniel J. Sullivan were somehow segregated.

A DOJ spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment from ABC News. 

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An avid runner stabbed while jogging less than a mile from her New York City home has died, WABC reported Tuesday, citing the runner's family.

Police told ABC News that Katie Suarez, 28, was stabbed in the neck Friday night while jogging along the Belt Parkway waterfront in Brooklyn, in what appears to be a random, "very violent" attack.

Suarez's family told WABC that she died Monday night. Police are still searching for the suspect.

She called her father around 8 p.m. Friday to tell him she was about a half mile from home, according to police. When she did not arrive back home, her parents went looking for her, and her father found her stabbed in the neck, according to NYPD Chief of Detectives Joe Kenny.

Kenny described a brutal attack in an interview with ABC News on Monday, with a long blood trail of about 150 feet.

"It was a very, very large crime scene," Kenny said.   

Police said nothing appeared to have been taken from Suarez and there was no indication of sexual trauma.

"We believe it to be some sort of random attack at this time," Kenny said. "She was a very private person. For someone to know that she was going to be there at that exact time would be extraordinary for us to find out."

The attack occurred along the Shore Parkway Greenway near the city's Bath Beach and Bensonhurst neighborhoods in Brooklyn, according to police. There are no cameras in the area, and a canvass of the neighborhood has so far turned up no video, according to Kenny.

A license plate reader captured about 1,700 cars passing the area at the time of the attack, and detectives are hoping to isolate drivers with dash cameras that may have caught something, Kenny said.

The NYPD released a photo of Suarez while trying to find anyone who may have seen her on Friday. The photo shows Suarez, who has participated in city races before, wearing a T-shirt and bib for the Frozen Bonsai 5K in Prospect Park in March. She was not registered to compete in the New York City Marathon that was held Sunday.

Police asked anyone who may have seen her on Friday between 7:56 p.m. and 8:12 p.m. in the vicinity of the eastbound bike path along the Belt Parkway between Bay 8 Street and Bay 17 Street to come forward.

"We're looking for any interaction that she may have had alongside the pathway," Kenny said. "There's always fishermen out there. We're interviewing them."

Police are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

Anyone with information on the assault is asked to contact the NYPD at 1-800-577-8477.

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