Texas high court says execution in ‘shaken baby syndrome’ case can’t be halted

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Texas Supreme Court ruled that a legislative subpoena cannot be used to stop an execution, putting a decisive end to a legal battle that halted the scheduled execution of Robert Roberson last month. Roberson was sentenced to death in 2003 for killing his 2-year-old daughter. Prosecutors maintained she was a victim of shaken baby syndrome. Roberson was scheduled to die by lethal injection on Oct. 17 when lawmakers, in a last-ditch effort, issued a subpoena to have him testify at the Texas Capitol days after his planned execution. Roberson has gained bipartisan support from lawmakers and medical experts who say he was convicted on faulty evidence.

Judge sets April trial for 3 former officers charged with murder in Nichols’ beating

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A judge has scheduled a trial for April for three former Memphis police officers charged with murder in the beating of Tyre Nichols. A Shelby County judge on Friday scheduled their trial in state court for April 28. Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith have pleaded not guilty to state charges of second-degree murder in the death of Nichols. The 29-year-old was punched, kicked and hit with a police baton after he fled a traffic stop in January 2023. The three officers were found guilty in October of federal witness tampering charges. The beating of Nichols was caught on police video that has been released to the public.

Palm Springs officials approve $5.9M to pay displaced Black and Latino families

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (AP) — The Palm Springs City Council has approved a $5.9 million deal to pay Black and Latino families who were displaced from a neighborhood in the 1960s. The unanimous vote Thursday settles a tort claim filed by the families in 2022 over the displacement. They previously sought $2.3 billion from the city. The city council has also approved $21 million in funding that will largely go to housing programs and the creation of a monument commemorating the history of the neighborhood known as Section 14. Priority for the programs will be given to former residents who were displaced from the neighborhood and their descendants.

Officers accused of pulling over women, searching phones for nude pictures

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Two Missouri police officers were indicted separately this week and accused of similar crimes — pulling over women and searching their phones to find nude photos. The indictments of former Missouri State Highway Patrol officer David McKnight on Tuesday and former Florissant, Missouri, officer Julian Alcala on Wednesday were unrelated, but the indictments spelled out similar allegations. Both men face federal charges accusing them of depriving the rights of several women, and destroying evidence. McKnight is accused of victimizing nine women over a period of nearly a year. Alcala is accused of crimes involving 20 women during a roughly three-month period early this year.