Christopher Ruddle, Author at Ballot News

Mother sentenced to 23 years to life for death of 5-year-old daughter

A mother received 23 years to life, and her boyfriend drew 14 years, officials said. SYRACUSE, N.Y. — A Syracuse mother was sentenced to 23 years to life in prison Wednesday for killing her 5-year-old daughter, a case that prosecutors said also involved attempts to conceal the child’s body and a second defendant who was sentenced a day earlier. The sentencing marks a turning point in a case that unfolded over two years, moving from …

Man killed in shooting inside Midtown Manhattan 7-Eleven

Police said the gunman fled on foot from the Eighth Avenue store near West 39th Street. NEW YORK — A man in his 40s was shot and killed Thursday morning inside a 7-Eleven in Midtown Manhattan, and police said the suspected gunman ran from the store and disappeared into the busy street traffic nearby. The killing, reported just before the lunchtime rush, put detectives and patrol officers back on alert in a corridor that draws …

Starbucks drive-thru killing shakes St. Louis restaurant community

A suspect faces first-degree murder and robbery-related charges after the daytime shooting. ST. LOUIS, Mo. — The fatal shooting of a 28-year-old woman while she waited in a Starbucks drive-thru in south St. Louis has rattled a busy neighborhood and sparked an outpouring of grief from the city’s restaurant community. Police said the woman was shot late Tuesday morning on South Grand Boulevard, and a 58-year-old suspect was arrested and later charged. The case moved …

Father charged after infant stabbed and left in the snow

Police say the 3-month-old boy was flown to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia for emergency surgery. COATESVILLE, Pa. — A judge delayed the arraignment of a Coatesville man accused of stabbing his 3-month-old son and leaving the baby in the snow, after authorities said the 44-year-old struggled to answer basic questions during the late-night court proceeding. The infant survived emergency surgery and remained in critical but stable condition, according to the Chester County District Attorney’s Office. …

Fort Worth teen charged after friend killed in fries dispute

Police say the shooting happened inside an apartment off Jeremiah Drive on Jan. 28. FORT WORTH, Texas — An 18-year-old has been charged with murder in the fatal shooting of a 19-year-old friend and neighbor after an argument that began over sharing french fries, according to Fort Worth police and court records tied to the arrest. Investigators say the shooting happened Jan. 28 inside an apartment in west Fort Worth and ended with Jarvis Davis …

British woman, 23, fatally shot by father during visit to his Texas home

Witness testimony described an argument, alcohol evidence, and a handgun kept in a bedside cabinet. WARRINGTON, England — A British inquest heard detailed testimony this week about the final minutes before 23-year-old Lucy Harrison was shot in the chest at her father’s home in Texas, a death that later drew no criminal charges in the United States. The inquest at Cheshire Coroner’s Court examined what happened inside a ground-floor bedroom in Prosper, near Dallas, on …

Robbery at Church’s leaves employee dead; suspect described as homeless

Police say a suspect shot two employees, stole cash and fled in a vehicle. NORFOLK, Va. — A 32-year-old Hampton man accused in a deadly shooting at a Church’s Chicken is jailed without bond after police said he shot two employees during a robbery and ran off with a cash drawer. One worker, 47-year-old Sherod S. Rogers, died later at a hospital. Authorities say the shooting, reported just before noon on Feb. 7, left another …

Brooklyn man charged in 2021 Elmont driveway acid attack

Prosecutors say a tip, vehicle evidence and online searches helped identify a suspect. MINEOLA, N.Y. — A 29-year-old Brooklyn man was arraigned Tuesday on charges tied to a 2021 acid attack that left a Hofstra University student badly burned and partially blinded after she was ambushed in her Elmont driveway, authorities said. Investigators said the case broke open after new information surfaced late last year, helping police and prosecutors connect the suspect to a vehicle …

10 killed, 25 wounded in Canada school attack; woman in a dress reported as shooter

Officials close the school for the week as police investigate deaths at the campus and a nearby home. TUMBLER RIDGE, British Columbia — Grief spread quickly through this small mountain community after a shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School and a nearby home left 10 people dead, including the suspected shooter, and more than 25 others injured, authorities said. The violence struck in the middle of the school day, turning a familiar place into a …

Two Lyft drivers fatally shot in Cleveland within 36 hours

Police say the cases are separate as detectives search for suspects and motive. CLEVELAND, Ohio — Two Lyft drivers were shot to death on Cleveland’s East Side within about 36 hours, police said, in separate attacks that ended with both victims found slumped behind the wheel after their vehicles crashed near residential streets. Investigators said Wednesday that they have not found evidence tying the killings together beyond the victims’ work for the same rideshare company. …